The Obscure Downsides of Fame (New Edition)

36 || plenty interesting

He only looked up for a split second, but he immediately had something to say.

"We're pretty cute together, aren't we?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me. His hair was sticking up in all directions. But somehow that made him look better? It felt like a sneak peek of what could become a regular thing.

"Maybe," I answered. He kissed my cheek, which made my skin grow hotter and tingled wherever his fingers touched me. His hair tickled my cheek as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Admit it." He stared at me through the mirror with his signature dimple perfectly on show.

"No. Never."

Oakley stood up straight again and I could feel his body shake with his laughter. He had no idea how shit like this affected me. He was completely oblivious. It felt like he was just a really devious tease. With most guys, I'd believe they were. Oakley was different. He was genuinely innocent; almost unbelievably so for a twenty-year-old.

That's also when I remembered I had bought him a present, which I'd told him he could only open today.

"Fine. Let's eat and then I'll take you home."

"Wait, your present," I said. I rummaged through my jeans pocket and the pockets of my jacket until I finally found the dark blue box. It was no bigger than the palm of my hand.

"So what is it?" he asked me. I turned around to find a phone aimed at my face.

"What are you doing?"

"If I don't take a picture now, I'll never have a picture of you of when you first became my boyfriend," he said.

"Paparazzi never stops," I said with a sigh.

"Does paparazzi get a picture of this?" he asked, kissing my cheek and taking a quick picture in the mirror.

I rolled my eyes at him but smiled nonetheless.

"Well, just look at it yourself." I handed him the box and took his phone from him. He opened the box with a big grin on his face. I grabbed his phone off the bed and aimed it at him now, but instead of taking a picture, I filmed him.

"This is treachery!" he exclaimed, looking at me with a big pout on his face. "No pictures," he said ducking his head down and covering the lens. It was odd, being on the other side for once. We both laughed as I put his phone down.

He opened the box and for the longest time, he didn't say anything. Maybe he didn't like it? I mean, it's a bit cheesy, and not very personal. I could always exchange it if he didn't like it.

"D- do you like it?" I stuttered, hating how self-conscious I was feeling all of a sudden. Should I have gone with something more casual? Fuck.

"I'm sorry. I love it, Nolan." He smiled, but it quickly faded away. But his eyes were stuck on the bracelet as he held it up. He wasn't disappointed, he was actually mesmerized, like he'd never received a gift so pure.

"The inscription..."

"Plenty interesting," he read, a smile I knew was genuine followed. It was a simple charm supposed to be shaped like a guitar pick, and the letters were actually really hard to read because it was so tiny, tiny enough that I had them put my name on it too. He must've filled in the blanks himself.

"Because I like everything about you too," I said. It was what he told me when we first kissed. Interesting wasn't the word I'd necessarily describe myself as. Apart from being a child actor, I felt like I was pretty boring. And as much as I hated to admit it, I had my dad to thank for most of my success.