Ain't Nobody Like You

Chapter Nine

The next morning I woke up to a phone call from Jeff.

"Have you seen the trash this morning?" he asks, referring to the tabloids. We always call it that, because they make up 99% of it just to sell papers. It's literal trash full of lies that no one should even bother buying.

"No Jeff. It's six in the morning. I just opened my eyes, I haven't seen anything yet." I mumble, getting out of bed to stretch and open the curtains to let some light in.

"Well, I've been up since five answering calls. Seems you made page six of the L.A. Times."

"Oh yeah?" I yawn, unbothered. It's nothing new, honestly. They're always fabricating crazy stories or report on such mediocre events of my life. "What have I done to get in the gossip column now? Am I pregnant? On drugs? Dying?"

"No, apparently you're in love." I freeze, "Someone snapped a picture of two people kissing last night at your hotel. They're saying one of them is you." he chuckles, sure it's another far-fetched story the media has concocted. If I wasn't so busy panicking, I might be offended he would think something like this wouldn't happen to me.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. How? I didn't see anyone. We were so careful. We took the back entrance and I didn't see any-" I cut myself off, thinking about the noise I heard in the hallway last night. I guess it wasn't the ice machine after all. I'm such an idiot.

"So it's true then?" he asks, shock in his voice.

Pause. 

"Well I mean I did kiss someone last night outside of my hotel room." I admit, then start to ramble, "His name's Marshall. But I wouldn't say I'm in love with him. I mean, I just met him the other day at Dre's studio. We're getting to know each other still. I like him and he likes me and we've kissed a few times now, nothing further. And he's really-"

"Spare me the details of your love life, Katie." he cut's me off, sounding flustered. Jeff is like a father to me, so I can understand him not wanting to hear about my dating life. "Let's stick to the issue at hand. The picture."

"Okay, yeah. You said this was in the L.A. Times?" I ask. Grabbing my room key and my wallet, I leave my room with only one place in mind: the front desk. They always have newspapers there. 

"Yes. For now. Soon it'll reach other magazines and media outlets though. Everyone's already speculating if it's really you and who the guy is. The calls have been coming in all morning; media asking for statements, the label isn't too happy either. You really don't make my job easy, huh kid?"

Taking the elevator down to the lobby, I say, "I'm sorry! We really were careful. I don't know how any paparazzi got through, with the new security measures."

"This isn't any professional pap photo. Looks like someone in the hotel sold you out. But I think luck is on your side. The picture is so goddamn blurry and neither of your faces can be seen, it could be anyone in the photo."

I breath a sigh of relief just as I arrive at the front desk, happy to hear it's not as bad as I thought it was. Still, I buy a copy of the L.A. Times and once it's in my hands, I quickly turn to page six. He's right, it could be anyone in the photo. I read:

Katherine Caught Kissing New Man

Katherine Arden has a new man in her life! A source at the L.A. Grand Hotel says the singer was caught locking lips with an unknown male outside her room last night. Scandalous! Though it's hard to identify anyone in the photo, our source has ID'd the woman as Katherine Arden. This is the first time Katherine has been seen with another man since her very public break up with actor, Daniel Cooper last year. Who is this mystery man? Is this just a rebound or has Katherine found love?