'Rainer went through a lot of trouble to make this birthday really special for you so you owe it to him to forget about Jake tonight and have fun. It's only fair', Cassie said having no idea what would happen later that night. If only she knew. 'You know what? You're right', I answered, not knowing myself that this night would be one to never forget.

What if something did happen between Rainer and Paige that night. What if they didn't just smile at each other, but did a hell of a lot more than that?

'Happy birthday to you.' Everybody was clapping and grinning after having sung happy birth day to me. I couldn't believe this. This entire evening was so surreal. I had first gone to Rainer thinking I was going to have to rehears for a dance scene, but when I entered his house, I was surprised by a large group of people instead, all there to celebrate my birth day. I couldn't believe my eyes, and especially I couldn't believe that Rainer would do such a special thing just for me.

As the night went on, I hadn't seen him much. Instead I talked to our director, some cast mates, some crew member, Nina and Cassie. But then I saw him. He was looking at this enormous white birth day cake and suddenly, he was looking at me. My heart stopped for a moment before beating rapidly in my chest. An indescribable feeling overtook me as Rainer walked over to me and asked everyone for attention. The next thing I knew everyone was singing to me. I felt happy but also in some way uncomfortable. You know that feeling when everybody's singing to you and you don't know whether to sing along or just awkwardly stare around you and smile. At first I was doing just that, but then I found a safety line. I gazed at Rainer who had only eyes for me. And once I had looked his way, I was hooked. It was as if he was saying to me with his eyes that everything was fine.

It's just me and you, nobody else. Don't worry about anyone else but us, together in this room.

He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. And then, the song was over. The clapping woke me up from my gazing and I looked around again, showing appreciation to everyone who was there for me tonight. I saw Cassie laughing at something Adam said and as she was laughing a joyous feeling overcame me.

Jake might not be here, but Cassie is right. It's not because he isn't here, that I shouldn't have fun.

With that thought, I turned around once more to be greeted by Rainer's smile. He laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh myself. He moved closer and his hands met my waist. The moment his strong hands touched me, my breath hitched. I was suddenly very aware of my own body and his, getting closer and closer to mine. Everything around me had vanished. It was just me and him again, just as when he was singing to me before. His brown eyes that had brought me comfort just seconds earlier displayed something else now. An almost mischievous spark went through his eyes as he took even a step closer. And then he let me go. He pushed me backwards into a graceful ballet pose, to then pull me even closer to him. I was breathing more heavily and couldn't think of anything else but him. His smile was almost triumphal, as he noticed the effect his touch had on me. And then his eyes shot to my lips.

This is it I thought.

His gaze changed, he looked more serious than I had ever seen him. Before I had any time to prepare myself, he went for it. His lips touched mine, other than any time before this moment. He wasn't soft, but still gentle in a way. His lips almost crushed mine, and I didn't resist. I pulled him closer to me, as I felt his hands lower themselves. With one hand, I went through his hair, the other still gripped his jacket closer to me, just so to feel his body heath vibrating. My mouth opened as his tongue playfully touched mine. I let out a low groan as my body felt more and more attracted to his. And then it stopped. He released me, and the moment he did, I was cold and longing for his heat again. Disorientated I looked around me, to realize once more where we were. There was an awkward silence in the room and I didn't dare to look at Rainer again. I felt how my cheeks were burning red, and I helplessly tried to rearrange my hair that had ran all over the place. And then, as if she were my savior, Cassie interrupted the silence: "Aaaand scene! That was it for tonight guys. A little preview of what to expect in Locked between August and Noah." Some people still looked dazed, shocked but then people started to catch on and clap. 'Great stuff guys', some crew member shouted and other people pitched in. They all seemed to believe it now and the atmosphere returned to the room as people started to walk all over the place, some clapping Rainer on the back, congratulating him, other girls who smiled excitedly and told me I was a great actress. I thanked them half knowingly what just had happened and the only thing I could think was that I couldn't imagine a better best friend than Cassie and what I had done in my life to deserve such a wonderful human being who just saved me from a series of embarrassing events. I caught Cassie's eyes and tried to thank her with all my heart by looking at her. She nodded, and I knew she had understood.

That girl is getting whatever she wants for the rest of her life.

Cassie turned around and went back to talk to Adam and I stared for another moment at her, thanking god or whoever it was that had brought her in my life. Then I heard a silent whisper in my ear, ' Meet me outside in five minutes.' It was Rainer. The feeling I felt when kissing him, returned. I quickly looked around to check if anyone took notice, but everyone was caught up again in mindless stories and drinking and no one payed any attention to us. I took a deep breath as his lips lingered just inches away from my neck, and his fingers gently stroke my upper leg. And then the contact was gone, and Rainer had left. My eyes followed as I saw him disappear in the mass in the direction of the ocean. I swallowed and looked around again. Everyone was indeed too caught up in their own business and the little kissing event had already been forgotten. I made my way up to the counter and took a glass of champagne and drunk it up in one sip. It was to cool me down from all the different kinds of heats I had experienced in the last half hour. 'What a wonderful birth day you have, Paige.' A voice said from behind. Half startled I turned around to see it was Nina, Rainer's mother. I had always been afraid of her, but now even more. She had a very threatening face and her eyes were squinting judgmentally as if she didn't believe anything of what Cassie had said to save my ass. 'Oh yes, it's amazing! I can't believe how many people turned up.' I said while smiling and trying to convince her that I wasn't freaking internally. 'And don't forget Rainer.' 'Huh?', I responded.

She knows. She absolutely knows that the kiss wasn't a stunt at all.

'He arranged this all, right? You must feel pretty special that Rainer Devon throws a surprise party just for you.' Her tone was very neutral but her eyes were trying to kill me with only one bolt of lightning. 'Oh yes, I'm so lucky. Rainer – I mean your son, he's really amazing a-and kind.' She nodded but didn't look convince. 'Nina, darling', A voice from behind said. Before Nina turned around, she gave me a last look and said almost un-hearable 'I have an eye on you, Paige Towsen. If you hurt my boy in any way, I will make sure of it that your face will never be seen on any screen in Hollywood, ever.' With that said she turned around, and she was gone as fast as she had come. I swallowed once more and took a deep breath.

It's okay Paige, it's just a threat of a very powerful woman who only has the future of your career in her hands. Nothing to worry about. Oh, god.

I took another glass to wash down our little encounter and then stood up. I had almost forgotten about my little rendezvous with Rainer but was reminded when I saw Cassie at the other side of the living room. She looked so happy and I couldn't help but feel so much gratitude towards that girl. Tomorrow the first thing I was going to do, was take her out for a brunch. Just the two of us, and after that I would take her to this spa she had been begging me to go to for three months now. I took a last deep breath and made my way to the open window. I was there in seconds and wasn't even held up once. I felt nervous again, as I walked out onto the terrace viewing the ocean. I didn't know what I was going to tell Rainer. I didn't even know how I felt about it all. All I knew was that when he touched me, everything else just stopped. All my thoughts were gone and the only thing I could and would think about, was how much I wanted and needed him.

The evening air was rather warm and soft. The wind had this soothing effect and made me feel more conscious. My heart returned to a normal rhythm. I walked down the stairs as I figured it was there that I would find him, and I was right. Rainer stood not far down from me, with his back turned to mine, looking out at the beautiful ocean which looked calm tonight. 'Hey', I said silently. He didn't hear me, and I hadn't expected it. I came to stand next to him and he looked up. 'Hey', I repeated. 'Hey', he replied softly. He looked at me for a few seconds and then returned his head to the sea. 'It's really beautiful … - this view. I can't believe you get to see this every night.' He smiled at me and then we both gazed at the sea. If I listened closely, I could hear the rushing sounds of waves hitting the sand. I could hear some distant sea birds; I could see how the moon reflected its light upon the surface of the water. 'You remember the day you came to audition for the movie?' I wanted to reply that 'of course I do, I will never forget'; but I didn't. I had a feeling he just wanted me to listen for now, so I did. 'It had been a tough day for me. Me and Jordan were still on bad terms and I wasn't up for this movie. Did you know that we weren't going to pick any of the girls who auditioned?' No I didn't know, I replied in my head. 'My mom said that the best way to market the movie, was by doing this big auditioning stunt. But actually, we already had two actresses in mind.' He was quiet again. I reached out my hand and let it stroke gently against his hand. He didn't move, so I kept enjoying the feeling of his hand softly touching mine. 'I was sitting with my mom in the auditioning room, just looking out of the window. I was thinking that this entire thing was bullshit, a waste of my time. I couldn't believe that we were holding auditions if we weren't even going to give anyone a shot. So, I was a little mad when I looked out the window, and then I saw you.' I was surprised when he said it. I had no idea he had seen me before our first audition. 'You were just smiling, talking to your friend, and I couldn't help myself from smiling too. I didn't know what it was but something about you, it made me feel okay. It was as if your smile understood my pain, my frustration. As if your smile told me that it was alright and everything was going to be just fine.' He sighted. 'A few days later, I saw your picture in the callbacks and I felt so glad. I didn't even know you then, but I knew that if you would audition with me, maybe my mother could be convinced to hire someone else than those two other girls.' I couldn't keep silent anymore. 'You really thought that?', I asked. 'Yes, I really did Paige.' He turned around and smiled at me, sincere. 'And then you entered that room and I knew I had been right. You were so adorable, rattling on about how nervous you were and your best friend. And all I could think about is, who is this girl and how come it's only now that I meet her?' I smiled shyly as Rainer's hand pushed a hair behind my ear. His hands stayed there, slowly touching my cheek as he continued his story. 'When we ran through the lines, I knew you had done it. I could feel my mom looking and thinking the same thing as I did: this girl can act.' I laughed as he said it. He was so cute in this moment, so honest. In that moment, I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have met Rainer. In the begin I thought he was just an actor who was used to getting what he wants, especially girls. But over the weeks we were working together, I noticed there was so much more to him than what appeared on the surface. 'Paige', he moved closer to me. 'I don't know what happened earlier, and I can't explain it but I haven't felt like this before. If it hadn't been for all those people, I don't know what might have happened but I do know now, that I want this to happen again.' 'Without the people, I presume', I joked without thinking. He chuckled. 'Yes, without the people Paige.' He came closer, his lips, inches away. And then he kissed me once more. Not so passionate as earlier, but with feelings nonetheless. This time, it was me who took control. I opened his mouths with my lips and he let me. His hands roamed over my body and I almost sighted of great content. The kiss deepened and my breath became more hitched. My hands were on his jacket once more, but now I started to take it off. His hands were under my waist and lifted me up. I heard him groan as I trailed kisses down his neck. He walked over to the cabin while I breathed in his sent. His sent had been one of the first things I noticed when I first met him. It was so him, and I couldn't get enough of it.

In the cabin, it was only half dark, as beams of the full moon created light as well as long shadows. The cabin was not very big but it contained this bed that looked extremely inviting. Rainer and I clearly had the same feeling about the bed as he led me there and gently placed me down on it. The sheets smelled sweet, just as his clothes. He stared at me, almost mesmerized as I lied there. Then he took off his shirt and I got to see his muscular torso. He climbed on the bed, hung over me as his eyes looked for mine. 'You okay?' he asked with a little uncertainty in his voice. 'More than okay', I whispered as I pulled him down and kissed him. I turned him around, my legs clasped around his body, and now it was me on top. He stared at me as I was catching my breath. His hands that were on my waist trailed up and stopped behind my back. Then, I felt as the zipper slowly was being pushed down and my dress opened. I put my arms as to help him and he sat straight up to heave my dress over my arms. And then we sat there, looking at each other. Me in my underwear, he in his trouser. He played with my hair and started trailing kisses down my neck. I tried to suppress a moan and pushed him back down on the bed. He turned me around once more and my fingers were fiddling with his trousers. His mouth was everywhere. First on my lips, that the side of my neck. And then he went down. Carefully he unclasped my bra, and I took a deep breath as he removed it. His lips hoovered just above my breasts before placing kisses on them. His pant had gone already and I felt the tension rising. I had long ago lost the will of remaining quiet and my moaning became louder. He too groaned, and said my name as his fingers laced around my panties and pulled them down. I did the same to his underpants and all the clothes were gone. It was just me and him now. Nothing else keeping us away from each other. Our kisses deepened, our cries became louder, we ran out of breath as we slept with each other. In that moment, I realized that I had never felt this way before. I had had sex before, but nothing compared to this. You know how you see sex scenes in movies and they look all prefect, and then it turns out that sex in real-life is nothing like in the movies? The people who say that obviously haven't felt what I was feeling tonight. During the entire act, I felt as if we were one. We weren't just Paige and Rainer, we were Raige. He kissed me in the right places and knew exactly what I wanted when I wanted it. I couldn't get enough of him, but eventually it had to end.

It was late, I can tell you that. I woke up by a little breeze. I looked up and saw the inside of an unlit cabin, only a few beams of moonlight that made it inside of the place. Everything slowly came back to me. The party, how Rainer and I had kissed, how we had talked outside, and kissed inside. I looked to my right and saw Rainer sleeping peacefully. There was only a thin blanket that covered his naked body. He was breathing softly, and I ended up gazing at him for a while, just in all the tranquility. But then I remembered again why I had woken up in the first place. When we had been both awake and busy, it had been warm, but now, the temperature had gone down. I looked around to see what else there was in the cabin. There was not much, but the things present gave me the idea this cabin was a sort of guestroom. In the corner stood a small television, and next to it a drawer. In the other corner was a mini-fridge and a sink with some towels. I carefully stood up, doing my best to not wake Rainer and walked over to the drawer. In it were some shirts. Gladly, I took the first one I could find and I put it on, relieved by the sudden warmth. I walked back over to the bed and picked up my clothes that laid scattered across the floor. I took out my phone and saw I had 4 messages and a missed call. I placed myself back in the bed, next to Rainer and opened my messages. The first two were from Cassie, she had send them at 4 am.

Girl, where are you!? I haven't seen you since the birth day cake, and Rainer is missing too.

Anyway, just so you know, the party is almost over now. Had a blast, I'm still here with Adam and were going to go to our place ;) hope that wherever you are right now, you're having as much fun as I am! Xxxx

The other two were from Dad and Jake.

Sweaty, we heard about your little surprise party and we couldn't be more glad to hear that you've got such nice friends who arranged it all for you. Mom and I will be in town soon, so make sure to clear some space so we can congratulate you properly.

Love, mom and dad xxx

I smiled as I read the message and prepared myself for Jake's message.

Hey Paige, sorry I couldn't make it. Hope you liked your party, happy birth day! We'll still hang out for your birth day, I promise xx

I sighed. I didn't know what I had expected, but for once, it didn't bother me. Yesterday, I would have been really upset that he didn't come to my party, and today I'm still upset but not so much. It's sad for sure that he didn't make it, but somehow, what happened tonight, I wouldn't have wanted to change it in anyway. So if by Jake not coming to my party, made this happen, I'd take it.

I will see him tomorrow and we'll still have a blast.

Rainer made a little grumpy sound as he moved over and his arm lay now closer to me. I smiled as I put my phone on the little side table next to the bed. I lay down again, took some of the blanket to wrap myself in and watched as Rainer was sleeping next to me. Slowly, my breathing slowed down, my eyelids closed, and I fell asleep. 21 year old Paige Towsen was off to a wonderful start, with Rainer Devon right along her side.