Break/Open

1. Collision

Nina Jordan loved nights like this.

Her fingers curled over the cool metal railing that wrapped around the rooftop patio, and she looked out at the jagged skyline of the city. Mirrored skyscrapers reflected the shades of turquoise in the twilight sky where blushed tones of purple streaked the blues in broken, diffused clouds on the horizon. The humidity in the evening summer air kissed her cinnamon skin, and she pulled in a deep meditative breath as her eyes roamed the concrete maze below.

"I don't have to talk you down from this ledge, do I?"

Nina laughed without turning around to the voice behind her. One of Johanna's hands appeared next to hers on the railing, while the other was occupied with a champagne flute from the open bar she'd already paid a few visits since her arrival that evening.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Nina murmured softly as she looked on, watching reflections of the setting sun in a glass-encased building in the distance. She could remember a time when she was unable to see beauty even when it was this stark; when everything seemed doused in shades of grey, and the same landscape she looked out onto now was muted; dull; and only rendered her numb.

Johanna watched the relaxed smile on her best friend's face before she pointed her gaze forward. She said a silent prayer of gratitude in her head. It wasn't too long ago that she feared she'd never have her friend back - not all of her, anyway. But Nina was slowly becoming herself again.

When Nina turned around to face the party, her eyes roamed the rooftop for fleeting seconds until they met his.

One corner of Cameron's lips turned up. He leaned forward to place a hand on top of someone's shoulder, patting it firmly in a confident power play before excusing himself. He had been navigating the room, closing deals with old partners, and paving roads to possible new ones. He put his business on a momentary pause, and his visage softened as he stepped forward with his hands in the pockets of his tailored slacks. His tensed stance relaxed, and his intense black eyes locked into hers.

"I'm sorry. I've been neglecting you," he hummed, and scooped an arm around her waist. He pressed a kiss into her temple, and Nina shook her head as she smiled up at him.
"You're not," she assured him, and he lowered his lips to hers for a quick peck.

"I need a refill," Johanna announced as she wiggled her champagne flute in her hand at the couple, and put a switch in her hips that was likely to catch someone's attention in her red cocktail dress. Cameron chuckled as they watched her walk her path of seduction, and then pulled Nina closer, settling his hands onto her exposed lower back.

"Let me know when you're ready to get out of here," he said, and she pressed her cheek against the lapel of his suit jacket. A faint trace of cigar smoke had embedded itself into the woven fabric, merging into the woodsy scent of his cologne in a recognizable signature that surrounded the air around him.

"Take your time. It's your night." Nina pulled in a final inhale, and then stepped back, knowing she had to share him for the rest of the night with another hundred-or-so attendees. This was only the first of a string of launch parties celebrating the new publication he fought to bring to life in an atmosphere that was hostile to anything in print, and only welcoming to easily digestible digital media. Cameron's vision gradually made a believer out of every cynic as he married the two worlds together under his potent brand of persuasion.

He squeezed her in his arms one more time before he let go, leaving her so he could convert a few more skeptic minds into generous investors.

Nina watched as he effortlessly slipped back into what he was best at and shook hands with another potential collaborator. She enjoyed the momentary solitude she rarely got a taste of lately. Cameron was preoccupied, with his mind on the project he'd been losing sleep over. Johanna was busy too, working the room with her fervent charm. Being left unattended was a welcomed escape, especially when Cameron and Johanna's shared habit was to constantly, even neurotically, check on her.