From Sunrise To Sunset

Collide 3

Nicholas

A young man, who I suspect is Mark, holds the door open as she steps out of the BMW, and my jaw drops.

Noah follows my gaze to see what has left me completely speechless. "Close your mouth, man. Flies might get in," he smirks.

"Excuse me, hello! Are you going to take our picture, or do we have to stand out here all night?" I hear an angry feminine voice say, but I don't acknowledge it as I cannot find the willpower to remove my gaze from Cassandra.

Noah nudges me on the arm with his elbow, bringing me back to reality.

I unwillingly turn my head to the side. A blonde girl stands in front of the camera, glaring at me. She's dressed up in a yellow gown. Her date stands next to her wearing a white tux, with one hand in his pocket and the other around her waist. He looks at Cassandra then at me and gives me a look as if to say that he understands my situation.

"Um... sorry about that." I apologize to them.

I look into my camera to take their photograph. Noah hands them a program, and they walk into the building. I shift my gaze back to Cassandra who is now walking towards Noah and me with Mark and Laura.

"Hey, babe." Laura greets Noah with a kiss on the lips.

Noah pulls away, taking a step back to look at her. "You look stunning, babe." He leans into her ear and whispers, making her giggle.

My gaze remains on Cassandra the entire time. She stands next to Mark, keeping her focus on Laura and Noah refusing to make eye contact with me.

"Cassandra, you look amazing," Noah says, complimenting her.

"Thank you," she responds. "You remember Mark, right?"

"Yes, of course." Noah shakes Mark's hand, then shifts his gaze towards me. "This is my cousin Nick. He's photographing the ball tonight."

Cassandra

I recognize him immediately, and my heart flutters. Something it has never done before. I feel nervous and excited, feelings that never came together in my body. I try my best to suppress my feelings but it's a bit difficult especially since he looks extremely handsome tonight in his black tux.

"Mark Black," Mark extends his hand to greet him. "It's good to meet you,"

"Likewise," he shakes Mark's hands but keeps his eyes on me.

"Hi," I say, pretending to not remember who he is.

"Hi, Cassie... I mean Cassandra," he replies, scanning me up and down. "You are stunning!"

"Do you two know each other?" Laura asks, noting that he called me Cassie and then corrected himself. She looks back and forth between Nicholas and me.

"We met on the beach earlier," he replies.

"On the beach... earlier?" She looks at me for confirmation, but I shift my focus to Mark.

"Let's get a photo," I say to Mark before Laura can take the conversation any further.

Mark takes my hand and leads me to the front of the camera. He stands behind me and puts his arms around my waist. Nicholas stares into the camera, and for some reason, it makes me even more nervous. I hold onto Mark's left arm a little too tight, trying my best to maintain my composure. I stare dead into the camera, forcing myself to smile as I feel Nicholas's gaze on every part of my body.

"Are you okay?" Marks asks, as the camera clicks, then flashes.

"Let's go inside," I say, removing his arms from around my waist.