“I’m sure you know all bands receive their fair share of shipping and rumors—”
This can’t be happening.
“—and our readers want to know the truth!”
We’ll deny it, of course. But how did they hear about this to begin with? Who leaked something? Or did we slip up? I sneak a glance at Erin, who’s typing frantically on her iPad, her expression livid.
“Are you familiar with the term ‘Anjon’？” Elisa finishes.
I am extremely happy this footage isn’t going public, because I’m pretty sure the expression on my face went from “stricken terror” to “utter bewilderment” a little too obviously just now.
Jon, who’s sitting to my right, laughs. “Uh, I’ve seen a few people mention it in comments.”
Angel, who’s been slumped over throughout the interview with bags under his eyes, perks up for the first time in an hour. “We have a ship name? Why wasn’t I informed of this?”
Jon holds a finger up to the interviewers. “Hold on, this is off the record for a second.” Then he tilts his head and turns to Angel. “We have access to the same posts. They’re under every group photo. Why don’t you pay attention to anything?”
“I thought there was some guy called Anjon a few people were obsessed with! I figured they wanted him to join the band or something, I don’t know.”
“Oh, so, essentially, you thought it wasn’t about you so you didn’t process it?”
“Yes, exactly that, thank you.”
Jon gives him a long, tight smile, blinking rapidly, then returns to a front-facing position. “Okay, we’re ready to answer. We—”
“No, you’re not going to answer,” Erin cuts in, brandishing her iPad as she storms over to Elisa and Moritz. “Here. Your magazine agreed, in writing, to this list of blocked topics. This question is off-limits.”
Elisa is unperturbed. “We were told that any question about Zach and Ruben and romance was blocked. We were not given any directions about Jon and Angel.”
I glance at the others. Zach’s shrunk in his seat, fiddling with the zipper on his leather jacket. All I want to do is reach across Jon and Angel and take his hand—or at least squeeze his arm—but the three feet between us might as well be an ocean for all we’re allowed to interact outside of hotel rooms.
“Obviously any questions about romance within the band are going to encourage online speculation, though—”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Elisa says with an innocent shrug. “I do not understand.”
“But, really, ‘Anjon’？” Angel whispers, rubbing a palm across his eyes to wake himself up. He looks like he’s recovering from a particularly bad bout of the flu. “I guess we are the hot ones, but still. Why are they shipping us, of all people? Jon’s Catholic!”
Jon sighs. “I’m pretty sure you can be Catholic and gay, Angel.”
Angel does an exaggerated double-take. “Are you trying to tell me something here, buddy?”
“No!”
Moritz has jumped into the fray now. “If you ask me, it could be a good idea to focus on Anjon,” he says. “This could take the focus off of the other boys, no?”
“Nobody did ask you,” Erin snaps.
“Why are they asking about shipping at all?” Zach asks in an urgent whisper. “We’ve never gotten those questions before.”
“Yeah, but if in-band romance becomes a blocked question, it’s going to be pretty obvious why,” I murmur.
Zach pales. “So, what, everyone’s going to know? What the fuck? I haven’t even told my mom, I haven’t—”
I lean forward as far as I can, right up in Jon’s personal space. “Hey, breathe. It’s okay. They don’t know know. And they won’t tell anyone because they’d get so fucking sued. My sexuality’s been a blocked question from the start, and the public still thinks I’m straight.”
Zach nods, but he’s breathing rapidly, and his eyes are too wide. Jon does what I can’t, and reaches behind Angel to touch Zach’s shoulder briefly. And as much as I want it to be me doing that, I’m endlessly grateful to Jon for giving him a brief moment of comfort.
Erin steps back from Elisa, shaking her head with a scowl. Elisa and Moritz don’t look any happier about things, but they force smiles as they go back to their question list. “Okay,” Elisa says. “Um … What are you all most excited to do in Europe?”