The months came and gone that Daniel and Amanda had been seeing each other and the next thing they knew it was Christmas time. Snow didn't often fall in LA, actually its very rare that it did, it was a blazing 86 degrees outside and Christmas was a buzz in the town. The only person who wasn't looking forward to it was Amanda. Not only was Daniel going home for Christmas, he was taking some bimbo with him, so the press wouldn't go crazy. He was dating her casually, and Amanda really had no say in it. She wasn't dating him and he wasn't dating her. Sure he loved her and she loved him, but they had no room to say anything about their other lives.
The girl's name was Millie. She was starring in the new movie he was directing and not to mention had a reputation for sleeping around the set. This bugged Amanda because she knew what a sexual being he was, how could he resist that plastic. Where as she could completely resist Jake, it wasn't hard. He never made any advances. Jake was to busy forming his new lifestyle at a cosmetic clinic in the Hills, which left Amanda in the dark. She still thought that maybe he was cheating on her but she had given up on it. She didn't really care anymore, and she wasn't going to salvage the relationship anymore, there were to many feelings involved.
"That was wonderful." the sound over a older woman rang through the living room. Amanda was jerked from her daydream as Jake's mother, Carla, put her coffee on the table. Jake's parent's were Vineyard owners north of San Fransisco. Jake's family was staying with them for the holidays, normally Jake and Amanda would take the drive up on Christmas Eve and spend a few nights together with his siblings and parents but Jake was to busy with work, so that would involve Amanda to host all of them.
"Yeah, its a German roast." Jake said finishing off his coffee. Amanda was still lost in here thoughts, but it was completely normal. These days got harder as she tried to find the true meaning in her life.
"Amanda dear, what's wrong? Your looking pale." Carla reached her hand over and touched Amanda's face lightly. "Are you sick?"
"Oh no, I'm just actually getting tired. My sleep schedule has changed because of the composition I'm working on. This will actually be the only time I get to relax." Amanda hugged her legs on the couch, bringing her legs closer to her chest. She was wearing a simple pair of black gym pants and a pink sweater. She wasn't to worried about her appearance at the moment, she was to worried about someone else. Jake, once again took over the conversation, and not only was she left out, she was shooed from the living room so Jake and his brother's could talk manly things. Amanda found herself laying in bed upstairs underneath the warmness of her blanket as she flipped through the channel's eventually setting on a celebrity show.
"Now from the set of Black Darkness, where the director gives a insight on the movie process." She heard the talk show host speak and Amanda jerked up. Black Darkness was Daniel's movie, once again she was going to see the famous duo of Daniel and Millie on the big TV screen.
"Oh goody, here we go." Amanda said rolling her eyes turning up her TV as she saw Daniel and Millie both pop up. She found herself becoming more throughly disgusted with Millie, and she didn't even know her. Her icky black hair, her devilish green eyes, she was trying her hardest to whip him.
"What do you think is the secret to directing and ultimately making a good movie?" The reporter asked as Daniel was laughing on screen.
"Well, its all a combination of lighting, action, and acting." Daniel said as Millie poked his side. Amanda rolled her eyes at the screen as the reporter went back to questions.
"How do you know what actor's are good?" Daniel crinkled his nose and looked over at Millie, all lovey dovey. Amanda was half expecting love music to start playing the background.
"You just do." He said putting his arms around Millie. Amanda was getting sick just staring at the two.
"So we may assume that we can put the rumors about you two to rest and say, you are dating?"
"We are." Millie smiled putting her head on his shoulder. Amanda clutched her remote and fell back into her pillows almost in tears. Daniel's face on camera was half happy, half unaware.
"More on the two lovebirds tomorrow." The talk show host said as Amanda started to tear up.
"They make me just as sick too." Amanda looked up at the door and saw Jason, Jake's brother, stand there laughing. "but not to the point where I tear up."
"Oh, I had something in my eye." Amanda said sitting up wiping her face.
"Oh, oh I see." Jason stepped in and sat at the bottom of the bed. "Every thing okay?"
"I'm fine." Amanda signed as the show went to commercial and eventually she grabbed the remote and turned it off. Jason sat there examining Amanda's face as he fell back against the pillow next to her and laughed.
"Jake and the family are going out for drinks, do you want to go?" Jason was being very nonchalant about everything.
"No, I don't drink much anymore." Amanda turned on her side to face him.
"Neither do I, becoming a firefighter actually makes me stay at top peak on my body so I don't want to drink to ruin that." Jason laughed touching all the stuff on Jake's side table which was never used.
"Always trying to show off your body." She smiled. "I think tomorrow we should make sugar cookies."
"That's always fun."
"It'll get my mind off of lots of things." Amanda faded away.
"Like what?"
"Oh just work." She needed to hide as much as she could from Jason, he was Jake's brother for holy's sake. She could slip, not one bit.
"You seem so busy lately, the past 4 months." Jason responded.
"Well I have been. I submitted scores for a few movies." She looked so relaxed. Jason turned his head to the TV which was off, and then back to her.
"Black Darkness?"
"Uh, no, why?" Amanda jumped when she heard Daniel's movie title pop up, but it wasn't that movie.
"Why are you interested in Daniel and Millie, the next Brad and Angelina."
"Who isn't these days?" Amanda was right, for the past 10 years there was always something to do with celebrity marriages, births, and drug problems.
"True." Jason laughed before standing up. He could tell there was more behind the story then Amanda was telling.
"I could give a flying...fig that Daniel and Millie are dating. Its probably just a paparazzi scam to make a mockery around Hollywood. He probably has like three girls at home." Amanda said, at least one of those girls was truly in love with him.
"Oh really, you sound so convinced." Jason laughed standing up. "Are you sure you don't at least want to go with us, you don't have to drink, I'm not going to."
"No, that's okay, I'll just go to sleep, I kinda need it." Amanda looked at him as he nodded and headed out the door. She waited a few moments for him to close the door downstairs and Amanda turned around and looked out the window seeing the family drive away in Jake's SUV. She fell back against the bed and gripped her cell phone hoping that maybe, just maybe he would call. She put her head to the pillow, closed her eyes, and fell asleep, not knowing what the future brought.
---~----~-----~----~---~----
A loud ringing woke Amanda up, which was very unusual. She looked at her cell phone and saw that Daniel was calling her, the clock showed midnight which meant it was 2 o'clock over there.
"Hello?" Amanda said groggy.
"Hey." He said in a whisper.
"How was your flight?"
"Long, Millie annoyed me the whole fucking way. 'Does you mom know about me? Do you think your family will like me....' blah blah blah" Daniel said imitating Millie's voice.
"I saw you two on Extra." Amanda blurted out.
"Oh that interview." Daniel didn't sound happy at all.
"Its fine. I do miss you though."
"I miss you." Not only did his voice sound strenuous but, he sounded like he was annoyed saying that.
"I understand if you can't call me within the next few days, I mean you are home."
"Well, don't worry your pretty little head about it, you'll hear from me either way."Amanda shuffled in bed.
"When do you get back?"
"I get back on the 27th, are you going to be able to spend new years eve with me?" Daniel and Amanda had planned on spending new years eve together because Christmas was out of the question.
"Yeah, Jake won't even know I'm gone." Nor would he care.
"Alright, it's set up okay? The four season's at 6 on the 31st." Daniel said smiling on the other end.