"Do me a favor, stay away from Joe." Vanessa said sharply, drawing in a deep breath; her turquoise eyes boring into Stella like daggers.

"Or what?" Stella challenged, eye brows rose in frustration.

"Or else there will be major problems," Vanessa seethed, flipping her buttery blonde waves over one tanned shoulder, and storming out of the living area.

"Yeah, right." Stella scoffed with an air of nonchalance, stretching herself out on the burnt orange futon, and letting everything slip away. She awoke hours later, to the pungent odor of black coffee wafting throughout the atmosphere. Eyes fluttering open, Stella could hear the faint hum of conversation stirring in the kitchen, between Nick and Maci. They're so cute together, Stella thought sagely. So made for each other… like me and Joe. Whoa, what? Her conscience screamed. You and Joe? You and Joe are friends, nothing more. That's what you agreed to. Besides, he's dating Vanessa, the hippie with a penchant for naming her dog something ridiculous as "Chakra" and stealing the one person who mattered most to her in the world, her age old best friend, her possible lover; Joe Lukas.

"Stop," Stella told herself aloud. "Stop thinking about it." Stella bolted upright at the warm, genuinely amused tone of the man himself.

"Thinking about what, or whom?" Joe asked with a polite smile, his dark brown eyes twinkling with mirth, like they always did when he was around Stella.

"No one," Stella snapped. "Um, I was thinking about… the ah fact that I get to design a wardrobe for 'Forever April'."

"Mhm," Joe smirked, as Stella scooted over to make room for him on the Futon. "What's really on your mind?"

Stella's face flamed with color at his intent stare, and she turned away from him sheepishly. "You wouldn't understand," she murmured.

Joe set his hand on Stella's bare thigh, caressing it gently. "I think I would. After all, I 'understood' you when you said you wanted to be only friends, when we agreed to date other people." Curse you, Joe and your blatant mind reading skills! She thought furiously.

"Oh, no. It's nothing about that. Well, I mean it kind of is…" She trailed off uncertain. Joe shifted his weight closer to her body, his eyes flickering amber brown through the harsh rays of sunlight pouring through the glass door.

"Your girlfriend," Stella croaked. "Is starting trouble with me. She thinks that I'm trying to steal you from her and it's just so freaking frustrating, cause I'm not- I swear I would never do that!"

"Vanessa's silly," Joe chuckled. "She's ridiculous sometimes when it comes to other people. I mean, we have been friends forever and she's just threatened by what we have."

Which is more chemistry than I could ever bargain for! Stella screamed in her mind. Joe tucked a stray strand of glossy blonde hair behind Stella's ear and beamed at her. "Don't worry about it, Stells." He whispered huskily in her ear, his voice causing shivers to careen down her spine. "Just think about how awesome it is that you're working on a movie with me, how much fun we're gonna have this summer."

"Joe, I…" Stella sputtered like a dead engine. "I really miss spending time with you, you know as friends. Before Maci came in and when your brothers just left us alone, I miss it."

"I miss it too," Joe said quietly. " A lot." It was then he reached for her hand. She felt his squeeze before her brain even knew how to function, and smiled.