* phil *

luna presses the elevator button, turning to me and i watch her painted lips move as she tells me about what the meeting today will be about. i don't really listen.

we just managed to enter a skyscraper and i take my sunglasses off, mustering the familiar glass walls and seeing the photographers pressed against them.

only a few minutes ago they tried attacking me with questions and i kept silent as my manager had suggested me to.

the flashing lights of their cameras would have blended me if it wasn't for my shades and me ducking my head. they would have kept me from entering the building if it wasn't for my body guard.

"phil?" luna addresses me, snapping her fingers in front of my eyes, "come on, are you even listening?"

"sure, sorry." i mumble after i step into the elevator that immediately closes its doors and goes up to transport us to one of the highest floors.

"this is serious, phil." luna shakes her head and i turn to look at her beside me, "you've gained a lot of coverage in the media and so many new fans after the last movie- you really have to start giving a shit about your image now-"

i wince.

"sorry for putting it like that." she exhales audibly,  "but hey, we're here- come on now," she motions for me to step out of the elevator first and i do as she and the broad bodyguard, whose name is jesse, follow,  "you can't keep ignoring harriette- not now."

nodding,  i come face to face with a glass door that opens automatically and we step through it, jesse waiting in front of the door.

"good morning everyone- sorry that we are a bit tardy, our car was mobbed by paparazzi-" luna speaks as she puts her handbag on the shiny white table and i take a seat next to harriette  who gives me a small smile. i smile back.

luna stands at the head of the table and i can see that there are a few other people that work for her, or rather for us, that are currently looking through papers or sipping starbucks.

someone pushes a few magazines in my direction and i see my face on the covers, harriette is on a few of them, too, kissing my cheek, holding my hand or ruffling my hair on one of our "dates".

she comes closer with her chair and peeks over my shoulder to take a look at the magazines as well.

"as all of you know, we've come together today to discuss the latest developments in phil's and harriette's careers and what the stats are. et cetera, et cetera, you know the drill." she claps her hands together and sits down.

"phil's career boost is awesome, we are really proud, i mean- him going nearly through the roof is amazing for harriette as well, we're hoping" harriette's assisstant motions to himself and the bearded guy next to him who is some sort of social media expert, "that her career won't be stagnant anymore and that she'll be offered small roles in movies or even a bigger tv-show than the one she is starring in now."

"but we're also hoping that the ratings for 'sliver' will increase over the next few months. we are very optimistic."

"there was an upheaval a few hours ago, harriette" a woman who just now looked up from her smartphone said, "a few pictures of you grabbing something to eat while wearing baggy clothes last night made 'spotlight' assume you were pregnant- and other scandal sheets followed and published similiar things online."

"that's great!" harriette forces a smile and our eyes meet, "all press is good press, right?"

"this is very good news." luna joined in, "it will get everyone talking about you even more and it will promote both of your latest work."

both of us, harriette and me, hate doing this but it was our idea in the first place.

-

we met through luna, who was the first person i came out to.

and harriette mentioned how people would go crazy if we were to pretend being a couple and luna laughed about how many staged relationships in hollywood she knew of.

but harriette and i weren't laughing and luna drew up one of her eyebrows, "you aren't serious, are you?"

luna wasn't impressed but told us that we should do what we wanted to and since it would be beneficial for our careers she couldn't really bring up any arguments against it except for one reoccuring one. "but i've shipped you and dan since the day i met you, phil." she always tilted her head to her right side when she said this and i was afraid she would begin to stamp with her feet, throwing a tantrum like a little child. she pouted but never gave up on the idea of me and this 'dan' guy together, telling me about him at least every month-

"and i told dan we would meet him last week and you didn't make it because of the premiere of 'blooming' and now i'll have to go to coffee with him on sunday and you won't be able to come again and he was looking forward to finally meeting you!" and so on and so forth.

however as luna couldn't really say anything against harriette and i staging our relationship because she would profit as well, we ended up planning everything. and, oh boy, do i wish she would've had more convincing arguments.

it was funny in the beginning, the phase of the innocent flirting and the disappearing together and the obvious very friendly but not-too-friendly touching. we would order take out and laugh about the countless ridiculous magazine articles together.

but ever since harry and i got recognized a few more times, the shutterbugs haven't let us breathe and our friendship suffered. and since it went so well and the people were happy, our break-up was annulled.

it's been nearly a year now.

-

i somehow survive the meeting, only having payed attention to half of the things that were discussed-

"never forget, fame rhymes with pain." i hear luna's voice ring through the elevator as we're going down.

the three of us exit the building together, harriette's cold hand entangled with mine. we are hit with sweltry air as soon as we step outside and i roll up the sleeves of my button up.

"i'll have to drive on set now." harriette whispers in my ear and multiple flashes start to go off.

i see her assistant pretend to tug her away from me, as he taps on his golden watch with his free hand. she presses a kiss on to my lips and i brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

the paparazzi are going crazy and i put my shades back on.

shouts are coming from different directions, asking if the rumours are true and telling us to kiss one more time, 'for the cameras'-  we don't pay them any attention but simply smile into a few lenses.

"i'll call you later." i say flatly turning back to face my 'girlfriend', planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek and turning around, walking beside luna before we get into our car.

i ask jesse, who sits in the passenger seat, how his family and the other two body guards, - marc and gideon - are doing because i haven't seen them in a while as my manager shouts out an address to the driver who immediately speeds off.

i look out of the blackened window to see a few paparazzi still lingering around the building whilst others pack up their equipment to hurry into their cars.

as i am about to tell the driver my street name so that he can drop me off before we get to luna's destination, she beats me to it-

"you're coming with me, philip. and i won't take no for an answer- not this time." she flashes me a huge pearly-white grin,

"we're going to meet dan today."