Real Love Read online

  ‘They’ve offered us a third series!’

  A group cheer went up, the whole room thrilled to find out they still had jobs for the next year. Daisy turned to see how Alexa was taking the decision. She was cheering and celebrating with everyone else. But Daisy could have sworn there was something else underneath the reaction, that it wasn’t all sunshine and smiles in her heart. It wasn’t something you could see. It was just a feeling.

  ‘Daisy’ Ryan said, winding his way over to her. ‘I’m so glad you were here for this. You played such a big part in making this series the breakout it is. You and Alexa were great for numbers.’

  ‘We were?’ Daisy said with no surprise.

  ‘Yes, this episode will be about the big choice, as you know. And ultimately, Alexa’s going to choose Reece. It’s not that you weren’t wonderful, we just think the long-term story has always been Reece and Alexa and we’re staying the course with them. We think that’s what the fans will want. So this’ll be your last episode. But thank you for everything. I know you’ll go on to great things.’

  Daisy nodded and Ryan continued his tour of cast members, free to congratulate them now that he’d gotten the unpleasant business of a sacking out of the way.

  But Daisy wasn’t taking it as hard as she might have thought. On balance, she was cool with it. Of course Alexa was going to choose Reece. He was their resident ‘Sexy bad boy that all the girls want to tame’. It was too reliable a trope to take chances with. So inevitably, Daisy had become surplus to requirements. It was hard to be shocked.

  It was probably for the best, anyway. Daisy was worried she was getting too contented at LIM. The great money, the friendly crew, getting to work with Alexa, as well as Robyn and Will (both of whom she’d become quite fond of), she could see how easy it could become to stay with it. But luckily, the choice had been taken away. She was officially out on her arse when series two wrapped.

  ‘Hey’ Alexa said, pulling her aside by the wrist. Daisy’s eyes flicked around, trying to see who might be watching. But everyone was way too excited to care about some light physical contact. ‘Ryan just told me about the ending of the show, that you’re not coming back next year. Are you doing OK with that?’

  Although Daisy hadn’t been too broken up to get the news from Ryan, she suddenly felt her stomach drop as the same information came from Alexa. It took her a second to figure out its cause. And then she knew it. It was that question again. If it was the end of the show, was it the end of them?

  ‘I’m fine’ Daisy lied. ‘I just need to speak to my agent.’

  And she dashed off the set, leaving Alexa wondering if she should go after her. In the end, she decided against it. Daisy was clearly a little knocked by the news and if she needed a second, then Alexa would give it to her.

  Seventeen

  Outside, Daisy was kicking herself. She’d run away from Alexa like some drama queen and she probably thought Daisy was crying because she’d gotten the boot from the show. That was far more humiliating than the sacking itself, the idea that Alexa might think she was broken up about it. Then again, the other option wasn’t a lot better, that Daisy had caught feelings and was throwing a hissy because she knew the end was nigh. However you sliced it, Daisy came off a touch high maintenance.

  Thankfully, Alexa had a scene with Reece first so, at the very least, Daisy was granted a small reprieve from all the embarrassment that awaited her on set.

  ‘Daisy!’ a voice said, interrupting her downward spiral. Daisy turned to see Robyn jogging toward her.

  ‘I heard the news. Fucking sucks, Dais.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it. it’s no big deal. Really.’

  ‘Then why do you have a face like a smacked arse?’

  Daisy wondered if there was any point trying to pretend Robyn had just misread her. But that never seemed to work. She really needed to work on her game face.

  ‘It’s personal stuff.’

  ‘Oh, cos you’re boning Alexa?’ Robyn asked, matter-of-factly. ‘Hang on, not boning’ she amended. ‘That’s the wrong word. No bone involved. Well, unless you’ve got some kind of prosthetic bone-’

  Daisy raised her hands in surrender. ‘OK, OK, I admit everything. Just stop saying ‘Bone.’ Did Reece tell you?’

  ‘Yeah. He’s not happy. But that’s hardly a surprise. It’s always been so easy for him in the chick department. And then someone like Alexa shuts him down, it’s bound to appeal, isn’t it? I’m not surprised, by the way. Knew you two were gonna end up together.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say we’ve exactly ended up together’ Daisy said. It came out sadder than she meant it to.

  ‘Is that what’s up your arse? She binned you off already?’

  ‘That’s not… No.’

  ‘I was going to say, that’d be a shock. She’s clearly into you.’

  Daisy felt a smile pushing its way onto her lips, although she tried to fight it. ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘Have you watched the show?’

  Daisy realised she hadn’t watched an episode since the one her mum had forced her to see. She’d been too busy.

  ‘I saw the one when Alexa chucked the wine at me. But apart from that...’

  Robyn gaped. ‘Are you being serious? That’s mad. I’ve seen every episode. Even the ones I’m not in!’ she declared, obviously thinking that was the craziest thing of all. ‘But if you can’t be bothered to watch the whole thing, just go to YouTube and put in, what’s that name they gave you? Dexa? There’ll be somebody that’s cut all the bits with you two together, probably with a sappy song over the top, I guarantee.’

  ‘Perhaps I’ll check that out sometime. But I don’t know what it’ll prove.’

  Robyn inhaled deeply. ‘Just watch it, Dais. Because sometimes, and it’s only occasionally, but sometimes reality TV captures something real.’

  Daisy crept back onto the set to see an end to the scene that was currently shooting. It was Reece, confronting Alexa about her relationship with Daisy while the extras pretended not to listen, enjoying the ‘party’.

  ‘Look, we’ve both made mistakes, alright? I can admit that’ Reece said, as close to an admission to the infidelities that had been hinted at but never fully revealed. ‘I get that I probably pushed you toward her but I hope you realise how silly it would be to get with her just to spite me. It’s a waste of what we’ve got. We’re real so I’m not gonna make this a big deal, that you’ve snogged her. But if we can promise, here and now, that we won’t do anything like that again, then that has to be it. She can’t be around anymore if that’s what we’re saying.’

  Daisy thought he was being rather smug, that his knowledge of the way he knew it was going to play out was touching his performance. It was a shame because he was giving the game away.

  Alexa, on the other hand, was playing it like a real decision, that she was agonising about what to do.

  ‘Look, Reece, I just need you to back off. I can’t do this with you trying to screw with my head at the same time.’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘Decide what I want to do.’

  ‘What are you talking about? What do you need to decide?’

  Alexa looked at him seriously. ‘Reece, you’re acting like Daisy’s just someone I’m using to get back at you. But I’m not like that.’

  ‘Are you trying to tell me you might leave me for her?’ Reece said, practically laughing at the absurdity of it.

  ‘I didn’t say that.’

  Reece started to look angry. ‘Yeah, but you’re not denying it. Don’t be so stupid! You’re not gonna chuck me to go out with a girl. That’s fucking crazy!’

  Daisy, from the sidelines, thought that the scene was picking up. Mainly because Reece had upped his game. If indeed it was still a performance. As cheesy as Reece had started out the scene, Daisy was starting to wonder if some little switch in him had flicked along the way.

  ‘Do you get that I love you’ he shouted. ‘Does that even matter to you?’
<
br />   ‘Reece…’ Alexa began quietly.

  ‘YOU WANT ME OR YOU DON’T!’ Reece bellowed.

  The other party goers had no choice at that point, they all turned to see who was shouting.

  ‘Err, I think we’ll cut there’ Jane said quickly. ‘We might pick it up later, but for now, I’d like to move on to the next scene.

  Reece, his face red, took a deep breath. He seemed to be trying to get the genie back into the bottle.

  Daisy wanted to be angry with him, for shouting at Alexa. But she pitied him. She couldn’t help it. It was possible they were both going to be in the same boat soon so how could she not feel for the poor bastard?

  ‘Daisy, we’ll do you and Alexa now, if that’s alright?’

  Daisy nodded and stepped in front of the cameras, given her position by Jane. Alexa was put in front of her. Daisy leaned in to her ear while they adjusted the lighting. ‘Are you alright?’ she whispered to Alexa.

  ‘Yeah. Not really sure what happened there. I guess this is why I need to stop shagging my colleagues’ Alexa quipped.

  And there it was. She’d said it to Daisy’s face, how little it all meant. Daisy was just another notch on Alexa’s Laid in Medford bedpost.

  ‘Oh, that’s how it is, is it?’ Daisy said, a coldness creeping into her tone that she reserved for someone who had broken her heart. Or fucking stomped on it, more accurately.

  Alexa blinked, realising what she’d said. ‘Oh! No, I-’

  ‘ACTION!’

  Daisy shook off what had just happened, slipping her true self off like a comfy old coat left on the dressing room floor, sliding the other, different Daisy on, her sharp, confident self, the girl who had set her sights on Alexa and wouldn’t stop until told to.

  ‘You look amazing’ she said seductively, kissing her on the cheek, a new arrival at the party who had missed the drama that had occurred only minutes before. But she was better informed than Alexa realised. ‘Something’s up. What is it?’

  Alexa tried to be light, not wanting to discuss. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘So you and Reece didn’t just have a massive row?’

  ‘How did you know that?’

  ‘Robyn texted me on the way over, told me what happened. She said it was about me.’

  Alexa rolled her eyes. ‘Nothing stays quiet.’

  ‘Was she right?’

  ‘Yes, as a matter of fact. Reece wants me to stay away from you.’

  ‘And are you going to?’

  ‘Should I?’

  Daisy smiled. ‘Of course not.’

  Alexa laughed. ‘You would say that.’

  ‘Look, I’m not going to keep trying to seduce you out from under him. There’s no point.’

  Alexa nodded as though she knew where Daisy was going with this, that she’d gotten bored of the situation.

  ‘All I’m going to do is tell you that I want to be with you. It’s up to you what you do with that’ Daisy said plainly.

  Alexa’s breath caught in her throat, which Daisy (the real Daisy, who sat patiently underneath, waiting to be allowed back up) couldn’t help but think was a simply gorgeous touch, subtle yet powerful. ‘That’s what you want?’ Alexa asked.

  ‘Yes. That’s what I want’ Daisy said, looking deep into Alexa’s eyes. Alexa looked right back, a deer in the headlights.

  ‘CUT! Fantastic work all, no need for a second take so let’s move on. Robyn! Will!’

  The eye contact between Daisy and Alexa was broken, kicked to pieces by Jane’s yell. They both silently walked off to the side of the set, where two chairs waited with bottles of water on them, placed by Aaron.

  After they’d both sat in silence for a minute, Alexa felt compelled to try again, to continue what she’d been starting to say before Jane had interrupted them.

  But as she opened her mouth to speak, she realised she wasn’t exactly sure what she could say. She’d made a stupid joke in front of Daisy, thinking it was only that, a silly line to make it appear that she was less shaken up by Reece’s outburst than she really had been.

  Because it was the first time that she’d realised how big a deal Reece’s feelings were to him. Alexa had never taken the Reece thing seriously, treating the whole thing like a joke for the past year. And clearly, Reece didn’t find it funny.

  And then she’d had to go straight into the next scene, no break to process what had happened and the sudden guilt she felt about the situation, how much of a mess Reece had gotten in over her. She couldn’t take it all on, he was an adult and must have had some idea what he was getting into when he took the girl he knew full well identified as a lesbian to bed. But still, she’d been treating him like the ‘roided up cheeseball he pretended to be, and who should have known better than her what a mistake that was. Everyone thought she was a drama queen who couldn’t keep a glass full and she’d resented the hell out of it. But apparently, she was just as foolish as everyone else. She’d bought his act.

  As Reece was pulled off the set, Alexa realised she owed him a real conversation about what had happened, to give him the closure he obviously sorely needed. Mostly, she needed to treat him like a real person with feelings, something she hadn’t been doing since it happened. But there was no time to do that, it was time to shoot. And then Daisy was there, sweet Daisy, wanting to know if she was alright. And what had Alexa done? She’d taken Reece’s upset and passed it straight to Daisy.

  What a fucking mess. But she had to wade through it now or it could only grow.

  ‘Daisy…’

  But Daisy had silently stood and walked away, leaving Alexa talking to an empty chair.

  Alexa proceeded to search the set for Daisy for the entirety of her twenty-minute break but she couldn’t find hide nor hair of her. She did, however, find Aaron. And Aaron tended to know all.

  ‘Aaron! Have you seen Daisy?’

  Alexa watched irritably as Aaron fought, unsuccessfully to hide his smirk as he asked, ‘Did you want her for something?’

  The rumour mill had indeed been hard at it. Alexa nearly replied ‘Yeah, I was planning to have crazy sex with her in my trailer.’ But she didn’t have time for that, satisfying as his shocked face might have been. ‘Do you know where she is or not?’

  ‘I think she’s actually done for the day.’

  ‘What? No, she’s shooting with Will and Robyn, I thought?’

  ‘She said she was sick so the production manager had to do some juggling but she’s not in till tomorrow now.’

  Alexa went straight for her phone, but before she could even get it switched on - it was a strictly enforced rule that everyone’s mobiles were off during shooting and Jane had sworn that if she ever heard the slightest vibration, the offending phone would be dropped in the nearest toilet - Aaron placed a hand over her screen. ‘Speaking of which, I think you’re due on set, aren’t you?’

  Alexa wanted to give the smug little prick the finger but instead, she opted for dutifully trooping back into the club. She’d caused enough drama as it was, she couldn’t afford a third scandal today.

  Eighteen

  ‘You’re back early’ Kathy said as Daisy sloped into the living room. ‘Jake’s not even back from school yet. He’s at rehearsals.’

  ‘Rehearsals for what?’ Daisy asked, confused.

  ‘Oh! I wasn’t supposed to say’ Kathy cursed herself. ‘But I suppose the cat’s out of the bag now. He got a part in the school production of Oliver!’

  ‘Why didn’t he tell me?’

  ‘I’m not sure but at a guess, I’d say he’s a bit nervous about walking in your shoes.’

  Daisy was blown away. ‘What part did he get?’

  ‘The Artful Dodger.’

  Daisy’s mouth fell open. ‘No! That’s the best part!’

  Kathy nodded agreeably. ‘I know.’

  ‘I can’t believe he didn’t say anything.’

  The crappy day she’d had, she really wanted to come home, knowing she’d feel better just for seeing Jake. But now she
felt even worse. Her son had kept his amazing achievement from her. Whatever his reasons, it made Daisy feel like a terrible mother. She should have known, somehow. She should have asked him more questions, gotten it out of him. It was one of her jobs as a mother, knowing what was happening in her son’s life. And she’d failed at it.

  The day was officially a shit show.

  Daisy slumped onto the sofa next to her Mum. Countdown was on the TV. ‘God, they still make this?’ Daisy complained.

  ‘Excuse me, this is my afternoon ritual. Don’t stomp in here and start throwing your toys out of the pram because you’ve had a bad day!’

  Daisy checked her phone. No calls, no texts. Proof if proof were needed that Alexa had checked out.

  ‘What’s up with you, anyway’ Kathy asked.

  Luckily, Daisy had a reason to feel like shit shovelled up, even if it wasn’t the correct one. ‘Got the sack.’

  Kathy gave a short gasp. ‘But I thought everyone loved you!’

  ‘Where did you get that idea?’

  ‘I’ve been on the internet, on the new tablet that you got me. Hashtag Dexa.’

  Surprised laughter burst out of Daisy. Hearing her Mum say hashtag Dexa, it was priceless.

  ‘Thanks, Mum’ she said through her tears of laughter. ‘I really needed that.’

  ‘I’m not sure what’s so funny but if it takes that mopey look off your face, I’m not complaining. So it’s all over at the show?’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘Have you spoken to your agent?’

  ‘No, but it’s on my to-do list, don’t worry about that.’

  ‘I’m not worried. There’ll be other things.’

  Daisy waited for her to say something else, to ruin the compliment. But she didn’t.

  They lapsed into comfortable silence as someone tried to crack the numbers game on TV. ‘Oh, hang on’ the middle-aged male contestant with a comb-over said. ‘I think I’ve come a cropper. Nope. Don’t have it.’

  Kathy snorted.

  ‘Mum?’ Daisy began, wondering if it was really the best idea to ask her Mum’s advice. But she was right there and technically, she had lived longer than Daisy. She might have some surprising nugget of wisdom to offer. ‘Mum, do you think some people just can’t pick the right person? Like a default setting thing.’