"I never did stand a chance, did I?"

"Lydia, it's more complicated than that..."

"You've loved her always. I was just a bait, just another of your games to bring her back. I was the pawn, a sacrifice to the big cause," her eyes were fierce.

There were no tears in them. I could see only hate and scorn.

"Lydia, I love you but I loved her too and when she left me..."

"You pretended to love me. You bought me pretty little skimpy dresses, displayed me like a trophy in front of the public and the media, made love to me and used me in every way possible and one text from her, and you come to me to say that it's over."

She was agitated and her face was flushed red.

"No, you're something different. You complemented me like no one has ever done before. You're the sun, the light, she's like a drug, forbidden and which will kill me but I'm being unable to draw myself away from her," I looked away.

"It's more than just my body is it? It's about my position in the society. You're a star and I am nobody. Just a simple high school student with wild ambitions of becoming a movie director someday," she snapped.

"Yes, the society and my parents will not accept you. The media will have wild speculations and my mother is among the top actresses of the century. I can't bear to harm the reputation of my family by getting involved with you. Sometimes in life you need to follow the dictates of your brain, rather than your heart. I can endanger my entire career by getting on the wrong side of my mother," I ran my fingers through my hair, desperately trying to explain, but the words were not coming out right.

"So, you mean to say that your family approves of you sleeping with that bitch, Olivia, or whatever her name is, " her lips curled in disdain.

"Olive is from one of the other influential families around here..."

"And she has such an influence on you that she flicks a finger and you go running to her, wagging your tail like a dog. You don't have the guts. Never knew you were so submissive. I've always seen you act brave in movies. Who knew you were such a coward in real life?" she gathered the towel around her more firmly.

"Lydia, I don't honestly know what to do? Even if I go back to her, I can never forget you. If you love me, you should understand what I'm going through," I closed the gap between us in long strides.

She didn't reply and stood where she was.

I went closer and placed a hand on her cheek.

Tears rolled down her face. My lips found her throat and I ran a gentle trail of kisses down her neck, ending just above the towel.

"I love you. I'm just plainly confused now," I mumbled as I tried to ease the hands from the towel.

She stiffened.

"Life is one big decision. Each love has its trials. It depends on you how you win the tribulations that life offers. Either you give away to the pressure from outside, or your follow your heart. It's up to you now. I won't condemn you for anything. It's your life, your choice, your destiny which you'll decide."

She tried to pry away from me, but I held on.

"It's for this I love you. You are someone who understands, talking to you makes me feel like I'm talking to someone who will advise me for the best, who'll never deceive me. I still remember the day I met you and you came as an apprentice and how nervous and flustered you were. They were lacking one side actress to dance with me and you volunteered, but you tripped on your own feet and almost made we both fall, ruining the whole shot..."

My words were going into crazy ramblings.

Her eyes went glassy remembering the past, savoring every moment.

"I remember how you used to drink and cry for her. I remember sitting with you for hours on ends, trying to soothe you. I remember those days when you went off the edge and had tried to commit suicide thrice. I was panic-stricken. I didn't let you go out of sights again. I was afraid of losing you," she whispered.

Her voice shook and there was a trace of contempt in it.

"You brought me back. I was becoming an addict, with all the animal instincts being arose. I am her because you supported me..."

"And you used me as a crutch in tough times and you are throwing me away now that you've got what you were deprived of. That's how you show gratitude in the glamorous world of cinema," she gritted her teeth.

"No. I won't be weak," she mumbled, "I won't give in."

My lips crashed into hers in response and I found her yielding. Every nerve of my body lit up with a passion I had never felt with Olive.

My kisses travelled down from the hollow of her throat, teasing the line of the towel.

In spite of everything, her self-control was slipping. She let go the towel.

My enraptured gaze made her blush again as I looked at her with that God worship look. I moved closer, my eyes devouring every inch of her exposed skin and then it was as if someone had poured cold water on her, breaking her trance.

"What the heck! What am I doing?" she pulled up the towel and rushed out of the room, leaving me stupefied.

She came back minutes later, fully dressed and gave me a pointed glare, "I'm not falling for the physical charms of Adonis again. First you need to sort out your priorities. I'm not a whore whom you can use and throw at your discretion."

"Lydia I..."

"Fine, get out. Go before I kick your ass. If you decide someday that you want to come to me, you're always welcome. But remember, I won't wait for you forever," she gave an ultimatum.

I got dressed quickly and trudged out of her apartment. I took one quick glance back. I wasn't a fighter, I was weak and I knew it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ma'am, do you think he would be the perfect cast? Aidan Wester is one of the rising modern stars."

"How come I didn't hear about him since I joined? He was quite popular a few years back of him?" the director snatched the file, from the casting director.

"He's a failure. He had got himself involved in a scandal where he was accused of raping a co-actress and went to prison for two years. His mother used her contacts to get him out and the tainted son lives by the fame of his mother, the reverend Delia Wester."

"Hmm, I wasn't in this part of the country," she bit her lips. It was altogether new and shocking for her.

"He has scorching good looks. Could we perhaps give him a chance?" the man pleaded.
"What was the name of the actress?" he asked, ignoring him.

"Olive Perry, the star of 'BIGGY GLAM' the movie which flopped recently."

Her heart lurched at the name as she stared at the photo of the man who seemed to be smiling at her from behind the page. But she had other pressing engagements than bother with someone who was her past. A past which she had long gotten over.

"Fine," director Lydia Collins got up from her seat, "Call him for the auditions. He won't get any preference here just because he has influence. You don't I don't do crappy work."

"Of course you don't two of your films won the Oscar in a row. You're the youngest director top bag the Oscar, I think."

"Come, now don't flatter me," she chuckled, dismissing him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was fidgeting nervously on my seat. It was a big opportunity for me as it was my first auditions since the arrest.

I was thinking of Lydia and how I had been a coward, coming for olive who had deceived me for personal gains. I never knew Olive was jealous of my success and could stoop that low to gain her end.

"Aidan," the announcer called out.

I stepped nervously on stage and looked at the row of people sitting in the dark. They were scarcely visible.

"So, here is the situation Mr. Wester," a gruff male voice rang out.

"You are a big star and your family wants you to marry another star. But you're madly in love with someone else, who is just no one. You need to tell her that you have social considerations and that you can't be with her anymore."

My legs shook, this reminded me too much of Lydia.

I took a deep breath and tried to imagine that fateful night when I had come drunk, with a lot of resolve to break the news, only to find Lydia half naked and waiting for me.

"She texted me. She is ashamed and wants to come back to me. And I think I too want to go back," the words flowed naturally. "I am afraid to say this but it's all over between us."
Each word was like a dagger through his heart.

"I never did stand a chance, did I?" a female voice sounded from the judge's bench. The voice broke towards the end and suppressed a sob.

My heart skipped a beat. I knew this voice and could identify it in any corner of the world.

"Lydia!" I exclaimed.

"No one has given you the right to call our esteemed director by her name. You were supposed to act but I guess you're disqualified," the male voice seemed angry.

"Wait, his acting seems convincing. Let's see how he reacts to this," the female voice spoke.

It was Lydia, no doubt.

I was sweating badly.

"Answer me," the voice went icy.

"It's more complicate than that."

"What's more complicated? The fact that you can't decide what you want of that you want the society to decide your preferences?" the voice argued again.

"The thing most complicated is that I was being lured to follow the dictates of my mind, the consideration of my peers but my heart craves for you. It has craved in the past, it craves still and would demand you forever. I learned from my mistakes. I touched the fire once. I won't make the same mistake twice. I am apologizing to you. I don't know if you can forgive me but do know that I still love you. I was weak, but not anymore. Life has shown me what is what and I know where my loyalties are," I stopped to catch his breath.

"This is too dramatic," another person spoke out.

"We'll call you back, probably," Lydia's voice seemed satisfied.

No one from the team were ready to go against their director.

Candidates went in and came back. All of them left one by one and it was just me waiting in there.

A man came in through the doors, "Ma'am had some important wants to see you at room number 69 in an hour. She'll finalize the deals there."

I was too stunned to react.

"Congratulations!" the man wished him and went inside, closing the door.

Finding the room was easy.

I knocked, fiddling with my thumb in his anxiety.

Lydia opened the door and looked straight at me, silently beckoning to me to come in.

"Did you mean what you said in there?" she closed the door.

"I meant every word of it. I've learnt my lesson and I will follow my heart. I can understand if you don't want to..."

She drew me closer, cutting off whatever I was about to say.

I knew that I was home the minute my lips touched hers.

2000 words completed
Written for the contest by WPAfterDark

Thanks Pipigrin MaryFahey lindajonesAuthor KashishBelikov and teamhathaway. Love you all....