Lauren
Accompanying Song:
“Forgive” by Rebecca Lynn Howard
I was wary of Brendan’s words, even if they seemed authentic. He had been such a jerk to me since the day we started our fake relationship that it was hard to let go of that and trust him. I put on a brave face, I let him see a smile, and I even took his hand when we headed towards the studio. I did respect him for opening up about his previous relationship in Chicago. That part seemed real, and I sort of understood why he was afraid to open up about it for so long. He seemed to trust me enough to tell me that, at least. I hoped that meant something. If he just treated me like a human being for the final stretch of my time as his pretend girlfriend, it would make the days a little more bearable.
Maybe my birthday won’t be a total disaster after all.
We walked into the studio and they left us in a small room while they got everything ready for our interview. I felt like I had a good grasp on our story and Sawyer had given us a rundown of the questions they were likely to ask. If we were more popular, we could have picked the questions out ahead of time, but we weren’t at that stage in our careers quite yet. It was nice to sit beside Brendan without totally despising him. He still had some miles to go in his boots and Stetson hat before he earned forgiveness, but I no longer wanted to just reach over and strangle him. I was still going to write angry songs about him when the whole thing ended, but they might not end with him at the bottom of a lake like I originally planned.
“Are you nervous?” Brendan reached over and squeezed my hand.
“It’s hard not to be.” I looked over at him and sighed. “It’s easy to put on a show when we’re just smiling for the cameras, but this is an actual conversation with people.”
“We just have to get through it. I know you’ll do a great job.” He squeezed my hand and smiled. “You always do, even when I treat you like shit.”
Was that… something of a compliment?
“We’re ready for you.” A slender man poked his head in the door and motioned for us to follow him.
“We’ll be there in a second.” Brendan looked at him and smiled.
“Okay.” The man nodded and let the door close.
“Here we go.” Brendan stood and helped me to my feet.
I had done a couple of interviews on my own and they were nerve-wracking as hell. It was easy to dance around the questions about Brendan in those interviews. It wouldn’t be possible with him sitting next to me. I had a lot of nervousness and concern as I got to my feet and stared at the door. All it would take was one slip-up to blow the whole charade wide open. We would have to meet every question head-on unless it pertained to sex. Those Sawyer had given us permission to avoid. Brendan squeezed my hand one final time and walked towards the door. I had gotten so used to having it closed in my face when nobody was watching that I was caught off guard when he pulled it open and waited for me to walk through.
Chivalry without a camera? That’s new.
“Thank you.” I nodded to him and stepped out into the hallway.
We walked into the studio and I started to go into fangirl mode when I saw Carson Jones sitting behind his microphone. I grew up listening to his show and coming face to face with him was like meeting a celebrity. I tried to remain professional as I sat down across from him. Brendon took the seat beside me and put his hand on my knee, which was already starting to bounce from nervousness. I gave him a faint smile and prepared for the interview to start. The introductions were made, the questions we expected came, and both of us carved through them without stuttering over our words. I was impressed that Brendan handled it so quickly. If I struggled to pop out an answer, he quickly took over and said something eloquent in his stupidly sexy fake accent.
“Okay, you two. We’ve got some fan questions here. First one—Charley from Anniston, Alabama. She wants to know what Brendan has planned for you on your birthday. Bonus points if
he tells us what he’s getting you.” Carson smiled and chuckled.
“I’ve been shopping at a few stores that sell… diamonds.” Brendan winked at me.
“Oh my goodness!” I feigned shock.
“Yeah, I’m thinking a necklace or a bracelet.” Brendan leaned back and laughed.
“I’ll be happy with anything you get me.” I nodded as I spoke into the microphone.
“Okay, the next question comes from Hannah in Dahlonega, Georgia. Are you two planning a duet anytime soon? Actually, I’d love to hear the answer to that question as well!” Carson nodded quickly.
A duet? Oh god, we didn’t rehearse this answer.
“Um, oh—I don’t know.” I felt my heart racing in my chest as the words got tangled in my throat.
“Well…” Brendan had a panicked look in his eyes. “Yeah, we’ve talked about it.”
No, we haven’t—no!
“You heard it here first, folks, and I think that’s the exclusive you’ve been waiting for. Brendan Tanner and Lauren Williams are planning a duet!” Carson’s eyes got extremely excited. “I can’t wait to hear it. I hope you’ll let me play it on my show.”