It had been three days since Levi Scott had climbed out of my window. It had been three days since the first magazine article claimed I was his sleepy seaside sweetheart. It had been three days of absolute chaos.

The paparazzi easily located the right apartment window within no time and they had been harassing me to a point where I was forced into lockdown in my own home. People were climbing the fire escapes, trying to peek through the windows to get a few cheap, stolen shots of me. Reporters were camping outside my door, waiting for me to come out.

I couldn't even go to work. When I called Rachel saying I could barely make it out to get my mail, she hardly responded. Instead, she simply asked if all the rumours were true, bewilderment lacing her tone. And I couldn't help but become slightly irritated, because I knew that if the roles were reversed, I'd be equally as interested in the drama.

But being immersed in it gave me a whole new perspective and I wasn't liking it.

It was noon on a Monday afternoon and I had been staring at the contents of my fridge for hours, trying to find something to have for lunch. It had only been a few days, but being stuck in my building for that time meant my food was going fast. Being a university student, there wasn't much in there to begin with, so my unimpressive stock was slowly diminishing.

Just as I was considering losing a limb for some fast food, my phone began to ring. I leaned over and grabbed it from the table, answering without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Miss Halliday? This is Julia Tilston from Starr Management, I'm Mr. Scott's personal assistant and he's instructed me to give you a call. We understand that the recent turn of events has caused some intense circumstances so he would like to arrange a meeting where you can discuss the issues further. A car will be waiting for you in fifteen minutes, is that sufficient time for you to get ready? A bodyguard will assist you from your apartment to the vehicle."

My heart felt frozen for a second as I tried to process everything her cheery voice had said. When I managed to find my voice again, I asked, "What exactly will we be discussing?"

"Security measures, temporary transportation, communication with the media, and of course a reimbursement for the inconvenience. We assume the past few days have made it difficult to attend your regular activities such as work and study."

"Well, it hasn't exactly been easy, but I don't think there's any reason for a reimbursement," I explained, panicked at the thought. I didn't need a celebrity's money. Sure, being a university student meant I wasn't the most financially stable person in the world, but I was managing perfectly fine.

"I'm unable to discuss these matters any further. If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to Mr. Scott. Your escort will be at your door in approximately ten minutes. We look forward to seeing you."

Without another breath, the woman hung up.

The journey from my apartment to the car was surprisingly smooth. A man in a suit knocked on my door at exactly the time Julia had mentioned. He didn't utter a single word to me. Instead, he simply nodded and led me out.

We took some of the emergency exits until we found ourselves at the back of the building near one of the emergency fire meeting places. A sleek, black car waited for us along with another bodyguard. He held the door open for me and slid inside, the luxurious leather seats felt like butter beneath my skin.

The driver promptly stepped on the gas and we were off. For the entire ride, my brain kicked into action, trying to figure out what to expect. I didn't know that helping a celebrity out could turn into such a scandal. The press were manipulating false information and turning it into morning headlines.

And although it had put a dent to my uneventful daily routine, I didn't think it was enough of a hassle to discuss it with Levi. I was convinced that the reporters would eventually go away and the photographers would find something better to do than sift through my rubbish to find items of interest. 

They couldn't be caught up on this forever.

Besides, Levi had a summer tour coming up in just a few months. Once he's back on the road, the media will be so fixated on his adventures that our late night misunderstanding would be a distant memory. Laughable even.

The car ride took forever, but we finally pulled up in a private car park of a hotel. Even the cement flooring looked too expensive to walk on so I treaded lightly as I followed one of the bodyguards into the building. The interior of the lobby was sleek, the furniture luxurious. 

One night at this place was probably how much I spent on rent for the entire year.

As we passed the man at the front desk, he gave us a curt nod before we disappeared into the closest elevator. The doors shut in front of us and my stomach soared as we were lifted up. The three of us were quiet, especially the bodyguards. They stared straight ahead, completely still. I placed my hand against the silver bar and caught my reflection in the mirrored walls.

Monday wasn't a good day to call a girl out of her home. With everything going on, I wasn't able to go downstairs to do my laundry so I was clad in a pair of old jeans and a wrinkled shirt. My hair was pulled up into a messy knot on the top of my head, but some shorter, stray hairs had fallen loose. I blinked at my startled reflection and gently tucked the wavy pieces of hair behind my ear, suddenly feeling self conscious.

When the elevator doors opened, I was led towards one of the hotel doors. We paused outside while one of the bodyguards passed on a message. He placed his finger against his earpiece before he nodded once and opened the door.

The sun shone through the giant window on the far side of the room, drenching the luxurious furniture in light. It took a couple of seconds for my eyes to adjust, but when the splotches of black finally cleared, the first thing I saw was Levi.

He was standing by the window, wearing a thick, knitted jumper with the sleeves bunched up around his elbows. He was holding a book in his hands, a smile appearing on his lips as his eyes skimmed the words. It must have been something funny because he dipped his head for a moment and laughed before turning to look out the window. He lifted his hand and brushed his thumb against his bottom lip as if it would contain the utter joy a few simple words had managed to produce. 

"Levi," the male bodyguard said.

Levi turned, still smiling before he walked over. The sun was behind him, making his outline glow. Were celebrities just blessed with looking majestical all the time?

"Hey, Dawn," he said, his lips twitching upwards, smile growing.

"Levi," I answered. "This is one hell of a hotel suite."

"Really? You like it? I don't know, I think I prefer the little apartment back in Holden. It was pretty homey."

I scoffed. "Sure, if you like living like a sardine in a can."

"The way you were doing it? Seemed like a whole new adventure."

His charm was starting to get suspicious. "Why are you buttering me up, Scott?"

I had been in the room for approximately three minutes and I was starting to feel like some kind of French delicacy with all the sweet talk. I was one step away from being put onto a bakery's shelf.

Levi laughed and rolled the paperback in his hands before placing it into the back pocket of his jeans. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he looked at me. "Nothing ever phases you, does it, Mademoiselle?" 

"There's a catch, isn't there?" The gears in my head were turning, zooming out to see a bigger picture as to why I was called in to see him when everything could have been settled on the phone. Or, better yet, dropped entirely.

He sighed and combed his fingers through his messy hair. "Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you. It would have been inappropriate if I had done it over the phone."

My heart raced and my head spun, a thousand different requests spinning through my mind and battling for my attention. Unfortunately, it only gave me a headache. My thoughts seemed to zero in on Levi though as soon as he gently took my hand in his. His palm was warm against mine. My focus was on him.

His eyes held mine. I felt my pulse slow, felt myself relax a little. His touch was so weirdly calming I was almost convinced he was a hypnotist as opposed to a musician. It would have made a lot of sense considering he was outrageously good at keeping an audience's attention. My eyes slipped down to he hallows of his cheeks and down to his shaved jawline. 

Then he stared to speak and my attention was back on the task at hand, rather than the person holding my hand.

"Dawn, I know this is absolutely crazy and I'm going out on a complete whim here, but would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?"

Here's a little gif of Levi reading because he's a real cutie:

Also, just had a few quick announcements! First of all, Confessions About Colton is being published as an audiobook by Hachette and I'm so excited for you guys to hear it come to life! The release date is on July 18, but you can actually listen to a sample already!

I also started a mystery story on Tap called 'Don't Look Up' so it would mean the world to me if you checked it out. Keeping your eyes on your phone could save your life. Can you make it to the end of the story?