5. 3.
3.
Callie
“Today we’ll go easy. For the initial interview, we’re going with your thoughts and hopes for the show and your first impressions of the mansion.” I look down at my schedule and keep talking. “And then we have a break for lunch…”
“Pardon?” he asks, bringing my attention back to his face..
Ok, yes, so maybe I’m avoiding looking directly at Sebastian Riggs. He’s so handsome it should be illegal. It’s wild to admit it when it’s my fifth year with the show and I’ve seen some pretty people. I live in Los Angeles, for god’s sake!
Opposite of what people might think, working with pretty people made me care less about my appearance. I met so many gorgeous, breathtaking women that now I know I can’t compete. So, I don’t even try.
I put on mascara each day because I like my eyelashes long, but that’s it besides the obligatory sunscreen. And then, of course, there are my clothes.
I have about ten branded t-shirts from the show and while I could wear anything, and no one would give a crap, I like not having to think of an outfit in the morning. I’m always wearing shorts, except for that one chilly week of the year when my ten-year-old pair of jeans are required.
All in all, beauty doesn’t register anymore. The lack of mine, nor the abundance of some people’s
Sebastian Riggs shakes that resolve a little.
It’s the accent, I decide. It has nothing to do with his intense water-blue eyes, perfectly shaped mouth, or lustrous hair. God, he’s got me calling his hair lustrous ! But no, I’m certain it’s the accent that makes him more appealing than your average L.A. boy-toy.
When I look up, his goddamn intense gaze is pinned on me. Oh, here we go.
“What part of the schedule didn't you get?” I ask, confused. Really, I dumbed this down for him.
“Are you asking for my first impressions and then it’s lunchtime?”
“Hmm, yes. That’s correct.”
He glances at his watch. “How long will the interview take?”
Doris snickers behind him, and I nod, understanding. He’s assuming I’m going to ask a couple of questions and we all can go on our merry way. Nothing is ever that simple when you’re changing camera angles.
“Everything takes time,” I say, trying to be conciliatory. I don’t want to scare him too quickly. “Don’t worry too much about the schedule.”
“I wouldn’t dream about it.” He replies, and I almost miss the glint in his eyes. He has a good sense of humor, and I have to bite my cheek not to chuckle with him.
“You have to tone that down.”
“Tone what down?” He clamps his mouth closed when Doris brushes off his hair and sprays a general amount of product with no notice.
“You’re kinda bitchy.”
Sebastian flashes me a look.
“You’re a little snarky. Sounds like you don’t want to be here.”
He considers that. “I want to be here. I’m just having a laugh.”
This time I don’t hold the chuckle back, “Did you have media training?”
He scoffs. “Naturally.”
He’s so… different from everyone else here. One second, he’s sarcastic and unruly and the next he talks like he’s Mr. Darcy himself. It’s mind-boggling and not hot at all. No sir, an English dude with a sarcastic streak is the opposite of hot.
“Well, I’m going to give you a few tips for free, anyway,” I say, and I am not discouraged when he rolls his eyes. “The lenses take you at face value.”
“Pardon?”
I hold my chuckle. “People out there will buy what you show. They don’t read between the lines; they don’t give you the benefit of the doubt. They aren’t interested in your tone. If you complain about the show, they will assume you don’t want to be here. If you make fun of the girls, they will make you the bad guy.” To this, his mouth closes in a flat line. “If you talk like a royal, they will think you’re Prince Charming.”
He huffs. “And am I correct to assume that’s the face you’d like me to show?”
“Yes. I’d love to have Prince Charming falling in love on TV. But I want you to be real too…”
“Because drama brings ratings.”
I sigh. He’s nothing like I thought he was going to be. I put my clipboard to the side, crossing my arms over my chest. When I heard about Sebastian Riggs for the first time, I thought he was going to be too much of a gentleman to be entertaining. I thought we wouldn’t have any story to show. What kind of character arc is one supposed to construct when he’s perfect already? But now I see a different angle altogether.
“What kind of media training were you given?”
Sebastian rolls his shoulders back. “I know how to behave at a dinner, or how to be discreet in a busy restaurant. But I’m not used to watching my mouth all the time.”
“So, you’re picture perfect, not camera ready?” I arch an eyebrow.
“Sure.”
My lips twitch. “Why are you here, Sebastian?”
“Pardon?” He asks for the third time, and I realize it’s a crutch. It’s the polite word he says to avoid asking people to shut their mouths.
“You heard me. Why did you decide to be part of our show?”
Doris finishes with his hair right in time, glancing at me before stepping back to get the makeup cart. I’m left watching Sebastian, waiting for a sarcastic reply. But I’m left waiting, when he flashes me a look and says, “I want to find someone.”
This takes me by surprise. “Do you?”
He shrugs. Turning to the mirror and avoiding my eyes. “I like the idea of settling down. And whatever way I’d try to meet someone would be unconventional, anyway.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because I’m a bloody Riggs, aren’t I?”
“Tell me what that means,” I ask, and it’s not because I’m being nosy. Suddenly, I really want to understand how we managed to get someone like Sebastian on our show. It’s more than publicity with him, I can tell.
“I thought you wanted to keep the messy parts to show on camera.”
“Maybe I need a taste–.” I correct myself immediately, “A warning! So we know what to expect, of course.”
“The women back home already know my name. I can’t be on a dating app. I can’t meet someone at the gym like normal people. When I go on dates, it is with friends of friends, or worse, friends of the family. It’s all very… stiff and arranged. So why not? It doesn’t matter at this point. We won’t have a meet cute walking in the park with our dogs—”
“You’re looking for the plot of 101 Dalmatians in your future wife?”
He doesn’t even entertain my question. “I’m happy to be here. My apologies if I gave you the wrong impression.”
I click my tongue, tilting my head to the side. It’s like I have three versions of the same man. One has a dry humor that won’t necessarily translate well on camera. The other is distant and way too proper. But this new one right here? This one is for real.
To make it on TV, you need to connect with people. And you can only do that if you’re vulnerable. His handsome face will get him through a couple of episodes, but soon the audience will want something else. They want to watch a show about an English aristocrat to see him falling in love with a peasant.
People want to keep the fairy tale alive.
Doris comes back with the makeup cart, starting with his skin and I watch them for a second, my head running a mile a minute.
“Be Prince Charming for me.” I finally say. “Let me sell that and I’ll get your princess.”
Sebastian turns his gaze toward me and gives the most minuscule nod.
We have a deal.