He couldn't stop the beads of sweat trickling down the side of his face while he downed a shot of blood orange punch that Skandar offered him.

Normally, ever since that fiasco precisely five months ago, he had avoided any forms of liquor,  alcoholic or not. He spent a month before that very drunk and he wasn't fond on being the same way again.

And he calls it a fiasco, by the way, because the showbiz industry exploded when they knew what William and Anna had been hiding for three (almost four) years. The whole cast and crew of Narnia (excluding Skandar and Georgie, of course; they were the only persons who knew) went crazy. Ever since, they had been bombarding them with questions like how and when they started dating, why didn't they tell them so that they could have deleted the kissing scene in the screenplay and they could have prevented those days when they scolded them for being too cozy with each other off camera that they even wrote a restraining order to them both, et cetera et cetera. Their fans were in a frenzy (especially those ones who believed they were really in a relationship), immediately posting a social media campaign for a romantic comedy movie with the both of them headlining it.

That kiss they shared on the sidewalk? Twitter crashed a lot of times because of that.

And of course, some people only saw it as a PA stunt to promote their movie. Which Will thought was crazy because it happened a month after Caspian premiered with the movie already out of the theaters. But then again, the showbiz industry would be incredibly boring if the bashers couldn't have their say so Will left them with their opinions.

Anna no longer care about any of it, though. Heck, Will was even more troubled by some his fans' backlash towards her than her. She seemed not to care the slightest bit anymore. She didn't seem to care anymore about the industry they were both in ruining their personal lives.

But Will cared. After all, it was because of him and his temper that led them to that fiasco five months ago.

That led them almost to ruin.

Which brought him back to why beads of sweat kept trailing down his forehead while he sat at the booth of a certain bar with Skandar Keynes across from him.

It was almost the middle of December and yet, he was sweating like it was May. Honestly, Will thought in annoyance.

Skandar was staring in amusement at the expression on Will's face, casually sipping a glass of iced tea. If he wasn't about to be in a meeting with Michael, Georgie, and the new cast and crew for Dawn Treader, he would have no problem joining Will in drinking punch. But he didn't want showing up to that meeting woozy. Georgie nagging at him in front of the production team was the last thing he wanted. Honestly, Skandar thought. That girl has become more and more like his mother.

"You know," Skandar said to his bestfriend (more like an older brother than bestfriend, really.) "I don't really get it why you're so bloody nervous."

Will, in response, downed another shot of the punch. He ran his fingers on his blonde-hair in frustration, forcing himself to concentrate why he summoned Skandar there in the first place. "I don't really get it, too," he answered through gritted teeth.

"It's not as if she'd kick you in the face and run away. Oh wait," Skandar pretended to think, placing a finger on his temple and looking up at the bar's ceiling. "She might." He grinned.

Will glared at his seventeen-year-old companion, wondering why he was the one he chose to ask for advice and not James.

"This is so not funny, Mr. Smarty Pants," he said.

"I know, I know," Skandar laughed. "It's just," he took another sip of his iced tea. "You look like you're about to vomit. I'm just lightening the mood."

Will rolled his eyes, then groaned. Skandar didn't need to rub it on his face that he looked terrible. Heck, he was actually really close to vomiting right then and there. If there were any hidden cameras around the bar, he figured he would be popular the next morning as the ambassador for help-me-I'm-planning-to-propose-to-my-girlfriend-but-I-don't-know-how-and-I'm-freaking-the-hell-out actors.

"And, besides, Anna kicking you in the face while you're down on one knee kinda is really funny," Skandar said.

Will glared at him.

Skandar cracked a grin again then held up his hands. "I'm done," he said.

Will shook his head. He knew it was a bad idea to ask Skandar for advice whether he should go through with his plan or not. The guy doesn't even have any girlfriend yet. What advice could he give to someone who was now planning to propose to his girlfriend for four years but doesn't have any bloody idea how?

But then again, Will thought. Skandar knew him and Anna more than anyone. Except for Georgie, of course. If Will was looking for a second voice, it'd be him.

"Right," Skandar cleared his throat, leaning forward to him, planting his elbows firmly against the table of their booth. "Let me see it."

Will reached for his left jacket pocket and took out a little white box. When it left his pocket, it felt like his jacket lightened a great deal and his hand felt like he was holding a few pounds of rocks. He gave it to Skandar.

The black-haired teen opened the little box.

Skandar couldn't stop himself from drawing an awed breath.

"That's a big rock, alright," he murmured.

It was a round brilliant diamond cradled in a simple yet elegant tapered band.

"It was my grandma's," Will said. "She gave it to my dad when she knew she found "the one"". He drew the quotes in the air.

"And now," Skandar closed the box and pushed it back towards Will. "Your Mom gave it to you."

Will nodded.

He took the box and opened it.

He heaved a breath. A breath of relief, contentment, and happiness. For a moment, Will forgot about his nervousness. He savored the feeling that finally, finally, he found the someone that even his parents thought was "the one" for him.

Anna was the one. He knew it the moment he decided to go back to that theater where they first met and sit by the front doors and pray that she'd see him in a television somewhere and she'd come running.

She did.

Even after all he had put her through, she did.

And who was he to even think about letting her go again?

"When did you decide to propose, anyway?" Skandar's voice jarred him back to reality.

Will realized he had been staring at the ring all this time.

"Well," he started. How could he explain it to Skandar without going all sappy and gooey, things that he knew his companion wasn't so big about. "We were just hanging out one night. She was reading a script and I was reading a book. And then, she sort of cried out loud about how using a bow and arrow is much more better than using a gun." Will trailed off. A soft smile crept into his lips as he remembered that night in their bedroom. "I looked over at her and it just hit me. She's incredible and she's my bestfriend," he grinned at Skandar's raised eyebrow at that last word. "And I knew then that I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Skandar smirked. "How did you become so sappy?"

Will rolled his eyes. "So what am I gonna do? What am I gonna say?"

"Look," Skandar gulped down his remaining iced tea. "Do you love her?"

Will met his gaze. "I do."

"And are you sure about..." Skandar motioned at the ring. "...this."

"Very."

"Well, then, your proposal shouldn't be a problem. Just say the first thing that comes into your mind. I dunno," Skandar shrugged, looking at Will sheepishly. "I'm really not that good at this stuff."

Will smiled at his bestfriend. "You're doing fine."

"Gee, thanks."

"But what if I'll mess things up?" Will asked. The butterflies in his stomach returned. He felt like he was about to vomit again.

"Trust me, Will, you always mess things up," Skandar answered, leaning back to his seat. "That's why Anna loves you."

*****

Anna didn't usually go out wearing sunglasses. Even after that multimillion success of the first Narnia movie, she still could go shopping without attracting major attention. She could buy clothes in boutiques without the cashiers and the sales lady gushing at her. She could buy coffee at the nearest coffee shop she could find without its customers asking for an autograph and a picture.

But after that scene at the foot of the front doors of a certain theater, it all changed.

Not that she hated the attention. She was thankful for her fans because they don't only support her with all of her endeavours, they also defend her whenever the bashers got too far. But sometimes, she felt really uncomfortable. Being crowded by fans and getting asked for autographs in the sidewalk were completely new to her.

Like right now.

She and Georgie went out to the premiere of James latest sci-fi movie but the moment she shed her sunglasses, the paparazzi saw her and she was immediately mobbed by questions about her and Will: why was she alone (because Will decided to see Skandar), was it true that she and Will live together now (the both of them thought it was time to officially move in together considering that they were a couple for almost four years now and that they were practically living together anyway with them both alternating to sleep in each other's flat), and were they supposed to expect an engagement announcement any time soon (she had no idea).

Anna managed to answer all of their questions without giving much information. Another public and thorough article of her and Will's relationship was the last thing she needed. She already had difficulty browsing through social medias without seeing a new gossip about them. Thankfully, Georgie was there. That girl could handle paparazzis way more better than her.

Anna didn't know she and Will had this effect on the showbiz world.

The moment she pulled up in front of her and Will's and stepped out of her car, the cold winter air immediately left goose bumps down the nape of her neck. Even though she was wearing two layers of jacket, it seemed to do nothing against the cold December weather.

And speaking of December, what was she supposed to do on her birthday next week?

As she rode the elevator up to her and Will's flat, her phone rang inside her pocket.

It was Georgie.

"Hey, G," she answered while shutting the door close behind her and heading immediately to the kitchen counter without even shedding her jacket.

"Anna, where are you?" Georgie asked from the other line.

"In the kitchen, preparing dinner because Will and his always hungry stomach might be home any minute," she responded.

"Oh."

"Why?" she asked, tying an apron around her waist.

"I thought you were stranded in a street somewhere, being mobbed by paparazzis and crazy WillAnna shippers."

Anna chuckled. "I'm fine, G."

"Why was Will missing during James' movie premiere, by the way? I thought you be were going together."

"I have no idea," she sighed, opening the fridge and scanned it for frozen goods to cook. She decided on a frozen beacon and drumsticks then took them out of the freezer. "Apparently, he had an emergency meeting with Skandar."

"Does he have any hints about what he's planning for your birthday?" Georgie asked.

"No," she answered curtly.

"Hey," Georgie said after a few seconds of silence. "Maybe it's a surprise. A big surprise."

"Yeah," Anna replied dryly. "Maybe he forgot."

Georgie snorted incredulously. "Come on, Anna. He sat on a sidewalk and cried just to have you back. It's more than impossible that he forgot about your birthday."

Anna didn't reply at Georgie's comeback. When she broke up with him in that comfort room, she never imagined he would be hurting as much as she was. True, she knew that he loved her but she never expected him to do anything reckless. Let alone that.

So when she saw him in the television-- sitting on the sidewalk, looking like a homeless guy, and sobbing while clutching a picture of her-- she realized that what she did was selfish. That she was only thinking about her feelings and not imagining what it would do to him. That she was insulting him by thinking that he didn't love her as much as she loved him.

"Anna?" Georgie asked from the other line. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm--"

She was interrupted by a blasting ringtone in her ear that sounded suspiciously like Fall Out Boy.

She heard Georgie swore loudly from the other line.

"It's Skandar," Georgie said. "Probably informing that he's on his way for the cast meeting with Michael for Dawn Treader, which should be half an hour from now."

Anna couldn't help but smile. Even though she wouldn't be casted in the third Narnia movie (although she was informed that she and Will would be having a cameo appearance), she was excited for Georgie and Skandar. And Ben, of course. Even though Ben told her during their filming of Caspian that he might have developed feelings for her and that she told him she was with someone else, they remained good friends. He even apologized profusely to Will for their kiss scene when he found out that he was who Anna referred to as that someone. Anna thought Ben and Will would be awkward to one another but they too, remained very good friends. The other day, the both of them even went to the bar with Skandar and they both ended up bringing Skandar to her and Will's flat because the younger teen was very drunk.

She wondered what it would be like for Georgie and Skandar on set without her and Will. After all, the four of them were like family after five years of working together. They saw each other through thick and thin. Even Ben and the others on the team that came on board during Caspian, they became like family, too.

"Which also means that Will might be on his way home," Georgie continued. "So shake off your pessimism. You sound ridiculous."

Yes, I do, Anna thought as she took out the drumsticks from their frozen container and dumped it on a bowl under the tap's running water. "Okay, Ma'am," she said. "Give my love to Ben."

"Oh, come on, Anna," Georgie said reproachfully, although by the tone of her voice, Anna knew the younger girl was grinning. "You already rejected him. Don't give him hope."

"Shut up, G."

>>>