Pieces of Us (SatoGou)

Chapter 15

double upload woooo

I half wake up in the morning to the feeling of something prodding me in the cheek. I swat it away, grumbling sleepily and rolling over, away from what I assume is Pikachu.

"Ash. Ash!"

I snap awake, but struggle to open my eyes, and groggily groan as Dawn slowly comes into view. She's still in her pyjamas, and a pair of slippers, her hair a wild mess around her face. That's what has me sitting upright, because Dawn would never leave her room in the morning looking like this unless she thought it was important.

"Dawn?" I say groggily, rubbing my eyes. Beside me, Pikachu crawls under the covers to get away from the noise.

She's frowning, and holding out her phone, but my eyes haven't adjusted yet, and I can't see what she's trying to show me. I reach out and take the phone, blinking until my eyes clear up enough to see it's a news article.

My eyes snap onto the photo at the top. It's of Goh and I, in the moment we stood in the hotel lobby, my hand in his hair. From the angle it was taken from, it almost looks like we might be about to kiss. My heart sinks, dread pooling in my stomach as I scroll down, taking in a few words before putting the phone down quickly and sucking in a deep breath through my nose.

"Did you kiss him?" Dawn asks, sitting beside me.

"No," I answer quickly. "He was drunk and I had to help him back to his room. Nothing happened. I-" I look back down at the phone in my lap, and the second picture in the article, of Goh and I sitting at the booth in the bar side by side, faces close together. I bite down on my lip hard as I read the caption underneath:

The potential new couple seem absolutely smitten with each other- especially with that look in Ash's eyes!

"It goes on about the way you looked at him in the contest too," Dawn explains gently, taking the phone back so I don't read any more.

"They think I'm in love with him because of the way I look at him?" I ask incredulously.

"Never doubt an internet detective." Dawn shakes her head. "But you are, aren't you?"

I furrow my brows, and choose not to answer her, because she clearly already knows. And, looking at the pictures, I can see where the article is coming from. I'd probably think the same thing.

"Do you think he'll see this?" I ask, fear gripping my chest tight. I don't know why that frightens me so much.

"I doubt it," she says, but she doesn't seem sure. "But this sort of thing... It could spread. You're famous, and people love to speculate."

"What do I do?" I ask, feeling helpless and pathetic.

"You don't have to do anything. You don't owe it to anyone to disprove it." She looks down at the phone and locks it, hiding the images away. "I can talk to Goh, if you like. I can let him know the rumour is out there, so he can decide if he wants to do anything about it."

I consider the option. I'd not considered that Goh might be upset about the rumour, especially if it starts to spread, and someone like Tokio, or his parents see. I know Chloe said he was open about being gay- but how open she meant, I'm not sure. Besides, I'm not out at all, to anyone besides Goh, Chloe and Dawn. This isn't the way I want my mom to find out, or anyone else I know.

"Shit," I curse under my breath, shaking my head.

"There's one other thing you could do," she says quietly, almost hesitantly. "But I don't know how much Goh would like it. Or you."

"Go on." I'll listen to literally any suggestions right now.

"Well, you could get into a fake relationship, to get the public off your back."