Author's Note: Muaaahhh the plot thickens! I warned everyone a while back that Ana would go out on a — gasp! — date (don't worry, it's not too bad). Enjoy – feedback welcome!
Ana plucked at the beige sofa pillow in her lap as she mindlessly flicked through the TV channels for the 80th time, her feet neatly tucked underneath her. It's like checking the refrigerator every five minutes for food. Each time you click on the same channel, you hope something new will magically appear.
She glanced up from her couch surfing to find Kate, dolled up up in tight black mini skirt and flowing red silk blouse, make her grand entrance.
"Woo wee," Ana whistled. "Where you off to lady in red? Hot date with Elliott?"
"Not a date exactly. More like a booty call," she casually replied, scouring the kitchen counter for her car keys.
Ana arched her brow. "Was that your call or his?"
"Mine Ms. Busy Body. I'm horny, not hungry. I won't be long."
"Way to give Elliott's stamina credit in the bedroom," Ana smirked.
"You know what I mean. I'll be back eventually and we can grab a bite to eat later if you want."
"Why not just have dinner with him?" Ana wondered out loud. "He's a decent guy. I suppose the whole 'booty call at your instigation' thing is the 21st century version of feminism, but the guy likes you. Why not spend one entire evening with him?"
"Look," Kate sighed, taking a seat beside Ana. "I like the guy too, but he's got a rap sheet a mile long when it comes to banging the women of Seattle. I'm no saint in that department either, but I'm not going to put myself out there for a playboy to play me. It's all about the chase for him."
"I hate to break it to you, but he's already won the race and gotten laid — a lot."
"So have I," she winked. "And that's as far as it will go."
"So instead of putting yourself out there and potentially experiencing a good thing, you're shutting him down for fear of being hurt? Makes perfect sense to me," Ana quipped.
"It's just as logical as you sitting around waiting for a phone call from Christian when you demanded that he leave you alone after that whole party meltdown. I do believe the man tried to contact you a dozen times the next morning and you ripped him a new one."
"I'm not waiting for a phone call," Ana defended herself haughtily. "I wouldn't mind a text now and then just to let me know he's still alive…"
"You're too much," Kate laughed. "You yell at the man for reaching out to you and now you're pissed that he actually listened to your instructions and gave you space. What exactly do you want?"
"I'm a woman. I want everything," Ana shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I want my cake and eat it too."
"There's Steele's inner bitch! I missed her."
"She was on an extended holiday break," Ana deadpanned.
"Since she's back now, why don't you tear your butt off this sofa and venture out yourself? You've been glued to these cushions ever since that sorority party — too scared to piss off you-know-who by daring to step foot outside the apartment again," Kate reprimanded her.
"I'm not scared," Ana countered, affronted. "Well, not scared per se." She began chewing on her fingernail, backtracking on her indignation. "More like cautious."
Kate sat still, radiating judgmental silence. Ana let out a tormented sigh.
"Look, I just don't want to deal with the headache of riling him up again. It's not worth it. Better to keep my ass at home and save myself the inevitable hassle."
Kate opened her mouth but Ana preempted her, knowing full well what she was going to say. "I know I sound like a total cowardly, but he wigs out every time I step out and do something on my own. I'm literally going to develop an ulcer from the stress of trying to keep him from blowing a gasket during our next inevitable confrontation. I know we need to have a serious discussion about his craziness before he sends me to the looney bin, but honestly I don't have it in me right now. I'll add it to the 'to-do' list of shit that needs fixing in our relationship."
"Ana," Kate said, her tone soft but somber. "You do realize that's not exactly healthy? You can't constantly be worried that he's going to flip out on you because you went somewhere he didn't approve of."
"I know, I know," Ana said robotically, unable to look her friend in the eyes. "I know I can't let him control me like that and that I need to speak up for myself more." She began to pick at an invisible piece of lint on the pillow. "Usually I am able to stand up to him, but other times I let shit slide because I'm too tired to fight. He wins by wearing me down I suppose. What can I say? I'm 19. I'm a work in progress."
"We're all works in progress Ana, at whatever age. Who knows — maybe Christian's working on bettering himself too. I'm pretty sure he's sick of fighting too," Kate said cryptically.
Ana's eyes shot up in surprise. She had never heard Kate defend her man before.
"Be brave girlfriend," Kate counseled, trying to deflect Ana's suspicious stare. "Speak up for yourself and what you want. Don't let fear hold you back or you'll resent him, and yourself."
"I could give you the same advice with Elliott," Ana shot back.
"You could, but I'd still be totally fucked up when it comes to men and relationships."
"I guess that makes us two fucked-up, ridiculously demanding bitches then," Ana giggled.
"That we are my friend," Kate chuckled, slapping Ana's knee as she got up. "I'll see you later beatch buddy — once I'm done using the guy who's using me!"
Ana shook her head, resuming her study of the evening's cable-movie lineup when a knock at the door startled her.
"Done already?" Ana automatically asked as she flung the door open, assuming it was Kate only to find her brother Ethan standing with a leather toolkit awkwardly dangling in his hand.
"Huh?"
"Oops sorry. I thought you were Kate."
"She left?"
"Yeah why?"
"She asked me to come by at 6 and fix your oven. Said she'd be here to let me in."
Ana rolled her eyes at her forgetful friend. "Sorry, she had a, errr, date with Elliott. It must've slipped her mind."
"Ah, a booty call," Ethan nodded in understanding.
Ana cracked a discrete smile.
"Oh, well, I won't bother you. You probably have somewhere to go, with it being Friday night and all. I can come back whenever," Ethan mumbled, shuffling his feet in an endearingly bumbling kind of way.
"Please," Ana scoffed, opening the door for him. "My biggest plan was trying to find a half-decent movie on cable that I haven't seen 10 times before. You're welcome to work on the oven now if you want or come back another time. Totally up to you."
"Sure," Ethan smiled. "I'm already here and it won't take long."
"Did you want a drink or something?"
"Nah I'm good. Like I said, this will be quick. I've fixed this sucker before. Kate's just too lazy to replace it."
"Guess it's easier to drag you over here than make a trip to Sears huh," Ana chuckled, plopping herself back down on her trusty couch.
"Precisely. She says it's good practice for me to hone my engineering skills," Ethan said, crouching down to lift the hood of the oven.
"Somehow I highly doubt repairing our busted oven will prep you for building those bridges in Iraq, but you gotta love Kate's self-serving logic."
"Yeah, she's a regular fountain of wisdom," Ethan muttered sarcastically.
Ten minutes later, he popped back up, dropped his screwdriver back in his leather satchel and clasped his hands together in accomplishment. "See. Like I said. Easy peasy."
"Don't tell Kate that. She'll just take advantage of you for the next home repair job," Ana joked, standing up to walk Ethan out. "Thanks for helping us out. I didn't even realize the thing was broken. I've been living on a lazy diet of Mexican and Chinese takeout all week, and Kate hardly ever cooks."
"Well, I can't knock her for that. I never learned to cook either. I subsist on delivery and takeout as well. I was actually just going to grab some pizza after this. Not a very fancy dinner, but it's pizza. I mean, I like pizza — sometimes. Not all the time. But every once in a while, it can be good."
Ethan began vigorously rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes trained to a spot on the floor as he struggled to formulate a coherent sentence.
"Did you want to come?" he finally blurted out. "I mean you don't have to. I just thought you might want a break from Mexican and Chinese. And you'd mentioned that we could hang out some time. Plus, I figure Kate might be a while with Elliott, though I'd rather not think about that," Ethan laughed nervously.
Ana stood there dumbfounded, her mind instantly drifting to Christian and his reaction. He'd totally get the wrong idea. Hell, he implied I was hooking up with both Ethan and Jose just because they drove me to a party last week.
But then she glanced back at the worn outline on the couch where her ass cheeks had been planted all day and remembered Kate's advice. Oh for fuck's sake Steele. Get a grip. The man's asking you to get pizza not an engagement ring. Kate's right. If I have any chance of a life with Christian, he has to chill and let me have an actual life — one that includes an occasional slice of peperoni pizza with the male species.
"Sure," Ana beamed, much to Ethan's shock and relief. "I've been cooped up in here all week since the hardware store's been slow and cutting shifts. It'll be nice to get out of the house. Let me just get changed out of these yoga pants." Because I've been wearing them all week and I'm pretty sure they stink. "Be right back!"
"Cool," Ethan said, bursting with pride. War zones didn't phase him. The female species, however, was a different landmine altogether.