Convincing Amy (Amy, #1)

Chapter 25: Feeling Foreign

Chapter Twenty-Five 

FEELING FOREIGN

March

"Amy, come away from the window, please."

"But have you seen how many people are outside? Are they all paparazzi?"

"Yes, come on Amy," Matthew said again, taking Amy's hand away from the window's blind and holding it in his own. "I don't want them to see you."

"Why?" Amy asked, hurt. She looked away from the scene outside Matthew's house, and instead, looked into Matthew's deep brown eyes. They seemed much tighter today than usual.

"Amy, if they see you, they'll take a hundred pictures of you and publish them in gossip magazines and all over the news. I don't want that to happen to you." Matthew squeezed Amy's hand and kissed her lips softly.

"But why would they publish a picture of me?" Amy asked a moment later, a little breathless.

"Because you're in my house and they'll think that my family are coming over so that I can announce our engagement or-"

"Woah! Stop right there," Amy said, astonished. "We're not engaged."

"I know that, I do," Matthew returned, pain in his eyes. "But that's what they'll think." He directed to the window where the hundreds of paparazzi people were assembled.

"Why does it matter to them what you do? You're not in the music industry anymore. You gave it all up."

Matthew sighed, his breath washing over Amy's face. "That doesn't change who my family is, though. The fact that my family is made up of high-profile celebrities means that I am a celebrity by association. If that makes sense."

Amy furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah, I understand what you're saying. I just don't see the point, really."

"Well, today the press is here because of Jake and Mom and Dad coming to visit. I rarely get my picture taken anymore, except on the rare occasion arround LA when I'm visiting my family. They've lost interest in me, which is what I wanted."

Amy wrapped her arms around Matthew and hugged him tightly, closing her eyes contently. "I'm glad you're not like that anymore."

"How do you mean?" Matthew asked, rubbing Amy's back.

"Well, if you were still the famous celebrity on the cover of every gossip magazine, I wouldn't have ever met you." Amy smiled. "I'm glad I met you." She pulled away from the hug, still holding Matthew's hand, and started walking away from the front window and down the hallway. "What needs doing in the kitchen?"

For the next hour, Amy helped Matthew in the kitchen to prepare the banquet they'd share with Matthew's family. They roasted a large chicken, roasted and steemed many vegetables, made a large caesar salad, and mixed together many gravies and sauces. They prepared dessert in advance also. It ranged from a simple fruit salad to sticky date puddings and a mud cake. Amy was quite astounded at how much food had been prepared.

"You're sure we're gunna be able to eat this much?"

Matthew smiled at Amy's accent. "Sure we will. You'll be surprised just how much my dad and Jake can eat."

"How long do you think they'll be?"

"An hour or two, I guess. I'm not sure. They'll call when they're ten minutes away or something."

Amy thought for a moment. "I'm going to have a shower and get changed."

"Okay," Matthew said softly, leaning in and kissing Amy lightly. Amy smiled, blushed, and then raced down the hallway and up the stairs to Matthew's en suite bathroom.