Clickbait (Off the Record Book 1)

by Garett Groves

  19

  Kile

  “What have I missed?” I asked Joel as I sat down beside him at the giant table in The Flame’s office. It’d been days since I’d set foot there, a fact the staff hadn’t let me forget since I walked in.

  “Everything. Literally everything. Walker Matthews is running for president,” Joel said.

  “What? Seriously?” I asked.

  “Calm down, Joel. He announced the formation of a PAC, not that he was officially running. Not yet, anyway,” Nate said.

  “Oh, please, then he’s definitely going to run,” I said.

  “Exactly,” Joel said. “So we’ve been kinda scrambling to cover that since the announcement was made early this morning.”

  “What are we saying about it?”

  “Well, the interesting thing is that Matthews isn’t just the first openly gay candidate to run, he’s also the first to run without being married or in a long-term relationship,” Joel said.

  “Damn, that’s perfect for us,” I laughed. “Honestly, I didn’t give a shit about him being the first gay candidate, that’s hardly radical anymore, but the relationship bit is big news. I want him on the site, stat, and preferably with a quote about not needing to be in a relationship to be happy or successful,” I said, feeling more than a little hypocritical as I said it.

  “Yeah, that’s exactly why we’ve been so excited about him. We’ve got a request for comment in at his office right now and we’re waiting for an answer. It’s crazy how fast things are changing at the national level,” Joel said.

  “I think you guys are getting ahead of yourselves with this, but what do I know?” Nate said.

  “Why are you being such a Debbie Downer? That’s Joel’s job,” I said and Joel laughed.

  “I dunno. There’s no way the guy’s gonna win, so who cares if he’s already raised a few million bucks? His own party will sabotage him. He’s too radical, too fringe. They can’t control him.”

  “And that’s exactly why he stands to win,” I said. “Think about it. Americans are more polarized now than ever before and they’re hungry for a radical change. Someone like Matthews who doesn’t have a lot of baggage, personally or politically, could really fill that need.”

  “I don’t think so. As radical as he is as a person, his policy positions are about as milquetoast as you can get,” Nate said. “But whatever, I’m not really here to try and convince you guys not to cover him. You and Joel know much better than I do about this stuff. I’m sure Matthews will be good for traffic.”

  “He definitely will. Do you guys really think we might be able to land an interview with him? I mean, I know he’s not going to give us anything concrete, not at this early stage in the game, but still… If we scored an interview with a potential presidential candidate it would be huge,” I said.

  “All we can do is try. Like I said, we’ve already reached out to start the conversation,” Joel said.

  “Perfect. Have I missed anything else of importance?” I asked.

  “Not really, no. Other than Matthews, it’s pretty much been business as usual,” Nate said.

  “I’m not sure I like that,” I said. “Does that mean you’ve all just been lazing around and not trying to dig anything up?”

  “No, not at all. It’s just been slow for news and opinions this week,” Joel said. “But enough about us. How are things going with you and Taylor on the documentary?”

  “They’re going. Thank God we’re almost finished,” I said and Joel chuckled.

  “You make it sound like it’s the worst thing in the world,” he said.

  “Because it kind of is. How would you like to spend three weeks being interrogated by Mr. Traditional Taylor?” I couldn’t very well tell them I’d slept with Jeff this past weekend and I definitely couldn’t tell them that we were now officially dating. Joel knew that we’d gone to dinner together and based on my conversations with Jeff about our mutual need for secrecy, that was all I planned for Joel to know. If my time with Jeff sounded awful then they wouldn’t ask any questions.

  “Fair enough. But at least we’re getting something out of it, right?” Joel asked. I’m getting way more out of it than you’ll ever know, I thought, my mind briefly flashing back to the feeling of Jeff’s weight on top of me, his cock inside of me… I kicked myself mentally for falling down that rabbit hole.

  “Yeah, and I constantly have to remind myself of that fact,” I said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all bad, but I’d much rather be here with you all making these kinds of decisions.”

  “Well, there’s nothing stopping you from doing just that,” Joel said. “You brought him here once, why don’t you bring him in again? It might be kind of cool to let him and the rest of the world see how we make decisions.”

  “And let him overhear all of this stuff? You’re out of your mind. No, it’s best if we keep as much separation between this office and my project with him as possible,” I said. And for my own sanity too, I thought. The idea of having him in here again, in the one personal safe haven I had from The Jeff and Kile Show, made my heart race and my palms sweat. I wouldn’t allow it, not again, especially now that the stakes were so high.

  “Hey Joel!” Lane called from somewhere within the office.

  “Yeah? I’m in the War Room,” Joel called back.

  “You’ve got a call on line one,” Lane said. Joel reached for the phone on the table in front of him, picked it up and pushed the button to take it.

  “This is Joel,” he answered. “Oh, hey, Lee! Funny you should call, I was just talking with Kile about the documentary,” he said and my heart froze in my chest. What the hell was Lee calling about? And why was he calling Joel instead of calling me? “Yeah, he’s right here, did you want to talk to him? Sure, hold on,” he said and passed me the receiver, his hand held over the mic so Lee couldn’t hear us. “It’s Lee. Says he wants to talk to you.”

  “This can’t be good,” I sighed as I took the phone. “Hi, Lee. How are you?” I asked, trying my best to sound jovial—it wasn’t easy. Lee was the last person I wanted to talk to right now. I’d come to The Flame today to try and take my mind off of everything about Jeff and the stupid documentary and now here he was crashing back into my headspace.

  “Kile! Long time, no talk. I don’t want to keep you. I was just curious if you’d like to meet me for lunch this afternoon so we can catch up. Are you free?” he asked and if my heart had been frozen with fear before it shattered into a thousand tiny ice shards now. I couldn’t say no so I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice steady.

  “Yeah, that sounds great. Where’d you want to meet?”

  “How about Adam’s Diner? They’ve got the best brunch in town. I love that place,” he said and goosebumps raged across my skin. Adam’s Diner? Does he know something is up? Fuck, I thought.

  “Adam’s is perfect,” I lied. In fact, I wanted to avoid the place like the plague but Lee seemed determined. He had to know something was going on.

  “Great. When are you free?”

  “Anytime this afternoon, really. I’m just here at the office trying to get a grip on everything I’ve missed.”

  “No shooting today?”

  “I think I’m meeting up with Jeff later this afternoon,” I lied again. I hadn’t heard from him since last night when I’d texted him to tell him I was going to work today and he wasn’t invited. But I knew I’d almost have to meet with Jeff now, both to make good on my lie and to talk with him about whatever the hell Lee was about to drop on me.

  “Good, good. Alright, how about 12:30, then?”

  “I’ll see you there,” I said.

  “Can’t wait,” Lee answered and hung up the phone. I sat in stunned silence until Joel took the phone from me and put it back on the hook.

  “What was that all about?” he asked.

  “Lee wants to meet me for lunch.”

  “So what?”

  “It’s weird, that’s all,” I said, trying
my best to regain my composure so Joel didn’t start suspecting things, too. That was the last thing I needed right now, especially with Lee breathing down my neck.

  “Maybe he wants to talk about future opportunities,” Joel said. I doubt that, I thought. “Or maybe he wants to buy out The Flame after all,” he continued with a smile. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with my relationship with Lee and NewSpin but if by some long shot he offered me my own show it’d be hard to walk away.

  “I don’t think so, but I guess we’ll see,” I said. I checked my phone and realized it was already 12 o’clock so if I was going to meet Lee on time I needed to get going. “Shit, I need to go,” I said. “He wants to meet me at 12:30. Can you guys hold down the fort?”

  “We’ve been doing it for weeks, boss,” Joel said with a wink. “We’ll be fine.”

  Good for you, because I’m not sure I will, I thought as I gathered my things and tore out of the office toward the train station.

  I stepped off the train into the cold and whipping wind near Logan Circle about 20 minutes later wondering what was about to happen. Jeff’s building loomed overhead and I considered texting him to tell him about Lee but thought better of it almost instantly. If Jeff knew about me meeting with Lee he’d flip out, and the last thing I wanted was to rock the boat. I can handle this, I told myself. Besides, he probably just wants to talk shop. I doubt it’s anything serious.

  The walk to Adam’s Diner from the station only took another few minutes and when I passed the front windows I saw Lee sitting inside. He waved at me cheerily and a feeling of dread grew in the pit of my stomach. Why couldn’t he have just called me if there was something minor he needed to talk about?

  “Hey, Lee,” I said as I sat down in the booth across from him. A mug of coffee steamed between his hands.

  “Hey, Kile. How’ve you been?” he asked.

  “Alright, I guess. Making this documentary has been a rollercoaster ride, that’s for sure,” I answered truthfully. Lee didn’t know the half of why it’d been so stressful—or at least I hoped he didn’t.

  “I bet. It’s a tight production schedule, but you and Jeff are doing a phenomenal job. I think it’s going to be a real hit once it’s finished up.”

  “Oh, definitely, especially after we all promote the hell out of it.”

  “I love your enthusiasm,” he said, smiling. “Do you want a coffee or anything? The wait staff is a little slow today but I can flag them down if you’re thirsty.”

  “No, that’s OK. I’m all caffeinated and ready to go.”

  “How about something to eat? It’ll be my treat.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m useless at the office after I eat. You know, carb coma and all of that,” I said and he laughed.

  “Alright, suit yourself. So, I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked to meet with you.”

  “Busted,” I said and he laughed.

  “Look, I don’t know how else to say this so I’m just going to say it. I know about you and Jeff,” he said and my throat tightened such that I couldn’t breathe.

  “I’m sorry?” I asked, playing stupid and praying my facial expression didn’t give me away.

  “Come on, Kile. You’re a great actor but you’re not fooling me. I don’t know how deep it is but I know you and Jeff are definitely more than coworkers these days,” he said.

  “How do you know that?”

  “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out,” he said. “Besides, the writing was on the wall. With the chemistry you two have, it was almost destined to happen.”

  “I don’t really want to talk about this,” I said.

  “That’s fine. We don’t have to get into details. The reason I brought it up at all is that I’d like to include that part of things in the show,” he said and at once everything clicked into place in my brain.

  As devious as it was, I had to admit it was brilliant in a way and would almost certainly work—two people from opposite worlds start off hating each other and over the course of three weeks become so much more. The slogans and ad copy practically wrote themselves. Part of me was angry I hadn’t thought of it first.

  Still, I couldn’t and wouldn’t do that to Jeff, not after what we’d shared. I wasn’t necessarily above selling myself and my own image if it meant raising my profile and that of The Flame, but it wasn’t just me involved in this. I liked Jeff, more than I would’ve ever thought possible at the start of this, and I didn’t want to ruin what we’d begun for the sake of ratings or views or any of that crap. My relationship with Jeff was still very new but I didn’t want to jeopardize it.

  “No,” I said flatly and Lee smirked.

  “I had a feeling you might say that,” he said. “Kile, think about how much more of a success this series could be if we included a romance element for the audience. They’d eat it up. The two of you could be the next social media power couple, maybe the first ever gay one to exist. The Kardashians wouldn’t have anything on the two of you.”

  “No. Absolutely not. Doing that would destroy the brand I’ve been building for years. If the world found out that Mr. Anti-Love is now dating the guy he’s supposed to hate, the same guy who ridiculed his anti-love views on national TV, they’d cook me in every way imaginable in the press.”

  “So you two are together,” Lee said.

  “No. I said if they found out we were dating. We’re not,” I said.

  “Then how do you explain this?” he asked and let a magazine slap onto the table. I almost laughed when I saw that it was an issue of the District Inquirer—an infamous rag of a tabloid that spent all of its pages trashing celebrities—until I took a longer look.

  On the cover were several photos of Jeff and me: a grainy photo of the two of us at Politics and Pages; a much higher resolution one at maxbar, seemingly taken from outside the restaurant and from far away, and a dark, almost unintelligible photo of the two of us leaving the alley behind the diner together.

  “What the hell is this?” I asked, my heart hammering in my chest.

  “You tell me,” Lee said.

  “It’s made up tabloid drama,” I said, pushing the magazine away from me.

  “Maybe for now it is. But what happens when the rest of the world catches on?” he asked and I spun away from the seat I was in, my head filled with a buzzing sound I couldn’t seem to shake. Our relationship was over before it’d even really started. How could I have been so stupid? I thought and something I’d said to Jeff at maxbar that night replayed over and over in my head: Isn’t the point of going to a place like this to be seen? We’d definitely been seen—and not by the right people. This was all my fault.

  “Does Jeff know about this?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” Lee said. “Look, Kile, I know this isn’t what you wanted to happen but we can get out in front of it and spin it to our advantage if we bake the relationship into the cake. If we let the tabloids run with this, it can get out of hand quickly but if we put it into the show, you keep total control of the message.” It made perfect sense for him to say. He wanted the drama for the sake of making a huge media splash with the show.

  “Why does this feel like blackmail?” I asked.

  “It’s not blackmail, it’s damage control,” he said with a smile. “Look, if we don’t do something about this it has the potential to get very ugly, very fast. It could sink the documentary before it’s even finished filming. I don’t want that and I don’t think you do either.”

  “No, of course I don’t. I have too much invested in this to let it go down in flames.”

  “Then work with me on this. If we build the relationship up in the series, show and emphasize little hints that things are heating up between the two of you, then we can pre-empt the paparazzi and it’ll all fall into place once the series airs and the public will go absolutely nuts for it.”

  “But this is real. This isn’t some imaginary, made up relationship we’re talking about here. It’s very real,” I said, speaking more to mysel
f than to Lee.

  “Which is exactly why you need to do it. If you want to have any sort of relationship with Jeff after this project is over, you have to make this work. Trust me, the press won’t be gentle with the two of you if this keeps going and you two don’t acknowledge it. It’ll get even worse if the series starts streaming and people find out after the fact. They’ll tear the show apart.”

  “What about Jeff?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him about it.”

  “No. Let me do it,” I said. I didn’t know if I’d be able to convince him but he’d be much more receptive if he heard the pitch from me rather than Lee.

  “Alright. It’s probably better that way. You know, speaking of Jeff, he came to talk to me this morning,” he said and again my heart rate soared.

  “So what? You’re his boss, isn’t that what he’s supposed to do?”

  “I think he’s got cold feet,” he said.

  “What? Why?” I asked, my head spinning. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. Maybe he had the jitters thanks to the developments over the weekend. Or maybe he was trying to prevent himself from getting hurt before it had the chance to happen. But it didn’t match up with what he’d said to me over breakfast Saturday morning in this very diner.

  “He asked my permission to interview someone, a very high profile someone, which would definitely take him away from his work with you if I allowed it.”

  “Who? Quit playing games with me.”

  “Walker Matthews,” Lee answered and I breathed a sigh of relief. Anyone who was anyone was trying to score an interview with Walker right now—including me.

  “Why would I care about that? Walker’s a hot commodity.”

  “Well, I only brought it up because I wanted to make sure things were OK between the two of you,” he said.

  “What’s going on between me and Jeff is none of your business.”

  “It wasn’t until this came about,” Lee said, jabbing his finger at the tabloid I’d dropped back on the tabletop. I didn’t have anything to say to that. “You’d probably better hold on to it if you’re gonna talk to Jeff,” he said, so I grabbed the rag of a tabloid, rolled it up, and stuffed it under one arm.