I'm dedicating this chapter to Ana Sofia. She's had a rough couple of days... so love, this chapter is for you. I hope you feel better. For those of you who have grandparents and haven't talked to them in a while, call them and tell them you love them, in fact any loved one... just call them and say hi.
More in the authors note at the bottom. I hope you all are well.
Chapter 65 – Meet me back at Ocean Beach
Saturday, May 23rd, 2020
APOV:
I've always loved weddings, well south Asian weddings that is; since that's what I've mostly been exposed to. I had lots of fun at Rania's wedding but I still couldn't really be myself given that I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Kiran's wedding will always be memorable for obvious reasons but with all the planning and back and forth and dealing with Vishaal, I know I was insanely tired to really enjoy myself. Which is why Kate's wedding journey is something I'm really enjoying being a part of. I feel at ease, I feel present and relaxed.
This is Christian's first experience ever at being best man and being fully involved in a wedding in general, and he has struggled a bit but Jose offered to help out here and there. Still, watching Christian navigate this has been thoroughly entertaining for me. I told him he deserved a gold star for being such a trooper but he just rolled his eyes at me. I should really be allowed to spank him too when he does that.
The theme for Kate and Elliot's backyard wedding has been a boho-desert vibe. It all seems to have come together and looks amazing.
Kate opted to go for a very simple, backless, silk white gown with spaghetti straps. It's a high fashion, effortless look. Our bridesmaids dresses are emerald green but in different styles while all the guys wore tuxes.
I knew that Kiran was going to be a bridesmaid given that Kate was one at her wedding then Elliot was obviously going to have Daniel as a groomsmen so as soon as the wedding date was finalized, I decided to call Kiran and start talking to her again to make today eventually less awkward. We had been texting here and there but it'd been a long while since we really had talked.
She was thrilled to hear from me and told me she missed me and apologized again. I felt a little guilty for not feeling the same way. Yes, I did miss her... but it's mostly nostalgic than realistic. She still wants to know about my relationship with Christian and I've again, told her the bare minimum. I'm never going to be able to trust her with the level of girl talk that she trusts me with. I used to feel guilty about it but through my sessions with Flynn, I'm starting to feel better about the choices I'm making when it comes to certain family members. It's a work in progress.
Karan flew in Friday afternoon for Kate and Elliot's wedding and has been staying with us at Escala and will fly with us to SF tomorrow on the jet. While Kate and him became friends because of his few visits to Portland to meet me, it was also an added bonus that Karan and Tony were able to offer them a good deal on the lease for when Kavanagh Media was looking to relocate their headquarters in downtown Atlanta into one of their own buildings. Although Tony was also invited, he decided not to come given Kiran's attendance and attitude in general. It's always been tense between the Kapadia cousins and it's honestly fucking stupid but here we are. For the most part Kiran will tolerate Karan because Daniel was friends with him before Vishaal came into the picture and then eventually Kiran. So technically, Karan is reason why Kiran and Daniel even met. Nani, Nita and Rania were also invited but given that today is the last fast of Ramadan and tomorrow is Eid. It would've been too hectic for them.
Kiran, Val, myself, Mia and Kate's cousin Iris are bridesmaids with Christian, his cousin Thomas, Daniel, Jose and Ethan as groomsmen.
I decided to keep my makeup minimal by just wearing some eyeliner and getting my hair done in soft waves.
CG: When do I get to see you?
AS: Never.
CG: Anastasia.
AS: Yes, sir?
CG: You're not playing fair.
AS: I learned from the best ;)
Once Kate and Elliot have had their first look, the wedding planner signals us to go and meet with the groomsmen to get some group pictures taken before the ceremony since it's happening at golden hour and we'll be heading straight into the reception after that.
I have, what I imagine is the biggest and goofiest smile on my face when I finally see Christian. I can't help it, I feel like a giddy teenager who can't stop giggling as we walk behind everyone to get our pictures taken.
"Miss Steele, let's ditch this wedding and go have a party of our own." He leans and whispers in my ear making me laugh.
"They'll murder us, Mr. Grey... but we can party when we get home." I look up and wiggle my eyebrows making him chuckle.
"You look so beautiful, where's this from?" he points and runs his finger across the indian choker I'm wearing with emeralds.
"Nani got this made for me when it was Rania's wedding. She sent it over with my Eid clothes since I keep all my expensive jewelry under lock and key with them."
"Well, I really like this and it's giving me ideas." He smirk.
I narrow my eyes at him trying to suppress a smile. "Do I want to know what these ideas are?"
"I think you have a fairly good idea of what I mean Miss Steele." He leans to kiss me and bite my lip.
God dammit, now I'm a wet mess.
Christian is first up to make the best man speech. He looks so at ease as he walks on to the floor. He asked if I had written my speech and I told him that I didn't, I always preferred to speak off the cuff and that knew what I wanted to say anyway. He silently nodded but said he'd like to write something down just to see how it sounded.
"Ladies and gentleman, thank you all for coming to celebrate this special day in my brother's life. Honestly, I'm surprised we're even here." He ends with a smirk and we all laugh and I just want to run up to him and give him a kiss. He looks so freaking handsome and I want to have my way with him. It should be illegal for him to wear a tux in public.
"Keep it family friendly, little brother or I'll kick your ass." Elliot yells from his seat.
"Careful Lelliot, I know too many of your secrets." He winks. "First, I'd like to say thank you to my parents. Thank you for choosing us, loving us and striving to give us the best in life. We wouldn't be here without your love and support. You both have been dedicated not only to making sure we had the best of everything but also community around you." He nods in their direction and I see Grace wipe her face as Carrick kisses her cheek in adoration and we all clap for them.
Once the applause dies down he starts to speak again. "I'd also like for everyone to note the date and time because what I'm about to say... I will never, ever repeat again." He smirks.
"QUICK! Someone record this." Elliot yells again and earns a slap on the arm from Kate and we all laugh.
"Truth be told, I found Elliot pretty annoying when we were kids which is why I beat him up so much." This illicits a roaring laugh from the room. I'm so proud of my man, I've taught him well. I get a text from Karan telling me I look like a lovesick fool. I quickly send him a tongue out emoji.
"... but as annoying as he was, he was always there for Mia and myself. I wasn't the easiest kid to be around but Elliot remained dedicated. He's been the comic relief, mostly at my expense but needless to stay he has always been the bridge in the family. In these past couple of months, I've seen a completely different side to Elliot. A side that was always there but I never took the time to see before. Sometimes, it's hard to accept the love of our loved ones but Elliot is patient as they come. In the few times that I have needed him, he has never let me down. He's given me solid advice which again, did not think was possible since I'm the brains in the family." He chuckles and we all clap. "But truth be told, Elliot is the heart of our family and Mia is the joy." I look to Mia and she's bawling like a baby, which makes me cry.
Holy hell, Christian Grey is killing it.
"Truth be told, I'm in awe of Elliot. The way he holds a room and how at ease he can make everyone feel. I could never understand it but as of recent I have and it's inspiring." He pauses for a few moments. "I know I've never said this to you, but I'm honored that you are my brother and as of late, I have learned a lot from you." I look at Elliot and his face is stunned and the emotion on his face is evident.
"Katherine, welcome to our family. To be honest, I never thought I'd see the day that Elliot Grey would get married but then again, only a woman like you could flip his world on its head. It's as if he'd been waiting for you all these years." She nods and gives Christian a genuine smile. "I know you and I have had our disagreements here and there but for the most part I've come to understand it's because we're similar when it comes to protecting the people we love. Thank you for making my brother happy but also, being an incredibly loyal and steadfast friend to the woman I love. Your devotion to our happiness is something I will never be able to forget or repay. I have no doubt that you and Elliot will be a exceptional parents and I for one am excited for this new chapter in your lives."
GREAT! Now I'm an emotional mess.
"Just, don't expect me to babysit unless Ana is present. I'm still learning." He smiles at them and we lock eyes for a second and I blow him a kiss. I'm so proud of him.
"A toast to my brother and sister in law, may you both always be this happy and in love. I wish you the best in everything."
We all raise our glass and cheer.
CPOV
As the applause dies down, I see Ana walk in my direction towards the middle of the floor to take the mic from me. She mouths an I love you giving me a peck on the lips before I leave to go and hug Elliot and Kate.
"I love you, bro." Elliot whispers with a strained voice when I hug him.
"I love you too, Lelliot.".
I don't think I've ever said that to him but it felt right to say it.
By the time I get to my seat, she clears her throat and begins to speak. "Ladies and gentleman, Christian Grey making us catch the feels... my, my." She fans herself and I roll my eyes while everyone claps and laughs.
"Good evening everyone, I'm Ana, Kate's best friend and Maid of Honor tonight. I'm going to start with first talking about Elliot followed by Kate... cause ya know, gotta save the best for last." She snickers and everyone laughs.
"I see how it is." Elliot calls out.
She waves her hand dismissively at him and continues. "So, I met Elliot in Cabo at my cousin's co-ed bachelor party. When I first saw him, I thought to myself 'damn... he cute.'" Everyone cheers and laughs. "BUT THEN I remembered, I'm not into blondes, so I passed him off to Kate." She spins around and winks at Elliot.
"Whatever, I'm not into brunettes." Elliot hits back and Ana rolls her eyes as she giggles.
"Anyway... so I saw both Kate and Elliot giving each other eyes... I mean I knew what was going on so I did what any good friend would do... I kept them apart for a whole month till the wedding." She looks pretty pleased with herself.
"YOU DID WHAT?" Clearly, this is news to Elliot who's looking completely shocked.
"Stop. Interrupting. Story. Time." She enunciates while we all laugh and I hear a few boos in the room. "Hold up, did you all just boo me? That's it. No dessert and party favors for any of you. This party is over... time to go home. See ya!" she playfully scolds and laughs. I look around the room and just like Kiran's wedding they're all hanging on her every word.
"No, but I promise there is a method to my madness. You see, not only was I maid of honor at my cousin's wedding but also playing hostess to a three day, 250 person Indian wedding. Elliot was the best man and IF... I had let them gotten together and things went south during that month before the wedding then... I'd be stuck not only hating on him because well, he was my arch nemesis for the weekend anyway but if he broke my girl's heart... well girl code dictates that I would've had to murder him and let me tell you, I didn't want all that drama in my backyard on a 3 day wedding weekend. Plus orange isn't a cute look on me." She sasses and again the room is filled with laughter.
"So technically, I did you both a favor cause look where we are. You waited a month and now... here we are. YOU ARE WELCOME." She takes a bow and giggles making us all clap. "Okay but on a serious note, when I first met Elliot, aside from thinking he was easy on the eyes, I immediately realized that he was a gentleman. He was kind, funny and most of all; he made my girl laugh in a way that I hadn't seen before... oh, and that he and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to crass joke and dirty memes." She giggles. "In addition to that, I admire how much he adores his family and values them. His devotion to his parents and siblings is nothing short of inspirational. He always shows up and is always smiling. In the few months that I have known him, he has become an integral part of my life and I am so honored that I can be part of such an important milestone in yours. You have shown me compassion and given me incredible advice in my time of need but most of all; you have brought out a light in Kate that I have been waiting to see. Something that I knew only her soul mate could bring out in her. You are everything that I could have ever wanted for Kate because she only deserves the best and you are just that." Her voice wavers and she smiles back at them and on cue applause fills the room.
"For those of you who know Katherine Victoria Kavanagh, you'll know that she only has three settings; one, she's in your face and threatening your life. Two, she's ignoring you or three, she's either laughing at you or very seldom, with you."
"Actually, she has a fourth setting but I'll shut up about that." Elliot laughs like a frat boy just as Kate smacks him up the head making us all lose it.
"See, I set that up for him and he caught it. That's what I was talking about, we're on the same wavelength." Ana laughs and they air high five and I roll my eyes laughing.
Juveniles.
"... any way, everything that Kate does comes from a place of love. She has the heart of a protector. I met her on my third day of college... and..." she pauses for a few moments. "I'm not gonna cry. I AM NOT GOING TO CRY." She laughs looking up trying to hold back tears but she fails and continues to speak as she cries.
"... Kate barely knew me but in my loneliest hour... she gave me a mother's love, a sister's embrace and most of all, the promise of true friendship. She taught me how to use my voice again and speak up for myself. She taught me to believe in my self and realize that I was worthy of love. She devoted her time to my wellbeing and helped me rebuild. This is how I know that you will be an amazing wife and mother because you always give it your all no matter what. Words cannot describe how essential you are to me. I am eternally in your debt and my wish for you is that you are always happy and in love; that you both always see the light within each other... I can't wait for us to grow old, watching our babies grow as they become best friends or sworn enemies... whatever floats their boat." She giggles wiping her face and I see mom and dad wiping their tears as well. I try to keep the lump forming in my throat at bay but as always she has a way of pulling us all in.
"I can't wait for my niece to make her debut... by the way everyone, you can meet me at the bar to place your bets. I say it'll be a girl, Elliot says it'll be a boy but lets be real, I'm maid of honor and I'm never wrong." She laughs and we all clap. "Ladies and gentleman, please join me in celebrating these two incredible humans and parents to be. I love you both to the moon and back! Steele & Kavanagh forever!"
Kate immediately stands up and bellows "DAMN STRAIGHT, STEELE & KAVANAGH FOREVER!"
We all clap and laugh as Ana makes her way to Elliot and Kate who are both crying like babies while they hug her.
When Ana finally comes back to take her seat next to me I give her a small kiss. "As always Miss Steele, you know how to hold a room." She gives me a small smile and hugs me tight.
"So do you Mr. Grey, I love you so much." She whispers and I kiss her temple.
In the last hour I have witnessed the following; Barney doing the worm. Elliot doing some obscene peacock like dance with Kate. Jose and Grandma Margot dance the salsa. Grandpa Theo dancing his best moves with Val to Staying Alive. Ethan and Mia doing some ridiculous version of what looks like the robot. Mom and Dad dance to Single Ladies and Ana, well she's barely sat down and has danced her heart out with everyone on the dance floor. It's like she's made of pure energy and nothing can slow her down. The DJ has played songs from Shoop to Thriller to some new song called Yummy to Sexy and I know it where everyone danced like they were high on drugs... I feel like I've officially entered the twilight zone.
Who are these people?
Ana joins me at the edge of the dance floor and looks out at the same scene I'm staring at.
"We've created monsters haven't we?" She looks at me wide-eyed.
"Oh no, this is all your doing baby." I laugh and she giggles.
She wraps her arms around my waist and looks up at me with a smile. "Admit it, you love it."
"I'm tolerating it." I say with a smirk and she sticks her tongue out at me.
A song comes on and she gasps. "Sorry, Grey. This is my jam. I must forsake you again for the dance floor."
And I've lost her again.
I see her have a dance off with Karan and Jose to Mi Gente. She's so animated that it makes me laugh. She told me recently that dancing was her way of truly celebrating how far she had come since the accident. It made her feel alive and forget all the sadness she feels on a daily basis sometimes.
I return to our table after getting a drink at the bar and take my seat next to Grandpa Theo who nudges me. "I'm telling you, you have to marry a girl who can dance. It's the only reason why I married your grandmother." He winks at me and roll my eyes.
"Trust me, Theo, I'm trying but she doesn't make it easy."
"Good, you need to work for it. That way you won't take her for granted." He laughs and smacks my arm.
"Did Margot make you work for it?"
"She never stopped making me work for it, kid. That's why I love her so damn much. Never a dull moment." He smiles and looks at her with adoration as she dances with Elliot.
Ana told me she was going to be back in a bit but it's been twenty minutes. I text Sawyer and he tells me that Ana's by the dock taking a breather. Since that night during the holidays, we've sat out on the dock a few times so I'm not all that nervous but still, it's an image that I'll never be able to forget.
When I get to the dock, I let Sawyer know he can walk back to the tent.
I lean down to sit next to her. "Hey baby, what are you doing here?"
She dangles her feet off the dock. "Just taking a break. I came to look at the moon and say a prayer." She points up at the sky towards the crescent of the new moon.
"It's officially Eid?"
She nods. "Yeah. Up until I went to college, I always spent the last day of Ramadan and Eid in SF. We'd fly earlier in the day. There's another family house on Scott Street that has a rooftop deck, so we'd break fast there and then a little while later, head up to the roof to look for the moon... not that it was ever hard to find but you know, it was just a tradition to engage little kids and then once we saw it we'd say a prayer and then clap and cheer in celebration."
"That sounds beautiful. What do you pray for?"
"I pray for all the people I love. For them to always be happy and healthy and for their dreams to come true." She looks to me and smiles. "I pray for you. That you're always happy and at peace and that you get whatever your heart desires."
I'm a little floored by her confession. "I don't think anyone has ever prayed for me."
"Grace prays for you." She says matter of factly.
"She told you?" I look at her surprised.
"She doesn't have to. Every mother prays for their child." She pauses for a moment and then looks out to the water. "At least, every mother who truly loves their child."
"What about yourself? What do you ask for yourself?"
"For the longest time I only prayed for peace and strength to help me not be afraid but now I'm beginning to ask for happiness."
I pick up her hand and kiss it and she smiles. We sit in silence for a few minutes.
"What are you thinking about?" I ask her.
"I was thinking about Kate..."
"What about her?"
"When I converted Nana and Nani gave me one piece of advice, I never really understood it until I met Kate. They said that now that I had chosen this path for myself it wasn't just about praying and doing "good deeds" but that I had to be a source of comfort and solace to the people around me and to in need; that it was okay if I wasn't able to affect change on a big scale but that changing or saving one life was the equivalent to saving all of humanity because our fates are tied to one another. If Kate hadn't found me, who knows if I would've made it? I was so consumed by my grief and pain. If I had done something stupid, it would've caused Nita and Nani so much heartbreak..."
"You saved me."
She looks at me and looks down at the water and shakes her head. "I didn't do anything Christian."
"You don't realize how much you've done for me, Ana. You've given me a whole new life in these few short months. I'm finally the son my parents have longed for, the brother my siblings have been waiting for. I'm a better boss now, a friend, a boyfriend... a godfather... you've given me all of that in such a short time..."
My mind goes back to what I was doing last Memorial day weekend and it was pitiful. I had just come back from New York after a deal had gone south and I was pissed off beyond measure. I had an introductory session with Susannah and I went to town on her but I was still dissatisfied. I took the boat out with the family on Memorial Day and barely spoke a word. I had all this rage and I was reaching a breaking point... the only time I felt an ounce of calm was when I met Ana the day before thanksgiving. And now, I'm at my brother's wedding and my life is so full and I'm finally enjoying it. Something I never have experienced.
"For god's sake, I just saw Jose dance the salsa with Margot... I'm pretty sure she's about to divorce Theo right now and if she doesn't Theo is taking Val as his mistress for sure. The lines have blurred, in fact there no lines anymore. Just chaos." I chuckle.
She giggles and falls into a laughing fit. "Did you see the tiara Jose got her? It was so cute."
I shake my head and laugh. "I've seen too much tonight. Flynn is about to earn that French vacation home."
"Look at you, making jokes." She smiles. " By the way, I loved your speech. It was so beautiful what you said about Elliot."
"I learned from the best." I kiss her cheek.
"You're such a kiss ass, Grey." She giggles.
"You know, they're piranhas in the water right?" I tell her and she immediately jumps and pulls her feet up making me laugh out loud.
"YOU ASS... I don't like you right now." She tries to scold me and smacks my arm but ends up laughing too and cuddles with me and we sit in silence for a while, holding each other.
I hear the faint sound of Quando, Quando, Quando start to play. It's one of her favorites. "Miss Steele, may I have this dance?"
"You can always have a dance with me, Mr. Grey."
We get up and sway lightly with the music, dancing in the moonlight looking to her sapphire blue eyes as we both kiss and sing to each other.
I can't wait a moment more
Tell me quando quando quando
Just say it's me you adore
And then darling tell me when.
Sunday, May 24th, 2020
"Mate, I hope you have an obscene amount of cash to give out. This is your first Eid with the family, they're gonna make you pay." Karan sneers.
I look at Ana and she bursts out laughing. "It's okay you're safe. Karan bhai stop scaring him... the only person you have to give money to, is Aria since she's a baby. Rania and Aashu might try to extract cash from you but don't worry I'll protect you." She winks at me.
"How much money are we talking here?"
"Well, my very first Eid with Nita's family, I made bank... $5000 cause literally, everyone gave me money. Of course Ray rained on my parade and put it in my college fund but every year since then I'll collect about $500-1000 and 75% of that would go into my college fund."
"That's really cheap." I laugh.
"Rich people be cheap." She rolls her eyes. "No, it was just a way to keep it as normal as they could. I mean throwing out all that money at kids, it sets a bad precedent. Plus, she gets us clothes made and will fly us in if need be and cooks us a wonderful lunch... so we shut up. She used to ask Nana for Eidi too and he'd give her $5 just to piss her off. It was funny." She giggles at the memory.
"How much did you give her?" I look at Karan.
"I just gave this gremlin $500." He shakes his head and laughs.
Ana takes out the cash from her bag and fans herself. "Cause I'm so adorable..." she laughs "and I'll pester Rania and Raees for money too. It's just for fun... all the younger kids pester the adults and older siblings for money... again it's all a game. In the end the youngest kid makes the most bank which in this case is Aria. Last year I gave her $250 and this year I'm giving her $500. I'll probably indulge her till she's about 10 then I'll tell her to scram."
We land in Oakland just before 12pm and soon arrive at the family house. As we walk up the driveway Ana stops just before we get to the stairs and walks towards the end of the driveway to what looks like a dark green mustang, with the license plate that reads 'Kapadia' – it looks familiar to the pictures I've seen of Ray and Ana from her childhood.
"Bachay, what happened?" Karan calls out to her and we both walk towards the car after her.
She looks back at us with her face tense and continues to inspect the car and opens the door to the passenger side and gets in to inspect it further; touching the leather upholstery and keychain hanging from the rearview mirror while looking around. She climbs out of the car and slams the door.
"I'm going to fucking kill him." She says trying to hold back her tears. "This is an exact replica of dad's car, down to the leather trimmings."
I look at Karan and I can see his jaw tighten. "I'm sorry Aana." is all he can offer and I hear the sadness in his voice.
"No, you shouldn't be. This is all on him. I can't believe... dad lost his life in that car, my whole life changed... he's doing this to trigger me." She closes her eyes and breathes for a few moments but I see her shiver. "Fuck this, let's just go inside."
"Karan, you go... we'll follow you in a bit." I tell him. He nods and heads on in. I look at Ana hold her face but she keeps looking down. "Talk to me, baby."
She shakes her head. "There's no point. Especially not right now." Her voice is strained. I pull her in for a hug. "I'll be fine Christian. I just need to remember not to lose my cool and I'll be fine." She tries to assure me but I know how much pain she's in.
Ana doesn't say much for the remainder of the afternoon. She kept up appearances and greeted everyone normally, successfully avoiding Vishaal given the commotion around the room during introductions. Meeting Rish and Alia was interesting, they definitely have a presence, a little too much of it and the difference between Nita and her sister is like night and day but I suppose that's just how family is. After a delicious lunch we all went to the backyard to take a series of family pictures like our visit from before. Nita already framed a picture of us from the last reunion on the picture wall on the main floor of the house.
"That's us." Ana points to the picture and giggles. "No escaping now Mr. Grey."
"Us, forever." I kiss her temple and she looks back up and gives me a kiss. Just as I am about to deepen it, we hear Rania cheering from the end of the corridor.
Ana groans, breaking the kiss. "GROW UP RANIA."
"WHAT? IT'S MY JOB." She yells and walks away, cackling.
"Any chance we can escape her?" I smirk.
"She's the only crazy one I like now. Don't tell anyone though." She whispers and winks and we make our way back to the family room where the rest of the family is getting ready to drink tea.
We all catch up on the happenings in each other's lives and Ana shows pictures and videos from Kate and Elliot's wedding when suddenly the topic of money comes up and everyone shares how much they've made today. Ana calls out to Daniel in Urdu and he picks up and orange and passes it to her replying in the language.
"Hold on, you can speak the language?" I ask him.
"Well yeah, I mean I've been with Kiran for almost 8 years now. I can speak a little bit. Hasn't Aana taught you any?"
"I'm teaching him a little. He knows a few words and can say a few sentences, like how are you and telling his name along with the words for certain things." Ana interjects and laughs.
"WAIT, Mr. One Hunnid is learning Urdu... this I have got to hear." Rania sits up and wiggles her eyebrows.
"Why do you keep calling him Mr. One Hunnid?" Kiran asks. I can sense her annoyance of not being in on the joke.
"Cause Kiran, he does everything at 100%. He doesn't half ass anything. Get with the program." Rania rolls her eyes and winks at Ana.
Ana looks at me and mouths a sorry making me laugh. I look at Rania and ask her how she's doing in Urdu and she claps and responds with one word but I have no idea what she says. Ana translates and tells me she said she's doing spectacular . Everyone claps for me and it's borderline embarrassing but Ana smiles and kisses my cheek.
From the corner of my eye I see Vishaal look like he's swallowed something bitter. If only he'd fucking swallow cyanide instead.
"Sorry Daniel but Christian's my favorite white boy in the family now. I'm sick of your face." Rania teases.
"By all means take him. You guys have tortured me enough." Scooter laughs. "Good luck, Grey. Hit me up if you need any pointers, I've got 8 years of experience dealing with the insanity." I smirk and nod in his direction and take a sip of my drink.
"Hey, I never tortured you. In fact I helped you." Ana says
"You're the only one who's ever been on my side." He acknowledges and they fist bump.
"So Aana, I'm surprised you didn't ask me for Eidi this time?" Vishaal's voice cuts through and Ana looks back to him.
She shrugs. "Don't really need it. None of us really need the money but if you really insist, Vishaal Bhai, I'd say give it to charity. I'm going to be working in philanthropy now and I've been doing a lot of research on charities to work with that deal with women who've been a victim of assault... they're a ton of trauma and rape centers in San Francisco that need funding. I'd say, donate it there. It would mean so much to me." She says with a smile and I see Vishaal's face tense a little but he works to keep his expression impassive.
"That's a solid idea." Karan immediately chimes with a clap, rubbing his palms together and soon everyone agrees.
I look back at Ana and give her a small kiss and whisper "I love you."
'And I love you." She looks in my eyes.
"MAMA, Chwischin Khalu kiss Aana Khala." Aria gasps pointing at us from across the room as she giggles making us all laugh.
"HEY, can you guys keep it a little PG for my kid here. I need her to not go kissing boys at her daycare... I've got enough on my plate as it is." Rania whines and winks at us.
A little while later Ana whispers in my ear that she wants to take a break and get away for a bit. She insists on wanting to drive because she misses it, so I let Sawyer and Prescott know to follow us as soon as we leave the gates.
We open the front door to exit the house and descend the steps when we see Vishaal sitting on the trunk of his new mustang, checking his phone and smoking a cigarette. We continue to walk to Nani's car, ignoring him when I hear Vishaal call out to Aana and say something in Urdu. All I see is Ana's face tense and she whips around and walks toward him and stops just a few feet short of where he is.
"I told you, I don't want anything from you. Leave me the fuck alone." She seethes
He shrugs and takes a drag of his cigarette. "I was just trying to be nice. Don't be so fucking dramatic."
"Don't gaslight me and then tell me I'm overreacting." She continues on to say something in Urdu and he laughs and says something back. It pisses me the fuck off and it's beyond my control at this point so I go in and punch him off and he falls off the car. I try to go in for more and drag him up by the collar of his shirt to strike him again but Ana intervenes trying to stop me and holding back my arm.
"Christian... please... don't. He's not worth it." she begs me and I see tears in her eyes. "Please..."
I shove him back to the floor and he continues to laugh as he wipes blood from corner of his mouth and proceeds to get up. "That's assault Grey."
"Oh, so you know the meaning of the word, asshole?" I spit back at him. "I told you last time, leave her the fuck alone or I will end you."
"None of this concerned you before but now... all bets are really off." He laughs and turns to walk away leisurely towards the backyard.
I am fucking seething and about to go beat the shit out of him but I feel Ana's hands on my face. "Don't. Please. This is what he wants, remember?" She says with her voice strained and tears falling from the corner of her eyes.
"What did he say to you?"
She shakes her head. "Forget it, it's stupid. I was stupid to react myself."
"Tell me Ana." I say a little forcefully.
"He said this car was my present for Eid and when I told him to leave us alone and all that, he replied back saying he was only trying to honor Ray since it's his birthday next week. He's just being a sick, sadistic asshole." She looks down and tears flow freely from her eyes. I pull her into a hug and we stand there for a while as I soothe her. She looks over my hand and kisses it, holding it to her cheek. It's starting to bruise slightly but I tell her it's nothing.
We head out and she starts to feel better as she drives West of Presidio Terrace.
"I'm surprised he didn't put up a fight? Doesn't he know self-defense?" I ask her.
"He's a black belt in Krav Maga but Vishaal Kapadia's MO has always been to silently provoke his opponent and maintain a guise of innocence. He wanted you to lose your cool so that when you did beat him to a pulp... you'd be seen at the crazy one in the eyes of the family. He's getting creative now... I could never have imagined this but... like I said, he knows my weaknesses." She says with a wavering voice.
I look out the window and close my eyes trying to calm myself. "I just ruined this for you didn't I?"
She doesn't say anything for a few moments and it's all the confirmation I need. "We'll be fine. Just need to work on keeping our emotions in check."
"You know him too, what about his weaknesses?"
"He has fears like all of us but nothing I can really use against him. Again, Christian, I need proof. I have no other emotional ammunition against him. He has people and a community that worships him... the only power I have is to not give him what he wants. That's how I fight."
"He wants what's mine." I mutter under my breath but she hears me.
She scoffs. "It's not about you Christian, you just came into my life. It's about me. If anything, you're collateral, you've just made this all interesting for him."
"He can't hurt me Ana, if that's what you're worried about."
"But he'll hurt me. He knows how to hurt me."
We don't say much after that and the music is the only sound in the car.
Left my city in a rush
Didn't look back gave you up
Now I see my name in the lights
But It's still dark outside.
"I've been wanting to share this place with you since we first visited but things kept getting in the way."
"Where are we going?"
"Ocean Beach. It's nothing spectacular but it means a lot to me. It's the only place in this city where I don't have any tainted memories." She says wistfully.
If I lose it all
Will you look for me
If I lost it all
Meet me back at Ocean Beach.
I hear her laugh a little.
"What's funny?"
"When this song first came out last year, I listened to it on repeat for weeks I think. It described my feelings perfectly when running away from here all those years ago. I was like, FINALLY! Someone gets it..." She giggles.
"But you found yourself in the end."
She takes shrugs. "Have I really? I'm just biding my time. I've been looking back for so long, I've only just started looking to the future and I'm still scared to look too far ahead..." she pauses for a few moments." 129 more days till my freedom."
"129 days?"
"129 days till September 30th... 3rd quarter."
"You're actually counting?" I look at her.
She silently nods and turns right to head down the highway towards the beach parking lot.
We walk out on to the beach barefoot and she leads to me north in the direction of the Cliff House.
"How do you feel now?" I ask as we walk.
"A little better, now that I'm here with you." She stops and holds my hand to inspect it. "Does it hurt? Please be honest."
I snort. "Baby, it doesn't hurt."
"Are you tryna be a tough guy, Grey?" She giggles.
"Depends, are you into tough guys?" I smirk.
"I'm only into you." She tiptoes and brings my face down for a kiss. "Thank you. Though, I'm really jealous I didn't get to do that myself."
"Well, you stopped me otherwise I'd happily hold him down and you could've had your chance to kick the shit out of him."
"Dammit, I didn't think about that." She laughs. "Next time?"
I laugh and we walk a little more.
She tells me the first time that she came here was with Nita, it was the day before she married Ray. This used to be Nita's thinking spot when she was going through a tough time after her first marriage ended and she went through her own recovery and depression. The day before they had a girls day and ended with a late lunch at the Cliffhouse Lookout Café and then watched the sunset here while sitting on the rocks nearby. Once we get to the rock formation, she sits down and looks out.
"When Nita and I sat here, she made me a promise. She said that I would always be the first girl in Ray's life and she would never encroach on that relationship or try to be a replacement as a mother. She promised that she'd always put me first and be there whenever I needed her and that I could trust her..." she stops and I see tears in her eyes. I hold her hand and squeeze it. "... and that all she wanted was a chance to be someone of meaning in my life."
"She's been an exceptional mother to you..."
She nods silently, looking out towards the water for a while before speaking again. "I'd come here during recovery to think, especially when I had a difficult day at physical therapy. Benny somehow knew whenever I needed it, since I couldn't really speak... so he'd park up there and let me sit in the backseat with the window down and look out. Aside from Benny I've only ever come here with Nita, Nani or Aria. I made most of my major life decisions while looking out at this view. Where to go to college, how I needed to get away and rebuild and then the week I spent here after we met. I thought about how life would be with you." She looks to me and smiles.
"How did life look with me?"
"It looked beautiful and I hoped... for forever with you."
"Forever sounds about right, baby." I lean in and kiss her.
"When we go back to drop off the car and say goodbye, I'm going to tell Nani that I won't be visiting SF until Aashu's wedding because every visit is getting more and more difficult and I'm really tired now."
"That's a fair, besides if they want to see you, they can easily fly over to Seattle."
"True but I won't ride that expectation of them. In her age I don't want to push her and Nita has her hands full with work."
"Why not? I get her health could be an issue but surely Nita can make time."
"I learned very early on in life not to have expectations. It helps with not being disappointed." She says looking out to the sky.
I'm reminded of Flynn's words that this is her self-esteem talking.
"What about me? No expectations?"
"I'm happy with what we have and how we have it, anything more is a bonus." She looks at me with a small smile.
"You deserve more." I murmur.
She looks to me. "In thinking that I deserve more, I'm effectively telling you that I'm not content or unhappy... and Christian... look, it was a fucking miracle that I survived what I did and even more so that I made a complete recovery. There are people out there who are confined to their beds, unable to do anything but wait till the day that they..." she looks away and pauses for a few moments, wiping her eyes. "Nothing makes you more grateful than being able to have control over your body again, to be able to talk again. I don't take a single thing I have for granted. I wanted simple things and I got them; yes life has been complicated as of late but still, I have my health, a roof over my head and a job, friends and family and I'm in love. There are so many people out there who have less than a fraction of what I have, who are killed for merely existing, who are unable to reach their full potential because the odds are stacked against them. Who the fuck am I to sit here and claim that I deserve more? To anyone on the outside looking in, it would look ungrateful. I had a family who spent an obscene amount of money to help me recover, a best friend who took care of me when I certainly wasn't expecting it and I fell in love with a brilliant and compassionate man who is an important figure and has enough money to last for a thousand lifetimes. I mean... if I'm still not happy then I'm being ungrateful and I need to check my privilege."
"I just want you to have everything, I don't want you to ever want for anything or be sad, Ana."
"But I have everything that I could ever possibly want in this moment and the fact that you want to give me everything means more than you'll ever know. You're so much more than what I ever imagined for myself." She reaches up and gives me a searing kiss. "As far as being sad, Christian, I think you and I will always be a little sad given what we've been through. However, because of all that we can truly appreciate our happiness. It'll always mean more."
"I suppose you're right."
She gets up and sits in my lap, looking into my eyes. "Christian Trevelyan Grey."
I smile back at her. "Yes, Anastasia Rose Steele."
"Take me home and make love to me. I want to forget today."
"Your wish is my command."
"Ana... Ana... baby wake up." I try to wake her up but she's crying out and trying to fight me. All I can know is that she's saying no in urdu but the rest I can't understand. "Baby... you're safe... Ana, open your eyes."
Once she eventually does she's completely still and she looks straight at me but doesn't move or breathe. I see tears continuously fall from her eyes.
I stroke her cheek and kiss her forehead. "Ana, baby you were having a nightmare. It wasn't real. I need you to breathe okay... take a deep breath."
It feels like forever before she starts to come back in the present.
"I-I couldn't move...or s-speak... he took you away... please don't leave me." she says as her body heaves from the crying. I pull her in close and hold her tight.
"I'm never going to leave you baby. Look, we're here... we're safe and no one is coming for us." I try to calm her.
A few minutes pass before she speaks. "He took you away from me. It felt so real and I couldn't do anything to stop it."
"I'm here baby. I'm never leaving you." I kiss her temple as she holds me tighter. "I'll get you some water."
"No... just stay with me." She whispers.
Monday, May 25th, 2020
APOV
It's a beautiful day to be out on the water. When Christian brought me out on the Grace for the first time two weeks ago, it was so peaceful. It reminded me a little of the fishing trips with dad except there were actually cushions for me to lay my head on this time around. I saw a different side to Christian, he looked at peace and happy. We talked so much and he opened up more than before. I told him that we should try to take as much time as we could to come out here and just disconnect from the world and be with each other.
Kate and I are sitting on the opposite end of the Grace away from everyone. She could sense that something was on my mind. After all, she lived with me for 4 years so she knows how I operate.
"Spill it Steele, something's up."
"I just didn't get enough sleep last night." I tell her. It's true. After the nightmare, I found it hard to go back to sleep no matter how much Christian tried to soothe me. I'd keep waking up every hour or so.
"Well, I'd make a joke about it being because of too much sex but that face is telling me otherwise."
I let out a little laugh. "It's nothing Kavanagh, just random stuff."
"Ana, you can tell me anything you know that right?"
"I know... look, I don't want to burden you anymore. With the baby and everything, you need to take it easy."
"Listen to me, there are millions of women out there who are pregnant and doing and dealing way more crazy shit than I am... I'm not made out of glass. Just tell me what's going on. I know you're trying to protect me but enough with the bullshit. Tell me everything. Start from the beginning."
I tell her what happened yesterday and then the nightmare that followed after we got back to Seattle and how Vishaal has been pressuring me to marry Christian.
"Well, it's about fucking time moneybags punched him. Though, I will not lie, I'd pay good money to see him put that piece of shit in the ground."
"No Kate, it was fucking scary. I didn't want it to escalate... if he hurt Christian, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
"Christian is a big boy, he can handle himself."
"I know but still... I don't want him to get hurt because of my shit. I...I..." I feel my throat start to close up and tears burn my eyes.
She reaches over and pulls me in for a hug and kisses my temple. "Hey, look he's fine and that asshole is too much of a pussy to try anything."
"I'm not so sure of that anymore."
She pauses for a few moments. "I don't get why he wants you to marry Christian, that makes no sense. If anything it's the opposite of what he would want." She muses.
"I don't know, reverse psychology but that's too small time for him... "
"You think he knows what's in the will?"
"I don't think so, I mean... my marrying Christian shouldn't have any bearing on what is meant for me in terms of the will, should there anything be left to me that is. You know my stance on everything already. I'll give my shares to Rania if anything. I don't want to be tied to him like that."
"Then marry Christian. Put an end to this. Just move on with your life."
"I'm scared Kate." I try to hold my tears.
"Steele, what are you scared of?" She holds my hand and gives it a light squeeze.
"I don't want that Dementor near my happiness. I don't want him at the wedding and there's no excuse I can come up with for keeping him away. If I decide to tell everyone about what he did, Uncle Rish will legally be required to notify KGI's shareholders about the impropriety and if he keeps it from them, then Rania will inform them and then the investigation will start and since I'll have no proof it'll be a waste of everyone's time. I can't handle that on top of ripping the family apart. I'm still so fucked up. I need to heal a little before I marry Christian, he doesn't deserve all the shit I've been putting him through. I'm really trying to get better... but... everyone now and then I have a setback. I'm just tired."
"I get it, it's fucking scary. I wish I could somehow make this easy for you but on a separate note for fucks sake, Steele... stop putting yourself down like this. None of this is your fault. Look, the man loves you. It's nauseatingly cute how much he fucking loves you, trust in that?"
"I'm trying. "
We talk a little more about what happened yesterday try to figure out what the hell Vishaal is really thinking.
"Ana... I know you are against this but I think you need to seriously consider using your leverage."
I pull away from her. "No Kate, I will not stoop to that level."
"Why the fuck not? Look at what he is doing. If he's playing with fire well then you need to hit him with an erupting volcano."
"And what, ruin Kiran's marriage in the process? She hasn't even told Vishaal about it. I'd be betraying her trust... I already did by telling you."
She takes a deep breath and looks out to the water. "You just have to threaten him. I'm not saying to actually use what you have on Kiran... just tell him that you have something that could ruin her marriage and who knows he might just back off."
"He knows I would never do something like that." I can't bring myself to use damaging information like that. Putting the peace of someone's life on the line like that... it's not who I am.
"Doesn't matter what he knows, the point is to make him think he doesn't know you anymore which if you think about it... you're already standing up to him. Something you've never done before."
"Still, it's... fucked up."
She groans and pinches the bridge of her nose.
"Look, I just have a receipt. The payment was made in my credit card. She gave me the cash after but I used my own credit card to pay for the procedure. He could spin it right around and leak it to the press... and given the time frame it would look like that I actually got it because it was exactly a month and half after what happened to me... what if he thinks that... you know..." I can't even bring myself to say it.
"Then you need to tell Christian about this. I'm sure he has contacts who can hack into the clinic and get her file out."
"I'm not telling him or having him do something illegal."
"Ana, this is small time shit and you're in a relationship with him, you can trust him."
"Kate, drop it. It's too risky. And I adore Daniel, as it is... it kills me every time I look at him because I'm lying to him. Look, Christian knows that I have something on Kiran. He doesn't know what it is but he's ruthless and... look, I can't do that to her especially after everything she's done for me."
"I just want you to have an option Ana. I seriously think you should talk to Christian about this."
"If I tell him, it's not like he believes in pinky promises... "
We both start laughing before I can finish the sentence.
"Steele, he's a grown ass man... most of the time." She snickers." Trust him and let him help you get all the information you need to use just in case. That's all I'm saying. Have the option. You owe it to yourself and honestly after the press leak on the wedding pictures... you've suffered enough."
I roll my eyes. "You just love a good dumpster fire."
"Can't argue with that." She says with a smug face and we both laugh.
...
CPOV
We came back a few hours ago and I've been holed up in the study catching up on emails and a quick call to the Tokyo office. When I'm done I go out and find her upstairs in her room sitting on the floor working on yet another puzzle.
"That's new." I see that it's yet another 1000 piece puzzle but this time it's Klimt's Woman in Gold.
She jumps a little and giggles. "Thanks for scaring me."
I sit next to her and help her out a little. "What's this piece called?"
"It's called Amore mio aiutami from the movie of the same name. I've never watched it but Ray always played this record at home, among many others..."
"Help me, my love?"
"The fact that you also know Italian makes me so jealous. You didn't have to lie to me about it you know." She narrows her eyes at me and giggles.
"I know but you seemed so excited about us learning something new together and I wanted the experience of discovery with you."
"Yeah but I don't want you to be bored learning something you already know."
"I can never be bored with you Miss Steele."
"Save it, Grey." She rolls her eyes and I lean in to kiss her. "There's actually a song called Miss Luna Special that Ray said described me perfectly." She laughs.
She plays it for me and shows me a funny dance she used to do around the house whenever it played and it makes me laugh. It makes me wish I knew her back then. She comes and sits back down and turns off the music.
"I wanted to talk to you about something but I need you to promise me you won't do anything with this information unless I ask you to."
My scalp prickles and I nod.
"Promise me Christian." Her voice wavers.
"I promise I won't do anything unless you ask me to." I swallow and wait for her to begin.
"Remember when I told you that I had information that could blow up Kiran's marriage?"
I nod.
"A month and half after I left for college, Kiran flew into Portland unannounced and in a panic. The week before my going away party, Kiran had gone partying with friends in New York and she got a little too drunk and hooked up with someone. She never told me who but she got pregnant. Daniel and her had been having some problems, actually it was more like Kiran was being a little bratty because Daniel was busy setting up London office that year so he was gone for like 4 months and well, Kiran is a little clingy, she doesn't do well with distance... anyway, I went with her to planned parenthood for support and we made the payment on my credit card and she gave me cash later."
She looks up to me with tears in her eyes.
"I hate that I'm lying to Daniel because he truly loves Kiran. He loves her more than she loves him... but I've been torn between my loyalty to her out of debt and loyalty of doing the right thing but at the same time, it's ... it's just a shitty situation. Daniel doesn't deserve this... but Kate thinks that I should use this as leverage to shut Vishaal up... but he knows that I'd never do something like that. I would never jeopardize someone else's happiness to serve my own purpose."
"Scooter deserves to know, they were in a committed relationship for 4 years up until that point."
"He does but again, it's not my secret to tell. Kiran has to own up to what she did."
"Why are you telling me this Ana?"
"I need your help but it's illegal."
"Baby, whatever you need. Just tell me."
"I only have the receipt but payment was made with my credit card. I need her file because given the time frame of when it happened, I don't want... look, if I ever have to use this against Vishaal, I don't want him to have any doubt that it was me who went in for the procedure given the time frame." Her jaw tightens as she finishes speaking and I close my eyes at the thought that possibility... of having to go through something like that.
"I'll text Taylor and Welch and they'll get it done."
"It's medical files Christian, I know what I'm asking you to do is illegal... but... wait..." she turns around and reaches under the bed and takes out a box. She opens it and I see a series of moleskin journals with the year engraved on them. She takes out some from the year 2015 and quickly starts to go through them. I see they are journal entries but they all are in Urdu so I can't understand what's written. Once she finds the receipt she gives it to me.
"Why are all your journal entries in Urdu?"
"Privacy reasons I guess." She shrugs.
"Do you still write?"
"Sometimes, when I need to make sense of things."
"What do you want to do once we get the file?"
"I want you to give it to me and... look, I don't know what I'm going to do, I just need to keep it as an option. He knows that I would never do anything to hurt Kiran like that but Kate said that it's about planting the seed of doubt in his mind. If he tries something between now and the Will reading then I'll throw this in his face. It's not ideal because I know for a fact that he doesn't know about this because Kiran cares too much about what he thinks."
I silently wonder if Nani knows about this.
"Did Kiran have security on her when you both went for this procedure because this would've gotten back to AHAK or KGI, right?"
"True but I highly doubt they would've suspected something. We had made an appointment and we were done in about hour. So we could've been there for me to get a pap smear for all anyone knew and Kiran is always know to take spontaneous trips. Her coming to see me wouldn't seem suspect at all."
...
"Please don't think less of me for choosing to do this." Ana says in a small voice. We're laying in bed with her back to my chest as I kiss her neck.
"Look at me baby." She turns and faces me. "I wish you would've asked me to do this sooner. You're too good for them. They've just taken from you. They know how you are, where your loyalties lie and they've tested them time and time again. Kate was right; your relationship with them was toxic. From the little time I've spent with your family, Karan, Aashu and Rania are the only ones who have your back in addition to Nani and Nita. Vishaal and Kiran are not on your side, Kiran may think she is but she's not."
"I don't plan to use this information unless I really have to. I just want him to back off you know and who's to say he could pay someone off to get falsified records made in my name? After all, it was my credit card that was used."
"That is a possibility but by the time you hit him with this he won't have time to get anything like that done. We'll leak it to the press."
"But Christian, this is Daniel's life too. I feel like I'm committing a crime against another woman... but... I feel so desperate." She chokes on her words. "I don't want to leak this to the press. That's too much."
"Ana, do not stray from the facts. Vishaal violated you and has been terrorizing you for years and keeping you from your family. Kiran was in a committed relationship and cheated on her partner of four years and then married him and made you keep her secret knowing where your loyalties lie."
"I know... I know and I agree with you. She cheated and this was the consequence she had to face... I just... Christian, she was heartbroken. She knows what she did and she lives with it every day. As someone who wants to have a child with no idea if she'd be able to conceive, I don't know... I felt a lot of things. I was still fresh off of what had happened to me... I can't explain it." she wipes her face. "And now Daniel wants them to start trying, I mean they've been together for 8 years now but she's scared... we talked at the rehearsal dinner. Kiran and I went out for a walk in the garden and she told me everything... she doesn't want to disappoint Daniel but at the same time she doesn't think she's ready and the work excuse will only work for so long."
I kiss her forehead. "You're too good for them, Ana. Again, these are decisions that Kiran made it's her mess to figure out."
"I'm not a brick wall Christian, I can still have compassion for her. Even on the elemental level of being a woman."
"You're too good Ana. I don't have your patience or compassion. I would've used this to my advantage already without thinking of the consequences."
"We're not alone Christian, our actions affect the people we love and the ripple effect can be catastrophic. Besides, karma is a liquored up bitch that I have no intention of pissing off." She giggles and I laugh.
"Liquored up bitch?" I smirk.
"I'm talking top shelf."
"I guess we should steer clear of her then."
"Yeah, I like you too much for her to get her claws on you."
"In that case, I'll just divert all my attention to making you feel good. It'll keep me out of trouble." I tell her and start to kiss her neck and cup her breasts.
"Again?" she laughs.
"Miss Steele, you should know I can never get enough of you." I continue kissing and nipping her skin as I make my way down.
"But... this will be... I forget..." She giggles.
"We're at 5 for today, I think we can go for another 3." I smirk as she looks down at me.
"You're crazy." She drops her head back down and laughs.
"No, just hungry." I start to fuck her with my tongue and arches her back and moans my name over and over again till I make her come.
"You're really trying to kill me." She laughs out of breath before I push myself into her.
I kiss her as she tangles her fingers into my hair. "Not kill you baby, just making sure you have a good nights sleep." I smirk, rolling my hips into her
Authors Note: After Chapter 66 we're doing a time jump into August and diving into Aashu wedding and some major drama, basically a bomb drop in every chapter leading up to the Will reading. All secrets will be revealed eventually, I promise. I know you all want to know about the meeting with Nani and Christian... it will happen but a lot more needs to happen before that. I am skipping CG's birthday chapter and will include it in the few outtakes that I plan to post after the story is done.
Reds77: I have an outtake that i'll post about Barney and Val after the story is over. Needless to say Jose will be gasping. You hit the nail on the head about them, haha.
To my faithful readers, I love you guys. thank you for sticking by me. I am sending you big hugs.
For the those of you who left nasty reviews, I feel sorry for you. That's all I gotta say.
Pinterest: www dot pinterest dot com/paleseptember10/50-shades-of-love-and-light/ Chapter 65
Music
Staying Alive - Bee Gees
Single Ladies - Beyonce
Shoop - Salt-N-Pepa
Yummy - Justin Beiber
I'm Sexy and I know it - LMFAO
Mi Gente - J Balvin, Willy William, Beyonce
Quando Quando Quando - Michael Buble feat. Nelly Furtado
Lose Myself - Lolo Zoaui
Amore mio aiutami (main theme) - Piero Piccioni
Miss Luna Special - Piero Piccioni