Hello! I have the new chapter of my novel for you today. I hope you’ll like this one about strikes, peanuts, the beach, and the songs Millionaire, When It’s So Hard and you’ll get the first taste of The Last Song!

***

22^nd February 2014

Dear Diary,

I know, I haven’t been writing for quite a while, but I’m shooting a new movie entitled Hometown, and I have a right to be tired after hard workdays… I started working on this new project at the beginning of the month. Didn’t I mention…?

What happened during this time? Nothing special, to be honest, because I have no contact with Alice or Joe. I even haven’t spoken for a long time with Sindy and Brian as well…

My Polish friend is mourning, and she’s in her mother’s hometown now. Brunet is on tour with the band in Europe. Sindy and Brian are in LA. Probably they spend their days baking good stuff as always. Yep, I know…

As you can see, so far “the wind is blowing” in my life. I only spend hours on the set, and that’s all I can say. Boredom! At least the “pair” is in touch. Yep, I did my best to help them! What wouldn’t you do for your friends, right?

Now let’s go back to the story…

*

It was Wednesday then, and I was already in the studio. I just got the script for the second episode and found out that we were going to start shooting the same day. Great! Learn a role in such conditions! We just finished the first episode! “Later this week, you must learn your roles while working on the second episode. Along with sung scenes. ” Blah, blah… Absolute absurdity… I wanted to go on strike and claim my rights as not only an actress but even an employee…

Joe got the lyrics for another song to learn. It was going to be pretty cool because I really like it when he sings. In addition, I really like songs from the series. Someone talented is doing a great job.

It was going to be a beautiful week…

My friend’s voice snapped me out of the mental sitting in my head. I mean Sindy.

– You like peanuts? I could only live on nuts and water – she said, taking another dose of the snack in her mouth.

–  Of course, I like it very much. Give me some! – I took the packaging from her.

I love this taste! The best what earth has ever born!

– Just don’t eat all at once because you’ll be fat!

– And who says it?

Stop! Come back! Start thinking! Now you can talk! Wise little me!

Unfortunately, Sindy wasn’t one of the skinniest girls… She was on the verge of being overweight and healthy weight then but today it’s better… She lost only 11 lb, but it makes a total difference… But it wasn’t so tragic then, really.

– Laura!

– Sorry! That’s not what I meant! I can buy you two new packages as a reward!

– Stop!

– I won’t say anything anymore… – I gave her the package and she hid it in her bag.

We went to her dressing room. It’s good that Sindy can quickly forget about wrongs and get over them. We still had a lot of time until the hour of the start of shooting, and it’s good that there was no tough atmosphere between us then. We still had to wait exactly fifteen minutes. Time was dragging on mercilessly. So, I picked up my copy of the script and started reading my lines for the second episode of the series. It didn’t take too long because soon enough my phone reminded me of itself…

“Seriously?! Sam is calling? At such an hour?!” – I thought. After all, I was on the set, and she knew she shouldn’t be calling me when I was at work. Well, unless something important happened…

– Hey there. Everything’s all right? You know… I’m on the set and in a few minutes, I must be in front of the camera.

– What? I’m calling because I’m on my way to the studio. Taylor, Mike, Harry, and Peter are with me. Just send me the address, and we’ll be there soon.

– Ok. I’m sending it your way. See you later.

– See you later.

I hung up and sent a text message with the address.

“It will be nice!” – I thought.

Sindy decided to say something too. The conversation with my sister was switched to hands-free and therefore she heard everything.

I forgot that we decided to continue our celebrations related to finishing working on the first episode and starting the second one. It was a time of holidays, so everybody wanted to have as much fun as possible! Just give us an excuse! That’s why I agreed and promised to prepare one more surprise. The only requirement was gathering everybody in the studio on Wednesday…

– It’s going to be a nice party! What have you prepared for tonight?

– We’ll go to the beach.

– You made a terrible effort thinking it out… – that was Sindy’s comment, of course…

– Excuse me?

– Nothing… It’s time to get down to work, don’t you think?

– Yes. You’re right – I said with a smile painted on my face.

We left the dressing room and went to the set. The director, Brian, and Joe were there already waiting for us. It was time to start shooting the second episode of our series…

*

It was nine o’clock and we had officially finished recording the first scene! We had an hour to learn new lines from the script for the next scene and prepare for shooting. There’s nothing like a break. Just…

Did I mention that there was also an audience on the set? Honestly, this fact made me very happy! I felt like on the stage of a theatre, but there were also cameras…

Eighteen pages… “I can do it!” – I thought. Honestly, the longest scenes in history…

I know my thoughts are a little tangled… Sorry diary…

I was in my wardrobe then. I should prepare myself first. I mean… After changing into the new costume that was described in the script, I sat in front of the mirror and started to memorize it.

*

The hour passed quickly and all four of us were waiting for the slap announcing the next scene. During this time, we were talking about what was started by Brian:

– What are we going to do tonight? Laura! I heard you have some plans.

– Exactly! We’re going to go by the ocean today. Us, Sam, Joe’s family, and Pete. Some food, talking, and a walk on the sandy beach – I was a bit dreamy saying this…

– It’ll be fun – Sindy concluded.

– With my family for sure! – Joe added with a laughter.

We were interrupted by a director who, I don’t know by what kind of miracle, happened to suddenly stand next to us.

– Okay kids, it’s time for some hard work. No more fantasizing until six o’clock. We must finish the longest scene in history tomorrow if you want to have a free evening…

We were groaning a bit because of our plight and another slap fell in the end…

*

Finally over for today! We had a few minutes of footage. YAY!

The next day we were recording a sung scene. Joe needed to learn the song lyrics. How was it called? Ehmm… Millionaire! The woman responsible for the musical side of the show presented us this song, and I saw Joe’s eyes were sparkling! Well, I’m not surprised because the song is great. They perfectly matched his taste…

I was walking towards my dressing room. I got to the door and entered. What did I see inside? Sam sitting in front of the mirror with the phone in her hands! The girl noticed me and stood up abruptly, then ran up to me with these words on her lips:

– Laura! I missed you!

– Me too, my little sister! – I said in her arms.

We stopped hugging. I always came home late, so we always had little time to talk. Only now I could share with her the experiences of the last few days. It’s nice that she thought about such a pleasant surprise like waiting in my dressing room! And now her reaction to my confessions:

– No way! Joe is in love with you! Joe is in love with you!

– Be quiet! You’re acting like a child… And you want to be considered as such a mature person…

– And that’s fine! It’s still legal!

Ah, my sister…

– Maybe I’ll change, huh?

– Sure, go!

I quickly changed into my normal human clothes in the restroom and returned to Samantha. I opened the door and what did I see? A girl kissing with a brunet! With Mike, let’s be clear! And it wasn’t just a little kiss! It was passionate like hell! And how! My mouth opened in surprise so widely that my lower jaw dropped to the ground! It’s such a metaphor…

Eventually, the couple stopped doing what they were doing. They didn’t notice me at first but in the end, they reluctantly paid attention to me. They were probably even more shocked than me… Suddenly the brunet spoke up:

– Oh, hi Laura. It’s been a long time since the last time I saw you.

– Hi. Yeah… Long…

– I’m going back to my family – he said to Sam.

– See you later.

He smiled at her and went out as if nothing had happened… What was that supposed to mean?!

– So, are you ready to go? – I asked.

– Where?

– Well… At the beach…

This is how the truth about my surprise was announced to my sister… She agreed and after these words, we left my dressing room.

*

Our whole group was sitting in a cosy eatery on the beach. Everyone was talking to everyone, so there was quite a mess… I was sitting on the cruelly comfortable couch between Sindy and Joe. I was talking to Joe and Sindy was eavesdropping. Yep…

– And how is it? Did you finish that… Song? – I asked him.

– No. I got a creative block.

– Oh. Pity. I’m curious about the continuation.

At this point, the waiter with the pizza approached us and set it on the table. Hawaiian. I adore it! I held out my hand to grab a piece. Joe spotted the same piece of dish. Effect? Our hands met. It couldn’t be better…

The boy took his hand fast. He blushed and then said:

– Lau, can we talk privately?

– Beach?

He nodded, and I took a bite of my won piece. I got up a moment later and walked out of the restaurant and Joe followed me.

The sound of the sea, the full moon, a sandy beach, a couple of teenagers, walking in a romantic setting of nature… What more could you ask for?

Suddenly, the brunet stopped and just began to cheekily stare at me. At one point a smile appeared on his face. And what about me? I felt a little awkward… After a while, Joe grabbed my hand and asked:

– Is there a chance that you could go out with me one day?

– Joe… We’re friends and… I don’t want to ruin it…

– Please tell me honestly how you feel about it.

– I don’t know, maybe someday…

“Should I?… No, that’s not it… Or maybe?… I don’t know…”. I was so confused, I know…

I was thinking what to do, and the boy grabbed a strand of my hair with his other hand and started to play with it. Okay. He didn’t make it easy for me.

I took my hand out of his grip, shook my head, and said:

– Joe, would you please stop?

And he replied using a dreamy tune of his voice:

– I like it when you say my name…

I looked at him resignedly. I could see in his eyes that it was all very serious. Nice…

“Okay, I have to say it! Now or never!” – I thought. I just needed to encourage myself…

– Forget about me. It’s the best for both of us.

– Laura…

– Please.

I decided to go back to the pub. I already took one step back and noticed a tear running down my friend’s face. I didn’t want him to suffer. Unfortunately, sometimes the truth hurts the most… I decided to say something:

– Come on!

I grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the bar. Joe only smiled faintly.

*

I sat in my room, thinking about what happened earlier that day. There has been a lot of it recently. “Just a month ago I was just an ordinary girl. And now? I don’t know who I am anymore. It’s all happening too fast…” – I was thinking…

Only one thing allows you to break away from reality even for a moment. It’s music that cures all sorrows. And Joe knows about it best! Because he’s a musician, and I’m just an actress who likes to listen to music and sing along sometimes…

Suddenly I was enlightened, and I started writing a text. After putting all my thoughts on paper, some sort of magic started happening because I just started singing. And it never happened before!

*

Even when it’s so hard

You can’t let it go

Oh, I know I, know I, know I, know I, know

Something’s going wrong

But I gotta stay strong

And sing this song

*

I closed my eyes, so I was sure that it came straight from my heart… When I opened my eyes, I found Samantha sitting on the couch next to me. Well, she’s always liked coming to my room…

– You know what, my dear sister? You have an enormous talent – she said.

– Thanks. But you know… It was the first time… I don’t know how it happened…

After these words, I hugged her and then I asked:

– What are we going to do now? I know you came here for a purpose. I know you too well, sis!

The girl took out a cosmetic bag full of colourful nail polishes from behind her back. I didn’t notice it while hugging…

– Colourful dots?

– Sure!

Half an hour later our hands were no longer normal. They were works of art!

This is how I spent the rest of the day with my sister.

*

It was a new week, a new day, and I was back in the studio. It wasn’t a normal day because we almost finished filming half of the second episode of the show by then. Joe also recorded the song Millionaire in the studio. Yes, a really hard day like any other… I won’t tell you what that day looked like because nothing interesting happened. The next day after work, I met Camille and we chatted for a while. Only two hours or so!

In the next post, we will speed up our story a bit because I’m going to tell you about how we finished recording the first season. Seriously, a lot was happening then!

P.S. “Being here without you is like hearing the last song”.

That’s the part of the song written by you know who. This one is about a deep feeling and longing… He misses her and she misses him too. What is funny about this situation is that they don’t know about each other’s feelings, and I, the clairvoyant Laura, know everything… Maybe I’ll also tell you a little secret… Joe’s cousin Harry talks about Alice’s friend’s hair all the time! I don’t know what to think about it because it’s funny to me… Hair! He fell in love with her hair?! Okay, it was just a joke… Not funny at all…

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That’s the chapter 6! How do you feel about checking out my store now? The novel signed copy is here, the e-book is here, the novel-inspired T-shirt is here, the bag is here, and the whole collection is here.

Do you know that there is a free shipping method automatically activated when you order for $75? Just $60 (250 PLN) in Poland.

See ya on Wednesday! It will be podcast turn then.

A.A.