When we'd gotten to the car, he made me get inside while he and the security detail spoke in hushed tones and eventually left to retrieve something before we left.
Then, despite the fact that I worked with restaurants all across Boston, Chan decided that he was the culinary expert and had the driver take us to some hole-in-the-wall place in Quincy nearly 20 minutes away.
"I didn't realize it was so far," he mumbled after I'd complained multiple times. Our goal had been to be spotted in public. All of the STAY from the concert would be staying near the venue to eat. Going this far would be a waste of our time.
"I told you it was," I sighed as I sat with my arms folded in the back of the car. I wondered what the driver and security detail in the front seat thought of me. I wondered if they believed the rumors or if they'd been clued in on the real story.
I texted my family that I'd made it home from my trip. Luckily, they only used Facebook, so I had a few more days before my photos started trending there.
I texted Mana and told her that I had my phone back. I also told her that I'd call her later to fill her in on everything.
"I'm sorry about the headlines. Hope you're okay," she answered.
"Here, sign this," Chan handed me a several-page document and a pen. "It's an NDA."
"I thought those were just for sex with celebrities. I'm not planning on sleeping with you." I pushed the pages back.
"They're for anything we want it to be for, not just sex. Glad to know that's off the table though," he scowled.
"You're welcome," I sneered.
"Yours states that you can't give out any details about this being a fake relationship. You must tell everyone, including your friends and family, that it's real. Nobody can know the truth."
"Or what?"
"Or we'll sue you for damages. And JYP is a very money-hungry company that'll eat you alive and bankrupt you if you break any terms of this contract," he said matter-of-factly.
My chest tightened at the thought. I'd have to lie to everyone in my life in order to repair my reputation or risk financial ruin...great.
"Mana already knows about last night."
"That's fine. Your leaving last night helps your reputation anyway."
"Okay." I picked up the pen and signed the first page outlining how I was to act online.
The second page indicated that Chan would send clothes for me to wear to the concerts.
"I'll wear the clothes but not the shoes. I don't wear heels."
Chan sighed and took the pen to mark out anywhere that said shoes. "Fine. I wanted to add that we'd specifically never allow metallic cowboy boots, but Dimitri thought that was too far."
"Who's Dimitri?"
The security in front waved at me through the mirror.
I smiled at him and signed the page. The last page was an intimacy clause. It stated rules for holding his hand and kissing and having sex.
I read them over thoroughly.
1. When walking in public, we must always hold hands. This is not only to generate public interest but also for safety. Exceptions are to be made on a case-by-case basis.
2. Any public displays of affection (PDA) must be classy and minimal.
3. Any and all intimate acts between Party A and Party B require explicit consent.
4. Any private displays of affection are up to the discretion of the two parties.
I stared at the words and looked up at Chan as I bit my lip nervously. He was eyeing my reaction carefully. His eyes shifted between my mouth and my anxious stare.
He eventually tapped his finger on the signature line. "Sign here," he breathed.
"We can cross out number 4," I told him.
He turned the page to reread it. "No, we can't."
"Why? I already told you I'm not going to sleep with you."
Any interest he'd been showing disappeared. "It's all-encompassing. What if you fall and I have to carry you? What if you're upset, and I hug you?"
"Oh..."
"Yea, oh," he retorted. "Actually, there's another one we need to add."
He tore the page from my hand and sloppily squeezed a 5th rule in the margins and handed the page back to me.
5. In order to maintain the integrity of the relationship, sexual intimacy or any touching beyond that of friends with any other male, including but not limited to Kim Seungmin, is forbidden.
"Really?" I rolled my eyes.
"Yes. I don't need a cheating scandal on top of everything else."
"Why Seungmin specifically? Did it make you jealous that I was nice to him?" I asked in a baby voice since he was being a baby.
"No. I just want you to be aware of how things look when we are in public. What if that fan had seen you two earlier?"
"She'd have thought we were talking...because we were talking," I replied in an annoyed tone.
"If this is going to be too difficult of a rule for you, we can just turn back. Call it quits and let what happens, happen."
"It's not too difficult. You're just being ridiculous, but fine," I snatched the pen from his hand, signed the page, and tossed the NDA back to him.
"Now what?" I asked.
He reached for my hand. "Now we eat."
We stepped out of the car and, even though we were no longer in Boston, there were somehow still people waiting for us.
Chan gripped my hand tightly and the security detail kept people off of me while we made our way inside.
"How did they find us?" I wondered out loud.
"Bubble. I said this place had great food in the chat when I realized how far it was. They were probably waiting for me to leave and hadn't realized that I wasn't even here yet."
Dmitri spoke to the hostess, and she led us to a table by the window where we'd be seen even more. Chan took the chair against the window so that I would have to face everyone. I wanted to kick him for it.
Dmitri sat nearby along with the driver.
"She didn't give us menus," I realized.
"I ordered for us on the way so we wouldn't have to wait."
"You don't know what I like," I opposed.
"No, but I ordered several different things that I like and you can pick from those. If you want something else you can always order it instead."
Annoyed as I was, I had to smile since there were fans outside taking pictures of us. Chan watched me struggle to fake it and seemed amused.
"Is this funny to you?" I crossed my arms and had to immediately uncross them so that the fans couldn't tell how frustrated I was.
"A little bit."
I kicked his shin under the table, and he yelped.
"You needed the practice more than me. I already know how to seem likable."
"Oh, I know. I'd watch interview after interview of ya'll before and you became my favorite because of how kindly you treated everyone."
"Ya'll?" he smirked.
"I was raised in the South," I mumbled.
"The boots make more sense now," he looked down at them and pursed his lips. "I'm still nice to the guys."
"I'll believe it when I see it."
Phones flashed at me from outside, and Chan held his phone up close to his chest. I leaned in to see what he was showing me.
It was a funny photo of Felix that made me laugh so hard that I had to cover my mouth. He smiled at my response. I think it may have been the first real one I'd seen from him.
"Why'd you show me that?" I asked, still giggling.
"I didn't want you to look pissed at me in all of their pictures," he confessed. Of course, it was with the intention of making himself seem like a great date.
The waitress came back and set down drunken noodles, fried rice, and my favorite Tom Kha Kai. The second the coconut scent hit my nose I knew what I wanted to eat. Chan and I reached for the bowl at the same time.
"This is my favorite," I argued. "You said I could pick."
"I've been looking forward to this the whole drive here," he pulled the bowl closer to him.
"Order another one," I fought and pulled it closer to me.
Phones flashed behind him, and I realized that they would notice we were arguing.
"Fuck," I muttered and picked up a spoon.
"What are you doing?" he asked as I took a spoonful myself and then held one out for him.
"They're watching," I whispered with an encouraging smile.
Chan eyed me suspiciously but moved to slurp the soup from my spoon. I poured the contents back into the bowl before he got a taste, though. Luckily, to the fans outside, it would look like I had fed him.
"You're evil," he groaned.
"Order another," I advised with a smile and brought the bowl completely to my side before he could argue.
If he could make himself seem like a good date, I could make myself seem sweet too. Nothing is cuter than a girlfriend feeding some of her meal to her boyfriend.
Chan began eating the fried rice and noodles instead. He glared at me with every bite as I enjoyed the soup.
He never ordered another one.