Page 32 of The King Contract
Noah laughs. “Your instincts would’ve kicked in, I’m sure of it.”
“I’m not. My strengths are cameras and books, not balls.”
Noah throws his head back in wild laughter and whether it’s the energy of the people around, my still-racing heart, or some other force, I can’t do anything to suppress my own laughter.
I’m still laughing when my gaze falls to one of the jumbo screens and I realise the focus has pulled from the catcher of the ball to Noah and me. If Noah hadn’t been spotted before, he has now.
Noah must sense my hostility, but he’s extraordinarily calm as he guides me back into my seat. Once we’re both sitting, he puts his arm around the back of my seat and leans into my ear. “You’re doing great. The camera never stays on the crowd long.”
He leans back and offers me a smile and because I have no idea who’s watching or if we’re still on the screen, I smile back at him.
The murmur around us is like a soft humming of bumblebees. Noah’s name is whispered several times, and I imagine for those who don’t know who he is, there’s someone nearby filling in the blanks.
We’re very much public now. Our image disappears from the screen, but those few seconds were enough. We were on national television and who knows what the commentators were saying about us.
Noah squeezes my shoulder, rubbing up and down in small movements to comfort me. I want to bury my face in my hands, but I do my best to stay neutral, tilting my head towards him. “How the hell do you cope with the attention?”
“When you’re as attractive as I am, you get used to it,” he whispers.
I clamp my mouth shut to stifle my laugh, settling back into the last leg of the game. A few heads continue to turn our way, but I ignore them, focusing as hard as I can on the sight in front of me. Focusing on the remaining wickets to be won and enjoying the latest hits that blast from the speakers. All while Noah’s arm remains around my shoulders.
Cricket isn’t so bad after all.
12
NOAH
I never noticed
What’s betterthan when your team wins in sport? When the hard launch of your fake girlfriend goes spectacularly well.
I hoped enough people would take notice of us and take a few sneaky pictures. The fact we made it onto national TV was way better than I could’ve asked for.
I gently steer Millie in the direction of my car and to my surprise, she entwines her fingers with mine without comment, staying close to me as we exit the stadium. A few people have their phones out as we pass by, and I smile and nod, pleased no one says anything about my recent antics. A few people ask for photos or shout out my surname with enthusiastic waves and back slaps. Whatever the public opinion is of my recent behaviour, I’m grateful people err on the positive side this evening.
When we make it back inside my car, we close the doors and release a collective sigh.
“Holy shit,” Millie huffs, leaning back against the headrest.
“You okay?”
She nods. “That was fun. Full on at the end there, but fun.”
We get about fifty metres down the road before our phones buzz simultaneously. Signal inside the stadium wasn’t great, but now we’re in clearer air, notifications fly in. “Stop worrying,” I tell her, sensing her tension.
Millie sighs and clicks her phone off, instead deciding to wring her hands together. “I’m new at this.”
“This is a first for me, too.”
“Fake-dating maybe, but being in the public eye isn’t,” she replies. “You’ve had people knowing who you are for the better part of a decade. I don’t know how you’ve done it for so long and kept a clear head.”
I laugh. “I hardly think partying every night and acting like a world class wanker is keeping a clear head.”
Millie gives me a stern look. “That wasn’t due to the world knowing your business. You didn’t cope well with a break-up and happened to be mildly famous at the same time.”
“I appreciate your vote of confidence, but keeping a clear head hasn’t always been my strong point. Trust me.”
Dan is a big part of why I stayed relatively out of trouble for so long in my younger years. Fame and status eventually got to me and my stupid ego. I became addicted to the high life of drinking and travelling and VIP treatment. Being a professional surfer is like getting the best of every world without any of the Hollywood drama, until you let the Hollywood drama in.
