“Why does everyone need to know?” Artemis asks, giving you an irritated glance. She’s already explained her reasoning. “I love you, you know I do. Isn’t that enough?”
She likes her fans and she’s grateful for them, but she doesn’t want to hear their opinions about her relationship. You’re hers, not theirs to gawk at. The last thing she wants to see is your relationship blasted all over social media with assumptions. She’s always been private, but after joining Cherry Burns, she’s become even more so.
It’s not that she doesn’t want to show you off. Paparazzi’ll eventually take pictures, word’ll spread. No one can control that; she will, however, put it off as long as possible. She’s not sure how you’ll handle the sudden fame, or how’ll she’ll be able to hold herself back from any rude comments made about you.
Artemis’ face softens. “Baby,” she says, cupping your cheek, “I love you, but I want us to keep our relationship a secret for as long as we can.”
When Cherry Burns first started gaining popularity, “fans” started digging into her past. Not only did they expose her as being trans before she could talk about it publicly, but they leaked her childhood home’s address. Artemis hadn’t lived there in years—not after being kicked out with June—but the incident stuck with her.
You don’t need to deal with that. She wants you safe, unknown to anyone who’d hurt you. Because, no matter how bluntly she speaks, Artemis adores you. She’s jumped from relationship-to-relationship before, this is different. She’s dating you and she’s serious about it.