Just Friends

1: Lost Paradise

"Check this out, Nadz."

James showed her a video of the crowd at Lost Paradise, jumping up and down to the EDM song playing in the background.

Nadine smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

She's been like this since this morning.

They were taping another TVC for Jollibee and James had been pretty excited to see Nadine again, but when she got in the van with him on the way here, she ignored him and slept. Not even a hi. She's been her usual cheerful self to everyone except him.

He was starting to get pissed.

He looked around and noticed that the crew was still setting up so he got up and sat next to her instead of across her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked bluntly, coz he wasn't really the type to beat around the bush.

"What? Why do you say that?" Nadine asked looking everywhere but at him.

"Because you've been ignoring me all day."

"What are you talking about? I haven't been--" James snorted derisively and she stopped. "Okay fine. Medyo may tampo lang."

She looked at him. Finally.

"Ikaw kasi," she continued. "You said we were gonna spend New Year's Eve together. We had everything planned. Iniwan mo ko dito."

He scoffed. "Well, you seemed happy naman." He saw the pictures and the videos. Bret even had his arm around her on most of them. I'll talk to him when I see him. I said take care of her, not hit on her. He gave his head a mental shake.

"How can I be happy if you weren't there?" she muttered.

James smiled to himself. She missed me!

If only she knew how much he missed her too... That she was all he thought about the whole time he was in Australia... That he bought her something in almost every store he went to (which he will give her later)... That when he was partying with Lauren in Lost Paradise, he thought about how much Nadine would enjoy it there... That while he was checking out the girls at the party, all he could think of was how much more beautiful Nadine is compared to all of them...

It took all of his willpower not to call her that night.

And now here they were.

Maybe it was the kids who looked so happy that they were there. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't seen Nadine in 7 days. Maybe it was even the Jollibee burger steak they were required to eat.

Whatever it was, James was feeling a little too reckless, a little too carefree today. He took Nadine's hands from under the seat. Nadine looked at him in shock.

"Don't react, everyone's looking."

True enough, cameras were aimed at them from all over. Good thing they couldn't see their hands.

He wasn't looking at Nadine when he said, "I missed you, Nadine. So much. If you're mad that I didn't come home when I said I would, then you should know that I'm mad too... about you. Whether we're a thousand miles apart or next to each other like we are right now, it doesn't change how strongly I feel for you."

His breath came out in a rush and he looked at her to find her staring at him.

"Please, please Nadine. There's no one else I'd rather be just friends with." It was a softly spoken plea thick with underlying meaning.

She smiled and this time it reached her eyes.

She squeezed his hand, and intertwined it with hers, not saying anything.

For now, this was enough.

A/N: This goes out to my love, achinachin... 30 minutes is not enough. Lol!

I know it's bitin and not too OJD but... let's pretend for now na naniniwala tayo na Just Friends lang sila. Hahahaha.

A/N 2: I challenge achinachin to continue this story! Go girl!