Dream Date (3 page)

Nathan laughed at Ashton, and then took shotgun. The latter sat in the back. Marissa revved the engine and drove towards their destination.

The Lincoln Center for Performing Arts was pretty far from Marissa’s place. It took them around 10 minutes to get there driving. The center consisted of several buildings. The fashion show was to take place at Damrosch Park, an outdoor location.

Finding parking was easy. Marissa already had her own reserved space.

“I could get used to having my own space,” Ashton said once he got out of the car. No one commented.

“Let’s go,” said Marissa, leading her two friends. They’d both opted for two-piece suits. Nathan’s was black with a blue tie and Ashton’s was dark gray with a green tie.

“Hard as it is to believe,” she said with a soft laugh, “I’ve never been to the Lincoln Center.”

“It’s not that surprising. You’ve only been living here for a couple of years,” Nathan said.

“Still. I’ve been to Central Park many times, though. And to the Empire State Building and Liberty Island.”

Marissa, Nathan, and Ashton reached the entrance to the show area. There was a line of people waiting to enter. Employees at the entrances asked the people for their tickets, and then let them pass through. Scanning them, Nathan saw that most of the people looked high-society.

“Here are your tickets,” Marissa said to Ashton and Nathan. “Follow me.”

A few minutes later, the three of them entered the area where the show was to take place.

“Wow,” Ashton said, taking in his surroundings. A stage was at the far end. Facing it were what appeared to be three dozen rows of seats. From the stage, a walkway cut through the middle of the space, half way to the other end. In front of the end of the walkway, photographers were getting ready to take shots. A row of red roses adorned the opposite end of the space from the stage.

Nathan checked the time on his phone. It was ten to five. The park was already packed with people.

“There are lots of VIPs here,” Marissa said, trying to contain her excitement. “Business magnates, press execs, fashion professionals. Oh, look! There’s Clark Rhodes,” she added, motioning towards the man. Nathan and Ashton followed her.

Clark had his back turned to them. He was talking to a couple of people in attendance. Their age and impeccable suits signaled that they were big shots.

“…that I enjoyed working on. I’m sure you’ll find the results pleasing,” Clark said, and then turned. He spotted Marissa and turned back to the men. “If you excuse me, gentlemen. It was a pleasure talking to you,” he said, and the men nodded once before walking away.

“How are you, Mr. Rhodes?” Marissa greeted when he faced her.

“Fantastic, Ms. Velásquez. You look stunning, if I may say so,” he replied. Clark Rhodes appeared to be in his early forties. He had short salt-and-pepper hair, blue eyes, and white skin. He was wearing an elegant dark tuxedo and glossy loafers. His voice channeled that of George Clooney, which Marissa found attractive. Clark was also a little taller than the three of them.

“Thank you,” Marissa replied, and then remembered she and Clark weren’t alone. “Mr. Rhodes, these are my best friends. This is Nathan Ferland.”

“Honor to meet you, sir,” he said as he shook hands with Clark.

“And this is Ashton Robards,” Marissa continued.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Clark said, smiling. “Tell me, what are you studying?”

“I’m aspiring to become a corporate lawyer,” Nathan said. Clark nodded, looking impressed.

“Fantastic. Business is important for our nation,” he remarked, shaking his index finger twice.

“And I’m majoring in mechanical engineering,” Ashton answered. “I find electric cars fascinating, so I’d like to work at a factory that builds them.”

“You three will definitely have great futures,” Clark told them. He then looked at Marissa. “Are you ready for the show, Ms. Velásquez?”

“You’d think I’m showcasing my designs, nervous as I am,” Marissa joked. “I’ve never attended a fashion show of this caliber.”

“This one is definitely among the most prestigious in the world. It’ll be a great learning experience for you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Imagine my anticipation. I’ve been preparing for this for months.”

Marissa let out a soft laugh.

“Okay, I’ll have to leave you now. I have matters to attend to. Do make yourselves at home. There are more people here that you’d be interested in meeting,” Clark said to Marissa. He then waved at the three of them and walked away.

“Let’s meet people,” Marissa said, leading her friends. She introduced them to more people that she knew. There were also others that Marissa didn’t know but had been looking forward to meeting. Apparently, Clark Rhodes had talked about her to plenty of people.

Moments later, a young woman called to Marissa.

“Hi,” the woman said, stopping in front of them.

“Rachel! You made it.”

“Yes. Thank you, thank you for the ticket! This is such a big event. I’m flattered to be here.”

“Guys, this is Rachel Edwards, a friend of mine. She’s a photographer,” Marissa said. “These are Nathan and Ashton from Ithaca.”

“Nice to meet you,” Rachel greeted, shaking hands with both of them.

“What kind of photographer are you?” Nathan asked.

“I shoot both people and places, but I specialize in the former. Particularly the famous. I want to be a fashion and celeb photographer.”

“Paparazzi?” asked Ashton. Marissa rolled her eyes.

“No!” Rachel said. “I don’t want to be one of those vultures. I’ll work for a magazine, not some lowly tabloid.”

Marissa shot Ashton a stern look.

“Do you know which models will be in attendance?” Rachel asked her.

“I’m not sure about the full roster, but Clark Rhodes told me that a few well-known names would be here. Among others, Doutzen Kroes and Nina Agdal will be taking to the walkway.”

“You’re serious? I can’t believe I’ll see them in person,” said Ashton, who looked like a kid in candyland. Both Marissa and Nathan laughed at him.

“Let’s go find our seats, then,” said Marissa.

“Yeah,” Rachel agreed. “See you around.”

Marissa and her friends took their places on the seats after talking to a few more people. They noticed that the chairs weren’t facing the stage, but towards the walkway.

“We’ve got a prime view,” Marissa told them, looking excited. Their seats were in front of the right side of the walkway. “Get ready, guys. The show begins soon.”

Five minutes later, a man (whom Nathan took to be sort of the master of ceremonies) walked onstage. There was a microphone set on a stand there. After his speech, he bowed and the audience clapped in unison. Music started, and then the first model started down the walkway.

Marissa didn’t know every model, but she whispered the names of those she knew to Nathan and Ashton. It turned out the latter knew more names than Marissa did.

“That’s Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.”

Nathan looked at the model Marissa mentioned.

“Quite a mouthful,” Ashton muttered.

Nina Agdal came a few places behind Rosie. Nathan thought she looked stunning in the cappuccino brown-colored dress and expensive sandals she was wearing.

“Lucky bastard, whoever her boyfriend is,” Ashton whispered. Marissa barely heard him. She avoided rolling her eyes, as a camera might catch her. Nathan shook his head at Ashton. He seemed to regret having considered not attending the fashion show.

“That’s a Clark Rhodes design,” Marissa told them, indicating towards a dark blonde model that was walking a few feet behind Nina.

Nathan scanned the audience. He didn’t know what had caught his attention. Just then, he spotted a blonde with her head turned to another woman next to her. They appeared to be in conversation.

When the blonde looked back towards the walkway, Nathan gasped. Even after all these years, he still knew that woman so well.

She was Amanda Tilley.

“Who is that?” Nathan asked without looking away from the blonde woman. He knew who she was, but had no idea why she was there, so he thought he’d ask Marissa. She looked at him, and then looked in the direction he was staring.

“Oh, that’s Amanda Tilley. She’s an aspiring architect and a freelance model. She’s only been active for around three years.”

With golden blonde waves that cascaded down her heart-shaped head, Amanda looked like an angel. She seemed to sense Nathan’s gaze, and looked at him. He didn’t look away. Amanda flashed a smile, and then looked back at the models walking past.

She became a model? I guess it shouldn’t surprise me much; she’s so gorgeous. With a woman like that, I wouldn’t be tempted to date even a movie star.

Wait…I already have a girlfriend!

For the rest of the show, Nathan pretended to be admiring the models. He was looking in their direction, but his focus was on Amanda. Nathan couldn’t help stealing glances her way every now and then. Amanda looked at him twice more. She seemed interested, which of course made Nathan’s ego go through the roof. It also piqued his curiosity: why was Amanda showing interest in him now, when she never did so all those years ago?

When the show ended, Marissa and her friends stood up from their seats.

“I think we should mingle a bit more before we leave,” she said.

Marissa hoped to have another word with Clark Rhodes, but she couldn’t find him. She saw Rachel and went to talk to her again. Ashton followed her, but Nathan decided to stay behind. He walked among the crowd, looking for Amanda. Seconds later, he spotted her in conversation with someone. There were a few people waiting to speak with her.

Muster up some courage, Nathan,
he thought.
Think of something appropriate to say to her.

Nathan walked as though he knew where he was going. He then scanned the crowd for Marissa and Ashton, wondering if they were looking for him.

Just as Nathan was looking at one of the models, a beautiful voice spoke behind him.

“Hi.”

Nathan turned slowly. There was only one person that voice could belong to. Nathan couldn’t believe
she
had broken the ice. He turned around, and came face to face with Amanda Tilley herself.

She looked stunning from up close. Amanda had almond-shaped green eyes a bit too large for her face, and gorgeous pink lips. Nathan withdrew his gaze from her face long enough to notice that she was wearing a sleeveless turquoise blue dress. The front V-cut displayed very enticing cleavage behind a thin see-through veil.

“Oh, hi!” Nathan answered with awkwardness. He was having a hard time coming up with more to say.

“My name’s Amanda Tilley,” she said, holding out her hand. Nathan took it in his. A millisecond later, he felt two things: the marvelous softness of her skin, and something that seemed to be an electric current traveling up his arm.

Nathan’s eyes widened. He wondered if she had felt the same thing. He liked the feel of her skin so much that he held on to her exquisite hand.

“I’m Nathan,” he said, trying to sound level.

“Nathan. You seem familiar,” Amanda said, taking her hand back. By the look of her emerald eyes, Nathan deduced that she’d felt the same current.

This must be a dream. The show must have bored me to sleep. Why isn’t Marissa waking me up?

“Are you Marissa’s assistant?” Amanda asked. Nathan blinked in confusion.

“Excuse me?”

“Are you the assistant of Marissa Velásquez? I saw you were sitting next to her.”

“Oh, no. We’re just friends.”

“Sorry. I’ve heard about her talent in fashion design, and I wanted a word with her.”

“I was with her a moment ago,” Nathan said, glancing around behind him before turning back to Amanda. “Maybe you could find her over there.”

“Sure will. Nice meeting you, Nathan,” Amanda said and started to turn. She seemed to have forgotten him. Nathan tried to find more words to say to her.

“Um, Ms. Tilley?”

Amanda looked back at him.

“Yes?”

“You’re…uh, I just wanted to say, if I may…you’re really, stunningly beautiful.”

Amanda smiled, her cheeks reddening.

And here I thought I was the nervous one
.

“I can’t find more words to do you justice.”

Amanda walked towards him until they were only a couple of inches apart. She was just a little shorter than Nathan. He looked into her amazing green eyes.

“If you want to expand your vocabulary, you could read more. Books feed the mind,” Amanda told him. For what seemed to be another minute, the two just looked into each other. Then Amanda stepped back.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Nathan,” she said, waving her hand at him. Amanda then turned and walked into the crowd. Nathan watched her until he realized that there were still a lot of people around him.

Read more?
Nathan thought, amused.
I’m dating a damn novelist and I don’t even read that much, besides her work. Better change that.

Nathan went to look for Marissa and Ashton. He found them a few seconds later.

“Where were you?” Marissa asked.

“I was just over there. Talking to…um, someone.”

“But you don’t know anyone here,” Ashton said.

“He loses nothing with taking the chance to get a model’s autograph,” Marissa remarked. Ashton’s eyes lit up, and he flashed a mischievous grin.

Jeez. Why didn’t I think to get Amanda’s number? At least I know who she is,
Nathan thought as Ashton walked away. Marissa laughed.

 “Whose autograph did you get?” Nathan asked on the drive back to Ithaca. This time, it was Ashton’s turn behind the wheel. They’d refilled the tank before leaving.

“Lily Cole,” Ashton said with an air of pride. “A redhead. She’s my favorite model.”

“So you go for the hair, huh? I thought you were a legs kind of man.”

“Yeah, I like redheads. But legs are nice, too. Those that go on forever…”

Nathan chuckled.

“What do you go for?” Ashton asked him.

Guess I opened myself up for that one.

“Nothing in particular.”

“You’re a tits kind of man, right? I know so.”

“And the eyes,” Nathan blurted. Ashton decided to latch on to that comment.

“What? That’s a new one. You gotta tell me where that came from, bro.”

Nathan sighed.

“I may or may not have met someone at the show.”

“Do you mean a woman?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you notice what I asked Marissa?”

“I was too busy admiring the models. You two could have been making out and I wouldn’t have noticed.”

“Um…well, do you remember Amanda Tilley?”

Ashton thought for a moment.

“Amanda…isn’t she the girl you were so in love with when we were in high school?”

Nathan nodded, closing his eyes.

“Jesus, man. She’s back? Oh, dear. You’ve gotten over her, haven’t you?”

“Sort of. I’ve been trying, as hard as I can.”

“I know. So, what was Amanda doing there?”

“Marissa says she’s a model. Not like those on the runway, though. A freelance model.”

Ashton nodded.

“Did you talk to her?”

“Actually, Amanda walked up to me. Up close, she was simply gorgeous. Her eyes were…stunning.”

Nathan paused, and then continued.

“You won’t guess what she asked me.”

Ashton waited for Nathan to answer.

“What? Out for a date?”

“I wish! She asked me if I’m Marissa’s assistant.”

Ashton did a double-take.

“Mari—what? You, her
assistant
? Wow.”

“Funny, right? Amanda doesn’t seem to remember who I am. She just wanted a word with Marissa. Amanda said she heard about her talents.”

“Marissa’s becoming quite well known. And she hasn’t even graduated.”

“I suppose having Clark Rhodes for a friend helps.”

“Yeah, but…I think she fancies him too much.”

“I wouldn’t know about that. He looks kinda old for her. Anyway, it’s none of our business.”

Nathan took command of the car’s stereo. They drove another hour before returning to Ithaca.

A few days passed since the fashion show. Nathan still thought about Amanda, even though he hadn’t seen her again. He went back to classes on Monday as usual, chatting with his friends during breaks.

Nathan hadn’t told anyone else about Amanda. It was pointless when they might not see each other again. Still, he felt Amanda’s timing had been horrible. Just when Nathan thought Kayla was making him forget her, at last. He didn’t want all that progress wasted.

Unlike him, Ashton hadn’t searched for Amanda on Google right after returning. He’d instead let Nathan do the honors, since he was the one interested in her.

“That’s her? Damn,” Ashton said. “She’s…wow.”

“I know. When I saw her in person, up close, I was affected by her beauty. The years have done wonders. Nothing could have prepared me for that.”

“No wonder you kept it to yourself.”

Nathan looked at the screen, thinking.

“You’re still madly in love with her, right?”

“I don’t know.”

Ashton frowned, sighing.

“And Kayla? Do you love her?”

“Of course. All these months that we’ve been together, I’ve learned to love her. This...situation is tricky.”

“I agree. Amanda walked up to you. That means she’s interested, especially if she doesn’t remember you.”