Self Control || Trent Alexander-Arnold ⁵

04 "you can't tell anyone"

CHAPTER FOUR
mastermind - taylor swift

"Once upon a time, the planets and the fates
And all the stars aligned
You and I ended up in the same room
At the same time"

(please vote and comment cause the story's
just beginning)

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afia sighed, getting out of her car, carrying her iced coffee and phone, after finally getting enough courage to walk into the office building.

natasha had messaged me multiple times, begging me not to let her down and confirm if i'm going. she knew exactly how to get her there - guilt.

she walked into the building, security recongnising her as she gave them a friendly nod. she pulled out her phone, checking what floor and room she was in.

she turned a corner once she was up the stairs, colliding into a strong figure, spilling her iced coffee all over someone's white shirt.

"shit, shit, shit!" she gasped, stepping back to see the brown liquid spread over the white top as it dripped down onto the floor. "i'm so sor-"

"it's you." a thick scouse accent said, stopping the girl in her tracks. she looked up to the victim of her clumsiness for the first time.

"it's you." afia said through her teeth, rolling her eyes. he was taller than she had thought. he wore black baggy jeans with his now ruined white tee, and a stupid smirk on his face.

"you almost sound mad?" trent said, shifting his weight back.

"wow. well done, i wonder why that could be?" afia remarked sarcastically, fake clapping her hands since the coffee cup now lay on the floor. "perhaps because you-"

"trent! what have you done now?" a man, probably around thirty, came up behind them, giving out as he saw the football player. he froze as he came alongside the girl, realising her identity. "oh! miss mainoo, sorry, i didn't know you were here."

"here i am." afia smiled unconvincingly.

"i'm tyler, trent's agent and unfortunately his brother." he offered out his hand which afia shook before he pointed to the next door on the right. "we're just in here if you want to go in. natasha should be in there."

"thank you." afia nodded, stepping away from the two men and walking towards the meeting room.

"trent, for crying out loud! go get another shirt!"

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afia sat in the meeting room, reading over the notes natasha had given her, outlining the main points of this agreement after her lawyer had read it over. natasha sat on the other end of the table, reading through her emails on her laptop. a woman, who afia guessed was a member of trent's pr team sat at the table, looking through the contract. trent sat on the same end as afia, keeping a few feet between them as he swayed childishly on the chair. 

he leaned back, looking in over afia's shoulder. "so why do you hate me? broke up with a boyfriend for this or something?"

"oh please! don't flatter yourself!" afia glared at him before turning back to the notes, flicking over the page. "did you not call my brother, his team -including my friends - lazy and untalented?"

"what?" trent eyes widened, actually seemingly shocked. "no! the press completed twisted my words."

"well, last time i checked we're here to help your image." afia sighed, turning over the page noisily.

trent rolled his eyes, sitting so his arms were folded on the table, supporting most of his weight. "i'm pretty sure we're here to help your image aswell." he fired back with narrowed eyes.

"your image." afia mocked the boys accent under her breath.

"huh?" trent raised a brow, daring the girl to speak up.

"nothing." she sent him a fake smile.

just before trent could press her more, the room door opened, tyler walking in with another man following him. "sorry about that." he apologised. "let's get started, shall we? afia, i see you made yourself familiar with the guidelines."

"yes." afia sighed, sitting up and putting the paper on the table.

"is everything alright?" tyler asked. natasha nodded to her to speak her mind and that it was okay.

"yeah, all i have to do is post us, right? go to a few matches and say he's my boyfriend?" she said, glaring at trent from the corner of her eye.

"yes, any expenses on travel, tickets, outfits et cetera that comes from this will be payed. but, it must be convincing! this means you can't tell anyone-"

"what about my brothers?" afia asked, sitting forward, ignoring the scoff that came from trent's direction.

natasha sighed, frowning at the girl, "for this to work afia, no one can know. meaning no, you can't tell your brother or anyone for that matter."

"what?" afia gasped, coming out of her mouth at a louder volume than she had meant it to. "no one is going to believe that i'm sorry. a week ago i was telling ben i have no idea who he is!"

trent scoffed, trying not to be offended before his expression dropped, "wait who's ben?"

"no one." afia rolled her eyes, sitting back down into her car, not missing the unbelieving smirk trent sent her.

"listen, i know it's going to be hard but you are going to have to trust us as well as each other. you have both been sent links to a shared calendar where you will find your plans and dates. we will give you both bank cards but you must let us know how much you take out and why. i think the first start is a coffee date after this, where you will get to know each other more. and hopefully the paparazzi shows up. then a dinner tonight."

"great." afia said sarcastically.

"you will both need to sign this agreement, that basically says you won't tell anyone." the second man slid a piece of paper across the table to the two sport starts. "i think we can all agree that this would be bad for both of your careers if this gets out ever."

afia grabbed the paper before trent could, leaving the boy to throw his hands up, reading it over.

"is there a clause?" afia asked, looking up at the four people sat across from her.

"a clause?" the woman to the left raised a brow at her.

"yeah, a way to get out if we need to?" afia said, feeling trent's eyes burn into the side of her head.

"think of like this," tyler leaned forward. "this will continue through the spring. then we can meet again and discuss the next step. until then you both will follow these rules and act like you like each other. the only way this will end before then is if one of you ends up hurt-" he shot a warning glare at trent who rolled his eyes. "- or it gets too out of hand - which we will decide. not if you can't seem to find a ounce of love or respect for one another, not if either of you find someone else, not if rumours begin to circulate. is that clear?"

the two looked to each other and made eye contact for the first time throughout the meeting before turning back to their team. "yes." they both said in unison.

"does anyone have a pen?" afia asked, holding her hand out. the four people who sat in front of them all seemed to let out a sigh of relief, smiling to each other.