Lucky in Love (A Reality TV Romance)

Four (a glimpse back at casting)

"I'm not here to make friends."

The phrase, spoken by a woman across the room, rings a bell in the back of Alex's head. Every reality show ever has someone proclaim it. But only some immediately follow with:

"-I'm here to fall in love."

There's the obvious move here, the one she's so tempted to do, which is to go introduce herself as politely as possible while they mill around before boarding the buses from hotel to mansion. But Alex has a feeling the girl will be nothing but trouble. And going in happy-go-lucky - like, for instance, a bouncy blonde who's sunnily beaming from the other side of the lobby - feels like a very bad idea.

"Have you even watched Lucky in Love?" The third woman's voice toes the line between disdain and appalled. "What about alliances? What about the immunity voting?"

The what now?

It was pretty obvious during the whole casting process - or, well, maybe not at the time, but in hindsight - that Lucky in Love is still settling in as a show. Second season, and all that. Alex had expected a lot more... just, a lot. She'd had to detail a fair amount of her dating history when talking to Delia (the producer that was acting like a personal handler for her), but there were things that she'd maybe expected that didn't happen. And things that she hadn't initially expected to come up that... that definitely had.

-*-

"So tell us about your brother."

"My..."

"Michael, right?"

"Yeah." She'd been on a roll, bubbling over, full of stories and laughter and getting some great reactions from Delia, her assigned producer, as well. But that - as always - stuck a knife between her ribs. "Yeah, Michael."

"You just got quiet."

Alex nodded, lips quirked in a kind of sad smile, and let out a soft laugh. "That's just kinda how it goes with Michael, I guess."

"Your friend Nona says she thinks you blame yourself for his death, and that's why you're not finding people you deserve."

Eyebrows lifted, and Alex felt her throat closing a bit. "That's... on the nose." She let out a huff of air, shaking her head, but still smiling. At least, still smiling a little bit. A little toned down. A lot toned down. Suddenly her nose felt stuffy, her eyes stinging. But she kept her composure, slowly nodding, eyes skirting away from Delia's concerned expression. "Maybe. I mean, she knows me well, she... probably has a point." It wasn't exactly great to be told that by a producer she'd only been talking to for three weeks, but... well, reality hits hard sometimes. She felt that hollowness growing in her chest, and shook her head again, letting out another bitter laugh. "But this is supposed to end that, right? Four crazy hot guys or something?"

"Four eligible bachelors and forty women looking for love."

With the topic shifted, Alex's eyes cleared a bit. "Good thing I'm competitive," she huffed a laugh. "And like hot guys." With a soft snort, she corrected, jokingly, "Sorry: eligible bachelors."

-*-

Four eligible bachelors.

Forty women looking for love.

Ten weeks to make the perfect pair.

Every week, the girls will compete for personal time, and to keep the luxuries of the Lucky Lot. Every week, the boys will choose who they want to stay. But who is choosing who? What happens if the boys choose the same girl? And who will leave with their perfect match?

Lets see what happens when we roll the dice! On Lucky in Love.