FairyTale

Chapter 6: I Want To Run Away Again

“That wasn’t what it looked like!” I defended myself, feeling my cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

“It’s fine, Miss Adair. I’m not a judgmental man,” Zachary lied with a small triumphant grin on his face.

“There’s nothing to judge!” I screamed clenching my fists at my side. I heard Harry scoff as he turned away from me and got back into his seat. I kept looking between the two men until I finally understood they weren’t going to say anything else on the subject. With an aggravated sigh, I got into my own seat, making sure to lean as far away from Harry as I could.

“I’m terribly sorry to make you two wait for so long-”

“No you’re not,” I mumbled, cutting into Zachary. He raised an eyebrow and slowly turned to look at me with annoyance. I didn’t much care anymore. I was getting real tired of all this crap.

“Anyway,” Zachary said slowly as I burrowed further into my chair, “I’m on my way to having it all figured out now, and you’re almost ready to begin your new lives together.” He spoke as if he was making everything clear, when I’m pretty sure the only one who knew what was really going on, was him.

“Almost ready? How much longer is this going to take?” Harry groaned.

“Soon, Mr. Styles, I assure you.” Zachary said, giving Harry a glare. That’s odd, I noticed he was using ‘Mr.’ and ‘Miss’ when he spoke to us again. Why the sudden change to such formality?

“But there are some things that we need to accomplish before anything becomes finalized. Such as finishing our background check on Miss Adair-”

“What?!?” I shrieked, jumping to attention.

“And letting your band mates know,” Zachary continued as if he hadn’t even heard me, but I could tell that my constant interruptions were annoying him by the tone of his voice, “and letting her meet them as well. Also, there’s one more thing I need from each of you.” Zachary finally turned to look at me as well. I quickly glanced at Harry and saw him tense in his seat. Did he know something I didn’t? What more could this guy possible want from us?

“You can’t tell anyone about this,” Zachary said after waiting to make sure he had both me and Harry’s full attention. “Not the public, not your fans, not your closest friends, and not even your own families. No one is to know that you’re not a ‘real’ couple.”

Now it was my turn to tense.

“What do you mean?” Harry asked, voicing the question I had been silently wondering myself.

“I mean,” Zachary said, his patience with us growing thinner by the second, “that you’re not allowed to tell anyone about your relationship being set up. Now, there are a select few that we have told, including your fellow band mates Harry, but as far as the rest of the world knows, you’re a happy and loving new couple.” Zachary rested his elbows on the desk and leaned closer, looking each of us in the eyes to make sure he had our full attention.

“Which means you absolutely cannot tell anyone. If you do, we may have to… ‘Fix’ the situation ourselves, and trust me,” Zachary said looking directly at Harry who stiffened instantly, “you don’t want that to have to happen.”

I watched as Zachary continued to stare holes into Harry until the boy finally turned away, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive gesture. But I had seen the look of recognition, and worst of all, fear, flash through Harry’s green eyes before he had caved under the older man’s intimidating gaze. What was that all about?

“So I’m not allowed to even tell my mum about this relationship? How will she know what’s going on?” I asked desperately, the reality of Zachary’s words sinking in, and the worry in Harry eyes forgotten.