Britney Spears was reportedly so furious when she discovered intimate text messages from another woman on her boyfriend Adnan Ghalib’s cell phone in early March that she threw the device into her pool. But Britney wasn’t the only person surprised by the revelation. Amanda Pagel, the 21-year-old Wyoming native who’d been dating the photographer, was devastated to discover that the man she thought was her boyfriend was still romancing the high-profile singer. Although she knew about Adnan’s connection to Britney, 26, he’d sworn to Amanda that it was strictly platonic. In an exclusive interview, Amanda, who moved to LA six months ago with dreams of becoming a model, spoke about her romance with Adnan, 35 — and sends a sincere message to Britney.

On how Adnan and Amanda met…
A friend introduced us at an event in January. I didn’t want a relationship — I’d just split up with my boyfriend — but I was lonely and wanted to make new friends. A few days later, I texted him to say how nice it was to meet him. He responded immediately, asking if he could come to my house and see me. We saw each other pretty much every day.

On what Adnan is like…
He’s really gentle and sweet with a great sense of humor. We’d sit and talk until 4 a.m. about family, friends, life — everything. I felt like I’d known him all my life. He’s a fantastic kisser, too. He used to compliment me and tell me how sexy I was. I fell for him because I was feeling vulnerable after my breakup, like Britney, and he made me feel amazing about myself. He used to call me “Bebe” but I found out recently that’s his pet name for Britney, too, which hurts.

On what Adnan said about dating Britney…
The first time he came over to my house, I asked about Britney. He swore they were just good friends. He promised they weren’t having sex and he kept reminding me what a hard time Britney had been through. “We’re close and I’m supporting her through difficult times,” he told me. We never went out in public — I thought he was protecting Britney’s feelings. He kept saying, “As soon as she’s back on her own feet, we can go public.” I suspected he might be lying, but I wanted to believe him.

To find out what else Amanda has to say about Adnan and Britney, check out the new issue of In Touch!