Chapter 4
"Bro, the baby it's not mine. Why did you think it was?".
"You say that you were really worried because she is pregnant".
"Yes, but I didn't mean the baby was mine. I told you, she is my friend".
Nothing makes sense anymore. She is pregnant but it's not my brother's baby. They are friends. And I am the idiot who's standing here trying to figure out what the hell is happening.
"Can we not talk about this right now? I'm starting to get cold".
"Bro, we really should go. How about you come to dinner tomorrow. I can make burgers in the grill, we can drink some beers and Banana can make us a pie, she makes the best apple pie. And we could explain to you what's going on before you go and tell mom I'm going to be a daddy".
"Ok". I think my head it's going to exploit, and I doubt the wine I was drinking has anything to do.
We say our goodbyes and I get in the SUV. Anastasia smiley face it's in my mind. But it also is the sad look on her face and the fact that she is going to have a baby. I have so many questions by the time I'm in my bed. The most important is, if Elliot it's not the father, then who the fuck is it?
I don't think I'm doing this right.
Flynn said that if I want to be in peace with myself, I should stop doing the things that get me in trouble. I even made a list about them a year ago so I could remember not to do them anymore…
Well, that shit went out the window as soon as I got to the office today. The first thing I'd ask Andrea to do was call Welsh; then, I'd ask him to get me an updated background check of one Anastasia Steele. But that's not even the worst thing. No, the worst thing is the background check of my brother that now sits on top of my desk.
I have to do a million things today. In 10 minutes I have a meeting with t Ros. I haven't even read the information of the new project she wants me to back up.
For the past hour, I'd been staring at the two manila folders. Taylor brought them to me, he warned me that they contain information about Elliot's biological parents.
I'd never thought about Elliot or Mia's biological parents. Elliot was adopted when he was 3 years old and Mia was a day old. I don't think I ever wonder why they were put in adoption in the first place… I mean, no one ever talked about it, unlike the reason I was having nightmares every night.
Does Elliot know about his biological parents? Should I read the background check? I feel like I'm invading my brother's privacy, which it's stupid, given that I order the information, but the reality is, I just want to know how Elliot and Anastasia know each other.
Ring… ring…ring…
"Grey", I answer the phone without seeing the caller ID.
"Hey! What a coincidence. I'm also Grey".
I smile for the first time in the day. Elliot it's such an idiot.
"Hey Elliot. How are you?".
"All good, Bro. How about you?".
"I'm good, just thinking".
"Well don't think too hard, Bro. Nothing that takes more than five minutes to solve in your head it's worth it".
Sometimes I wish I was more like my brother, so carefree. Of course, he doesn't need to know that.
"Listen, Bro. I'm calling to see if you are going to come to my house for the burgers? Ana and I didn't talk much last night. She went straight to the sofa to sleep. She works at night, so I'm going to try and talk to her tomorrow morning. Anyway, I just need to know if you want to come, I really owe you after last night".
"The sofa? What the fuck, Elliot? You couldn't give her your bed?".
"Bro, I'd tried, but she wouldn't hear about it. She said she didn't want to sleep somewhere where I had had sex. I didn't have the heart to tell her the sofa wasn't the best option. And I don't have an extra bed, nobody ever stays at my place. But I'm already planning to move the stuff I have in the extra room so she can stay there. It's all cool, Bro".
"Sorry, El. Are you sure it's ok for you to explain tonight, I mean, you haven't talked to her, I don't want you to feel like I'm intruding". Not that I really care, because I really want to know what's going on.
"Don't worry, it's cool. Besides, if things go the way I plan, you'll be seeing more of Banana for the rest of our lives. She also told me she wants to thank you for helping me last night, so I convince her to make the apple pie and I'm going to be good and I won't eat it until you get at my place. It's 7 o'clock ok with you?".
"Yes, I see you then. Bye, Elliot".
"Laters, Grey".
If things go as he plans? What does that mean? He said the baby isn't his and he talked about a girlfriend last night. Is he planning on persuading Anastasia?
"Mr. Grey, Ros is already in the conference room". Andrea interrupts me.
"Thank you".
I gather together the papers for the meeting and I see the background checks.
"Nothing that takes more than a five minutes to solve in your head it's worth it".
with Elliot's words in my head, I call Taylor and ask him to destroy the papers. I'm going to be a normal person and ask him tonight what's going on.
I arrive at my brother's house at 7 on the dot. He doesn't need to know I was in my car waiting for ten minutes.
My brother's house it's weird. I always imagine him in a bachelor pad, living in a big man cave or something. Don't get me wrong, his house scream bachelor to me, all stone walls and leather couches; but it's in a big property across my parent's house. I can literally see my mom's car from here. I wonder how does he bring girls here if mom can see them? Well, I guess he doesn't do it anymore with Anastasia here.
I ring the door and wait, I can hear him coming down the stairs. but I'm surprised when I hear a car parking. When I turn around I see my brother turning his jeep off. Wait, if he is here, who's inside? I'm instantly on high alert. Someone it's inside.
"Taylor!", I yell and run to my brother's car.
Taylor, who was checking the street and the car immediately comes near me.
"Sir?".
"There's an intruder in the house".
"Hey, Grey! how's it going?".
"Elliot! get back in the car. There's someone in your house".
Tree things happen at the same time. My brother says "Oh, yeah. It's Ana", the door of the house opened and I jump on my brother to protect him.
"Bro, what the fuck?".
"Oh my god, are you alright?". Ana comes near to help us get up and I feel like a total loser.
Stupid paranoid! I look at Elliot and I know he can tell how embarrassed I feel.
"Of course we are! My brother here is just so excited to see me. This is usually the way he says hello".
"To everybody?".
"No, just to his favorite brother, don't get any hopes up, Banana".
Taylor helps me get up and ask me if I'm fine. I feel like a fool, but I also want to ask him to check the house.
"Let's get inside, guys. I really need a shower. I'll star the fire and take one".
What? Does he plan to leave me alone with her? What is she even doing here? Elliot said she was going to work late.
We go inside and Anastasia walks to the kitchen while I follow my brother to the patio.
"Are you alright, Christian?".
"Yes, sorry. I just thought that there's was someone in the house".
"I see you still get nervous. Are you still seeing Flynn?".
"I am".
"That's good. Someday you'll stop worrying, bro".
Elliot it's the only one of my family that knows the reason for my paranoia. He was with me when Leila got in my apartment to try to hurt me and in the end just expose me in front of my brother. I thought he would walk away that day, but he just sat there next to me, took my hand and say that no matter what, he will always be my brother. I told him everything that day.
I see him turning the grill on and I can hear Anastasia inside.
"I thought we were going to be alone, you said Anastasia was going to work late".
"Yeah… that was the plan, but… she was fired".
"What? why?".
"I don't know all the details, we'll have to ask her. Look, bro, I'm going to take a shower. Can you watch the burgers? I promise I'll be quick".
I just nod and watch my brother run inside the house. I watch the grill for a moment before I put the burgers.
"Can I bring you something to drink?".
Anastasia says from the door and I do everything in my power to not be startled.
"Yes, thanks. A beer if Elliot has, please".
She goes back inside and I realize that I'm going to be alone with her for a few minutes.
"Here you go".
"Thank you".
We both stare at each other for a moment before I go back to the burgers and think of something to tell her.
"Elliot told me you were going to be working late".
"Thank you for helping El last night".
We say at the same time and smile at each other after. I wait for her to talk again.
"I was supposed to work today and have the weekend free, but when I arrive at the office they let me now I didn't work there anymore. They fire me without a real explanation, but I know why they did it".
"Why they did it?".
"Because I'm pregnant".
"What the fuck? Are you serious? They can't do that! You could perfectly demand them. Let me call my layer, he'll represent you. Where did you work?".
I'm so fucking mad and trying to control my temper, but it's difficult.
"I don't know if I want to do that. It's complicated. Can we just wait for El? I really don't want to tell the story twice".
"Ok".
I go back to the burgers and star to count. Stupid Flynn really needs to come with a more effective technique to control my temper".
"You know, I was suppose to meet you a year ago. I was going to do an interview of you for the college newspaper", Anastasia says from the table.
I didn't think she would remember.
"I know".
I say and regret it immediately.
"You know? How?".
Shit! Please Elliot, come back now!
"I…", for some strange reason, I decide to tell her the truth. "I saw you that day at my office and ask for you. Too late I realize that I refuse to meet with you because of some security protocol".
"Yes, I remember. I think your secretary told me that because I wasn't Katherine Kavanagh you wouldn't see me. Kate was sick that day and I was covering for her, we didn't think it was a big problem. Later we found out you wouldn't be at the ceremony".
"My job can be very demanding. I had to go to Taiwan that week".
"Wow. It must be so cool, to be available to travel the world for work".
"I wouldn't know. I spend all my time in conference rooms".
"Well, that sucks".
We both laugh. She is so beautiful when she smiles.
"How are the burgers coming along, Bro?", Elliot decides this is the time to come back.
"I let yours fall to the ground, but don't worry, I'm sure fire kill the germs".
He looks at me with horror and I smile. He knows I'm joking.
We finish the burgers while Anastasia sets the table. Elliot keeps looking at her and that bothers me. Once everything is finished, we start eating.
"Elliot, if you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to end with a hole in my head, please stop".
"Sorry. It's just that I can't wait anymore, we didn't have a chance to talk last night and I can wait any longer. You were supposed to be working right now".
Anastasia looks at him and then at me.
"I can go if you want". I don't really want to go, but it looks like she's not comfortable to talk in front of me.
"Sorry, Bro".
"No, it's ok. I'm sure El will tell you later anyway".
I guess she really knows him.
"Where did you two even meet?".
That's one of the many questions I have.
"Tinder", Elliot says.
I roll my eyes, Anastasia doesn't look like someone who will use that kind of apps.
"Seriously, where did you meet?".
"He's telling the truth. We did meet at Tinder. Well, sort of. Kate, my roommate, she made me a profile some time ago and she started to talk to Elliot pretending she was me. I knew what was going on to the day of our date. Kate told me what she'd done and I went to meet him to apologize".
"I was waiting at some old coffee shop when she walked in. She started to ramble about what her roommate did and she apologized. She even offered to pay for my coffee. I couldn't let that pass, Bro. I told her how hurt I was and make her sit with me. I complained about how unfair women are. I was having so much fun until she said that I could take her apology and move on, or I could feel sorry forever, but what couldn't happen was she missing the Game of Thrones chapter. I believe that day was the premiere. That's how I knew she was a keeper. We went to her place to watched the chapter and we talked a lot. We became friends.
"We would get together every Sunday. After having dinners with mom and dad I would go to her place. That's how I meet Kate. She and I later star to date and Banana became like a little sister to me".
I feel like I don't know my brother. He's been there for me and now I feel like he has another life. I feel cheated.
"So, why did they fired you".
"I went to the apartment early to try to talk to Kate, but I guess she wasn't there because no one opened the door. Later I went to work, but when I got there my boss told me that my test period was over and that I didn't pass it. I was shocked. My test period ended two months ago, no one ever complains about my job".
"I can believe it. That's a shitty thing to do. And Kate didn't answer the door? I know she was there, I talked to her in the morning".
"Anastasia says she thinks the reason she was fired it's because she's pregnant. I told her my lawyers can help her, but…".
"But she doesn't want to. I get it".
"Why? It's the right thing to do".
"Because it's complicated", she says.
"Can you uncomplicated for me?".
"I was working at Kavanagh Media. Kate's dad owns it. He helped me get the job".
"Ok". I still don't get it. "What does that have to do with you?
"I'm pregnant. Kate's brother, Ethan, it's the father of the baby".
Ethan fucking Kavanagh. But it stills makes no sense. What's wrong with that family?
"If you're having the baby of the owner's son, why would the fired you?".
Anastasia looks uncomfortable now. And I don't care, I have to know.
"Ethan and Kate are the heirs of the Kavanagh fortune. But, in order for them to have the money, there are some clauses they need to fulfill. Bout of them needs to be married and have a career. But if one of them have a child outside of wedlock, they lose their part of the inheritance.
"Ethan and I were in a really complicated situation. We didn't love each other. I was lonely and he was always there. We broke up a month ago. Then I found out I was pregnant. When I told him he when mad. He started to yell at me, accuse me of doing it on purpose. Kate was listening to us and was really mad also. I didn't get it. I mean, of course, we're too young to have a child, but it wasn't like I did it by myself. I wanted for us to see our options. But both of them were set on one".
"Kate and Ethan are really close, I there to say they are almost as close as us, Bro. I get why Kate was so mad at her, but I told her they all had to calm down. They were talking about the life of a baby and Ana's body and choice".
"What did they want?".
"They want me to get an abortion".
I can see a tear rolling down of Anastasia's cheek.
"I told them I needed time to think about it, to think about all of the options. They agree, but a couple of days ago they told me I had an appointment for the abortion. For them, that was the only option. Kate told me they had to make the decision for the future of all of us".
"Why did she think that?".
"Because I don't know if I want to keep the baby".