Ana's POV

I stand there with my hand over my mouth as if that will somehow magically erase what I just said. What the fuck? I've always maintained a good filter and thought everything through before I said it because in the past if I hadn't it would have cost me. I'm not all together sure that right now was a good moment for that to change because I just asked Christian something beyond private. For fuck's sakes what would I have done if he's asked about my scars. Smooth real smooth Ana! Ugh floor swallow me now!

The look on his face when the words just came flying out, was a look between hurt and shock both of which are equally valid given what I just asked. I mean it's not like he knows me and its such personal information why would he share it with me given that if he asked the same from me there is a good chance I would decline to answer. Hell, he'll probably let me off at the next floor and tell me his plans have changed and that we aren't going out tonight. Fuck sakes! Of course, I have to go and ruin my first opportunity at a real friend.

I jump nearly out my skin and scare Ben when a hand lands on my shoulder pulling me from my head too fast. I reach down to reassure Ben and to check if he's ok.

"Sorry didn't mean to startle you but you weren't listening to my voice." He says giving me a very contrite look while holding his hands up, so I know he's not going to do it again. "We need to get off." He points to the open elevator doors as he steps through them and off the elevator as we arrive on our floor. Once we are both off the elevator and in the corridor, he starts to speak again.

"Lost you for a minute, are you ok?"

"Yea… Yes. I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked that of you it was inappropriate."

"No, it's ok it just caught me off guard, she isn't someone I talk of much, anymore. But she's not a big faux pas, so you never have to be afraid to bring her up. She just isn't someone who comes up very often in conversations and when she does it takes me a moment or two to get over the fact that she's gone."

"I'm still sorry I shouldn't have asked, that was so personal to you and we basically just met."

"No, it's not, given what happened when we first met, I think you have every right to ask about her, but even putting that aside you've told me things tonight that I doubt you just volunteer to just anybody, which I appreciate. So, I think it's only fair I give you something in return. Okay?" He asks, making sure I've calmed down.

"Yes, thank you." I say, still with my hand on Ben because I'm sure all the tension is confusing him, and I know if I run my hand over his head, he'll understand this isn't anything he needs to worry about.

"Mia was…" He takes a deep breath and I can see the sadness marring his features as he talks about her, it's clear how much he misses her. "She was my sister, my twin."

When he was crying that night, I formed this picture of who Mia could be, never in a million year did I imagine her to be his sister, let alone his twin.

"Oh," not really sure what to say, because how do you respond to something like that.

"She really was my best friend, I know most twins are, but it was always more than that. Even though we weren't identical we could pretty much read each other's minds. I miss that connection, I have an older brother Elliot, we're pretty close but not as close as I was with Mia. You'll meet him tonight, but I should I warn you he's a massive flirt with literally everyone, and I really do mean everyone. Even though he's straight if he knows a guy a is gay at the very least bi, he will go for it with them too, it's just who he is so know that when he does later it really doesn't mean anything."

He's changing the conversation, but I don't mind in the slightest because it's clear he needs to change the subject. I'm about to ask more about what to expect tonight when Jose steps into the hall in his standard black t-shirt black jeans combo. I introduce Christian and Jose and then we all pile onto the elevator and head down.

"Tell me more about everyone we're meeting tonight."

"Alright, we've got Elliot my brother, the flirt out of the way. Our neighbour Kate, who's a little bonkers, that we both grew up with and sadly couldn't get away from her. Also, one of the biggest flirts in the world and one of the few people who can keep up with Elliot. She always keeps him on his toes and at some point, tonight they'll dare each other to do something stupid. It will probably involve some poor unsuspecting soul going home with one of them. Then we have Kate's best friend Gail, they live together. She's a lot more relaxed than Kate, not entirely sure how those two became friends but they make it work. Gail is the most relaxed out of all of us, she doesn't tend to drink as much as the rest of us and she spends most of her time out looking after us all. She's dating Jason but everyone calls him Taylor, they've been together since the beginning of high school. Taylor's in the military special forces so he's stationed at home but often flies out at a moment's notice. So, as of right now he's still coming but it's always a fifty-fifty chance as to whether or not he'll be able to make it." He's just finished telling me about everyone when the doors spring open with a ding, perfect timing. Even though he mocks his friends a bit I can tell it's all in gest just given the affection in his tone.

"Okay that seems simple enough. Anything else I should know?" I ask because the more I know the less likely I am to have a panic attack or become so anxious I can't function at all.

"Nah, they're all really good people, they will all respect if you don't want to do something and if for any reason, they don't I'll be there to step in for you. Are you ok walking it's only a block or two away and I'm not sure we'll all fit into a cab anyway?" He asks with a chuckle as we all walk through the entrance of my building.

"Yeah that's fine." I agree knowing Jose won't have any objection with the reasonably short walk given he runs approximately ten miles a day.

We fall into step beside each other with Ben between us. Again, I find myself remised at the lack of contact despite the fact we only really met today. We lapse into easy conversation, that I'm not sure I find with anyone else even 'Mone and Ray. I learn all about how he and Elliot are starting at his father's company at the beginning of next month. Never would have guessed it but Christian is somewhat of a tech genius apparently, he admits he would consider himself a computer geek. But really nothing about him screams anything remotely close to geek, no glasses or stupid comic t-shirt, and he's tall and handsome, he also clearly doesn't spend all his time in his parent's basement, if the tan and muscles are any indication. I blush as the thought filters through my mind causing Christian to notice and I stumble and stutter my way through an explanation which he clearly doesn't believe but thankfully doesn't push.

Elliot and Kate and Gail are all a year older than Christian and Taylor, evidently. They all went to school together, once upon a time they had more members in their little group but as they grew up most of them lost touch. However, given that all of them went to the same college, well, all except Taylor who joined the military straight out of high school its unsurprising that they all kept in touch and from everything I've been told they are all still very close. While with Taylor leaving when the rest went to college should have been enough to cause them to lose touch, his relationship with Gail and friendship with Christian was clearly deep enough that they all still spend most of their free time together.

Kate has a degree in economics and is apparently some kind of former child math savant. However, despite the fact that her parents wanted her to put her degree to better use and become some kind of professor, she's going to become a stockbroker for some high-end firm in the city. Gail on the other hand has just qualified as a forensic scientist and is working for police department in the crime scene investigation team. Christian tells me he's always known that Gail would go into something strange like that because she was always a weird kid obsessed with blood, guts and gore, but the way he says it I can tell its laced with affection and there's no malice behind the teasing.

Elliot just like his brother is going to work for his father but not in the same division as Christian as he is a 'technophobe', Christian's word not mine. He thinks anyone who doesn't understand a computer at the level he does would be consider a technophobe to Christian. Elliot is an architect specialising in safety in the home, which if I'm understanding correctly, seems to be for panic rooms and underground passages for escape purposes. Though personally I could never see a need for something like that, I guess if you were a super paranoid CEO you might or if you were a drug cartel leader but hey who am I to judge a person's safety requirements I have two full time bodyguards. Christian doesn't say much about Taylor, but I get the feeling that's mainly because he doesn't really know anything about his job. It must be so top-secret that Taylor isn't allowed to share anything with him or the rest of the group.

Before I know it, we've stopped outside some high-end pub, its somewhere between old world charm of a traditional English pub and a sleek modern design you'd expect from a restaurant in Manhattan. The walls are all cream with beautiful art work adorning them, but all the furniture looks like it's been reclaimed from an old tavern. The combination shouldn't work but somehow it looks seamless. I don't realise how long I'm standing there on the sidewalk staring at the pub until Christian steps into my line of view clearly trying to get my attention but unlike last time he doesn't touch me, having undoubtedly learned I can startle easily when I'm touched.

"Hey. I promise they're going to love you and if for some strange reason they don't we can always leave and go somewhere else."

"I appreciate that but it's not about that. I'm more scared that I won't be able to keep up with everything, I don't tend to do well in social situations and especially when I'm questioned about my past and if they are anything like what you've said, I get the feeling that they will want to properly get to know me, not just in the superficial way because they care."

"That's ok, if you're uncomfortable with anything just say the word and I'll change the topic, but if you just flat out tell them that you're not comfortable with a subject, they would understand. It's a lot meeting new people for almost anyone. I may be wrong, it's just with everything you've said about not going out and spending nights in or working, this doesn't seem like something you do regularly or have ever done before?"

"You're not wrong this isn't something I do, I've done something similar before, actually the night we met but I wasn't in the right headspace then and it didn't go well. But now I'm doing so much better, I do this kind of thing at work so it can't be that hard, right?"

Before I have chance to change my mind, I grab his arm with my good hand and pull him through the open door and into the pub. Its only once we're through that I realise I have no idea who we're meeting and stop but I don't get a chance to fully slow my face before Christian pulls me towards a table of four people already drinking and laughing. The way friends should be. Christian calls out to them and all four heads spin to face us at once, every mouth drops open as if we're the only ones wearing costumes at a party. At first, I think it's because I have something on my face or that my blouse has somehow shifted and is revealing my scars. But all at once it hits me that it's not a look of horror, it's a look of pure shock, like they can't believe that I'm standing there, but that's ridiculous because none of them know me. Right?

Thank you, as always for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

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FearfullyBrave.