Make Me (Editing)

twenty three

"Miss Carson! Over here!"
"Who are you with tonight, Miss Carson?"
"Ally Carson! This way please!"

I'd never seen this many cameras in my life, let alone had so many pointing at me. It was all a little overwhelming; the flashing lights, yelling photographers and busy crowds of people moving every which way behind the metal barricades. Even on our side of the divider, teams of people all dressed up in black were running around the place directing the guests along the carpet and into the event. It was a lot to take in.

Luckily, I had on my arm a guy who thrived in this sort of environment, who was born for the spotlight and a natural in front of the camera. Conner knew all his best angles and poses, and also made sure I knew mine, making the whole process that little bit less stressful for an amateur like myself.

"You feeling all good?" He whispered into my ear as we took a step along the red carpet to a new set of paparazzi.

"Yeah," I nodded my head lightly, smiling up at him.

"You're doing amazing if that counts for anything," Conner spoke as the cameras continued to flash in front of us.

"Mr Gray! Over here!"

At the sound of his name my head whipped around to where my boss was entering the carpet just behind Conner and myself. He also wasn't alone, an all too familiar blonde clinging on to the arm of his expensive suit.

For a split second, I caught Tyler's attention, his vacant gaze becoming slightly darker as his eyes found mine. I sent him a small smile in an attempt to demonstrate civility between boss and assistant, although no such gesture was returned my way. Instead, his eyes moved to focus on something just behind me, darkening even further as some sort of emotion finally flickered over his features.

Conscious of the fact that cameras were still capturing my every expression, I tore my attention away from the stunning man, focusing back on my partner for the evening. Conner gave me a knowing look, wrapping his arm tighter around my waist reassuringly.

The rest of the painfully slow walk to the entrance of the event space went as smoothly as I could have hoped. Although I remained astutely aware of the couple following us down the carpet, I was able to at least feign indifference and put on a show for the media.

Once we finally reached the grand double-doors at the end of the space, Conner took my hand and led me into the much larger yet immensely quieter ballroom. There were plenty of people in the room, but everyone was chatting much more softly to one another than the cameramen outside. We made our way towards our set table in one of the back corners, smiling politely to a number of businessmen and women on the way.

"Freaking finally," Nikki's voice greeted us as we eventually reached our seats, our always stunning best friend wearing a velvety black dress that hugged her body like a second skin. "I thought y'all were ditching us."

Given the fact that I was being partnered by Conner for the evening, Nikki had also decided to take a 'date' in the form of her older brother. It was against all of her laws of attachment to take a guy with her to an event like this, so a relative was practically her only viable option.

"Why the heck would we ditch when there's an open bar on-the-house?" I laughed, leaning down to give her a hug.

"Now that's what I like to hear," her brother chuckled. "I'm Liam by the way."

"Ally," I introduced myself, hugging him as well. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he smiled. "Nikki wasn't joking when she told me you were stunning."