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"Long time no see, Jonas." Were the first words out of Demi Lovato's mouth when she saw Nick.
Nick nodded approvingly.
"Guess you're doing okay."
Demi shrugged.
"Much better than I was the last time you saw me, I think. Not much of a Hollywood girl anymore.
Nick laughed.
"Were you ever?"
It was the first day of their table read for their new movie and it had been several years for Demi since she rarely took film projects anymore. Her first priority was herself and where her head was before, during and after a project
When they said down at the table next to each other Nick shook his script at her.
"Isn't this too cheesy for you?"
Demi looked mock offended.
"I can do cheesy, just you watch!" She swept her long bangs away from her face, her dark hair in a pixie like cut. I'm kind of surprised to see you on this, where's your action, drama, thriller?"
Nick shrugged.
"I like to stay flexible."
Demi raised her eyebrows.
"I'd like to see how flexible you are."
In response, Nick smirked.
The movie was a chick flick about a struggling musician, played by Nick, and a girl, played by Demi, who was traveling cross-country with her father. The director described the characters as "lost souls" and how they end up finding what they needed in each other.
"Call it a coming-of-age story if you want." The director replied flippantly, "the characters have a lot of growth."
The first read through went well and it was more about coming into the characters than expressing everything through a set, costumes, or physical acting.
"We start on site tomorrow." The director informed the cast, "Call time is 6 AM, see you all then." The first meeting was adjourned for the day.
Nick always enjoyed the first day on set, there was always an energy that really got under his skin helped him get into character. In this case however he didn't have to go far other than the personality of said character since the personality was a little 180 from his actual personality and the character's back story he didn't relate to directly. The first scene Nick and Demi had together was the meeting of their two characters which happened in a hole in the wall diner. The place they were shooting had been shut down for a few hours while they shot the scene.
Demi was dressed comfortably something that wasn't too far off their actual style, though nowadays theirbstyle tended to change depending on how they was feeling that day whether they was playing up something more feminine or slightly more masculine. It didn't really matter to her whether she was addressed as she her or they. Someone like Nick and other people Demi worked around would be respectful enough to use the pronouns they chose.
"It's going to take a while to get back in the flow." Demi replied.
"Once I know the story and the character a pretty much comes on its own." Nick replied. "The fact I'm doing it with you is just a bonus." They smiled at each other.
One of their harder days of shooting came a few weeks later when the characters shot their first kiss.
"Just pretend I'm Joe and we're shooting Camp Rock 2 again."
Demi smacked his arm.
"Don't remind me, I was a different person than and you're not Joe"
They had already shot to scene leading up to the kiss the day before. There had been a brief peck of a kiss between the characters but it barely lasted ten seconds, now the character Josie was wondering what was wondering what the character Matthew's intentions were.
"… So what am I?" Demi demanded, "just another summer fling for you while you're passing through? You may not even see me tomorrow I'll know what my dad's going to do he might not even stay in this town another week! While we're at it, was that kiss yesterday intentional or unintentional or did your lips just happened to land on mine?"
"Look, Josie you know that was a surprise to me too or wasn't that obvious? I'm not trying to play you, honest!" Nick was sincere.
Demi took another step forward the boots she was wearing scraping on the pavement.
"So what is this thing?"
"Are you asking me to show you?" Nick asked, his voice soft but insistent.
Demi's voice softened to a purr.
"Maybe."
Nick felt the cameras press in closer, though he barely noticed; he had been acting too long to let that bother him and he knew it was probably the same for Demi. In his mind he could hear the score when it was added later probably rising to an intense, swelling crescendo. The part of his mind that was on autopilot heard the director give him and Demi another direction a way to "choreograph" the kiss, but it was something they were both expecting, something they adjusted for automatically. Nick shifted closer his head bent closer to Demi's their noses brushing as Demi inclined their head.
Demi tried to push down the nervousness because this was Nick whom she had known since she was fifteen years old, then they put on their acting hat and push it away to a place in their mind where it didn't matter and it was just another day of shooting. Then Nick's lips touched theirs, after that, instinct and professionalism took over.
It was everything Demi had sort of been expecting maybe everything the fans had been saying for years about how soft his lips always looked and he was a good kisser, there was no denying that. Just as Nick slid his hands along their face, putting away strands of dark hair then Demi took over the kiss, lips parting, their arms sliding around his neck.
Demi's head angled, brushing against his bottom lip then the kiss finally ended, the two of them are therefore heads pressed close together.
"Is that enough?" Nick asked still holding Demi's waist; the characters had yet to break their position.
Demi played up the breathlessness.
"I think so. Maybe you're not the bad guy I think you are."
Then they kissed again this one shorter but just as passionate as if the characters had come to some sort of understanding.
Nick pulled Demi in for a hug just as the director called cut.
"That wasn't too bad." Nick commented.
"Speak for yourself Jonas, at least someone remembered a breath mint this morning."
Nick laughed.
"Speak for yourself."
"Been there, done that, got the T-shirt." Demi quipped. "Not my first rodeo Jonas."
"I'll get back to you on the sex scene, then we'll see who's the pro."
Demi looked at him in mock horror.
"So you think I can't do that? I may not have done as many as you but I've done one." Demi defended. "I'm no amateur, I know what I'm doing. As you know each project comes with experience."
Nick nodded sagely.
"Don't I know it."
Demi slugged him in the arm again.
"Then what are you messing with me for?"
Nick smirked again.
"Maybe because I know I can get away with it?"
The filming continued, but it was an experience Nick and Demi would never forget. Not only had they not worked together in years but they had shared experiences; new acting experiences, and had grown as a result.
"So what do you think our fans are going to think about this?" Nick asked afterwards as the film was wrapping several months later.
Demi made a face.
"I think we might just break the Internet and well… I think the results will speak for themselves."
Nick laughed.
"I think you're right, I can almost hear the interview questions now." He adopted the tone of a interviewer from a talkshow.
"Well Nick, what was it like to kiss Demi Lovato? Was that weird for you in any way?"
Demi stretched as they headed back towards the trailers on the other side of the set.
"I don't know, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. We're grown-ups I think can handle it."
Demi beamed.
"To be honest, there was no one I would rather do this project with. You know why consider my projects very carefully now, though I'm not the same person I was even five years ago."
Nick returned the smile and pulled Demi into a hug.
"I'm glad."
He pressed his lips to the dark hair under his chin..