HDU

by India Lee

  “Why are you in bed with me?” she finally asked. He blinked.

  “Well, I’m in this bed because this is my bed and this is generally where I sleep,” he said. “And you’re in it too because I felt bad putting you on the couch, which is where I was until a few hours ago. But I came back here because I couldn’t fall asleep.”

  “But... why am I even here? Why am I naked? Did anything sex-related occur between us at all last night?” she interrogated him. He laughed, sitting up in bed and bringing his knees up. His shorts fell around his toned upper thighs and Amanda blinked hard, trying not to stare at the incredible and equally horrifying image of their bare legs next to each other.

  “First of all, you’re not naked,” Liam said, leaning against the giant headboard. “Second… you don’t remember anything from Lilac?” She shook her head. He frowned a bit. “That sucks. We had fun.”

  Amanda blinked and stared down at her knees. She squinted. Suddenly, the memory of their kiss drifted back into her brain. Liam had seen her naked yesterday. Not just her knees – everything. She had felt weird and upset and insecure about it, and then he kissed her. It had been so perfect and comforting that the memory felt like a moment from a dream. The edges of her lips drifted slightly upward.

  “You remember,” Liam smiled.

  “Yes.”

  He reached over and ruffled her hair. “Yeah, we had fun,” he repeated. “And then we had a little too much towards the end of the night.”

  Amanda blinked at him. So they were done acknowledging the fact that they’d made out and it hadn’t been for cameras or revenge on an arch nemesis because there hadn’t been any near their private table. Apparently, that was just what they did – do things and then not make a fuss of it. She could live with that – it was easier, less awkward. “What do you mean we had too much fun?” Amanda asked, moving onto the next subject with him. Now she just understood their relationship – make out and move on. Like friends with benefits, she thought, delighted that the term she heard in every romantic comedy was finally being applied to her own life – and with someone like Liam Brody.

  “We had too many drinks. That hostess kept buying us rounds and you kept stealing mine because I said you couldn’t take bourbon.”

  Amanda raised her eyebrows. “Was I able to take it?”

  “Yeah. You did really good while you were there,” Liam laughed. “But you ended up pretty drunk by the end of the night and I didn’t want to carry you through a hotel full of people with cameras, so I brought you here.”

  Amanda listened with her mouth slowing forming an “O.” It was coming back to her. All of it. The last sexy moment between herself and Liam had been at Lilac – everything after was a mess that explained the T-shirt she was wearing.

  “I puked on my clothes, didn’t I,” she said.

  “Yeah. And a little on my shoes.”

  Amanda blushed furiously. She covered her face with her hand. “I… I don’t even have words.” Liam rubbed her shoulder.

  “It’s okay, it was worth the good time.” He gave the back of her neck a little squeeze. It felt nice. “And it’s not like I didn’t do embarrassing things either.”

  Amanda closed her eyes. His hands were magical, she was convinced of it. “What’d you do?” she mumbled.

  “I had a ten minute conversation on the phone with your parents.”

  Her eyes shot open. “You what?” She turned to face him and saw that his cheeks were surprisingly red as he covered his big laugh with his hand. It made her break out into a smile.

  “Your dad called while we were in the car and you were too drunk to talk to him, so… I did. He was cool, he kind of talked to me like we’ve known each other for years. Just asked about the weather here and if I was a Yankees or Mets fan. But your mom was a different story…”

  “Oh God, I’m sorry about her.” Amanda held her heart. She hadn’t spoken to her parents in a week or two and she knew how feisty her mother got when she wasn’t provided updates. “What did she say?”

  “She told me that she hasn’t stopped Googling me since you left home and she wanted to make sure that I’m using protection with you considering my ‘extensive’ sexual history with ‘loose girls.’”

  Amanda’s jaw dropped to what she thought had to be the floor. She could just have easily been mortified but instead, she burst into laughter – so hard that she felt the physical need to roll around in bed. “Oh my God, that’s amazing,” she gasped, clutching her stomach. Liam laughed at her reaction and tugged on her T-shirt, bear hugging her so she would stop rolling around.

  “Stop looking so happy. I had no idea how to respond. I was off my game from all the drinking.”

  Amanda couldn’t help cackling hysterically, squeezing tears out of her eyes. Suddenly she missed her mother. She was nosy and inappropriate, but she wasn’t as bad as the rest of Merit and at least she was coming from a place of concern. Amanda missed her father too. It didn’t surprise her at all that he’d been totally unfazed by talking on the phone with a celebrity. He was content to just talk about weather and sports – it didn’t matter with whom. Suddenly, she was dismayed to realize she’d gone so long without calling or emailing them. But then again, she hadn’t had a single calm moment in the past few weeks to think about them undisturbed. She never would have thought that her first moment of peace in a long while would come in Liam’s bed, rolling around half naked.

  “Oh man,” Amanda sighed when she got a hold of her hysterics, opening her eyes to see that she was in the middle of the huge mattress, Liam laying beside her with one arm still wrapped around her body. He watched with amusement as she came down from her giggles.

  “Your dad seemed pretty funny. He talks a lot like my brother.”

  She shifted and got comfortable, pulling a pillow under her head. “Logan?”

  Liam nodded. “They’re just calm, cool people. Nothing makes them sweat.”

  “True. Though if my dad ever met Logan, he’d talk his ear off.” Amanda smiled as she played with a lock of her hair. “My grandpa fought in the Korean War so he thinks all the stories he heard growing up makes him an expert about being in the service.”

  Liam picked up a lock of her hair too. “That’s cool, Logan’s the king of listening to people talk for hours and actually staying interested. He got those genes, I didn’t.”

  Amanda bopped his head. “Be prouder of that.”

  “I’m not proud, I’m just saying,” he laughed. “He’s just cool like that. Like I told you, Logan’s the man.”

  “Too bad my dad will never meet him,” Amanda lamented, mostly playfully. “Since we’re breaking up in a week-and-half, or whenever it is you start shooting. Our contract is up.”

  It was silent for a moment as Liam seemed to realize this, pausing with a lock of Amanda’s hair wound around his finger. He shrugged. “Who says we can’t extend it?”

  HOW AMANDA NATHAN BECAME AMERICA’S NEW SWEETHEART

  Pop Rock Gossip

  By Jessie O.

  February 7

  We love appointing an “America’s Sweetheart.” Since she’s usually an actress, she has to be charming, non-controversial, not too gorgeous, and most importantly, relatable. They’re hard to find in Hollywood, the breeding ground of filth and debauchery. That’s why when we find one, we treasure her. She’s our angel, our princess, our sweetheart – everything we believe we are, but just a little more glamorous.

  Our last sweetheart was Casey Mulreed. Her pixie-like allure and spotless reputation won our hearts. But recently, the unthinkable happened – she was exposed as a dry-witted, sarcastic, vodka-guzzling substance addict. The horror! Now Mulreed has been bounced from sweetheart status to fascinating fuck-up, which is fine because who doesn’t love one of those? I for one can’t wait to hear more about her inherited addiction and how she managed to keep it a secret all these years. But back to the point – she has been bounced from the pristine sweetheart throne, and now someone new has to co
me and take a wholesome seat on it.

  So, why not Amanda Nathan? Ironically, she rose to stardom partly because of Mulreed herself, a self-proclaimed “close friend” of the blogger who has usurped her title. That’s right, blogger. Like myself and perhaps you or your neighbor, Nathan blogs – and not even that frequently or officially (though certainly, adorably and hilariously). It seems she just does it when she has the time and it’s not even likely she’s making money on her ad-less website. Then why is she a good candidate for America’s new sweetheart? Simply put, it’s for how Hollywood she isn’t.

  Like many Americans, Amanda Nathan is un-glamorous, a mediocre dresser, shaky in her career, admittedly insecure, and above a size four in jeans. She’s one of us but still elevated enough to be an idol because, let’s be honest, not just anyone can catch and keep Liam Brody’s eye or survive the constant media attention and scrutiny of gossip trolls who salivate at the mere sight of a cellulite dimple. Amanda can do it because despite what she’s said about her insecurity in blog entries, she’s a toughie, and someone we naturally root for. We love seeing her attend A-list events with increased confidence every time. We love watching her progress, trying to imagine that we could walk just as proud as she can among stars who, with the help of professional stylists and dieticians, are dressed a hundred times better.

  Amanda is living proof that normal women have the chance of running with the best of Hollywood because she has done it herself, fighting past the mental wear-and-tear of celebrity without the armor of stunning looks or physique. She stays poised, doesn’t make stupid remarks, fights past silly controversy, and drops friends who are obviously getting a little too Hollywood, douchey and psychotic (re: Ian Marsh). She just lives her quasi-normal life as a good friend, loyal girlfriend, and wholesome American girl. She’s everything we believe we are, but just a teeny, tiny, microscopic, barely there, itsy bit more glamorous.

  - Chapter 11 -

  Extending the contract by another month was a happy thing. Both of their careers had been significantly boosted since being together, so why not go for an extension? It would be easy. Within a week, Liam would start shooting in Nebraska and Amanda could easily stay in New York and work on her own career, whatever that may be. She would fly out to location perhaps twice in the four weeks that he’d be there. The contract would end by the time Liam left for the country of Jordan, where the film was set to shoot throughout the months of April and May. Then, Amanda would be a single woman in the city, which, according to television and movies, was supposed to be thrilling and rejuvenating or something like that.

  But drafting up a new contract still made her stomach twist and turn. It wasn’t hard to write – its main message was that Amanda would remain Liam’s girlfriend throughout the filming of A Soldier while retaining the same payment – but she just wished she could be doing it with Ian. The process flashed her back to hanging out in his room at the Marriott outside Columbia. They were both so bright and happy then as they laid down the terms for Liam to agree to. Ian had given Amanda the fees that she should charge in order to survive comfortably in a place like Manhattan, a place she knew absolutely nothing of then.

  Now, she knew the city well and Ian less. He was lost somewhere in it. The gossip sites suggested he hung out mostly in the Lower East Side, but Amanda had also read that he’d been dining in the Meatpacking District with The Edgy Kids, as well as his new “friend,” the actress Desiree Silver. Amanda figured Desiree was just an attempt at Natalie Bell’s attention, but she also didn’t doubt that Ian was sleeping with her. On multiple occasions, Desiree had been photographed leaving his apartment wearing the same outfit she had donned the night before, but rumpled.

  totally my new dirty crush, a comment on HDU had read that morning. Nearly a dozen replied in agreement, and while Amanda cringed, she could hardly blame her users. Ian posted pictures that even she found wildly flattering, which said something considering his good looks to begin with. In addition, he posted screencaps of his wittiest tweets and most biting responses to people who bashed him for hurting Casey’s career. It was unsurprising that despite being hated by most of America, Ian had become suddenly popular on HDU – the users loved people who were disorderly and audacious, who challenged authority and stirred up juicy drama. They were regarded as the best kind of entertainment, and no one knew that better than Ian.

  Too distracted, Amanda shut her laptop. The new contract could wait until Saturday, which was the official end of their first one. Liam had his first table read for A Soldier that morning, and they had planned on having dinner that night to renew their agreement. It was to be the first time they would see each other since Sunday because Liam had sworn to seclude himself in his apartment for three days of diligent script-reading. Amanda was fine with that – she needed the time alone to write up a blog entry anyway. After all, she was supposed to have made a career of her posts but had gotten lazy after realizing that merely going out and being photographed kept her relevant.

  But as she got ready to go out and first grab a coffee, her phone vibrated with a text from Liam.

  Hey. You should buy a dress today, we have to go somewhere big tomorrow.

  Amanda frowned as she responded. whaaat. i was going to get some writing done at home. While she was actually grateful for an excuse not to write, she knew that if she delayed her entry any longer, she just wouldn’t do it at all. Ian had been her motivation to keep a blog in the first place and be famous for something a little more than nothing. Now, motivation had to be found elsewhere.

  As she fought with herself about the damned blog, Liam’s response came. That’s very cute but we both know I’m saving you from a day of staring at your laptop and eventually turning on the TV. Go out and find a dress for me to buy you because we’re going to the Critic’s Choice Awards tomorrow. Flying to L.A tonight.

  Amanda sucked in a huge gasp. “No way!” she exhaled, nearly crushing her phone in her hand with excitement. She had never been to Los Angeles let alone a glitzy award show. Her fingers typed furiously as she asked why they were suddenly attending. Apparently, it was for publicity. Liam’s publicist had last-minute squeezed him into the lineup of presenters and had even booked him a few interviews to talk about A Soldier before the show. They would fly back to New York on Friday morning, arriving home in time for Liam to have the rest of the day to go over lines before his Saturday read through.

  And so the afternoon was spent shopping. While weeding through racks of intimidating dresses, Amanda again missed Ian, who had once been her shopping buddy – her everything buddy. She thought about calling Casey but was a little fearful of the possibility of having to talk about Dylan. Hopefully, Casey had forgotten that she’d been hell-bent on facilitating a hook-up between them. As beautiful and adorable as Amanda would forever find Dylan, she wanted to make her relationship with Liam look good, and flirting with someone else would only let down America. Liamanda fans wanted to see them work, and while they would contractually break up within a month, at least Liam would have a noble excuse of being shipped off to the Middle East for seven weeks.

  “Oh my gosh, Amanda freakin’ Nathan! Are you shopping for the Critic’s Choice Awards?” a loud voice asked. Amanda spun around to see a salesgirl in her early twenties, dropping the pile of clothes in her hand to rush over.

  “Yeah... how’d you know? I only just found out,” Amanda laughed. The salesgirl whipped out her rhinestone-encrusted phone.

  “Oh, I have alerts and it just said that Liam’s going to be a last-minute presenter and I thought, ‘Omigod, Amanda gets to go to L.A. for the first time!’” she explained a mile a minute. Off Amanda’s quizzical look, the salesgirl covered her mouth. “Omigod, was that creepy? Ha!” She was unabashed. “I know you haven’t been to L.A. because I read your Wiki and it says that before coming to New York, you’d only been to Missouri and Illinois.”

  “I have a Wikipedia page?” Amanda’s eyes widened. She was about to ask herself how anyone knew whe
re she had and hadn’t been before, but then she remembered that the information had been on her Facebook before she’d deactivated it.

  “You totes do, and I read it, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I also have you on Google Alerts,” the salesgirl chortled. “I love reading about your life because it’s what I fantasized mine would be like when I moved here.” She bared her teeth jokingly. “Grr, that never happened, but at least I can live vicariously through you!”

  Amanda laughed and let the boisterous salesgirl show her around the store while rattling off her favorite moments from Amanda’s life. It was surreal and a little bit uncomfortable, but she let her do it because shopping alone was too difficult. She was still in the process of developing any sense of fashion. Luckily, the salesgirl was as good at styling as she was at talking and Amanda was able to quickly leave the store with a special pick from next season that she was quite satisfied with.

  “Thank you,” she called over her shoulder on the way out.

  “You’re so welcome! And please just keep doing your thing girl, because I’m a huge, huge fan!”

  “Oh! Thanks. Sorry about not blogging lately, though.”

  The salesgirl shook her head. “Oh, I don’t even read that shit, I just like seeing you go out with Liam and shop with Casey and go to all those fancy parties – it’s every girl’s dream.” She stretched the word out so it sounded like “juh- ream.” “Oh, oh, and one more thing! I’m really glad you dropped that crazy friend of yours. Ian? Marsh? Hot mess. He’s going to get a lot of shit for what he did today.”

  Amanda stopped in the doorway. She turned on her heel and squinted. “What did he do?”

  The salesgirl’s eyes opened wide. “Omigod, you don’t know! I got it on my alerts. He made another one of those movies and it’s… disgusting. You just have to see it.”