Public Relations

Chapter Sixteen

"They've officially shipped the two of you," Andrea says as I fall into the plush, creamy leather seat across from her. I glance around the cabin, rubbing the armrests of the chair with my hands in my brand-new jet.

Hannah, the stewardess who introduced herself along with the pilot and co-pilot when I boarded, comes over and places a tray with coffee on the table between Andrea and me.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" She asks, her brown hair pulled back into a tight, low bun. She's wearing a navy blue uniform with a blue scarf around her neck and a lovely smile.

"Oh, no, just the coffee, thank you." I shake my head and smile back at her as she heads back to the small kitchen at the front. Reaching for the coffee she brought, I take a sip, wincing as the bitter taste of the coffee hits my tongue—not enough sugar. I turn my attention back to Andrea, asking, "They've shipped us?"

She nods. "Your fans have given you and August the name Magust."

"Magust?" I scrunch my nose and set the coffee down, reaching for my phone to check if August has texted me. The lock screen flashes on, showing the picture of us from the game, and I can't help but smile as I trace the edge of his jaw just under the clock that reads 6:47 a.m.

It's been five days since our first fake date at the Red Sox game—five days since my fans went wild over the news of my now not-so-secret boyfriend. If I thought the attention I got while dating Noah Wilde for PR reasons was intense, this is on a whole other level.

August's face is plastered everywhere— TikTok, Instagram, X. My fans have scoured the internet, unearthing every possible detail about him, including old photos of us from years ago when we road-tripped to Lollapalooza for my twenty-first birthday, the year after my mom passed. The one where my arm is around his neck, his around my waist, him grinning at the camera as I playfully stick my tongue out.

They're obsessed with the idea of him—that he's been my best friend after all these years, that he's just a normal guy, that he's attractive. I know they think so because they've made it immensely clear in the comments on the picture I posted, saying things like, No wonder she kept him a secret, or, Delete this, hide him, and, Okay, but what's his handle??

I've always known August was attractive; it's obvious from the way other girls look at him. But I think—well, I think I buried some of those feelings so deep that I forgot how much I've always enjoyed looking at him. Now, I'm seeing it again—really looking at him that way and allowing myself to feel it.

And despite everything, our relationship feels oddly... normal. I thought things might've changed—that I might've started to panic after all the kissing and pretending—but everything has stayed the same. August still tries to hide vegetables in my food, and I continue to tease him that it is socially unacceptable to watch Die Hard in May.

It's like we've slipped right back into our usual banter, as if nothing has changed between us.

Maybe I can have both, I wonder silently. Maybe I can kiss him in public and be his best friend in private.