Page 86 of My Rock Star Neighbor
“I didn’t lie about my feelings for Maddie,” I say.“My feelings for Maddie are recorded in my songs ‘Fever Dreams’ and ‘Peony.’And I dedicated ‘Knocking’ to her, although that was before we were dating when I was teasing her about always knocking on the wall to tell me to stop making noise.”
“But can I even believe those are about Maddie?”Ashley asks.“How do I know you didn’t just say that for the interview?Let me get PR in here.”She texts someone.
“They are definitely about Maddie,” I say.
“I suggested that they fake date because it was clear to all of us that Nick liked Maddie,” Amira says.“But he’d never act on it because…” She pauses.
No.Not my childhood dissected in this cold conference room.
“He didn’t think she liked him,” Sayo says.
I shoot her a grateful glance.
The PR person knocks on the door, and our producer steps out to talk to her.
We all stare at each other.This doesn’t bode well.
“I’m sorry again that I suggested it,” Amira says.
“I’m not,” I say.“I appreciate your matchmaking, and it worked.We’re dating.I am happy.”
The PR and our producer return, but their faces are serious.Is this really that big of a deal?I was more worried about Maddie having to tell her boss.They sit across from us, and the PR person clears her throat.She takes another look at my printout of the contract from my phone and then turns the paper facedown.“Lying to your fans is not a good look.Especially given your brand image of open and honest and vulnerable.We would never have thought thatyouwould fake date.”
My chest clenches.She’s right.I’ve always tried to be real in my lyrics and to speak my truth.
She continues, “The best thing to do would be to break up.That solves the problem.Then it doesn’t matter if you were fake dating.The relationship no longer exists, so how excited can the fans get over this brief interlude where you guys pretended to date?They’ll be happy you’re single again and that they can imagine you’re a possibility for them to date.But in keeping the relationship going, there will always be people who don’t believe it’s real.Breaking up makes it a nonissue.”
My eyes narrow.Breaking up seems like a drastic response, and I don’t want to end things with Maddie.My producer must have some ulterior motive.Have they decided that my dating the girl next door is not the image they envision for me?
I like Maddie.But at what cost?How much leverage do I have?
Chapter twenty-five
Maddie
Felicity,myeditor,agreedto meet me for lunch at a small café not usually frequented by reporters fromThe Intelligencer, although she first suggested we stay in the building because of safety concerns.We’re having another meeting later with security, even though we still don’t know if my investigation was responsible for the break-in.The café is empty at two p.m., so it’s only us in the back corner.
I can tell she’s upset about the break-in because she has her red hair up in a tight bun on the top of her head.When she’s upset or working intensely, that’s when her hair goes into an all-business bun.But wait until she hears that Nick and I were fake dating.My stomach plummets.I really messed up.I’m supposed to stand for truth.I don’t want to lose Felicity’s respect.When her eyes widen at a good point I’ve made, I feel such a swell of satisfaction.
On the wall next to us is a framed poster of “Lunch atop a Skyscraper,” with eleven men eating lunch on a girder high above the sky.Eleven men.Just short of one man to be a jury.I’m about to be judged and found wanting.
I could never have done that job.I’m too afraid of heights.Balancing on a beam high above the city streets with the possibility of falling?That’s what this feels like.It’s as if I’m walking a tightrope between two desires.I want to be with Nick—he makes me so happy—but I’m so fearful of the repercussions of my signing that dating contract.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”Felicity asks as she sips her coffee.“Do you need counseling?”
I shake my head.“I’m okay.It was scary, but a lot less scary because I was with Nick.”
I take a deep breath.Best to lead with the crux of the story.“But I have to confess something… Nick and I were fake dating originally, but now we’re really dating.And whoever broke in stole our fake-dating contract.”I show her the terms of the contract.
She studies it.Her face is not revealing any clues.
“I like Nick.I was trying to help him, but I didn’t think through all the possible repercussions to my career,” I say.It was supposed to stayprivate, but as a journalist, I should know how little privacy there is anymore.
“Right… That’s not good.”My boss shakes her head.“Why do you think the thief took the contract?”
“As leverage.To bribe me to drop my investigation,” I say.“Ifit’s related to the investigation.If it’s one of Nick’s fans, who want to reveal that we’re not dating, then that person should disclose it relatively quickly.”
“You really think it’s tied to your investigation?”she asks.“What about the picture of the two of you, with you crossed out, that was left on the floor?”
