Love at Last

15 | Week Seven | Eliminations

December 14, 2018

THE WEEK, WHICH HAD BEEN DUBBED “HELL WEEK” BY THE OTHER CONTESTANTS HAD FINALLY ENDED, AND IT WAS TIME FOR THE CEREMONY OF THE RINGS. Though our date had hit a roadblock in the form of rabid photographers, the date actually went really well. I still had to pinch myself every time I saw the dress hanging in my closet. It was beautiful, absolutely wonderful. I couldn’t wait to find an occasion to use it.

With each date, I felt like I was falling more and more for Sebastian, and I couldn’t help but think that he returned my feelings. It was funny how love seemed to work. Seven dates, two other interactions, and a pizza delivery was all it took for me to fall for him. I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone else.

I was also excited because all next week we would be filming for the Christmas special: interviews, parties, the whole shazam. And after that, I would be able to go home for two whole weeks over Christmas. I would get to be at home in my own house and my own bed. But best of all, I’d get to see Chase, Ian, Daniel, Julia, and Kayla. I hadn’t seen them in months, and I just couldn’t wait to watch Chase and Ian get into another squabble over the last slice of Kayla’s apple pie, only for Daniel to swoop in and eat it.

I was searching for various gifts for Nina and Sebastian when a knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. I opened the door to find Aurelia on the other side. “Aurelia!” I gasped as I opened the door wider and invited her in.

“Hello, Lily,” she said as she walked in. “I hope this week didn’t scar you for life.”

I giggled, “No, rest assured it didn’t. It was a little disconcerting, but nothing more than that.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I looked at her for a beat of silence. “But something tells me that you aren’t here to just make small-talk…”
She sighed and shook her head, “No, no I am not. I am actually here off record. I wanted to warn you. This journey you are embarking on…it’s…well, let’s just say that it’s only going to get harder.”

Confused, I asked her to elaborate.

“Well, there will be plenty of competition. I’m not sure how familiar you are with this show, but very soon things will start heating up. Hearts will get involved and broken. In past seasons, the beloved has truly fallen in love with more than one contestant. How do you think the top three become the top three? They become the top three because they are the three that Sebastian could see himself loving. The audience will become rabid which is why we do not allow you to check the polls or social media. The paparazzi will never leave you alone, and family members may disapprove of you.”

I nodded slowly, allowing everything she said to absorb. “Wait,” I said after a moment. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because,” she looked at me, her green eyes peering directly into my brown ones, “I think that you have a very good chance of making it to the top three.” With that, she stood up and left the room, leaving my whirling with all of the new information she had just given me.

Was I really a favorite? Could I really make it? And what was I supposed to do if I was picked? I would only have had twelve dates with Sebastian, and they would all have been recorded and scrutinized by America. I might have found myself forgetting about the cameras with him, but did he? What was he like behind closed doors? Was I expected to marry someone who I might barely know? What if I didn’t make it to the finale, then what would I do?

Thankfully, I was pulled out from the spiral of worry by the arrival of Evette. “Hello, Lily. How are you this evening?”

“To be honest? Worried.”

“I know the feeling,” she said. “Well, actually, I’ve worked with four other girls feeling this same way, and by far the best advice that I can offer is: it’s going to be okay.”

I smiled and gave her a hug. “Thank you, Evette. You’ve been a true friend.”

She looked at me with watery eyes. “Oh stop making me cry,” she said laughing. “Now let’s make you look amazing. In fact, tonight, there’s a theme.”

“Oh? Do tell,” I said, trying to do a very British accent. It failed.

“The theme is flowers. Don’t ask me why because it makes absolutely no sense at all, but orders are orders. Brianna,” she said looking at her niece, “I’m thinking flowy, wavy, and etheral.”

Brianna nodded and immediately set to work. She braided just the sides of my hair, weaving in flowers as she worked, and brought them together at the back of my head. She then styled my hair in long waves, weaving flowers throughout. She pulled out shimmery bronze, golden, and rosy eyeshadows and glosses. Somehow, she managed to transform me into someone I could hardly recognize…again.

Evette put me in a flowered dress that reached the ground. It was lightweight and sheer (there was an attached slip). The flowers were bursts of pink, purple, and maroons. It looked like I had been born from the flowers.

Soon, it was time to go, and I turned to Evette and Brianna and thanked them before walking out the door. Just as I left, almost out of hearing range, I heard Brianna say, “Next time, I’m dying her hair blonde.” I giggled and continued walking.

THE CEREMONY OF THE RINGS STARTED JUST AS EVERY OTHER ONE DID. Bryson Valentine came and did his fancy but dorky introduction, asked Sebastian some deeply personal questions that he always evaded with red cheeks and mumbled, cryptic answers.

“Well, we’ve all seen the videos, and man, I have got to say, you have been through quite the week, haven’t you, Sebastian?”

“Pretty much. It was…well, I’d be lying if I said that it was an amazing week. Literally everything went wrong.”

Valentine laughed. “Now sources are telling us that your sister, Aurelia, was the mastermind behind this week. What do you have to say about her horrible planning?”

“Well,” Sebastian said after a while, “Aurelia actually planned for this all to go wrong. She said something about character building and seeing the person at their worst.”

“Wait, so Aurelia actually planned this for you?”

“Bingo.”

“Well then…Ladies and Gentlemen, we have ourselves a little mischief maker!” Valentine said, laughing. Then, turning serious, he said, “Sebastian, the time has come for you to tell us who you have picked and who will be going home.”

Sebastian took a deep breath and began calling out names. “Grace Wan, Shanina Brinson, Marya Gannet, Lily Harne, Maria Lansen, and Gabriella Demateo.”

As soon as Hannah Deepika realized that her name hadn’t been called, she broke down in sobs and cries, begging for another chance. When it became clear that she would not be getting another chance, she sat down and through an absolute temper tantrum. “This is about the wedding, isn’t it? You just couldn’t take that I had an ex! Jealous idiot! You don’t know what you are missing.” And as two security guards had to escort her off the premises, she took of her shoe (a stiletto) and flung it at Sebastian. It missed, but just barely.

It was safe to say that Hannah was no longer allowed near Sebastian.

Later that night, after we had dinner, as I was in my bed, the perfect idea for a gift for Sebastian came to me, and I immediately pulled out my laptop and began searching for corgi puppies.

~*~

Thank you for reading! Word count: 1306