A/N: Hello you gorgeous people, I hope you're having/had a fabulous day!!
"Hi, babe. Welcome home," Tyler greeted me with a warm smile.
"Hi, baby!" I shut the door behind me and wrapped my arms around his neck before pressing my lips to his, "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too. I've barely seen you this week – you've been so busy filming," he chuckled, "I'm so proud of you, though. I bet the movie's gonna be fucking awesome."
"I hope so," I said as we pulled away.
"Of course it will be. You're in it," he smiled at me as I dropped my bag on the nearest couch, "so, did you finish your filming? Or do you need another week?"
"Nope, we're all done!" I smiled back, "It's in the hands of the editors now. The next time I hear about it, it'll be when it's about to premiere in the cinemas," I let out a sigh, "it still feels so surreal. Like I've just been dreaming the whole time."
"I'm so excited to see the movie," he took my hands, "I bet you carried the whole thing."
"Oh, no – definitely not!" I shook my head, "It felt like everyone was better than me, honestly..."
"Nonsense. I already know you were the best performer there," he kissed me again, "and guess what? I knew it was your last day of filming, so I've booked dinner for us at your favourite restaurant to celebrate."
I gasped. "Padella?!"
"Yep," Tyler grinned, "Padella."
"Oh my God, when?!"
"Tonight, of course," Tyler was slightly confused, "Why wouldn't it be tonight?"
"Tonight?" My face fell, "Oh...babe, about that..."
"What?"
"There's a...dinner and after-party...with the crew tonight," I began, "to...y'know, celebrate the end of filming."
"Oh..." Tyler nodded slowly, "right. Sorry. I didn't know that."
"That's okay. It was only decided today, so..." My voice drifted off awkwardly, "I, er...I can just say I won't go..."
"No, no..." Tyler shook his head, "no, of course you should go. I'll cancel the booking. We can have dinner another night."
My eyes widened. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," he gave me a small smile, "you were the main character, so... if you think about it, the party's probably mostly for you. You definitely should be there."
I immediately felt a bright grin spread across my face, and I let out a squeal before I grabbed his face and kissed his cheek over and over.
"Thank you so much, baby!" I beamed at him, "I promise we'll have that dinner soon, okay?"
"Yeah," Tyler smiled again and chuckled softly, "sure, Ally. No problem at all."
~~~~~
I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of my phone loudly ringing and vibrating against my bedside table. Groaning a little, I leaned towards my bedside table to check the caller ID, and my eyes widened a little when I realized it was Gary.
Damn. Better answer that.
I picked up my phone and answered the call before holding it to my ear.
"Hello?" I spoke first.
"Morning, Alina!" Gary replied, "You don't sound hungover today, for once. That's good."
"Yeah, I er...I didn't feel like going out last night," I said, "anyway, what's up?"
"Just wanted to know how yesterday went," he told me, "and where your standing is on the whole 'showmance' idea now?"
"Oh..." I nodded slowly, "yeah, it was pretty crazy. I couldn't believe it when I saw how much hype we created. We weren't even together for two hours."
"A-ha!" Gary said confidently, "What did I tell you, girl? I said you'd create a buzz, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did – but that was a whole other level. I'm still tripping out about it," I began to bite my lip as I prepared myself for what I was about to say, "so...I guess it would be...stupid...to not keep going with this, right?"
"Well, yeah. It would be pretty stupid," Gary agreed.
"Does it really have to be Harry, though?" I asked him, "Like...it can't be anyone else?"
"Well, technically it could be someone else. But I highly doubt it'll create the same type of public response as it would if you did this with Harry."
"Ugh," I let out a long sigh, "alright then."
"Is he really that bad? Even after spending some time with him, you feel the same way?"
"I don't feel as strongly as I did before yesterday," I admitted, "but he still gets on my nerves, Gary."
"Well, he is a bit of a pain in the ass. Jeffrey fully admits that," Gary said, "I've been talking to him this morning – so I could find out how Harry feels about this whole thing, too."
"And..?" I was expecting him to continue, "What does Harry think?"
"Well, he feels the same way as you. He was floored by the results of your little brunch together. Jeffrey's told me himself that Harry would be willing to continue the showmance to save his career."
"Really?" I was surprised, "He seemed so...averse to the whole 'love contract' thing..."
"So did you, Alina," Gary replied, "and like you, he realized just how much this could save the both of you. So, he wants to give this a good go."
"Okay then..." I was still a bit startled by his turnaround – but hearing that he was willing to give this a chance made me feel...relieved, believe it or not, "that's good. So...what do we do next?"
"Well, give me a couple of days to find a publicist who'll be willing to write up a contract for the two of you. Then, once it's done, all of us can meet with the publicist in my office. Sound good?"
"Yep," I nodded, "sure. A couple days, you said?"
"I did. Don't worry – I'll let you know as soon as the contract is ready," Gary promised me, "see you soon."
***
A few days passed, and Gary finally called me to let me know a draft contract had been written up – just like he promised. This morning, I had to meet with him, Jeffrey, Harry, and the publicist to make sure we were happy with the contract before signing it.
I was in a hurry to get to Gary's office that morning as I was already running a little late. Once I made it into the elevator of his office building, I frantically pressed the third-floor button as if doing so would make the doors close faster (it didn't, of course). But when the doors finally did start to close, I let out a gasp as someone suddenly grabbed one of the doors and forced the elevator to open back up again. And when I saw who it was, my eyes widened.
"Oh. Morning, Alina," Harry smiled at me, "you're running late too, huh?"
"Morning. Yeah, I am," I replied, "so, hurry up then – get in here before someone else tries to stop this elevator."
Harry nodded and stood beside me, and as we waited for the doors to close, I found myself looking up at him. I don't know if he just wasn't wearing it the other day, but I was drawn to the smell of his cologne which made me unconsciously turn my head towards him.
He looked a lot less...scruffy than the other day. He'd cleaned up his stubble a bit, looked much more awake, and he looked like he actually ran a comb through his hair this morning. He was wearing a plaid shirt with a white singlet underneath, worn-out ripped jeans, and faded checkered vans. Still a bit tatty, but at least much more presentable than the first time I saw him.
"What?" Harry noticed me looking at him and frowned at me slightly, "What's got you gawping now?"
I immediately frowned back at him.
Gawping? You what?!
"Nothing," I finally turned away, "you just...actually look like a human being today. You know, like you actually made an effort to be here?"
Harry's frown deepened. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Hey, if I were you, I'd take it as a compliment," I shrugged, "'cause you've always looked scruffy to me."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'd actually be offended if that wasn't true. Because I know I've been lazy with how I look lately."
"Anyway..." I decided to change the subject, "to be honest, I was surprised you agreed to do this. When we met up the other day, I could tell that the idea of a love contract disgusted you."
"Yeah, well..." Harry bit his lip, "when we had our brunch the other day, I couldn't believe how much hysteria we created just by being together for such a short amount of time. Before we did that, I couldn't do anything to distract people from the trending stories about my shitty tour. But being with you did that for me in less than two hours," he then lowered his eyes a little, "I'm still not the biggest fan of this idea, but...it looks like it's the only thing that'll give me the second chance I've been hoping for lately..."
I found my face softening out of empathy for him before I could even stop it.
"I get it," I replied, "I'm in the same boat. I still don't really want to do this...but I was blown away by the public response as well. It feels like...like I need to do this."
Harry nodded in agreement. "I feel the same."
The elevator finally made it to the third floor, and the doors slid open. Harry and I walked out and towards Gary's office, where we could hear voices eagerly talking inside as we approached the door.
Me and Harry looked at each other, and I let out a sigh before quietly and anxiously knocking on the expensive wood.
"Come in!"
Harry opened the door and waited for me to walk in first before following me. Gary and Jeffrey were already in there with a man I'd never seen before. He was dressed in a silky blue suit, had a well-trimmed beard and fluffy dark hair.
"Alina! Harry! Welcome!" Gary grinned at us, "Come take a seat."
Neither Harry nor myself said a word as we reluctantly sunk down into the two free chairs in front of Gary's desk.
"I'd like you two to meet Elias Cooper," Gary continued, "he's the publicist who drew up the contract we're reading today."
"Wonderful to meet you both!" The publicist smiled at us.
"Likewise," I tried to smile back at him.
"So, we're going for a showmance, are we?" Elias asked, "Two friends trying to do each other a favour?"
"Well, we're not really friends..." Harry began uncertainly, "but sure. Let's go with that."
"Works for me. Should we just jump right into it, then?"
"Yeah. I guess," I said with a sigh.
"Right, well – the contract isn't very long," he opened up a folder he'd been holding and pulled out a couple pieces of paper stapled together, "there's only seven clauses, but I think they cover the most important things we need to be on the same page on for this whole thing. It starts off like this..." he began to trace his pen along the lines of the contract, "'This contract is entered into by and between Harry Styles and Alina Young. The term of this agreement shall begin on the 17th of January, 2022, and shall continue through until 'blank'," He paused, "I was debating on whether to make this go on for a year or not, so I've left it blank for now."
My jaw immediately dropped.
"A-A year?!" I could hardly believe it, "Wait, what do you mean a year?!"
"Well, that's generally the minimum amount of time these things last for," Elias replied.
"A whole fucking year?" Even Harry was startled, "Why does it have to be so long?"
"Well, if you only do this for a couple of months, the hype will die down really fast," he began to explain, "we need to make the public believe you're serious about each other. And besides – the longer the period of time is, if you release any projects within that time – for example, maybe a new movie for Alina, or a new album for Harry...then those projects are more likely to draw more attention while you're in this relationship."
"But does it really have to be a year?" I demanded.
"Look, like I said before – I left it blank because I wanted to know what you two would be most comfortable with...and it's looking like a year isn't it," Elias stroked his chin thoughtfully, "if you want...I can make the time period just six months for now. So, half a year."
"Okay..." I began slowly.
"We'll reconvene again once the six months is up – and if you two find that the showmance has been going really well, then we'll extend it by another 6 months to make it a full year. But if you aren't happy after six months, we can stop there, and you two can go your separate ways," he looked at me and Harry, "does that sound a little less daunting?"
Harry and I quickly exchanged looks, paused for a moment and then nodded at each other.
"That does sound a lot better," Harry agreed – causing me to nod again.
"Great! Now that that's sorted, let's move on to the clauses," Elias turned his attention back to the paper, "so, like I said, there's only seven clauses. Since it's a legal contract, they're written very formally with big fancy words, so I'll simplify them for you. So, first clause..." he cleared his throat, "'Public Appearances: The parties mentioned above are required to be seen publicly together at least once a week, every week at minimum.' I don't need to explain that one very much, do I?"
"Once a week every week?" Harry frowned, "Isn't that a bit...excessive?"
"How so?"
"Well...to some people, it might look like we're trying too hard. Like, us doing something new together every week? I feel like it might seem a bit too obvious – like we're trying to rub it in people's faces. It might make some people suspicious."
"I agree with that, actually," I chimed in with a nod, "even some couples who live together don't go out every week. Sometimes they just stay home."
"True, true...I see your point," Elias began to nod as well, "how about we'll replace that with 'every fortnight', then? Gives you a bit more leeway to mix things up a little bit, and the two of you can decide how many times a week to meet."
"That can work," I consented before looking back at Harry, "what do you think?"
"That works for me, too," Harry nodded, "sounds much easier to work with."
"Excellent! I'll make a note to include those changes," Elias scribbled on the contract, "next one, Clause Two – 'Public Queries and Interviews: Both parties are required to confirm their relationship if ever asked during conversations or interviews with members of the public.' Again, pretty straightforward – obviously nobody will believe you're together if you just proceed to deny it when personally asked. Any questions about that one?"
Oh, great.
Neither of us really needed to speak and we both only shook our heads – and Elias nodded at us before moving on.
"Clause Three – 'Public Displays of Affection': If both parties are comfortable, public displays of affection are permitted and encouraged in order to reinforce the credibility of the relationship. Boundaries put in place in regard to this clause will be decided between the individual parties. If these boundaries are violated by either party, the offended party will have the right to immediately terminate this indenture.'"
Elias saw the look on both of our faces and chuckled.
"That one's a lot to take in – I know. Keep in mind that it has been stated that this is an optional clause that only needs to be done if both of you are comfortable. If you decide to spice up the showmance with a bit of PDA after you two have gotten to know each other better, make sure you set boundaries on it so that you can both remain comfortable. And if one of you feels like the other has crossed these boundaries, you have the right to terminate this contract straight away."
"Okay. That sounds alright," I said, "as long as I don't feel forced to do it, I have no problems."
"Me too," Harry nodded, "I'm happy if it stays as an option and not mandatory."
"Of course. You have nothing to worry about," Elias reassured us, "so, Clause Four – 'Public Appearances on Vacations: Vacations will be arranged for both parties to travel together and reinforce the credibility of the relationship. The requirements of the previous three clauses continue to apply.'" Elias paused.
"So, I've spoken to your managers about this – and they're happy to work with me by arranging the occasional holiday for you two to take together. I mean, it's what celebrity couples do – they take vacations together – so this clause is basically in here to make your showmance more believable. And it'll be all expenses paid – so that's always a plus."
"I won't say no," I felt myself smiling a little, "I'm always down for a vacation."
"Especially a free one," Harry added with a smirk, "count me in."
"Great!" Elias smiled back at us, "Almost there. We're at Clause Five – 'Communication: Both parties are required to consistently communicate with one another and organize their own public appearances.' This one is simple: we're happy to arrange vacations for you, but we're not here to babysit you," he gave us both a look.
"We're expecting that the two of you are doing this to help yourselves and each other, so it's your responsibility to communicate with each other and sort out what types of things you'll do together. Lunches, dinner, movie trips...all that jazz. We're not here to remind you to do little things like that – you're both adults and you can do all that yourselves."
I shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, okay. That's fair"
"Looks like I'll have to give you my number," Harry began smirking at me again, "lucky you."
I immediately rolled my eyes. "I think you're lucky to be getting mine, actually."
"Clause Six," Elias continued, "'Abusive Behaviour: Any type of abusive behaviour towards either party is unacceptable and prohibited. A breach of this clause will result in instant termination of this agreement, and compensation has to be made from the offending party to the offended party.' Pretty obvious – don't abuse each other. That's not on. If one of you does, you'll be paying a considerable amount of money to the other, and also potentially facing jail time if it's serious."
Oh, don't worry.
If this guy ever hits me, he's done.
Despite how much of an ass he is, he still doesn't seem like the abusive type, though...
"And finally – Clause Seven. This one...might be a bit of a doozy," Elias hesitated before taking a deep breath, "'Outside Relations and Intimacy: The individual parties are prohibited from having coital or intimate relationships with any party outside of this written agreement. A breach of this clause will result in instant termination of this agreement, and compensation has to be made from the offending party to the offended party.' What does that mean? Basically...you're not allowed to have sex with other people."
Both Harry and I immediately did a double take at his words.
"What?!" We exclaimed simultaneously.
"Celibacy?!" I refused to believe it, "Are you insane?!"
"No sex for six months?!" Harry's jaw dropped, "Six fucking months?!"
"Oh, come on – it's not impossible," Elias tried to put our minds at ease.
"Why?" I demanded, "Why can't we have sex with other people?!"
"Well, it's pretty straightforward if you take a moment to think about it," Elias replied, "I know this isn't a real relationship, but all the same – trying to have sex with other people while in a showmance is way too risky. You can very easily get caught cheating on your significant other – which is what it'll look like from the outside. And even if you don't get caught, it's so easy for the person you slept with to leak that information to the public – and this whole stunt would be, essentially, fucked."
"But..." I shook my head in disbelief, "but-"
"Too many risks, Alina," Elias cut me off by repeating himself, "definitely wouldn't be worth it."
SHIT!!!
What the fuck am I supposed to do without sex?! I'll go fucking crazy!
"Damn it!" I let out a frustrated grunt, "Fuck! This fucking sucks!"
"Jesus Christ..." Harry muttered with a groan, "There's no way. There's no fucking way..."
"Holy shit, people, it's only six months!" Elias seemed flabbergasted by how devasted both Harry and I were.
"You said that if it goes well, we'll be extending this stunt to a year!" I narrowed my eyes at him, "Which means, that this will subsequently turn into no sex for a whole fucking year!"
"Nope," Harry shook his head vigorously, "fuck that."
"You can't just tell me to suddenly be celibate and expect me to be okay with that!" I added to Harry's objections.
"Damn it, Alina!" Gary finally spoke up – his voice thick with impatience and frustration, "Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to protect what's important to you! Are you seriously just gonna give up on saving your career just because you can't get laid?!"
"Yeah, Harry, that's fucking ridiculous," Jeffrey agreed, "you can live without sex for a few months."
"Easy for you to say," Harry retorted heatedly, "you're already married, you fucking prick."
"This is gonna pay off in the long run, and you fucking know it, too," Jeffrey glared at him, "and you're trying to ignore it just 'cause you apparently can't live without getting your dick wet."
Well, duh. Obviously he can't.
But damn it, I'm not gonna be able to fucking do it, either!
"I'm sorry guys, but I've learned this the hard way," Elias addressed us once more, "Clause Seven is non-negotiable. If you two don't think you can work with that, then I don't think we can carry on with this showmance at all."
Are you serious?!
Do I seriously have no choice but to deal with this fucking bullshit?!
I have lost way too much to get to where I am right now. And if I end up losing all of this, too...then everything I gave up for this pipedream would mean absolutely nothing. And there's no way in hell that I was gonna accept that.
Fuck. I guess I don't have a choice.
I need this fucking showmance, Goddammit!
"Fine!" I finally forced myself to blurt out, "Fine, I'll fucking do it. Shit. Fuck..."
"What?!" Harry's eyes widened at my words, "Alina! There's no way you're agreeing to this!"
"I have no choice. I need this to work," I lowered my eyes, "Nothing will be worth it...if my career turns to shit here..." I worked up the courage to look up at him, "If you don't want to do it Harry, then I'll fucking find someone else. But I have to do this."
I saw Harry's body tense up as he realized how much pressure had suddenly been put on him and his decision to accept the terms of the contract or not. And I didn't mean to burden him like that, honestly...but I wasn't giving up the life I sacrificed only to lose the life I had sacrificed it for, too.
"Fucking hell," I heard Harry curse under his breath after he was silent for several moments, "alright. Fine. I guess I'm in. I don't fucking like it, but I'm in."
My breath hitched softly at his words.
"Really?" My voice was quiet but alleviated at the same time as I looked up at him, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Harry huffed, "I'd be an idiot to pass on this just because of one thing I don't like. Even if it is a very prominent thing..." he let out a long sigh, "if you can do it, then so can I."
"Excellent!" Elias beamed at us, "Right, so we didn't really change the contract at all except for that first part. I've already written those changes down directly on the contract itself – so you two could probably just sign it as it is. Then I'll make the changes to the first clause and photocopy the rest – and send copies of the final contract out to both of you and your managers."
"Thanks for doing this, Elias," Gary decided to step in and express gratitude for us (since it was pretty obvious we weren't gonna do it), "we really appreciate it."
"Not a problem at all," the publicist smiled again before turning his attentions to me and Harry, "so, should we get started? Can the two of you sign right here, please?"
A/N: And it's on!! Let the drama begin. Hehe