Fame ***

I should have gone with the indigo dress, I realized as I looked at myself in the mirror, appraising myself before Niall showed up. The polka dot dress, while quite conservative with the fifties-inspired neckline, hit way further up my thigh than I thought it would, barely covering my ass. And although it looked great on me, I wasn’t sure that it would give the right impression. He probably wanted a more understated girl, the kind that would never wear the kind of dress that was sitting on my body at the moment.

Shaking my head and feeling my heart race with fear, I went to rip the garment over my head and find something else in my expansive closet to wear. But I was interrupted by a series of knocks at the door.

For a second, I froze in my spot. I could make Niall wait and change my clothes, or I could answer it, set him up in the living room, and put on the new outfit while he made himself at home. But if I did answer the door, then he’d see me in the revealing dress, and everything would be ruined.

When the knocking sounded again, I sighed and tossed my hair behind my shoulder, deciding that it was better to let him in than keep him waiting. I didn’t want him to think that I was some pompous diva that demanded people waited for me, so I really had no other choice.

“Hi,” I greeted simply as I pulled the door open, trying to use it as a shield. “Come in and settle down. I’ll be out in a second.”

Niall poked his blonde head into my apartment and looked around at me, a small smirk on his face. “What are you doing? Playing Hide-and-Seek?”

“Um, no.” I let out a small laugh, trying to hide my little bit of awkwardness. “I’m kind of indecent, so…”

His cheeks flushed bright pink as he shut his eyes. “I promise I won’t look.”

“I’m not that indecent. I’m wearing clothes.” I struggled to keep my heart from melting as I looked at the incredibly sweet gesture. “They’re just…a little more revealing than I’d hoped for.”

His face didn’t lose any of the blush. “I still won’t look, I promise. Just lead me somewhere safe.”

Ugh. I wished he wasn’t so goddamn adorable. I had to keep my mind on the prize, on the publicity that would come from tearing him apart after we split up. If I got too attached to him and started to like him as a person, then I was just going to hurt myself in the process.

So I led him toward the couch and sat him down, trying not to look at the childish features of his face and the innocence in his actions. He was everything any girl could hope for in a guy, and yet, I was going to tear him to pieces.

“I’ll be right out,” I promised in a small voice as I backed away from him. “When you hear the door close, it’s okay to open your eyes.”

Niall gave a small nod, so I backed away and disappeared into my room, shutting the door loudly behind me to make sure he heard it.

I had to act quickly to make sure that I didn’t keep him waiting too long, so for the first time in my life, I just grabbed a dress and slipped it on over my head without putting any thought into it whatsoever.

It was gold and shimmery, falling about mid-thigh with a v-shaped neckline that showed a sensible amount of cleavage and elongated my neck. It a pretty nice choice, for being something that I put no thought into picking.

Checking myself quickly in the mirror to make sure that my hair hadn’t gone all crazy from my quick-change, I hurried back toward Niall, who was tapping his fingers on his knee and taking in the appearance of my apartment.

“You’ve got a nice flat here,” he granted me as he not-so-subtly checked me out. “And you look really beautiful.”

I smiled at him and took his hand, pulling him to his feet. “Thank you, and thank you. You don’t look half-bad yourself.”

He smirked, his eyes flicking down to our intertwined hands, which I made no move to untangle. His hand was smooth and warm, with callouses on the tips of his fingers from playing the guitar. I kind of liked that, the mixture between classically gentle and somewhat rough that made up his physical appearance. It was shockingly attractive.

Though, of course, I couldn’t let myself be attracted to him. As long as I kept telling myself that, my mind wouldn’t be able to run away with romantic, idealistic notions. I was with him for publicity, not for any emotions.

“So,” Niall started, “tell me about this place you’re taking me.”



I laughed lightly at the story Niall finished telling as we walked into my apartment after dinner. I hadn’t eaten much, since I didn’t want to look bloated if Niall wanted to take things further, but Niall had raving reviews of the place.

“I need to go there every time I’m in L.A.,” he expressed enthusiastically, his blue eyes lighting up with excitement. “Seriously. I don’t think I’ve ever had pasta that good, and I’ve been to Italy!”

“Clearly, you didn’t go to the quality places,” I teased, settling on the couch and crossing my legs, my right knee resting just above my left one, my foot dancing a little as I watched Niall move awkwardly to sit next to me. “But I’m glad you liked it so much.”

He let out a little sigh of content and grinned at me. “Me, too. It just kind of annoys me that I have to go away tomorrow.”

“It’s weird, but I’m going to miss you.” I brought my eyes up to his face just in time to see his cheeks start to color. It was adorable, how easily he blushed, how violently the blood stood out against his fair Irish skin.

“I’ll miss you, too,” he agreed. “But we can still call each other, and I think we’ll be back in the U.S. in a couple months for our tour.”

“That’s all well and good, but if you’re in Boston, that’s not going to help me see you in L.A.” I smirked at him before dropping my eyes to the fabric of the couch, nibbling on my lip the slightest bit. “But I guess you’ll be here again soon.”

“Very soon, hopefully.”

There was a short pause, so I looked up at him. His eyebrows were drawn together, conflict written all over his face. I knew exactly what his issue was, and I wanted to make the decision for him. I was tired of waiting around, and who was I to be afraid of the consequences?

So I made a show of flicking off my shoes and getting up on my knees so I sat over him. His eyes had a mischievous twinkle in them, and I could feel my mouth turning up in the corners as I leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

His lips were surprisingly soft and sweet, moving with mine hesitantly while still maintaining a kind of authority, making it clear that he was not new to kissing. His cheeks grew warm under my palms, his breathing getting heavier the longer we stayed connected.

After a couple minutes, he pulled away, grinning widely. His braces sparkled in the light, and I couldn’t believe that I’d been so caught up in kissing him that I’d forgotten about the bothersome metal contraptions.

“Something to remember me by?” Niall chuckled, reaching over and taking my hand in mine.

“Maybe. Or maybe I just want to make sure that you’re not going to go back to England and pick up some chick at a bar.”

“No worries of that, Lilah. None at all.”

And I will swear to my dying breath that when those words left his mouth, clothed in a husky Irish brogue, my heart did not flutter. Not in the least.