~Chapter 2~

My head was pounding when I woke up the next morning, sunlight streaming in through my drawn curtains. I must've forgotten to close them last night.

I had work today and let's just say I was less than pleased about it but it had to be done so I groggily pulled off my sheets and got ready for the long day ahead.

After a quick shower, I pulled on some comfy leggings and a white flowing top. I grabbed a cereal bar before slipping on my Toms and heading out the door, making my way to the cafe next to my apartment complex for a much needed coffee.

The sun was shining high in the sky despite it only being eight in the morning — I guess that was summer weather for you — so I fished around in my handbag for my pair of Ray Bans, quickly sliding them up my nose to block the harsh glare of the morning sun.

I also pulled out a sun hat to hopefully stop people noticing me and figuring out who I was. I was honestly just not in the mood to deal with people today.

After grabbing my coffee, I decided to walk to work because the traffic was absolutely atrocious so I'd get there much faster on foot.

The great thing about New York was that everyone was much too busy to pay attention to anyone else, all completely absorbed in their own lives. So, by keeping my head down, I managed to make it to work without anyone recognising me, blending in with the throngs of people rushing to get to wherever on time.

I pulled off my hat and glasses once I made it inside, not needing to show the receptionist my ID before wandering over to my temporary dressing room. I was doing a massive shoot for Winter's brand new collection all week so they'd given me my own room. Normally, I was jumping from studio to studio all over the world so I'd never needed a proper dressing room anywhere for more than a month.

Maddison was my photographer all week and today was the first day of Winter's shoot so she'd be here too and I couldn't tell you how relieved I was to just have my friends around me. Work could get so stressful and people always seemed to be two faced in this industry so I was glad I'd have a somewhat peaceful week for once.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my job and all the opportunities it had given me but sometimes it all got a little too much to handle and I just needed a breather to calm down and relax. I doubted anyone could ever get fully accustomed to this type of lifestyle, it was just so draining.

The day ran like clockwork, everything happening smoothly and perfectly.

I only had to work until three-thirty today which was great, especially considering just how tired I was but my victory was short lived. Just as I was packing up the last of my things, I got a text from my agent reminding me that I had an interview scheduled for four o'clock, there went my evening.

Luckily, since we knew about this photo shoot well in advanced, the interview was booked to take place here in one of the private rooms so I didn't have to go sprinting to somewhere on the other side of the city.

I checked myself in the mirror, ensuring not a hair was out of place from the ballerina bun on the top of my head, each of my auburn locks accounted for. One of the makeup artists touched up my face so everything looked pristine once again and when we were both happy that I looked perfect, I made my way to the interview room, ready to get this all over with.

The lady interviewing me looked to be in her mid thirties, her sleek blonde hair styled immaculately into a neat bob. She wore too much makeup for my liking but I couldn't really be one to judge considering that I was usually caked in the stuff as well even if it wasn't by choice.

She smiled when I entered, gesturing to the seat opposite her but something about the way she looked at me didn't feel right. I ignored the thought, used to the sketchiness of the people working in this industry.

"Miss King, lovely to meet you. My name's Emily," she told me in an overly enthusiastic manner, the insincerity in her voice obvious from a mile away but I pretended I didn't notice it as I moved to shake her outstretched hand.

"Please, call me Harper," I smiled, warmness radiating from my tone. "Now, shall we get started?"

She nodded, that fake smile plastered across her face. "Of course. Derek are you ready?" Emily asked the guy behind the camera. He nodded, giving her the thumbs up, starting a countdown from ten.

"Just in cause you're unaware, this is being streamed live so if you get tongue tied or are having any issues just tap your knee three times and I'll take it from there," she said, quickly adjusting a stray strand of hair.

I nodded absentmindedly, taking the time to absorb my surroundings, readying myself for the interview ahead. I spied my agent sitting in the corner of the room, her eyes glued to her phone as she typed away furiously. I chuckled softly at the all too familiar sight before clearing my throat and turning my attention to Emily just as the man behind the camera, Derek, said 'one'.

"Hello everyone and welcome back to Celebtalk Live. I'm your host, Emily Stone, and today I'm here with the one and only Harper King," she smiled much too enthusiastically, gesturing to where I was sitting.

The questions started off light and easy. They were about my plans for the future, any upcoming projects and my general life but, of course, the questions got more and more probing as the interview went on.

"So Harper tell me, everyone has been dying to know about your love life. Is there anyone special we can count on seeing in the future?"

Funny, questions always seemed to come back to this same topic: love. Why it was the most interesting topic I had no idea but it was certainly an invasive one. I couldn't let my uncomfortableness show on the topic so plastered on my usual picture perfect smile, shaking me head slightly.

"No, not anytime soon. I'm enjoying the single life if I'm honest. With my career and the constant travel I don't think it'd be fair on someone to try a relationship," I said, using my preprepared answer, shrugging my shoulders softly at the end. 

Emily didn't seem satisfied with that answer, they never were. "That's a shame but weren't there reports from a few weeks ago about you and Damien Beckett getting pretty close."

I had to contain the urge to roll my eyes. "Damien?" I asked, feigning shock but only to the point where it seemed believable and not forced. "Nah, him and I are just friends. He knows my older brother, Zack. He asked me to show him around New York, seeing as he's never been here before, so I did," I told her plainly, not wanting this story to blow up further.

What I was saying was the truth... kind of. Yes, Damien was my brother's friend and, yes, he had asked me to show him around the city but there was more to it than that. The press would love to sink their claws into the rest of that story but we had both agreed to act indifferent to the whole thing, neither of us wanting the paparazzi on our tails with never ending questions. So, as far as anyone else knew, nothing else ever happened.

"Oh that's it? Nothing going on between the two of you then?" Emily asked, sounding dejected and annoyed because she didn't get her scoop.

I laughed lightly, shaking my head. "Nope. I was just helping out my brother," I confirmed.

She nodded reluctantly, continuing with the interview which went just as drearily as expected. When it finally finished I was almost running out of the room, dying to be far away from her.

I walked back to where Maddison and Winter were, knowing they'd both cheer me up from that shitty interview. I wished I didn't have to do those but my agent insisted they were good for publicity and my image. I knew she just wanted what was best for both of our careers so I usually let her take the lead with that kind of thing albeit reluctantly.

By the time I reached them, Maddison and Winter were about to leave. The shoot today must've just been a quick one for everyone. "Hey guys," I called, catching up to them.

"Hey, Harps, how was it?" Maddie asked, slinging her tote bag over her shoulder.

"Crap," I told her bluntly and they both laughed, shaking their heads in amusement.

"How about you guys come over to my apartment to cheer you up? I'm seriously in need of some girl time," Winter said brightly, twirling her car keys around her finger.

I nodded eagerly, smiling at my friends. "That sounds great."

Maddie nodded , agreeing with me.

Winter clasped her hands together excitedly. "Awesome," she cheered. "Let's go."

~*~*~

"Absolutely not," Winter blushed, shaking her head furiously at Maddison's question.

Maddison and I gave each other knowing looks, identical smirks on our faces. "Honest," Winter said desperately.

I couldn't help the onslaught of laughter that escaped my lips. "Sure..." I said in a singsong voice.

"I'm going to ask Liam," Maddison announced, pulling out her phone from between the sofa cushions, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Winter lunged at her, tackling her to the ground, reaching for Maddison's phone. Maddie held it from her reach, pressing the call button, laugh maniacally as Winter continued to reach for the phone, her screams of protest audible from a mile away.

"What's up, Maddie?" Liam asked after a few rings.

"Liam, hang up. Do not answer her question," Winter ordered, clearly frustrated.

Liam's throaty chuckle could be heard as he listened to his girlfriend who was clearly in distress. "Now I'm curious. What's the question?"

Winter finally managed to overpower Maddison, snatching the phone from her hands and cutting off the call instantly. She grumbled something about 'Liam being so in for it later' and got off the floor, dusting non-existent dust from her knees.

"You're no fun," Maddison pouted, getting up as well and plopping herself down of the sofa, grabbing the remote that was carelessly tossed to the side.

I couldn't help but smile in amusement at my friends and the pointless drama they created. Maddison began to flick through the channels, her and a Winter bickering about what to watch. Not wanting either of them to drag me into the argument, I got up to make some popcorn, hoping whatever movie they decided on was at least bearable.

Just as I turned on the microwave, the doorbell rang but it didn't look like either Maddison or Winter heard it, both too engrossed in their heated debate. Sighing, I went to answer the door, my footsteps light as I walked past the pair so neither of them noticed.

After unlocking the rather heavy door, it swung open to reveal a both a grinning Liam and Axel. "Shouldn't you have keys to your own home?" I asked jokingly as I walked back towards the kitchen.

"Forgot them in a different pair of jeans," he shrugged, moving to sit next to Winter. "What's going on babe?"

"Maddie's being an idiot," she huffed in exasperation. Maddison shot her a playful glare, clearly enjoying riling her up and continued to bicker with her, Liam now dragged into the mess.

Clearly not wanting to get involved, Axel chose to follow me into the kitchen, smart move.

As per my request, he grabbed a large bowl from the cupboards and handed it to me so I could put the popcorn in it. "What's going on with them?" he asked, a goofy grin on his face because he managed to swipe some popcorn from the bowl and shove it into his mouth before I could stop him.

I shrugged loosely, letting out a small laugh. "They get like this from time to time. You get used to it."

He nodded, moving to get a glass of water. "How about we cut the tension with some drinks?" he suggested, a playful smile now on his face. He looked so carefree and cheerful so I just had to smile back at him.

"Maddie is already an alcoholic," I joked. "I don't think we should make it any worse."

He pouted at me, his big brown eyes went wide and reminded me of a puppy. I almost cooed at his adorableness but shook off the idea, not needing to embarrass myself in front of him.

When I didn't give in he sighed but the smile never left his face. "Do you think they're going to calm down anytime soon?"

"Probably but they're going to make us watch some really boring romance movie, I just know it," I said, walking out of the kitchen.

Axel groaned loudly, gently grabbing my wrist before I could leave the room. The contact caused goosebumps to arise on my skin but I ignored them, turning to face him. "You don't like that shit either?" he asked, sounding shocked and I nodded. "How come?"

I put the popcorn down on the island, sitting down on the nearest barstool. "When you grow up with seven brothers and two sisters you tend to lean in favour of more action based movies."

"Shit. Your parents got busy," Axel commented, making me laugh. "I don't think I could cope with that. You'd get no personal space," he shuddered.

After a few minutes of chatter about how I managed to survive at home, his warm brown eyes brightened up as if he'd just had an idea. "You know I heard that there's this assassin movie on tonight at the cinema. Do you want to go to that instead?"

I didn't even have to think about my answer before nodding. "Definitely. I don't think I could stand watching another boring romance," I said, pretending to gag which made him laugh.

We walked back into the lounge and I handed Liam the popcorn, grabbing my bag from by the door. "Axel and I are going to see a movie, you guys in?" I asked, already knowing their answer.

All three pairs of eyes stayed glued to the screen in front of them and Maddie waved us off. "Have fun you two but leave quietly, this is just getting good."

Smiling to myself, I slipped on my shoes and headed outside, Axel right behind me. "Looks like it's just you and me, Shortcake," he grinned, flashing his pearly whites. "Race you down the stairs?" he challenged, already sprinting off and I laughed as I dashed after him.

This was going to be one interesting outing.

~*~*~

So what do you guys think of Axel? And what are your first impressions of him?

I'm going to be trying my best not to ramble too much in my author's notes from now on but I hope you guys are liking the story so far.

🌟Please vote and comment if you enjoyed the chapter🌟

Anyways, see you next time xx