The night was slightly chilly, but it was cloudless, just the way I liked it. It was a perfect night to do photography.

I walked to the beach, my camera around my neck, my hands clasping it for further support. It was almost 3 in the morning and the sky was a dark midnight blue. I could clearly see the stars in the sky, twinkling far above my head like little diamonds in the sky. The ocean looked expansive. The waters rippled against the soft wind that was blowing. They were dark as well, mirroring the sky above them, capturing the twinkle of the stars in their depths.

I went to the far side of the beach, where I had never been before, walking in the direction of the rocky cliffs. The cliffs were tall and ragged, a burnt amber color in the daylight. Right now, though, they looked black like most other things around me.

Directly below the cliffs were large boulders protruding from the sand. There were rocks of all sizes: some that were so big they were taller than me and some that were so small they could be stepped on. In the day, I would always see people jumping around on the rocks, climbing them and sitting on them. No one dared cliff dive on this side. On the farther side of the cliffs, though, was just water. That was where I wanted to climb to.

Securing my camera around my neck, I grabbed a hold of a protruding rock and hoisted myself up. I planted my foot in a crook and then reached up to grab another rock. I continued this climb carefully and slowly until I reached the top of the cliff. Breathing deeply, I straightened up. And then I jumped, almost letting out a scream.

There was someone else on the cliff, too.

It was clearly a male; no female would have the build that the person did. He was tall and looked muscular from the back. He had a hood drawn up over his head and a black leather jacket that looked vaguely familiar...

"C-Caleb?" I blurted out. I clasped my hand over my mouth as the figure turned around. It was him.

"Nicole?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"What are you doing here?" we asked at the same time.

"Ummm...you first," I said, brushing my bangs over my forehead to cover my eyes slightly.

"I was just...sitting..." he replied slowly.

"Oh," was what I said.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Umm...I was...going to...uhh...take some pictures," I said.

"At this hour?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's for a project. For my photography class," I lied.

"Your project is to take pictures in dark hours of the morning?" he asked.

"Yes," I said bluntly. He looked at me disbelievingly.

"Where's your brother?" I asked after a few awkward moments.

"Home. Asleep," he answered.

"That makes sense," I said lamely.

"Yeah..." he trailed off.

"Why are you out here so late?" I asked him.

"I couldn't sleep," he said with a shrug.

"So you came out here?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

We stood looking at each other silently again. We were both standing stiffly and awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say. Part of me was telling me to just leave, but a different part kept me rooted to where I was standing.

"Ummm, so I'll just let you take your pictures..." he said, stepping back.

"No, it's all right. I'll go somewhere else. I don't want to disturb you," I said.

I had no idea why we were being so formal. Earlier in the week when I had seen him at Steve's, I wanted nothing more than to be rid of this person. But here I was standing on a dusty and rocky cliff with the same person. What was different? Was it because whenever I had met him before, it was during the daylight and we were both more hostile? But I had run into him that night it stormed. He was out late that night, too.

"You're not--" he started as I began to move back towards the edge of the cliff to begin my descent down.

"What?" I asked, looking at him. He looked back at me with those dark green mysterious eyes of his.

Without saying anything, he turned and went to sit at the part of the cliff's edge that jutted out over the water.

I didn't know why, because it wasn't like he invited me or anything, but I moved slowly towards him and sat down beside him. He didn't look over or make any indication that I was there. He just continued to stare out at the vast ocean before us.

We sat next to each other, worlds away mentally but almost touching physically, for what seemed like hours. We didn't say anything to each other, but we kept each other company.

I kind of liked it. I liked the silence and stillness of everything. While everything around me remained the same, I was able to let my thoughts take over me. Memories and thoughts flooded into my mind and I let them out into the ocean in front of me.

We sat for so long that we saw the sun's early rays begin to light up the dark sky. I remember lying down on my back and gazing up at the sky, which was the only thing that I could see from my position. That was the last thing I remembered before I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

He took her hand, a devilish smile on his face.

"Where are you taking me?" she laughed.

"You'll find out," he replied, pulling her along.

They were walking up a grassy hill that was blooming with vivid wildflowers. The grass was a pleasant and consistent green and the flowers stood out starkly against it. There were reds and yellows, violets and oranges. It was beautiful.

"Wait, I want to get a picture," she said, stopping abruptly.

"Of what? We're not even at the best part yet!" he exclaimed.

"For the go. A memory on the way," I replied. He stopped and sighed.

"Fine," he said, waiting impatiently next to her. She pulled out her camera and turned the lens towards him. He hadn't been looking at her, but instead, was gazing out at the view from the height of the hill.

The light from the sun beat down on his already tanned skin. He was squinting his eyes, which were bluer than the ocean that they could see from that height. He stood with his hands in his pockets, his muscular frame casual. She was struck by his undeniable beauty.  How had she gotten so lucky?

Pushing down the silver button, the camera captured the beautiful man standing before her, freezing him in a happy time where he would forever remain.

Then he looked at her.

"Did you get your picture?" he asked. She nodded, a small smile on her lips. He smiled back and grasped her pale hand in his strong one. "Let's continue, then," he said, dragging her forwards.

They reached the top of the hill, just in time to see the sun set. The two lovers sat at the very top and faced the ocean. She leaned against his strong, broad chest and he wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in the familiar scent she fell in love with. The wind blew all around them as the sky changed colors to match the flowers that they sat amongst.

The wind picked up and suddenly, she felt cold. His arms were no longer around her. She looked around wildly, the wind whipping her face and biting at her bare arms. Where was he?! Where did he go...?!

I woke up with a jolt. I sat up, breathing heavily and looked around me. It was still dark out. My eyes fell on Caleb, who was still sitting next to me. His expression was alarmed and his eyes were narrowed.

"What-?" I began.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"W-what do you mean?" I asked, wondering if I had been talking in my sleep.

"You started moaning and crying in your sleep," he said.

"I--what? No, no. I wasn't...." I stammered.

"You were. I was about to wake you up when you woke up yourself," he said. I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing how to explain my behavior.

"I just...I talk in my sleep sometimes..." I mumbled weakly.

"Do you also cry in your sleep?" he asked. I brought my hand up to my face and sure enough, my cheeks were damp. I had been crying.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said, my voice quiet. I looked down at my lap where my hands were clasped tightly around each other. I could feel him looking at me and it was getting to be uncomfortable.

"How long was I out for?" I asked.

"About forty minutes," he replied.

"Oh," I said. I glanced up at him and he was still gazing at me, his eyes still narrowed in confusion and alarm. I made to get up.

"I should probably get going," I said. He stood as well.

"I'll help you down. It can get pretty tricky," he said.

"I'll be fine--" I began saying.

"I'll help you," he interjected sharply. After seeing his expression, I decided to let him.

He took my hand in his and told me how to step down from the cliff and get down. At the bottom, he held his hand out to me and I reached for it. The last step was a longer one and I'd have to jump to the large boulder. Pushing myself off the side of the cliff, I jumped to the boulder. I landed, but lost my foothold and almost fell backwards. Caleb grabbed onto my arms and pulled me forward, but I stumbled and crashed onto him, flattening him against the flat surface of the boulder and falling on top of him.

I looked at him, my cheeks burning as we lay sprawled on the rock in the most awkward position ever.

"Thanks for breaking my fall," I said.

He looked at me angrily first and then, he started laughing. I mean, really laughing. He let his head rest on the rock as he laughed, the sound echoing around us on the empty beach. And for some reason, I started laughing, too. I was still sprawled on top of him, but I was laughing. We both were laughing so hard that tears shone in our eyes.

After a few moments, we finally calmed down, letting out a few chuckles as our laughter died down.  I fell back so that I was laying on the flat surface of the boulder next to Caleb. We lay on the rock, side by side, staring up at the slowly brightening sky as our heartbeats slowed to normal.

I turned my head to the side and found Caleb looking at me intently, a serious look on his face that was completely opposite to the expression he had just a few moments ago. I looked at him, slightly taken aback by the depth of his dark green eyes. What was he thinking? What was going through his mind at that moment?

What was going through my mind?

The picture I had taken on the meadow that day was burned into my memory. It faded in and out of my mind's eye as I lay there. It had been such a perfect moment. It had been such a beautiful moment.

We lay staring at each other unblinkingly, each trying to read the other's thoughts. I don't know how long we lay like that, but before we knew it, the sky had turned a pale blue color, indicating that morning was now here. I was the first to glance away. I sat up and he did, too. We didn't move for another few moments and then he stood, holding his hand out to me. I grabbed it and he helped me up and we climbed down to the sand of the beach together. At the bottom of the boulder, we turned to face each other.

With blank expressions and eyes that hid so much behind them, we both turned silently from each other and went our own separate ways.

The sun was now high up in the sky, illuminating it brightly.

______________________________________________________________________

A/N: There it is. Chapter 9. Sorry it's a tad bit short. I didn't want to put another scene in this one. Also, I'm too lazy to write the next scene, anyway. =P

Temporarily, I decided on Grant Gustin to portray Oliver. I've put a picture of him in the side. Let me know what you think. That's pretty much what I envisioned Oliver to look like: a beanie-wearing, skinny jean-clad, hipster-like intellectual. And plus, this guy is hot.

Who do you think I should put in as the guy in Nicole's dreams? I was thinking Chris Pine. Let me know if you approve.

Anyway, what do you think? Do you like it so far? Or am I moving too slow? I'm moving slow on purpose, if that is the case. I want to properly develop this story.

So comment, please! And voting would be nice, too, especially since Wattpad has so kindly made the VOTE button so large and obvious.

AND the more you vote, the faster I will update.

XOXO