July 2020
Amy's plan to lie low didn't last for long after a picture of her wearing her Grealish shirt inside her hotel lobby had been splashed all across social media. She had no idea who had taken the picture since when she'd got back to the hotel the night before, being discrete was the last thing on her mind. She had been on a total high from seeing Jack, not to mention the whole Wembley experience which was mind blowing in itself. So far, being in London was completely amazing and now her best friend Laura had joined her, Amy didn't know how it could possibly get any better.
Laura had made it clear that she was definitely #TeamBrad but Amy warned her. This wasn't a case of taking sides and deciding who to date. This was a case of her being there to support Jack and most likely, well probably, nothing more. She'd only know that once they'd actually spoken to each other.
'So, plans for today?' asked Laura excitedly.
'This is going to sound insane, but I've got an appointment with a management company who want to represent me in less than an hour. Honestly, I thought when I left the villa early that everyone would just forget about me, but my phone is literally blowing up' Amy showed Laura the list of missed calls and messages on her phone. She was genuinely shocked by the attention she was receiving, and even more surprised by the fact she didn't mind it at all.
'Just be aware, I'll not be speaking to any PA to make lunch dates' Laura asserted playfully.
'The meeting isn't until 10:45, so you can still talk to me direct for the time being, but tick tock your time is running out' Amy joked, pointing to the watch on her wrist.
'I was thinking, we should do something crazy today, like go on one of those big red bus tours and go sightseeing? Or the London Eye maybe? Now everyone knows where you are, why hide anymore? We've never been to London, lets just go wild and enjoy this whilst it lasts!' Laura suggested.
'That sounds amazing, meet you back here around 12, and we can do the London Eye then lunch with lots of cocktails?' Amy loved the idea of just being them again, even if only for a few hours.
'Leave it all to me, I'll get the tickets booked' said Laura.
*****
Gareth sighed heavily as he looked at the pictures his wife had sent him of Amy in the Grealish shirt. Apparently, just like Jack, she didn't seem to be able to lie low or listen to instructions either. It was extra infuriating to know that she'd been there with Jack's parents. Why could no one else see that he was only doing this with his best interests in heart? Jack had played fantastically in the semi final the night before and Gareth hated to imagine what he'd have been like if he'd seen her. His head would have been all over the place and that's the last thing Jack or the team needed. He was going to have to lay down the law on this.
*****
The day after the semi-final was a rest day of sorts for the team and despite them all being pumped to face Italy in the final, the constant match and training schedule was tiring. Whilst almost everyone else was in the pool mucking around, Jack sat in the jacuzzi fiddling with his phone. Out of interest, he decided to search for Amy on instagram. He imagined he would still be blocked but her profile showed up straight away. Although he was no longer blocked, she hadn't followed him yet, but it was a start. He poured over her details, incredibly she had over 400k followers. Of course he had 3m, but Amy had always been so precious with her social media accounts. Everyone had to be fully vetted and be verified in real life before she'd accept their requests. Her bio was the biggest surprise though.
Amy Shaw
Love Island 2021
Represented by MR2Management
The fact that she had a management company was a definite surprise to Jack. The Amy he knew hated attention, but then again, the Amy that he used to know wouldn't have watched Love Island, let alone applied to go on it. A lot had definitely changed, but it was clear to see she was definitely going up in the world. He did have a laugh at how many of his team mates had followed her already- Chilly, Phil, Kyle, Mason and the list went on, they had better not be getting any ideas.
He scrolled through her pictures intently. The most recent were of her time on Love Island, but those weren't what he wanted to see, especially the ones with Brad. Instead he scrolled all the way through to see her earliest pictures, the ones of her the way he had been remembering her when he closed his eyes at night over the last two years. Finally he began to recognise the familiar pictures from all the places they'd been together, but every single picture that she'd ever posted of the two of them together had been removed. There was even one picture that he'd been photo shopped out of and that stung. It was if he hadn't been there with her for all those years, as if their history had been erased.
In a way it made sense to him, and in another he was grateful that she'd kept their relationship private like that, but it did still hurt. The last picture was of her in a Villa shirt when they had been around 15. He remembered them as 15 year olds, leaving cheeky messages on each other's posts. She used to wind him up about his dodgy hair (what did she know anyway) and he used to wind her up about her obsession with thick black eyeliner. He still laughed about the time he'd called her Kung fu panda and she'd lost her mind. They'd had so much to smile about when things were simple.
*****
The concierge greeted Amy warmly when she arrived back at the hotel after her appointment with the management company. 'Miss Shaw, you have had a couple of deliveries since you've been out. They've been taken up to your room for you'
'Thank you so much' she replied with a huge grin. Today was a fabulous day, she'd just signed a deal with the management company that was going to make her a fair old amount of money. She was already mentally spending it and planning ahead. Her main goals were to raise enough to put down a deposit on a modest flat and maybe buy a half decent car, it would make such a difference to her when she finished uni.
Amy walked over to the lift and headed up to her room, ready to tell Laura all about the meeting on their way to the London Eye, which she was pumped for. Everything just felt so new and exciting. Someone in the lift even recognised her and asked for a picture, which she did happily. So this is how it felt to be famous! She was beginning to understand why Jack had never minded having his picture taken.
The first thing she saw as she opened her room door were three boxes of clothes from PLT, who according to her new management company wanted to work with her, the next thing she saw was Brad sat in the chair in the corner of the room holding a bouquet of flowers. Wow.
'Hi Amy' he said, immediately standing up and greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.
'How did you get in my room?' she asked, concerned this may be a stalker situation. He looked confused by her reaction.
'Your friend Laura phoned me, said she was acting as your PA and told me you wanted to see me here at 12 so I came? She said you had tickets for us to go to the London eye?' He looked bewildered.
It was then that Amy saw the piece of paper with Brads number written on it on the console table next to a pair of London Eye tickets. It must have fallen out of her jeans pocket the night before. This was a complete set up, but she didn't have the heart to tell Brad that. He looked way too pleased to see her, so she told a few white lies.
'Yeah, I just thought it might be a good time for us to catch up' she smiled. She was going to kill Laura when she got her hands on her, but for the time being she was going to the London Eye with Brad.
Laura had booked them VIP tickets so they got a whole pod to themselves, which meant they had privacy to talk.
'Is this a bad time to tell you I'm scared to death of heights' asked Brad, as the doors to the pod closed and all colour drained from his face.
'Then why did you say you'd come?' She asked, bewildered by him.
'I'd have gone bungee jumping if you'd asked me to be honest. I was just over the moon to get the chance to see you away from all the cameras and everything' he replied sweetly and Amy remembered why she'd liked him in the first place. 'What I don't understand though, is why you didn't tell me about you and Jack. I mean I've read a lot of it in the papers now but I want to hear it from you and I need to know if I'm wasting my time trying to make something happen between us?'
'So that's quite to the point' Amy laughed nervously.
'Well I don't see the point in beating about the bush. If it's a no then I could be home with me Nan rather than living in a hotel in London waiting for you'
'I don't know. I mean I'll try and tell you where my heads at, but I can't promise it'll make any sense'
'Go for it, we've got 20 minutes to kill at least' Brad laughed. He had a beautiful smile and his blue eyes twinkled. She told him about her history with Jack, the cheating, their break up and how she'd never thought she'd want to see him again but she'd always promised him that she'd be at Wembley for him and something inside her had made her keep the promise.
'And how did you feel when you saw him last night? I mean we're there feelings there?' He pushed.
'Yes there were. I'm not going to lie to you. Seeing him stirred up a lot inside me, but I haven't even spoken to him and I don't know if I will. I don't even know what he thinks to me being there. It's just something I felt like I had to do, I can't explain it'
'And what about me, when you see me, are there feelings there?'
'Yes, and that's what's confusing me. If I really was still in love with Jack, I don't believe you'd be able to turn my head the way you do. Maybe I'm really just best being alone'
'And maybe you're not. Look I'm not asking you to make a decision right now, I'm asking you to keep an open mind and give me and you a chance. I just need to know for myself, that no matter what's happened, I've been myself and told you how I feel' Brad was definitely laying it all on the line for her.
Before she could reply an announcement came over the tannoy
'Please stand on the designated spot to take your souvenir London Eye photo'
Amy and Brad stood on the spot and he put his arm around her as the camera flashed.
'Here, I hope they got my good side' Brad joked.
He insisted on buying them both a copy of the picture as a souvenir of their first date, which sounded equally sweet as terrifying to Amy.
Unfortunately they weren't the only ones who'd seen the picture on the screen. All too soon that was also all over social media, and while she was frustrated by it, her management company loved it.
'There's no such thing as bad publicity' they'd told her.
It didn't feel that way when the hashtag lovetriangle began to trend. It seemed that everyone seemed to have so much more of an idea about who she should be with than her.
*****
Chilly saw the pictures of Amy with Brad and tried to analyse them. For all that they looked happy together, it didn't look that affectionate, it could just be friends, but after his conversation with Jack the night before he was concerned. Jack was floating around the place, filled with the hope of a reunion with the love of his life in just a few days time and there she was out on a date with this Brad. He wondered if Keira had any idea of what was going on with Amy. He tried to call her but there was no answer, instead he left her a voicemail.
'Alright Keira, it's me Chilly. I need to know what the hell is going on with Amy. Jack's mooning about here acting like the wedding is back on since he saw her at the same and then I see her online with Brad. You need to have a word to her and tell her what she's doing is wrong. None of us want Jack back to where he was when they split. I mean it Keira, tell her only to come to Wembley on Sunday if she means it'
Around the same time Gareth was also on the phone to Jack's dad Kevin, telling him that Amy was to be nowhere near Wembley on Sunday. Kevin tried to argue the toss with Gareth, but he just wouldn't hear of it.
*****
After the London Eye, Amy and Brad had went to have lunch and talk some more. Outside of the villa he was so much more bubbly and chatty. He told her funny stories about his life in Newcastle, and seemed genuinely interested to hear about her 'normality' in Scotland, that had never felt so far away. For all that it had been her life goal for so long, uni was the last thing on her mind with all these new opportunities opening up for her.
Eventually, she made it back to the hotel a little after six, and despite the fact she had spent a really nice afternoon with Brad, she was fuming with Laura. Which was only made worse by the smug look on her face when Amy joined her in the hotel bar.
'First of all I'm going to kill you for setting me up with Brad today' she fumed.
'Aww but he's lovely Aims, so much nicer than Jack. A little more orange, but only a shade or two and no daft hair band' cackled Laura. 'Look at me, I'm Jack Grealish' she posed and pouted whilst pulling her hair back.
'Shut up. Anyway second of all, I now have a management company, who have already got me a contract with a lingerie brand and I'm going to be on Loose Women talking about promises and why my promise to Jack means so much to me'
'Urgh, Jack again' Laura groaned and rolled her eyes. 'Honestly I'm sick of the sound of his name. Try Brad, now that's a lovely name. Say it after me Braaaaaaad'
'I'm serious' warned Amy.
'So am I Aims. Brad told me you had a fantastic time today, what is wrong with you?'
'You spoke to Brad?' Amy was well confused by that.
'Yeah he rang me back after you left and told me that he'd realised I'd set the two of you up and thanking me for it. So at least one of the two of you is grateful for my matchmaking' she stuck her tongue out at Amy playfully.
'Your meddling you mean, let's call a spade a spade here. I've said it before and I'll say it again, until I see and speak to Jack in person, I'm just going to chill and enjoy myself okay?'
'Okay. By the way though, there's a poll on instagram about who you should date-
Jack, Brad or be single for the rest of your life'
'Do I want to know who's winning?' Amy cringed
'It's okay, I'll probably be single for the rest of my life too. Mainly down to the fact that I'm spending so much time sorting out your love life to the detriment of my own'
'Well let me sort it for myself then'
'Are you joking? If I leave you to it you'll be on this merry go round forever more, or worse, married to Jack'
Amy was about to respond when her phone rang for the hundredth time that day.
'Hang on it's Keira' said Amy answering her phone.
'Can we meet?' Keira asked
Amy waited at the bar for Keira to arrive. Laura had made herself scarce, she couldn't bear to hear Jack's name on repeat any longer. When she arrived, they gave each other a big hug before sitting down. Keira had always been a beautiful girl when they were younger but she was absolutely stunning now.
'So, you and my brother....' Keira began. Apparently today everyone was just going straight in with the big questions.
'What about us?' Asked Amy.
'Are you really here for you or him? Everyone saw that picture of you and Brad today and now they're all freaking out that you've only come back to mess with Jack's head'
'That's not it at all. If you think me being there is the wrong thing to do, then I'll go'
'I don't think that at all, but you need to know Amy, Jack is reading a lot into your reasons for being there'
'He knows?'
'He saw you at the Denmark game and according to Chilly, Jack told him that's why he played so well, because you were there' Amy was delighted to hear that.
'I honestly don't know what's going to happy Keira, I just want to see him and talk to him and then I'll know if the old feelings are really still there or just a memory'
'And Brad? You seem pretty close, I mean I watched every minute of every episode the two of you are in, so I know how close you are'
'No idea. My first priority right now is Jack and this final'
'Well, there might be a glitch in the plan. Southgate has basically banned you from Wembley, he told Dad that he wasn't allowed to give you one of the friends and family tickets, but Dad's working on it'
'I need to be there for him Keira'
'We all know that' replied Keira.
Keira insisted that they take a selfie together before they left and as soon as Amy was gone, she sent it to Jack with the caption 'good night, we love you'. One way or another, she was going to play Cupid and get these two back together.
'Oh my days, look' said Jack, showing Chilly and Phil the picture from Keira. He zoomed right in on Amy's face to show them her properly, she was so beautiful. She hadn't really changed at all over the years, but then again, she didn't need to.
'Know what guys, I'm really confident about Sunday now' Jack announced. 'She's my good luck charm and she's back'
*****
'Hi Nan, its me, Brad. I went out on a date with Amy today, I reckon pretty soon she'll be saying Jack who? theres definitely something between us.