𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗮 ᵖʰⁱˡ ᶠᵒᵈᵉⁿ

𝟬𝟬𝟳

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟳
𝘣𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰

———

IT WAS UNUSUAL for Maeve to let herself go in public. She had gotten very good at putting on a public persona, and she shattered it tonight. Phil had pushed her buttons, and something in her had snapped, causing her to erupt in rage.

Videos of her screaming at him in the street from every angle had just been captured. When she first started planning this night out a couple of weeks ago, being surrounded by paparazzi would not have been on her bingo card - it would not have even occurred to her.

The flashing cameras and screaming fans caught her off guard, and despite the fact that no articles had been released, she had already begun to imagine the titles that would entice readers indefinitely.

If the media really wanted to go all out, they'd probably label her as unstable and slap a horrible photo of her on the front cover, most likely of her falling into the arms of the footballer.

For once, Phil Foden may have an article written about him that portrays him favorably.

For reasons that were beyond Maeve's comprehension Phil actually assisted Maeve in getting back into the club, where they were safe from the paparazzi and fans, She quickly regained her composure after the doors closed behind them. She has shown far too many imperfections tonight, to both the pubic and Phil.

"Are you alright, Maevey?" Phil scratched his neck uncomfortably, feeling a splint of guilt for what he had done. It was clear that Maeve Mount was not feeling alright at this current time.

She stared back at him, perplexed; she couldn't believe how quickly his attitude had changed. She'd definitely keep her word; this guy needs serious help.

"No, I'm not fine! Look at what you've done." She yelled back, but it was barely audible over the loud music, which seemed to have gotten louder since the last time they were in here.

Phil went to protest - and start another argument - but the brunette girl left before he could finish his sentence, leaving him dead in his tracks. He no longer felt any sense of guilt, he now just craved another beer.

———

THE OVERWHELMED GIRL pushed her way through the crowds to find her best friend. She sought to leave and never return. She wished she could crawl into her bed and live off Pot Noodles forever.

She considered emigrating to a foreign country as she made her way through the club in search of Arabella. Perhaps Argentina - she knew a little Spanish and was willing to learn more.

Se llama Maeve y no le gusta Phil Foden. She's almost completely fluent, so she told herself. Fortunately, the brunette found her intoxicated best friend before boarding the next flight to Buenos Aires.

Arabella had made new friends, all of whom were equally inebriated. Maeve expected to find her in this state because her bubbly friend couldn't help but befriend anyone who gave her a half-smile. "Guys, look, it's my best friend. She sings songs." Arabella burst out laughing.

For some reason, the drunken crowd began cheering and clapping. Arabella tried to persuade Maeve to join the group, but she refused, stating that she wanted to leave. "Could we please leave now? I'm really tired." Maeve sighed pitifully.

"But Maaaeve, the party is just getting started," the taller girl said, wrapping her arm around her best friend's shoulder. "Please come meet my new family. This is-" The brunette pushed herself away from the obviously drunk girl.

"I really need to get out of here. Can we please leave?" Maeve was close to bribing her. For a brief moment, the short-haired girl looked between Maeve and her group of friends, her drunken state rendering her incapable of making an informed choice.

"Yay!" she said as she slowly placed her drink on the table. "Let's go home!" She gave one of the guys a high five and a fist bump before skipping alongside the distraught Maeve. What a night it had been.

———

MAEVE DECIDED TO crash at Arabella's house last night because she didn't want to go home once she knew her friend was safe, so she made a makeshift bed on the couch.

She fell asleep almost instantly; it had been a long and eventful night that she wished she could forget - even just for a couple of hours. Without knowing, by the time she woke up the next day, several news articles and stories would have been published.

Rumours and gossip about what happened would circulate, and Maeve's management would be inundated with emails requesting a comment on the situation. Maeve hoped they wouldn't give one.

Phil, on the other hand, partied until the early hours of the morning before staggering back to his five-star hotel for the night. His drunken state allowed him to forget about the incident.

So, like Maeve, he was unaware of the articles that were about to be released. Even if they did know, it's not like they could do anything about it.

Maeve Mount had no desire to see Phil Foden again. He didn't expect to see the girl he'd never liked until the next international break, when she'd cheer her brother on from the stands and they'd purposefully ignore each other.

But they were wrong; they would soon be forced together - pretending to enjoy each other's company. The pair is about to be thrown into a situation that neither of them wants to be in, but they find themselves in and unable to escape.

It will begin as a pretense for them, but will it stay as such?

———
authors note :

enemies to lovers 🤝 fake dating 🤝 slow burn

word count | 955