The meeting had gotten friendlier, but I couldn't seem to forget what Gordon had said at the beginning of it. I was walking down the streets with Mark and Collins, thinking about it, which they caught up. I was in another world, until I heard a few cops hustling up a homeless woman on the street. Mark smirked at Collins, and brought his camera up to his glasses, aiming at the cops.

"Smile for Ted Coppell, Officer Martin." Mark said proudly, and the cops grumbled. Mark stayed with his camera rolling, until the cops left the woman alone. Mark watched them leave, and just because he was Mark, I suppose, he continued to film the old woman. I could have told him it was dumb to do that, but she let him know.

"Who the FUCK do you think you are?" She yelled at him.

"I-I'm just-…" Mark stuttered, not expecting that.

"I don't need any goddamn help from some…some bleeding heart camera man. What do you think? My life's something you can just make a few bucks over!" She shrieked, making Mark almost fall back. I stepped forward. Alright, Mark was dumb to do that, but she was going a tad far as well.

"Easy sugar, easy, he was just trying to…" I started, but she just jumped.

"Just trying to us me to kill his guilt is what he's TRYING to do. It ain't that kind of movie…" She looked me up and down, and I felt Collins get closer to me. "…Honey." She mumbled, and turned to leave. "This lot is full of mother-fucker artists!" She screamed.

"Hey!" Collins shouted, ad I looked at him a bit freaked out. Mark had the same face. Obviously, Mark had never seen him get like this. "You can't just say those kinds of things!"

"Oh really?" She asked, turning back to us, and looked at us for a second. "You got a dollar, artists?" All three of us looked at each other. I had about nine hundred and fifty dollars in my boot, but I wasn't about to just hand it over. "I thought not." She grumbled, and walked off. Collins sighed, and looked at me, taking my hand. I looked at Mark, and I took his hand. He seemed down now. Apparently nothing like that had ever happened. No wonder he liked that camera so much. I thought of a way to cheer him up.

"New York City, the center of the universe." I mumbled, and Collins, smirked.

"Say it girl." He said, and chuckled.

"Times might be shitty sweetheart, but trust me, they can't get worse."

"Yeah, I hear ya." Mark mumbled, still looking at the ground as we walked.

"It's comforting to know, that when you singing the hit the roads blues, that anywhere else you could possibly go after New York would be…" I said melodiously, and banged my drum to a beat, letting go of both, and stood infront of them, facing them. "…A pleasure cruise." I said, and smirked, continuing my drumming. Collins laughed again.

"Now you're talking Angel." Collins said, and grinned. "I have been so down and out, trying to figure out life, while trying to figure out what my students scribbled on their term papers. I feel myself shouting in my sleep some nights. I think I need a muzzle." He said, and I giggled, still banging on my drum. He jumped on a stoop, and Mark got his camera back out. "And this misery isn't paying me nothing, so I have formulated a plan sometime ago, about what I want to do when I get the chance." He said, and jumped on the railing, sliding on the ice, and landing on his feet like a cat. My heart skipped five beats. I counted. I thought I was going to die.

"What's that?" Mark asked behind the camera, chuckling. Collins smirked, and wrapped either arm around the both of us, and hugged up close.

"I want to open a restaurant up in Santa Fe." He said, and smirked. I looked up at him, and smiled. Then something clicked.

"Wait…wait, you're a teacher?" I asked, and stopped drumming. He laughed, and Mark rolled his eyes.

"Tell me this is just a slow day for you Angel." He said, and now he walked infront of Collins and me. I stuck out my tongue, and then smiled sweetly. I was on camera. Wanted to look my best.

"Yes, I teach computer age philosophy." He said, and sighed. I looked at him curiously.

"But I thought you loved philosophy." I said.

"Oh, I LOVE it, don't get me wrong Ang', I just…the kids are just…idiots. They'd rather watch TV all day." He muttered, and frowned.

"Ha! America." I said, and smirked sarcastically. Mark nodded in agreement.

"Sensitive and over protected. Liars, all of them. That's why it would be so easy to open something up. We'll just make everything sparkle, and look nice." He said, and smiled, I made a face at him.

"Oh really?" I asked.

"Yes really." He told me, and smiled. "You my lovely lady, can drum gently and soothingly, entertaining our guests, and I will play as a maitre d'." He explained, and I giggled.

"Oh, so now I'm part of this too?" I asked him, and he wrapped an arm around my waist, grinning that heart-melting grin again.

"Yes my dear." He said very simply. I couldn't help but giggle. Not just because he was being ridiculous, but because he was melting my heart, and my legs. We continued to walk, and he just glowed. "Yeah, Santa Fe, that's where it's at my friends." He said softly, and I couldn't help but laugh, as we began to walk towards the lot. Mark looked at his watch.

"Hey, you guys go on without me. I'm going to go and get Roger, see if I can finally get him outside." Mark said, and smiled, waving to us as he left. I waved back, and looked up at Collins. His eyes were still on Mark and he shook his head. I took a nice big breath of a crisp night air.

"Alone at last." I said, and he looked at me. He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but don't hold your breath, he'll be back very soon, I know it." He said, and laughed. I smiled at him, and swung our woven hands back and forth happily.

"You're probably going to think this is silly, but I have been hearing violins all night." I said, blushing gently. He smiled bashfully, and chuckled.

"Does it have anything to do with me?" He asked, and I just giggled, holding my free hand to my mouth. He was too sweet. Of course it had to do with him. It wasn't about Mark, that's for sure. "So…Angel, after these few hours of knowing you, I'd like to know something else." He said, still giving me an adorable smile that just melted me. "Are we a thing?" He asked, and I smiled confidently.

"Darling, we're everything." I told him, and stood close to him. He smiled, and wrapped his free fingers in mine. "And then some baby, don't you worry." I told him, and he leaned his forehead on mine. He was freezing. I let go of his hands, and felt his freezing cheeks. "Darling, you're as cold as death." I told him.

"Yeah, and it won't be any better at Mark and Roger's." He said, and smirked.

"Really?" I asked him, placing my warmer palms on his colder cheeks to warm them up a bit. "Well, it would do me a great deal of relief if you stayed with me at my place. It's relatively warm there." I told him, and grinned. He placed his hands on my waist, smiling.

"If you open your door, I can assure you I'll be there." He told me softly, looking into my eyes. "I don't have much money, but I'm getting a teaching gi-…" I placed one of my fingers on his lips to silence him.

"Shh…I don't care about money." I told him softly. "You go as slow paced as you need to sweetie." I said, and removed my fingers from his lips. "All I need in return for room and board is sweet kisses." I told him, and he grinned.

"Sweet kisses I've got to spare Angel, trust me." Collins said, and took one of my hands in his, and danced with me slowly. "I'll be there for you, I'll help you, if you love me." He said, barely a whisper. It sent shivers down my spine. I bit my lip, looking at his face, and looked at his brown eyes with my own. He was sincere. He leaned down closer to by face, and when our lips were half a centimeter apart, I closed my eyes, and he gave me a kiss that made me forget all the other kisses I've ever had. He held my face to his softly, his thumbs massaging my cheeks very softly, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I was almost afraid of giving this kiss a break. It was so soft and loving. Not rough and crazy like…well, I confess, how I wanted it to be, but I liked it like this. It took every single fiber in my being to not melt like ice cream.