Chapter Text
"I'm with Modest Management. Could I speak with you for a moment?" The lady had just appeared in front of me. I was on my way back to my seat after meeting the boys of One Direction and didn't understand why I was being stopped by someone from their management team.
"Sure, is there a problem?" I asked.
"Could we speak in private?" She gestured to a nearby dressing room.
"I guess. Am I in trouble?" I hesitated.
"Oh, no, absolutely not," the woman replied, leading me into the empty room.
"What is it you want then?"
"We'd like to know if you would be willing to go on a couple of dates with Harry."
"Excuse me?" I was shocked.
"Sorry, I should've introduced myself. My name is Katherine, I'm with Modest!, as I said before, and, more specifically, I work with the band's public image. We need a clean-cut, normal girl for Harry to go out with and you and he seemed to have chemistry together. Enough chemistry that it would be believable."
"You want me to date Harry Styles?"
"Yes, we'd like for you to go on a couple dates here while they're in town and, if it goes well, we might have a longer contract drawn up."
"Contract?"
"Yes, we'd have to have you sign a contract. We can't have anyone leaking information that isn't meant to be public."
"Can I talk to Harry about it first?"
"How about you think about it while you enjoy the concert and I'll get you in to talk to Harry afterwards?" Katherine suggested.
"Okay. I'll think about it."
"And don't be mentioning this conversation to anyone."
"Of course. I just don't want to agree to anything before I speak to Harry."
"Come back after the concert. I'll make sure you two can speak for a few moments. Enjoy the concert," and with that, she strode away, out of the dressing room and I could hear her heels clicking down the hallway.
It was several moments before I moved, still shocked at the proposition I had just received. I walked down the hall and stopped at the first restroom I came across, walking inside to stand at the sink and splash water on my face. This is insane. That did not just happen. Oh my god. What am I going to say to him?
I made my way back to my seat and forced my mind away from my conversation with Katherine as the concert started. I was so excited to be there, but every time I caught Louis and Harry sharing a sad look, I knew that they knew. They'd been told that it was no longer just Louis that had to have a beard. I teared up as Harry sang about loving 'all his little things' and felt like my heart was being ripped out when Louis turned and smiled at him. Can I really be the fake girlfriend while I know that love is happening behind the scenes? Is this what they want? Do they have a choice? What am I going to say to him?
I quickly opened Twitter on my phone and deleted everything I'd ever said about Larry from my personal account. If they don't know I'm a Larry shipper, then it has to stay that way. They wouldn't have offered this to me if they had known. I might delete my entire account and start over if this really happens.
After the concert was over, I said goodbye to the girls I'd spoken to around me and told my friends not to wait as I fought my way through the crowd to get to the doors to backstage. I told the security guard that Katherine had told me to come back and he quickly confirmed it through his walkie before letting me through with brief instructions on how to find her. I quickly made my way through the hallway before stopping at the door that I thought he'd indicated I should knock on. I quickly knocked and waited awkwardly as people passed, looking at me strangely. The door opened and Lou, the boys' hairdresser stood there, asking what I needed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I think I got the wrong door. I was supposed to be finding Katherine; she was going to let me talk to Harry for a moment about something."
She opened the door further and I realized that Harry was in the room, head in his hands, looking distressed.
"Harry," she addressed him. "I think this is her. She's looking for Katherine."
"Sorry, could we talk?" I asked. "Alone?" I hesitantly glanced at Lou.
He finally looked up at me. "I'll tell her everything anyways, so if it's alright, I'd rather you just say whatever it is you want to say. I don't have a whole lot of power in this situation."
"I, uh," I stuttered, rapidly collecting my thoughts before it all just came bursting out. "I know they just want to hire me as a beard and that you and Louis are totally in love and I don't want to agree to do this without it being okay with you, I mean, I know they'll just get somebody else if I say no, but I just want you to know that I'm totally supportive of you and Louis and I'd never want to get in the way of what you two have and I'd only agree to this whole arrangement if it's okay with you and I am not expecting anything beyond friendship from you and I just thought maybe you'd prefer to have me who is already supportive of your relationship and totally not expecting anything, rather than some random girl who is just excited to get to date a popstar as hot as you," I said, all in one breath.
Lou and Harry both just stared at me for several moments in shock. I blushed.
"Sorry, I'm nervous," I explained.
"Do they know?" Lou asked me, pulling me in and shutting the door.
"Know what?" I asked, confused.
"That you know about Harry and Louis? That you're supportive of them already?"
"No, I don't think they would've ever approached me if they had known. I already deleted all the Larry stuff from my personal twitter. Considered deleting my twitter altogether and just getting a new one."
"Hopefully they wouldn't make that necessary. People will believe you more if you already have an account," Harry spoke up.
"What do you think, Harry?" Lou asked, glancing between us.
"I don't---" he started, pausing to walk over to the door. "Could you get Louis down here real fast?" I heard him ask someone outside of the room before closing the door again.
"They told me it was only supposed to be a couple of dates to see how it went this week," I stated, trying to figure out how to interpret the situation. "I mean, we can do that and totally botch it and move on, if you want."
"No, they're trying to get rid of the 'player' image that they created for me, so they won't like it at all if that happens. They tried to do it with Taylor, but she chose to ignore the fact that it was all a publicity stunt," Harry replied. "If you sign that contract, they're going to want to keep you around for at least six months, I'd guess."
There was a knock at the door just before Louis entered.
"Hey, what's going on?" Louis asked. He said it very casually, but it looked like he'd shed a few tears in the time since the concert had ended.
"This is Riley, we met her earlier? She's the one they're trying to set me up with," Harry explained.
"Has she signed the contract already? I thought the date was going to be tomorrow?"
"She wanted to speak with me first."
"I really think you should tell her to sign it," Lou spoke up.
"I thought you were against this whole---" Louis paused and glanced at me nervously.
"I know about the whole bearding you guys up thing," I replied, nervously. He flushed slightly before continuing to look at Lou.
"Management isn't going to be letting you two come out anytime soon. The logical solution is for them to give Harry a beard so that they can show the public that you're both taken. If you don't take her, then they'll find someone else."
"I swear to God that I will do whatever you guys want. I know it sucks lying to your fans, but there are some of us out there who still know. We've figured it out. If this is the way it has to be for now, wouldn't you rather have some random fan that is totally willing to just become friends with you and support you than some fan that thinks she can make Harry actually fall in love with her?" I asked. "I know Harry's taken. I'm just saying I'm willing to stand in and try to take Louis' orders over management's as much as possible."
"It'll have to be convincing."
"I know. Katherine said she thought Harry and I had good chemistry and that's why she's picked me. We can play our roles in the public eye."
"Okay," Louis said.
"Alright, I'm in. I don't like this at all, but you seem like you get the situation a lot better than most girls would coming into this."
"I'll go find Katherine and tell her to bring the contract," Lou offered, slipping out of the room.
"Louis, I just want you to know that I'd really like to be friends with both you and Harry. I don't want any weird anger or jealousy to pop up just because I'm acting as his beard. If I do anything that you don't like, please just tell me and, as long as management won't, like, cut off my fingers or something, I'll never do it again."
Louis laughed. "I haven't heard them threaten to cut off anyone's fingers, although I definitely could see them doing that."
I walked over to the chair that Harry had occupied minutes before and sat down.
"Also, you guys really don't have to fake it in front of me. I know it's weird right now, but I swear I'm okay with it, and I'm sure it's in the contract that I can't say anything even if I wanted to, which I totally don't."
They looked at each other hesitantly and then back at me.
"Please, at least hug. I saw those looks you were giving each other all night. I was crying from my seat knowing it was because of me."
"Riley, we don't---"
"It's not your fault."
"But it sort of is, because I was what they were looking for and I happened to stroll through and smile and make Harry laugh and I looked totally normal and average and exactly what they were looking for."
"Still not ever blaming this on you, babe," Harry replied just before Katherine came through the door.
"Lou tells me that you're ready to sign?" Katherine asked.
"Yeah, I'm in." I smiled.
"This one's just going to be for the week. The secrecy thing goes for twelve months after your contract has ended. Of course, we're hoping this week will go well and we'll have you sign another that will be for much longer."
"I'll sign, of course, but can I get a copy of it to read over later? Make sure I don't have any questions."
"Of course, of course. I'll get a copy made and have it to you before you leave. I just need you to sign here and here and here."
I signed on the dotted lines with only one nervous look up at Harry and Louis who both nodded for me to continue.
"Alright, that's done, I'll just leave you here to get to know each other while I get this copied."
Katherine left the room with a huge grin on her face.
"She doesn't know, does she?" Louis asked. "She doesn't know that you know about us."
"Nope."