Chapter 65
This had to be the most agonizing conversation in the world.
Ana and Hope, face to face. Christian thought he might pass out, but so far it was going swimmingly - or at least, as swimmingly as an exchange between your two lovers could go.
For some reason Ana was insecure and decided to turn the meeting into a pissing contest. She'd spent the last ten minutes telling Hope how wonderful her marriage was, skating further and further into inappropriate territory, the more drinks she got in her - veering into the sexual realm, with Christian was desperately trying to steer the conversation into less intimate territory, but it hadn't really worked. Ana had been spending the last five minutes telling Hope how Christian ravishes her in bed, complete with details about spankings and ben-wa balls.
It was an incredibly surreal scene. Ana, in a flowing, luminous gold gown; Hope in a tuxedo.
Yes, a tux.
When she'd climbed out of the car he'd sent to go pick her up, he almost choked on his fine wine.
Hope nodded politely, her eyes and face pleasant. Either she was a hell of an actress, or none of this was phasing her. At all.
After about five more minutes of graphic discussions of their sexual escapades, it seemed that Ana got a grip on herself and realized how she was coming across, because then she changed her tack, and seemed to soften towards the strange woman in front of her. But even in her kindness, she was unintentionally insulting, asking to touch her hair and then planting her hand right on the top of her head like she was a Yorkie; mentioning how she'd worked with a black receptionist that she'd liked and thought she could befriend, before gently explaining the synopsis of the book "Little Women" and encouraging her to check it out, before explaining slowly that "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" was her favorite book, suggesting that Hope work up to reading it one day.
Hope, the third-year English major, who planned to go on to become a librarian, and had read Tess in elementary school for fun, took it all in stride or so it seemed, nodding patiently. Eventually the press made their way over to the small group and the three posed together, beaming widely, with Ana telling the reporters that Hope was an at-risk youth that Christian helped mentor.
"Yeah, he found me at the Boys and Girls Club," she quipped.
Later in the evening, the band ironically enough, went into a cover of a Massive Attack song, and Ana rushed over to Christian for a turn on the dance floor.
It was an hour before he realized Hope had snuck out.
"Y'know," Ana whispered into his ear as they slow danced, "She's not so bad, she's just weird. I feel silly for being jealous earlier; I think she's gay."
A week later, after he'd realized the hubbub was dying down, he called Hope to thank her, and got an automated message saying the number was out of service. Concerned, he made a detour to her dorm after work, and was surprised to see the door open, with the janitorial staff cleaning the place out. He asked them where the woman who had occupied this unit went, but of course they had no clue.
Christian started down the hall and bumped into Andy.
"Have you seen Hope?"
"She took off, left school. Last I heard is that she's preggers." After he saw the look on Christian's face, he hurriedly added that it wasn't his kid, and how Hope had been quite the party girl for awhile there, so there was no telling who the brat belonged to.
