Zack stared at his phone, his fingers frozen mid-scroll. The feed was a whirlwind of hashtags, comments, and re-shared posts, all centered around that one photo.
It wasn't the photo itself that was the problem; it was the wild, rapidly escalating story people had made up around it. By the time Zack had finished skimming the first few posts, it was clear—somehow, the internet had collectively decided that he and Kieran Knight were dating.
"How did this happen?" Zack muttered under his breath, eyes wide in disbelief.
Sam's innocent caption, which had been meant as a joke—"Hanging out with my boy @KieranKnight!"—was now interpreted as a full-blown relationship announcement. Fans were speculating. Tabloids were running with the story. And his phone kept buzzing as if it were trying to punish him for his night out.
He scrolled faster, his anxiety spiking as he clicked on one of the posts from a major celebrity gossip account.
> *Breaking News: Has Hollywood heartthrob Kieran Knight found love? Our sources say yes—and the mystery man might surprise you!*
The accompanying image was the very one Sam had posted, with Zack's awkward half-smile front and center.
This couldn't be real.
This is insane. How does one picture lead to this kind of meltdown? I mean, it was one photo! There's no way anyone actually believes this. Right?
Right?
Oh god, what if they do?
What do I even do about this? Can I fix it? Do I—no, wait, I should call Sam. He started this. He's going to explain it to the world, and then everything will go back to normal.
Yeah. Totally.
Zack scrambled to find Sam's number, his hands shaking as he pressed the call button. His friend's phone rang twice before it was answered, and Sam's groggy voice crackled through the line.
"Dude, it's, like, nine in the morning. Why are you calling?" Sam mumbled.
"Sam, have you seen the internet?" Zack's voice was on the verge of hysteria.
There was a long pause. "What?"
"The picture! The one you posted! The internet thinks I'm dating Kieran Knight!"
Another pause, this one shorter, and then the sound of sheets rustling as Sam presumably sat up in bed. "Wait, what? People actually bought that?"
Zack closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes! They bought it. And now I'm apparently Kieran's new boyfriend."
Sam's laugh on the other end of the line was anything but reassuring. "Okay, that's… kind of hilarious. I mean, seriously? You and Kieran Knight?"
"This is not funny!" Zack groaned. "I'm freaking out, and you're laughing!"
"Relax, man. Just ignore it. These rumors will die down in a day or two. Stuff like this happens all the time in Hollywood."
"Yeah, but I'm not in Hollywood!" Zack ran a hand through his hair, pacing around his small apartment. "I'm just some random guy!"
Before Sam could respond, Zack's phone beeped, indicating an incoming call. He glanced at the screen, his heart nearly stopping when he saw the name.
**Alicia Moore**.
Sam's voice cut through his panic. "You still there?"
"Sam, I gotta go," Zack said quickly, hanging up before his friend could say anything else.
He stared at his phone for a moment, trying to process the fact that **Kieran Knight's publicist** was calling him. What did she want? Was he about to be sued for causing a celebrity scandal?
Taking a deep breath, Zack answered the call.
"Hello?" Zack's voice came out more hesitant than he intended.
"Zack Williams?" The voice on the other end was sharp, professional. "This is Alicia Moore, Kieran Knight's publicist. I assume you're aware of the situation by now?"
Zack swallowed hard. "Uh, yeah. It's… kind of hard to miss."
"Good. I need you to come to my office today. We need to have a conversation about this little mess." Her tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
Zack blinked, the weight of her words sinking in. "Wait, what? I don't even live in the city. I can't just—"
"I'll have a car pick you up. Be ready in an hour."
Before Zack could protest, the line went dead.
Okay. I'm in trouble. Serious trouble.
Why does she need to talk to me? What do I say? 'Hey, sorry I got mistaken for your client's boyfriend'? That'll definitely go over well.
And why do I feel like I'm about to be interrogated by the FBI?
Zack stood in his apartment, staring blankly at the phone in his hand. His life had gone from painfully ordinary to downright surreal in a matter of hours.
With a resigned sigh, he threw on some jeans and a decent shirt, trying not to think too hard about what was waiting for him in the city.
**An Hour Later…**
The car Alicia had sent was sleek, black, and intimidatingly fancy. Zack felt like an imposter just sitting in the back seat as they sped toward the heart of the city. His nerves only grew worse as the high-rise buildings loomed ahead, the very place where celebrities like Kieran Knight lived their glossy, untouchable lives.
Before long, the car pulled up to a tall, glass building that screamed wealth and exclusivity. Zack climbed out slowly, his feet heavy as he approached the front doors. The receptionist barely glanced at him as she directed him upstairs to Alicia's office.
When he entered the room, the first thing he noticed was **Kieran**. Sitting casually on a leather chair by the window, he looked up at Zack with a small, tired smile.
"Hey," Kieran said. "Crazy morning, huh?"
Oh. My. God.
This is real. I'm in a room with **Kieran Knight**.
Zack's brain short-circuited for a moment, but before he could respond, a woman's sharp voice cut through the air. "Alright, let's get this sorted out."
Alicia Moore strode into the room, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She was exactly as Zack had imagined—sharp, polished, and no-nonsense. She didn't even glance at him before turning her attention to Kieran.
"We have a situation on our hands," she said bluntly. "And we need to decide how we're going to handle it."
Kieran leaned back in his chair, looking far more relaxed than Zack felt. "I'm all ears."
Alicia crossed her arms, her eyes finally landing on Zack. "First things first—Mr. Williams, do you have any idea how quickly this has spiraled?"
Zack winced. "I, uh… kind of noticed, yeah."
She raised an eyebrow. "Kind of?"
He felt his face flush. "Okay, I noticed."
Alicia sighed. "Here's the deal: the media already believes you and Kieran are a couple. If we try to deny it, it'll just make things worse. We need a plan."
Zack blinked. "A plan?"
Kieran smirked slightly. "Don't look so freaked out. Alicia's a genius at this stuff. She's got something in mind."
Alicia nodded, her eyes narrowing. "It's simple. We need you to pretend you're dating Kieran. Just for a little while."
What?!