HDU Page 9

  “Thank you,” Liam smiled, making eye contact with her for perhaps a little too long. Amanda took the time to readjust her outfit. Liam’s sweater fell like a dress on her body, the slouchy look seeming to translate as chic or at least passable. No one seemed to notice her worn-out tights. If anything, the crowd stared at her face, trying to place her in their memories.

  “Is she that girl who hosts the show on Travel?” someone asked.

  “No, she has a shorter face,” came the answer.

  Amanda let out a breath of relief upon hearing such neutral words. They weren’t bashing her, and that was all that she had hoped for from a place like Lilac. All her ego needed for a boost was to survive dinner without anyone laughing in her face.

  “Enjoy your meal,” the flirty hostess said, daring to wink at Liam before sauntering off from their cozy corner booth. Amanda watched him watch her go. He turned back only to grin, unrepentant. “What?”

  Amanda laughed. “You’re going to have trouble with this. I can tell.”

  “Trouble with what?” Liam scoffed.

  “Staying faithful to me,” she smirked, studying her menu. She could tell that his eyes were still on her though hers were decidedly on the cocktail list.

  “You do remember that this is a fake relationship, right?” he asked.

  “No way, really? I’m just saying it has to look real to the press, and if they catch you cheating on poor little me you’ll look worse than you did before I came along,” Amanda pointed out, trying not to cackle at the realization taking over Liam’s face. “I’m sorry,” she said, laughing. “I know it sucks. Maybe we can hire someone for you to cheat on me with and make her sign a contract of confidentiality.”

  Liam thought about it hard for a few long seconds before shrugging it off. “I’m stealthy. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Okay,” Amanda snorted. She suspected he probably was stealthy anyway – there had to be hundreds of women he had slept with that the media had never known about.

  “For example, I just noticed the idiots across the room without actually looking at them,” Liam said.

  “What idiots?”

  “The ones recording us on their phones,” he answered nonchalantly, reading through his menu. “Doesn’t usually happen here.”

  “Well, just make the best of it,” Amanda said simply. Before she could suggest how, Liam slid down the booth, sidling up next to her and draping an arm around her shoulder. She held her breath.

  “Alright.” He leaned in close, his lips grazing her ear. “This is me whispering sweet nothings to you,” he said in a smoldering voice. Amanda burst out laughing, covering her mouth as he continued. “Now I’m complimenting something about you, probably not your ridiculous outfit,” he whispered through a smile. She rolled her eyes.

  “I’m being receptive despite the fact that you’re a total douche,” Amanda murmured, daring to take his hand.

  “Nice touch,” he said. “You ready?” he asked.

  “For wha – ”

  Liam cupped her face with his free hand and kissed her on the lips. The shock eventually subsided into amusement. She was kissing Liam Brody. He was pretending to like it. She kind of was too. Through a laugh, she kissed him back. Before Amanda knew it, the unreal moment was over and she thankfully hadn’t done anything extremely embarrassing. An A-List actor had just kissed her in public and she had been too amused by their previous banter to really think about it. Liam leaned back in his seat to watch her laugh.

  “I can tell you’re actually happy right now because you have one of those ugly laughs.”

  Amanda wiped the tears in her eyes that had emerged from cackling so hard. “You’re so annoying. You’re worse than I could’ve imagined.”

  “I’m glad we’re having this conversation. It’s good to hash things out.”

  “Totally,” Amanda agreed, fanning at her face as she came down from her hysterics. Her cheeks actually felt sore from laughing so hard. “God, I hope they didn’t get all of that.”

  “Oh, they did,” Liam replied simply, barely able to peck her cheek without snorting. “But it’ll be good for us.”

  VIDEO: YES, THAT’S LIAM’S NEW GIRLFRIEND!

  Celeb-O-Matic

  January 13 12:02AM

  Can’t believe it? Well try!

  Liam Brody proved his doubters wrong tonight when he dined at Lilac with his latest lady – the mystery woman whom he was spotted with yesterday at his SoHo apartment. Holding hands in a cozy booth, Liam romanced 22-year-old Amanda Nathan, who was identified by a close friend to Celeb-o-Matic. A video even shows the couple sharing a steamy kiss during their romantic dinner. Could this bewitching brunette be the one for Liam?

  “He checked out the hostess, but she didn’t care,” cited an onlooker. “She just laughed at him and he laughed back. They seemed really comfortable together.”

  Incredible! Could it be that someone has finally tamed the beast? Who in the world is this young woman who seems to have done what world-famous models and actresses couldn’t do? A look on her official website gives only vague clues, boasting images of flowery plains and a particularly interesting set of photos – one of a charming mom-and-pop restaurant featuring the sign “L.J’s Diner.” Below, a caption reads, “Right before we left for NY.” Could it be that she and Liam dined at the quaint eatery before their flight to New York? For now, no one knows, but we can only hope that more pictures are posted to provide a few more glimpses into the life of Liam that we never knew.

  In the meantime, here’s to Amanda Nathan and a Hollywood romance that we can root for!

  SO SHE WASN’T THE MAID, GUYS.

  January 13 4:21PM

  Posted by FilmFreak

  HDU via Pop Rock Gossip

  Liam Brody has officially stepped out with new girlfriend, 22-year-old blogger Amanda Nathan. Brody, known for his repertoire of supermodel exes, has shocked just about everyone by showing off his new relationship with Nathan, a virtual unknown in the Hollywood world. Could this be some sort of publicity stunt? A video of the couple at New York’s Lilac seems to prove otherwise.

  Footage recorded of the date shows the lovebirds laughing and whispering throughout most of the night, even sharing a hot and heavy kiss right before dinner. Also seen in the video is a confident Nathan unruffled by Brody’s wandering eyes around a flirty hostess.

  “This is a sign of a true and healthy relationship,” says celebrity analyst Monica Kinsey. “We’ve heard a lot about jealousy issues with Liam’s former girlfriends. Here, Amanda appears at ease and can even joke with Liam about his behavior – she is confident that there is nothing to worry about, and he is unabashed because he knows that she knows this.”

  (Hold on… is this real life?? Somebody find Pretty and ask her what she thinks about this because I don’t know how to feel right now. I thought Liam Brody was supposed to be HDU’s favorite douchelord. What’s going on? :-( - FF )

  TOP COMMENTS

  so_effin_cute

  publicity stunt. liam brody is a pervy asshole and always will be

  howboutno89

  i want to believe this for how sweet it’d be but i feel like she’s got to be a paid actress. if not, he’ll prob cheat on her FAST

  mrstylerchase

  idgaf that video is kind of adorable. but ia with everyone, he’ll probably cheat on her

  Amanda chewed her fingernail as she rounded the corner of her hotel, spotting the French bistro she had dined at the day before. It was surreal to think that such a short time ago, she was able to go somewhere unwatched and undisturbed. In a matter of twenty-four hours, everything had changed.

  “How are you liking New York, Amanda?”

  The question came from a stranger. Every paparazzo following her was strange, yet they acted so familiar.

  “Do you miss Missouri, Amanda?”

  “How was your dinner with Liam last night?”

  “When’s Princess coming to New York?”

  After he
anonymously identified her to Celeb-o-Matic the prior night, Ian had advised Amanda to briefly deactivate her Facebook. Strange facts about her had begun appearing on the Internet. Suddenly, the information known about her ranged from her middle name, Bree, to her affinity for her six-year-old cat, Princess, whom she had to leave back at home in Missouri. Ignoring over fifty new friend requests, Amanda deactivated her Facebook. It was a good move, she decided, and likely one of many more tips she would take from Ian.

  “You need to update your blog,” he murmured, sipping coffee behind shades as they made their way through the paparazzi. “I checked your traffic last night and it was kind of crazy.”

  Amanda had suspected as much. In about twelve hours, the subscribers on her blog had gone from none to over three hundred. Comments admired her photos, some musing over where they were taken, one identifying the location as Merit by recognizing L.J’s Diner.

  “Omg this girl is from my town…” it read. Amanda resisted replying to ask whom the commenter was, though she was certain she would know him or her as well. Merit was only so big – everyone knew each other and their business. Because of that, she was grateful that the person didn’t answer the questions from others that followed – everything from where Amanda may have met Liam to where she attended college to whether or not her ex-boyfriends were good-looking people. The burst of curiosity was what she and Ian had planned for, but Amanda soon realized that it was as disturbing as it was rewarding. Now anyone who knew anything about her could publish or sell the information to satiate the hungry blogosphere. And there was nothing she could do about it. It was simply the life of a public figure – the one she’d just signed up for. Apparently, consequences of celebrity included far more than being called “ugly” on HDU. It was a troubling thought. But even as she walked with Ian and a handful of aggressive paparazzi, she tried to remind herself that it was either New York or Merit, and Merit simply wasn’t an option anymore.

  As she and Ian entered a boutique, a photographer shouted one last question in hopes of eliciting any sort of answer.

  “You’re not cheating on Liam with this guy, are you?” he asked.

  Amanda gave a staccato laugh in response. Ian faced the crowd as he held the door open for her. “Yeah, no, I’m single. Please get that information out as soon as possible. Ian Marsh, I-A-N-M-A-R-S-H, is single and on the market,” he said, arousing a round of chuckles.

  Once inside the store, the shouts of questions stopped, but the four or five photographers stayed planted outside the door and window. Amanda quickly picked a rack of dresses to look through, afraid that if she idled even a moment, her anxiety would show through in her body language.

  “Now everyone’s going to know what I’m wearing tonight before I even wear it,” she chuckled nervously.

  Following their dinner at Lilac, and after seeing the widely positive reaction to their pairing on the Internet, Liam had decided to formally invite Amanda to a party being thrown by June, a women’s magazine covering fashion, lifestyle and A-list celebrity news. Amanda didn’t read the publication, but she’d read all about its behind-the-scenes drama on HDU years ago, when their editor-in-chief was fired for starring in a tawdry reality show deemed too “lowbrow” and “inconsistent” with the magazine’s brand. From that tale alone, she knew that this wasn’t a party to go to looking any sort of cheap or trashy. And of course, it would be her and Liam’s first couple’s outing among press, so she wanted to look decent. Though he didn’t seem to care if she would be wearing his sweater again, Amanda did.

  “Go for it,” Liam had shrugged when she said that she would be purchasing a new outfit for the night. “Just make sure to keep it dull, it’s supposed to be your thing.” Amanda had rolled her eyes at the comment but she didn’t smack him for it. To her own relief, she was getting used to his quick tongue and grating humor.

  “How about this?” Ian asked, sitting on a display table and nodding up at a mannequin wearing a strapless red mini dress.

  “Yeah, no,” Amanda snorted.

  “You’re supposed to go glam. It’s your first celebrity event.”

  “That’s not me, though,” she said, combing through the next rack of dresses, feeling eyes and lenses on her despite being turned away from the window. She hastily pulled out the first one that wasn’t a wildly loud color. “This might work.”

  Ian looked up, though his face of hope quickly fell. “Really?” He didn’t mask his look of disappointment as he stared at the high-neck, long-sleeved dress. It was a light jade in color with lace overlay of a similar shade.

  Amanda took a second to actually look at what she picked. She smiled. “I like it. It’s sweet,” she decided. Ian searched for a compliment.

  “Well, yeah. You’ll definitely look… like a nice girl.”

  Amanda laughed. “You think it’s prudish,” she said. “That’s fine. I’m just gonna go with this.”

  “Don’t you have to try it on?” Ian asked. Amanda made a face, glancing up at the paparazzi-crowded window and then the mirrored back wall of the boutique, where a small curtained dressing room would force her to step out to check her reflection. She preferred to have that moment of truth alone, in the privacy of her hotel room, without the cameras or even Ian.

  “Nah,” she shook her head, grabbing a black tunic off the racks and a pair of leggings from a table. “I’ll use this as back-up if the dress doesn’t fit.”

  Ian shrugged. “Whatever works for you.”

  Of course upon being rung up and realizing that the simple tunic and leggings cost nearly two hundred dollars combined, Amanda went with just the dress. She had had about four hundred dollars in her bank account before leaving Merit, and while Liam had recently written her the first check of their agreement, she still wanted to play it safe with her spending. There was always a possibility of ending up a waitress once her gig with Liam was up, so in the meantime, there was no need to be burning what money she had. After all, it really wasn’t much in New York.

  “I would’ve bought you the other outfit,” Ian said as they stepped out of the store.

  “Dude, you’ve done enough for me,” Amanda laughed. “I can totally live with just the dress. It’s still the nicest thing I’ve ever owned.” Just holding the tissue paper-stuffed shopping bag was enough to make her smile, even in the face of all the paparazzi. Perhaps owning something new and pretty had been the simple solution to boosting her confidence, because she was already feeling some sort of excitement for the night. If she miraculously fit the dress without having to suck in her stomach or buy a pair of Spanx, her week would be made.

  “Well, you’ll be able to own even more nice things once we get people to advertise on your blog,” Ian said. “Or read a book of your memoirs. Or something like that.”

  “Who’s going to want to advertise on my blog or read a book of my memoirs?” Amanda snorted.

  “People. It happens once you start to get a good enough following. People want more from you so you release a book, a perfume, you do book signings, et cetera,” Ian answered. He hushed his voice. “And that starts with you actually writing something on your blog. You have to give the world a little dirt – let them know who you are and what Liam’s like around you. They’re still totally confused as to how you two got together.”

  Amanda snorted. “Thanks.”

  “It’s a good thing. They’re fascinated.” Ian shot his coffee cup into a trashcan like a basketball. “The only thing people love more than an underdog story is a Cinderella story, and you’re both. So take advantage of that.”

  Amanda arched her eyebrows. “Okay. And should I be paying you for all this consulting?”

  “Pfft, no. Money doesn’t mean anything to me,” Ian said. “Just don’t get too good for me when you’re all famous,” he joked. “Deal?”

  She laughed. “Deal.”

  ~

  Shit, I should’ve tried it on first.

  Amanda stared down at her bare knees. She had purchased the ja
de dress for its sufficient amount of coverage, and while it offered quite a bit up top, there wasn’t much of it past her upper thigh. The hem ended just five or six inches below her crotch. It was officially her nicest but shortest dress ever.

  After pulling on a pair of new opaque tights she had picked up from a Duane Reade, Amanda dared to look in the mirror. It wasn’t the worst reflection in the world. In fact, it wasn’t bad at all. The dress fit, no Spanx needed. But her semi-bare legs presented to her a distraction. Never having performed a squat or any sort of toning exercise, they were vulnerable and unprepared for such exposure. They would soon be exposed to camera flashes and worldwide Internet commentary. The thought was terrifying.

  Heels. Amanda snapped her fingers, immediately digging through her suitcase and pulling out a pair of basic, black pumps inherited from Megan. She slipped her feet in them and clomped over to the mirror, marveling at how instantly better she looked as well as how instantly numb her toes felt. The price of beauty, she told herself, though the word “beauty” made her laugh.

  As she picked up her phone to alert Liam that she was ready to be picked up, the sound of footsteps in the hallway stopped her. Amanda stepped out into the sitting area, both hands on her hips. “Are you kidding?” she said aloud just as her hotel door swung open.

  “Christ,” Liam said, surprised. “Were you standing there the whole time?”

  He looked handsome in his crisp white shirt and charcoal blazer, but she was almost too peeved to notice. “No, I heard you coming up and I was in disbelief that you were barging in again without knocking,” Amanda said, ignoring the way his eyebrows lifted at the sight of her feet.

  “High heels,” he said.

  “Observant,” Amanda noted.