I don't usually write author's notes but there are some things I need to address. I haven't updated in a while because despite lockdown, I've had university deadlines and I've gone back to work so I have less free time on my hands but I do hope to update more frequently from this moment on.
To the guest reviewers who moan about no updates and say they are going to stop reading this story: it does not affect me whether or not you read my story. And you certainly don't need to waste your time and energy leaving me a review telling me that. I don't write for you, I write for me. I started this story as a creative outlet and a hobby and the fact that other people like my ideas is a huge bonus and I'm grateful for that. There are bigger problems in this world than you not getting any updates so I suggest you direct your energy to someplace useful and get your priorities straight. Just have a little compassion. Considering the state of this world, it's the bare minimum you could do and I think humanity needs as much compassion as it can get right now.
To everyone else, thank you so much for all your lovely reviews. It honestly makes me emotional sometimes. I've had this chapter written for about a week but wasn't going to post until I had a few more chapters written so updates could be more frequent and regular but one particular review convinced me to post it so NatalieBR, thank you!
I hope you are all safe and well and you are all doing everything in your power during this time of crisis whether that be educating yourself and others, donating, protesting, signing petitions, whatever! And if you are/have, I thank you. So I hope this little story can bring a smile to your face and help you escape reality for just a little while.
Stay safe guys.
Chapter 8
A few weeks later
Ana got home a bit later than usual since she'd popped by the grocery store after work and found Kate and Elliot sat on the sofa watching a movie. Elliot had been around a lot recently and she was pretty used to waking up in the mornings and seeing him sat at the breakfast bar eating cereal.
Mia had also been around. For the last three weeks, the girls had met up at a local bar every week and just hung out. Sometimes Elliot joined, sometimes Mia would ban him. Mia had really wanted to hang out with the girls and get to know them a lot better. She claimed she had a sense that they were going to become the best of friends and she wanted to put that into motion. Ana, never being one for clubs, had suggested for them to meet at the bar. She was sceptical that Mia would even agree to that, but to her surprise, Mia said she loved hanging out in bars.
"Hey, Ana-banan." Elliot called over his shoulder as he stuffed his face with popcorn. Ana muttered a hi as she walked past them and headed to the kitchen. It was an open-plan apartment so she could still see the both of them from where she was.
"Ana! Did you get my peanuts?" Kate asked. Ana ruffled through one of the bags and found Kate's beloved salted peanuts.
"Yeah. Catch." Ana threw them at Kate and the packet hit her head.
"Ow. Needed a bit of time to process, but that's okay. I got my nuts." Kate ripped open the bag and started munching on them. Elliot raised an eyebrow at her.
"You got these nuts too baby." Elliot grinned at her while wiggling his brows. Ana snorted to herself and got busy with putting the shopping away while she could hear them giggling away behind her.
Work had been pretty uneventful since the whole Hyde incident. Mr Grey had been focused on some big acquisition and Andrea was busy helping him which left Ana to do everything else. She hadn't any significant interaction with Mr Grey aside from nods/smiles and conversations about work. She was sort of thankful for that. She needed to process her thoughts. He had done so much for her already and she certainly hadn't done anything to deserve it, so she was wondering why. She decided to stop thinking about work and enjoy her evening with Kate and Elliot.
After she'd put the groceries away, she changed into some sweatpants and a t-shirt and joined the other two.
"What are we watching?" Ana asked as she settled in on the other couch.
"The notebook." Elliot muttered, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"Seriously Elliot? You're really not doing much for your whole macho man identity." Ana said. With what looked like great effort, Elliot ripped his eyes away from the screen to look at her.
"What? It's a freaking classic. I love this shit." Elliot said with a grin.
"Come on Ana. You are the only person I know that doesn't like this movie." Kate said.
"You don't like the notebook? You're telling me this doesn't pull on your heart strings?" Elliot asked her, shocked.
"Nope, sorry. Any Nicholas Sparks movie is a no from me. Just not my cup of tea." Ana shrugged.
Kate scoffed. "Hardly any movie is your cup of tea Ana." She turned to Elliot. "We used to go to the movies pretty often after we first met but that quickly became a thing of the past because 10 minutes into every movie, she would fall asleep!" Kate threw a pillow at Ana.
"Hey! It's not my fault they were so boring. And I still offered to go to the movies with you so you could see what you wanted!" Ana said.
"It's not the same though is it? I wouldn't have even been able to talk about the movie with you. It would've just been a waste of money." Kate sighed.
Elliot watched them. "It's a miracle you became friends. You are polar opposites. My brother Chris also hates movies but then he's a bit of a weird one so I dunno what that says about you Ana." He said looking at her.
Ana rolled her eyes. "Just play the movie."
She tried to watch it; she really did but she just couldn't do it. The other two were completely engrossed in it so after about 5 minutes she stood up, muttered something about snacks and walked to the kitchen. She heard Kate say 'told you' to Elliot.
Grabbing an apple, she leaned back against the cabinets and looked towards the TV. She knew she wasn't going to go back and watch it so she was thinking of something else to do. She eventually decided she would bake. what? She did not know.
"I'm in the mood to bake. Do you guys have any requests?" Ana asked them.
"Blueberry muffins!" Kate shouted.
Elliot turned to look at her with wide eyes. "Can you make cream puffs? Mom used to make them as a treat when we were kids, but she hardly does it anymore. The last time she made them was for Mia's 18th birthday. They were and still are the best things I've ever eaten." He said looking dazed. "Please Ana." Elliot looked at her with puppy dog eyes.
"Sure Elliot. But I can't promise you that they will taste like your mom's." She warned.
"That's fine. The fact that they'll be homemade is enough for me. Thanks Ana-banan." He flashed a thankful grin at her.
After fetching her headphones so she could listen to music without disturbing them, Ana got to work. Baking came easily to her and it was almost effortless. As she put one batch in the oven, she decided to make extra to take to the office tomorrow. Her way of saying thanks to Mr Grey. But she wouldn't be taking them and just handing them to him. No way. She would place them in the break room for everyone to enjoy and maybe just mention to him that there's food in there. Besides, the only people that used that specific break room was her, Andrea, Mr Grey and sometimes his security so no random people will be stealing them.
She put the ones for the office in the fridge and dusted the rest with icing sugar. She called Elliot over who nearly tripped over the rug in his haste to get to her.
"Oh Christ. They look delectable." He grabbed one and shoved it in his mouth. He closed his eyes and groaned in pleasure. Ana giggled. He slumped on the breakfast bar in front of her. "Shit they're amazing. They almost taste exactly like moms. Anastasia Steele, you are a legend." He shovelled a few more in his mouth and looked like a chipmunk.
Kate walked up to them and slapped his shoulder. "One at a time El. That's disgusting."
They sat around the breakfast bar with the cream puffs and the drinks Kate had made for them and just talked for a while. Ana really liked Elliot. He was unlike any of Kate's ex's.
"You need to give some of these to Mia. She's gonna freak." Elliot said.
"I don't think we need any more of Mia 'freaking'. She's already like the energizer bunny. But sure, I'll keep some for her." Ana smiled.
"Chris is gonna be jealous when I tell him I have a friend that can make cream puffs like mom. He probably loves them more than me."
"Why haven't I met this mysterious Chris yet? Is he a figment of your imagination?" Kate asked.
"Course not. Chris's life revolves around his work. I try to hang out with him as much as I can, but he's been extra busy lately. Mom is the only person that can convince him to drop everything and hang out with us for a bit. I'm sure you'll meet him soon enough but he's nothing special. I am the most interesting sibling." Elliot smirked. Ana and Kate both rolled their eyes at him.
"I can pack a container for you before I leave for work, that you can take for him. I'm all for more people trying my bakes." Ana offered.
"You would do that? What am I saying, of course you would, you're Ana." He shook his head.
Ana frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" She said in confusion.
"Nothing bad. I meant it in the sense that you do things like that all the time. You're always concerned about others so its really not surprising that you're offering a stranger your food. You're probably the kindest person I've ever met Ana." He said earnestly.
Ana released a breath. "Oh. Thanks Elliot, I think." She smiled.
Kate smacked Elliot's shoulder. "What about me you big oaf?"
"Ouch woman, what is wrong with you? Are you trying to harm the merchandise?" Elliot asked.
The three of them spent a few more hours watching sitcoms before they all retired for the night.
The next morning, Ana stepped out onto the 20th floor of GEH. She was wearing a green dress with a tie belt and she felt good about herself today.
"Ooooooh. What have you got there?" Andrea asked as Ana walked past her.
"Good morning to you too Andrea." Ana walked to the break room with Andrea hot on her heels. Ana grabbed a plate and set out all the cream puffs neatly.
"Oh my god. Cream puffs!" Andrea said excitedly. She grabbed one. "Did you make them?"
"Yeah, I made them for my friend and decided to bring some in."
Andrea moaned as she chewed. "Holy hell Ana. These are the best things I've ever tasted. You should quit GEH and open your own bakery. It would be so successful." Andrea gushed.
Ana shook her head at her whilst she made herself a tea. "Don't eat them all Andrea! Keep some for others!"
"You're right. It's not even 9 o clock in the morning, I need to stop. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips and all that. Our friendship may not be good for my figure Ana."
Ana laughed. Andrea had nothing to worry about, it looked like there wasn't an ounce of fat on her body. She looked like a model already.
It was lunch time and Andrea had just left for her lunch when Mr Grey stopped by Ana's desk with some cream puffs on a small plate.
"Oh, hi Mr Grey. Nutritional lunch?" She smirked at him, eyes sparkling mischievously.
"Miss Steele." He greeted her sheepishly. "You wouldn't happen to know where these cream puffs came from would you?" He asked her casually.
"I do actually. I made them." She said simply.
Grey's eyebrows rose. "Really? Cream puffs are my favourite." He said putting another in his mouth. There was some cream on the corner of his mouth and coupled with his happy grin, it made him look very boyish.
"You have…um…some cream…" She mumbled whilst pointing at her own mouth. His tongue popped out and licked up the leftover cream. Ana felt her face heat up and she averted her eyes while the creatures in her belly made themselves known.
"Oh sorry. I lose all decorum when I'm eating cream puffs. I could finish off a whole platter by myself." He said proudly. Baked goods really brought out the boy in him. It was cute. "What was the occasion?"
Ana shook herself out of the daze she was in. "No occasion. I was bored last night, and my roommate's boyfriend suggested I make these. He said they were his favourite too. They seem to be a favourite for a lot of people." She mumbled. "I made a few extra to bring in. I guess this is my way of saying thank you to you and Andrea for all you've done for me." She said.
Christian's eyes softened slightly. "Your work is repayment enough Anastasia. You didn't need to do this but I'm very glad you did. I think this is the only form of repayment I will accept from now on." He said jokingly. "Funnily enough they taste exactly like my mom's." He shouted over his shoulder as he walked back to his office.
Ana watched after him with slightly narrowed eyes. Elliot said the same thing. She was pretty happy with herself though. Her cream puffs have been greatly appreciated by everyone.
A few hours later, Ana was in the break room making herself her third tea of the day when she heard the elevator ding and a man's voice speaking to Andrea. She carefully walked out with her hot tea and was watching it as she walked, so she didn't split it when she heard a man's voice shout "ANA!"
Startled, she quickly looked up to see an excited Elliot barrelling towards her with his arms wide open and she gave a quick shriek "ELLIOT! Wait!" before turning her back to him so he crashed into her back and not the hot cup of tea in her hands.
"Ana! What are you doing here!" Elliot shouted with glee. It's like he didn't see her about 6 hours ago before she left for work. He squeezed her waist and her feet left the floor. Some of her tea spilled onto the floor, but luckily not on either of them.
Ana's free hand went to Elliot's on her waist to brace herself. He was an overgrown child. She had to laugh at his antics, but she was wondering what the hell he was doing here.
Christian heard the ruckus outside his office and decided to see what was going on. He heard shouting, both male and female. Stepping out of his office, he was very, very surprised at the sight before him. Elliot had his arms wrapped around Anastasia who was facing Christian with a tea in her hands and they were both smiling.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Christian boomed. The sight of them made him feel uneasy for some reason. Ana froze and she snapped her gaze towards Christian who stood before them whereas Elliot was seemingly unfazed.
"Hey bro. Long-time no see." Elliot quipped with his typical grin.
"Bro?" Ana mumbled in confusion.
"Elliot get your arms off my assistant for god's sake. You're going to make her spill her tea." Christian really did not like the fact that Elliot had his arms wrapped around her and that they seemed so familiar with each other. Christian's eyes tightened for a moment when he remembered Elliot telling him he had a new girlfriend and Christian hoped to god that it wasn't Anastasia.
"Oh crap. I didn't even see your tea Ana. I was just excited to see you. Sorry." Elliot apologised.
Ana stepped out of his embrace and took a step towards Christian, so she was stood between both of them. She smoothed down the skirt of her dress and looked at Elliot. "You saw me 6 hours ago El." Shit, this was just confirming Christian's thoughts.
"Eh." He waved a dismissive hand. "I was surprised because this is the last place I expected to find you. Why didn't you tell me you worked for my favourite brother?" He asked.
"Well for starters, I didn't know you were brothers." Ana deadpanned. "You look nothing alike." A light bulb went off in Ana's head. "Mr Grey is your brother Chris?" She exclaimed.
"Bingo." Elliot grinned. He was so relaxed in this whole situation as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"We're adopted. Wait a minute." Christian said. "How do you two know each other?" He asked bewildered, looking between the two of them.
"He's dating my roommate." "She's the first person I see in the mornings." They both said at the same time. Ana rolled her eyes and huffed at Elliot. He just kept grinning. Christian's brows rose.
"Don't listen to him Mr Grey. He's dating my roommate, Kate and has been staying at our apartment lately. Some might even say too much." Ana said with a pointed glare. Elliot knew she didn't mean anything by it.
"Oh." Grey uttered. Ana thought that he looked slightly relieved. He took a moment to process. "Elliot no one has the time for your foolery. Why are you here and harassing Miss Steele? It seems you harass her enough at her home." Grey directed his glare to his brother.
"Brother." Elliot drawled. "Chill out. Ana loves me." He said cockily. "Anyway, I brought you treats, and I was surprised when I saw Ana. I couldn't help my reaction. Boy Mia is gonna go crazy when she finds out you both know each other."
"You know Mia as well?" Christian exclaimed to Ana who bit her lip in return. This was getting uncomfortable. Maybe he thought that she was way too close to his family and it was inappropriate. Fuck, she hoped this wouldn't change things or get her in trouble. "You know what, let's forget the Mia talk for today. What did you bring Elliot?" He asked.
"Well. Last night this little nugget here made some cream puffs because I told her about moms. She was kind enough to let me take some for my dear brother Chris who I know would've been green with envy if I told him about them since they're his favourite. So here I am." Elliot lifted up the container with the cream puffs inside.
"Oh Elliot, I actually bought- "Ana began before Christian interrupted her. At this point they were still standing in the middle of the hallway.
"That is so thoughtful of you Elliot. I do love cream puffs, come on let me have a taste." Christian said almost mockingly. Ana knew what he was doing. She smirked to herself.
Elliot hadn't caught on. "Here." He said passing the container to Christian. "I was gonna eat them all, but I found the good in my heart. They're so damn delicious dude." He said wide eyed.
"Mhm. I've tried Anastasia's bakes before and they've tasted amazing." He popped one in his mouth and closed his eyes, humming in pleasure. "Good god, they are unbelievable."
"Aren't they!" Elliot gushed. He walked to Ana and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her. "This Ana-banan is going places I tell ya." He said to Christian. Ana blushed and tried to push him away.
Christian gazed at the two of them and eyed Elliot's arm around her shoulders. The way they were so familiar with each other made him feel…. jealous? Was he jealous of their familiarity and banter since Christian himself had never gotten close enough to someone outside family or was he jealous of Elliot for being so close to Anastasia? He was almost startled at the thought.
He gave his head a little shake to rid himself of his thoughts. "Trust me Elliot I know. She is going to rule the world one day." He said sincerely. "One day she might even become my rival in the game for world domination." He said cheekily. Ana's cheeks heated up and she huffed out a laugh in disbelief. Elliot's brows flew up. He certainly wasn't expecting this joking banter from his uptight brother.
"Elliot get your meaty paws off me." Ana wrestled his arm off her. "While it was a happy surprise seeing you here, I do have work to do." She said.
"Ana I'm so glad you work here now. This place needed some livening up. Finally, something interesting!" Elliot pumped his fist.
"I'm definitely not the person for that Elliot." Ana said as she walked away from the brothers.
Both of them stared after her; Christian thoughtfully and Elliot happily. Elliot looked at Christian looking at Ana. There was something different in his eyes. Elliot intended to find out what was up.
"Come on brother dearest. Let's have a catch up. It's been a hot sec since I saw you. Wipe your calendar for me." Elliot said already walking to Christian's office. Christian rolled his eyes at his brother's back.
"Bulldozer. Absolute bulldozer."
