*The first few chapters are re-uploaded to correct the mistypes that were pointed out to me. If you read it before, nothing's changed.*

Hi everyone!

First of all, I want you to know that this story is not a teen romance. Secondly, it's not based on real characters – any similarity you might recognize is purely coincidental. And lastly, I'm warning you, it's not when it gets complicated yet.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1 – Meet and greet

Amanda Connor opened the door to Jack Gable's office. He was the producer of a movie she was going about to take a part in as the leading actress.

"Good afternoon, Amanda. Thank you for joining us," Jack greeted her as soon as she entered the room. He was seated at his desk, two people facing him on the opposite side of the table. One of them was familiar to Amanda; he was the director of the film, known by the name Roger Foster. The second person was turned away from her, looking very concentrated on whatever he was reading, so she wasn't able to see his face. "Well, you've met Roger before," Jack gestured with his hand towards the older man, who nodded his head in a greeting. "And I would like you to meet this young man, who is going to play the part of Lucas. Shane Stone." The young man raised his head at the sound of his name and stood up immediately, turning around to face her.

"Nice to meet you," The guy shook her hand, giving her a small smile, which she returned politely. He was going to be her partner in the movie they were about to start working on and Amanda had wanted to meet him in person for a while. Of course, she recognized him from the screen, but she had never imagined she would share a movie with him. She still didn't know how she got so lucky. He wasn't much older than her, but his name was so much more familiar in the movies' industry. Everybody knew he was considered the rising star, the future of the cinematography.

Amanda took in his appearance, pleasantly surprised to see he wasn't much different in person than she had seen in movies and on talkshows. He was a well built man, quite obviously athletic and with a sense of style; his straight hair was a light shade of brown and ended around the middle of his neck in a slight disarray. But what had drawn Amanda's attention the most were his grey eyes with their piercing gaze, which was a surprising fact for such a young man like him.

"Amanda Connor," She introduced herself, still exploring his eyes with her own. It wasn't about the color or the shape at all. It was something beyond that, which intrigued Amanda quite a bit. There was a certain confidence in those eyes, almost rudeness, even though his behavior didn't leave the same impression.

"I'm sure you will get along just fine, so I suggest we begin," Jack spoke again and Shane took a few steps towards the window, offering Amanda his seat with an arm gesture, since there were only three chairs in the office and two of them were taken by the producer and the director.

"Thank you," Amanda said pleasantly and sat down.

"There are chairs outside the office, Shane," Jack informed him.

"It's okay, thanks," Shane replied calmly.

"Well, then we can get to work. First of all, I would like to talk to you about the schedule. You have to be ready for a busy one, because there is no much time and a lot of work to do ahead of us. Your first rehearsal is next Monday already, so I expect you to come prepared…"

***

Shane began reading his script while waiting for the head actress to arrive. She was supposed to be a very talented young actress, according to Jack, though without much experience. When he heard the door to the room open he hurried to finish the first scene, but then heard his name being pronounced in the background and left the reading to stand up and greet the girl.

Amanda Connor, she called herself. Shane found her voice musical in a way. She had a classic kind of beauty, with delicate features, long chocolate-colored hair and the most amazing eyes he had ever seen, in a color that he couldn't find a name for. It was a beautiful combination of a light green, a little gray and gold, like a sparkling gem. She smiled sweetly at him as he gave up on his seat for her and thanked him in that melodic voice of hers.

Did he like her?

Yes, undoubtedly. He found her beautiful and sweet and was thinking about how much he would like to get to know her during their work together. Amanda seemed very special to him and he hoped he wouldn't be disappointed, though he didn't really believe it would happen. Jack was talking about responsibility and devotion to work, but Shane barely listened. His eyes, as well as his mind, were focused on Amanda the whole time.

About an hour later Jack ended the meeting, letting them go home. Shane wondered whether the producer noticed he wasn't paying any attention throughout his speech. Not that he cared very much even if he did. Shane was there to do his job; there was no need to lecture him about responsibility, that's what they signed contracts for.

"Shane," He heard Roger address him when he was about to offer Amanda a ride home. A long conversation about the movie with Roger wasn't exactly what he had in mind at that moment. "Listen, I know that you're much more experienced than the girl, this is all new to her…"

"She'd made a couple of movies too," Shane protested, trying to shorten the conversation.

"Yeah, but not in the main role. There were small parts, nothing like the one she has now. I believe she's got talent, from what I've seen in the audition, but think she's going to need some guidance."

"Okay, you can count on me," Shane assured him, impatient to leave.

"I don't mean you have to give her private lessons or anything," At that point, Shane would've gladly given her private lessons. The more private, the better. "I just want you to…" Roger searched for the right words, but Shane didn't let him continue.

"I get your point. Help her out. Totally." Shane really didn't want to miss the opportunity to talk to Amanda and he knew that Roger wouldn't take his behavior as disrespect, so he shook the man's hand quickly, making sure it was the end of the conversation. "Don't worry; I'll do anything that's needed. I have to go now. See you on Monday." And with that he hurried to the hallway, hoping Amanda hadn't left yet.

Shane started jogging towards the building's exit, almost losing his script and schedule on the way. He stormed out of the lobby and to the parking lot, exactly in time to see Amanda kissing a tall, dark haired guy and then entering his red car with a joyful laughter. Of course she wasn't single. Girls like her never were.

Shane panted heavily from his pointless run. He felt a bit disappointed, but on second thought, he still had a few month of close work with her and then many events following the movie's release. And time could be crucial sometimes, change things…

***

"This is just not realistic!" Shade claimed stubbornly.

"It's no your call, Shane. Your part is to play the character, not to rewrite the script!" Roger protested.

"You know I'm right! Just like last time…" Shane continued to argue.

"Shane, what are you suggesting?" The director started to lose his patience.

"That we change it. Think about it, there is nothing in this scene that implies she's just playing and it seems like she truly feels that way."

"We can't change it," The older man replied firmly.

"Okay, then let's show her face while she's leaving me in the hallway. I'll be visible in the blurred background and her face in a close-up will show the real emotion… This could be a heartbreaking scene."

"Talk to Jack and the scriptwriters and whoever else there is. I don't make decisions like this."

"But you're the director! You make the movie. And we're not even changing the script really." Shane could tell that Roger was beginning to give in. "We both know I'm right. Hey, Amanda, what do you think?"

"I think it can be an awesome idea," She replied sincerely.

"Come on, Roger, let's do it," Shane continued to insist, although by the look on the director's face, he knew he already won.

"I don't know…" Roger's expression was pensive and Shane didn't miss his opportunity.

"If they don't like it, we can just… not add this part, that's all."

"Alright, you win. Let's try it." Shane let out a lout whoop and turned to Amanda.

"Now, Amanda, you have to show restrained sorrow. It has to be very evident in your eyes, but you can't cry and your face has to be expressionless."

"And how do I do that?" Amanda made an attempt to demonstrate what he described.

"No, no… Look, you're frowning a bit and your lips are shifting down. You're giving me a sad expression. I need sad eyes."

"Did you consider being a director, Shane?" They heard Roger from somewhere beside them.

"Yeah, when I'll be sure that I did everything I could in the acting department," Shane replied without turning away from Amanda. "You want me to show you how it has to look?" He spoke to her again.

"Let's see you." Amanda smirked. By the tone of her voice, Shane knew she didn't think he could do it. And no one could doubt Shane Stone's abilities… Especially not Amanda, whose opinion matter to him so much. She thought he was only showing off and he was going to prove her wrong. Although he already gave up on the hope that she would leave her boyfriend and he wasn't going to interfere, no matter what he thought of the said boyfriend.

"Okay, you got it…" Shane closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating to find the emotions he needed. Then he took in a deep breath and looked up at her.

Amanda gasped in surprise. She had been quite skeptic, unsure that what he was asking for was feasible, so when he fixed his penetrating gaze on Amanda, her heart skipped a beat and doubled its pace. She had no idea that so much emotion could be expressed only through the eyes, especially if those feelings weren't real. But against all expectations, the emotions in his eyes were not only overwhelmingly present, but also very clear, as if she was reading about them from an open book.

"Something like this," Shane said quietly, still not taking his eyes off of her. With this one action he'd won over her respect and even admiration. And he knew it. Too bad it wasn't exactly what he wanted.

"Wow…" Amanda exhaled and looked away, unable to bear the agony in his eyes, even though it was just an act. "Now you have to teach me how to do this."

"What's in it for me?" He asked quietly.

"What?"

"You want me to give away all the secrets of my success…" He joked. "What do I get in return?"

"You're the one, who wanted this part in the scene." She shrugged with fake indifference. "I can live without it."

"Oh, really..?" Shane pulled on an unsatisfied expression, then bent down and lifted Amanda, resting her on his shoulder. He carried her, supporting her body at the knees, as if she was a spoiled child that refused to obey.

"Stone!" She yelled, trying to hold back the laughter, and hit his back with her fists. "Let me down!"

"Calm down, Connor. You want me to drop you?" She stopped hitting him.

"Then let me down!"

"Wait just a second," He said calmly and then put her back down on her feet, exactly in the place where the scene between them started. "From here, after we finish the argument, you walk towards the third camera there," He pointed at the direction. "But you walk past it and the guys will make sure to show your face in the process," He explained and she wondered how he knew all of those things. "To do what I showed you before you need to fo –" He was cut off buy another voice.

"Mandy!" They turned around to see the dark-haired guy, also known as Amanda's boyfriend. He gestured her come to him.

"Mandy, huh?" Shane looked at her with a slightly mocking smile, for some reason.

"Yeah, what's the problem?" Amanda crossed her arms. "Everybody calls me Mandy."

"Oh no, then I can't do it. I have to be special," He announced.

"Really?" Amanda raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yes. I'll call you 'Am' from now on."

"Why 'Am'?" She couldn't help but laugh. "Is it even a name?"

"Now it is." Shane shrugged casually. "Because I have to be different. And no one else is allowed to call you like that." He knew he was flirting. More than that, he was doing it right in front of her boyfriend, but he didn't have any intentions to stop himself from doing it, or from enjoying it.

"Deal," Amanda laughed and hurried to find out what Jason was doing there in those hours of the morning. "Hey, what happened?" She asked him.

"Nothing, I wanted to ask if you'll –"

"Hey Am, why aren't you introducing your boyfriend to me?" Shane appeared at their side, as if out of nowhere. He acted casually and pleasantly, as if he didn't have the desire to break all of the bones in that Jason guy's body.

"Umm…" Amanda seemed a little confused for a moment. "Okay… This is Jason Mayden," She gestured towards her boyfriend. "And this is Shane Stone. Meet and greet."

"Hey, nice to meet you," Shane shook Jason's hand, putting a little more pressure than needed and enjoying Jason's attempt to ignore it. Amanda didn't seem to notice the tension between the two, though, as if their eyes weren't shooting bolts at each other.

"You too," Jason replied without much enthusiasm.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone now." Shane turned around and walked away, not showing a sign to that something wasn't for his taste.

"What the hell..?" He heard Jason say in a low, irritated voice. He smirked to himself.

***

"Amanda and Shane, you're next." They were waiting to their interview about the upcoming movie. So far Roger Foster was being interviewed in the room beside them as the director of the motion picture.

"I don't feel like doing this interview," Amanda complained. "Do it alone."

"I'm not more enthusiastic than you are, trust me." Shane stretched his legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankles.

"I bet she'll ask us about our relationship aside from work," Amanda said tiredly. "I put a dollar on it."

"I put two on her knowing you and Mayden are together," Shane replied, obviously bored.

"Are you implying my relationship is too public?" The young actress looked at him with annoyance and he found it adorable, the way she frowned almost childishly. Amanda was never too comfortable about public displays of affection and didn't want the details of her private life to be known and discussed.

"Relationship. Give me a break!" He scoffed, which made her even more irritated.

"What's wrong in my relationship with Jason?" She crossed her arms, but he didn't seem taken aback by her response. It hardly seemed to bother him.

"Jason himself," Shane chuckled.

"Shane!"

"What?" He asked innocently. "Alright, I'm sorry for wanting to see you with someone who's worth at least a hair on your head."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That he doesn't deserve you."

"You don't even know him!" Amanda felt the need to defend Jason for some reason.

"It's enough to see the way he treats you," Shane assured her.

"He treats me just fine!" She was getting angrier by the moment, although she knew she shouldn't react this way.

"Fine isn't –"

"Shane, Amanda! It's your turn!" They heard before Shane could finish his sentence. They kept looking at each other for a few more seconds and then got up and entered the interview room, wearing shining smiles. They were actors, that's what they did for a living - played roles.

"You owe me two bucks," Shane claimed as they walked out of the room in the end of the interview that seemed to last forever.

"You owe me one," Amanda replied. "She asked whether my boyfriend is jealous."

"Still, you owe me a dollar."

"You want it in cash or a credit card?"

"You can pay with a check, if you'd like. A bet is a bet and I would've paid, if I lost."

"What will you do with one dollar?" She opened her purse, looking for a green bill.

"I'll frame it and hang it on a wall in my living room. It's the first bet I won against you."

"Technically, we both won."

"Yeah, but I was smarter to bet on two bucks instead of one." He beamed at her proudly. "Do you want to sign it for me?"

"Sure." Amanda laughed and took out a black pen, placing her signature on the bill. Meanwhile Shane took out of her purse another bill and signed it with another pen.

"Just so it's fair," He said. "This proves you didn't lose the bet either." She burst out laughing again.

"Great, now I've wasted two bucks!" She joked.

"This is a souvenir." He raised the signed paper in his hand. "So you don't forget me. Besides, in a few years it will cost thousands of dollars." Shane winked at her with a smile. The argument seemed to be forgotten, but the reason for it didn't fade at all.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah…"

***

"Mandy!" Amanda turned around to the sound of the familiar voice and saw her best friend standing next to her car and waving her hand. She smiled and hurried to cross the parking lot to meet the other woman.

"Ah, Lisa, I've missed you!" Amanda gave her friend a long hug, sincerely happy to finally see her again after a while.

"Long time no see, girl!" Lisa released Amanda from the friendly embrace.

"You're the one traveling all around the universe!" Amanda accused.

"Hey, don't blame me; you're a famous and busy movie star these days!" They both laughed and hugged once more.

"So, how was the trip?"

"Awesome!" Lisa clapped her hands excitedly. "I'll tell you everything in a moment. How about you? How's the asshole?"

"Liz, stop it," Amanda warned.

"What? I don't have to like him just because you do," Lisa stated defensively.

"Yeah, but you can pretend you don't hate him. Why do you hate Jason so much anyway?"

"I don't hate him. I just think he's a waste of time." Lisa shrugged.

"You're just like Shane. He can't stand Jason." Amanda crossed her arms and looked away.

"Why does the guy you work with have an opinion about your boyfriend?"

"He thinks Jason's not good enough for me," Amanda replied sarcastically, grimacing at that. "Who does it remind me of?" She pulled on a fake thoughtful expression.

"Great, at least now you know I'm not the only one who thinks so. Who's this Shane guy anyway? I wanna meet him, he sounds like a wise man."

"Speaking of the devil..." Amanda watched Shane walk out of the studio and heading in their direction.

"Why didn't I say I wanted a million bucks?" Lisa asked jokingly.

"Hello ladies," Shane wore his charming smile as he leaned back against the car that was parked next to Lisa's.

"Lisa – Shane, Shane – Lisa." Amanda moved her arm between them in an introduction gesture.

"Hi Lisa." Shane's smile widened as Lisa waved once, her eyes scanning him from the shoes to the hair. "So, Am, I get to meet a lot of your friends, don't I?"

"Yeah, you probably should stop prying in my private life," Amanda joked and Shane laughed in response.

"Then you probably should stop mixing work with pleasure," He teased back.

"Work's over," She reminded him.

"Good point. So I'm gonna go and get a life." He beamed at her before turning to Lisa again.

"Nice to meet you, Lisa. See you tomorrow, Am." Then he left them, getting into his car and driving away, while the two women watched him leave in complete silence.

"Okay..." Lisa said slowly, raising her eyebrows. "Am?"

"Huh?" Amanda stared at her friend for a moment, before remembering not everybody knew Shane's nickname for her. "Oh, he decided he can't call me the same name everyone does, that arrogant ass."

"Right... He's smoking hot."

"Liz..." Amanda rolled her eyes impatiently. "You're never gonna change."

"Don't tell me you didn't notice." Amanda shook her head, sighing heavily. She didn't really want to notice. "What's he like?"

"He's... A big tease. He flirts with every woman and makes it seem like he doesn't mean to do it."

"Even hotter," Lisa pointed out.

"You can try your luck, but I've never seen him with any woman, personally."

"Nah, thanks, I'll stick with my not-so-flashy life and not-so-steal-able boyfriends." Amanda laughed at her friend's definition and Lisa preferred not to tell her friend that the guy looked at her with such an obvious admiration, that it was ridiculous she didn't notice. She knew Amanda was oblivious when it came to things like that, especially now that she was dating that Mayden person, but this was plain ignorance.

"I may be wrong, but I think he's not the kind of guy you would want to get attached to." In truth Amanda considered Shane as a typical heartbreaker. Well, not very typical, but still. He was easygoing, intelligent and simply a fun person to be around, not mentioning his undeniable charm and charisma. Exactly the type of a man that could have any woman and took advantage of it to the last bit. Just because he could. For some reason, it was the image Amanda saw Shane in, even though he had never given her reasons to think this way about him. It was probably just that flirtatious confidence about him, which had never really crossed the line to arrogance. That was just how she saw him. "He's a cool guy, though. As a friend, he's really great."

"I bet he is," Lisa smiled knowledgeably, but Amanda didn't notice the hinting in her friend's voice. "Let's go, I've got plenty of stuff to tell you about."