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It seemed strange to already be thinking about when their time together would come to an end, but it inevitably would; that was the nature of the job and his life. However, he was more than a little pleased by her use of the word we. ‘You think you’ll still like me by then?’ he joked, but he’d been curious about her answer. She’d grown more comfortable with him during the journey, sharing a few arm touches and even hugs, like the one back at the big shrimp.

Was she seriously considering his friends with benefits offer? He hoped so.

She smiled, but it seemed a little sad, as if she were already saying goodbye to him. ‘Sure. The great thing about you, Caleb, is that you always say exactly what you mean. That’s all I need. To know where I stand.’

The way she straightened and squared her shoulders like she was bracing for something sent his pulse racing, as if she were giving him permission to move their friendship into more shaky ground, and for some reason, it scared him.

But perhaps he was overthinking things? She could be talking about a short-term friendship. Either way, he would wait for a clearer invitation than what amounted to: I know you’re an asshole, but at least you’re an honest asshole.

As they headed back on the road, he noticed she was posting a picture of their extravagant seafood dinner – he’d insisted on paying, wanting to thank her for keeping him company for such a long drive. She’d blushed and tried to insist otherwise – that she somehow owed him for driving all the way, even though he was going to do it anyway. Now he was pleased he’d taken her there; the fact that she was posting about it suggested she’d enjoyed herself. Her feed was now filled with pictures of koalas, big prawns, seafood platters, and more importantly, him.

He liked that he was leaving a permanent mark on her timeline, which seemed odd, even to him. Especially as he’d never had much interest in social media before now.

Hannah put away her phone, took out the script and flicked through it leisurely, fanning her wine-pink cheeks with the flutter of the pages. Caleb shifted in his seat, uncomfortably aware that his own tiredness was making his thoughts wander down a lustful path.

‘I hope they really focus on the romance of the main characters,’ she said lightly, oblivious to his own steamy thoughts. ‘Not all the action stunts – that’s nonsense to show off their big budget. People will mainly care about the romance, and there are some really beautiful scenes.’

‘Hey, that nonsense paid for our seafood dinner!’ he said with mock outrage, and she gave an unbothered shrug.

‘It won’t be a blockbuster success without the romance. The blokes won’t mind seeing it because of all the action. But believe me, if it gains a cult following, it will be because of the love story. Think about Star Wars.’

‘Isn’t that more of a good-versus-evil movie rather than a romance?’ he asked, not completely familiar with the many storylines. He’d always been more of a martial arts or action-hero movie fan.

‘Oh, please! Han Solo and Princess Leia? Kylo Ren and Rey. Anakin and – what’s her chops.’

‘Padmé?’ he asked, pleased that he was able to remember the character’s name.

‘That’s the one!’

Caleb hadn’t been able to stop himself from smiling at her odd phrases. Hannah slipped into her Cockney accent all the time, even though he could tell she tried not to, using a slightly more refined voice, especially when she spoke to others – which he couldn’t understand, because he thought her accent charming and could have happily listened to her all day and night. Which wasn’t far off, considering the length of this journey – not that it had felt long. Spending time with Hannah had been even better than he’d expected.

They chatted a little more about films, but both of them gave a cheer as they entered Surfers Paradise—the area in which they’d be staying. The Gold Coast wasn’t a city as such, but a series of small towns and suburbs that stretched along the coastline. Now, they were headed towards the five-star hotel which would be their main base for the next two months.

‘Finally!’ sighed Hannah, patting Caleb’s arm lightly. ‘You must be exhausted. I’m exhausted!’ She chuckled.

Caleb’s eyes burned, and his body was stiff and achy from driving for so long, but it’d soon be worth it when they were settled in. He hoped Hannah liked the hotel as much as she liked that ridiculous, super-sized shrimp.

As the sun was beginning to set behind the skyscrapers, they arrived at the hotel’s underground parking lot, and gratefully handed their luggage to the hotel porters while they checked in.

‘Ahh, yes. You’re part of…’ The concierge lady paused dramatically. ‘Mr Stoker’s party.’

Caleb nodded politely. ‘Sounds about right.’ He leaned towards Hannah and added in a whisper, ‘Lucas likes to link his films to famous authors.’

Hannah seemed to ponder this for a moment and then declared, ‘Vampires! Of course!’

The concierge preened a little, tucking her chic brown bob behind her ear, obviously delighted to have a bit of insight into the mind of such a famous actor. ‘Wonderful! I’ll activate your room key. Would you both like a keycard?’

‘I’m sorry, what?’ cried Hannah, and Caleb guiltily realised he’d not double-checked the room situation as he’d told Jackson they were old friends.

‘You were a late addition, so we’re probably sharing. Jackson likes to be as economical as possible with his team.’

‘I thought we’d get a room each!’ Hannah’s breathing sounded panicked, and she pressed forward against the counter as if she were about to check the clerk’s computer herself. ‘Do you not have any standard doubles available, or any singles?’

‘Of course,’ the brunette said with singsong professionalism.

Hannah gave an embarrassed snort and waved her hands as she joked with a high-pitched voice, ‘Of course you do! This is a luxury hotel. No only-one-bed situations here!’

The clerk frowned in confusion. ‘So, would you like to change your booking to two doubles instead of the suite?’