Love Me in the Spotlight: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (Love Me Romcom Series Book 1)

by Laura Burton

  Doesn’t she get it? I haven’t just lost my mind. I’ve lost everything. I want to break down and cry terrible sobs but I’m too drained. Elsie helps me into the living room, and I collapse on the couch, too exhausted to move.

  She wants to know everything. I won’t get away without an interrogation but right now I need to sleep.

  I wake up to the smell of bacon and for a split second I think I’m back in the cabin. I sit up and look across the room, fully expecting to see Ronan at the stove and flashing me a cheeky grin.

  “You’re awake!”

  My stomach falls. The voice does not belong to Ronan.

  Before Elsie can bombard me with questions, I head to the bathroom and lock the door. I glance at the huge panda eyes staring back at me in the mirror and drag a hand across my face. I’ve never had a hang over, but I imagine this is what it feels like to have one. I splash cold water on my face in a vain attempt to ease my throbbing temples and stand in the shower for as long as my legs will carry my weight. I stand under the hot spray, knees knocking and chest heaving, trying not to think about anything.

  Ronan’s face keeps flashing across my mind like it’s burned within my cranium.

  It’s bad enough we lost the competition and Ronan’s only hope to raise enough money for his mum’s care. But I never in a million years dreamed he would reject me on national TV. And I shall be forever stuck in this tiny town, which is for the best, because I’ll always be that girl who made a joke of herself on the Love Trials.

  “Melissa, are you okay? Your food is going cold.” Elsie bangs on the bathroom door and I press my head against the wall tiles. It’s cooling against the building migraine crawling into my eyes.

  “I’m fine,” I moan, blindly turning off the shower. As the cold air prickles my skin, my body begins to tremor.

  “Look at you,” Elsie’s voice is sympathetic. Of course, Elsie does not understand boundaries. She never has. I grab the towel from her wishing it possessed magical powers and will make me disappear.

  After a few laboured minutes of getting dry and into fresh clothes, Elsie guides me back to the living room, where she’s decided to cross examine me. I don’t want to talk about Ronan. I’m not sure I can even say his name aloud. But if I don’t, Elsie will prod at me until I cave. It’s better to get the truth out now and allow Elsie to make sense of everything.

  Elsie hands me a plate of food as a peace offering, as I swing from “I’m not hungry” to devouring every morsel of food she hands me. She listens quietly, as I recount everything that happened from the moment I arrived at the Castle.

  She laughed about the thorn bush incident. Nodded along with my account of the room escape challenge. She gasped at my description of Ronan’s kisses and cheesy chat up lines. When I explained about his mother’s situation she began to pace the room.

  “––Ronan just walked off the stage. He wouldn’t even look at me.” I finish the story and my stomach knots at the memory.

  “You’re not very bright sometimes,” Elsie remarks. It’s the last thing I expect her to say. But that’s Elsie, she will always tell the truth. No matter how cutting it is.

  “Excuse me?” I ask, looking up at her incredulously. Elsie stops and rests her slender hands on her narrow hips, her eyes boring into mine.

  “When you lost the competition, it basically gave Ronan’s mum a death sentence. And you’re upset he didn’t comfort you?”

  The words hit me square between the eyes and my chest tightens. I had become so wrapped up in hurt over Ronan’s response to Jewel’s question, I didn’t think about how he was feeling.

  “How would you react in his situation?” Elsie presses. I chew my lip. I probably wouldn’t even notice Ronan sitting beside me.

  “Well, now I feel rubbish.”

  Elsie settles on the couch next to me and pats my leg with sympathy.

  “Well, aren’t you going to do something about it?” she asks softly. I look at her inquisitively. What is there left to do? It’s over. I don’t have Ronan’s phone number. I can’t even remember his second name. Did he ever tell me?

  Now at home, my head is clearing and suddenly I realise how exaggerated everything had become under the spotlight. The stress of performing for the camera crew, convincing the viewers we were a real couple, and spending every waking moment together––it’s no surprise Ronan and I got caught up in it all.

  It was a crushing defeat. I was supposed to save the day, help Ronan to pay for that treatment and welcome his mum home. He was going to introduce me as his wife. But even thinking that while sitting in my living room now seems foolish.

  “You know, I don’t care if Ronan was faking it or not. We had a connection. And maybe I’m not supposed to end up with him. But what if I am supposed to help his mum?”

  Elise looks at me with mild confusion, then her face turns sympathetic again. As if I announced a mission to fly to the moon.

  “Melissa, you know you can’t find that kind of money. You still owe me rent for last month, remember?”

  I get to my feet and pace the room in thought, ignoring Elsie as she stares at me.

  “I need my laptop,” I announce and march to my bedroom.

  “What are you doing?” Elsie says, following me. I turn back to her and take a deep steady breath.

  “Something. That’s what I’m doing. And I need your help.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Okay, I set everything up. Now we just need to record your video,” Elsie says, propping her phone up against a stack of books on the dining table.

  I sit down and adjust my hair nervously as Elsie presses record and nods to me.

  “Go,” she mouths and I swallow deeply.

  “My name is Melissa Jones. You might recognise me from the Love Trials. Ronan and I were, in fact, strangers before the show began. But as we worked together to face our fears, and helped each other through the process, real feelings grew. At least… for me, they were real.”

  I bite my lip, and glance at Elise; she gives me a reassuring nod to continue.

  “Ronan’s mum is terminally ill and we need to raise fifty thousand pounds to pay for her treatment, or she will die. So, being evicted from the Love Trials is devastating.”

  I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and shift in my chair as I take another breath.

  “I’m sure Ronan did whatever he thought he had to do because he loves his mum. Won’t we all do anything to save the people we love? Now, I don’t know Ronan’s mum. But I have got to know Ronan. He is sweet and kind. The most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

  Elsie coughs, but I ignore her.

  “Which is why I can’t sit and do nothing. This is where you come in. I need you to share this crowdfunding page on your social media and donate whatever you can towards the campaign. It’s not too late. We can still work together to help Ronan save his mum. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing to be part of? Ronan, if you’re watching this, I want you to know I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the way life has treated you and I’m sorry I didn’t stick around to help you pick up the pieces. It might just have been an act to you, but I meant everything I’ve ever said to you. And I hope that we can still find a happy ending.”

  Elsie leans in and clicks the phone.

  “Well, you did your usual ramble, but I think the message was clear.”

  “Should I record it again? Maybe skip out the apology to Ronan?” I offer, but Elsie shakes her head with a guilty smile.

  “You were live, so we can’t do it again.”

  My face falls.

  “Elsie!”

  I’m about to launch into a full-on rant when Elsie phone pings. She picks up her phone and taps her thumbs on the screen. Then she looks up at me triumphantly.

  “You’ve got your first donation. And listen to this: I don’t care you were a fake couple. You were my favourites to win, and I cried during last night’s show.”

  I open my mouth to react, but her phone pings again. Then a
gain. And again.

  “Oh wow. Donations are flooding in.”

  Over the next few hours, Elsie reads out messages to me as they pop up in the crowdfunding page. The hashtag #ForRonansMum trends and by evening, two celebrities make generous donations.

  My eyes pool with tears as I sit cross-legged on the couch and stare at the TV while Elsie talks at top speed.

  “You’ve made the news! Check it out.” Elsie changes the channel and I see my face on the TV screen. The news report plays a montage of scenes from the show. Every time Ronan strokes my hair across my brow and leans in to kiss me. The first moment he picks me up in his arms and swings me around in a circle. Finishing with a wide shot of us kissing in the fountain. The images bring back a flood of emotions and I gasp, feeling an imaginary fist clutching my heart.

  “Despite a heart-breaking rejection from Ronan during the live eviction, Melissa is raising money to help his terminally ill mother who is receiving radical treatment abroad.”

  A knock on the door pulls me out of the TV and I exchange looks with Elsie.

  “Did you order take out?” I ask. I could demolish a chicken curry right now. Elsie shakes her head. The door bangs again, and I jump to my feet.

  “I’ll get it, I guess.” I stumble out of the room and tiptoe along the hall to peek through the spyhole.

  Jewel’s eyes look back at mine through the hole and she looks like she has worry lines on top of her worry lines. I pull the door open and gasp with surprise to see her standing alone on my doorstep.

  “You left your phone,” she holds it up to me, but I do not take it. Instead, I take in her dishevelled appearance. Her wiry hair sticks out in all directions and her face is gaunt, complete with massive dark circles under her eyes.

  “You could have sent it in the post,” I blurt. “What are you doing here, don’t you have a finale to shoot?”

  Jewel pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes for a moment.

  “We have two days off. Can I come in? It’s been a long day.”

  I frown but step aside, and Jewel enters the hall. As I close the door, Elsie squeals and my heart sinks. I know what’s coming.

  “Oh, my goodness. It’s you. I can’t believe you’re here. I’m Elsie Kingston, huge fan.”

  I turn to find Elsie shaking Jewel’s hand with vigour and her eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas day.

  “It’s always nice to meet a fan,” Jewel says in her charming voice.

  “Melissa, we’re half-way to our target. Can you believe it?”

  We walk into the living room and Jewel perches on the edge of the leather couch and places my phone on the glass coffee table.

  “I wanted to talk to you about that,” she begins. My stomach tightens and I lower to the chair next to the door.

  “Ronan told me you’re his aunt.” The confession flies out of my mouth before I can stop myself. But Jewel’s thin lips curve upwards as she inclines her head.

  “I know,” she says. “Ronan and I have already talked about everything.”

  I lace my fingers together and twiddle my thumbs as my breath catches in my throat.

  “How is he?” I ask quickly.

  Jewel closes her eyes for a moment, as if to offer a silent prayer. Elsie and I exchange looks, then her phone pings again and it appears to pull Jewel out of her meditation.

  “I want you to know I never intended for you to fall for my nephew.” She leans forward to assert her point and look at me sternly. “Neither did Ronan expect to fall for you. We focused him on the task at hand.”

  “Saving his mum, I know.” I look down at the cream carpet, deflated. If Jewel came here to make me feel better, she was doing a lousy job. So, Ronan really was just playing an act, and I fell for it.

  “I have explained the situation to the rest of the crew.”

  I look up and study her weary face.

  “Julian…the staff… they didn’t know?”

  “Not until last night.” Jewel heaves a sigh and looks over to Elsie who is busy tapping away on her phone in the room's corner.

  “I don’t suppose I could have a drink? I’m feeling rather parched,” she says to Elsie, who jumps as if struck by a bolt of lightning.

  “Oh yes, sorry. How rude of me. I’ll get you one right now.” Elsie hurries off to the kitchen as Jewel turns back to me.

  “Thank you for setting up the crowdfunding for my sister. You didn’t have to do that.” I glance out of the dark window and rub my neck.

  “I just wanted to help,” I explain, now feeling foolish. Jewel makes a humming noise. An awkward silence follows as we avoid eye contact and Elsie goes about preparing drinks.

  “So, you just came here to give me my phone back?” I ask. Jewel looks at me as if for the first time and opens her mouth.

  “No,” she says. “I wanted to thank you for the help and to give you this.” She pulls out a crumpled envelope from her bag and hands it to me. I look down at my name scrawled on the front in messy handwriting.

  “What is this?” I ask blankly. Elsie returns and hands Jewel a drink, her face lighting up as Jewel thanks her. Then I look back down at the envelope in my hands.

  “All the couples are welcome back in one year, to record a reunion before the next season begins.”

  “I thought The Love Trials was cancelled?” I shoot back with a brow raised. Jewel looks alarmed for a moment, then settles into a smile again.

  “Ratings have been through the roof. Since your video went viral this morning, we’ve had over a million views on the last episode alone.”

  “So, they’ll be a new season?” Elsie asks, hopeful. Jewel nods.

  “I signed the contract for a three-year extension this evening. I told you it’s been a long day.”

  “Well, that’s great. And I guess I’ll see you in a year for the reunion,” my words do not come out the way I meant them to. I sound sarcastic and defeated. When I’m happy for Jewel. I think. At least Elsie and I can keep watching the show together. While consuming copious amounts of ice-cream.

  “So, what’s this?” I hold up the envelope and wave it near my ear.

  “It’s from Ronan. And I have to tell you he wrote it before your crowdfunding page went live.”

  I tear open the envelope before she can say another word and open the letter with shaking hands.

  * * *

  Dear Mel,

  I owe you a massive apology. I would do this in person, but you have already left. I guess you don’t expect to see or hear from me again. You may not want to have anything to do with me. And I wouldn’t blame you.

  I’m rambling. Look what you’ve done to me. I never used to ramble.

  I knew that taking part in this show was a long shot. I expected that I might have to find another way to raise the money for my mum. The last thing I saw coming was you.

  Meeting you, a damsel in distress, changed my life. You burst into my life like a pocket rocket. With your cheesy sense of humour, and passionate drive to succeed at whatever you want to do.

  We both know how gorgeous you are. But I don’t want to make this about your looks. Because I fell for your vibrant personality just as much as your beautiful face.

  I wish I could take you in my arms and kiss all the hurt away. I know I betrayed your trust. But I didn’t want to profess my love to you on national TV just seconds after losing the show.

  It felt wrong. And I am done with lies.

  I’ll figure something out. I should never have put you under so much pressure. And it pains me you think everything we went through was an act.

  I wanted to kid myself that you were only a cog in a system. Someone who would help me get my hands on a load of cash. I wanted to believe that I could pretend to love you and walk away at the end.

  But if there is one thing that will break me even more than the prospect of my mother’s death, it’s hurting you and never seeing you again.

  I care about you, Mel. Maybe when this mess ironed out, we can start
afresh. I’d love to take you on a date sometime. Maybe we could go to Bristol and try out the new Escape Room?

  Promise me you’ll think about it.

  * * *

  Ronan.

  “Melissa, you won’t believe this,” Elsie’s voice breaks the stunned silence and I look at her, wondering if my brain might take in any more news. She waves her phone above her head at me.

  “You’ve hit the target. Fifty grand in the bag.”

  Jewel throws her face in her hands and her shoulders shake as she wails. Meanwhile, Elsie jumps to her feet and dances on the spot with victory. Part of me wonders if I’m still asleep. I don’t know whether to join Jewel in crying or dance with Elsie. Before I can decide with action to take, another knock on the door captures my attention.

  “This is just getting crazy,” I mutter under my breath as I get up.

  This time, I don’t bother looking through the spyhole and pull open the door expecting to see a clown. Then my teeth will fall out, and I will wake up from this weird dream.

  “I couldn’t wait a second longer to see you.”

  I stare ahead with my mouth hanging open. My teeth do not fall out and I do not see a clown standing on the doorstep. Instead, I see the last person I was expecting.

  “Can we talk?”

  I shake my head and step forward, closing the door behind me. Then I take Ronan’s hands and rub my thumbs along his skin to check he’s really here and I’m not hallucinating.

  Ronan’s eyes glow like two moons in the dark night and his body stiffens as I move closer.

  “Say nothing,” I whisper, pressing a finger to his lips. We are alone in the abandoned street and shrouded in darkness thanks to the broken streetlamp outside my house. Yet, I’ve never felt so seen.

  I reach up and grab the collar of his shirt, his hands squeeze my waist and my heart flutters in my chest.

  “Everything will be okay Mel,” he whispers. I shush him as I rub his nose with the tip of mine.

  I know everything will be okay. And I’m done with talking.

  “Ronan, just kiss me.”