"SURPRISE!"

  Emma was shaken to her core wheered the living room, only to find most of the people she cared about gathered there. Both her parents with their respective partners, her brother Alex, her step-siblings—Toby, Lucy, and Nina—and most importantly, Troy.

  "Oh my God!" she excimed. "I thought you were in Los Angeles!" she said to Troy.

  He shrugged casually. "I took a flight back. I couldn't miss your birthday, could I?" He stepped forward and pced a chaste kiss on her lips before engulfing her in a hug. "Happy birthday, Em."

  All her earlier anger vanished in moments as soon as Troy embraced her. At that moment, she didn't care about anything else at all.

  "Fod's sake!" her father, Chris Watson, grumbled in the background. "This is the first time I've seen her in weeks, and she didn't even look at me properly."

  "e on, Chris," her mother chided him. "Don't be such a spoilsport. You know what it means to be young and in love."

  "If it means gross kisses, I'm fine being single," Alex said matter-of-factly.

  Emma quickly separated from Troy and turo her brother. "Shut up, Alex!" Then she walked over to her dad and gave him a tight hug. "Thanks for ing, Dad."

  "Of course, princess," her dad said, kissing the top of her head lovingly. "Why don't we have some cake now?"

  The hour was the happiest Emma had been in a long time. Everyone ughed, enjoyed, and had a great time together. Then it was time fifts. While the gifts from her siblings were fairly generic, her mum upped the ante by getting her a cool el bag. Not to be outdone by his ex-wife, her dad gave her a pair of beautiful diamond earrings.

  "Thank you so much, Dad," she said, hugging him tightly. "How did you know I wao get my ears pierced?"

  Chris chuckled nervously. "I didn't. I thought that if you didn't like them, we could exge them for something else."

  "I love them!" Emma gushed excitedly.

  "Troy," her mum called out. "Only yift is left now."

  Emma turo Troy eagerly to see what he had brought for her, only to find him looking around nervously.

  "My gift is a little unusual," he said. "I don't know how good it will turn out to be."

  "I'm sure I'll love it," Emma reassured him. "What is it?"

  Troy took a deep breath. "I didn't want to do this in front of everyone, but you haven't left me a choice. Oh, well." He shrugged before walking over to the piano.

  Emma was fused. She khat Troy had been taking music lessons for years and had a really amazing voice, but what did that have to do with her gift?

  Troy sat in front of the piano and pyed a few test notes before he began for real. The melody that emerged was solemn and a little sad, but Emma liked it heless.

  [All of Me - John Legend]

  ~: What would I do without your smart mouth?

  Drawin' me in and you ki' me out

  You've got my head spinnin', no kiddin'

  I 't pin you down:~

  Emma's eyes widened in amazement as she heard the beautiful opening phrase of the song. Troy's voice was as smooth as ever, haviled after the initial voice cracks typical of boys his age. There was a deep longing in his void eyes, and he hadn't looked away from Emma once.

  ~: What's goin' on in that beautiful mind?

  I'm on yical mystery ride

  And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me

  But I'll be alright

  My head's uer, but I'm breathing fine

  You're crazy and I'm out of my mind:~

  Emma couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face. Troy paused, took a deep breath, and sang what would bee the most important part of the song.

  ~: 'Cause all of me

  Loves all of you

  Love your curves and all yes

  All your perfect imperfes

  Give your all to me

  I'll give my all to you

  You're my end and my beginnin'

  Even when I lose, I'm winnin'

  'Cause I give you all of me

  And you give me all of you, oh-oh:~

  Troy's voice hit the high note perfectly, leaving everyounned by the beauty with which the notes resonated in the quiet house. Emma's eyes watered, overwhelmed by the love aion in Troy's words, voice, and eyes. She had never felt like this before.

  Over the few minutes, Emma was mesmerized by her boyfriend's haunting voice as he poured all his feelings into a so just for her. If she had looked around, she would have seen she wasn't the only one moved to tears by the melody.

  ~: I give you all of me

  And you give me all of you, oh-oh.:~

  Troy fihe song on a high unning everyoh his incredible vocals. It took a few moments for the room to realize the song was over before loud appuse filled the space.

  "Thank you," Troy said, bowing to the audiehough his eyes never left Emma. "I didn't know if it came out alright."

  Instead of answering, Emma ran up to him and hugged him tightly. Not oo disappoint, Troy scooped her up in his arms. Emma followed up by kissing him again, not g that her family was watg.

  "See, she's goal," Alex ented from the background. "It was just a song. The dress I gave her was much better."

  "Shut up, Alex," both of Emma's parents rebuked him in unison, grinning at each other.

  (Break)

  "Are you sure it'll be fine?" Emma asked, gng nervously around for hidden cameras.

  "Chill out, will you?" I said, looping her arm around mine. "We're just here to see a movie. The more casual you act, the less likely people will reize you. Don't do anything that draws attention."

  "You should've thought of that before wearing those," she said, eyeing my Crocs. I had pleted my look with a loose-fitting white jacket, bck cargo pants, a hip-hop cap, and sungsses. It was so different from my usual style that even I might not have reized myself. Emma, meanwhile, wore a casual pink t-shirt, denim pants, and, of course, shades.

  I sighed. "Not this again, Emma. I told you, they're fy."

  Emma shook her head but thankfully dropped the subject. "So, which movie are we seeing today?"

  "[Kill Bill: Volume 2]," I said excitedly. "I just love Quentin Tarantino's work. He may be a terrible human being, but you 't argue that his art is great."

  "What did he do?" Emma asked spiratorially.

  I sighed. "In an interview with Howard Stern st year, he defended Roman Ponski and implied it was the girl's fault."

  Emma's eyes widened. "And you still want to watch his film? Especially given the charity you're supp?"

  I shrugged. "I separate art from the artist. Also, Tarantino didn't do all that stuff—Ponski did. I wouldn't work with him anytime soon, but if I meet him, I'll definitely give him a piey mind."

  Emma looked at me skeptically. "Are you sure we'll eve in? Aren't his films 18+ because of the violend gore?"

  "Don't worry about it. Paolo's with us," I said, gng behind at my security guard, who followed us from a safe distance. "He's already bought the tickets and will give us enough privacy to enjoy the movie in peace. e on now, leave all your worries behind. This is teically our first date in publi't ruin it."

  While I was reassuring her, I was worried as hell. Despite being together for over a year, this was the first time we were "going out" in public. Public outings could be dangerous with the paparazzi and amateur photographers lurking around. But Emma was the sweetest girl in the world, and I didn't wao miss out on the simple joys of life, like going on a movie date with her boyfriend.

  Emma had once mentioned how she could never go on a public date. I felt bad for her, so I decided to make it happen as a sed birthday gift. Sure, it was a few days te, but it was better than nothing.

  True to my word, it didn't take us long to get in and find our seats.

  "We're really early," Emma remarked idly as we settled into the empty VIP box reserved for the two of us. "The trailers haven't even started yet."

  "Didn't you just say you didn't want to be reized? That's why I brought you here early, so we don't run into anyone."

  Emma seemed to like that response and cuddled close to me. I could get used to this very easily.

  Being rid famous had its perks. When I phis date, I searched for a theater that offered VIP movie viewing with a private box. I had booked that entire box for us. It gave us privacy without cutting us off from the live audience rea. Paolo sat i row of the box, while Emma and I were in the front.

  Suddenly, the s lit up.

  "Looks like the trailers are starting," Emma noted idly.

  She was right, but instead of a movie trailer, a ercial started pying—a product I was very familiar with.

  Emma turo me with a grin as I appeared on the s. "You didn't tell me this would e out so soon."

  "I didn't kher," I said holy. "I thought it would take at least a few months."

  In the ercial, I was getting a photoshoot done, nearly blinded by the stant camera fshes. From head to toe, I was dressed in high-end clothes and shoes. As I left the studio, fans and paparazzi swarmed me, and I barely escaped by running inside my home. Once I was safely inside, I heaved a sigh of relief.

  Then, in a ical twist, I gnced around to make sure no one was watg before unbuttoning my shirt, and l my trousers and underwear, tossing them dramatically against the wall. I threw my shoes away as well. Though I wasn't actually naked while filming, the ercial cleverly avoided showing the skin-colored briefs I was wearing at the time, fog instead on my toorso.

  At that point, a pair of Crocs walked toward me on their own. They were being pulled by strings that had beeed out in the post-produ. I melted, seeing my favorite footwear, and immediately slipped them on without hesitation. Then I lounged on the couch, wearing nothing but my Crocs. My feet, resting on the coffee table, strategically blocked any view of my briefs.

  I'm not a narcissist, but that shot was stunning. I'd worked out relentlessly before the shoot, stig to a strict exercise routine and a water-restrictive diet. The results were obvious—my muscles were chiseled, from my pey abs, biceps, calves, and thighs. Every part of my body was in peak dition. My expressions in the ercial came out perfectly, making it look aesthetic rather than vulgar in my opinion.

  "Crocs," I finally spoke in the ercial. "The only thing you'll o wear for fort."

  And then the ad ended.

  "So, how was it?" I asked Emma, who was staring at me, wide-eyed.

  "Hello?" I snapped my fingers in front of her face. "Cat got your tongue?"

  "Holy shit!" Emma excimed. "That was super hot! Why didn't you tell me it was going to be like that?"

  "You don't mind?" I asked, surprised. "I was worried there might be some backsh because of my age. This whole ad was my idea. I wao do something bold that would make everyoice the brand."

  "Oh, trust me, they'll defiake notiow," Emma said with a grin. "You don't do anything halfway, do you?"

  I shrugged ily. "What's the point of anything if it's reme? As long as you like it, I don't care about anything else."

  "Are your parents okay with it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "They… don't know yet," I admitted slowly. "Hopefully, they won't make a big deal about it."

  Sensing my , Emma ged the subject by snuggling closer to me and whispering in my ear, "That reminds me, when I see you like that in person?" She traced her finger along my bicep, ay chest, and slowly down toward my abs. I caught her hand just before it reached the pce it shouldn't.

  "No," I said firmly. "I've told you many times I'm not fortable with that. Don't push me on this. Give me a few years, at least."

  She pouted but didn't say anything more. I smiled and kissed her softly to distract her. Something I did successfully.

  Soon, the movie started, and we fot about our little disagreemeirely.

  (Break)

  (Fshback)

  Scott Seamans, one of the founders of Crocs, looked pretty unfortable after hearing my pitch for the advertisement.

  "It's very… provocative," he said after searg for the correct word. "We are a fledgling brand. Don't you think that will create a lot of ive publicity for us?"

  "No," I shook my head. "We need all publicity that we get. Remember, initially, there is no such thing as ive publicity. We need as many people to see the ad as possible, and we don't have that big of a budget for the promotions. So we have to create something that will promote itself. Just shoot this ad, and every major media el will advertise our brand for us."

  Scott didn't look that vinced by my argument. Thankfully, Lyndon and Gee, the other founders did and they somehow vinced Scott as well. The rest, as they say, was history.

  (Fshbad)

  emas weren't the only pce where the ercial pyed out. The same ercial yed in all English-speaking tries, including the US, the UK, and Australia. A slightly modified version yed in other European tries where instead of Troy speaking about Crocs, the same line is written on s in the respective nguage.

  That was where Crocs erating at the moment. They po expand to Afri and Asian regions as well, but it will take some time. As expected by Troy, Crocs didn't have to spend a lot of money on running advertisements because their work was done for them.

  Breaking News!

  "Troy Armitage, best known for pying the titur role of [Harry Potter], has started a new troversy by appearing nearly naked in a TV ercial for an up-and-ing footwear brand called 'Crocs'. You see the ad pying on your s."

  "It is abhorrent behavior from a brand to sexualize a 15-year-old so btantly. See in this video how they are portraying an iional i so lewdly."

  "For a major headline in a neer, people stoop to any level. They didn't even leave our kids alone. See the video pying beside me."

  As expected by almost everyo created a backsh. Not just where the advertisement yed, but worldwide. Harry Potter was an iional sensation after all, and seeing their beloved child character like that caused quite a stir. The hypocrisy of these news els wasn't lost on ahat they were pying the same ad again and again while calling it 'lewd'.

  But it did have an ued sequence as well. Ued for the founders of Crocs at least. All iory of Crocs was sold out within weeks of the first airing of that ercial.

  _____________________________________

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