Matchmaker

Matchmaker: Chapter Six

Five days of hate, coming from both the internet, and the other members of the boys’ staff who kept their whispering not quite on the ‘down low’ as they trashed my sudden rise to fame with my datingsituation, were followed by an onslaught of praise and fans.

Just as Liam had, I became a celebrity overnight, for being the girlfriend of Harry Styles.

Because to the flashing camera and googily eyed fans, that’s what Harry and I were, hand in hand as I was dragged around and paraded in front of the paparazzi. Everything was going perfectly.

Management had about shit themselves with excitement, and after the initial snide remark, Liam seemed to warm to the idea. Zayn seemed to ignore the whole situation, which left Niall and Louis.

It seemed that while our staged relationship had done its job, and started alerting Louis to the idea that Harry wasn’t solely his, had also sparked something in Niall. What that was, I was still working out, trying to keep my fangirl mind from drifting to various scenarios that led to a magical kiss in the rain shared between the two of us.

Right now I had to focus on making Harry Styles appear straight and in love with me 24/7.

And on top of that, I was still running mundane intern duties, such as fetching coffee with Claire, who wasn’t as gullible when it came to Harry and I’s sudden relationship.

“All I’m saying, is that night you two announced it to the world, you’d told me no less than a few hours prior that you didn’t have a thing for any of them,” Claire muttered, while standing in the Starbucks line, a couple weeks after Harry and I’s announcement, “And even if you did, it wasn’t Harry you were undressing with your eyes-“

“Harry is my boyfriend and I love him,” I interrupted, loudly, glancing out of the corner of my eye at two girls behind us in line, who were trying to discretely take pictures of me with their cellphones. “I get that you might be jealous-“

“Jealous!” Claire snapped and I winced, mentally kicking myself. I was trying to play a part, but hadn’t clued Claire in on the scene I was currently developing. Now I just looked like a bitch to the one girl friend I had on this tour. “Well I’m so sorry Ms. Payne, that I’m jealous that you prance around acting like you’re above everyone else-”

“Look, just, not here,” I hissed, taking a step forward to the barista, and pulling out my phone, which had a list of orders. I listed off the array of drinks while Claire sulked behind me, and all the while bit my tongue, to keep myself from spilling Harry and I’s secret and saving my friendship.

Claire was quiet the rest of the walk back to the hotel, where the boys were rounded up in a master suite, getting their hair styled for a radio interview and performance.  She placed the coffees she was carrying on the table and then brushed past me, slamming the door shut behind her.

“What’s that about then?” Harry asked, as I wordlessly handed him his coffee, plopping myself down uncomfortably on his lap. Liam raised a brow, and I forced a smile, pecking Harry on the cheek, as I played the relationship up for my cousin who was a natural at seeing right through my acts.

But this wasn’t just my act, this was for Harry, and if I was going to do this, I was going to do it damn well.

“Kate, darling, you know I love you. And you know I love you two, but I have to do something with those bags under his eyes,” The assistant makeup artist said, brush and concealer in hand and I sighed as I slid off of Harry’s lap, reaching for his coffee and taking a sip of it, wincing at the bitter taste.

Dually noted, fake boyfriend and I did not have the same taste in morning drinks.

“You been up too late fucking Kate to sleep then?” Louis suddenly asked, and I about spit out the hot coffee in my mouth, barely swallowing it down and spinning around to glare at Louis, who hadn’t even looked up from his phone to ask the crude question.