Page 22 of For Butter or Worse
“Sure!” Leo smiled. There wasn’t a massive crowd; it was a Monday night, after all. But since they’d agreed to do one photo, that meant they’d be taking photos for a bit longer. Which meant more uploads from fans, which meant more exposure and, ultimately, feeding the lie that was their cursed love story.
Hell, at least standing to pose with other people meant he’d have a guaranteed physical buffer between him and Nina.
The crowd had thinned. Their date had turned into a successful photo op, which was exactly what they were aiming for. And the night had been successful in other ways, too, like getting to eat ten flavors of ice cream. And, of course, Nina agreeing to call a truce so they could work toward their common goal as a “couple.”
“Well, my little sugar plum, that was fruitful,” he said to Nina. “Can I call you ‘sugar plum’?”
“Does it look like you can call me that?” He knew she wanted to look intimidating in that moment, but the sun had completely set, and her face was lit from the neon of the storefront. She looked...almost like someone he might consider kissing, if this had been an actual date.
He brushed away the thought. “I’ll see you later this week.” He rocked back on his heels. “Should we hug? Not sure what’s appropriate here.”
“Maybe next time. Baby steps, Leo.” She turned to head toward her car.
He smiled back. “Baby steps for my honey bear.”
As he watched her, she stopped and looked back at him. “Oh, and Leo? Since we’re calling a truce and all, I should tell you that your fly has been down this whole time. Sorry, I probably should’ve told you sooner. Must be that nasty side coming out.”
She shrugged her shoulders in an overly cutesy way, smiled and then walked off.
He fumbled for the zipper on his jeans and quickly pulled it back up. Was she for real?I probably should’ve told you sooner?Had she really just let him take all those photos with his pants unzipped?
All right, now things were definitely going to be interesting.
GOOGLE NEWS SEARCH FOR NINA LYON AND LEO O’DONNELL
Battle of the Bulge! These 11 Celebs Can’t Stop Flaunting Their Jewels
Leo O’Donnell Fans Drool Over Unzipped Pants Pic!
Thirst Trap o’ the Day: Leo O’Donnell’s Pants Are Unzipped While He Licks an Ice-Cream Cone
We Zoomed In On Leo O’Donnell’s Unzipped Sitch So You Don’t Have To!
Forgot to Zip Up? Leo and Nina Spotted Post-Coitus
The Photo You Didn’t Ask For: Leo O’Donnell with his Pants Unzipped
Nina Lyon, Watch Out! Leo O’Donnell’s Bulge Is On the Loose
FormerNext Cooking Champ!Contestant Has “No Complaints” About Leo’s Unzipped Pic
From: Tom
To: NinaLyon; LeoODonnell
Subj: Moving forward...
Okay, I think we can ALL agree that the headlines coming out now are helping no one. Leo’s bulge puts the spotlight on Leo instead of on both of you as a couple. And, Leo, well, if you want to become one massive thirst trap...let me know, because I represent those kinds of IG clients and would be happy to help.
But moving forward, how about you both follow a script? No more games.
We’re going to do a big reset here. I’ll arrange the dates. You do as I say. Your careers will be fixed. Call me Tommy fucking Poppins.
Obviously, all of this only works if you both start trusting each other. And pretend—CONVINCINGLY—that you’re in a real relationship. Bottom line: Do. Your. Job.
Sound good? Great. Itinerary for this next date attached. No changes or requests.
Byeeeee
