Chapter 1 Fates Collide in Winter Weather
All characters belong to EL James. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the prologue and a special shoutout to daytonalay and rapunzelclayre for reviewing. Just to clear up any confusion before it even starts, none of these characters are related in this story. Without Further Ado here is an extra long first chapter!
Ana POV:
"Jose, I'm calling you because my plane is delayed."
"Yeah. Yeah. I know that is what I get for traveling in the middle of winter through the Central part of the U.S. and taking Detroit as a layover. Yup, I know it was a stupid move." I giggle, trying to play off the whole ordeal.
He screams through the phone about how I am stupid, and I didn't think about the consequences. I ignore him. Trying to placate him, I say "Yup Jose, I understand. I'm sorry for not thinking about how it would be an inconvenience to your schedule to have to pick me up at a later time tonight. Once again I am so sorry. Maybe one of your boys can pick me up if it is such a big problem for you."
"We will discuss this lapse of judgment when you get home." He sneers through the phone with a hint of anger in his voice. I roll my eyes, knowing that I have pissed Jose off, but at the same time not caring in the slightest. I play with my headphones wanting to get back to the good mood that I was in before my phone rang.
"Hey, I got to go. I will call you when I know more information about the delay, and when I get onto the plane. See you soon." I say gently trying to soothe him, but wanting desperately to hang up the phone as I think back to a time when things were simpler between Jose and me, trying to remember why I ever liked him to begin with. I can't remember why as of late as my mind takes me back to when I was fifteen years old and homeless.
I really did love Jose at first, I really truly did. At the beginning of our relationship, Jose swept me off my feet making me feel like a princess throughout the end of high school and at the beginning of college until one day he didn't. Jose and I met right after my parents were killed in a local attack by the mob, to this day their killer has never had to answer for their deaths. After my parent's deaths, I became numb to the world. I started cutting my wrists, anything to make me feel, until one day, I cut too deep. The pain in my life was too bad for me to deal with. I was bullied in school, and I tried to commit suicide by cutting my wrists because my world had spiraling out of control. My school counselors told me that Mason and I would have to go into foster care because we had no family that had come forward to claim us. That night, Mason found me bleeding out in the bathroom, and had me locked in a psychiatric ward.
I was underage only fifteen years old, my records were sealed. After I was released to my step-brother, Mason, who was seventeen at the time, but the courts believed was eighteen, in a few days after we escaped our last foster home because no one wanted to adopt the both of us together, Mason turned eighteen, and the courts stopped looking for us. Mason adapted me. However, we were left on the streets, homeless, with nothing to eat. I was fifteen years old, not going to school, Mason was stealing food, and money from local stores for us to survive.
One day, Mason and I were running down the road away from the San Francisco cops, we had just stolen a loaf of bread, and I ran straight into Jose with my worn, torn, dirty clothes. Jose, who looked like a preppy school brat with his ironed khaki pants, button-down shirt, blazer on, navy blue tie, and boat shoes. He glanced down at me with disgust written all over his face when he noticed the police running down the street after Mason and I. "Did you steal something?" He asked with a tone of accusation in his voice.
Mason yanked on my arm before I could say a word, Jose grabbed onto me yelling, "Hey, where are you going, and why are the cops after you?" As Mason pulled me behind him, we all ran down the road, as the cop ran down the road after us. Mason pulled all of us into an alley to narrowly avoid being caught by the cops. After the chase, Jose laughed, and said, "That was the most fun I have had in years. My name is Jose! What're your names?"
Mason eyed Jose with curiosity as he said: "This is my sister Ana, and I am Mason."
Jose looked between the both of us as if he was judging both of us at that moment as he said: "Ana, you look familiar, did we use to go to school together?"
I stared at Jose, he did look familiar to me. Maybe we did have a few classes together before I dropped out of school, as I shook my head yes.
"My parents are away on business all the time, and I have a big mansion all to myself. You want to come over, maybe get something to eat, sleep in an actual bed."
Before I could even think about what I was doing, I replied: "That sounds amazing." Mason gave me a look of what the hell, are you nuts.
From that day forward, Jose and I became friends, something that we never were the first time that I went to school with him. I re-enrolled back into the local high school, and Mason got a job working as an I.T guy fixing computers while taking classes at night to finish his high school education, and then online classes to earn his college degree in computer programing. He started to save money for us to move out, but that day never came. We stayed at Jose's house, his parent's were traveling scientists, who studied monkeys in the rain forest, they were never home, they never knew that Mason and I lived there. They would call, send money, and maybe see Jose twice a year for a few days, and during those times Mason and I were sure to be away from the house. I would stay with Kate, and Mason would sleep in his car that he brought.
So junior year in high school, when Jose asked me to be his girlfriend after his team won the state tournament basketball game, I said yes, because I owed my life to Jose. It was the night of our six month anniversary, Jose and I were making out in his car, and he was feeling me up. "I want you, Ana." He whispered into my ear.
I shivered at his words, his words having the opposite effect on me. "Jose, I'm not ready to take the next step yet," I whispered as he continued to kiss my neck.
He frustratingly replied, "If you love me, then you will take the next step with me! Do you want to continue living in my mansion that my parents pay for, at no cost with your step-brother?"
I felt sick to my stomach at his words, I felt like he was trying to turn me into his prostitute. He reached over and roughly grabbed my breast. In my head, I screamed for him to stop, but my mouth felt sticky, and I couldn't get the words out. "Stop," I whispered as the tears streaked down my face.
"Ana, Ana, Ana, I am so disappointed in you." He said with a maniacal grin on his face. "I thought we were getting somewhere. I thought we were making a deal."
"Please Jose, don't do this," I said, as I cried, and thankfully he stopped. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. When I told Mason that night about what had happened with Jose, he wanted to kill him, but I made Mason promise not to because I was in love with Jose. Mason made me promise him that I wouldn't have sex with Jose until I was ready. I agreed to that promise with Mason as we did our secret handshake. After that night, I refused to have sex with Jose, until one day, when he wouldn't take no for an answer any longer. He became controlling, manipulative, and he would threaten Mason. He always wanted to know where I was or who I was with. I had one other male friend in school whose name was Luke, who Jose hated simply because he was a guy. Jose hated when Luke and I would hang out during school with the skater kids, or I would go to swim practice with Luke. He hated that I had friends outside of him. Jose was always very jealous of any male that I was around who wasn't him. Jose and I had some college classes together before he dropped out to become a "bartender". He would carry my books and bag to class all while holding my hand. All the girls on campus were jealous of our romance. They all wanted to date him. He was the star athlete on the basketball team with a full ride to college, and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be dating him.
One day, a switch snapped, and my guy who was sweet and loving toward me changed for no reason. That was the day that I figured out that Jose wasn't really leaving school to be a pursue his dreams of being a "bartender", but to work in the mob, the same mob that had murdered my parents.
I shake my head as the fog lifts from my mind about how my relationship started with Jose. If only I could go back and warn my younger self about him. I turn my music on, and it pumps through my headphones. A small smile plays on my lips as I think about what I am going to eat for lunch.
I turn, trying to make my way through the concourse, trying to find something healthy to eat which is a hard feat considering that all I see right now is fast food. My head is throbbing slightly from the hang-over, the loud noise of the airport, making the hammer in my head pound harder against my skull. It is right before the holidays so the airport is packed. People keep hitting into me, trying to catch their next plane. Many people are trying to get home, back to their loved ones for the holidays. I am not. Home means back to Jose, back to hell, and back to a man who makes me miserable. I think about the day before I left, how happy I was to be getting to leave Jose for a week, and how miserable Jose made me. As my mind drifts back to the week prior, a familiar song fills my ears bringing me right back to the day that I left to go visit Kate and Elliot.
As the music pounded through the speakers of my headphones it pushed me harder, faster. I ran, I could feel my feet hitting the pavement as I tried to escape from the life that I was trapped in. My therapist told me in my last session that I should get out more and socialize, but why should I. I liked being alone with my thoughts and in my own head. I am good for nothing at least that is what I had been told so many times by the man who claimed that he loved me more than I would ever know. If this is love I wanted to know what his hate looked like. I sensed a presence behind me, I picked up the pace as I ran until my lungs felt like they would explode. I wished sometimes that my lungs would collapse then, I would be able to escape that place for good, and I would never have to go back to that place. I could leave him for good. I could stop being a coward like my brain called me all the time for putting up with the crap that I do from him. As I slowed my sprint to a jog, the sweat poured off me as I approached the house in our cute neighborhood, my head snapped behind me when I heard, "Ana!" yelled from behind me, "Wait for me," sarcastically stated.
"Jose, hurry your ass up. You run slower than my grandmother did." I yelled back at him jokingly, as I rolled my eyes at him playfully.
He laughed, picked up his pace, caught up with me, slung his arm around my waist, pulled me to him, kissed my cheek affectionately. "Caught you. Are you sure you need to go see Kate? I'm going to miss you so much."
I rolled my eyes sarcastically as I said "Yes, I need to go see my bestie. I haven't seen her in over a year, and I miss her like crazy ever since she moved away with Elliot to New York."
"What did I tell you about rolling your eyes missy! It is rude. I know for a fact that your mother raised you better." I rolled my eyes playfully again, smiled at him as I said "Yes, Jose," as I attempted to placate him.
The night before I left to visit Kate in New York I was beyond excited to leave that place. Jose yelled up the stairs on his way out to work "Don't forget your winter jacket. There is supposed to be a cold snap this week in New York. I really wish you wouldn't go, that you would change your mind, or wait for me to take you."
Suddenly, he was behind me, holding me. He kissed the top of my head, said: "You sure I can't bribe you with some ice cream or something.
I laughed as I said "No ice cream for me." Right, that way you can tell me that I need to lose more weight like you always do? I thought to myself.
His eyes darkened as he grabbed my left arm roughly as he said: "Anastasia, you won't be going to New York to see Kate because I won't allow it."
My eyes started to water from the pain in my arm. "Let go you brute. You are hurting me. I am going to New York, no matter what you say. You don't own me." I subconsciously rub the spot where the light yellow bruise is hiding under the makeup that I am wearing currently on my arm as I walk, thinking about the interaction between Jose and me that night before I left.
I could see his temper starting to fly out of control as he screamed "Over my dead body are you going. You live in my house. You will not be going to see Kate." His grip on my arm tightened as he squeezed and pushed me into the wall.
He pushed his body into mine as he sneered "Fine, but don't come crying to me when something bad happens. I need to get to work to support your lazy ass." He let me go roughly as I fell to the floor, and he stormed out of the door to go to his job as a "bartender". The tears started to form in my eyes as the pain began to form in my arm at about the exact same time.
I brushed the tears from my eyes as I cleared my mind, and stared down at my right arm, it was already turning an angry color of black and blue, a perfect outline of Jose's handprint. That night I wore long sleeves under my scrub top at work. I got to go to work and pretend that I was living a happy life, one where Jose didn't bruise me or say hurtful words to me. The life that I always pretend that I am living. I wished that I could just leave, but I couldn't. Jose has me trapped. My paycheck from the hospital is deposited into Jose's bank account. He forced me into signing papers at home threatening my step-brother, Mason. He said that if I didn't, he would go to the police, tell them that Mason had stolen money, and food from stores when we were younger after both my parents died. I told Jose all that in confidence. I never thought he would use it against me to keep me with him when I threatened to leave him after the very first time that he grabbed me a little too roughly, leaving marks on my body.
As I headed out the door to work, I checked the mailbox as I hoped to find a letter from one of my old friends in high school, Luke, who recently found my address somehow, my heart sank when there was nothing from him. My last thought as I glanced back at the house was, at least I wouldn't have to see him for another week. I dragged my suitcase behind me walking to the hospital because God forbid Ana has a car, has the chance to run away, or go somewhere without Jose. I was halfway to the hospital when my cell phone rang.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Ana, this is Grace, I just wanted to let you know that we only need you for half of your shift tonight." She said brightly.
"Okay," I said trying to sound sad about the fact that I only had to work half of my shift, then hung up happily. I had time to shower and change before I had to leave for the airport. Grace is my boss at the hospital, is somewhat of a friend to me, and she has adopted me as a kid of hers. She told me once that her son doesn't visit very often as he is never around the area. She suspects that something is going on between Jose and me, more than once she has seen the bruises and asked questions. I have always told her that I am just clumsy, tripping over my own two feet. She always just shakes her head, telling me that if I ever need anything, at any time of the day to call her, and she will come to get me. I dropped my crap at my locker, head into the ER to start my shift, hoped that it wasn't one from hell, I smiled because I couldn't show my weakness then everyone would know something was wrong. My father always use to tell Mason and me, "Never let them see your weakness." As I was gathering lab work for a doctor, Grace came up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder with a new attending, Dr. Clayton, as she said,"Ana, how is my favorite nurse? "
"Counting down the hours until I get to see my best friend in New York. What can I do for you?"
"Can you show Dr. Clayton around. He is new to our ER, make him feel at home."
"Sure thing." I smiled at her as she left.
"So. . . " I began, as I looked at my feet feeling uncomfortable, Dr. Clayton stood there not knowing what to do with himself.
"So, who is our first victim?" Clayton smiled as he stared at me obviously.
"Room one. He is a very special patient, so when you figure it out come back and let me know what you want to do." I smiled as I moved on to my next patient with an attending that actually knew what to do, one who I didn't have to babysit.
Clayton returned a few moments later as he said shaking his head, "That kid is something else, really cute. I need an IV placed, hang a bag of D510 at 80cc per hour. Give IV push 2mg of Zofran, times one for nausea and vomiting. I have also ordered an x-ray and CAT Scan, once those are back, please come and find me. Based on the results we may need to page surgery for a consult."
I smile back at Dr. Clayton and said: "I will get right on that."
The poor little boy in room one looked like he didn't feel well at all. He looked absolutely miserable, it almost made me wish that I could have a baby of my own, but due to my low anemia levels and other things that I can't bear to think of right now. I can't. It broke my heart when he screamed and cried as I placed the IV in his small arm. I took his tiny hand in my hand, rubbed his head as he cried from not feeling well, and as I saw this young patient cry it made me want to cry right along with him. After I hung his IV and gave him the Zofran, I sat with him for a few minutes while his mother left to get some air. The little boy drifted to sleep as I rubbed his head, stared at him, and hummed softly a lullaby. As I made my way to my workstation, I saw a huge bouquet of a dozen red roses with a card.
The card was from Jose, it read:
Ana- I'm so sorry for how I acted earlier. I don't know why I let the anger get the best of me again. I am just worried about you traveling across the country without me, but I understand that you miss your friend. I am sorry for saying all those mean things I said to you and for touching you like that. Please forgive me. I promise to never do it again. I didn't mean to let my anger affect me like that. I promise that I will start to seek help for my anger issues. I worry about you all the time even when you are at work. I worry about how much you work. You know that we have enough money for you not to work. Maybe when you come back you will think about quitting your job?
I love you and I will miss you,
Jose
I was shaking with anger by the time that I was done reading his note. How many times has he told me he was going to get help for his anger issues, more times than I could count on one hand. He wanted me to quit my job! A job that I loved, what the hell! I picked up the vase of pretty red roses and walked off to the break room, threw them into the trash. I felt a small victory as I saw the roses in the trash, I headed back out and finished my half of the shift. I showered, changed into regular clothes, and caught a cab to the airport.
People bumping into me bring me out of my thoughts of Jose and his craziness at home the week before, making me wonder, how I am going to deal with it when I get home. I stare at all the travelers as I stand there not knowing where I am going in this place. The airport is booming with travelers, with people trying to reach their final destination in time. There are many military men and women in uniforms. I can't help but stare at some of their dress uniforms. There must be a military base nearby, I think to myself. A man in a uniform is wonderful eye candy. I make a game with myself to try to guess what branch each uniform belongs to. To try to pass the time while I am walking, my eyes getting lost in the sea of uniforms, I give up my search for healthy food, I am to the point of starving, my stomach growling loudly.
As I round the corner, I see a place that looks halfway decent in sight. The smell coming from the place makes my mouth water. As I am crossing over the walkway, insight of my destination, my eyes locked on the sign of the restaurant. I collide into something hard, and I am suddenly knocked onto my butt by a wall of hard muscle. Suddenly, a hand shoots down reaching to me. I look up, and I am met with dark gray eyes staring back at me that causes me to lose my breath. This guy is the epitome of male beauty. "I'm sorry ma'am." says the stern voice.
I grab his hand and get myself off the floor. He picks up my bag from the ground, and I take in his appearance. He is tall, lean, muscular, probably around six feet tall and one hundred and seventy pounds, has dark copper-colored hair that is cut in a short Ivy League cut with his hair tapered on the sides and back, and he is wearing fatigues. He has slightly chapped lips with a full bottom lip, his nose is slightly crooked going to the right, and he looks to be nothing, but muscle from years of hard athletic training probably running. I blush just from staring at him and I begin to imagine how his hands, that are thin and large with long narrow fingers, would feel in mine, how his body would feel against mine, and at that moment, I develop a crush on my mystery man, who knocked me flat on my butt. I can't tell what branch of the military he is in, all the uniforms are starting to look the same to me. As he is handing me back my book bag, our fingers collide. I feel an electric zap run down my spine that sends goosebumps down my arms as I pull my fingers away, and sling the bag over my shoulder.
"Thanks. Sorry I ran into you. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I was too busy letting my stomach guide me to food" I say, giggling as I feel my cheeks turning red.
"No ma'am, I should have been paying better attention to where I was going." He says smiling slightly at me. "Perhaps, I can make it up to you by buying you lunch since I knocked you down?"
"I'm good, thanks." I smile as my stomach rumbles once again, reminding me that I am still hungry.
"I hope you have a good trip." He says as he picks up his bag from the ground that he had dropped, walks down the walkway, and I continue to stare at him, blinking, dazed, and confused. Well, that was interesting.
After being bumped by another woman, who shoots me a dirty look, I continue on my way to the food court. My butt hurts from the fall, I'm sure there will be a bruise there. Great, I can't wait to have to explain that one to Jose when he finds out. I'm sure he will have all sorts of kind words for me. I finally make it to the restaurant called SIP, and I order myself a salad with chicken on top. I eat in silence, absorbed in my own thoughts, thinking about the mystery man, wondering what kind of awkward conversations we would be having if I allowed him to join me for lunch. I rummage through my bag looking for my book, the one that I knew I had with me. I must have dropped it when I bumped into mystery man. "Shit! I can't believe I lost my book and my plane ticket! Now I am going to have to figure out how to get another one." I mutter to myself as my phone ringing brings me out of emptying the contents of my bag onto the table.
"Hello?" I answer.
"Hey girly!" says the voice on the other end which I recognize to be Kate.
"Hey!"
"Where are you?"
"I'm stuck in Detroit. My plane was delayed, and I will be here for the next few hours." I sigh
"Well, at least that is a few more hours away from Jose." She says happily.
"Yeah, that's a plus. Although I know there will be consequences when I get home from this, even though it isn't my fault because I can't control the weather." I say, sadly.
"I told you, Ana, you need to leave him. I should never have allowed you to get on that plane. I should have kept you here with me and Elliot as our hostage. Jose is no good for you. He doesn't deserve you."
"Yeah, I know, but I can't leave him."
Kate cuts in as she says, "Yes, I know what you are going to say next. You always say the same thing, and for reasons you can't tell me, you can't leave him."
"That's right," I say, still feeling sad. Kate quickly changes the direction of our conversation when she senses my dark mood. "Any good eye candy at the airport? Any cute military guys? Better yet any cute guys in general?" She asks cheerfully.
"I heard that!" Elliot yells through the phone as I giggle.
"Maybe," I say coyly as my mind snaps back to mystery man.
"Take a picture for me."
"I can't do that! Plus what would Elliot say? Didn't you just agree to marry him while I was there visiting you both."
"It would teach him to pick up his nasty uniforms, and to maybe start helping with the laundry more." She says laughing the last part. "Well good for you honey. It never hurt anyone to look. Anyways, I just wanted to see how you were doing, and where you were on your trip. I have to go, unfortunately. I have a business call to make with Paris."
"Okay. Bye Katie." I say.
"Bye Ana Banana." Kate sings as she hangs up the phone.
My mind drifts back to my visit with Kate and Elliot, how happy I was that week in New York, and when I first got off that jet plane from California.
The grogginess from the plane ride wore off as soon as I saw an excited, blonde-haired, green-eyed, Kate who was jumping up and down. "Ana! Ana! Ana!" She squealed from the gate by security. I giggled, ran to her, and hugged her like crazy.
"I missed you so much. Look at your hair!" I said as I looked at Kate's blonde hair that she recently dyed from Strawberry blonde as Kate and I embraced suddenly I heard behind me a male voice that said: "Okay, you two. Save some for me."
I turned and saw a broad-shouldered, tall, curly, blonde haired male with bright blue eyes that smiled down at me. "Elliot!" I screamed excitedly and launched myself into his arms as I said: "I didn't know that you were home yet!"
"Yup. I just got back from training last night. Kate didn't even know until I was unlocking the front door, and I scared the crap out of her."
Kate smiled at me and said "He almost gave me a heart attack. You ready to head back home. Actually, I mean base. Make sure you have your driver's license on you. You are going to need it to get onto base."
Elliot drove us back to their house which was located where he was stationed at Fort Hamilton, and it was also where Kate was living with him. "So my bestie?" I quipped an eyebrow at her, not knowing what she was going to say next "What would you like to do for your week away from the devil himself."
"Kate, you know that I have no other choice. I am stuck with Jose." I said halfheartedly to Kate as I glanced at Elliot and hoped that he would save me.
"Ana, I love you like a sister. Hell, we have been friends since we were in kindergarten. You need to get away from him. You could start fresh, and you could start a new life out here. You are more than welcome to stay with Elliot and me for as long as you needed." I wished it were that easy, but Jose would come and drag me home, I knew he would.
"Thanks for the offer, but a part of me does love the idiot," I said as I smiled at her as I felt the bile rise up my throat. Plus, I couldn't. He would hurt Mason, I thought to myself. I could never reveal that to anyone for as long as I lived. Once we got to the house, Elliot jumped out of the car, and yelled: "The last one in is a rotten egg and has to do dishes for the whole week."
I raced out of the car, ran into the house, with Elliot hot on my heels. Elliot quickly locked the door behind us, as he grinned, and said: "Okay girls, let's play Mario Cart Racing, because Ana, I still owe you an ass kicking from the last time I saw you."
I shot Elliot a wink, and asked, "What's the matter, Elliot? Are you scared of being beaten by a girl again?"
He laughed, and said: "Not a chance!"
The week in New York was spent with Kate, who showed me her newest fashion articles for the spring edition of her magazine. Designers from all around the world desired to be featured in her spreads. Kate is famous in the fashion world. She is an editor for a huge fashion magazine company in New York. I am proud to call her my best friend. The majority of our week consisted of her playing dress up with me. I pretended to hate it, but really, I loved watching her face light up when she saw her favorite designers' designs come to life on my body. "Ana, you look beautiful. You could be a model for my magazine." She sang as she saw me come down the stairs in one of her pink glittery cocktail dresses. Elliot was in and out during the week doing his Army job.
"Elliot," I replied finding him one night while Kate was getting ready.
"Yes." He asked as he eyed me with suspicion, as I walked into his gaming den, as he played some shooting game. "What is it exactly that you do in the Army?"
He smiled like he had won the lottery as he said: "That is classified."
"And why can't you tell Kate or me what it is exactly what you do in the Army," I asked, pushed him again because I wanted to know what he really did in the Army.
Elliot smirked at me as he said: "Because if I did tell you, Ana, then I would have to shoot you right after I told you. And you are one of my best friends. I would absolutely hate to have to kill you just because you found out what I did in the Army. Not to mention Kate wouldn't be too happy with me killing her best friend." He winked at me, blew a bubble with his gum as he walked by me out the door of the den, as he left me standing there with my jaw on the floor.
Kate smiled as she saw me as she said, "There you are, I was looking for you everywhere. Don't feel bad Ana. He told me the same exact thing when we first started dating again. I said he was a superhero, that he was Batman. That is why he takes off all the time with only a note to tell me not to worry, and that he will be back as soon as he can."
"Yeah, but Elliot is one of my best guy friends. We have known each other for years, even before you two got together. I thought he would tell me what he did in the Army."
"It's because he is Batman. He can't reveal that secret. It would put national security at risk." She whispered to me as I laughed with her. "Now come with me. I want to go get pedicures in town."
On my last day in New York, Kate, Elliot, and I all go out to dance at a local bar. Kate dressed me in a new dress that she stole from work which is suppose to be used for a photo shoot next week. The dress was a cornflower blue, sleeveless. It was simple, short, chiffon fabric with ruching on the top. Just the thing I could see myself wearing if I wanted to go out and have a good time, but what made me love it, even more, was that I knew that Jose would hate it. Kate paired it with silver heels that were designed by Oscar de la Renta each had a small bow along the ankle. They were cute, but I couldn't walk in them to save my life. I tripped and fell several times on the way down the road. Elliot had to save me as I stumbled forward as I giggled with the embarrassment of almost falling.
Kate did my dull brunette hair into an up-do, she left some curls draping out of the back. For my makeup, she applied a light golden color to my lids with a tint of color to my lips. When I turned to look at myself in the mirror, I no longer felt like the sad girl who can't leave her relationship with Jose. I felt strong and confident. I felt like a woman, I was amazed at how a little bit of makeup could make me feel. Kate wore a very short tight red spaghetti straps dress with black chunky over the knee boots. She left her shoulder length blonde hair down and curled. For makeup, she applied a slightly smokey eye with a shiny pink lip gloss for her lips. Elliot whistled when he saw her, I could tell just from when I looked at him how much he was in love with her. I giggled as I watched her blush from his whistles. "El, stop you are embarrassing me." She said as she buried her face in her hands.
"I can't help it. I'm in love with my gorgeous fiance." He winked at her.
"Fiance?" I asked as I caught on to the word slip. "Katherine Kavanagh, Is there something you forgot to tell me?" I asked excitedly.
"Perhaps." She said coyly. "Elliot and I were going to wait to tell you, but he sort of proposed last night."
I squealed, jumped up, and down. "Yay! I'm so happy for you. You both have been together forever. I know you will rock this marriage thing. Wait, what do you mean sort of?"
Kate blushed as Elliot said "Thanks, Kate is crazy. Of course, I proposed last night, she just still couldn't believe that I asked finally. We just wish that you didn't have to leave, and go back to Jose tomorrow. Are you sure we can't convince you to stay longer?"
I giggled and said: "I can't. I have to get back to the ER so let's make the most of tonight."
Kate dragged me out to the dance floor with orders for Elliot to find some single young Army friends of his to come dance and romance me. Kate is forever trying to get me away from Jose, and as I was dancing with Kate, I couldn't help, but think about Jose and how our relationship began when I saw a young couple dancing in the club affectionately as my mind began to wander as I thought about how a relationship that started off good turned bad.
"Earth to Ana!" Kate squealed into my ear, drawing me out of my memory. "Hottie at six o'clock, and he is completely checking you out."
I smiled and said, "My six or yours" as I attempted to play this game with her.
"Mine of course." I glanced behind me because heck, what can Jose do to me since I am on the East Coast? The dirty blonde hair man, with suntanned skin, smiled at me as he walked up to me like he knew me like I was his best friend. "Hey, beautiful. What's a girl like you doing in a craptastic place like this?"
I giggled, blushed, unsure what to say to this gorgeous guy. "This is Kate, I'm Ana, and we are here to dance. Maybe to drink a little, although her fiance might have a little say about that."
Suddenly I heard behind me "Ethan, you causing my girl, and one of my best friends in the world trouble."
"Absolutely not El." Ethan said as he winked at me "Ana and I were just talking about dancing, and she agreed to dance with me for the next few songs."
"I did no such thing." I laughed.
"You wound me." Ethan mimicked being stabbed with a knife in the gut.
"I did not," I said as I roll my eyes at him.
"Yes, you did."
"How?" I asked as I eyed and smiled at this beautiful man.
"My pride." He winked at me again.
I giggled as I said: "Well first off you didn't even ask me."
"Fine Miss Ana, will you dance with me?" He asked with a fake Southern accent.
I placed my index finger on my lips and pondered the question as I smiled at him as I already knew the answer to his question. Ethan was good looking, he was muscular, with green eyes, short dirty blonde hair, and skin that was tanned from being out in the sun for too long. "I guess."
Ethan pretended to wipe the sweat from his brow and said: "I was sweating, waiting for your answer."
As he led me over to the dance floor, Elliot yelled: "Hey Ethan, isn't Mia going to get jealous of you dancing out here with someone else."
He winked at me as he said "That's the point. It makes for the great makeup sex. You and Katie should try it some time."
Wait, what? I thought to myself confused. He spun me around and back into his chest as I almost lost balance with those stupid heels. About three dances in a girl with raven colored hair and brown eyes bounced up and smiled flirtatiously while she whispered into his ear. Ethan turned to me and said "Ana, this is my wife, Mia. It was lovely to meet you, but we must be going now."
He yanked her off the dance floor, and out the door of the bar as she laughed. "Well, that was interesting" I grumbled.
Kate bounced over to me, and she explained how Ethan and Mia liked to play a game called who can make who jealous first. That was what their date night consisted of.
"How weird." I giggled as she handed me another Cosmo.
"Whatever floats their boats. Come dance with Elliot and me." She said as she grabbed my hand, pulled me to the middle of the room where Elliot stood waiting for her with his beer.
So I did, I danced with Kate and Elliot for the rest of the night. At exactly ten o'clock, my phone rang. It was Jose checking in to see where I was, and if I was home. He ordered me to go home right away, which I told him no. I could hear the anger in his voice as he said "Don't forget, you are coming home tomorrow. You will have to deal with me."
"Okay Jose, I'll leave right now," I said as I hung up the phone with no intention of leaving the club until Elliot and Kate did.
"Are you done with that?" Asks the friendly voice of the elderly lady attempting to clean the tables looking at me with a dish rag that she held in her hand. "Huh?" I ask, coming out of my memory from my week with Kate and Elliot. "Are you done with that my dear?"
"Oh no," I say as I go back to finishing my meal, then go look at the departure board only to find that my flight that was two hours delayed is now six hours delayed. I check the gate number for the flight, of course, it is the gate that is the furthest away in the concourse. I slowly begin my long walk to the gate, since I have nowhere fast to be except to find out how to get a copy of my ticket. Half an hour later, I reach my gate, and every seat is occupied except for one seat which is next to a man in green military fatigues with a book in the seat next to him. As I make my way closer to him, he looks familiar, and then I recognize him. Just my luck. It's the same guy that I ran into, fell on my butt with, and he asked me to lunch because he felt sorry for. I start to turn around. to go sit on the floor, to avoid the embarrassment. When suddenly, the man's head snaps, turning to look my way. "You can sit next to me. There is an empty seat here. That way you don't have to sit on the hard, cold floor." He says as he moves the book, making the seat next to him empty.
I look around thinking that he is talking to someone else. No one ever talks to me, not if they have to. "Yes, I'm talking to you." He motions to me as he points to me with his index finger.
I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding, and make my way over to the only empty seat in the area. I secretly hope as I walk over that someone else will take the seat, that way, I can avoid the whole situation. I take an awkward seat next to the man that I ran into. As he hands me my book awkwardly saying "You dropped this when we knocked into each other, and then disappeared before I could find you again after you turned me down about lunch. I figured you would eventually turn up here when I found your plane ticket in the front cover."
"Thanks," I whisper as I take the book from him, open it to the spot that I was at, and attempt to read. Every once in a while, I glance over at the guy to see his hard eyes trained on me, but once his eyes connect with mine, his eyes fly back to his phone in his hands. I go back to reading, but I can still feel his eyes on me, and it makes me uncomfortable. I want to confront him, ask him what his problem with me is, but I chicken out. I have never been the type of person to get into a fight, and he seems intimidating. I feel like he is trying to read me, and it makes me uncomfortable. I don't need someone learning all my secrets especially a stranger. I concentrate harder on reading my book. I am in the middle of an intense scene when I hear a voice say "My name is C. What's your name?"
I turn to see who the guy next to me is talking to when I notice that he is looking at me.
"Huh?" I ask as his posture changes, and he says more slowly like I am slow, "My name is C. What's your name?"
I sit for a second thinking, wondering what C is short for, and wondering why after hours of sitting in complete silence has this C guy finally decide to talk to me. I question if I should answer him, and engage him in conversation. What if he is a trained assassin, after all, he is in the military, he must know how to use a gun. What if he kills me, takes me hostage? Oh well, at least I will be rid of Jose. I know Jose would not be happy if he knew that I was talking to another man, but Jose isn't here. He will never know about this. C raises an eyebrow, and says "Is your name a hard one? Maybe foreign?"
It is then that I realize that I haven't told him my name yet, feeling like an idiot. I say, smiling slightly, "My name is Ana."
"Ana, I like it. Well, it is nice to meet you. Where are you traveling from?"
"Didn't you look at my ticket?" I sarcastically ask as he sits there staring at me, not saying a word, waiting for my answer, "New York. I am going back home to California. I stupidly decided to fly through Detroit in the middle of winter." I say, laughing at my own misfortune.
"Oh New York, it is nice there in the winter. I had a friend who used to live out there, but she eventually moved out to California to be with her fiance." He says glancing at me.
"Yeah, the snow is nice, but it is a little too cold for me."
I see C roll his eyes at my statement. He says "You really do sound like a Cali girl. I would rather take the cold and snow over sweating my ass off in the sandbox that we like to call a desert like I have been any day."
I am about to question his remark, but he says abruptly "Can you save my seat for me. I have a few things I need to do."
"Sure." I murmur as he walks away. What an odd man!
I go back to reading my book, I read for another half an hour, and C still isn't back yet. I begin to wonder where he went off to. I wonder if he is okay. I twist in my seat to look out the windows only to see the snow falling harder. Great, more snow! Suddenly, an announcement comes over the intercom saying "Please excuse the interruption, but United Flight 3256 departing from gate D9 to San Francisco has been canceled. Please proceed to the ticket counter to make new reservations."
Great, I think to myself, Jose is going to flip. This is going to be such a fun phone call to make. As the announcement ends, C appears smelling like alcohol and smoke. The smell making me think of Jose, making my stomach turn. I push the thought of Jose away from my mind as I turn to him, saying "Well, we are stuck here for the night."
"Yeah. Lucky us." He says with no humor in his voice.
I leave my bag on my chair to save my seat, knowing that I don't have enough money to get a hotel room for the night. I stand in the massive line at the airline counter where the lady tells me that she will try to get me on another plane as soon as possible tomorrow. I am also told that all the hotels in the airport are filled, to make myself comfortable. I make my way back to the chair to send Jose a text, telling him that the flight had been canceled from the snow since I know that he is going to be at work. I also mention that I may have a flight back tomorrow. I'm not going to lie, I'm happy about getting an extra day away from Jose.
"Hey Ana, since we are stuck here together, we may as well make the most of our time together," C says bringing me out of my thoughts of Jose and his reactions to my canceled flight.
"Okay," I say, unsure where he is going with this.
"Do you want to play a card game?" He asks as he pulls a deck of cards out of duffle bag.
"Which one? I don't know many."
"How about you pick one then." He says smiling shyly at me.
"War," I say blushing as soon as the words leave my mouth, I feel stupid.
He lifts an eyebrow, shaking his head, a smile playing on his lips as he says "War it is, but I must warn you. I am pretty good at that game."
"Oh, you are on." I smile at him, laughing as I say, "When I was younger, I use to kill my step-brother in this game."
C smirks at me as he shuffles the cards. As we are playing the card game that he is killing me in, I ask "So C, where are you traveling from?" Trying to pick up where our conversation left off from. "That's classified. I can't tell you that!" He says winking at me as he throws a card down and taking another one of mine.
My face falls, "Oh."
He starts laughing as he says, "Gee-sh Ana, I was only kidding. I am on my way home from Germany to California. I am on leave for the next two weeks. I am currently deployed to Afghanistan." He says the last part proudly. "Hence the uniform." As he motions to his sage green fatigues.
"Which branch are you in?" I ask quietly, hoping that I'm not overstepping some unknown line.
"Air Force. I'm a Major."
"Wow! That's a high rank, right?" I ask, having no clue about ranks. He shrugs his shoulders and says, "It's decent. But enough about me. What about you?" He looks me dead in the eye.
"There is nothing really exciting about me."
He quips an eyebrow at me and says: "I highly doubt that."
He looks at me like he is trying to uncover all my deep dark secrets, the secrets that I am trying to hide from the world. "My friend Elliot is in the Army, he is Sergeant. He wouldn't tell me what he does in the Army, he told me if he did, he would have to kill me, so my other friend, Kate, calls him Batman They got engaged while I was visiting them in New York." I say, trying to change the subject to Elliot and Kate.
"Oh Yeah. Where is he stationed?" He asks, sounding interested.
"Fort Hamilton with my friend Kate, that is who I was visiting."
"What do you do for work?"
"I'm a nurse in a major hospital in California," I say, shrugging my shoulders.
"See something exciting about you, Ana, and you said there was nothing." He says, hitting his shoulder into mine. "What kind of nursing do you do?"
"Emergency Room, ER, pediatrics, is my specialty, I love it. I love the adrenal rush. You never know what type of cases you are going to get. My hospital is part of a level one trauma hospital so all the other hospitals transfer the medically unstable patients to us. We also get a lot of gunshot and car accident victims." I say feeling excited that someone is actually taking interest in my job. "But most of the time, I just see sick kids who have a tummy-ache."
Jose doesn't care or ask about my job. C doesn't say anything. He lets me ramble on about all my favorite aspects of my job, and about how much I love being a nurse. "I'm sorry for talking so much," I say giggling.
"No, it's nice to talk and to listen to someone who loves their job. What book are your reading?" He asks, looking generally interested.
"You didn't look through it and you were carrying it around for how many hours?" I raise my eyebrow at him, wondering if he really is clueless, or if he didn't look through my stuff like Jose normally does at home.
"It wasn't mine. Why would I look through your book? I just opened the front cover when I saw the piece of paper sticking out and saw your plane ticket."
"Romeo and Juliet." I smile, feeling amazed that he didn't go through my book like Jose has.
"What's it about?"
"It's Shakespeare! How have you not read Romeo and Juliet?" I ask, looking at him like he is crazy as he shakes his head no. "You should read it sometime, and find out for yourself," I say joking with him as he grabs my book away from me to start reading it. My phone ringtone for Jose interrupts my thought process.
"Sorry, I have to get this." I say as I glance at the screen "Hello."
"You are in so much trouble!" The voice sneers across the line.
"Jose, I am not able to control the weather."
"Don't use that tone with me." He screams at me, making my ears hurt.
"Bye Jose. I am hanging up the phone now." I say, wanting to hang up the phone on him, not wanting to put up with his attitude. "Don't you dare!" He screams. I click the end button and shut my phone off completely. I toss my phone angrily into my bag, thinking how dare Jose think that he can control me, and get mad at me for something that I have nothing to with. I hate him. C looks at me with concern in his eyes as he says, "Ana, I know we just met, but who was that on your phone?"
"My boyfriend," I reply.
"No one deserves to be spoken to like that. Does he always speak to you like that?"
"No." I lie to him, then quickly change the subject off of my relationship with Jose. C and I talk until late in the night. He lets me change the subject off of Jose, and I am grateful.
"So what are your plans now that you are on leave?" I ask.
"Nothing much. I really just want to sleep." He says, smirking at me, "Which this airport isn't helping with that plan at all."
I glance at the clock and say: "It's three in the morning. We should try to get some sleep."
"That sounds good." He says smiling at me as he yawns.
I slump against the chair, close my eyes, put my coat over me, and attempt to sleep. At one point during the night, I feel my head, land on something hard. The bright sun shining through the window wakes me. I am laying on a shoulder or a chest, and I start to panic. Oh God! I look down to see a sandy colored shirt with sage green fatigue pants. I feel a light pressure on my own head. I realize then that C is asleep with his head on mine. He has his arm wrapped around me protectively, possessively, and I am pressed lightly into his side. His side is nothing, but hard, well-defined muscles. This is going to be awkward when he wakes up. I maneuver myself from our current predicament. Lifting my hand from his stomach, then I slowly slide my head out from under his, C wakes with a startle when his head drops. He yawns looking at me. I can only imagine how I look, now that I have slept in an airport all night. "Good morning Ana." He says quietly, yawning.
"Morning C." I am about to ask him how he slept last night, but a voice comes over the intercom, "Will Anastasia Steele, please come to the ticket counter."
I get up, stretch, make my way over to the counter, and notice that even more people are packing into the gate area. The lady informs me that I have a seat on the first plane out of the airport. I walk back to my chair, feeling sad, but I have no clue why. I knew that I would be sad when my freedom from Jose was finally over, but does my sadness have anything to do with C?
C turns to me and asks "Good news I hope?"
"Yeah. I got a seat on the next plane to leave here."
"That's great. I'm happy for you."
I stare at C, really stare at him, and make him an offer that I hope he won't refuse. If I played my cards right, I could buy myself more time away from Jose."Do you want my ticket? That way you don't have to spend your whole leave in an airport?" I ask, trying to hand him my ticket.
He stares at the piece of paper like it is on fire as he says, "No Ana. You take the ticket and go home. Thank you for the offer though. I'm sure I will be on another flight shortly."
The voice on the intercom interrupts our conversation as it says "We are now boarding United Flight 7865. Please proceed to the boarding area." I look at my ticket to see that it is mine. "Well, I better get going. That is my flight." I say feeling depressed that my time with C has come to an end. "It was nice to meet you, C. Good luck with everything."
C stands and puts his hand out to me as he says "Nice to meet you too Ana. I'm glad it was you who came and sat next to me." I gather my bag, walk away, not looking back at the man who I crashed into, and I slept on last night. I don't get very far when an elderly woman says "Excuse me, dear."
"Yes."
"I hate to pry, but was that your boyfriend."
"No," I answer, starting to wonder why she is asking.
"Oh because the way he is looking at you. It is the way that a man looks at a woman that he loves. He is giving you the same look that my husband use to give me every day for fifty years. It looked like you two were together. I'm sorry."
I smile as I say: "No, he was just someone that I met yesterday."
I get in line, waiting to board the plane. C catches my eye, and waves at me. I wave back shyly. I look in my bag searching for my book, which is missing once again. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and C is standing there. "Here, you left this in your chair. I didn't want you to lose it again." He says, handing me the book. His fingers gently brush mine, and I realize how soft they are. I wonder what he does in the Air Force, it can't be anything with his hands.
"Thanks," I say as C walks away. When I get onto the plane, I pull out the book to read some more.
I notice a yellow sticky note attached to my bookmark that reads: Ana- When you get home, give me a call. I can show you how you deserve to be treated. My number is 707-896-9087. -C.
I quickly pull out the note and think about discarding it. Jose would kill me if he knew about C. As nice as C was to me. I am with Jose. C was nice to look at, but it would never work. We are from very different worlds. I am damaged goods, and he seems too nice to deal with my problems. I put my book away, go to sleep, and dream about bright gray eyes.
What did you think? So Christian is in the military, for now, doing what, you will just have to wait to see... Anyways, all mistakes military related are mine. I only have very limited knowledge when it comes to the military thanks to a family member and google. :) Until next time!
