Heartstrings and Headlines

02

Tyler's face turned a shade of red that rivaled my hair. "No shit! Why would I date my sister? I mean, I love her, but not like that!"

Melissa sighed, trying to keep her patience. "Exactly my point, Tyler. Look at any other popular band. Fangirls—and boys—go crazy over their favorite ships. To boost your guys' ratings, we need to create something like that."

I crossed my arms, feeling a mix of frustration and disbelief. "Are you seriously making me date Tyler?" I asked, my voice dripping with disgust. "He calls me Carrot Top 24/7!"

Tyler smirked, unable to resist a jab. "Well, you are a ginger—"

"Doesn't matter. It's fake anyway. A PR relationship," Melissa interrupted, shooting him a glare.

"And when will this end?" I asked, feeling the weight of the situation settling in.

"We'll get to that later," Melissa replied dismissively. She turned her attention to the rest of the band. "Anyway, Aiden and Ben, you guys won't be in a relationship since you're cousins."

Aiden couldn't help but chime in with a smirk, "Yeah, and this isn't Alabama."

Ignoring him, Melissa continued, "We're just gonna focus on your cousinly bond. People go crazy over that stuff too."

She turned to Logan and Taylor. "And obviously, Logan and Taylor will be together."

Logan made a weird, forced smile at Melissa and Taylor. "Hehe, great!" he said, dripping with sarcasm he tried to hide.

Melissa ignored his tone. "Anyway, onstage you guys have to act lovey-dovey: a kiss on the cheek, holding hands, cute couple things. And on tour, you have to do that twice as much," she stated sternly.

I sighed, feeling a knot form in my stomach. This honestly wasn't a bad idea for publicity, but why did I have to be with him?

Tyler glanced at me, his expression softening for a moment. "Look, I know this sucks. But if it helps the band..." he nodded off

I nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I get it. Just... no more carrot top, okay?"

He grinned. "Deal."

Melissa clapped her hands, bringing everyone's attention back. "Alright, let's get to work. We've got a lot to do if we're going to sell this."

As we dispersed, I couldn't shake the feeling that this fake relationship might get more complicated than any of us anticipated. Tyler looked a bit sad then, not because of the fact he has to fake date me, but probably more so that he's losing his freedom. I caught him glancing at Logan as he joked off with Taylor. Tyler had always had a soft spot for Logan, though he'd never admit it.

I took a deep breath, trying to refocus. "Guys," I called out in a semi-loud tone, "we need to go practice."

"Maybe," Taylor started, her eyes twinkling with an idea, "maybe we can play a new song at each of the shows? Leading up to the album?"

Melissa's eyes lit up. "Taylor, you are a genius!"

Taylor laughed, a slight smile playing on her lips. "We can perform 'Girl I've Always Been!'"

"Yes! Our duet!" I replied, mirroring her excitement.

"And Logan, we can perform 'Lacy,'" she smiled at him.

He reciprocated the smile as Taylor continued, "It will make our relationship more believable," she laughed.

Logan and Taylor had always been close. Their chemistry made their relationship look so natural. On the contrary, Tyler and I seemed really forced. I just wished I was having this fake relationship with someone else.

Tyler nudged me lightly, breaking my train of thought. "Come on, let's get this over with."

I nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, let's do it."

We all headed to the rehearsal space, the atmosphere buzzing with a mix of excitement and apprehension. The room was filled with instruments and equipment, a familiar yet daunting sight.

"Aiden?" I said, turning to the blonde boy. "You know the music, right? Does Tyler and Ben and Logan also know?"

"You guys jon stop playing and talk about this dang song, i'm pretty sure we got it" he says, tilting his head with a soft smile.

His dimple showed then. And my heart couldn't help but flutter.

I obviously didn't show it on my face, though. I don't like aiden... just enjoy his company.

Taylor and I took our places at the microphones, exchanging a quick, encouraging glance. The opening chords of "Girl I've Always Been" filled the room, and I felt a rush of adrenaline. Singing with Taylor always felt magical, like we were creating something beautiful together.

As we sang, I noticed Tyler watching us intently. His expression was hard to read, but there was a hint of something—maybe admiration, maybe envy, disdain? I couldn't tell. I pushed the thought aside and focused on the music.

When the song ended, Melissa clapped enthusiastically. "That was fantastic! You two have such great chemistry."

Taylor beamed. "Thanks, Melissa. We really enjoy singing together." she said, looking over at me.

I stepped back, allowing Logan and Taylor to have their moment.. "Alright, let's try 'Lacy.' Ready, Taylor?" Logan appraised

Lacy was a simp-ler song, less instrumentals were required. It was more raw and emotional...

She nodded, and they launched into the song. Their performance was flawless, their connection palpable. Watching them, I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. They made it look so easy.

After they finished, Melissa turned to Tyler and me. "Okay, you two. Let's see some of that chemistry."

Tyler and I exchanged a nervous glance. We hadn't practiced anything specific for this moment, and it showed. We stumbled through a few lines, our interactions awkward and stilted. Melissa sighed, clearly disappointed.

"We'll work on it," she said, trying to stay positive. "It's just the beginning. You'll get there."

As we wrapped up the rehearsal, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to be harder than I thought. Tyler and I had a long way to go before we could match the effortless connection that Logan and Taylor shared.

Later, as we packed up our things, Tyler approached me. "Hey," he said softly. "I'm sorry if I made things awkward today."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault. This whole situation is just... weird."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it is. But we'll figure it out. For the band."

"For the band," I echoed, offering him a small smile.

Tyler glanced over at Logan again, his eyes lingering for a moment before he looked back at me. "You know, I wish it was different. That we didn't have to pretend."

I sighed. "Yeah, me too. But we'll make it work. We have to."

As we walked out of the rehearsal space together, I caught Aiden's eye and gave him a small wave. He smiled back, making my heart do that thing again..

Tyler noticed and chuckled softly. "Looks like we're both in the same boat."

I glanced at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged.  And walked off

The nerve of this guy sometimes...

As we headed out, the reality of our situation settled in. all of it, our debut single reaching number one, the newfound fame, fans, and possibly fortune we were receiving, the whole fake dating thing... honestly...

I signed and looked back at Melissa, who was on her phone. Typical.

It honestly freaked me out.

A/n

im not the greatest writer, so sorry if its a bit choppy......

ill try to make it flow better :)

WC- 1,247

xoxo, aj