My dear little broccolis 💚💚💚

💚 So remember that this pic is RATED M, and it is not only for the sexy times. Some dark moments will be approached in this story, and they can trigger some people. This is a fair warning to remind you that this story sets place in a dark world, which means it is bound to mountains dark themes.

Love, Mina 💚💚💚

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Chapter 52: About That One Friend (4,0K)

💚 FIRST OF ALL, my thoughts go to everyone across the world. This is a difficult time for us all, and I hope none of you or your closed ones is affected. I am not a doctor, nor a politician but don't fall into panic and just respect the security measures. Be as clean, if not cleaner than usual. Eat healthy. And look after yourself and your loved ones. Stay indoors as much as possible, until we can do something about this terrible disease that is striking us all. Those are the times to look for one another and not be selfish. I know this sounds corny, but after seeing people buying 15 packs of toilet rolls and fighting for yet another, I just feel that we're missing out on what really matters. This virus doesn't discriminate and doesn't tire. We should fight against it, not against our peers for an extra pack of toilet rolls ...

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Jose's PoV

As Jose was making sure that the food was stirring nicely in its pot, Ethan came from behind and hugged him, thanking him once again for cooking for his sister. Though Ethan was not really a great cook, he liked to pretend he was to his sister, especially after she had started her cooking lessons, and being the brother that he was, he did not want to give his sister any motives to make fun of him.

Jose had moved in with Ethan over the course of the few weeks during which everyone believed Christian to be dead. And they only became an official item a few weeks ago, while Christian was away in Kenya with Ana. And though the whole thing went very well, Jose had to admit that he would have liked better if Christian had been there afterwards to calm his nerves.

Though he had been anticipating meeting the Kavanagh (and especially Elena) as Ethan's boyfriend, he realised that he was stressing himself over nothing. Not even once Elena brought his past against him or hinted that given who he was, Ethan would be better off without him. On the contrary, she was more worried about him than about her son. Which Ethan always reminded her, pretending to be hurt by this 'lack of parental worry for him'. At the end of their first dinner, Elena gave her son a long speech about how he should take care of Jose, and not play around with him.

Elena only asked Jose a few days later if he had told Ethan about everything that happened in his life, but without really prying. Just to make sure that they were being honest and open with each other. Which was the case. Weirdly enough, Ethan never mentioned his doubts concerning his mother to either of them, and Jose had the feeling that it was because he didn't want to know after all. There was nothing he could do if he knew, and as Eamon would often say, they were truths better left unsaid.

"You know, Kate is always late," Ethan said with a sultry tone while kissing his lover's neck.

Jose shook his head with a small smile, repressing an eye roll. Ethan had just come back from a week in Sweden, visiting his little brother there, and every excuse had been good since, to get him to bed. Which he already did today, twice.

When he did not answer, or even gave him a sign that he should pursue, Ethan's hand started playing with Jose's belt as he let him know, "It's actually always been a fantasy of mine to do it in the kitchen. Just above the stove."

"Some other time. I don't want your sister barging in, and seeing us butt naked."

"As I said, she's always late."

Jose shook his head once again but stopped Ethan's hand to go further down his happy trail. He didn't want to get all hot and bothered for nothing. So instead, he led the conversation toward something less sensual than Ethan's dirty fantasies.

"I think we should get a dog?"

This ought to make Ethan stop and step back so he could look properly in his eyes. "Does that mean you'll get rid of your place and permanently live here?"

Though he had moved in with Ethan, Jose didn't find it in himself to sell his house. No matter how small it was, no matter the hazardous neighbourhood, no matter the bad memories, it was still the only thing that linked him to his Mom. Without this old house, he had nothing material to remember her by. And though he wasn't living there anymore, he couldn't let go of it either.

"I don't think I'll ever get rid of it, Ethan. It's … complicated to explain. I'm not keeping it because of us, but just because of what was before. But that shouldn't stop us from getting a dog."

He knew that Ethan felt that he was keeping his place as a contingency plan, in case it didn't work between them, and though he had reassured several times his man that it wasn't the case, it seemed that Ethan was never really satisfied with the answer. Which was why Jose had thought of getting a dog. It was a big step in a relationship to get a pet together, and it would reassure Ethan concerning Jose's commitment to their couple.

"We are so not getting a chihuahua. I refuse to be that cliché," Ethan warned, making Jose laugh, before he added, "We should go to the shelter tomorrow. Elliott is sure to recommend us some good places."

Just as they were starting to talk about what kind of breed was out of the question, the doorbell rang, making Jose give an 'I told you so' look at Ethan before going to open the door to Kate and her husband. Ethan's sister happily jumped into her brother's arms, asking all about their younger sibling while Elliott gave Jose a bottle of red wine.

The party of four sat in the living room to have a drink before dinner and listen to Ethan marvelling about how being abroad matured their baby brother. During dinner, Kate broke the news that she and Elliott were going to Seattle after Christmas, so Elliott could do an internship there. Ethan and she joked about how Eamon was not so happy to see his daughter take off so soon after his youngest child left the nest as well.

And though Jose participated in the family fun, a part of his brain suddenly thought of Christian, and how his best cover was about to be blown up. He knew that Kate knew all about Ana and Christian, and he also knew that to Raymond, when Ana was coming to this particular building, it was to see her best friend.

Your cover is about to disappear. Katherine is going to Seattle. You have to think of something else for when Ana's wants to come to spend the night with you. Jose

Jose hadn't been expecting Christian to answer to him right away, thinking that his friend was probably busy with some business since he turned down his invitation to join Ethan and his family for diner. He knew that it wasn't Christian being his antisocial-self since the blond man had already done many times the effort to come and visit Ethan and him several times, or even invite them over for dinner. And Mia was supposed to join them for dessert, so Christian wouldn't have felt lost amongst couples.

But surprisingly, Christian texted Jose back right away, with an answer that had the Hispanic man worried.

My cover has already been blown up a few days ago. Christian

Jose considered excusing himself from his guests to call his friends concerning this alarming statement, but he simply decided that he would pay Christian a visit after Kate and Elliott would go back to their apartment. He knew that Christian was not really someone who liked talking over the phone, and whatever he was doing at the moment, he was probably not able to have a free conversation that did not require censorship from unwanted ears.

So he put his phone aside and gave back his attention to what was happening around the table. They had finished the rice and ratatouille he had made long ago and were simply waiting for Mia to arrive to have a strawberry charlotte for dessert.

Elliott gave them a few addresses of shelters he knew, recommending that they should take a cub. Of course, Kate tried to sell them the ridiculous idea of Ethan and him taking a small dog that they would be able to dress. She was already marvelling about how she knew of a cute little boutique where they could buy matching outfits for them and their dog when her brother stopped her in her fantasy to let her know that neither Jose or him wanted a small dog, nor were interested in being that much of a stereotype.

Mia saved them from Kate arguing how a small dog would be better for them, by entering the apartment shouting that she was the best in the world. But strangely, instead of jumping at Ethan's throat like she usually did, she jumped on Elliott.

Ethan and Mia had developed a friendship that arranged Jose in every sense. Because Mia was so oddly open to Ethan, Jose did not need to have any secret concerning her with Ethan. In fact, Ethan sometimes knew more than Jose. He took the habit to drop Mia to Uni and pick her up after work. They would usually spend their Friday nights together, either drinking or each working on their own stuff. And Mia tagged along Ethan a few times for the Sunday mess, along with the rest of the Kavanaghs and Ana.

In fact, it was Ethan who proposed that they gave a key to Mia so she could come and visit anytime. And many times, Jose found Ethan in Mia's couch on Saturday morning, devating the past night.

"If you weren't married, the things I'd do to you, Cohen," Mia declared, kissing his cheek, and making Elliott laugh. Both Jose and Ethan weirdly looked at this unlikely thing while Kate was all smiles, and Elliott asked,

"So, I take it that my uncle took you in?"

"He did! Though I have to admit, you were right, I did get that pervy vibe, but as soon as I reminded him who connected us, he was all professional. You have no idea of the weight you took off my shoulders," She sighed with happiness, slushing on one of the chairs with a big smile on her face.

"What's going on?" Ethan inquired.

"Mia was looking for a summer job in a law firm, and El hooked her up with his uncle working for Cohen Corp," Kate explained while Jose brought the cake to the table. Mia was still beaming, telling Jose,

"We need a toast to that! I got more than a summer job. I got to work there every holiday!"

"Maybe that could lead to a job offer when you finish school," Ethan pondered, taking the vodka out of the fridge and bringing shots so they could all cheer to Mia's success. But Mia shook her head, showing her ingenious mind.

"I already have a job for when I finish school. A pretty good job offer, well paid and waiting just for me. But Uncle Isaac doesn't need to know that. He just needs to believe that I'll end up working for him, so he can teach me everything he knows about the job."

"Who already gave you a job, when you don't have the diploma, yet?" Ethan mused, and Mia mischievously smiled at him, putting her finger on her lips before raising her glass up and calling to cheers.

They all raised their glass for the toast and drank their shots before Jose cut the cake. Kate started making plans with Mia for her birthday, shortly after Christmas and before she would leave for Seattle. She wanted to make it an all-girls night with a few of her friends, maybe even go to Vegas or LA. As they start plotting the perfect birthday, Elliott and Ethan started talking about Seattle and how everything was going well in their plans to move. Jose had no doubts that Raymond probably made a few calls to make sure his Goddaughter wouldn't end up homeless, especially after Elliott admitted that their first choice of apartment, that was rather pricy, was their future home after all.

The evening dragged on, different conversations being broached, and many waves of laughter being shred, and when ten o'clock stroke, Elliott and Kate declared that they would call it a night. They left, leaving Mia with them who helped them cleaned them up while Ethan was sharing with her Jose's and his plans to adopt a dog. The two of them where deep in conversation about dog names, when Jose excused himself, perfectly knowing that he would find Mia whenever he would go back home.

He went to see Christian, hoping that he would be home, given the time, and when he first knocked to find out if Christian was home, he happily saw that t was the case.

"I'm not interrupting I hope," He asked, assuming that if his friend was home, maybe his girlfriend was as well. Christian made a face,

"You are, but it is most welcomed. I'm getting beat up like a little girl."

With that, he invited Jose in, and Jose found Ana sitting at the table, a game of chess in the making where most white pieces were gone. Christian sat in front of Ana while Ana arbored a victorious grin. She quickly nodded her head to Jose, before turning back her attention to Christian, and asking,

"So? Can I go back in killing you, now?

Christian nodded, his face unreadable, and Ana moved her knight, declaring checkmate to Christian. Jose watched his best friend make yet another face, displeasure clear on his face before he turned to him and asked,

"Care to take my place?"

"Playing against Ana? Thank you, not. I'm not fool enough to compete with a state champion, three years in a row," Jose declared, perfectly aware that Ana has been playing chess since a very young age, and that neither Christian or him had any chance of beating her. He, at least, had the excuse of not being in love with the girl, so he could refuse such a humiliation.

He watched Christian narrow his eyes at Ana, who pretended to be all innocent at this moment, and he understood that she kept that information to herself. With a smile, she got up, and kissed Christian on the cheek, as she told him,

"You guys talk whatever you have to talk about, I'll go get ready for bed."

Then, she left, leaving Jose all dumbfounded at this display of affection he just witnessed. Jose knew very well that Christian was in love with the brunette, he could actually hear it in the voice of his friend when he was talking about her. But seeing Christian interact with his girlfriend, smiling to her, and watching her take the stairs up was a whole different thing. For a moment, he even wondered if he was looking at his own lover in the same way.

Jose had always seen Christian being very private about his emotions and feelings. But those five small seconds of intimacy he witnessed completely changed the way he saw his friend. It was day and night. Christian was a different man around Ana. And it was even more noticeable when she left the room, and Christian returned immediately to his usual cold usual self, not showing a single emotion on his face.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked Jose, apparently curious as to why Jose paid him this surprise visit. Jose quickly shook away his astonishment over Christian showing emotions and focused on why he came in the first place.

"What do you mean your cover has already been blown up? Does Raymond know?!"

Christian slightly snickered, shaking his head, before he got up and tidied the place as he informed his friend,

"You know, Ana isn't the most stealth person in the world. And even though she tried, she didn't manage to check Lauren off her shoulder. Lauren did her job, and her not being stupid, she put two and two together."

"Did she out you to Raymond?" Jose insisted, wanting to know why Christian was so relaxed about the whole situation. He knew that Christian wasn't the one who wanted to keep the relationship a secret. He also knew that Christian would be more than happy the day Raymond would finally know about Ana and him, no matter the consequences. But he also knew that Christian wouldn't want Raymond to know by somebody else than him. It was simply a question of principles.

"It seems that Lauren doesn't care much for Raymond," Christian revealed as he passed a cloth over the sink to remove the few droplets of water. Jose slightly narrowed his eyes, not liking the potential conflict that this new piece of information could bring. Raymond liked when his people were loyal to him and only to him. And it seemed that his latest hire, the one that was supposed to look after the person he adored, was more loyal to Christian than to him.

"Raymond's not going to like that," He noticed, making Christian snap nonchalantly,

"There are many things that Raymond doesn't like lately."

Jose widely opened his eyes, slightly taken aback by the slightly bitter tone in his friend's voice. Christian sat with him on the sofa, and explained,

"He resents me for giving to Ana the idea of holding a gun."

"What? Since when?"

"Since the pictures."

"How come I didn't know about that?" He was surprised that he never even heard of the brunette taking shooting lessons. He knew that he wasn't close to her, but still, this seemed a rather important change in her life for him to surely hear about it. Wether from someone in Idris, whether by their common friends.

"Not many people know about it. With you, that must be five. Raymond isn't very keen on having his daughter holding a gun, and he's even less keen on letting people know about it."

"Wait a minute? How did you justify to Raymond that you convinced Ana to hold a gun?"

Christian shrugged. "I just told him that I was the one who suggested the idea to her that she shouldn't be that defenceless in the streets of New York. She's the one who told her father she wanted to shoot."

Jose nodded, still in shock over this news. Though he couldn't go as far as saying that he was friends with Ana, he knew her well enough to know that she was a peaceful soul. She was the kind of girl who would probably chain herself to a tree to save it. He never pictured her as someone who would take a gun, and he had not doubted that Christian had to argue a lot in order for her to agree to this.

He got up, realising that the purpose of his visit was void and that Christian probably wanted nothing more than to go upstairs to his girl. Still, he asked,

"What are you going to do when Kate leaves?"

"That's Ana's problem to figure out. Though I don't think she's thinking of the consequences of her friend's departure. She's only ranting on how sad she is to see her go, even if she never tells her that."

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Jose's PoV

Jose and Ethan arrived at a restaurant that Ethan had wanted to take Jose to for months. It was apparently a very good Jamaican restaurant that had been recommended to him his Chef several times. But as soon as they entered the building, Jose saw something disturbing a few tables over.

Christian was sitting there, all smiles for a young auburn brunette who was giggling as he was telling her something. He narrowed a little his eyes and recognised the girl as Suzannah, the youngest daughter of Andrea Mazarati. This was all wrong and could start a war, but before jumping to a conclusion, he knew that he should talk to Christian about it.

Unfortunately, he did not consider that Ethan was not as discreet as him. Before he could do anything, his partner was hailing over to both Suzannah and Christian, all smiles, and dragging the two of them over to the table where the couple was seated.

"Fancy seeing you here! I never thought that I'd see any of you in a restaurant that serves that type of food," Ethan declared, unknowingly reminding Jose, that both Suzannah and Ethan were socialites that evolved in the same circles. Even though they almost had a ten years gap between the two of them, they were bound to know each other.

Suzannah smiled, getting up to kiss Ethan, and he decided to make the presentation, "Jose, this is Su—"

"Suzannah Mazarati. I've heard about you," Jose cut, very briefly glancing at Christian. It wasn't much to cut Ethan in his introduction, but more to let Christian know that he was on to him and that he was going to grill him later on for that.

What he didn't expect, was Suzannah's reaction. "Awww, you've talked about me?" She gushed at Christian, making him fondly smile to her as he responded with a sweet voice that seemed so foreign in his mouth,

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I talk about you?"

This surprised even Ethan, who had always known Christian as being someone cold. He actually often teased Jose about that, telling him that he chose a robot for a best friend. He glanced at Jose, trying to see if it was unusual for him as well, but Jose played along and simply smiled, as he said,

"Well, we'll leave you to it, and get to our table. I'll see you tonight, Christian."

"I'm off to Washington. I'll text you later on," Christian reminded him, his eyes briefly meeting his so they both knew that this would be discussed over by text. Though Jose was sure as Hell not going to wait for a later on.

He and Ethan went to their assigned table, Ethan still stunned by their walk-in, "So Christian is dating Suzannah. This is going to be problematic."

Jose furrowed his brows, just realising at this moment that there was something even more problematic. So far, he only saw the issue of Christian being with an enemy of Raymond, even if it was just by default. But … Christian was currently dating Ana! And though he feared the wrath of Raymond, he didn't want to unleash Ana's ire. There was a saying about the most peaceful people having the most powerful fury and Christian was putting himself in a position where he could only lose, no matter the perspective.

He took his phone out while telling his lover, "It is going to be problematic. Still, would it be possible for you to keep what you just saw for yourself?

? ? ? Jose

"I'm certainly not going to go see my Godfather and tell him that I saw Christian hanging out with a Mazarati. Didn't you ever heard of the messenger always getting killed?"

Jose chuckled at the joke, though he doubted that Raymond would ever try to kill Ethan, or any of his siblings, no matter how bad the news they would give him was bad. still, he liked the fact that, though Ethan never asked for details, it was clear that he had a fairly good idea of how Raymond built his fortune. He wasn't as naive as his sister.

It's not what you think. I'm just teaching Andrea a lesson. He'll think twice next time, before going after Ana. Christian

Jose kept his face stoic, though all he wanted to do was go to his friend and tell him to let it go. Andrea already lost a son, and apparently, Christian was aiming to make the Italian's heart bleed, now, toying with the daughter he loved the most. Suddenly, he looked up, seeing clear in Christian's game, and tried to spot through the window if there was anyone he knew, and there he spotted Jordan, sitting at the terrace of a café just next street.

This is a dangerous game, Christian. You too have a weakness, now. And speaking of which, Ana's not going to like it when she learns that you're playing with Suzannah. They're from the same circles. Everyone knows everyone, just as Ethan proved it to you. Jose

Trust me, no one will ever dare come after Ana, after that. As for her, she knows, which is why I can't see you tonight. I'm seeing her and heading to Washington in the morning. Christian

What about Raymond? Jose

This is my revenge. Raymond already had his. Christian

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‼️PLEASE DON'T BE A SILENT READER AND LEAVE A REVIEW

IT REALLY DOES HELP‼️

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💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚

~ Anyway, question time:

💚So Jose and Ethan are getting serious, they're getting a dog! And Elena is more worried about Jose than her own son, aha

💚 What do you think of Mia being close to Ethan?

💚 And what do you think of this glimpse of Suzannah? And that glimpse of domestic life we saw from Jose's eyes of Ana and Christian

💚 What do you think will happen next?

💚What was your favourite part?

Anyway, E L James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise, everything else is mine.

Love, Mina💚💚💚