Love connection

It was a stupid idea,  I wouldn’t be doing this if not for the hundred thousand dollar price.  I had just started my makeup business and the extra money would be go a long way to helping me with starting up.  My friend Matt he wanted the money for his band.  They’d had a few small shows,  this way they could hire a venue and play for free and using extra money to promote it.  “We get a following, it means more shows and more shows gives them a chance to be seen by a record label,” he told me

The audition was easy,  I thought we would be hard acting as if we were a couple,  however it was easier than I thought.  Then we had been friends for five years.  We met when one of my friends took me to see his band.  I had a boyfriend and he had a girlfriend,  so there was no romance between us.  However we got on well as friends and he was a great support when I split with my boyfriend.  I was a support for him when he split with his girlfriend.  Though he didn’t need much support,  he was a playboy, he quickly moved on to the next girl and another girl after that.

He never made a move on me, he cared for me too much is what he told me.  So I knew because we were just friends it would be hard to win the contest acting like a loved up couple. The contest was putting couple through tests and seeing if we would stay together.  So that could be easy, since we have been so much together.

We had to stay in this apartment together, no contact with anyone else but the two of us.  I wasn’t sure I could past this as we both  had different styles of living.  He was messy and I liked everything neat and in its place.    I rose early and he liked to sleep in.  He was into fitness and I liked to take it easy.  

The first night was easy. We had pizza, drank a nice bottled wine and watched a funny movie.  Going to bed was awkward there was only one bed.  The sofa was small, too small for either of us to sleep on.   We knew we had to share a bed and both of us slept so far to the edge we almost fell out of the bed.

On day two we had our first challenge,  we had to work as a team over an obstacle course.  Fitness was not one of my strong suits.  However Matt helped me when I struggled.  In fact we were first across the line.  After the challenge was counselling.  I was so sure Meryl our counselor would discover the truth.  We must have great acting skills because we fooled her.

The next day we had to care for a baby, as I was once a midwife this was a piece of cake for me, however Matt found it difficult and when it came to changing a nappy he put it on backwards and spilled the milk everywhere when trying to pour it into the babies bottle.  I found it hysterical and in the end we were both laughing.  The baby survived our madness and again we passed.  Three couples dropped out from arguing and two more were on the border of not speaking to each other. 

There was one other couple who did better than us and in the fitness challenge they came second.  They were both very competitive and had been married for six years.  It was like they were the same person.  We knew we had to work hard to beat them.

Day four we were left on an island with only a tent, a box of matches and a couple of cans of soup.  Trying to put up the tent was funny,  neither of us were any good and it took us over an hour to set it up. We collected wood and started a fire fairly easy, however when it came to opening the soup we had difficulty.  The rock we used didn’t work,  so we used a large stick, which also didn’t work.   We searched for something to break the can,  while searching we found a can opener.  Figuring there must be more we found a hamper in a hole, a bottle of wine in a tree.  Sleeping bags in a large bush.  By the time we found all this it was dark.  We ate and drank then fell asleep.

Day five was more counselling. At first we thought we had Meryl fooled, however she seemed to be catching on.  Matt kissed me, it felt good and I could feel something I’d never felt before for Matt. After our counselling we didn’t say a word.  We went back to our room.  He grabbed me and kissed me.  This went on for over half an hour and I knew he liked me as I liked him.

We pulled away from each other and looked at each other.  “Where did  that come from?” I said.

“It’s most likely because we kissed to fool Meryl.  I think we had her fooled.  I think we might win this,” Matt told me, as my heart sank.

“Oh,” I whispered as I realised I had feeling for him.

“Yeah, you didn’t think there was something between us”

I didn’t know what to say, tell the truth or lie.  I had never lied to Matt before.  “I did think there was something between us. I think we should quit the show.”

Matt shook his head.  “Think about the money,”

“I don’t care about the money.  I’m leaving.  I don’t think we should see each other again.”

Matt looked shocked.  “We have always been friends,  why let this ruin our friendship.  We can’t let this end.  What will I do, who will I talk to.”

“Find someone else,” I announced as I started to pack my bag.

“Please don’t go,  what will I do.”

“You are so selfish.  I don’t know why we were friends for so long.”

“Because I love you.  I lied, I didn’t want to ruin what we had.  I always ruin things,  you have seen how I’m no good at relationships.”

“Either way Matt I’m either more than your friend or I’m not your friend.”

Matt kissed me.  “I am not going to lose you,  I’ll work to be a better man for you.” he said as he pulled away.

We made it to the end of the competition, each day we grew closer.  In fact we were madly in love, however we didn’t win.  Though Matt said, “we did win, we won each other.