How to Date a Nerd

Epilogue

 

Three months later…

“Fresh from their very successful Asian Invasion, here they are—Four O’clock Deadline,” Susan Crowley started, forcing a smile as much as her obviously Botox-filled face could allow. I was scared her face would rip apart.

A rumble of applause and shouts filled the studio. The guys waved and smiled for the entire world like it was their first time being on TV. I’d bet their faces hurt by now.

“We all know that Four O’clock Deadline’s music video went viral in the internet, not to mention, it became extremely controversial. ‘What If’ topped the charts and had been since the band’s most popular record-breaking song.”

Ricky gave me a nudge in the ribs. Startled, I looked up from the cup of coffee in front of me and to Susan, then to the audience and back. Chuck handed me my mic, throwing me a meaningful look. The three of them—save for Nate, of course—had faced The Wrath of Sarah after that incident and I could tell none of them would like to talk about it.

“Yes,” I replied with a smile. “It’s just us guys and my… b-brother”—even now, the word still get stuck in my throat, so excuse me for that—“fooling around and having fun. It’s a pretty popular past-time for us. Only, this time, they were making fun of me, and it was caught on cam. So, I say that wasn’t much fun in my part.”

A roll of laughter filled the studio. The camera lights fixed on me burning holes in my eyes. I swear I’d go blind at the early age of thirty, tops.

Susan laughed—it was like she was being strangled with her mouth open— with the audience and got back to business. “There have been rumors that the girl in the music video is your real-life girlfriend. How true is this?”

I heard Ricky whisper to Reed. “I thought this is just a promotion interview.”

“That’s what Moira said,” Reed hissed back, smiling to the crowd. “We need this to promote the sitcom.”

Ricky sighed. “But Moira didn’t mention anything about this.”

“We are all happy with how the music video turned out and—“ Reed started to change the topic, but I shook my head and smiled.

“It’s okay, Reed,” I said, feeling abnormally calm. “About your question, Susan. The answer is, yes.”

Murmurs filled the hall.

Chuck and Ricky were making this discreet scared faces at each other. Sarah just wanted a peaceful life, away from the spotlight and if she could help it, gossips. She was very clear on that. But if she wanted to be Leon Walden’s girlfriend, she knew she’d have no choice but put up with it. It was in the job description.

Susan finally recovers with, “The ladies who had been linked to you before; Louella Cole, Hayden Levine and many others had been through a lot of bashing. A columnist even said Leon Walden fans will never approve anyone for you. What does she—your girlfriend think about this? Isn’t she scared at all?”

The murmurs were replaced with screams. If those were violent reactions, I couldn’t tell.

I took in a lungful and faced the audience. “She’s a very private person. Honestly, she’s terrified. But we’ve known each other for quite a long time. She’s the strongest girl I know. We’d been through a lot and by now, I believe she knows that I won’t let any of these things come between us. I’ll… protect her no matter what.”

“We still love you!!!” a group of girls screamed, turning into a lot of screams that bounced off the walls. “Four-Oh-Dee! Four-Oh-Dee! Four-Oh-Dee!”