The Love Raffle

Chapter 6

Unsurprisingly, Beca had wanted to take Amber and her friends out to celebrate at a fancy Italian restaurant since she hadn’t come along to the after party last week. The sound of cutlery clinking against plates filled the air.

Beca laughed heartily, her fifth glass of wine in hand. She took a sip and pointed her finger at Amber. “You, you, you!” The sleeve of her bright red cupcake dress nearly got in her food. It was an interesting design.

Elouise and Conner brought their hands together like the spectators on The Love Raffle . They had dropped their utensils to sing her praises.

Amber’s mouth was full of chicken parmesan. She picked up a napkin to wipe her lips and shook her head, hiding a smile. “You’re going to make me spit out my food,” she said with a hand over her mouth.

The restaurant’s hired entertainment was playing a fast-paced symphony on their strings. They were standing near their table this evening.

Beca slammed her glass down and picked up the bottle of wine. “You’re going to put me on the map, kid. Who would have thought she had so much personality?” She hiccupped but kept drinking.

Elouise was not the biggest fan of Beca, but she was glad she had done this for Amber. She stuck her fork in her steak and shoved the piece she cut into her mouth. “I mean, we all know you’re a nice girl, Amber, but you were like… I don’t know. I kind of wanted to be your best friend while watching you on that stage last week. Even though I already am.”

“Definitely,” Conner said with his mouth full.

Amber giggled and sat back. “So, you guys are saying I’m boring in real life?”

“No, no,” the two rushed to say.

Beca continued to laugh for no reason. She was the loudest guest here but couldn’t care less. “Oh boy, this is great. It should be easy as pie to book you on some shows now. Amber from The Love Raffle .” She snapped her fingers. “Anyway, when’s the date again?”

Amber spread her arms over their table. “I call this here the practice date for the real thing tomorrow.”

“Do they record the real thing?” Elouise licked the corner of her mouth. “That Levi Marks guy doesn’t seem so bad. Was he an asshole off-screen?”

Amber took another bite. She chewed, swallowed, then sipped on her white wine. “I already said he wasn’t.”

Conner chewed on a mouthful of fish. “He was so cool on the show. Didn’t someone say he kind of made up what he did for the last round with that deep-ass philosophical question?”

Everyone laughed.

“No, because why did he ask something like that on a silly game show?” Beca was in stitches. “And Amber, how did you have an answer to something like that?”

Amber blushed. “I don’t know. An answer just came. It was weird but I’m glad he liked what I said because I was way behind.” She stirred her glass. “It’s pretty unfair but—”

Beca playfully wagged her finger. “You better be grateful for that, because without it, you would not have been dubbed ‘up and coming’ by E! News”

“Up and coming? But I haven’t even done much.” Amber laughed along with Elouise and Conner. “It’s all so surreal. I hope this exposure leads to more acting opportunities. Although, I can’t help but wonder if some producers might be hesitant. After all, everyone has seen me as myself, and now I have to prove I can be different characters. They might not approve, you know?” She couldn’t think of a single reality TV star who had successfully transitioned into the acting world.

“We got to try something.” Beca drank the rest of her drink. “Although,” she pointed her ringed finger at Amber, “like I keep saying, you really ought to try to make good use of this date with Marks. He seemed to like you on the show so get close to him.”

Amber shook her head. “I’m not fond of using people.”

“It’s the way the business works, Ambs,” Elouise said. “You don’t have to make him your boyfriend. It just wouldn’t hurt to make him like you enough that he’d be willing to help.”

Conner agreed. “But don’t make it obvious that that’s what you want.”

Amber smiled tightly. “Well…” She remembered the penetrating eyes of Levi Marks. “Okay.”

* * *

Levi had second thoughts about coming here. This place, an upscale restaurant called Providence on Melrose Avenue, wouldn’t have been his first pick for a first date. According to ratings and trending topics, his episode of The Love Raffle had been an absolute hit. The viewership had been through the roof and his fans as well as fans of the show in general were still talking about it. Rachel had mentioned that about forty percent of viewers had been upset about his sudden rule change during the last round, but he hadn’t paid that much mind. Other stuff had occupied his headspace.

Levi looked through the glass windows of the five-star restaurant and then at his watch. The public had not been informed of the venue or the date of this meeting. The Love Raffle showrunners had rented this place out, so it was only Levi sitting here at his table. And my bodyguards, of course. He clasped his hands in front of his plate and rubbed his thumbs together. Hopefully, the paparazzi would remain unwise of the event.

Five minutes past seven p.m. was when she arrived.

Amber wore a tight black dress on her small figure. She had curves where it counted but Levi already knew that from the club. He felt the same now as he did then. He was completely taken with her.

“Sorry I’m a bit late. You look like you’ve been sitting here a while.” Amber hurriedly sat before him, her red lips parted in a smile to reveal perfect white teeth.

Levi smiled with one corner of his mouth. “Not really. There’s no need to rush. I haven’t been here that long,” he lied. “So—”

“How are—”

They had spoken at the same time. “Oh, you go ahead.” Amber scratched the back of her neck.

Levi laughed stiffly. “I was about to ask the same thing. It’s been about what? A week since the show?” He picked up his glass of water and sipped.

Amber breathed out. “Yeah, yeah, it has.” She took in the high-end restaurant while tapping her foot under the table.

“Got any uh…auditions since then?”

When was the last time he’d had a conversation with a regular person? Back in middle school? The nerves set in after realizing this.

Amber hadn’t expected the persona he portrayed on TV, but this was a serious downgrade. It’s a date and we’re practically strangers. Wasn’t she supposed to be making him like her? Connections. She felt dirty.

She gulped and picked up the menu. “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” she said quickly, eager to change the subject. Shoot, shoot, shoot.

“Yeah, I have.”

“Ah. Good to know.” Amber’s smile was strained. “That means you can uh…” Every dish seemed foreign. “Actually understand what the items on this menu are supposed to be.”

Levi cracked a smile. “Please. This place isn’t all that fancy.” He held up his own menu. “Once I went to a place in Dubai that served dishes from every country on the planet. It was great.” He kissed his fingers. “They really know how to do it over there. The US needs to catch up if you ask me.” He shook his head and scratched his jaw.

Amber tilted her head in wonder. “But Providence is really up there from what I’ve heard.”

Levi chuckled, setting his menu down. “Maybe to someone like you but…” That had sounded better in his head. “What I mean is—”

“No, no, you’re right. Compared to you I’m like a hobo, right?” she tried to joke.

Levi folded his lips. She’s offended.

Why isn’t he laughing? Amber really needed to work on her charm. How did she expect to succeed in showbiz if being charming wasn’t second nature to her? She was lucky she had been so entertaining on that show. “You know? Since you’re a big-time movie star and I’m…a waitress?” She tried to chuckle, but it came out scratchy.

Levi’s eyes widened. Oh God. “Hey, are you okay?”

No, do not freak him out! Amber felt like she could die. If the ground opened to swallow her, she would simply allow it. “No, no—” She waved her hand dismissively.

“What’s wrong? Was it because of what I said? I wasn’t trying to call you a hobo. I was saying that places like this are fancy to, uh…to…” Levi babbled. He didn’t want to dig himself into a deeper hole.

“I’m laughing, not crying. I don’t feel bad about what you said at all. I…” She spoke over his rambling and soon neither of them could hear a word from the other.

The bodyguards behind Levi’s seat exchanged a look. This was going to be a long night.

Their awkward conversation was cut off by the waiter who took their orders. After that, the two sat silently with their eyes averted. A few words were spoken here and there but for the most part, things were quiet.

“Here you are.” They were served about twenty minutes after requesting their food.

Amber thanked the wait staff then picked up her fork. Beca, I’m sorry but this is going horribly.

Levi’s self-esteem was pretty much non-existent right now. I’m socially inept. He knew living in a celebrity bubble would ruin him. Rachel had always said that if he played nice and delivered his lines, he would be fine. But she was wrong. He was botching this.

Amber took a deep breath after slipping her fork out of her mouth. In the heat of the moment, she had chosen something at random but wasn’t sure what it was. Tastes like fish. It was this white stuff in a bowl that was pretty darn good. “So, you’ve been acting since you were like fourteen?”

Levi was glad she was willing to keep talking. “Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the scene actually.” He sipped his wine. “But you would know, right? I mean, my movies are popular.”

Amber chuckled. “They are but when you say it, it kind of sounds like you’re gloating.”

Levi’s face fell. “Huh?”

Amber winked. “But I know you weren’t trying to.” She cleared her throat. “So, how’s it been at the top? Living the dream we all want so desperately?”

Levi picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth. “It’s been okay.”

Amber hummed to herself. “Just okay? I mean, you told me earlier that you got to travel to Dubai once. And apparently the food there was so great that this five-star restaurant is subpar to you.” She giggled nervously. Conversations were never really her thing, but she had to do what she had to do.

Levi wished he hadn’t said that. “Yeah, Dubai was great but in general, the glam life is not as glamorous as it seems on the outside.”

Amber had heard tons of people in his shoes say that before. “Think working minimum wage would be better?” she mumbled while scooping up her fish.

Levi frowned. “Well, no, but—”

“Ignore me. I have a bit of a gripe with that sort of thing.” Amber sighed. “It’s hard seeing someone living my dream and not absolutely adoring it as much as I think I would, you know? But I guess you don’t since for most of your life you’ve been living this way.” She filled her fork with fish and put it in her mouth.

Levi shook his head, pointing his fork at her. “It has its perks, but it’s also got its not-perks.”

“Do the ‘not-perks’ outweigh the perks?” Amber challenged.

Levi didn’t want to start an argument here, but she seemed to. Or am I reading this wrong? Her face was neutral. Gorgeous. She had beautiful brown eyes that he couldn’t stop looking at. But that’s not the point. “Okay, I can list them out for you.” He put his fork down then held up his hand. “Perks: money and job security because of the franchise.”

“Mm.” Amber crinkled her brows to show her interest, nodding. “And the ‘not-perks’ are lack of privacy? I hear you guys complain about that one a lot. ”

“What do you mean, ‘you guys’?”

“Celebrities?” Amber shrugged.

Levi sighed. “Everyone has their own experience.” He clapped his hands. “Now onto the not-perks. Lack of privacy, like you said, always grinding, life flies by and you’re too busy to see it. There’s also the lack of time for family and friends, isolation, loss of normalcy, and loss of…childhood.” He stared at his plate. “Yeah.”

Amber could hear his hurt. “Sounds to me as if you’ve been waiting a long time to list those not-perks.” She scratched her bottom lip with her teeth. They felt hot and tingly.

I shouldn’t have dumped that on her. “It sounds like I’m shallow and whiny, huh?” Levi asked softly.

Amber stared into those piercing blue eyes of his. “I always say everyone’s got a right to complain if they’re not happy.”

Levi was somehow relieved to hear that from her. “So, you don’t think I’m ungrateful?”

“Has someone told you that you are?” Amber cleared her throat and rubbed her lips. She was so itchy suddenly.

Levi thought of his mother briefly then dismissed the flashback. “I don’t want to bore you with all that.” He tried to smile. “Why don’t you tell me more about you? You gave the winning answer on the show last week. You were so…profound.”

Amber’s cheeks heated. “I only won because you liked what I said.”

“Because it was a great answer to a question that probably shouldn’t have even been asked on a show like that, now that I think about it.” Levi felt a genuine smile grow on his lips after she laughed at his words.

“So, you know how weird it sounded?” Amber found it hysterical that he did. It made the joke all the more laughable.

Levi’s face got hot as he listened to her, but he joined in her laughter and lifted his glass of wine. “Did I freak you out or something? With the question?”

Amber saw something change in his eyes. They seemed…brighter. Does that mean I’m doing okay? “I was a bit surprised by it.” She raised a finger. “And I also believe that it was pretty unfair of you to change the rules. How do you think Patricia and Kate feel? They were in the lead and I passed them because what? You liked what I said?”

Levi swallowed his wine and put his glass down. “I realized that the fact that they knew so much about me would make dating one of them weird, so I switched things up by changing the question. I asked something that’d let me know who was the…”

“Deepest contestant?” Amber tried with a laugh.

Levi was enchanted. Wait, what? Why was his stomach getting all weird? Amber was an attractive woman. But he had worked with dozens of attractive women before. None of them ever did this to him. There’s nothing weird going on. I think she’s beautiful and has a perfect smile. And that was about it. “No. I’m not— We’re supposed to be talking about you. What do you like?” He was curious.

Amber scratched her cheek. He was not at all like the guy she had met at the club and on set. He was laughing and smiling, not because he had to but because… I think he’s enjoying me. She rejoiced internally. “I like acting and movies of course. I enjoy sitting at home with popcorn and not changing out of my pajamas for the whole day and sleeping and—”

“I’m starting to think that your shifts at your waitressing job are too long. Sounds like someone just wants to laze around their apartment.”

She had a laugh with him and then tucked her hair behind her ear. “You’re right, Levi. I’m exhausted right now because, as you can probably guess, the life of a shift-to-shift worker is not very fun.” She swallowed. Her throat felt tight. “But I have to do it, so I do.”

“If you got a breakout role right now, would your will to lie in bed disappear?”

Amber sat straighter as she considered this. “I…I’d be excited, but I enjoy that sort of thing. Staying in.”

Levi’s brows went up. He set his elbows on the table and locked his fingers. “Wow. That’s what I spent my entire time off doing.”

“Oh really?”

“Watching movies and staying in. I am not an outside guy.”

“I mean I do like to take risks now and then but as a kid I was always the shy type, so I think the most real part of me sort of gravitates towards my couch and TV,” Amber joked. She watched the way he laughed. “You seem so much happier…” She caught herself before saying more aloud.

Levi noticed the stunned look on her face. He continued scooping food off his plate. “Compared to how I was on the show?” Was it him or was the skin around Amber’s mouth going red?

Amber scratched her face and her throat simultaneously. “Your eyes seem…”

“Excuse me.”

Levi and Amber brought their attention to one of Levi’s guards.

“Joe?” Levi asked carefully.

Joe seemed worried. He pointed his bearded chin towards Levi’s date. “Are you allergic to shellfish, miss?”

Amber kept scratching her throat. “I… Not that I know of. I don’t eat it often…or at all actually. Why do you ask?”

Levi gasped then stretched across the table to grab her bowl. “This is crab. Is that why your face is going red?”

“Wait, what?” Amber scratched her bottom lip again. “My face is red?” She got her phone camera to look. “Oh crap.” Right when things were looking up! “Okay, maybe it’ll wear off if I stop eating this.” She surveyed the room. “Is it time for dessert? Waiter!”

Levi’s heart was racing. “Shouldn’t we take you to a doctor or hospital? You probably need medicine.” He got up, pushing his chair back. His bodyguards stepped aside too. “Allergic reactions can be fatal, you know.”

Amber did not want this night to end with Levi Marks driving her to the hospital. All her points would go down the drain. By that I mean my points to him liking me. They weren’t on the show anymore. “I think it’ll pass.”

Levi walked to her chair and pulled her away from the table. “But you’ve never had an allergic reaction to shellfish before. You don’t know what could happen.” Why was she so casual about this? “Come on, Amber. We’re going to the hospital.”

Amber sighed before standing. “But we’re supposed to be having a date.” She watched Levi’s guards walk to his sides. They were large and hefty. They seemed to cast a shadow on her body.

“Your lips are swelling,” one of them pointed out.

Amber covered her mouth with a hand just as a waiter came out to check on things.

“Everything alright?” the young woman said hesitantly. “Is there something wrong?”

“Yes,” Levi said at the same time Amber said, “No.”

The waitress jumped back at the sight of Amber. “Oh my God, your face!” She started to hyperventilate.

“Jesus Christ,” Levi whispered as one guard walked quickly to the girl to calm her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

The girl was on her knees.

Amber joined the guards to help her. “What’s wrong?” She squeezed the girl’s arms and brought her to her seat.

Levi barely knew where to turn. Get out more, Rachel said. “It’s okay. Nothing bad will happen. It’s all going to be fine.” He stood beside the young waitress.

“I can’t believe this! I’m going to get reprimanded because I served you crab!” The girl seemed to come back to her senses. She was breathing normally—thankfully—and staring at Amber.

Amber shook her head. “No, no, it’s fine. I’m going to be okay.” The itching was unbearable. Her throat burned at this point. Like there was a literal fire inside it. “It was my fault for not knowing.”

Levi nodded beside her. “I’m going to take her to the hospital.” He held Amber’s arm. “Whether she likes it or not,” he said through clenched teeth.

Amber looked at his firm hand. Levi loosened his grip, sensing he may have overstepped. “We have to go.”