Chapter 10

A Few Days Later

“Cashew! Cashew is a nut served at parties!” Mandy screamed, throwing a handful of popcorn at the television.

“Uh…hazelnut?” the baffled contestant responded.

“Nooo!” Mandy moaned. “You’re gonna get, like, zero points for that,” she informed the person on the screen.

“Mandy,” Shane began gently, “I don’t think they can hear you.”

“Shush!” Mandy commanded, putting her finger to his lips. No one disrupted her during Family Feud time—not even Shane West.

He chuckled and lightly kissed her finger then took her hand in his own. She barely noticed, enthralled with the show, screaming out answers at random.

Finally, it was a commercial. “Okay, what were you saying?” she wondered, now out of breath from the overexertion of yelling fervently at the screen.

He laughed. “Nothing. So, what do you want for your birthday?” he asked for the tenth time in the past three days. It’s April 7th now, only three shopping days left, he reminded himself, trying desperately to get some sort of clue as to what he should buy her.

“Mmm, surprise me.” She had been giving him the same answer every time he asked, and she knew that it was driving him nuts…Which was what made her do it that much more.

”Ehhh!” He made a noise like a buzzer. “Wrong answer, try again.”

She shook her head. “Nope. You’re just gonna have to think of a good present yourself.”

”Maaaaaandy!” he whined. “Don’t do this to meee!!”

”But it’s so much fun!” she baby-talked, pinching his cheek.

”Yeah, yeah…Just for that, I’m not getting you anything.”

Mandy mock-gasped. “No! Anything but that!” She swooned dramatically and fell backwards on the bed, then giggled.

“You’re a nut,” Shane informed her.

”A cashew?”

His response was a pillow thrown at her. She was about to start beating him with it when a cell phone rang.

”Is that yours?” Mandy asked, searching for hers.

”Yeah.” He answered it. “Hello?”

”Hey…Shane?”

”Yeah?”

”It’s Evan.”

“Oh, hey Ev, what’s up?”

”Um, not much. Listen, where are you?”

”I’m in Vancouver.” Mandy looked at him quizzically.

‘Who is it?’ she mouthed.

’Evan…from the show’, he mouthed back. She nodded.

”Vancouver?” Evan asked. “What the hell are you doing in Vancouver?”

”I’m here with Mandy, she’s shooting a movie.” He smiled down at her and she grinned back.

Evan felt her stomach clench. “Oh. Well, you have to come back.”

Shane laughed. “Yeah Ev, I’m running.”

By now her stomach was in knots. She hated how he treated her like a little kid. “Well, uh, you should be, because we need to finish filming the final episode.”

The smile dropped from Shane’s face. “Seriously?”

”No, I’m lying.” There. She got him back.

”Well, when?”

”Tomorrow. All we need to do is the monologues. It should take a couple days and then that’s it. Oh, and we’re having a cast party on the tenth.” Evan was completely aware that that was Mandy’s birthday.

”The tenth?” Shane felt his heart drop to his stomach. He looked at Mandy who was happily watching TV once more.

”Yeah. We need you here.” Hopefully her complete lack of sympathy wouldn’t ring through.

”Fuck,” he swore under his breath. “Fine. I’ll be there. Bye.” Without waiting for a response, he clicked off his cell phone.

Evan stared at the dead phone. “Jerk,” she muttered, knowing she didn’t mean it in the slightest.

Mandy looked up from the TV set, about to toss a piece of popcorn into her mouth and point out a funny-looking contestant to Shane when she saw the angry look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

Breaking out of his reverie, he looked at her, her pretty little face creased with worry. Deciding on an honest approach, he figured he owed her a no-B.S. answer. Sighing, he responded, “I have to back home tonight to finish filming the final episode and then stay through the tenth for the cast party.”

At first Mandy’s expression gave away nothing, as she assured him it was okay, then realization dawned on her face. “But wait! That’s my birthday!”

Shane smiled sadly. “Yeah, I know. I’m really sorry baby, but they need me.”

”Oh Shane.” Mandy sighed. “Don’t worry about me, you go do your thing, and we’ll celebrate afterwards.” She gave him a big smile, to put his mind at ease.

“Are you sure?” he asked, apprehensively.

”Of course! It’s okay.” To prove her point, she smiled once more.

”You’re the absolute best.” He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I have to book a flight and leave this afternoon.” With that, he got up and started making phone calls.

Mandy sighed and flopped herself down on the bed. Well this birthday is gonna be a great one, she thought sarcastically.

A Few Days Later – Mandy’s Birthday

It had been a stressful day. A very, very stressful day. Not that she didn’t appreciate her fans, Mandy tried to convince herself. It was just that—why did they have to call the set so damn often!? She shuddered as she thought of the glares she kept receiving as the phone rang endlessly.

”How did they even get the number?” she wondered out loud. Sighing deeply, she dropped all her bags on the floor and pulled out her laptop. She checked her mail, posted a message on the message board because Jon told her she had to, since she hadn’t in a while. Truthfully, it brought a smile to her face, although she was still a little annoyed about the whole phone calls thing. Speaking of phones…

Mandy picked up her cell and stared at it. “Ring,” she ordered. “Ring!” It did not comply. Sighing, she threw it on the bed along with bags of presents and stepped out of her shoes, kicking them to the side. It had been her birthday for fifteen hours now—starting at midnight early, early this morning—and she had not heard from Shane at all. She flopped down on her bed and started rummaging through the bags of her presents.

“Earrings…make up…ooh!” She sniffed at the perfume Franka had gotten her. “Mmm…shirt…shirt…shoes!” She squealed, lifting the fashionable denim sandals and inspecting them. Suddenly, a ring unique to her cell phone rang out and she dived for it.

”Hello?” she answered breathlessly.

”Mandy sweetie?” Her mother’s voice crackled over the phone lines.

”Oh.” Mandy tried to hide her disappointment. “Hi mommy.”

“Happy eighteenth birthday!” Her mom cried out, not noticing her daughter’s tone of voice.

”Thank you!” Mandy brightened.

”Your dad and I are coming up this evening, we’re actually leaving for the airport in five minutes. Speaking of which—DON!” There was a pause, as Mandy rolled her eyes affectionately. “We have to leave!” Another pause and Mandy inspected her nails. “I don’t care who’s playing what! Let’s GO! Start the car!” Her mom cleared her throat. “Okay honey, we’ll see you soon.”

Mandy laughed. “Alright mom, see you. Bye.”

”Bye sweetie. DON!” Mandy heard the phone click on the other end and turned off her cell. She dropped it onto the bed and started collecting and organizing her stuff. Putting everything to the side of her bed, she pulled her suitcase out from underneath it and started packing. Filming would be over tomorrow and then there was the whole editing process that she wasn’t a part of, so she could go home if she wanted to. Which she really, really did. With one last longing look at her cell phone, she flopped down onto the bed and, before she knew it, was asleep.

*

”I gotta go,” Shane insisted, refusing another piece of cake Billy tried to give him.

”So soon?” he questioned, digging into the cake himself.

”Yeah, it’s Mandy’s birthday today, I have to call her and try to get to Vancouver to give her her present.” He heard someone make a sound like a whip behind him. Whirling around, he saw Evan smirking at him.

”What? You go to her beck and call?” she questioned, mocking him.

He rolled his eyes at her. “Yeah, that’s it, Ev.” He patted her shoulder condescendingly. Ignoring her, he moved on to Billy. “Alright man, I’ll talk to you later.” He went to shake his hand, but was pulled into a hug. He felt the tears stinging behind his eyes, but he willed himself not to cry. He’d done enough of that today, he decided.

Saying bye to each respective person, Shane hurried out, but not before Evan grabbed him on the arm. “What?” he snapped, jerking his arm away. “I gotta go!”

Evan looked as though he had struck her. “Shane, we used to be such good friends. What happened?”

Shane’s features softened, and he softly cupped her cheek. “Ev, you’re a great girl, I love ya, but…Mandy’s a big part of my life now. And the show isn’t anymore.” He started to walk away again, but he turned once more. “You’re a cute kid, Ev. You’ll make some guy really happy.” With that, he walked out, grabbing his jacket. Evan was glad he turned when he did…so that he couldn’t see her tears.

*

Mandy was stuffed. Her parents came and brought presents, cake, and another good friend of hers, Amy*. The thought of her old friend and how well they caught up, brought a smile to her face.

”So, who’s Shane?” was the first word out of her friend’s mouth.

“Hmm…” Mandy replied, giggling. “Are you prepared to be here for a while?”

“Oh man!” Amy moaned. “Here we go…Miss Love-struck over here!”

Mandy laughed. “I dunno Amy…maybe love…or maybe just deeply ‘Like-struck’.”

It was Amy’s turn to laugh now. “I dunno Mands…you definitely got hearts in your eyes.” She pulled her thick brown hair into a ponytail.

“Yeah…” Mandy said softly, thinking. “I dunno. I care about him. I care about him a lot, that’s for sure. But love…? What about Wilmer?”

“Oh, forget Wilmer!” Amy scoffed. “Sure, he was great while he lasted, but you gotta move on! I mean, look at what you have now—Shane West. Shane. West. The Shane West. Sha—”

“Amy!” Mandy interrupted laughingly. “I get it, I get it!”

“Aww…” Amy cooed. “Your romance is like, out of a storybook. You meet on the set of a romantic movie, fall in love at first sight…of course, there are pesky obstacles in the way, but it all works out and you guys live happily ever after. Hey, I should write a story about it!” Amy was a noted author. “And…I’ll post it on the internet! Oh man, I’m liking this!”

“No!” Mandy gasped, shocked at the idea. Her life in a story on the internet? Exploiting her relationship with Shane? This very private girl could not imagine a worse fate.

“Mandy, just breathe!” There was a slight pause. “Sheesh.” Amy’s eye caught the picture of Shane on Mandy’s nightstand. “Oh Shane,” she squealed dramatically. Mandy chuckled. “Oh do I love thee, let me count the ways! One, your gorgeous eyes. Two, your sexy hair. Three—”

At this point Mandy was rolling around laughing.

“Lay one on me, big boy!” Amy cried, smacking her lips against the ones in the picture. “Ohhhh,” she swooned. “Now I can tell people I kissed the infamous SHANE WEST.” Falling back dramatically, she fluttered her face. Suddenly, she sat right back up and looked Mandy square in the eye. “How come you never told me he was such a horrible kisser? Blech!”

Mandy’s response was a swift pillow to the face.

Now Amy was on a plane back to L.A. and her parents were in the next room, planning on staying with her until it was time to leave. She was sleepily flipping channels, trying not to think about Shane and the fact that he hadn’t called. The half-eaten cake sat on the table beside her bed, and she willed herself not to look at for fear that she would either throw up or want to eat more.

Fluffing the pillows behind her head, she realized there was nothing worth seeing at 12:30 on a Wednesday night. Sighing, she shut the TV off, and tossed the remote to the side. A flash of lightning shocked her. She hadn’t even realized it was raining. Straining her ears, she heard the soft patter of rain on the window which, in seconds, turned into a hard patter and then an all-around slamming. The lightning illuminated the room and the thunder shook the curtains. Mandy shivered and pulled the covers tighter around her, thanking her lucky stars she was a warm, dry bed. Settling back, she let the steady rhythm of the rain lull her into a light sleep, but it was quickly broken with a sharp knocking at the door. It took Mandy a second to collect her bearings and find the source of the knocking and she wearily pulled herself out of bed and dragged herself to the door.

Who in God’s name could this be? she wondered, opening the door a crack. She was greeted with a sopping wet Shane, holding a soggy gift, and smiling in that lopsided way of his.

”SHANE!” she half-squealed, half-whispered, unlocking the bolt and swinging the door open. Without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck. Not even the jolt of his cold wetness against her warm skin could pry her away from him at this moment.

”Baby,” he murmured, pressing kisses into her hair and pulling her closer. Everything from this point on—the flight, the rain, the hassles—it was all worth it to be holding her.

Mandy looked up at him, the ends of her hair slightly damp and curling. As if in slow motion, they moved together until their lips barely brushed against each other. The second he made contact with her, Shane tangled his fingers in her short hair and pulled her closer. In turn, she twined her arms around his neck until they were pressed against each other so tightly there was no room between them.

In the midst of their kissing, Shane started to move Mandy backwards until she was sitting on the bed. Without even realizing what she was doing, Mandy leaned back against the covers and let Shane’s mouth work it’s way to her neck.

Shane gently played with the bottom of her pyjama shirt and put his hands underneath it, holding her around the waist. The shock of his cold hands and the way they were slowly moving upward brought Mandy back to reality.

”Shane,” she mumbled against his mouth, trying to wriggle away.

”I know, baby,” Shane murmured, mistaking her intentions and pulling her closer.

”No…no.” Her brain, foggy with kisses and Shane, tried to remember where her hands were. Locating them at the base of his head, she removed them and placed them firmly on his chest, pushing him back gently.

”Wha…” His lips, slightly parted, and hooded eyes greeted her as they both pulled away. He cleared his throat and became more aware of his surroundings. “What’s wrong?”

Mandy cleared her throat as well. “Um…you just…we were…I can’t.”

He understood in an instant. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just…I saw you, you looked great, you are great, and I just…I lost myself. I’m sorry baby,” he apologized whole-heartedly.

She smiled slightly. “It’s okay.” She took his face in her hands. “Listen. I’m an eighteen-year-old girl with most of the same feelings as you. BUT, my hormones aren’t as out of control, and I figure that as long as one of us can stop, we should.”

He nodded. “I agree, you’re very right. We can’t do anything we’ll regret.”

”Shane. I can’t see myself doing anything I’d ever regret with you,” she assured him. He smiled at her. “Now what’s in that pretty gift-wrapped box?”

”Oh, what this?” He played innocent, holding up her present. “Aw, it’s just a box. Nothing special.”

”Oh really?” Mandy played along. “Well, I might as well take it off your hands anyway.”

Shane sighed. “Hmm. If you must.” She grinned at him and snatched the box.

”Ooh…what could it be?” She shook it.

”Just open it!” Shane said, laughing.

”Shh!” she shushed him. “My parents are asleep in the next room.”

”Oh.” He lowered his voice. “Sorry.”

”Okay, I’ll read the card first.” She ripped the blue envelope off the small package and opened it up. Reading the card, she laughed at the humour that was his alone, and “aww”ed at the sweet words he had included. “Thank you.” She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

”Don’t thank me until you open the present,” he told her, giving her a half-smile.

”Okay.” She carefully pulled at the tape and peeled the wrapping paper away delicately. Shane rolled his eyes at how very girly his girlfriend was being.

Finally finished, she gasped as she saw the rectangular velvet box. “Oh Shane,” she breathed. “What did you get me…?” Answering her own question, she opened the box. What she saw took her breath away.

It was a delicate, white gold ID bracelet. On the front, he had it inscribed “A Love to Remember”. Flipping it over, she saw the back “Shane + Mandy, 2002”.

Shane looked nervously as she turned the bracelet over and over. It had taken him forever to pick it out and then forever and a day to figure out what to have written on it. Did she like it?

She loved it. “Oh Shane,” she said again. “It’s beautiful, I love it.” She threw her arms around his neck.

He mumbled something into her shoulder.

”What?” She pulled away and looked into his eyes. Did he just say what she thought he said…?

He looked away for a brief moment, then stared right back at her. “I love you.”

Her eyes widened. “Me?” she squeaked out before she could stop herself.

He chuckled slightly. “Yes, you. I love everything about you. I love your hair, your face, your body, your heart, your mind, your soul…I love every inch and ounce. I love the way you bite your pen when you’re thinking. I love the way you flip your hair when you know you’re hot shit.” She laughed at that, tears glistening her eyes. “I love how—”

She placed her fingers gently over his lips. “Right now, all you’re doing is boosting my ego. Guess what Shane? You don’t have to convince me you love me—I believe you. And you know why? Because everything you’re feeling, I’m feeling too. Every breath you take is for me, and every breath I take is for you. I don’t have to tell you what I love about you, because the list would be endless, so I will sum it up in four words: I love you, too.” And this time, she was openly weeping and even Shane had tears in his eyes.

”Baby.” His voice cracked and he grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. “Baby, baby, baby…” he murmured.

”Oh Shane!” she sobbed. “I never knew—Wilmer is nothing compared to this. And it happened so soon, so suddenly, so—“

Now it was his turn to place his fingers gently on her lips. “So what?” And there was no more talking.