I Will: A Paul Walker and Jessica Alba Love Story

Chapter 11: The World Knows

Paul's POV

The world always has a way of catching up with you. No matter how hard you try to keep things private, the truth has a way of slipping through the cracks.

We had spent the last few days savoring the quiet moments between us, the ones where we didn't have to hide, the ones where we could just be Paul and Jessica—not Paul and Jessica, the actors. But I knew it couldn't last forever.

The paparazzi had started sniffing around. It was only a matter of time before they'd put two and two together.

But when the first photograph hit the tabloids, I wasn't ready for the storm that followed. It was a picture of me and Jessica, taken from a distance, our hands brushing as we walked out of a restaurant together. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

And that's when the questions started.

The next morning, I woke up to a barrage of texts from friends, family, and people I hadn't heard from in years. All asking the same thing: Is it true? Are you and Jessica together?

I rubbed my eyes, my stomach already in knots. The last thing I wanted was for our private lives to be splashed across the front pages of tabloids, but there it was.

I turned to look at Jessica, who was still asleep beside me, her hair spread out on the pillow like a halo. She looked so peaceful, so unaware of the storm that was brewing outside.

I wanted to protect her from all of it. I wanted to shield her from the madness that was about to unfold.

A few hours later, Jessica woke up to the news. I could tell the moment she saw the picture—the way her face fell, the way her eyes tightened with that familiar tension I knew all too well.

"Paul..." she started, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is it, isn't it?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah. The world's about to know."

She sat up in bed, looking down at her phone as the notifications kept pouring in. "How are we supposed to deal with this? How do we make this work if everyone's watching us?"

I moved closer to her, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed. "We don't have to do anything right now. We'll take it one step at a time. Just because they know doesn't mean we have to give them everything they want."

She looked at me, a mixture of determination and fear in her eyes. "But it's not just about the press, Paul. It's everything. What if we're not ready for this? What if this changes everything?"

I reached for her hand, holding it gently. "We can't control everything, Jess. But we have something real. And that's what matters. We're in this together. Whatever happens next, we face it together."

She nodded slowly, but I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. I understood. It wasn't easy to let the world in. It wasn't easy to give up control.

The next few days were a whirlwind. The paparazzi were relentless, camped out outside the studio, at the restaurants we frequented, and even outside our homes. Everywhere we went, we were followed. Every word, every gesture was scrutinized.

But despite all the noise, we found moments of peace. The quiet conversations late at night when the world had quieted down. The soft touches when no one was looking. The knowing glances when we were surrounded by the crew.

We had something that the world couldn't take away, no matter how much they tried to invade our privacy.

It wasn't long before the inevitable happened—an exclusive interview. The studio had called us in for a press event, and I knew what was coming. The producers wanted to capitalize on the buzz surrounding our relationship. They wanted to spin it into something bigger.