MANILA, Philippines - Nadine Lustre is doing something mildly annoying, something a lot of women are guilty of. She orders a healthy dish, steamed salmon on a bed of mangoes, but ends up mooching food off James Reid’s plate. Nadine helps herself to the potato chips and even nicks one of the grilled chicken pitas. James, to his eternal credit, lets her have it. He’s looking at her with mild amusement, as if to say, “Here we go again.” This scenario usually plays out between couples who have been together long enough to stop being dyahe around each other. But James and Nadine are not an item; just platonic friends who happen to have onscreen chemistry that makes fans go crazy.

THE INVESTMENT

Before Viva decided to pair them up, James and Nadine had been hustling in this messy, glittery industry separately. He was the reality show winner whose brief fling with fame had fizzled out; she was a child star-turned-pop star wannabe just about ready to quit. But for some reason, showbiz veteran Vic del Rosario saw gold in these untested kids. In the end, his gut feel proved right: Diary Ng Panget was 2014’s 6th most watched film.

In less than a year, James and Nadine have gone from nobodies to hot properties. They’ve headlined two hit movies, bagged endorsement deals for blue-chip brands, and fronted the country’s leading magazines. Meteoric, dramatic, swift, sudden — these words sum up the rise of JaDine as a love team — and the little-told downfall of their personal love lives.

James and Nadine, both 20 at the time, knew success required capital, and that capital was their 1,000% full-throttle commitment. Having a boyfriend or a girlfriend was an unnecessary distraction. The choice was: Break up and zoom up, or stay together and stay where they are. “Masakit sa akin ’yun because he was a good guy,” says Nadine, “but I knew my priorities.”

The truth: The success they’re enjoying now is directly
proportional to the heartbreaks they suffered.

THE RISKS

As JaDine continues to grow bigger as a love team and as a brand, so do the issues threatening to break them apart. For the most part, it’s usually James who makes the bad-for-business decisions. He’s been a regular fixture in gossip blogs for his alleged walwal nights and the different women he’s supposedly dating—from Kim Chiu’s sister to that anonymous girl he was caught flirting with during the Sinulog festival in Cebu.

He denies none of it. “I want people to know who I am. I don’t want to lie about the partying and the girls.” The fervent fans are at war over this issue: Some say it’s his life and he has every right to be happy; others say he’s being unfair to Nadine. For what it’s worth, even James himself is torn over the issue. “When I think about Nadine and my career, I always say, ‘I shouldn’t have done that, I regret it.’ But when I think about my life as a whole…I feel glad I did it. I’m glad I was crazy, I was stupid, and I had fun. It’s always a battle between right now or overall.”

As soon as he got back from his crazy Sinulog adventure, reality hit him hard: “I saw all the damage I did, so I talked to my managers. They said, ‘We’re not asking you to be a saint.’ They left the decision up to me.” And it was easy to make. These days, James prefers laidback wine nights at home over weekend benders.

Through it all, Nadine kept mum. “I know my place,” she says evenly. “We’re a love team, but we have our own lives, too.” For fans who think James’ partying streak is hurting Nadine, you can calm down now. The most she feels is “worried,” especially when she sees those hurtful comments posted by bashers on their IG accounts, mostly targeting James. “Let’s not be judgmental,” she pleads. “He’s not a saint. It’s his life. Let him do what he wants.” Beat. “As long as it doesn’t ruin him.”

PROJECTED ROI

Today, James’ second album Reid Alert drops in major record bars nationwide and no doubt fans will snatch copies faster than you can say, “JaDine!” Even though it’s a solo project, there are still hints of Nadine in there — from vocals (listen to Hanap Hanap) to inspiration (their Iloilo beach trip with songwriters Thyro and Yumi inspired the summer anthem Bonfire Love Song). Next month, they go back to being a duo with the launch of their third movie Para Sa Hopeless Romantic. They’re literally a package deal, so why the hell not turn reel into real? “Mahirap. We might lose everything, the friendship, our careers, if it doesn’t work out,” Nadine explains cautiously.

“As long as we’re working together every day, I can’t picture us getting together,” James says with finality. “But when we’re no longer working together? That’s a different story.”

*Insert fangirl screaming here *

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Tweet the author @IrishDDizon.