Fake Smiles And Sparkles

I could feel the heavy spotlight on my skin, the layers of foundation that the makeup team had plastered onto my face, and the stares of the live audience in the background. It was a weird, suffocating feeling, and yet I’m pretty sure I had the brightest and sweetest smile on my face right now.

I want to go home, I thought to myself, but I knew I had to listen for the interviewer’s next words.

Across from us sat Anthony Bowers, a charismatic man with teeth so white they looked like ceramic tiles. I could see why people liked tuning into his show. This man never ran out of energy.

"And we are back with the Internet’s current obsession! The stars of Sunset Heart, and the hottest couple on the internet," he announced, gesturing grandly to us.

I glanced at Parker. He was sitting with one ankle crossed over his knee, looking effortlessly cool in a dark jacket and black denim jeans. He probably looked amazing on all the television screens around the country right now.

Anthony clears his throat. “The whole ParCel fandom wants to know: Parker, what’s your absolute favorite thing about Celeste?”

Parker turned fully toward me, and I caught his gaze. I was eager to hear what he had to say. Partly because we haven’t rehearsed this one, and well, partly because of vanity.

He was pretty good at making up answers on the spot, but if he started a long speech about my beauty or something, I would probably accidentally roll my eyes. That’s such a cliche.

"Her focus," Parker said quietly. The audience went silent. "When Celeste decides she wants something, the rest of the world disappears. She works harder than anyone I know. Even when we were kids, she would be up practicing the script at 2:00 AM. It’s admirable."

I blinked my eyes bashfully, putting on my best flustered expression. “Shut up,” I said, giggling. Nice one, Parker. That was a pretty good line.

The interviewer clutched his chest dramatically. "Okay, stop, my heart can't take it. Parker, what’s it like to date Celeste?”

I could tell that the interviewer was favoring Parker with the questions, but I didn’t mind. It allowed me to relax for a little while and observe. Besides, this show segment would be chaotic if both of us were bubbly extroverts.

Parker doesn’t miss a beat. “It’s heaven. It’s everything I’ve been dreaming of since I was twelve.”

Anthony gasps and looks at him in shock. “You mean to say, you’ve been in love with Celeste ever since you starred in your movie together?”

He grins. “Yes, I have.”

“How did you realize it?”

“Let’s see…our work for the day had finished early. So, we decided to kill some time, and we walked around the city, exploring and chatting at the same time; I say chatting, but she was doing most of the talking because I was a little shy around her. I don’t think she noticed that, though.”

“I just can’t picture you being shy,” Anthony Bowers remarks, clearly invested in Parker’s story.

“But I was so intimidated by her.” He laughs. “Anyway, at some point we settle at this empty park, and Celeste tells me that she doesn’t actually want to act anymore, and that she wanted to transition into a singer-songwriter career instead.”

Briefly, I wondered if I should be looking surprised at this retelling. No, if we were dating for a while, we would’ve already talked about stuff like this, surely. I grinned while Parker recounted his “story”. I just needed to play the part of the supportive girlfriend here.

He continued. “Of course, I was impressed. Who does that? This girl had a billion talents, and I barely even had one.”

“Now, that’s not true,” I say, interrupting.

“No really, you know I only auditioned because I saw the poster and I had nothing better to do. I was so impressed.”

“That’s such a sweet reason,” our interviewer says, smiling warmly.

Parker grins at him. “Oh, that wasn’t actually the reason, though. She started singing one of her original songs, which was fantastic, but by the end, there was this high part and then her voice cracked—”

“That did not happen!” I say immediately, but the whole scene was starting to feel familiar to me. Still, I wasn’t about to admit to that embarrassing memory on television!

“And I thought to myself, man, if she’s attractive when she’s talented, and she’s still cute when she’s messing up, that basically means I was guaranteed to like her all the time. It’s probably love. And to this day..." Parker pauses for dramatic effect. "I have never been proven wrong.”

The audience ate it up. I could hear several ‘aww’ sounds in the background. There might’ve even been some faint sniffling or tears, but I’m not too sure.

“My, Celeste, you’re a very lucky girl.” Anthony remarks.

I agreed quickly. “The absolute luckiest!”

He shifts his attention to me and says: “When did you realize you were in love?"

I froze. In my planning, I had prepared answers for "first date" and "favorite food," but I still hadn’t fixed my backstory ever since Parker made fun of my initial one a few days back.

“It wasn't a sudden moment,” I said slowly. “It was this thing that was building up over time. Like a series of puzzle pieces falling into place. And then one day, I looked at him, and I realized: I just wanted to be with Parker Imada for the rest of my life.”

Was that too abstract? Did I sound crazy?

"Puzzle pieces," the interviewer sighed, looking at the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, true love!"The crowd erupted in applause, and I was more than relieved. Nailed it.

***

The transition from the studio to the car was a blur of flashing cameras and mobs of screaming fans.
"Parker! Celeste! Is the wedding soon?"
"Look over here! Give us a kiss!"
Parker guided me through the throng, his hand firmly on the small of my back. It was a protective gesture—standard PR—but as we piled into the black SUV, he didn't pull his hand away immediately.
By the time we reached the hotel, the adrenaline had crashed.
All at once, we were alone.
We were sharing a suite to keep up appearances—we couldn't risk a rogue hotel staffer tweeting that the "happy couple" booked separate rooms. Thankfully, Rachel, my manager, had booked a suite with a massive California King that could be split down the middle.
I collapsed onto the soft mattress and kicked off my high heels. My feet had been aching for two hours; I had been counting down the seconds until I could turn off "Stylish Pop Star Celeste" and go back to being regular, messy me.
I glanced at Parker. He didn't even bother changing. He sprawled face-first onto the duvet, stylish brand clothing and all.
"The interview was fun," I said to the ceiling, wondering if he was already asleep.
He turned his head to the side, eyes still closed, a lock of hair falling over his forehead. "It was. I'm exhausted, though."
I grabbed a tissue and started wiping off my lipstick, tossing the stained wad into the nearby bin. Everything won't be the same anymore, I realized. We aren't just gamers on ViewTube now. We are Them.
Part of me wanted to sleep for two hundred years, but another part—the part that liked the way he talked about me on stage—wanted to keep talking.
"You were really good at answering the questions," I said softly.
"Mhm. I mean, we did prepare beforehand."
"Yeah, but there were some out-of-the-blue ones. Like... when the host asked about realizing we were in love."
Parker laughed, a low rumble in his chest. "I thought you were going to crash and burn on that one. 'Puzzle pieces'?"
"Hey, the audience loved it!" I rolled my eyes, throwing a pillow at him. He caught it effortlessly.The ticking of the wall clock echoed through the luxury suite. I rolled onto my side, facing him.

"Parker?"
"Yeah?"
"How did you come up with your answers? You know, like what you liked about me…" I trailed off. What I really wanted to ask about was his anecdote on how he fell in love with me. It was such a specific memory, and so far back. I did remember that it happened, now that he’s mentioned it, but in my eyes it was just a completely normal memory. I almost found it hard to believe that it could be a catalyst for a decade-long crush or whatever.

Parker opened one eye. He looked at me, then shut it again. This man must really be tired. I felt guilty for bothering him with my boring questions. "Same thing as you, Cee. I just focused on what people usually say in rom-coms. It’s all about selling a fantasy, right?"

"Right," I said. "Selling a fantasy."

The answer made perfect logical sense. It was the smart, professional answer. So why did I feel a bit disappointed? Leave it to my ego to be upset that my best friend was just doing his job.

He props himself up and glances at me with a smirk. “Were you expecting something else, Cee?”

“Nope. You should go to sleep. You’re becoming delusional.”

“Sure.” He goes back to his about-to-be-sleeping position, clearly done with his teasing quota for the day. "For the record, I do think your focus is admirable. You’re an amazing person, you know.”

I smiled. My cheeks had been starting to hurt from all the fake giddiness and lovesick expressions I had to do for the day, but I’m pretty sure this was my first real smile today.

That Anthony dude was right. I am a lucky girl. Sometimes.