Harry’s POV

“So if you could just please sign on that dotted line there, the sooner we can get things over and done with.” Sven pointed at the dotted line on the contract in front of me.

I’ve been in the office for a while now with Sven and our lawyer Nick. The contract was already drawn up by the time I got there and the last couple of hours have been spent going over it. Sven wanted to make sure that I had a say in it and would know what I was agreeing to. Well with what little say I had in it to be exact.

The premise was simple enough. I was to be in a relationship with the girl Sven picked out for me for a year or more. It was going to be a public relationship too meaning this was going to be much publicized and paraded to everyone. Sven wanted me to have a bit of freedom so aside from the occasional pre-planned outings that they will arrange, I could do as little or as much in the relationship.

I choose having as close to little or none interaction to this girl in my free time.

“I know you hate me, Harry, but trust me on this. I promise it’s not as bad as you think it is.”

“Not as bad Sven? I’m forced into doing this for a whole year. What if I meet a girl and decide that I actually want a relationship with her?”

“We can get her to sign a confidentiality agreement or something. Although you are aware of the consequences that would happen in that case, right?”

“I am, Sven. No need to remind me,” I replied coldly.

The contract says that I am not allowed to break the agreement in the first 8 months but if I decide that I cannot stand it anymore after that, I pay a hefty sum of money to break free and I may get sued by the other party. Also if the media ever finds out, then things will just blow up way out of proportion so really it’s in my best interest not to breach this contract.

How hard will it be anyway? I’m sure I can pretend to be in love with whoever it is Sven hired. I think I’ve had enough training these last few years on how to act in the public eye. The thing about having the whole world watch you is that you learn how to put on a façade sometimes. I’m not saying that everything I do is completely fake, but when it comes to your personal life, you sometimes need to put on a mask to protect yourself and the people you love.

“Give it a chance, Harry. She’s a really lovely girl that I’m sure you’ll like. Besides, you never know what could happened. You’ll gain a new friend at the very least,” he said almost conspiringly.
No, just no. That is unlikely going to happen. I can be nice, yes, I can be civil, yes. I can even act like she’s my whole world. But why would I want to be friends with someone who would willingly get paid for something like this? Clearly that person has no morals or a sense of decency. Sven has got it all wrong. I was sure of it.

Jess’ POV

I made sure that this time around I looked perfect.

Unfortunately, my kind of “perfect” did not reach the perfection standard that seemed to be required in Sven’s office. I didn’t even come close to it. But I was running late yet again and I had to make do with what I’ve got.

I spent the whole afternoon yesterday just finding the perfect outfit to wear. For the 3 months that I have been in this country, I forced myself to go on a shopping ban. Money was scarce. I was living paycheck to paycheck and could not really afford to splurge on anything.

This was a special occasion. I got a call after I finished my shift at noon from Alice telling me to meet Sven and Harry at the office the next day just before lunch. I had nothing to wear. I know it is only a fake relationship, but I wanted to make a good impression. I wanted to at least look nice.

Which brings me back to why I was running late. I spent all morning trying on the outfit I bought yesterday but today it made me look 100x fatter than usual. I hurriedly took it off, frustrated that no matter how hard I tried, I still didn’t look how I wanted to.

I reverted back to my go to outfits – a black lace top I got at a vintage store paired with my black skinny jeans. I wore my black docs again and decided to add colour by wearing a gold chain necklace. Summer was slowly fading and I found myself covering up with layers lately.

The commute to Sven’s office was longer than usual. I kept biting my nails and fidgeting with my phone. I tripped on the way there too, and by the time I was actually standing outside the building, I could feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

I checked out my reflection in the glass window on the side of the building and confirmed my biggest fear. I adjusted my thick-framed glasses and ran a hand through my hair. I realised how emo I looked in my outfit – all black with the slightest touch of gold. My black hair and black eyes added to the whole goth girl look. What stood out was how sweaty and oily my fringe was already as it lie flat on my forehead. I assessed my appearance overall and sighed. I had two minutes to get up there in front of Sven, Harry, and whoever is up there, and I looked awful.

My hands were shaking and I considered running away and never coming back. I knew I couldn’t do that, though, since I’ve already signed a contract. I breach it even in the slightest way and I’ll get sued for a fucktonne of money. If I do anything to break it, I will be paying for it for the rest of my life.

I skipped past Sarskia at reception as per Sven’s instructions but I could feel her scowling at the back of my head. I was the only one in the elevator and I was sure that you could hear my heart beating. I was not in my comfort zone at all. Sweaty, unconfident, feeling clammy from the combination of rushing to get here, nerves, and the humid summer air. Of course this also happens to be the most pivotal moment of this whole job. I know that this first meeting will dictate how the rest of our “relationship” would work out.

Finally I reached Sven’s floor and saw Alice at her desk. She was whispering to the girl beside her, shaking her head, and looking at Sven’s office door. I noticed that his blinds and door was shut. I could make out raised voices inside, but I wasn’t too certain.

“Hey, I’m here for Sven,” I said which startled Alice and the girl. She looked a bit surprised to see me, but quickly put on a big smile before she thought I could notice.

“Hey Jess. Lovely to see you. Sven’s just in the middle of something right now, but feel free to take a seat.”

“Is everything alright?” I asked, suddenly aware that perhaps things weren’t going as planned. Judging by the nervous looks the girls shared and the now hushed voices in Sven’s office, I knew that something was going on.

Maybe they’re cancelling the contract, I thought. Maybe they found someone else to be Harry’s girlfriend and that I was no longer needed. I knew an opportunity like this was too good to be true. Even though I wasn’t sure what the hell it was that I wanted out of this, or why I even agreed to it in the first place, that thought made me sad.

“Of course,” Alice said brightly. “Have you met Tess? She’s Sven’s second assistant.”

“Hi. Nice to meet you,” The other girl, Tess, said as she shook my hand.

It was a bit disorienting standing there with two assistants acting super cheerful around me as if trying to hide the tension that was brewing behind Sven’s door.

I sat down on the couch near the elevators, my eyes focused on the pile of magazines that was laid out in front of me. I grabbed the one at the top of the pile and flipped it over. Of course the cover had One Direction on it. I looked at the boys one by one before focusing my gaze on the curly haired green-eyed member.

I’ve been doing my research since I accepted this job, and the past few days has been spent completely engrossed in their world. I now know what songs they sung when they auditioned for X-Factor. I have a vague idea of how their lives changed after the show. And I watched a couple of interviews with them. Almost overnight I have turned into a “directioner” as their fans are called. I have listened to most of their songs and their covers, I have laughed as I saw their more candid moments, and I felt part of that world now. I guess you could say I was very confused about my feelings. The last 24 hours has been a whirlwind after all. On one hand, I think I could feel myself slowly starting to crush on this guy called Harry, but at the same time I knew that this was just a job and if I let my feelings take over me, then the next year would be challenging. Besides, I was 2 years older than him. At 21, I felt like I was too old to engage in such fangirling.

A part of me wanted to indulge in this feeling. It has been a long time since I have felt, my heart full of pain and looking for the right revenge on those bastards who broke me. It was nice to feel giddy again, even if it was just looking at photos on the internet and on magazines.

But still, nothing could have prepared me for the moment that I first saw him.

“Harry come back!”

I heard Sven’s door open. Harry stormed out and walked past Alice and Tessa’s desk looking disgruntled and angry. My first instinct was to jump from my seat and stand up. He stopped as he saw me, his eyes finding mine as he stared.

He was so much more attractive in person. His hair was a mess, he looked like he hasn’t had a decent nights sleep in a while, and he looked a bit scruffier than how he usually is photographed.

I found it so incredibly ironic that the first time I met him, I had that Taylor Swift song “Enchanted” playing in my head the whole time. Enchanted. Wonderstruck. Caught off guard by his sheer beauty and the fact that he was there right in front of me, as real as he’ll ever be.

“Umm. . . hi.” I said as I looked around nervously and breaking our eye contact.

Notes

Soooo two things. 1. Would this meeting be the start of something magical for our characters or will it go downhill from here? 2. Wasn't sure at the start if I wanted to describe Jess. I wanted you guys to let your imaginations run wild and maybe even identifying yourself with her, but thought for story consistency, those details are important.

Please keep reading/commenting. Your thoughts definitely inspire me to write better xx