Chapter 15
Ana walked into GEH Monday morning with a spring in her step. It was going to be a great day. In her bag was the book Christian had given her and her arms were loaded with a box full of cream puffs for him. She had made sure to take extra care when baking them; she wanted them to be perfect. It was the least she could do, after all.
Thinking back to yesterday, she had gotten a huge surprise when she saw that Christian had sent her a friend request on Facebook. It was the last thing she expected. She did end up accepting, however and refrained from going through his profile. Their banter during their texting spiel had also put her in a happy mood, it always did. Kate had questioned her about what Christian had said and Ana's response had been vague at best. She had wanted to keep some things to herself. Although Kate did let out an excited squeak when Ana told her Christian had added her on Facebook. Kate had thought it was a huge deal, but Ana didn't really see the significance. Maybe it was because she wasn't a big user of the site and she doubted they'd interact on it.
Andrea smiled as Ana got off the elevator. "Good morning Ana." There was a twinkle in Andrea's eye which was out of the ordinary for a Monday morning for her.
"Morning Andrea." Ana smiled as she took off her bag and coat. Ana quickly glanced at Christian's schedule for the day and saw that his first appointment was at 9am. "Is Chris – I mean Mr Grey here yet?" She asked, hands placed on top of the box.
"Yep. He just came in 10 minutes ago whistling a happy tune with a pep in his step. Much like you actually." Andrea smiled knowingly.
"Great. I'll be right back." Ana said. She walked to Christian's office and knocked on the door before entering.
Christian was sat on the table in the corner of his office as opposed to his desk which was a change. He smiled when he saw it was Ana.
"Hi." Ana smiled somewhat shyly.
"Good morning Anastasia." Christian said brightly. His eyes dropped to the box in her hands and his eyes lit up expectantly.
"I bought you something." She walked over to the table where he sat and placed the box down in front of him. "Here. Open it and tell me if they are up to standard."
"I can smell them already." He said excitedly. He took the lid off and dived in for one straight away. It was in his mouth before Ana could blink. Christian groaned in pleasure. It tasted unbelievable. Ana blushed. "Oh my word… they are out of this world. You didn't disappoint. You've outdone yourself this time Miss Steele."
Ana laughed lightly. "You didn't even look at them before you gobbled one down. For all you know they could've been anything or they could have been tainted."
He looked at her dubiously. "You would never."
Ana shrugged while grinning. "Well, you never know…" Christian shook his head at her laughing. He shoved two more in his mouth. "Woah there. You might want to slow down. It's not even 9 o'clock in the morning yet."
Christian sat down and pushed the box away from him slightly. "You're right, I need to stop." He groaned as if it was the hardest task. "How many did Elliot get?"
"I saved about 10 for him and Kate."
Christian raised a brow. "I suppose that's fine. There must be at least 30 in that box." He said gesturing towards the box in front of him. "I'm okay with that ratio." He nodded to himself. Ana chuckled. He was so serious about it. "Did you put something in them?" He asked curiously. "They taste different than last time."
"I put some cinnamon in the cream. Thought I might spice things up a bit."
"They taste better than last time. I didn't even think it was possible. Thank you for these." Christian said sincerely with soft grey eyes.
"You're thanking me? Come on. These can't compare to god knows how much you spent on that book on Saturday." Ana shook her head. she wanted to know how much but she also liked being oblivious to it because once she found out the price, she'd think about it every time she saw the book.
"Trust me. They make up for it. These cream puffs are worth good money. If publishing doesn't work out for you, then you'll go a long way in the baking industry." He told her truthfully.
"I've been told that before, actually." Ana said lightly. "Anyway, I better get started on the work and I'm pretty sure Miss Smith is already here waiting for you."
"Alright. I'll see you later Anastasia." He smiled.
"We're still on Anastasia?" Ana asked jokingly, walking towards the door.
He smirked and stood up to move the box. "We're at work and besides I like it."
"Whatever you say Mr Grey. I'll see you in a bit." Ana gave him a little wave as she walked out.
As she got back to the desk, she spied a very elegant looking Miss Smith perched on the sofa. Ana flashed her a polite smile but all she got back was a curious stare.
"So…. How was the gala?" Andrea asked a little later on as they sat at their computers.
"It was great. I had an amazing night and met some amazing people." Ana didn't look up from her computer.
After a moment's pause, Andrea responded. "Is… that it? You have nothing else to say? Come on Anastasia Steele, you gotta give me something here! I saw the pictures of you and Mr Grey. You looked so beautiful and he looked so handsome. I mean I know the boss is hot but in a tux? Phew. He is a sight to behold." She swiped her forehead.
Ana paused. "You saw the pictures?" She obviously knew they'd appear in some tabloids especially after the whole paparazzi party at the start, but it was still startling.
"Yeah. You guys were plastered across all the papers and gossip websites on Sunday morning. Kind of hard to miss."
Ana turned to look at Andrea. "Okay. It was one of the most amazing nights I've ever experienced. Everything was perfect. The decoration made it feel like it was something out of a fairy tale and the view from the terrace was so… peaceful." Ana gushed thinking back to that night.
"I saw the picture you uploaded on Facebook. You clean up well eh?" Andrea nudged her with her elbow. "No but seriously. You looked so stunning and I loved your dress!"
"Thanks Andrea. Mia helped me find it. Only took about six hours." Ana said.
"Mia as in Mia Grey? His sister? Didn't know you guys were that close. Anyway, tell me more!" Andrea waved her hand, encouraging Ana.
"Well I met Christian's parents. They were some of the loveliest people I've met." Ana paused when Andrea raised a lone brow. "What?" She asked confusedly.
"Christian?"
"Well yeah. I couldn't go the whole night calling him Mr Grey, it would've been weird. And I got him to call me Ana, but he said he'd only do so when we're not at work."
"Fair enough."
"Anyway… the Hors d'oeuvre's tasted unbelievable. I think I might have sampled all of them. I met some pretty influential people so hopefully I made good connections, and something might come out of them in the future. There was a silent auction and I bid on a first edition of Tess of the D'Urbervilles then during the dinner they announced that I won it but when I went to pay, they said someone had gifted it to me." Ana didn't tell her that it was Christian. Some things were best kept private. "Also, during the dinner, I was sat next to a woman called Hannah who is actually an editorial assistant at Hoffman, and we got along really well. We talked about things for most of the duration of dinner and she took my number and told me she'd let me know if there were any openings at Hoffman or anywhere. The speeches and slideshows about those poor children hurt my heart but it really opened my eyes up. And… after that we just danced the night away after a bit more networking."
"Wow. Sounds like it was a good night for you. You got all you wanted to achieve right?" Andrea asked.
"I was so nervous beforehand, so I was glad everything went so smoothly."
"Did you dance with Grey?"
"Which one? I danced with all of them." Ana grinned triumphantly.
Andrea gasped dramatically and pushed Ana's shoulder. "Anastasia Steele!"
Ana laughed at her reaction. "Shut up. It was nice but yes I did dance with Christian." Andrea raised a brow. "What? What more do you want me to say about that?"
"How was it?"
"It was great. He's an amazing dancer which is to be as expected. I'm a pretty bad dancer but he made me feel completely at ease." Ana said lightly.
"Did you dance with anyone else?"
"I got asked by this one guy to dance. He was cute but there was nothing there. I didn't even finish the dance with him, and Christian had to rescue me."
"Wow. Talk about saving a damsel in distress. It sounds so fairy-tale-like." Andrea's eyes took on a dream-like quality. She snapped back to reality when she heard her computer ping. "Was it weird going with Mr Grey? No awkwardness?"
"Surprisingly, no. I thought it was going to be weird but I'm pretty comfortable around him and I'd say he's like a friend. We talked like friends throughout the night." Ana mused.
"You're right. It's not like he's some monster of a boss. Such a charmer. That was the first time he's ever taken someone who's worked for him as a date. It was a huge deal. But I admire him for helping you out despite all the gossip that's going to go around now. He's a good guy." Andrea said.
"Yeah… "Ana trailed off, thinking. Christian was an exceptional guy. There was no doubt about it and every day, her respect for him grew. Ana was pretty sure that Christian had more important things to do than help a struggling college graduate achieve her career dreams, yet he still did so much for her. Christian was an enigma.
"I think its inevitable that you're going to leave one day, right? I'm gonna miss you Ana. You've completely transformed this place. It won't be the same anymore. No one could replace you." Andrea said seriously.
"I'm gonna miss you and GEH too, Andrea. So much. But it's not happening just yet so lets not think about that right now."
Their conversation ended as the intercom buzzed and Mr Grey requested a file from the archives.
At lunch time, Ana is sat at the break room table with some leftovers from last night's dinner, reading her new prized possession. She had doubts about taking it out of the house where harm could come to it and really anything could happen, and sure she had another copy of the book. It was no first edition, but she just couldn't help herself and she needed to read this copy ASAP.
20 minutes into her re-reading of Tess, her phone started ringing. She glanced at it to see an incoming FaceTime call from Lily. Excitedly, Ana hit the answer button. Lily's beaming smile appeared, and Ana couldn't help the grin that spread on her face. Lily's happy energy was infectious and even though she hadn't spoken yet, Ana could still feel her happiness.
"Ana! Hi!" Lilly exclaimed. Behind Lily it was dark, nearly pitch black and Ana thought there might have been a flashlight illuminating Lily's face.
Ana laughed. "Hi Lily! How are you?"
The two girls caught up for a few minutes. Ana asked her why it was so dark behind her and Lily explained how she was now exploring Thailand for a little bit as she had a week off from her work and it was 2am and she had decided to sit outside to enjoy the sounds of the night. Lily asked Ana where she was since the background didn't look familiar and Ana had told her she was at work but on her lunch break.
"Oh crap! I totally forgot about the time difference. It didn't even occur to me." Ana understood that completely. Lily had a tendency to do things on a whim without considering other factors. "I know I'm late, but I've just seen your text and you never did call me, so I took matters into my own hands." Lily shrugged.
Ana gave her a very brief overview of the night since she didn't want to tell all during her lunch. "Oh my god he gifted you a first edition! Stop. Tell me, why is that the most romantic thing I've ever heard." Lily cried dramatically, fanning herself. Ana rolled her eyes at Lily's antics.
"It wasn't a romantic gesture at all Lily."
"I don't care. To me it sounded like a romantic thing and he saved you from that dancing douche? Gotta say I'm a fan." Lily said.
As Ana chuckled at Lily's words, she heard footsteps behind her and turned to look. Christian had just entered the break room but stopped when he saw Ana was on the phone.
"Oh! Sorry Anastasia. I didn't realise you were on the phone. I'm just going to grab something really quick and I'll get out of your way." He said quietly.
"Don't worry Mr Grey. You're not interrupting anything." She said to him with a smile to showcase her point. She looked back to her phone and saw Lily grinning excitedly with her eyebrows raised and an idea occurred to her. "Actually, you know what, you remember me mentioning Lily, my friend from college, don't you Mr Grey? Come say hi." Ana waved him over. Lily looked like she was nearly about to wet herself with excitement.
He looked at Ana, hesitating for a moment before walking over to stand behind her shoulder, where he crouched down slightly to look at Ana's phone. "Hello Lily. I hope you are well." He said cordially to the beaming blonde-haired girl who was surrounded by darkness.
Lily cleared her throat and tried to contain herself. "Hi Mr Grey. It's so nice to meet you. I'm a huge fan." Lily said as calmly as she could. Ana's lips twitched in amusement.
"Thank you, Lily. How is your travelling going?" He asked interestedly. He could vaguely smell Ana's shampoo.
Lily seemed taken aback. "It's going great actually, thanks for asking! I'm currently in Thailand and forgot about the time difference and I just really wanted to speak to Ana about how her first gala went."
Ana felt like a spectator to this conversation. She wasn't participating but she was holding the phone up.
"Thailand is one of my favourite places I've been to, so I hope you enjoy your time there. I think Anastasia's first gala went quite well; don't you think?" Christian looked to Ana.
Ana smiled. "Yeah I've been telling her all about it. And it was all thanks to this guy." Ana smiled and Christian returned it. Lily observed them curiously before speaking up.
"You looked so so so beautiful last night Ana! I wish I could have seen you in person."
"I have to agree with you there. I don't think the pictures did her justice." Christian said. Ana looked up at him and when they made eye contact, he just winked at her. Ana blushed and looked away. Lily watched them in fascination.
"Argh, man! I have massive FOMO right now. I wish I could be in two places at once. It would solve all my problems." Lily said faintly.
Christian chuckled. "Alright, ladies. I'll let you get back to it. It was very nice to meet you Lily."
"Great to meet you too Mr Grey! Bye!" Lily waved enthusiastically.
Christian straightened and walked over to the fridge, out of shot of Ana's phone.
"Phew. What a fine specimen. He's so hot up close. How do you work with that all day, every day?" Ana frantically waved a hand trying to tell Lily to shut up, but Lily was too busy fanning herself to notice. Ana didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Obviously, she had assumed that Christian had left the room. The man himself just turned around and he met Ana's embarrassed eyes, with a smirk. Ana mouthed a sorry. He just shook his head, quietly laughing to himself. He quickly got something out of the fridge and all but dashed out.
"Lily! What is wrong with you!? He was still right there when you said that. He just left." Ana whisper yelled.
"What? I thought he left?" Lily asked confused. She then waved a dismissive hand. "Eh, doesn't matter anyway. He probably gets that all the time; he should be used to it and what are the chances of me ever seeing him again? Slim to none." Lily was very carefree and didn't worry about things for too long. Ana wished she had Lily's attitude sometimes.
"True, but it was still embarrassing for me."
"Sorry Ana." Lily said meekly. "But seriously, how do you get any work done with him around?"
"It's not that hard. I've never really thought about his looks. He's my boss so what good would come out of me thinking about his hotness?"
"Is there something going on between you two?" Lily asked, genuinely curious.
Ana frowned. "No. Of course not."
"He definitely didn't seem like the big bad wolf that everyone describes him as. He was so nice."
"He's not some ungodly monster, Lil. He's one of the nicest guys I've had the chance of meeting. He's only mean when you've pissed him off or something." Ana defended him. it felt like she was doing that a lot recently.
"Are you sure you haven't just charmed him with your adorable personality?" Lily joked. Ana rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Damn. I want to meet him in person now."
"You totally could. If I'm still working here when you get back." Ana suggested. Lily looked thoughtful before Ana heard a beeping noise.
"Crap. My phone's about to die. I promised to go see the sunrise with some friends I made which is in like 3 hours. I'll talk to you later Ana. I want a comprehensive review of your first gala. Every little thing that happened, I want to know. Oh, and you're probably better off calling me when you're free rather than me calling you, just in case you're at work again. But don't forget! It's flashing, oh no, bye Ana!" Lily waved frantically.
"Got it Lily. I'll call soon. See you!" Ana waved quickly as the call ended. Ana quietly laughed to herself as she put her phone down. Lily was a force of nature, but she always left you feeling lighter than you were before.
Ana was daydreaming looking out the window when she heard footsteps enter the room again. She turned around to see it was Christian again. He whispered that he was getting some water, but Ana stopped him.
"Don't worry, I'm not on the phone anymore." Ana told him.
Christian paused and then walked at a more normal pace. He took a bottle of water out of the fridge and walked over to the table, standing across from Ana. "So that was Lily huh? She is everything you said she was. Wild and carefree."
"Perfect description of her isn't it. I'm sorry about her. Sometimes she has no filter but, in her defence, she thought you had left the room." Ana crossed her arms on the tabletop, leaning on them.
"It's fine. I really don't want to sound big-headed and arrogant, but I'm used to it." He shrugged.
"Yeah… no it still sounds arrogant." Ana laughed. Christian smirked.
He took a big swig of his water and Ana watched his Adam's apple bob. Even drinking water, he was graceful. He gestured towards Ana's book. "I see you've already gotten started?"
"I couldn't help it. I've read it so, so many times but something about reading the first edition makes it all the more exciting."
"I think I'm going to have to read it sometime. Why do you love it so much?" He asked curiously, leaning on a chair.
"It was the first piece of literature I read on my own. As in I didn't read it for school or anything and I was just fascinated by it. The story is bizarre especially reading it now, but you have to remember that it was written during the 19th century. This story is tragic, but I really admire Tess's struggle and her strength to remain soft despite everything that's happened to her. And I really like how the book reflects many people's beliefs that they were too afraid to say." She shrugged. "Some people would find it infuriating how she doesn't stand up for herself and wouldn't be able to read the whole thing, but the message is thought-provoking, even in today's society." Ana mused.
"I feel like I just got a huge glimpse into your brain. That's quite a good way to get to know someone isn't it? Just read the books they love and listen to the music they listen to and look at the artwork that they admire. It's like you're seeing into their heads. It's quite an intimate way of getting to know someone." Christian said thoughtfully.
"I agree with you. I've always thought of it as they're the things that people don't say. I clearly have a thing for unspoken words." Ana smiled.
"I was never into creative things, but I really wish I was. Seems like it makes life all the more interesting. The first step is to read that book." He pointed to the book in front of Ana.
"I have to say though, this doesn't seem like it's going to be your cup of tea. Maybe you should start with something a bit more… mainstream? Like To Kill a Mockingbird or something like that?" Ana suggested.
"You know what? You are the literature/book expert here, so I trust your judgement Anastasia. Suggest me a book and I will get right onto it."
Ana chuckled. "Of course. You got it."
"Alright. I'm going to go get some real lunch. I've been eating cream puffs all day. Not the best for my stomach."
"You and Elliot both have a cream puff problem. Seriously." Ana shook her head in amusement.
Throughout the rest of the week, Ana heard multiple rumours about her and Christian being together. They frustrated her more than anything. It wasn't anybody's business if they were together or not. She got a couple of envious dirty looks whenever she ventured around GEH especially to the cafeteria, so she'd been steering clear and either going out for lunch or bringing lunch from home. Some people had actually come up to her to tell her she looked beautiful during the gala and were enquiring about her dress.
Ana was pretty sure Christian had heard of them; nothing got past him. He hadn't acknowledged them straightaway. A few days later however, he had sent out a companywide email explaining why he had taken Ana to the gala and to confirm there was no fraternisation and to reiterate the fact that their personal lives were nobody's business. Ana was grateful he had cleared things up but when she read the email, a pang went through her. It was quite harsh, and Ana tried not to let certain thoughts get to her. She knew she was being ridiculous but the feeling lingered and she kept to herself for the rest of the day. It also seemed like Christian was avoiding her. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but she hadn't seen him much for the rest of the week and when they did cross paths, he only gave her a nod in greeting or a polite smile.
Ana's head was in turmoil. She herself had no idea what was going on and what she was actually 'upset' at. Ana wasn't sure if she was just making up things in her head and making a bigger deal of it. Fed up with herself, Ana just tried not to think about any of it and focus on other things.
Kate had just gotten back from Elliot's midday on Saturday. She spent more time at his than her apartment, but Ana didn't really mind being alone, and she wasn't subjected to their lovemaking sessions all through the night.
"Hey, hey, hey." Kate shouted as she came through the door.
Ana was sat on the couch watching episodes from the early seasons of Grey's Anatomy. "Hi." She turned to smile at Kate. Kate made a beeline for her room and reappeared half an hour later. After grabbing a banana from the kitchen, she plopped down on the couch next to Ana. She looked to the television curiously.
"Why are you watching old Grey's Anatomy? You've already watched them."
"I just felt like it." Ana said. Kate glanced at her. "How's Elliot?" Ana asked without looking away from the television.
"He's good. Good." Kate said. "What's wrong?" She asked after a beat.
Ana looked at her startled. "Nothing. Why?"
"I know you. I can tell when something's on your mind. That and the fact that you're watching the episode where George dies." Kate gestured to the TV.
Ana sighed in defeat. "Honestly? Nothing's wrong. It's just me. I'm being an idiot." Ana shook her head. On the screen Bailey was crying.
"Tell me, and I'll tell you if you are being an idiot or not. You know I would give it to you straight." Kate smiled proudly.
Ana gathered her thoughts. "There have been loads of rumours flying about at GEH of Christian and I being together because we went to the gala together and apparently that's what it appeared like in the pictures. I was getting some dirty looks pretty often which makes sense since they all thought I was sleeping my way to the top or something, whatever. Then Christian sent an email out, explaining the situation and saying there's absolutely nothing going on between us. That's it."
"Ooookay. See this is what I was worried about. The rumours that were going to be made up of you two. So, what's wrong then? That doesn't sound like anything bad. Isn't that good that he cleared things up and that you won't be getting dirty looks anymore? Your reputation won't be harmed." Kate said logically.
"Yeah exactly. I am glad he sent that email." Kate waved her hand as if to say go on. "I don't know. The email was so harsh. And I just felt… this odd pang inside. It's so stupid. Maybe it was 'cause it seemed so black and white and so cold." She shook her head.
Kate levelled her with a calculating stare. "Let me see the email. Come on." Kate wiggled her fingers when Ana gave her a confused look.
Ana handed over her phone after pulling up the email. Her eyes darted to the TV while Kate was reading. Meredith and Derek were now writing their wedding post-it which made Ana smile.
"You're right. It's very harsh. He sounds every bit like the big bad CEO that he is. He's doing what needed to be done. And this way was the most effective way to do it."
"I know." Ana sighed. "It also felt like ever since the email, he's been avoiding me. We're pretty good friends now I'd say but I've barely seen him the past few days and I don't know if its coincidental or what but even when he sees me, he just gives me a polite smile and nods."
Kate looked away thoughtfully for a moment. Idiot Grey. "Maybe he thinks that he needs to distance himself from you for a little bit to help put the rumours to bed. Is that why you're down? You're not getting your daily fix of Christian Grey?" Kate grinned teasingly.
Ana rolled her eyes. "Shut up Kate. I don't know. I was kinda hurt by his behaviour whether I want to admit it or not. We were getting along so well, and I liked talking to him and I liked the conversation's we used to have about random things and then it just ended all of a sudden."
"He'll get over himself Ana. I doubt he cares that much about what his employees think of his personal life anyway and he's probably doing this more for you than for himself." She paused. "If this was before the gala, you would never catch me defending him and offering up excuses for his behaviour, but I've seen the way he is around you. It's certainly nothing you've done, and you can't do much else so I think you should just let him do whatever he's doing, and he'll get over whatever it is. He can't avoid you forever and he'll realise what he's doing isn't the right thing. Boys are stupid." Kate said with finality.
"Hm." Ana hummed, her eyes on the television but her mind a million miles away. She knew what she was feeling was ridiculous and she didn't want to justify them, she just wanted to get over this weird funk.
"You have a tendency to overthink Ana. You can't help it, but I can help you. Let's go out and get you out of this funk. Come on, get dressed before you start crying at this." Kate stood up and pointed at the TV.
Kate went to her room and called Elliot to see if he was up to coming with them. He could definitely cheer up Ana easily. Kate wanted to shake some sense into Christian Grey's head. Kate never would have thought he'd be 'sensitive' over rumours. He was messing with Ana's head whether he knew it or not. But if Christian had feelings for Ana, like Kate and Elliot thought he did, then this period of ignorance wouldn't be lasting very long at all. The man won't be able to stay away. All there was to do now was to help Ana stop worrying about him for the time being. And what better way than a picnic on this hot, sunny day.
Elliot was actually with Mia, so Kate invited both of them. Both of their happy go lucky attitudes will be an advantage. Kate asked them if they could stop by a store and grab some snacks and drinks, before she herself went into the kitchen to make some sandwiches, a few small salads and for something sweet she conjured up some yoghurt parfaits and a variety of fruits. She cut up some cold meat and placed everything inside a picnic basket alongside some paper plates and cutlery. Elliot should be getting bottled drinks so there was no need for glasses. Kate analysed the basket, thinking what else she could add when she spotted a blue blanket on the couch. She folded it up and placed it neatly on top. As an afterthought, she grabbed some of Ana's favourite chocolate and hid them inside before placing the basket by the door, ready to go.
"Kate, how should I dress?" Ana called from the bathroom.
"We're going on a picnic, so dress comfy!" Kate called back. Walking into her room again, she decided to see if Emily was free. Lucky for her, Emily had just finished work and Kate asked her if she could bring some of her baked goods. After confirming the time and place, Kate got ready. She kept things as simple as she could with a white cami bodysuit, and some blue cut off shorts. No makeup and hair left loose.
Kate waited by the door for Ana, texting Mia about updates when Ana emerged. She was dressed in a summery red floral mini dress paired with some white sneakers and her hair was up in a ponytail. Kate nodded her approval. Ana had been getting better with fashion since they'd graduated. "The sun is beaming out there, did you wear sunscreen?" Kate asked her.
"Oh shoot." Ana darted back inside her room and proceeded to lather her body up. She grabbed a little bag to take her phone and keys in and dropped the sunscreen in too just in case she needed more later on. She grabbed her sunglasses on the way out.
Kate carried the basket and Ana was carrying Kate's bag. They decided to walk since it was so warm, and they talked about random things while on their way to a local park.
The park was busy and there very so many people lounging around on the grass, but they managed to find a spot and they started to set everything up. Elliot and Mia arrived a few minutes later.
"Hi! Oh my god!" Mia squealed when she was within hearing distance of Kate and Ana. Mia pulled Ana, who was the closest to her, in a very tight hug squeezing with all her might whilst simultaneously bouncing on her feet. "I'm so happy you guys asked us to come. This is the most wholesome thing ever; I love it already!" Mia was looking as glam as always; she was also in a flowy dress but she had on heels and a fair amount of jewellery.
Elliot showed them all the different cheeses, crackers, dips and chips that he got amongst a lot of other things. They went a little overboard but what else did they expect from Elliot and Mia? "She was so excited, that she very nearly picked out one of everything from the store, but I managed to restrain her."
Emily arrived a little later and she was pretty overwhelmed by Mia's exuberance at first, but she got used to it pretty soon and the two of them got on like a house on fire once they started talking about design.
The five of them spent the day laughing and eating in the sun. Ana briefly thought that this was the most fun she had had in a long time. The gala was amazing, sure but this was what Ana was comfortable with and she absolutely loved just hanging out with her friends. The gala was on one end of the fun spectrum and this was on the completely other side of it.
The atmosphere in the park was so so nice. Babies were crying, kids were laughing, teenagers were lounging, some people were reading and a group of girls not too far away were playing some music on a speaker and singing along which added to the ambiance which no one seemed to mind. Ana hummed along to Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles as she looked around in content. There was so much going on, but it was still so peaceful. The overall vibe was just happiness. Ana's mood had significantly improved within a few minutes. The atmosphere of the park made you appreciate it all and it was difficult to be feeling down in a place like this.
Ana threw her head back and laughed at something Elliot said, feeling the warm sun on her face. She felt so light in this moment in time, like she could just drift away. She had no worries, she realised. She couldn't find it in her to care about anything right now except this moment. Ana met Kate's eyes who had raised her brows in a silent question. Ana just grinned at her from behind her sunglasses and nodded minutely. Kate smiled in triumph, looking mighty proud of herself before sliding her own sunglasses on and leaning back on the blanket.
After devouring most of the food and after a few beers had been consumed, Mia, Kate and Emily lay back on the blanket to catch a few rays of the sun and try to tan. Ana wasn't particularly bothered about getting a tan or not so when Elliot suggested that she and him play with a frisbee, she eagerly agreed. She was also very glad that she had worn shorts under her dress.
Elliot made his mission to try and hit Ana with the frisbee. She couldn't stop laughing. She was pretty good at dodging his throws though and managed to catch most of them. After they played for a while, Elliot got bored and came back with one of those soft soccer balls in his hands. When Ana enquired where on earth he got it from, he confessed that he bought some things to play with at the store too.
The two of them played around with it, running across the lawn. The other three joined in after a while and while it did get competitive, it was still a lot of fun. Kate tackled Elliot for the ball at one point and they all nearly fell over from laughing, seeing big buff Elliot get knocked over by Kate.
The sun was starting to set, colouring the sky in pinks, oranges and reds. Everything was covered in a warm golden glow. As she ran across the grass, panting away trying to dodge Emily, Ana's heart swelled with gratitude. Gratitude for these people. Gratitude for this moment.
I read all your reviews and I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the love on this story! Like Ana, my heart fills with so much gratitude when I read them!
Also this is just a tiny bit of drama, if you want to even call it that. But trust me, there won't be much drama at all in this story. It's meant to make you feel light and happy.
