Nearly 3 months later. Oops.
You do love me, right? Right? Riiiiight?
Once again NOT BETAED something I keep reminding you all, but some people still feel the need to nag. Whatever. It's 4am, I have a thesis to write tomorrow, so this is all you get. This or nothing.
25. From pain and issues
"So, I have something to tell you."
Christian's voice didn't sound like his usual relaxed self, nor like his dirty words whispering low vox which was famous to make my toes curl and my panties go woosh down my legs, both version I would have preferred over the careful tone he had going on now on the other end of the phone. I sat up from my comfortable position on my couch – my back leaning against all the pillows I had, one of my legs stretched out in front of me, the other one on the backrest and a shamelessly big package of salted chips on my lap -, alarmed with the sudden mood change, we had just been talking about my day with Gia and Ray before he had changed the topic tragically dramatic.
On their last day at Seattle, I had invited my father and his girlfriend to have a Sunday brunch at this cute cafe Andrea had recommended me a long time ago, its ambiance had been relaxed and cozy, a great opportunity for me to remedy my weird behavior of yesterday and get to know the new woman in my father's life. Just like Jose had told me, Gia was really nice, attentive and thoughtful, witty while making jokes, and generally pleasant to be around, her eyes twinkling with love when she looked at my old pa'. Ray practically had beamed when he had watched us talk, obviously pleased with the fact that we were getting along well, his hugs and words of goodbye's at the end of our time warm and all smiles, my promise to visit them soon engaging them in a conversation about what they could cook for me and Christian as they got in their cab, me waving after them before I made my way home, my shoulders slumped as I recalled their last interaction with my boyfriend.
Things hadn't been exactly at ease when I returned to table for desserts with Carrick, the asshole, in tow, trying to mask my anger fueled puzzled expression, his threat still harshly ringing in my ears. Grace, God bless her soul, had desperately tried to save the evening with her sweet words, but the frowns on our faces hadn't left, not even the otherwise delicious apple pie she served had brightened up our moods. Her husband had simply enjoyed his wine and his pie, humming as he ate and making his granddaughter giggle with his words, Ellie far too young to notice the tension among the adults. I had wanted to stab my boyfriend's father with a fork and ask him about the cryptic things he had told me before dropping me like a hot potato, Christian oblivious to the things his father had told me, or more like implied, about his relationship with his ex. I had kept my mouth shut, promising myself to be the bigger person here, all the things Carrick had accused me with not true anyway, so what did I care what he had to say?
But I had cared about the things Christian was apparently keeping from me. Well, if that was the truth anyway. Could I really trust Carrick, the guy who obviously was enjoying hurting me and having the last word, out of all the people? If there was something to worry about between Christian and his ex, something about Christian's behavior that might magically make him the villain in the Elena-cheated-on-Christian story, would he tell me the truth? It was no secret that my boyfriend wasn't much of a talker, rather distracting me with sex, something to eat, more sex, with anything basically than answering my never ending questions, even if they were about what I would call simple things.
Whatever Carrick had tried to achieve last night, it had at least left me more irritated than ever. Confused, a tiny little bit angry and mostly paranoid, I had left the house my otherwise sweet boyfriend had grown up in – something his mother had been more forthcoming about than him -, Christian and I first dropping off Ray and Gia at their hotel, the conversation tainted with the absurdity of that night, the elephant in the room not addressed until we drove off from the parking lot of the hotel.
"I'm sorry about.. what happened." Christian had mumbled, his hands tight around the steering wheel, his eyes darting to the rear-view-mirror where he could see Ellie snoring in the backseat with one unicorn plushie in her hand.
"It's not your fault." I had whispered carefully, feeling queasy with the humiliation I had gone through, my mind searching comfort in the promise to hide myself underneath my covers and let out the frustration via sleep.
"It is. I should have prevented that, I should have talked with him before it happened. I should have known he would do something like that, he loves to ruin my happiest moments by mentioning Elena. I can handle that, I ignore it mostly, but you didn't have to go through that, for fuck's sake." He had said with a frown on his face, hissing his ex's name as he spoke. "It's not even personal, I mean it's not about you. It's about me and him not being in agreement in this issue."
Issue. Elena was still an issue between him and his father. What kind of fucking issue could his ex still be? I had no doubts about Christian's tender feelings for me and his spiteful ones for his ex, so if that was not the case, if that wasn't what Carrick had meant with my son is feeding you lies, then what the fuck he had meant? He had said I shouldn't even think about trying to sabotage Ellie's relationship with her mother, which I had never intended to do, he had excused Elena's betrayal of trust by blaming Christian and his supposedly habit of running away from problems instead of facing them. But what did that mean in combination with me ruining Ellie's relationship with Elena?
I knew Christian had meant well that night as he tried to explain his father's motives to me, but quite honestly his words had only made me feel nauseous, my stomach burning as something hot and sticky bubbled inside it. For once I had been the one shying away of talking and running away from my problems, I could Carrick hear laugh in my head practically, wishing Christian a good night when he dropped me off at my place, using Ellie as an excuse when he invited me over to his, needing the isolation in my apartment. Beside I had been sure that spending time with Christian would have made the hot, bubbling ball of anxiety and frustration in me explode, all the questions I had probably once again distracted with kisses and his dick.
Ray had used Gia's absence when she went to the restrooms at brunch, asking me if everything was alright and what was the problem with Christian's father who had seemed nice if you ignored his obvious threats toward me. I had tried to bamboozle him with my most believable smile I could manage, telling him that Carrick had no problem with me, it was something between him and his son, it totally doesn't concern me, Dad. I had been convincing enough apparently, Ray dropped the subject immediately, telling me that I could always talk to him if there was any issue.
Issue. There is that word again. Grrr.
"You sound worrisome. Everything alright?" I asked my boyfriend on the other end of the phone carefully, back in the now and then. I sat up completely, playing my neglected bag of chips on my coffee table, my stomach bubbling again.
"You guys have a teacher parents conference thing on Tuesday night, right?" He asked me, the nervousness in his voice audible.
"Yeah, Leila informed me this morning. Wait. How do you know that?" I frowned, the disquieting feeling intensifying as I couldn't remember telling Christian about Leila's last minute decision to organize an emergency meeting with the parents regarding this year's graduation, something she had texted us all about just this morning. I had refrained to talk to Christian all day beside the quick texts we send each other, Ellie hadn't returned to her mother last night so I had decided to give him and her some alone time since we spent nearly all weekends she was home together. Of course, it was also a great opportunity to muse about yesterday's event thoroughly, pissing on my parade so to speak.
"Well, Leila called the parents today apparently and since usually my ex wife attends organizational stuff, she called Elena instead of me." Christian said with a tired sigh, I could imagine him scratching his neck with a distressed expression on his face like he usually did when he had something displeasing to say.
Fuck.
Punch right into Anastasia's face, her body crashing into the wall where she slowly melts into a pathetic puddle of misfortune.
What had I expected? Not to meet her ever again? Of course not since I was used to luck never being on my side of things, but at least I had hoped some time would pass after last night's disastrous events where I found out that my boyfriend's own father was a big fan of his cheating ex wife. Yay. By now I knew better than let Elena disarm me or intimidate me with her always flawless looks or her booming business, these were not qualities I was fearing, but the queasy-ness caused by Carrick was weakening my MO, especially since knowing Elena meant knowing that she would use this particular opportunity to mess with me like the evil snake she was, at my workplace out of all the places, to make matters worse.
"Ana? You still there?" Christian asked, sounding worried when I didn't externally react to his words.
"Yeah. Um, sure. What did you want to tell me?" I asked, biting my bottom lip to the point of sharp pain. The chips I had been eating felt as heavy as stones in my stomach now.
"Well, I wanted to warn you. I tried to talk her out of it, but unfortunately even if I did, I couldn't attend that meeting since Jason and I will be working extra shifts this week. The boss asked us weeks ago, I can't cancel now. But I could ask my mother..."
I interrupted his rambling, feeling more silly than ever and mostly embarrassed because my boyfriend was thinking that I couldn't face his ex professionally or at least be mature about it, but mostly because I didn't want him to think that I was running away from a confrontation with Elena. I didn't want her to have that kind of power over me.
"Christian, it's okay. You don't have to bother your mother with this. I am sure I will be able to handle spending an hour or two with your ex, talking about boring graduation details." I tried to sound as convincing as possible, even forcing a smile he couldn't see just because I had read once that smiling while feeling down improved your mood. I guessed it only worked if you also stopped musing about whatever made you feel down, a smile alone wouldn't work.
"You know how she can be like." He muttered, adding a quiet curse followed by something falling down. "Shit. I spilled beer on my carpet."
"Use mild detergent and warm water to wipe it away. And don't worry about Elena. I won't let her get to me."
Easier said than done, I soon found out. Tuesday after work when Leila and I were preparing the conference room with lit candles and the goodies she had bought from the bakery just for this occasion, the atmosphere in the room felt cozy and relaxed while I was not. Even the delicious smells of freshly brewed coffee and tea couldn't brighten me up, my anxiety crawling inside me up my tender nerves where it left scratch marks, vibrant red and aching. Leila had apologized for calling Elena, but she hadn't have another choice since she was enlisted as number one contact for organizational matters, something Christian didn't have patience for, her ambitions and OCD like habit to plan and rule over any organization making Elena a perfect candidate for this job. I had assured Leila that I wasn't angry with her, it wasn't her fault in the end, but secretly I was cursing her for planning a meeting, asking myself why this couldn't be handled over the phone, a silly thought and mostly selfish.
"Don't let the bitch smell your fear, Ana." Andrea said strictly, her hands at her hips as she reminded me of my own mantra over and over again, being as supportive as always. "The second she is in here act like she isn't, you hear me? And address her with her surname all the time just to piss her off."
"Yes, mother." I said with an eye roll, chewing on a cookie, the first rounds of parents already arrived and mingling while we waited for the rest. Since the day Christian and I had made our relationship official, I was basking in the judging and slightly jealous eyes of some parents, especially his own fan club made out of mummies who should know better than swoon over a man publicly. Having Leila's approval made me feel more confident in my blushing skin whenever I felt stares on me, ignoring them now a main part of my job. Apparently one mother even had called Leila to inform her about my nonprofessional behavior regarding one father, but my boss and friend had quickly informed her that Miss Steele is a professional who already asked for the permission and approval to date the father of one of her students, there isn't anything to be concerned, Mrs. Davis. Go take care of your own cheating husband instead of being nosy about the love life of others, she had added in her mind with a smug grin, telling me this with a proud expression. I had appreciated her support.
"And don't fumble while talking. You look insecure when you do that. Look into her eyes if needed and talk loud and clear, no mumbling or stuttering." Andrea said firmly, the opening of the conference door behind me making her look over my shoulder with peaked interest, an icy frown plastering on her face immediately. I followed her look curiously, the last bite of my cookie still in my mouth as I chewed, and there she was, Elena Lincoln, perfection extraordinaire.
Dressed in a fitting red blouse and tight black jeans, she scanned the room with intent eyes, her lips pursed as she stood higher than most of us thanks to her heels, her eyes squeezing as our looks crossed, a cold smile curling her lips as she nodded at me.
I gulped down my cookie as if it was a hot stone, the remaining crumbs of it proudly showed off in front of my chest. Fuck. I hadn't wanted to look like a mess when she appeared, but here I was brushing off crumbs from my shirt and trying to put on the mask of Ana: The Professional precisely planned by Andrea.
"I think we are complete now." Leila said with a smile, looking around in the room as she stood at the head of the table, her hands on its wooden surface. "Why don't you all take a seat? Oh, and feel free to get yourself a cup of coffee or tea. And please enjoy some of the cookies. We have also water, sparkling and still, if you would like."
Chairs squeaked against the linoleum floor when the mums and dads made themselves comfortable, soon cups with hot drinks in front of them, the chewing sounds soon filling the room. I tried to follow Andrea's rules to ignore Elena and only look her way if it was necessary, but God knew I was a weakling, my eyes taking notice that she had only picked up a glass of sparkling water, non sip taken yet as the rim was free of any remains of her lipstick. She was talking with no one else than Mrs. Davis, the woman who had thought she could snitch on me by telling Leila about my relationship with Christian, confidence oozing out of every one of her moves, her smiles warm and surprisingly sincere. It seemed like the rat and the snake were best friends. Interesting.
"Stop starring at her like a creepy teenager." Andrea whispered beside me, kicking my calf with her foot. I turned my head to her, apologizing with a smile and letting her engage me in a conversation about the guy she had met last weekend at a club.
"He was cute and he could dance. Both qualities I am looking in a man." She nodded to herself after sipping on her coffee, her lips pursed. "We exchanged numbers, so I am waiting for him to call me. He better does, otherwise I am packing my stuff and leaving with our unborn children."
"I'm sure he will call for those kids. Any good not yet father would." I said with an eye roll, thankful for the distraction.
"They will be blond and cute, just like us." She said with a dreamy look, sighing.
"I thought you didn't dig blond guys." I frowned, remembering her words very well. Whenever I have a blond dude lying underneath me, all I can see is one of my relatives. And I might be crass, but not that crass.
"Well, I dig him. We can dye his hair if needed." Andrea shrugged, her solution oriented behavior making things easy and simple.
Leila's polite cough interrupted the conversations going on around the U-shaped table setting we had arranged after the kids had left, her intention to catch the attention of everyone succeeding. I straightened my shoulders, being all professional and such, ready for the meeting as ready as I could get with the vibrant presence of my boyfriend's ex.
"As you all know, we are here tonight to discuss some organizational matters regarding this year's graduation ceremony. Me and my colleagues have already planned a few things we would all like to present you since we need your approval and support in them. If you remember I already gave you a few information about that on the phone."
The parents nodded to themselves as they watched Leila with attentive eyes, one of them raising his hand as if we are in class, a thought that makes me snort silently.
"You said something about a play. Would you need help with decorating and such?" The man asked, his green eyes hidden behind a pair of specs.
Leila nodded with a smile.
"Exactly, Mr. Johnson. We would need your help with decorations, especially in the production of that."
"The production of decorations? You need our help for that?" Elena asked out of the blue, one eyebrow high on her forehead, the fact that she didn't raise her hand to ask for permission to talk politely not missed by her audience.
I tensed when her voice touched my ears, Andrea kicking me underneath the table again as a warning. Don't let the bitch smell your fear.
"Yes, Ms. Lincoln. I was just going to elaborate. Unfortunately, our institution doesn't have the financial possibilities to finance the mandatory objects like costumes." Leila went on with a no nonsense tone, once again interrupted by the brazen snake. I fumed silently, my eyes starring daggers at her while she didn't look away from Leila with a daring expression on her stupid face.
"You want us to do what? Pay for the stuff you should be able to finance? After all we all pay you and your institution quite a bit of money."
I wanted to stab her with a fork now. A very dull fork so it would be even more painful. And then I would eat the rest of the cookies on the plate two people on my right which was looking more and more inviting the angrier I got.
I was close enough to hear the tiny sigh Leila let out as she straightened her shoulders, the professional expression on her face hiding the silent fuck you in her voice as she spoke, the tension thick in the room.
"Actually, we had something else on mind." She made a dramatic pause, looking around in the curious eyes of parents, something Elena regarded with pursed lips, her eyebrows still on her forehead.
"Since we didn't want to burden you with the aspect of additional costs, me and my colleagues were thinking about producing the needed costumes and decorations ourselves. The set will be outside so we won't need any lights and the microphones and speakers would be sponsored by a friend of mine. The only thing we are asking of you is your support in the making of clothes and decorations. As you know we are short on staff and any help we can get is appreciated."
An approving mumbling went through the room, something what made me and my colleagues relax immediately since we had feared an outburst like Elena's from other people, too. Said woman wasn't looking too pleased, simply nodding with crossed arms as she leaned back in her seat, round one won by us.
She kept her silence as we talked about the band we had organized thanks to Elliott, Kate's boyfriend, who knew someone who was specialized with songs for children. They had agreed to do the job for free since they were new in business, hoping to advertise themselves among the parents of Bellevue, future bookings for kids' birthday parties their main aim. Elliott even was lending us speakers from his bar, he and his crew would set up the whole thing for us, something that made us totally Team Elliott.
The more approval we got and the more parents were participating, the happier I felt, even the occasional stares I got from Elena didn't piss on my parade, her presence ignored like I had planned to do. She was becoming a tiny blonde speck in the far, far away background of my self-doubt ridden mind, my mood blooming as one of the parents started a fire of approvals and agreements when he proposed to sponsor the food and drinks, he knew a guy or something. Soon enough we had a full buffet set, Leila's eyes sparkling as she took notes, in her mind probably counting all the money she had saved.
"What play would the kids perform?" One woman with puffy cheeks asked, her brown eyes looking questioningly at us. I could feel my cheeks heat, the topic I had been apprehensive about finally coming up like an uninvited flue.
"One of our teachers, Ms. Steele, has written a play herself since we thought we could insert core values easier into a self-written play." Leila explained, giving me a side glance.
I coughed lightly, before I spoke, my cheeks flushed.
"I wrote a play about a caterpillar which's cocoon gets stolen by an angry bee. It tries to regain it with the help of his friends and in the end it transforms into a butterfly. I initiated values like honesty, trust and self-esteem, all things kids should learn at this age."
Elena didn't miss the opportunity to mess with me, just like I had assumed. Her eyebrow was back on her forehead, her painted fingernails slowly tapping against the wooden surface of the table in front of her.
"Kindergarten is surely quite some time ago, but if I recall all of these very important values are in the classics, too. What is wrong with a classic fairy tale? We were all raised with them and we turned out fine, didn't we?" She gave me a daring look, a quiet whispering going around as people were watching us intently. I cringed internally when I heard the word showdown coming from somewhere on my left, the embarrassment I felt otherworldly. Don't let the bitch smell your fear, Ana.
I could do this, I totally could do this, come on, girl. Taking a silent, deep breath, I straightened my shoulders, trying to sound as confident as possible when I spoke.
"Yes, all the classic fairy tales do in fact have these values. But in the meantime they are also full of hints forcing gender roles and a general behaving pattern on children, something that subconsciously taints their belief system and daily behavior." I gulped down the hard knot in the back of my throat, thinking that my arguments were clear enough for us to move on to the next topic, but when I noticed Elena's continuous waiting stare, I went on, adding a touch of smart ass to my voice.
"I didn't want to force upon the kids that characters with certain type of traits and surroundings are either only evil or only good, humans are far more complex than that in the end. For example, studies show that most of the fairy tales underline the importance of female purity, a concept that somehow only can be tainted with prenuptial sex. If you remember, most of the princesses are kept somewhere they can't be touched, ergo stay virgins as if virginity is the only way a woman can be pure. They are always nice and polite, and yes, they present core values like honesty and trust, but that also forces upon the kids that only the innocent, innocence in the sense of purity, can have those traits. On the contrary, the villains are usually stepmothers, non virgins, divorced, implying that only the first marriage is pure and that a divorced woman is evil."
The silence that followed was embarrassing, all eyes looking from me to Elena who looked like she was swallowing something bitter, the bitter moment of public humiliation – to be honest, not something I had planned to do, but something I had ended up with in my frantic talk about fairy tales, the nerd in me taking over my rational, sweet teacher side.
"Oh snap." Andrea mumbled beside me, low enough only for me to hear, her foot kicking me repeatedly underneath the table, her approval obvious in the way her shoulders shook as she suppressed her laughter.
I could literally hear the blatant thoughts of the people around me, some surprised that little Miss Steele really had the balls to openly attack fierce business woman Elena Lincoln, some wondering what said business woman do next, and some brazen ones oozing joy as they thought about the wild round of gossip they would have as soon as this meeting was over.
I didn't know how to feel, I wasn't the type to feel happy about publicly attacking someone with cryptic words or hidden messages, but I had to confess that one part of me, the one part I usually ignored, felt some type of justice when Elena got to taste her own medicine for once. What done is done, girl. Unclench now and bask in your small victory.
Elena took a deep breath, her fingernails tapping against the table once again, a fake grin plastered on her face as she suddenly freed herself from the sour expression my unintentional attack had caused.
"And yet you portray bees as the villain. You know that there is a population attributable risk for bees, right? Aren't you forcing upon the kids that bees are evil just because they can sting if irritated?" She asked, eyebrow on forehead again. I hated that eyebrow with passion.
"If I understood you right, then you have written a play that does all the things you accuse fairy tales with. It forces upon the kids that characters with certain type of traits and surroundings are either only evil or only good. I believe even animals are far more complex than that." Elena went on, chuckling to herself as she swept one strand of hair away from her face.
Don't let her know that she affects you, Ana.
"Well, if you would have let me explain, I would have told you that my play is far more complex, too. I never said that the bee is evil or does what it does for the sake of spite. It has a story itself, reasons even." I deadpanned, as professional as I could be, my poker face surprisingly well. As much as I was irritated with her behavior, I had to give her credits for being the queen of poker faces, something I quickly copied.
"A misunderstood villain. How original." Elena noted with a sorry smile, earning an agreeing giggles as she looked to Mrs. Davis, the snitchiest snitch of all snitches.
"I think Ms. Steele was saying that the bee isn't the villain. And from what I have read of the play, there is no real villain in it." Jose suddenly spoke up from his seat three people on my right, his voice firm and taking no prisoners. "If it pleases you and gives you peace of mind, I would gladly send a copy of it to you by tomorrow."
I wished I could have recorded that part to show Christian that Jose was truly one of the best friends you could have, standing up for me not just because we were colleagues, but because he always protected the ones he loved. My heart swelled with the gratitude I felt.
With Jose's intervention the topic about Elena's doubts about my play was dropped, Leila deliberately lead it to the costumes, something that of course also caused more discussions. Elena used every opportunity to nag, telling us that bought costumes would cost us less time, but also pointing out that we of course didn't have the money to pay for them even though the parents were paying us so much money. She feigned compassion as she asked us if we didn't know how to manage our finances, the mummies of her ex's fan club more and more giving agreeing nods when she spoke, their side bluntly official at the end of the night when Elena had managed to nag about every single thing we had proposed, her smug grin growing bigger and bigger the more we tried to explain our situation to her gang of mummies. Her joy was obvious, as obvious as my distress, the night seeming to be endless and my stomach clenching painfully whenever my play was brought up again.
"We will need to take measures of the kids, firstly Ellie, though, since she has three different costumes." Leila nodded to herself as she scribbled something down on her notebook, Andrea chirping in about her mother being able to do that for us so it would be done professionally.
"Why does Ellie need three costumes?" Elena asked with a puzzled expression, interrupting Andrea just when she was talking about her mother being our volunteer seamstress, earning an icy look from my friend which she ignored like a pro.
"She will be playing the caterpillar, the butterfly and its cocoon, after all." Leila answered with one raised eyebrow.
Another oh snap moment for Team Ana because obviously Elena didn't know about Ellie having the main role, her 'O' shaped mouth and narrowed eyes giving her away. I tried not to grin smugly myself, immediately feeling awful about it because I shouldn't be happy about the miscommunication between Ellie and her mother like Carrick had assumed I did.
Elena pulled herself together pretty quick, credits for that, guarding her insecurities with yet another opportunity to be a bitch and simply nag.
"You didn't have the approval of the parents, but you already gave roles?" She asked with that stupid eyebrow high on her forehead, her icy glare hiding despair I only could spot because I had been intently studying her face when she spoke. The sadness about finding out something about her daughter via us seemed to be sincere, just like the pity I felt, both reactions surprising me greatly.
"It's nothing official." I said, suppressing the need to smile encouragingly because she didn't deserve any encouragement after her behavior, but me being be, I couldn't just let her think her daughter wasn't telling her the most recent actions of her life. "We didn't tell the kids yet, just talked about who would be the best for which role. Ellie is quite a social butterfly, so we thought the metaphor spoke for itself."
The silence was back, just like the painful clenching of my guts as we had another stare down, I was expecting yet another nagging because this was Elena after all, but all I got was a polite nod before she turned her head away from me, her eyes losing the previous sadness, though.
Wow. That was a rare unicorn moment. Let us all appreciate it.
At the end of the night, we had decided to announce the roles within the next week so we could start rehearsals soon enough, planning yet another meeting, this time voluntary and only if you had an interest in helping us design the costumes, at Andrea's mother's atelier. Ideas for stage decorations were welcomed, just like the help in making them, Leila once again trusting in my oh so fantastic artistic skills, saying that as the writer I surely had some scenes and backgrounds in mind. Um... sure, why not?
I sighed with huge relief when the last parent left, clutching my chest where my heart beat frantically underneath skin, flesh and bones. The girls were all over me the second the door closed behind Mrs. Brown.
"Oh my god, Ana. I have never been prouder with you. Girl, you burned her so hard she was practically on fire." Andrea cheered, pressing a wet kiss to my cheek.
"You are the queen of burns, no, wait. You are the khaleesi of burns, you hear me? 'Cause you burned her like a dragon would do. Do you get it? Khaleesi as in Daenerys as in the mother of dragons?" Leila said as she high-fived Nicole, obviously proud about her Game of Thrones pun.
I rolled my eyes at her, reminding her that I was the one that made her watch GoT, and not the other way around.
"Whatever, nerds. Let's celebrate this success with drinks. First round on me because I am a proud mama tonight. My baby grew up, I am in tears." Andrea joked, brushing off an invisible tear from her cheek as she clutched her chest.
"Actually, I have something important to do tonight." I said with a sorry smile, immediately earning protests, something that was interrupted when suddenly Jose spoke up, reminding us of his presence.
"Good night, girls." He said with a smile, something I welcomed with a smile of my own. The others whined when he was making his way to the door, his jacket hanging over his arm since it was pretty warm outside.
"Oh, come on, Rodriguez. You are absolutely invited to our girl's night out." Andrea said with one hand at her hips, daring him to disagree. "You are coming with us, and so is Ana. Whatever it is you have to do can wait until tomorrow. Tonight is the night of festivities."
I managed to escape my friends' pleas and whines as we made our ways to our cars, Jose following us two steps behind us, having agreed to accompany us to the bar after enduring Andrea's persuasive tactics, my excuse reliable enough for me to get away.
I needed to have an important conversation with my boyfriend and I needed the answers he was squeamish to give, distractions be damned. He needed to tell me what was going on between his father and his ex, and whatever issues there were.
I was tired of issues, especially the blonde, successful business woman type of issues.
Daddy C's ass belongs to FSOGFanFictionAddiction for this chapter ;)
No Daddy C present this time, but lots of him next time. Next time will be... soon, hopefully very soon cause I am ready to say good bye to the ol' Daddy C. New Christian's await us all in my future stories.
Until then,
Melii xoxo
P.S. 2 more to go.