Page 14 of My Rock Star Neighbor
“Maddie and I are friends,” I say.“And she’s a reporter.We’re not dating.”
“Wow.This woman is insane,” Amari says.“She’s got another video asking if you’re cheating on her.How did she get that up so fast?She’s racking up the views.”
I stare at that video.This is like some dystopian reality.
“At least the title of the Maddie article asks if this is your real girlfriend,” Amira says.
“Or am I a playboy?Keep reading.”I scroll through the comments.“It’s not great.I should warn Maddie.”
So much for José calling me “the monk” because I stopped dating.Here I am, trying to keep my nose clean, and it’s only hurting me.
“Are you sure there’s nothing between you and Maddie?”Sayo asks.“Because these photos are hot.”
“She tolerates me.Do you know why she was out on that fire escape?She came out to complain that I was making too much noise, and she tripped.”
“She’s not looking at you like she barely tolerates you,” Amira says.
“She’s dazed by pain,” I say.
José pulls up the photo on his phone.“The bunny slippers are a particularly nice touch.She’s the exact opposite of this Cara woman.”
“Couldn’t you guys fake date to get us over this hump?”Amira asks.“You can deny you’re dating this other woman, and we can do some cute photo shoots with you and Maddie?That’s even better than my previous idea of you volunteering at various charities.”
“Fake date?”I ask.
“I think celebrities do it all the time for publicity reasons.”
“Maddie will never agree.”
“Do you even have any other female friends?”José asks.“All you do is work.Plus, it needs to be somebody we can absolutely trust.”
“We can’t trust Maddie.Imagine what she can do with this.I fake dated a rock star.It’s an even better headline thanWhat It’s Like to Date a Wannabe Rock Star,” I say, the bitterness of Christina’s betrayal still seeping into my voice.“I can date one of you.”
“No way,” Amira says.“My parents are not going to accept my dating you.They’ve only recently accepted that this is a legitimate career and that you’re a good guy who’s not going to expose me to some seedy underworld of drugs.I’m not risking that.”
“My boyfriend might have something to say about that,” Sayo says.
“I don’t think we can bring in yet a third woman.That’s way too hard to manage,” Amira says.“We’ve got this perfect setup here with this headline—Is this your real girlfriend?Yes.Gosh.And you were hiding it by living next door to each other.Trying to protect her privacy.”
“In two tiny apartments.Right.”
“Promise me you’ll think about it,” Amira says.“I have to go home for dinner.”
Sayo, Kyra, and Amira depart together, leaving José, who looks like he’s taking great pleasure in my current predicament.
“Should you really be enjoying this?”I ask.“This is our future on the line.”
“I’m definitely enjoying this way too much, given the stakes.”José drums his fingers on my table in time with the beat.“You’re rusty because you haven’t been dating.Where’s the infamous Nick Devlin charm?You’ve been neighbors and friends for a while now.You obviously trust her.”
She’s never going to agree.
Unless I promise to move out so she can have peace and quiet next door.If we sign this deal and make some money, I could afford a fancier apartment.But this apartment is fine for what I need.This life is so up and down.I don’t want to spend money when my income could dry up.Plus, where else am I going to find a place that has a secret entrance/exit?That seems all the more necessary now.
I rub my forehead with both hands.I had to get caught with the one woman who will say no.Whereisthe famous Nick Devlin charm now?
José shakes his head.“Don’t you have any bargaining chips?”
“I’m looking up the cost of soundproofing right now.”I google it on my phone.
