10. Annie
Annie
In the office on Monday, I wait for Logan and Zayn in the conference room with Greg.
I’m wearing a dark green v-neck wrap dress with short sleeves; it’s not as sensual as the one from Saturday, but I’m hoping it brings Zayn back to the dance floor.
If he remembers more good memories than bad, it might play to my advantage.
The ding from the elevator echoes from down the hall, signaling they have reached our floor.
My fingers drum on my legs. Judging by the clacking of their shoes, they’re almost here.
My breathing accelerates, and I feel as if my entire body is a kick drum.
When the door clicks open, my cheeks blaze as I meet Zayn’s eyes.
I wonder what he’s thinking when he sees me and what he thinks about Saturday. What is on his mind when his eyes pierce mine? Is he thinking about me as much as I’m thinking about him?
“Greg, thank you for extending the offer to host us at your office. We are eager to hear about the plan you have.” Logan takes a seat across from Greg and waits.
Zayn, on the other hand, sits across from me, mimicking our first meeting. His eyes haven’t left mine. A small smile appears on his face, which I hope doesn’t turn into a frown as this presentation gets underway.
“Actually, Annie is the one with the plan and will be giving the presentation today.” Greg leans back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other, waiting for me to begin.
I can’t discern if he thinks I’m going to give a good or bad presentation, but I bet he’s hoping for the latter.
It’d give him more ammunition for this trial.
“Thanks, Greg. Right, so I have a proposal. Think of it like an addendum to our contract.” I stand, grabbing the pointer for the computer to advance my slides.
Zayn’s eyes travel my body, pausing on the shortness of the dress, the small slit on the left side. I watch as his chest rises and falls, then as he shifts in his seat and crosses his right leg over his left. When his eyes meet mine, his cheeks flush from being caught.
I click the remote to kick off the presentation.
Slide one features the photo from Saturday night.
“Here you’ll see the photo that was taken of us, dancing at the gala on Saturday. We were just playing a part, you see, it’s a harmless photo, but that’s not how the media took it.”
Click , next slide.
“The photo has been picked up by various magazines and news outlets and it’s not slowing down. In fact...”
Click .
“I found that ‘Zayn Barnes girlfriend’ and ‘Zayn Barnes next movie’ are trending in search queries and topics.”
Click , almost done.
“From the data, you can see that people are responding well to Zayn having someone in his life. It’s proving good for his image.”
“What are you proposing?” Zayn asks.
Flustered, I click again. The slide reads “PR RELATIONSHIP” in caps and bold.
“No.” Zayn shoots the idea down immediately.
“Actually, I think that’s a great idea.” Logan breaks his silence.
Zayn’s head whips to face Logan. “What do you mean it’s a great idea?”
Logan ignores Zayn and looks at me. “Annie, what are your terms?”
“Unbelievable,” Zayn mutters, but I choose to ignore him.
Click .
“As you can see, we have until the second week of December to get Zayn’s perception up, since they are finalizing roles in the third week before the holiday.
I propose we date and keep up appearances until then.
When Zayn signs the role for the contract, we break up.
The media will be so focused on the movie, that they won’t care about our silly little breakup. ”
“That’s brilliant. And I know this isn’t a typical PR strategy, but I think it will work.” Greg beams.
“I agree. Send over the updated paperwork, I’ll see to it that it’s signed.” Logan adds.
“Don’t I get a say in this?” Zayn huffs.
“You did, you chose to put your hands around her waist, which led to this problem, and now we have to deal with it,” Logan argues.
I smile. For once, Greg is on my side. I’m surprised that Logan would agree without Zayn’s full consent, but I’m sure they need to talk alone.
Zayn acted how I predicted, for the most part, though. I didn’t expect his eyes to remain glued to me for the entire presentation. He is the most confusing person I’ve ever met. I can never read what he’s thinking.
He has the worst attitude and most people shy away from him, yet his eyes are on me in front of the others in this conference room.
Logan moves closer to Greg to work out some details. I sit down at the end of the conference table, farthest away from everyone, and shuffle my notes.
“Are you out of your mind?” Zayn’s whisper gets my attention. I find him perched in the seat next to me, rolled awfully close to my legs.
“What do you mean, Zayn?” I bat my eyelashes at him. “I’m just trying to solve our little problem.” I return my gaze to the papers, not necessarily paying attention to them, but I’m trying my best to ignore Zayn.
“Zayn, come on. We’re leaving,” Logan says from the other side of the room.
I look up to find Zayn a foot away from me, still sitting in his chair. He leans closer. “This isn’t over, Princess.”
I bite my lip to suppress the smile trying to make its way to my face. I knew Zayn wouldn’t be happy with my plan, but it’s in his best interest. He hasn’t specifically told me, but from his whole vibe, I gathered that he’s not looking to date.
If anything, he should be thanking me. He’ll do a lot better with the media if I’m by his side. I can smile, talk him up, and flirt with the reporters on his behalf. Zayn can sit there, be his moody self, and the media will love him again.
“Great work today, Annie,” Greg says with a smile.
“I was nervous about your plan since I didn’t get to see it beforehand, but it’s a solid one.
I look forward to seeing how the media perceives him now.
I will submit an official statement to the news on your behalf.
I have a few requests for comments in my inbox already. ”
I shove my papers into my bag, stand up from the chair, slip the handle over my shoulder, and walk out of the conference room and down the hall.
I stop a foot from my office. The door is ajar, which is odd because I always keep it closed.
It’s possible the cleaning person left it open, or maybe James was in here trying to find a pen.
I shrug.
After walking into the room, I turn to shut the door. When I spin back around, I’m frightened by a certain someone standing in the middle of my office.
“Ah!” My bag slips off my shoulder, hitting the floor with a loud thud. My hand grasps my chest. “Jesus, Zayn. What are you doing in here?”
I don’t wait for him to respond. Leaning over to reach my bag, I grab the handle, slip it back over my shoulder, and walk toward my desk. I feel Zayn following me.
“We need to talk.” Zayn takes a seat in the chair in front of my desk. Okay, I suppose he’s staying for a minute.
“Weren’t you leaving? What if I don’t want to talk?” I take a seat behind my desk.
“I need to talk to you, so too bad. We are dating now, don’t you remember?”
“Fake dating, and that doesn’t mean I have to talk to you. No one is here to witness this conversation,” I counter.
“What happened to you and my brother?”
He wants to talk about this now? “None of your business.”
“Seriously?” he asks.
“Seriously.”
Zayn rolls his eyes, taking his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. If I’m lucky, this conversation is giving him a headache and will force him to leave so I can get some work done.
“Okay, well. Can you explain why you think that this,” Zayn gestures between our bodies, “will help make a difference? I guarantee a few nice interviews would have sufficed.”
“What? You don’t think I’m a catch?” I ask, pushing his buttons. Zayn readjusts in his chair, uncrossing and recrossing his legs.
“No, that’s not...” Zayn lets out a sigh, dropping his head into his palm. “I just don’t see how this is going to get me my role.”
“Well, you’re just going to have to wait and see. I am a professional.” I wink, then glance down at my papers. “If that’s it, I have some work to do.”
Zayn’s sigh lets me know I’ve won, even if it’s momentarily. I don’t look up as he leaves, only knowing he’s gone from the click of the latch on the door.
My phone buzzes not even thirty seconds later.
Zayn
My place. Tonight at 6. We need to set ground rules.
Oh, right. I suppose we need to do that. What does one allow their fake partner to do? Hug? Kiss? Am I going to have to kiss Zayn? Do I want to kiss Zayn?
I didn’t think this all the way through. What I imagined we would do is go to a few parties, show up to some events, and look like a couple. Matching outfits, holding hands, maybe even a kiss on the cheek.
It’s too late for me to cancel, once again. First the gala, now the fake dating. And what makes this worse is that I’m the one that suggested it. So, naturally, I can’t have an issue with it. I’ve taken my stance.