☼ ☾ ✩

𝟏𝟐... 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

☼ ☾ ✩

The energy in the windowless boardroom simmers like a live wire, no one knowing quite what to expect of this impromptu meeting.

Having changed out of our pyjamas and looking significantly more presentable than we did thirty minutes ago, Matt and I are sitting next to each other on one side of the long mahogany table. My fingers are tapping an anxious beat on the smooth surface and my eyes are rapidly flickering back and forth between the other members of this meeting. Matt, on the other hand, is slouched in his chair with his gaze focused on his clasped hands in his lap.

My manager Becca is sitting across from us, and her sharp blue eyes are narrowed at Matt and I. As always, she is dressed to conquer the world in tall stilettos, a slim black dress, and her bright blonde hair slicked back in a classy ponytail. Beside her sits Matt's manager, Laura, whose warm smile and kind eyes make me want to give her a hug and cry on her shoulder. Two other lower level agents of the company that represents me are sitting at opposite ends of the table, their presence apparently being necessary.

"Thank you both for coming in." Becca folds her hands on the table in front of her, her posture and tone of voice clearly indicating her professionalism when it comes to her job. "As I mentioned to Logan on the phone, Laura and I believe we may have determined a course of action that will help both of you."

"Our idea isn't ideal, but this is the only thing we can think of that might help get you both out of this mess," Laura chimes in, her gaze lingering on Matt, who has begun to pick at his fingernails under the table.

"Can you get to the actual solution?" I huff impatiently as my knee begins to bounce, my body thrumming with nerves. It's been a long day, and I don't have any more patience for beating around the bush.

Becca's makeup-covered eyes hold mine as draws in a steady breath. "We suggest you two fake date."

My knee immediately stops bouncing. "Pardon?" Fake dating is cheesy crap reserved for books and movies. No way do people actually do that in real life.

"Would that not just make rumours worse?" Matt finally speaks up, his gaze still locked on his hands. When my knee starts bouncing again, he casually bumps my foot with his own. "Breathe," he mumbles under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear.

I send him a quick look out of the corner of my eye as I take a deep breath and hook my feet around the legs of my chair to stop my knees from bouncing. When my fingers start involuntarily tapping the surface of the table again, I cross my arms across my chest and take another deep breath. Everything is going to be fine.

"Rumours may get worse at first, but we think fake dating will settle them down eventually," Laura explains. "If you two make it public knowledge that you are together, and clearly express that you've only just gotten together, the rumours should clear up."

"And, Logan, in terms of the jealousy against Jade rumour, I want you to be publicly seen having lunch with her or something of the sort." Becca's voice is firm, and she raises her eyebrows at me, daring me to argue.

A bark of laughter escapes my mouth and I shake my head in disbelief. "Fuck, no."

"You told me you want a solution. I believe this is the way to do it." Becca's tone does not soften, but I can see sympathy reflected in her eyes. She knows how I feel about Jade.

"If you want to keep all your family secrets under wraps, you really ought to tackle the rest of the rumours out there," one of the male agents drawls. His dark eyes are focused on me, and a tiny smirk is tucked into the corner of his mouth, as if he thinks we are old friends and just joking around. "One can only keep so many secrets."

Matt stiffen slightly beside me, but I am busy narrowing my eyes at the cocky young man, silently warning him to shut up.

"I mean, if you're so concerned about keeping custody of your siblings, you would think you would be willing to move past some petty high school drama and do what needs to be done," the agent chuckles, obviously not picking up on the tension in the room.

Rage simmers beneath my veins and I find myself unable to keep my mouth shut. "You don't know a single thing about me, asshole. I would suggest you shut the fuck up before I make a scene." I glare at the nameless agent, a sliver of pride rising in me when I see him gulp. "And I have brothers. I know how to fight."

When Matt flinches, I realize my mistake: I said brothers, plural, when I have directly told him that I only have one brother. But fucking bighead already ruined everything anyway, so I guess it doesn't even matter anymore.

"Simon, you were specifically told that we would not be discussing Logan's family matters in this meeting and you were not to bring it up." Becca levels her best boss stare at the now cowering agent, a stare that I have been subject to and cried over many times before. Becca may be a fantastic boss, but that doesn't mean she doesn't scare the shit out of me sometimes. "You are excused."

After the glass door swings shut behind Simon, who is now scurrying down the hallway, probably to go cry in the bathroom, Becca's sharp gaze returns to Matt and I. "Thoughts? Questions?"

"I would like to speak privately with Matt, please," I request firmly, leaving no room in my voice for arguments.

Becca nods as she stands, and Laura and the other agent follow her in rising to their feet. "Let me know when you're done." She breezes out of the room, and the other male agent scampers after her like a lost puppy. Laura gently pats Matt's shoulder before slipping out of the boardroom, letting the door shut behind her with a gentle click.

Silence engulfs the room, the only sound coming from the shiny silver clock hanging on the white painted wall. I exhale slowly and fix my gaze on the large painting of the ocean across the room. I guess it's time to come clean.

"I have five siblings." My voice shatters the silence, and Matt straightens to attention, his eyes finally leaving his clasped hands to focus on me. "I'm the oldest. The twins are the youngest at fourteen. Our parents died in a car accident when I was ten."

The light sound of my foot tapping against the floor joins the noise of my voice and the ticking of the clock, but I make no move to stop my nervous tic. Telling Matt is going to change everything, and I can't do a thing to stop it. "We lived with my uncle for the first eight years after the accident, but I always knew I wanted to get custody. My uncle has had a lot of health issues and he wasn't really fit to care for us, but if he didn't take us in, we would have been put in the foster care system and split up. He did what he could for us, and when I became old enough, I took over so he could focus on taking care of himself."

Matt's gaze fills my body with heat, and besides our infamous seven minutes in heaven last night, I have never been more aware of him than I am in this moment.

"Almost three years ago, I gained custody. My uncle moved out to live with his fiance, and then it was just me and my siblings." I pause for a moment, hesitant to say the part of my story that Matt will have already figured out on his own. "I've been lying to everyone for years. Online and in real life. Sydney and Larray are the only ones who know everything. I filter all my information with everyone else. I can't risk losing my siblings, and controlling my public image is the way to make sure that I don't."

My heart beats rapidly in my chest as I stare at Matt, who is quiet for a moment as he processes what I've told him. "This might be a stupid question, but why don't you quit social media? Wouldn't it be easier to maintain a good public image if you were out of the public eye?"

I hum quietly as my eyes shift away from Matt, not wanting him to see the insecurity etched across my face. "I'm selfish," I admit quietly, self-loathing crawling over me like a second skin. "I know I should quit for my siblings, but I love my job so much. It's the only thing in my life that's truly mine." I fall silent as anxiety ripples through me. From here on out, everything is going to be different between Matt and I. Our lighthearted flirty friendship is officially over, and that makes me sadder than I care to admit. But I can't keep messing around. Not when so much is at stake. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I understand if you're upset with me."

"I'm not upset with you," Matt says softly. "I'm a little confused about why you feel the need to keep something so important from people in your personal life, but I'm not upset."

"It just feels easier to keep everyone at arm's length." I shrug, trying to seem indifferent. "My number one priority is my family, and keeping my family life separate from everything else ensures that I won't get my priorities mixed up."

"You're even braver than I thought you were." Matt's eyes meet mine, and I swear it feels like he is looking straight into my soul. I've never felt so vulnerable through a single look before.

"So, fake dating, huh?" I change the subject, coughing slightly to try to defuse the thick tension between Matt and I. "That's a crazy idea."

Matt shrugs nonchalantly. "Seems like a good option to me."

"What?" My jaw gapes in surprise. I was expecting Matt of all people to against this idea considering the internet already had enough to say about him and Jade before I even entered the picture.

Matt chuckles, amused by my reaction. "It would change the narrative that I'm a cheater and you're the one I cheated with. It puts you in a better light, showing people that you don't just casually go around kissing guys. And if you meet with Jade, you're proving that you're not hung up on high school drama."

I grumble in annoyance, hating that Matt is probably right. "If I wasn't involved, you would probably just let this blow over."

"But you are involved." Matt raises his eyebrows at me. "And I also don't really enjoy being labelled as a cheater."

"I don't want to drag you into my shit." Desperation settles over me, my mouth tightening into a thin line as I force myself to meet Matt's eyes. More than anything, I just want to escape this situation and to let Matt avoid my drama.

"You're not dragging me if I come willingly," Matt counters, his gaze steady.

The problem is, that's what I'm worried about.

☼ ☾ ✩

ミ  𝗂 𝗆 𝖾 𝗌 𝗌 𝖺 𝗀 𝖾  彡

𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞💀
dj -> logan
cam -> kimmy
stephanie -> kaya
michelle -> vienna
comet -> mason

dj👩🏻‍✈️
family meeting at 6. attendance is mandatory.
-> liked by stephanie, kimmy, and michelle

comet🐶
Will dinner be provided?

kimmy🧜🏼‍♂️
I'll pick something up on my way home
-> liked by dj

☼ ☾ ✩

I sit at the head of my family's kitchen table, my arms crossed over my chest as I wait for all of my siblings to arrive. I picked Mason and Vi up on my way home from my meeting, and they are currently sitting silently along the long side of the table, picking up on my obvious state of anxiety. Kaya is perched in the chair to my left and is scrolling through tiktok, her hand running through Joey's fur as he pants happily beside her.

The noise of cars outside enters the quiet of the house when the front door is pushed open, and when it is slammed shut, the dogs go running to investigate. Heavy footsteps race down the hallway and Cam bursts into the kitchen with a couple boxes of pizza. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic." He drops the boxes in the centre of the table before sitting next to Kaya and helping himself to a slice.

I wait for my siblings to serve themselves their dinner before I clear my throat, catching everyone's attention as I sit up straighter in my seat. "As you know, I have been very protective of my public image ever since I started my job because everything I do reflects back to you guys. And I know you've all seen the picture and read the article, and I want to apologize for letting my guard down and letting this happen."

"Looked like a pretty hot kiss. I wouldn't be sorry," Kaya mumbles, a smirk stretched across her face as she takes a bite of pizza.

Cam elbows her in the side, sending her a warning glare. Surprisingly, she actually listens to him, simply rolling her eyes and slouching lower in her chair as she falls silent.

I continue my speech, ignoring the interruption. "Becca and Matt's manager Laura came to a solution that will hopefully regain Matt and I's favour with the public. In most cases, people would just let something like this blow over, but I don't want to give the court any reason to suspect that I am an unfit guardian. They won't do anything based on some rumours, but those rumours may raise some eyebrows, and that puts me on their radar. We can't afford any more strikes, so this problem needs to be solved."

Four pairs of eyes are glued to me, and the tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

"Matt and I are going to start fake-dating."

The room erupts in noise, each of my siblings talking over another.

"Matt's hot, this is a win for you." Kaya.

"So you're finally getting a new boyfriend?!" Vienna.

"This is some corny rom-com shit. Also seems like a disaster waiting to happen in my professional opinion." Cam.

"Does Matt like video games? When do we get to meet him? Does he like dogs? What's his favourite movie?" Mason.

I heave out a sigh and reach for a piece of pizza as my siblings continue to rattle off a million different thoughts. Once I finish my seemingly tasteless slice, I clear my throat to gain their attention.

"Matt knows about our situation, but as of right now, I am still going to keep him separate from our lives. This arrangement is happening for business reasons, so there is no reason for us to get attached."

"For us to get attached, or for you to get attached?" Kaya raises her eyebrows at me, not buying my excuse from distancing us from Matt.

"Me and the rest of you," I state firmly. "Mason was just talking about wanting to play video games with Matt! He's not going to be in my life forever, so it's best to keep him at arm's length."

"It's best for us?" Cam repeats my statement, checking that he is understanding me correctly.

"Yes."

"But what about what's best for you?" he questions, copying Kaya's expression and raising his eyebrows at me.

"I want you to be happy, too!" Vi exclaims passionately, launching out of her chair to run to my side and throw her arms around my shoulders so she can squeeze me tight in a hug.

I chuckle, hugging my little sister back. "Thanks, Vi. And I am happy. You guys make me happy, my job makes me happy, my friends make me happy. I don't need anything else."

"Just be careful, Lo," Cam mutters through a mouthful of pizza as he downs his sixth slice. "This is a dangerous game you're playing."

I shrug, a coy smile crossing my face. "I'm a master of deception. This will be a piece of cake."

𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐚'𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 ♡︎

late friday night post since i'm the man of the house this weekend and have to stay home with the children💪🏼 my parents are out of town which means that my sisters are allowed to do whatever the fuck they want as long as they don't tell mom! and my doggy just got spade so she is sad and mopey

let's talk about how bad i miss chris and bryn??  (see gif above). like writing matt and logan feels impossible right now cause i just want to write more chris and bryn😭 it's like post concert depression but post finished writing a book depression🫠

see you probably tomorrow cause i'll be at home again with my sad puppy!🥲

i hope you all have a wonderful weekend! do something fun!! bonus points if it's outside (triple points if you go to the beach😘😘)

🍓 🍓 🍓