Behind the Scenes

Chapter Six

"Is he -?" Alice tried to ask but Amanda shushed her.

"Just, try not to be weird, okay?" She mumbled and Alice nodded quickly, grinning widely as Tom stepped into the main living area.

"For someone with no money you have good decor taste." He said with a small grin before turning to Alice. "Nice to meet you." He offered her his hand and she shook it before pulling him in for a hug, taking him by surprise. He chuckled and patted her back, turning back to Amanda. "Oh, hey, how's the script coming?"

"I've finished and edited. I emailed it to Carrie actually." She smiled at him as he sat down and Alice turned on the tv, which came on automatically to a news channel.

"Actor Tom Holland spotted cuddling  university student at an all-cast party after shooting the last scenes from Far From Home on Friday night." Amanda groaned, peeking at the TV to see how many pictures there were and that her face was blurred in none of them. She stared at one of them in shock, noticing that she had sat in his lap and had her face in his shoulder. "The name of this university student was revealed in a call last night from her roommate, Beth Thompson. The mystery girl is Amanda Neel, an intern screenwriter, currently studying at the LA University, the American Film Institute." She put her hands over her mouth in shock and there was a loud knock on the door. She jumped up to open it, scurrying and opening it a creak to see someone she hadn't seen in years.

"Dad?" She whispered before passing out. Tom got to his feet instantly, closing the door, not caring who was behind it, having seen enough from the look of fear on her face before she passed out. Alice helped him lock it and he picked Amanda up easily, following Alice to the bedroom and he gently laid Amanda down.

"What's the deal with her and her dad? Why is she scared of him?"

"He was meant to be dead. He died, years ago. It's part of why she came here. Her mom killed herself when Amanda was only four or five but she watched it happen. Her dad blamed her for it, spent the next ten years taking his anger out on her. He passed away after drinking too much and picking a fight with the wrong person, Amanda's boyfriend at the time. After Amanda broke up with him for killing her father, he blew himself up. She moved here on a sponsorship and a part scholarship." Alice whispered and Tom frowned, finding it hard to stop himself from crying but he forced himself to not cry.

"That's a lot of information to try and take in." He managed to mumble out after a few minutes. Alice smiled sadly at him.

"You really care about her, don't you?" She asked and Tom nodded, sniffing a little.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. But she doesn't feel the same way." He said, clearing his throat before getting up and hunting for a facecloth, soaking it in warm water before wringing it out and placing it across her forehead.

"Hey, I'm in a head off, my mom needs me to help her with her grocery shopping. You'll stay until she's awake, right?" Alice said, and Tom nodded, sitting on the edge of Amanda's bed, not taking his eyes off of her. Alice smiled, leaving through a passage into the next apartment and out of their front door so that Amanda's dad wouldn't be able to get in.

Amanda woke up to a pounding headache, worse than any hangover. She sat up and immediately banged her head on something, wincing and laying back down.

"Good to see you're awake." She froze at the voice and smiled sheepishly at him.

"You're still here?" She asked, confusion lacing her words.

"Where else would I be?" He replied softly, reaching out to cup her face but pulling away at the last moment, instead reapplying the damp cloth to her forehead. "You had a bit of a fright, love. Passed out." He explained and she nodded.

"Y - yeah, my dad was here. He's gone, right?" She checked, fear back into her voice and he nodded.

"Last I looked, he was gone." Tom assured her quickly and she sighed with relief. She patted the bed next to her without thinking, and Tom hesitated. "I'm going to make you some tea." He said and she nodded, sitting up again as he walked away. She stood up slowly, tossing the blanket and the facecloth away, pulling on the sweater from next to her. The scent was heavenly, outdoors and fresh rain and forest like.

She made her way into the kitchen, smiling up at Tom when he turned and realising she was wearing his sweater.

"I am so sorry, I just keep taking all your clothes." She said with a forced laugh and Tom shrugged, smiling at her.

"It's okay. They all look better on you anyway." He said genuinely and she looked away from his burning eye contact. They both jumped when the kettle flicked itself off, realising how close they'd gotten to each other and stepping apart quickly. Amanda chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ears again as Tom poured her a cup, passing it to her after stirring and she began to sip, sitting down on the counter. She placed the cup down beside her and found herself staring at Tom as he worked around the kitchen, pretty much cleaning up the place for her. She watched him intensely and he looked around to face her, stepping closer to her. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into a soft kiss, feeling something all too familiar about it without understanding why. His eyes stayed open in shock but he relaxed quickly, kissing her back.

She eventually pulled away, looking up at him and pressing fingers to her lips in shock.

"I - I'm sorry, that wasn't appropriate." She eventually said, pulling her hand away and before she could think Tom was kissing her, and she sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing.