Fake It For Glory by Weston Parker

Author:Weston Parker [Parker, Weston]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Star Key Press
Published: 2023-10-10T18:30:00+00:00

26

JENSEN

As I settled into my seat on the flight to Dubai, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement mixed with trepidation. The interview from the night before with the late-night talk-show host in Paris had taken an unexpected turn, and I was about to relive it all over again. Hattie was always one to do a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking. She was going to tell me what I did right and wrong. Carl would have emailed her a list of things to cover as well.

Merida was on her laptop with a Coke and a tray of fresh fruit. She looked pretty comfortable and natural sitting on my private plane. She glanced up and smiled at me before returning her attention to her work.

Hattie pulled out her tablet and sat beside me. “Okay, ready?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, sighing. “Am I?”

“It’s not bad.” She laughed and started playing the video.

I hated watching these things. Seeing myself on TV was awkward. When I looked at myself, I saw the geeky kid from high school. I didn’t see the man I was. I cringed when I saw my crooked tie.

“Why didn’t you tell me my tie was crooked?”

“It’s fine,” she said. “Stop nitpicking. This thing is gold. It has already gone viral, trending everywhere online.”

I cringed. “Why? Are people pissed about the AI?”

“No! It’s not the tech questions you answered or the innovative projects you discussed,” she said, smiling. “It was the human element. You’re human!”

“I’ve always been human,” I said dryly.

“Not like this,” she said, smiling.

I knew what had changed. I had a girlfriend. Kind of.

I glanced over at her. She looked a little embarrassed. I knew she had watched the interview. I fell silent as the video played. I found myself cringing when the host began asking the inevitable questions. Who was this mystery vixen by my side? Where had she come from? How had we met? And, most importantly, was it serious?

The host’s grin widened as he leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Come on, Jensen, spill the beans. You’ve kept your personal life locked away for years, but now you’re parading this stunning lady around. Tell us everything!”

The host’s enthusiasm in the interview had made me laugh. I never realized just how invested people were in my life. Even though my stomach churned with nervousness, I did my best to answer the questions. Watching the replay of the video was strange, but it was the look on my face that surprised me. I was grinning like a damn idiot. My smile never left my face the whole time he was talking to me about Merida.

“You look so happy,” Hattie said.

“You do,” Merida commented.

“I told you this was a good idea,” Hattie said, grinning. “All you needed was a little humanizing. You’ve played your role very well, Merida.”

Merida blushed again. “Thank you.”

“You two actually look like a real couple,” Hattie went on. She paused the video when the show put up a picture of me and Merida together at one of the parties we’d attended.

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