A/N: Thank you all for your love and support! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 28: Coming Out
It was later in the evening, and Ana and Christian were currently at his apartment, curled up on his couch together while watching TV. Ana had just finished telling Christian the conversation she and Carla had had earlier that day, and while she was talking, Rex had trotted up and sat at Ana's feet, resting his head on her lap. Ana reached down to scratch behind his ears.
"Wow," Christian muttered quietly after she finished talking and a brief silence stretched between them.
"Yeah," she said quietly, petting Rex's soft fur.
"I'm so sorry, baby," Christian said, frowning compassionately. "That sounded like an awful conversation."
"It was pretty intense," Ana grimaced as Rex blinked dolefully up at her. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to face Carla again."
"I can imagine," Christian said, reaching up to run his hand through his hair. "Is it really true she almost made you sleep with a guy just to get a record deal?"
Ana nodded, frowning. "Yeah. I didn't end up sleeping with him, thankfully, but it was an awful experience. I really don't like talking about it."
"I understand. I'm sorry you've had to deal with your mother for so long, Ana - I don't get how she can she do something like that to her own daughter."
Ana sighed. "Sleeping with record executives to get special treatment isn't exactly a new practice in this industry. Carla knew that and tried to work the system in my favor… I'm honestly really thankful I've never had to resort to that."
"So what do you think's going to happen between you and your mom now?" Christian asked. Ana didn't answer for a moment or two as she idly scratched Rex behind the ears, her head still resting against Christian's shoulder. She sighed.
"I honestly don't know," she said, finally lifting her head and looking up at Christian. "My mom has always been a major part of my music career, but after all of this, I don't think I can work with her again. This really sucks."
"I know it does," Christian said comfortingly, tightening his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. "But I think in the end you're going to be happier for it. I know you've been struggling for some time having your mother as manager, but finding some new representation might just help you move on from all of this."
"It's going to be tough finding someone new, especially on such short notice," Ana said, laying her head back on Christian's shoulder. "I have my tour coming up, and after that a whole new album, so finding a manager I can trust is definitely going to be a problem."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Christian said confidently, kissing her on her forehead. "You're amazing. Plus, I'm sure you have lots of connections… you are a famous pop star, after all."
Ana smirked up at him. "Really? I had no idea."
Christian chuckled, and Ana leaned up to kiss him on the lips. Christian cupped her cheek in his hand, kissing her back.
Ana pulled away after a moment, her eyes filled with love as she gazed up at Christian. "Do you know how much you mean to me?" she asked. "Honestly, you are the best thing to ever happen to me, Christian. I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't come into my life… I'd probably still not be talking to my dad, and far too scared of rejection to open my heart to anyone. You've made me so happy in such a short amount of time, sometimes I wonder if it's all even real."
Christian smiled down at her. "That makes two of us. I don't know what the hell I did in my life to deserve someone like you, Ana, but I thank God everyday I ended up finding you. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Ana's eyes looked a bit misty as she leaned in for another kiss, and Christian eagerly reciprocated.
"I wanted to talk to you something," Christian said after a minute, pulling away, and Ana blinked up at him. "My family is having dinner next weekend at my parents' place in Burbank. I know you're going to be busy preparing for your tour, but I'd love it if you came."
Ana blushed as she smiled widely. "Sure, I'll come to dinner with you. Am I going to meet your whole family?"
"Yup. It'll be me, my parents, my brother Elliot and my sister Mia," Christian said. "Mia especially is going to freak out when she finds out you're my girlfriend."
"Well, I can't wait to meet her and the rest of your family. I just hope your parents will like me."
"I'm sure they'll adore you," Christian smiled at her. "What's not to love?"
Ana giggled. Christian chuckled before he leaned in and they kissed once again, getting lost in each other as Christian moved over to press Ana into the couch, his intentions clear.
Rex now trotted away into the other room in search of his food dish, tired of being ignored.
~The next day~
Ana spent the whole morning over at the dance studio practicing her routine for her upcoming concerts. Her onstage performances were going to be big and elaborate spectacles, with setpieces and lights with special effects and backup dancers. Her choreographers were some of the best in the business, and Ana spent hours with them today perfecting her routine - it was a lot of fun, but also very exhausting. After many intense hours of training, Ana was completely wiped out, and was now looking forward to spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing at home.
"So you think you're ready for the tour now?" Kate asked as she navigated the SUV through the streets of Beverly Hills. Ana scoffed.
"Not at all. I have only about three more weeks until my tour starts, and I have to train and practice this routine nonstop until then," she said. "I also have to coordinate with Trey and my producers my travel expenses, where I'm staying between concerts, and how much security I'm going to need throughout. There's about a million things that still need to be done, and I hardly know how we're all going to get it done by next month."
"Yikes," Kate muttered under her breath, and Ana couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yeah, it's a lot. Sometimes it really sucks being this famous."
"Ah yes, how much you must suffer," Kate smirked at Ana through the rearview mirror, and Ana stuck her tongue out at her.
Kate drove through Ana's neighborhood and turned the corner to where her gated driveway started. The sidewalks on either side of the gate were empty except for one lone person: a handsome blonde guy in a striped tank top, cargo shorts, and sunglasses. He watched the SUV pull up before waving excitedly.
"Oh my God," Kate groaned when she saw him.
"What is it?" Ana asked, glancing at the guy. "Do you know him?"
"Yeah," Kate said dejectedly. "That's my brother."
Kate pulled up to the front of the gate and lowered the window so she could talk to the guy. "Ethan, what the hell are you doing here?"
"What do you mean?" the guy asked innocently, walking up to the window and peering inside. "I'm just coming by to visit my favorite sister in the whole wide world. It's not my fault you work as a CPO for the most amazing, legendary pop star of all time."
Ethan moved forward so he was gazing further in to the car, and he glimpsed Ana sitting in the backseat. She smiled and waved at him, and he gasped in excitement, covering his mouth.
"Oh my God, it's really you!" he exclaimed. "Anastasia, I love you so much!"
"Ethan," Kate chastised her brother as Ana giggled. "God, show a little restraint. I told you about my CPO job in confidence."
"Oh come on, Kate. You seriously thought you could tell me you were working for my absolute favorite pop singer ever, and not expect me to come by for a visit?" Ethan insisted. "Can I meet her? Pretty please?"
"No," Kate said firmly.
"It's fine Kate," Ana giggled. "Unlock the car door and let him come inside."
"Are you sure?" Kate asked hesitantly. "My brother can be a bit much."
"Hey!" Ethan said, affronted.
"I'm sure, Kate," Ana said. "Let him come in."
Kate obediently unlocked the car doors, and Ethan eagerly hopped into the backseat next to Ana. "Oh my God, this is amazing!" he squealed excitedly, and Ana laughed as they embraced.
"It's nice to meet you, Ethan."
Kate drove them up the driveway as Ethan chattered on about how he owned all of Anastasia's albums and he'd been listening to her since before she was famous. Ana thanked him graciously, pleased and amused at his enthusiasm.
"Would you like to come inside?" Ana offered him once Kate parked the SUV. "My schedule's free for the rest of the afternoon, so I was just going to stay in."
"Are you serious?" Ethan gasped, placing both hands over his heart. "You want to hang out with me?"
"Of course," Ana smiled. "You're Kate's brother, you'll always be welcome here."
"Oh my God," Ethan said, covering his mouth with his hands again. "This is the best day of my life!"
"Oh calm down, you dork," Kate teased her brother, though she smiled in amusement. "Can we go inside now?"
The three of them got of the car and walked toward the front door, Ethan gazing at everything with a look of wonder and excitement. Ana ushered him inside and led both him and Kate over to the breakfast counter in the kitchen.
"Oh my God, your kitchen is gorgeous, Anastasia," Ethan gushed, sitting down at one of the barstools and gazing around. "So do you have a like a private chef who cooks your meals and everything?"
"Yup," Ana smiled, walking over to the fridge and opening it. "Tom's not coming by until later, though, so we're on our own right now. Did you want something to drink?"
"I'll have a water," Kate said, sitting on the stood next to her brother. "Ethan here will have something decaffeinated."
Ana giggled as Ethan playfully shoved his sister. "I was going to have some iced tea. Would you like some, Ethan?"
"I'd love some."
Ana got their drinks for them, and the three of them sat around the breakfast counter to chat. Ethan's enthusiasm of meeting his idol Anastasia calmed down a bit as he talked a bit about himself and why he was here. Apparently he was planning to move to LA from Bakersfield in the next few months with his boyfriend to find more opportunities in his line of work, which was directing photo shoots and music videos. He had spoken to Kate on the phone a couple nights ago just to catch up, and that's when she finally revealed to him the CPO job she was currently working.
"…So when I found out my sister was working for you, I knew I had to come by for a visit," Ethan said, shooting his sister a wide grin. She rolled her eyes.
"Why do I even bother telling you things?" she asked sardonically, and Ana and Ethan both laughed.
Suddenly the front door opened, and Ana glanced over to see Christian walk in.
"Hey everyone," Christian greeted them, closing the door behind him.
"Hey," Ana grinned, sliding off her stool and walking toward him. "How was your day?"
"It was alright. Pretty quiet," Christian smiled back at her. He pulled her into his arms and pecked her on the lips. "How was yours?"
"Exhausting," Ana grimaced, hugging him tightly around the waist. "My choreographers for the tour are working me to the bone."
"Oh I'm sorry, baby."
"Oh my God, you're Mystery Bae!" Ethan suddenly shouted excitedly, drawing the attention of Christian and Ana.
"Uh what?" Christian asked, frowning at him.
"Christian, this is my brother Ethan," Kate introduced, shooting her brother an annoyed look. "He's visiting for the day, and he also happens to be a big Fanastasia."
"In Anastasia's interview last week, she said she was seeing someone new," Ethan said, getting up from his seat and glancing between Ana and Christian with an eager grin. "You must be him!"
"Yeah, I am," Christian said, exchanging a mildly amused look. "It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too," Ethan gushed, walking forward to shake Christian's hand. "I have to say, you are gorgeous… I can totally see you and Anastasia together! I hope that's not weird for me to say. I'm not hitting on you or anything - I've been in a long-term relationship with my boyfriend Jose for over three years now. He's actually moving here to LA with me in the new year…"
Ethan continued to ramble on, causing Christian and Ana to smile in amusement as they listened. Kate rolled her eyes as she got up from her seat and walked over to them.
"Settle down, you weirdo," she chastised Ethan, smacking him on the arm. "At least let Christian settle in before you start talking his ear off."
Christian and Ana both laughed as Ethan finally closed his mouth, and the four of them walked back over to the kitchen to grab more drinks.
~/~
Ana couldn't remember the last time she had had this much fun. Ethan was hilarious, and he, Kate, and Christian ended up hanging out together for several hours, chatting with one another about anything and everything. Ana could definitely see the resemblance between Kate and her brother, despite the fact they kept bickering with each other in the way that siblings often do. Ana couldn't help but enjoy watching the two of them interact.
"…So Ana, is it true your mother is your manager?" Ethan now asked, taking a swig from his beer. The four of them had now moved into the living room, and when Tom came around, he had brought them all a few beers and snacks.
Ana, who was feeling buzzed and happy, deflated slightly at the mention of her mother. "I don't really know anymore," she said morosely, taking a sip from her beer.
"Ana's been going through a rough patch with her mom as manager," Kate informed Ethan. "We're not sure if they're going to be working together for much longer."
"Oh, I'm sorry girl," Ethan said sympathetically, reaching over to grab some pretzels from the bowl next to him. "That really sucks. But hey, if you're in the market for a new manager, my boyfriend Jose is available."
Ana raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Your boyfriend manages musicians like me?"
"Yeah, didn't I mention it? He used to work on the PR team for The Weeknd a couple years ago, but he quit because he wanted to be in a more managerial position. He's done some jobs here and there for music industry folks, but I know he would absolutely love the opportunity to work for someone like you."
"Jose's a great guy, Ana," Kate assured her. "I've known him for years. He's really smart, but also super nice and level-headed… nothing like Ethan."
"Hey," Ethan said, pretending to be affronted. Ana giggled.
"If you give me his number, Ethan, I'd be happy to give him a call," she said sincerely. "I have a tour coming up soon and I'll be gone for the next few months, but once that's over with I'm going to need proper representation."
"Yeah of course," Ethan said, quickly reaching into his pocket for his wallet. "I have his card right here - give him a call whenever."
He produced Jose's business card, and Ana accepted it, glancing at the small picture of a handsome Latino man with the title Jose Rodriguez, Public Relations Manager. "Thanks Ethan. I'll be sure to give him a call tomorrow."
"Thank you so much, Ana," Ethan grinned widely, placing a hand over his heart. "Honestly, I'd be so thrilled if you ended up working with Jose! The three of us could be besties and hang out all the time… oh my God, I'm picturing it now!"
"Jesus Ethan, if you want free tickets to all of her concerts, just come out and say it," Kate rolled her eyes at her brother.
The others laughed, and Ana glanced over at Christian - he grinned and winked at her before taking a sip from his beer. He had assured Ana last night that she would find a new manager soon, and it looked like he was right. She couldn't help but smile as she glancing back down at Jose's business card, eager to talk to him about replacing her mother as manager.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter, Ana will meet Christian's family right before she leaves for her tour.
I'm actually going to be wrapping up this story soon. The next chapter will be the last one, and after that will be the epilogue taking place at the end of Ana's tour. Thank you all so much for going on this wonderful journey with me. I can't wait to see you all for the last chapter :)
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