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Writing this with 2 other authors @Seeyara and Fallenbabybubu

Chapter 2: How To Lose A Guy In 30 Mins

-NASH-

-✇-

"Hurry!" she yelled.

"Slow down, will you?" I said, running after her.

We finally made it to the Observatory in Griffith Park, just in time for the sunset. I hadn't hiked here in ages so I was a little out of breath.

"No way, slowpoke!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm. She stopped when the whole view of Los Angeles came to sight. Good thing there weren't that many tourists here on a weekday.

"Wow," she breathed out.

I walked up beside her and admired the view as well.

"This is incredible," she said.

I shook my head. "Can't believe this is your first time coming up here."

"Never had the chance," she explained, shrugging. "When we moved here when I was nine, I started Barney right away. After that, all I did was work – and study as much as I can."

I grinned. "Until you met me."

She put a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, and flashed me a shy smile. We'd been dating for months but I still had to catch my breath every time she smiled directly at me.

"Well, yeah," she said.

I put an arm around her and pulled her close to me, before saying, "Supergirl."

"I wish." She giggled.

"Yeah, you're perfect just the way you are." I squeezed her arm and kissed her temple. "Mine."

She looked up at me and pinched my cheek.

"Aw, my boyfriend's such a cutie!"

I snorted, looking away.

"Hey, I've been wondering."

My blue eyes met her green ones. Her hair was slightly blowing from the breeze, making her reach a hand up to steady it.

Damn, my girl's beautiful.

"Yeah?" I asked, urging her to continue.

A playful smile appeared on her face. "When are you ever going to kiss me?"

I stared at her, not sure if I heard her right. Did she just –? If she said what I think I heard her say, she was way off. I tried to kiss her countless times before.

Nerves just always won the battle.

"It's just that," she continued, "it's been months since we star –"

"Now."

She blinked. "Now?"

Nodding, I murmured, "Now."

Before I lost my balls, I leaned in but stopped when my face was only an inch away from hers, giving her the chance to pull away if she wanted to. After a few seconds had passed, my confidence started to slip away. I made a move to pull away.

But then, she closed the gap and kissed me.

-✇-

Come on, Nash. Stop it. There's no use thinking back over what's already done. The past is the past. Move the fuck on.

My foot tapped a steady beat on the wooden floor of the office. I looked out the window and it was the same view I'd been staring at for the past thirty or forty-five minutes. With a sigh, I ran my fingers through my hair.

This is one of the drawbacks of being early or even being on time. People in the entertainment world were always late – fashionably late as they called it.

I heard the soft click of the lock and turned my head towards the door. And then she came in.

Zoe.

For a split second, I stared at her and took it all in. Just like every single time I saw her, my heart fucking stopped before going batshit crazy. And just like all those previous times, I looked away.

She's still fucking gorgeous.

She was beautiful back then and even more so now. The years have been kind to her – not only in looks but with her career as well. From a star on the rise, she's now on the stratosphere.

She didn't even look at me when she sat at the farthest available chair in the room.

Two can play that game.

I ignored her as well and went back to staring at the view.

"Can you stop that?" she snapped.

I didn't realize I was tapping my foot again. But this was a game. This was our game. I was playing to win.

"Stop what?" I asked innocently.

"That!" she said, gesturing at my foot.

"Your wish is my command," I replied with a grin.

With that, I tapped even louder.

The door opened again, this time with a loud bang as it hit the wall. The film director entered and acknowledged our presence with a grunt. He headed straight for the window and leaned against it.

"You're both familiar with method acting, right?" he asked us.

"Of course," Zoe replied instantly.

"Great!" He clapped. "I require you to do that in my set – at all times."

Wait, what?

"Can you elaborate on that, please?" Zoe asked, wearing a small frown with her lips pursed.

"You two are going to hold hands, hug each other, feed each other for all I care." Zoe made a sound of protest but the director held up his hand. "But you need to act like you're in a goddamn relationship whenever you step foot in my set."

"What?" This time, it was me who wasn't able to hold back.

"Excuse me?" Zoe said almost at the same time.

The director ignored us, only crossing his arms over his chest.

I shook my head. "Yeah, that's not happening."

"I'm sorry," began Zoe. "I don't see the point of this. I refuse to do it."

Cameron, the well-beloved-but-now-it-looks-like-he's-crazy director, laughed.

"The point is for you to be familiar with each other's touch, for you to be comfortable enough to actually finish a scene together."

Familiar, my ass.

"We can manage without having to do all that shit about holding hands."

The director looked me directly in the eyes. "Can you, really?"

Well, fuck. Now I don't know. I can't guarantee anything with Zoe being a whiny, little pest.

"Yes, we can," Zoe said in a determined tone. "We will prove it."

Cameron laughed. "I don't have time for you to prove it." Sighing, he lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I want assurance, and this is the only solution I could think of. As far as I know, both of you aren't dating anyone. We won't be stepping on anyone's toes. Even if you are, this is still part of your job."

Zoe stood up in indignation. "But I can't stand him!" she shouted as she pointed at me.

I scoffed. Well, that goes both ways, babe.

"We're not paying for you to like him, Zoe!" shouted Cameron. He was clearly losing his shit again. He took several deep breaths to calm down before he continued in a low voice, "You're here because you're good at what you do."

He shook his head and heaved another heavy sigh. "Everyone who's ever worked with you says you're the most talented and down-to-earth actress of your generation. So far, I'm not seeing her – quite the opposite, in fact. Where's that girl?"

Probably already eaten by fame.

I should know. I was the first victim of it.

But damn, Cameron's words must've stung. I glanced at Zoe. She wasn't able to reply and just looked down on the table.

"You still have a lot to prove in this industry," the director told her. And then, he turned to me, "Especially you, Nash."

Touche, Cameron.

I shook my head. "What if we don't want to do it?"

"Then..." He paused to take a deep breath. This was it, he was gonna drop a bomb on us. I braced myself for impact. "I have no choice but to drop this project and leave you to the hands of Mick Marsh."

Zoe gasped. "No!"

"You wouldn't!"

Hell no!

I was fucking horrified at the idea – even more so that it came from the lips of one of the most acclaimed directors of this era.

Mick Marsh was considered the fucking Nazi in the film industry. No one wanted to work with him. Sure, he was pretty damn good. But he was strict as hell. He had no people skills at all and they said that working with him was like being sold to slavery.

Fuck that.

"You bet I would," promised Cameron, nodding. "I didn't sign up to work with actors who can't deal with their personal issues off set!"

Zoe sighed, while my jaw clenched.

"We will work it out," I told him firmly.

Cameron left his perch on the window, sat on one of the chairs, and leaned back.

"Then, do what I say," he said simply, as if the decision was entirely up to us.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Zoe bite her lip.

I didn't like this one fucking bit but it seems like we had no other choice. I clenched my fist and breathed heavily through my nose. With gritted teeth, I said, "Fine."

Zoe's eyes widened, looking at me like I was out of my mind.

"I don't want to lose Cameron as our director, and I sure as hell don't want to work with Mick Marsh," I explained nonchalantly. "If that means I have to put up with you, then so be it."

I saw the corner of the director's mouth twitch up in a semblance of a smile. Then, it was gone and his eyes were hard again. Zoe, on the other hand, kept silent. After a couple of minutes, she looked up at Cameron and nodded.

"I'd like for you to stay, Cameron. I'll... do it."

Again, there was a small smile from the director. But it was gone just as fast.

"That's settled then," he said. "See you tomorrow."

With that, he got up and exited the room without another word.

"Can you really do it?" I asked Zoe skeptically.

"I'm sure I can," she replied indignantly. Standing up, she fixed her hair and straightened out her clothes. Then, she looked me straight in the eyes and gave me the sweetest smile. "I'm an actress, after all."

For a second, I was caught off-guard.

Why did those green eyes have to be so fucking beautiful?

I shook my head, ridding the thought. "For the sake of the film, then," I told her in what I hoped was a bored tone. "Let's leave all our shit outside work."

"For the sake of our reputations, too," Zoe added.

Huh. Of course, she'd say that.

"Guess some things never change," I muttered, with a humorless laugh.

She frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

I stared back at her with dead eyes. I wasn't gonna make up some bullshit excuse to spare her feelings. She didn't spare mine.

"Exactly what I said," I replied, standing up and heading towards the door.

"Wait!" she called after me.

Sighing, I stopped and turned around with a bored expression. I'd dealt with enough drama from the last couple of days. She moved closer to me until she was just a few feet away.

"What is it, Zoe?" I asked impatiently.

"Truce?" she offered, reaching out her hand.

I looked at her hand for a second then back to her eyes, keeping my expression blank.

No way in hell I'm ever going to hold that hand on my own free will. So I turned my back on her and left without another word.

*************************

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