Page 44 of Noticing Natalie

“He’s a natural,” Jordan’s nasally voice has me jumping out of my skin. I’d been so wrapped up in watching Matthew on screen, I hadn’t seen him come in.

“He is,” I agree.

“The media interest in you is high,” he adds, stating the obvious in an ominous tone that confuses me. Wasn’t this fake dating thing his idea? Shouldn’t he have expected this response?

I don’t answer; instead, I return my eyes to the TV in front of me where Johnny Summers, prime time’s favourite late show host, dominates the screen. “Matthew,” he says, “you seem to be on top of the world. Your football team won the premiership, you kicked the winning goal to qualify the Socceroos for the World Cup, and you’ve announced you’re in a relationship with a woman who appears to have captured your heart. Tell us what it’s like to win at life.”

Matthew laughs, comfortable in his own skin. “You’re right, Johnny. Things are pretty good in my life right now.”

“Care to elaborate?”

He sits back, his arm slung over his crossed leg. “What do you want to know, Johnny?”

The host leans forwards. I follow his lead, almost falling off the couch in the process. “Tell us about this mystery lady.”

Matthew pauses. “She’s amazing.”

The crowd bursts into spontaneous applause. It’s a bit much, if I’m being honest. He used a fairly generic adjective.

“She’s got a curious nature, always eager to learn and grow. She’s ambitious and driven and smarter than anyone I’ve ever known. And she’s fun to be around. She’s snarky when challenged and she loves all things chocolate.”

Silence follows this. You could hear a pin drop at this moment.

“See?” Matthew fills the dead air. “She’s amazing.”

“Then we want to meet her,” Johnny rallies, making my heart drop. He wants to meet me? “Let’s bring her out after this break.”

There’s a flurry of activity after this announcement and before I can blink, I’m in the same dressing room chair Matthew vacated and someone is powdering my face.

“All you have to do is sit there, let Matthew do the talking,” Jordan says as I stare at him, gripped with panic. They can’t be seriously sending me out there. Can they?

“W-what?”

“You’ll be fine.” He pulls me out of the chair, simultaneously pushing me out of the door and pulling the hair tie out of my carefully curated ponytail.

“Hey!” I flatten my waves and glare at Jordan. What the hell?

“You’ll look more like the sort of girl who’d attract Matthew with your hair down.”

I’m so shocked that he’d actually uttered these words out loud that I just gape at him. And he uses this against me, taking my glasses off my nose and pushing me onto the stage.

Gripped by total anxiety, I squint against the bright lights and try to find my way towards where Matthew is sitting. My glasses aren’t a fashion statement and as such, my blurry vision is making this even trickier. With luck on my side, I fumble my way to the couch and sink next to Matthew, who takes my shaky hand into his, a dark frown marring his face.

“We’re back in three, two, one…” the director counts us down and I swallow. Is this really happening?

“And we’re back with the star Socceroo and the amazing woman who’s stolen the heart of Australia’s most eligible bachelor.” Johnny’s voice is even more appealing in person and I relax, just a bit. “Natalie, it’s so nice to meet you.”

I squint in his direction, his body blurry. “Thanks,” I smile at the smudge-like blob before me. “It’s nice to be here.”

“Johnny.” Matthew’s voice cracks like a whip. “Can you give us a second?”

The host chuckles nervously. “Sure. It’s not like we’re on live TV or anything.”

Matthew ignores him, turns my face to his and leans in to whisper, “Where are your glasses?”

“Jordan took them,” I reply out of the side of my mouth, keeping a smile firmly planted on my face. “It’s not a big deal.”

He growls in response. An actual growl. “Johnny, give me a second.”

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