DISCLAIMER: Fifty shades of Grey or its' characters do NOT belong to me. I own the plot and more than a few characters though. I would like to remind you that this is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people or places is accidental.

UPLOADING UNEDITED!

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*Information:*

Ana and her friends = 24 years old

Christian = 28 years old

Mia = 22 years old

Elliot = 30 years old

Stephen = 28 years old [I'm casting Stephen Amell as Stephen of my story ;)]

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Chapter - 14:

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Christian escorted Ana to the dining room. The room was painted in dark beige color with a black feature wall and off-white curtains. At the center of the room held an Academia dining room table set on a plush grey rug. The dining set featured a Termocotto Oak finish and elegant gold accents.

Stephen was waiting for the couple there. He was dressed in a pair of dark grey jeans, black t-shirt, maroon sweater, and brown casual teak-wood leather shoes.

"Ana, this is Stephen, my most annoying and beloved friend," Christian introduced.

"He's lying. I'm not the annoying one. He is," Stephen stated rolling his eyes. "Stephen Whitley, nice to meet you. I've been hearing about you ever since my return," he said shaking Ana's hand.

Ana giggled at their friendly banter. "Anastasia Steele. pleased to finally meet you as well. Christian had really missed you. He would constantly talk about you," she said, giving Christian a warm smile.

"Come. Our boy has been working hard for you all day," Stephen said, gesturing towards the chair Christian help open for Ana.

"You really cooked for me?! I thought you would just ask Gail to do that. Oh Christian!" Ana teared up. Placing a kiss on his cheek, she sat down. Christian took the seat beside her, while Stephen sat on Christian's other side.

"So Ana, tell me about yourself. How did you two meet? Christian said something about an argument...?" Stephen asked, trailing off with a confused look on his face.

Ana and Christian exchanged an amused look, before Ana started telling Stephen about their first meeting. "... and that's how the whole harassing each other started," she ended with a fond smile.

"Did you seriously blame her for bumping into you?" Stephen asked his best friend in disbelieve, "Didn't you learn anything from growing up with a sister?"

Christian shrugged. "I was already having a bad day, and on top of that, she bumped into me. So, i unloaded my anger on her," he took Ana's hand and said with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry,"

"It's okay," Ana smiled at him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt... but dude, are you going to feed us or not? I'm hungry," Stephen demanded. Laughing at his dramatics, Christian excused himself and headed to the kitchen. "So, what's your intention with my best friend?" Stephen asked as soon as Christian was out of ear shot.

"Intention?" Ana was puzzled.

"Yes. From what you just shared, he had been an ass to you from the beginning. Still you guys are dating. Why?"

"You're right. He's annoying, arrogant, and an asshole... but when he let's himself be free of his billionaire persona, he's a nice guy. A man who is a perfect fit for me. He understood my pranks and instead of getting offended or just enduring them, he dished out his own. I loved that about him," Ana smiled, "That's why we're dating,m" she added with shrug.

Stephen stared at her blankly. He hadn't expected that answer. He thought she was either dating Christian for his money or his good looks. But instead she seemed to be dating his best friend for his pranking skills? He was so confused. "Ah... that's good, I guess," he muttered.

Christian returned a few seconds later, with Gail following behind him. Ana watched amazed at Christian as he served the first course. It was a creamy chicken and vegetable soup. Ana always loved this soup. "How did you know about this soup? Wait! Was it the same traitor who let you in my apartment?" Ana asked with a smirk.

"Yeah. He shared all your favorite food items with me," Christian replied, grinning.

"So... its' a 'he', huh?" Ana raised her eyebrow playfully.

"Yikes," Christian sputtered at his mistake. Caleb was correct. Ana was too cunning. She would've made a great detective,

"I'll figure out who this traitor is sooner or later," Ana teased.

"Yeah, he said you would," Christian replied with a wry smile.

"You're making it worse. If you want to keep your spy's ID a secret, then stop talking about him," Stephen advised with a smirk. Ana snickered, nodding in agreement.

"Whatever," Christian rolled his eyes. He was actually focused on something else. ever since Ana entered the dining room, Christian had been waiting for her to notice those pink flowers he bought earlier today. He had Gail p[lace them at the center of the dining table hoping Ana would notice them first. But to his disappointment, Ana didn't even look at them yet. After serving, Christian took his seat, pouting slightly. He felt stupid for buying those things. He shouldn't have listened to Stephen.

Ana noticed Christian's sulking form and frowned. She started to ask when her eyes fell on the pink flowers at the center of the table. "Wow. These flowers are so pretty," she exclaimed. Her eyes brightened with happiness seeing those flowers.

Christian perked up instantly. "You like them?" he asked.

"Of course, I do. Did... you get them?" Ana asked noticing the change in Christian's form.

"Yeah... for you. They aren't anything expensive though. That's why I didn't give them to you," Christian informed blushing.

"Expensive?! Christian, why would anyone need flowers to be expensive?" Ana laughed, "I'd have liked anything you give me. Their cost doesn't matter," she said placing her hand on his.

"So Ana... how many boyfriends did you have?" Stephen questioned suddenly. Christian frowned at his friend. He didn't like Stephen's question or the tone he used to ask said question.

"I had two boyfriends. The first one was in high school, and the second one was in college," Ana answered honestly.

Before Christian could change the topic, Stephen asked, "Why did you break up with them... if you don't mind me asking?"

"The first break up was because we decided we were better as friends than anything more. My second boyfriend was Eric. We dated for 3 years. He was... a little rough around the edges. He needed someone who would make him the center of her universe. Someone for whom he would be the main and only priority. I was getting ready to start my business. I knew I wouldn't be able to give him the attention he deserved. So, we broke up," Ana finished with a slight frown.

"Are you still in contact with him?" Christian asked curious. His question was out before he could stop himself.

"Yeah. Last I heard he got married... but his wife didn't even know about it for four months," Ana giggled.

"What?! How's that possible?" Christian asked, shocked.

"According to him, the idea came to him suddenly. He didn't want to loose her and he thought if he married her then she'll have to be with him. But he didn't want her to know how much she meant to him. So, he didn't propose her, instead hid the papers in some files that needed his wife's sign," Ana explained.

"That's creepy... and kind of romantic," Stephen commented, impressed.

"What do you mean 'romantic'? It's creepy," Christian scolded.

"But can you imagine that he loved her so much and was so scared to loose her, that he married her secretly? Though I do think not telling her about it was a little too much," Stephen huffed a laugh.

"I thought his wife would run away from him after learning about it. But Eric said that she understood his inability to say how much he loves her, she apologized to him for calling him a 'jerk' before they celebrated their wedding night," Ana informed, grinning. Eric and his new wife was a dear friend now. She was happy for them.

"Wow," Christian shook his head. He couldn't even think about marrying someone secretly. His mom and sister would kill him if he did something like that.

"Anyways Ana, what do you think of this soup? Did I pass the cooking challenge?" Christian asked eagerly.

"The soup is definitely good. So, it means you just know how to make a good soup. Anyone can do that. Let me eat the rest of the dinner. I'll let you know if you passed or not," Ana replied grinning cheekily.

"You're really hard to please," Christian muttered petulantly before straightening up, "Alright then. Time for the next course," he announced clapping his hands. He hurried out of the room excitedly.

"I think he forgot about wine. He didn't offer us any. I'll go get it," Stephen offered and started to get up.

"Oh no. He didn't forget. He knows I've to drive home. That's why he didn't offer," An informed with a smile, "But you can get it if you want some though," she added.

"I'll do that. Excuse me for a moment," Stephen said before heading out of the room.

Both men returned five minutes later; Stephen with drinks and Christian with food. Ana sat up straight in anticipation. After the success with soup, Ana was eager to know if Christian would success in the next course or not.

"I got a soda for you and wine for us. Christian said other hard drinks wouldn't work," Stephen shrugged placing Ana's soda beside her before taking his seat. "He also said something about... 'dieting?" he added with a confused look on his face.

"Thanks for the soda, and yeah, my friends and I are doing a month long diet challenge to see which one of us looses the most weight. We incorporated 3 cheat days for days like today," Ana explained.

"Who is winning so far?" Christian asked serving the appetizer. He had made cheesy meatball bites with a side of bread. Stephen and he had eaten them while making them, and he had to say they tasted damn good. they had to make a few batch as they had finished the first two batch before they even noticed. They were so easy to make.

"Bill," at Ana's answer, Christian got out of his thought, "he lost 5 kg in the first week," Ana huffed in annoyance.

"How much did you loose?" Stephen asked, curious even though he didn't know who Bill was.

"3 kg in 2 weeks," Ana muttered glumly.

"That's too much weight to loose in such a short amount of time," Christian scolded, "You're already petite. Why are you putting yourself through all these? And doesn't Bill already look like a skeleton? Why is he loosing more weight?" he asked worried for Ana and her friends.

"He loves it when his thighs look like leather covered bamboos in his tight leather pants," Ana replied rolling his eyes at her best friends bizarre behavior.

"Seriously?!" Christian shook his head.

"How skinny is this friend of yours?" Stephen asked, a little worried now.

"Skinny," both Christian and Ana replied.

"By the way, I was thinking... since Stephen is also here now, why don't you, Mia, Elliot, and Stephen join us for our night out this Saturday? It'd be tons of fun," Ana proposed.

"That seems like a good idea. What do you think?" Christian asked Stephen.

"Sounds good to me," Stephen shrugged.

For entree, Christian served slow cooker steak pie. Ana was really impressed with him. Christian gave Stephen a grateful look. It wouldn't have ever been crossed his mind to cook for her if Stephen wasn't there. Stephen just winked at Christian in answer. No matter how much time goes by, Stephen would always be his faithful wing-man.

For dessert, Christian served frozen strawberry trifle, and instantly Ana straightened up. With narrow eyes , she watched as Christian served her.

"Here you go. Your favorite dessert," Christian said with a cheerful smile.

"Uh... yeah. It looks really... yummy," Ana commented with a tight smile.

Both men noticed her reaction and frowned. "Is... everything okay?" Christian asked.

"What?! No! No. No problem at all. I'm really excited to eat it. This looks so yummy," Ana replied, giving him a bright smile. The smile was so bright that it didn't look normal.

"If you're sure..." Christian trailer of hesitantly as he took his seat.

Stephen and Christian watched as Ana ate her dessert. Every once in a while she would wince when she thought they weren't looking. "Is it me or does she look like she's in pain?" Stephen asked Christian, whispering.

"It's not you. Do you think something is wrong with the dessert?" Christian questioned.

"Let's find out," Stephen announced before they started eating. "Oh my god! Mmm... yes.. oh... hmmm" Stephen moaned.

"I agree, man," Christian breathed out in total bliss. "This... is amazing... good lord! I want... more... oh..." he groaned out loudly.

Ana stopped eating her dessert and stared at the men eating as they continued making orgasmic sounds. Unwillingly some interesting images flashed through her mind. They involved both men naked with their abs and cocks covers in whipped cream. Ana shook her head and whispered to herself, "No! Bad girl!" before going back to her dessert.

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The three of them gathered in the living room after the dinner. They decided to watch the movie 'The Dictator'. Christian and Ana cuddled on one side of the sectional, while Stephen sat on the other side. Dodger was sitting inside a plastic pool filled with shredded paper in front of the couch. Christian and Ana had hidden some sparkly toys in the pool. The ferret was having a blast searching for them.

Ana hid her face in Christian chest every time she giggled at the movie. Ana had taken off her thigh high boots and tucked her legs on the couch as she cuddled with him. One of Christian's arms were around her waist resting on lower on her hips. Christian felt warmth spread through his chest each time she did that. He didn't bother watching the movie as he was too busy watching her. He smiled softly at the way she smiled and leaned into him more and more, the way she brushed her hair away from her face, the way she wrinkled her nose in disbelief, or the way she snorted in amusement. Christian also noticed that once in a while she would scratch her neck, arm, or legs. He frowned when he saw that those areas were slowly turning red.

"Are you okay? There are red marks appearing all over your neck, arms, and thighs," he asked worriedly as he ran his hand over her thigh.

"Don't worry about it. My skin is just reacting to some products I used," Ana replied dismissively, "By the way, I figured out which one of my friends is the traitor," she added offhandedly.

"You did? Who do you think it is?" Christian asked, alert now. He wasn't sure if she really knew or just tricking him.

"It's Caleb, isn't it?" Ana said, smirking.

Christian burst into laughter. "Wow! How did you know?" he asked in wonder.

"I have my ways," Ana wiggled her eyebrows mischievously, "Enjoy the movie," Ana said kissing his lips.

Once the movie was over Stephen yawned loudly. It was so exaggerated that it was easy to tell that he was faking it. "I'm going to bed. It was nice to meet you, Ana. Goodnight. Drive safe. Goodnight, man," with a wave, Stephen left the couple alone.

"He's not really subtle, is he?" Ana snickered.

"No, he's not," Christian laughed lightly, running his fingers through her hair.

"So... tell me about our next date," Ana asked looking up at him, resting her hand on his chest.

"Let's see. Do you want to do something out in public or keep it private like tonight?" Christian asked cupping her face.

"We always do the restaurant thing. So, how about we keep this private? But.. maybe with just the two of us?" Ana suggested hesitantly. She didn't want him to think that she didn't enjoy this date with his friend.

"Hmm…I agree. We need a private date with just the two of us. In that case, how's your stamina?" he asked.

"Uhhhh…" Ana froze, staring at him with wide eyes. Neither of them actually spoke about physical relationship yet. Whatever they did so far were in-the-moment kind of things, and they only kissed a few times. 'Where is he going with this? What kind of a date is he thinking of that I'll need stamina for? Physical… activities? Am I ready for that step? Is he?' these thoughts ran through Ana's head rapidly. "Pretty good, I guess? I've been work outing pretty hard recently, so I'm in decent shape. Why do you... ask?"

Christian smiled down at her, raising his eyebrow just a tiny bit as if he knew where her mind had gone, but wisely chose not to tease her about it. "Well, I own a cabin in the Bogachiel Rain forest. We could drive out there for a hike next week," he suggested.

'Oh! A cabin… don't those usually have beds?' Ana swallowed down most of her nervousness before asking, "So we would... stay at your cabin?"

"We can stay overnight if you want to, but since it's just a two hour drive I was thinking we'd just head out there on a day trip and use the cabin as a starting point and to park the car. We can pack a nice lunch and have a picnic at one of the small lakes." Christian was getting excited at the idea of going on this small trip.

"That sounds like a perfect getaway," Ana said with a soft smile before adding playfully, "or the perfect spot to murder someone."

Christian gave her a deadpan look. "I can assure you that I have no plans whatsoever to kill you,"

"Pretty sure that's what a killer would say," Ana pointed out.

"Please remind me, why are we talking about my nonexistent murderous potential?" Christian demanded to know sulkily.

She huffed, stabbing at his really hard chest with her index finger. "Because you are being too perfect. It's suspicious," Ana said pulling away.

"I'm being nice is making you think I'm suspicious? And when a stranger told you to get in his car, you didn't find him suspicious?" Christian asked raising his eyebrow.

"When did I do that?" Ana asked defensively.

"When you crashed into my dad's car?" he reminded.

"Oh... um... whatever," she spattered, jutting her chin out.

"And we both know I'm not perfect," he argued, "Don't you remember how rude I was with you at the beginning? But I'm trying to be nice for you," he said pulling her back top him.

"See," she exclaimed, throwing her hands up helplessly, "You can't just go and say stuff like that, and not expect my ovaries to explode. Normal guys don't do that," An whined.

"I make your ovaries explode?" he grinned, looking not even a little bit sorry.

"You do, and if your goal is to give me a cavity from all of your sweetness, you're definitely succeeding," she huffed, pouting.

"I'm not the one to blame for your cavity. I think the copious amounts of ice cream you consume are to blame for that one. Don't think for a second that I didn't notice the amount of ice-cream you have in your freezer," Christian teased, grinning widely.

She gasped loudly, swatting at his chest. "I reject the insinuation of that statement," she said pulling away from him as she folded her arms over her chest. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to diet when you have a freezer full of ice-cream," she sulked.

"No one asked you to diet. You're the one who's torturing you," Christian pointed out raising his eyebrow, "Though eating less ice-cream might make your teeth thank you," he added with a teasing smile.

"I don't eat that much ice-cream!" Ana protested, "Only a small amount. I just like storing them,"

"Oh, really?" Christian asked smirking, not believing her for a second, "How much is a small amount?" he asked.

"One pint is my max," Ana replied confidently. At the pointed, disbelieving look of Christian's face, she adds, "Fine, two. Sometimes three. I've a stressful job, okay?!" she grimaced at the confession. Christian grinned widely at the guilty look on her face. "Smart ass!" Ana grumbled, knowing that she lost the argument.

"You look cute when you're pouting," Christian said pulling her back in his arms before placing a loving kiss on her cheek.

They cuddled in silence for a while before, Ana pulled away with a sigh. "I've to go home. I have an early meeting with one of the authors," she said sadly.

"Yeah. I also have to go to Port land for a meeting tomorrow," Christian nodded sadly.

"Have a safe trip... and call me when you reach there. I'll worry," Ana leaned down and kissed him.

Ana leaves after a few minutes with those flowers and a smile on her face. Christian headed to his home office to do some work before going to bed. He was supposed to get started early for the trip the next day. A knock on the door caused him to look up. Stephen was leaning against the door way.

"Ana seemed nice," Stephen commented.

"Did she?" Christian asked raising his eyebrow as he rested his elbows on the desk.

"Yeah. It seems she's almost like you. So, I'd say she's a good fit for you," he shrugged.

"If you thought she's perfect for me, then what was with that attitude and those invasive questions?" Christian asked, irritated. He had been displeased with how Stephen acted at the beginning.

"You're not only my best friend, but I consider you my brother as well. So, if I grill the girl you're dating, it's well within my rights. I watched your heart get trampled on once. I'm NOT making that mistake again," Stephen stated sternly.

"Look appreciate your intention, but did you have to ask her about her exes?" Christian frowned.

"Did you know about her exes before today?" Stephen countered raising his eyebrow.

"No, but..."

Stephen cut him off. "And now you know. You're welcome," he said dryly.

"So, accept my apology right now. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with my questions and I'm sorry if it brought up all kinds of feelings you don't want to deal with yet,"

"Apology rejected." Christian snapped at him, "I didn't tell her about my ex yet. I'm sure she's going to ask about it now. I want her to date me because she likes me not because she feels sorry for me," he scowled.

"First of all, you can't reject my apology, you asshole. Secondly, you should share about your ex with her. That way you both will have a fresh start with your relationship. Don't be an idiot," Stephen advised.

"Fine. just... don't ask Ana any more stupid questions. I don't need you putting ideas in her head," Christian sighed.

"I won't. Goodnight, Chris,"

"Goodnight,"

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Caleb was watching 'Justice League' for the hundredth time. He had always been a huge fan of Batman, Superman, and Wonder woman. So it was a no brainier that he would watch this movie until he memorized all the lines. He had just shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth when a series of knock on the door broke his attention from the movie. Pausing the movie, he got up and walked up to the door. He looked through the peephole and stepped away from the door instantly. Ana was still knocking.

"I'm not home," he announced a few moments later.

"Oh really?! Is that your ghost talking then?" Ana asked sarcastically.

"It's actually the app I downloaded recently," Caleb tried again before wincing at his awful attempt at lie.

"Open the door, Caleb. You're making it worse," Ana said through the door.

"I"m not a masochist. Why the hell would I open the door when I know I'm going to get beaten?" Caleb said leaning against the door.

"Caleb, you know you deserve it. You told Christian I loved Frozen strawberry trifle? Are you out of your mind? You knew I get rashes whenever I eat strawberries these days. I had to lie to him about these rashes," Ana scolded.

"You deserved it. You did the same thing when we were in college," Caleb accused with a huff.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

"You changed my organic condoms with Latex ones, knowing that I was allergic to Latex," Caleb spit out, remembering the humiliation he had to go through due to the rashes on his penis. His girlfriend at the time thought he had STD.

Ana started snickering. "That was a good prank. We all hated that girl, but it wasn't me who pulled that prank on you," she said between her snickers, "It was Bill,"

"Shit! Bill did it?!" Caleb asked in disbelieve, not noticing that he had flung his door open.

Seeing the opening, Ana rushed inside the studio apartment. "Yes, it was Bill," she said resting her hands on her hips.

"That means... I tortured you for... nothing?" Caleb asked guiltily.

"Yup," she replied, popping the 'p'.

"You're going to beat me now, aren't you?" Caleb asked, defeated.

"Yeah," Ana nodded before grabbing a pillow from the couch.

With a grimace, Caleb approached her. Ana started hitting him with the pillow until the feathers were floating in the air of the apartment. Caleb grabbed some allergy medicines for Ana before she headed home.

"By the way... how did you know it was me?" Caleb asked.

"Everyone knows my favorite dessert is chocolate cake. If it was any of our other friends, they would've told Christian about the cake. They would've never mentioned a strawberry dessert. On top of that, only you knew that I recently became allergic to strawberry," Ana replied rolling her eyes. Caleb and she had gone to meet one of the authors a few weeks back when she started showing allergic reacting to the fruit. "And most of your pranks involve food somehow," she added.

Caleb beamed, "Goodnight, Annie,"

"Goodnight, Cally,"

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A/N: I know two weeks are hard to wait, but I want to thank you for staying with me.

Hope this chapter was satisfying. What did you think about the dinner?