Chapter 21

Ana woke up the next morning at 9am which was surprising considering she didn't get to bed until 2. Her mouth was rather dry but other than that she didn't feel very hungover, but she could feel the beginning of a headache coming on and if she wasn't careful, it would become full blown.

There was still an hour left of breakfast, so she decided to go downstairs and eat her breakfast among the living rather than staying in her room like a recluse on her last morning here.

She quickly got ready and dressed in a casual shirt and jeans, hoping it wasn't too casual for this upscale hotel, but it was just breakfast so she doubted people would be there dressed to the nines.

Leaving her phone in her room, she just took a book with her. The light from technology won't be good for her head today. Heading down, there was quite a few people in there. She chose eggs on toast and some fruit alongside some water. The array of foods on offer was so vast and she was spoilt for choice, but she felt like her stomach wouldn't be able to handle more than what she'd chosen.

Ana found a table near to the large windows. She spent the next hour, enjoying her breakfast and finishing off one of the numerous books she had started while on the trip.

She spent some time people watching and she didn't know the next time she'd be back here, so she treasured every last moment. People watching in New York city was unlike anything she'd done before. She could already tell the city was busier than it had been during the weekdays. There was a ton more families out and the fast pace of the city had calmed a little.

She even saw Taylor heading out somewhere, dressed in casual clothes and she wondered if Christian gave him time off. She couldn't help but wonder what Christian was planning to do today. She remembered last night that he had said he would have hung out with her if he could and she wanted to ask him, but the thought made her nervous.

As she walked back to her room, she thought about last night. She remembered everything and didn't regret telling Christian all that she had. Something had changed between them last night. Their dynamic had changed. She felt like they'd gotten so much closer. He made her feel so safe and at ease. He was her comfort blanket.

She didn't want to overthink it in case she started acting off in front of him because she had conjured up some weird thought. What is meant to be, will be so she decided to go with the flow and not worry.

They didn't have to leave the hotel until 5pm to get to the airport so she had a good few hours to kill. She opted to head to Washington Square Park and spend the day there.

The sun was shining again so she put on a pattered ditsy wrap style dress that ended just above her knees with some sneakers. Kate would approve and it was simple. She made sure to grab her sunglasses to ward off the glare of the sun. She left her hair down since it was still a little damp from the shower she had taken.

The park was in Greenwich Village and she was quite fond of that area. She wanted to explore it a little more but didn't want to waste an hour walking there so she compromised and took the subway halfway then walked the rest of the way. There was a lot less suits out and about today and the atmosphere in the city was different.

Greenwich Village was just full of so much culture, it was astounding. Behind every corner, there was a story. She saw some shops that she liked the look of and found things for her friends and her dad.

Arriving in the park, she noticed it was quite busy, but she managed to find a space on the grass near the infamous fountain and the arch. It was breath-taking. This park didn't have as much greenery as central park, but Christian was right; she did like it.

Right in front of her, closer to the fountain was a guy singing while strumming his guitar. He had a very soulful voice and sang a mixture of slower and more upbeat songs, but his music didn't overtake the sounds of the fountain, but rather complimented it. The whole scene just screamed peace and serenity. She could vaguely make out other music coming from different directions but this one was the most prominent to her. She got to reading her book, getting lost in its pages and all but tuning everything else out.

"The way we keep running into each other can't be a coincidence." Came a very familiar amused voice.

Looking up she met Christian's eyes who was squinting as he looked down at her on the grass. "Christian!" She said in surprise. "It must be fate." She laughed. "What are you doing here?"

He was dressed pretty casually in jeans and a shirt, holding a jacket in his hands. "It's our last day so I thought I would visit this place and have some 'me' time."

"You want to join me?" Ana asked, remembering their conversation last night.

He smiled. "I'd love to. Thanks Ana." He gracefully lowered himself down onto the grass. Her legs were outstretched so he sat perpendicular to them, also stretching his legs. They talked about their mornings and Ana's barely-there hangover.

They then sat in a companionable silence, both doing their own things. Just being in each other's presence made a whole lot of a difference. Ana resumed reading and Christian answered emails and messages on his phone. After a while, Christian must have gotten fed up with the emails because he lay down flat on the grass using his jacket as a pillow, put his sunglasses on and threw an arm over his eyes, lying still.

Ana didn't move her head, but she peered at him and just watched him for a few minutes. She wondered if he was going to take a nap. She'd never seen him in casual clothes before. He was always in some sort of a suit but today he was dressed normal. It was a stark contrast to his usual appearance, but it didn't take anything away from it. He could pull off anything. The suits were attractive of course, but she preferred him like this. Casual and relaxed.

Feeling like a creeper for checking him out, she averted her eyes away from him and returned them to her book, wanting to finish it today. While she read a couple of more chapters, Christian didn't move once except for the rise and fall of his chest. Deciding that she needed a break from the words on the page, she closed it, popped her sunglasses on and leaned back on her hands trying to soak up some of the rays. She watched the people around her for a bit.

The guy singing by the fountain had been joined by others. There was even the sound of a drumbeat coming from somewhere. He was so invested in the song; he had his eyes closed and his hands were strumming with vigour. He messed up on one part and he laughed at himself into the microphone. It made Ana smile. It was so human and so very charming.

Her stomach rumbled and Christian moved. She almost got a fright; he'd been so still. He moved his glasses down slightly so Ana was able to see his eyes. He obviously hadn't been asleep.

"I thought you fell asleep. You were so still." She said.

"It was hard not to. Did you have plans for lunch?" He asked her.

"No. I was just going to grab something quick from somewhere."

"Do you trust me?" He asked, sitting up.

Ana frowned slightly. "Yeah?"

He got onto his feet. "Great. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back okay?"

"…Okay." Her voice trailed after him in confusion. She watched him disappear in the crowd wondering what he was up to.

He reappeared 15 minutes later with a plastic bag in his hands. He looked like he was walking down a runaway with his sunglasses on and one hand in the pocket of his jeans. Ana couldn't help but stare as he approached her, and she knew she wasn't the only one having trouble looking away.

He deposited himself back down on the grass and he nudged Ana's foot away so he could set out the contents of the bag in front of them. He took out two white boxes and two bottles of water, handing Ana one of each with some wooden cutlery. The smell that was emitting from the boxes was incredible and her hungry stomach became ravenous.

She opened it up and it looked and smelt like Indian food, but she couldn't be sure.

"It's dosas stuffed with potatoes, vegetables and sauce and then there's lentil soup in the pot as well." He explained as she surveyed the contents.

"Wow. It smells unbelievable."

"It's from the food cart just down there owned by a guy from Sri Lanka. It's healthy but it tastes great which is a rarity. I try to have it whenever I'm around. It's some of the best I've ever had." Christian said enthusiastically.

Ana took a few bites and was very aware of Christian watching her. "Oh my god, that's so good!" She said, widening her eyes to emphasise her point.

Christian chuckled, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he dug in.

"Thanks Christian." She smiled. He smiled back at her.

They spoke in between bites of food, mostly about their food preferences and if they could cook or not. Ana was surprised to find that he had a housekeeper, who was also Taylor's wife, who cooked most of his meals, but it was obvious he had a lot of respect for the woman in the way he spoke about her. Ana told him about cooking for her and her dad as she grew up and then in college, she taught Kate how to cook. He was very impressed that she'd all but taught herself how to cook.

"That was some of the best food I've ever had." Ana said with conviction, closing her empty box and putting it back in the bag. She stretched her legs out again as she fiddled with the water bottle in her hands.

"Hidden gems are always the best. I can safely say I've probably had better food from food trucks and stalls than some high-end restaurants." Christian mirrored her pose but leaned back slightly on his hands.

They turned their eyes to the crowd of people again, watching the buskers.

A ball rolled over by their feet and they both watched it before looking up to see who it belonged to. Christian picked it up as they found a group of young kids, no more than 8 years old, staring at them, standing around in a circle and one of them had their hands covering their mouth sheepishly.

"Sorry!" The kid shouted and he was obviously going to come and get it but Christian gestured that he was going to throw it.

"What if it hits somebody?" Ana asked worried. He flashed her a look as if to say, 'I've got this' and Ana returned it with an unconvinced one of her own.

He threw it from his position on the floor and it landed right at the boy's feet. Ana shook her head in relief as she chuckled. The kids cheered for Christian and he grinned widely while waving them off, but Ana could see the slightest bit of pink on his cheeks.

"You're blushing!" Ana teased him, nudging him with her shoulder.

He swiftly placed his sunglasses back on his face trying to cover it up. "I'm not blushing. I'm just a little warm." He defended himself weakly, not looking at her.

Ana laughed. "Right." She drawled. "You probably made that kids day so don't be embarrassed. Besides, you do look cute when you blush." She smirked. His ears slowly turned pink and Ana laughed as she patted his shoulder comfortingly. "It was a nice thing to do."

He put his water bottle on his cheeks hoping to cool them down. He leaned further back on his elbows slightly behind Ana as she stayed in her current position.

The busker was singing I'm Yours by Jason Mraz and there was a young family in front of him, dancing around. The two children, a girl and a boy, looked to be around five years old and they were twirling each other around while their parents held hands and did the same. There were quite a few people watching them and even the busker chuckled at them while singing. They switched partners when the kids got shy and the dad dancing with the daughter and the mom with the son. It was so very wholesome. A lot of people stopped and watched them while swaying to the song.

This trip has literally been a dream for Ana. She never imagined the things that had happened on the trip to ever happen in her own life. It was all very fiction-like. They both chuckled when the little boy got shy and hid in his mom's legs.

"Do you want that someday?" Ana asked softly, the wind carrying her voice.

He turned his head to look at her. "A family?" He asked. Ana nodded. He waited a moment before replying, his eyes returning to the family. "I've never really put much thought into it." He said just as softly. "But things have changed, and I think so… yeah. One day maybe. How about you?"

"Yeah. Me too. I've always just thought I'd have one, one day but I haven't put much thought into it." Ana said. Both their eyes remained trained on the family.

"I think I'd like two kids. Seems like a good number." Christian said.

"A house with a picket fence and 2.5 kids?" Ana said amusedly.

"Hmm.. yes." He chuckled. "Sounds like a good idea. I grew up in a house with three kids and it was chaos. Or maybe it was that way because it was Elliot and Mia." He laughed.

"I think three kids sounds like a good number. Not too much, not too little. And I wouldn't have to drive a big car because we'd all fit in a normal sized one."

"True." He chuckled quietly.

"And maybe a dog. I'll have to see how the kids turn out first though to see if I could handle a dog too, on top of them. And you keep making it out as though Elliot and Mia were the difficult children. What about you huh? I'm sure you were no angel child." Ana glanced back at him with a smirk.

"Okay, no angel child but I was tamer than them. Those two are more similar to each other than they are to me. Like you, I was pretty reserved most of the time." He said, tilting his head.

The dancing and singing were still going on and a few people had actually joined their dancing.

"I'm no believer in witchcraft magic but this moment is magic." She said, leaning back. Christian looked at her curiously. "You know the magic that happens in ordinary moments. Look at them all dancing. The vibe in this park is pure happiness. It has the power to uplift anyone's mood as soon as they step in and hear the music or see the dancing. That to me, is magic." She paused, breathing in the air.

"You can tell none of them are professional dancers. They're clumsy and doing whatever they want and stumbling over their own feet and I think that's beautiful. It's almost reminding you that the world isn't perfect but for one moment, it could be."

Christian didn't feel the need to add his two cents. He realised that she often thought deeply about little things and her beliefs and views about them often disarmed him. He let her speak her thoughts and he felt like whatever he would have said, wouldn't have measured up or been enough. She was in love with the imperfectly perfect moments. He wondered if she stayed up late at night, thinking about random things like these. The way she thought about things were a part of her mystical charm.

She was describing the magic in moments to him, but little did she know, that her entire being was magic and she was probably the most magical thing in his life.

They were quiet for the next hour or so, few words being spoken here and there. Ana returned to her book every so often and Christian just watched the people and got lost in his thoughts. He wanted to completely relax and let go off the tension in his shoulders from work. He didn't know the next time he'd be able to do this again, so he wanted to make the most of it.

"It looks like it's going to rain. Do you want to head back?" Christian asked after a while, sitting up.

Just as Ana tilted her head up to look at the sky, a raindrop fell of her cheek. "Oh crap." Neither of them had realised that the sun had disappeared behind the clouds and the number of people in the park was rapidly dwindling down. They quickly packed up and Ana put on her sweater, but it didn't have a hood and she didn't think to bring an umbrella.

The nearest subway station was at least a five-minute walk away, but they had no other choice. It started off as a light drizzle and they were walking at a fast pace, but it started downpouring and Christian used his jacket to cover their heads as they ran for the station. Ana had to laugh at their predicament and Christian joined in.

Arriving at the station, their heads were slightly dry but their clothes on the other hand were not. Ana had goosebumps all over her legs and her dress was sticking to them. Christian clothes were covered with wet patches. On the train, they stayed close together as Ana shivered every so often, rubbing her arms to get warm.

They got off at the station not too far from the hotel but then Ana remembered about Andrea's bagel.

She gasped dramatically, pausing at the stairs to leave the station. "Andrea's bagels!"

Christian raised his brows. "You haven't bought them yet?" He asked.

"No, I was going to buy them on my way home from the park because I wanted them to be as fresh as possible."

Christian ran a hand through his damp hair. The rain still hadn't let up. "How mad will she be if you don't get them?" He smirked.

"You don't want to face her wrath. You don't have to come with me. I can go by myself." Ana said quickly.

He shook his head. "Come on." He grabbed her hand to pull her along.

"You know where it is?" She asked, as he got the jacket ready over their heads.

"Just by central park." He said over the downfall. He'd been there before.

They ran quickly, stumbling over puddles. Ana squealed at one point when Christian ran too fast, leaving her exposed to the elements and she got soaked. He had to stop for her and chuckled at her expression. She looked disgruntled but cute.

They made it to the place which surprise, surprise wasn't busy. As Ana searched through her messages looking for the bagel flavours that Andrea wanted, Christian perused the display cabinet.

"She wants a poppy seed, plain, cinnamon raison, everything and a… French toast bagel?" Ana asked baffled at the last one. That didn't sound right.

The woman behind the counter explained the concept of French toast bagels and it sounded like a logical thing in Ana's head; it was basically French toast but for some reason it wasn't sitting right with her.

"You should try one." Christian said as she wrinkled her nose. Something occurred to him and he turned to the woman. "What time do you close?"

"In about half an hour or so."

"Do you have around 10 of each of the bagels that she said?" He asked. Ana looked at him in disbelief.

The woman nodded. "I think so. We make them fresh stock every morning, so we do need to get rid of these by the end of the day. We usually give them out to the homeless."

"That's great. We'll take 10 of each or how ever many you have of them left." He said casually, like he was buying a coffee.

"Christian what are you doing?" Ana asked.

"We ran through a New York downpour for these so we might as well go big or go home. Andrea should be satisfied with that amount, right? She does love them, and she can freeze them."

Ana nodded. She couldn't argue with that logic. It would be underwhelming if they only came out with five bagels after all the effort it took to come here.

The woman appeared from the back with a box full of bagels. 50 bagels. It was safe to say Ana had never seen anything like it. She went to pay but Christian stopped her.

"It's on me."

"But she asked me to get them."

"It's okay. It was my idea to buy her 50 of them anyways. I just want to see the look on her face. It can be a little thank you gift for her hard work or something." He shrugged as he handed over his card. "Oh, can I get an extra French toast bagel separately please?" The woman handed over a small paper bag and Christian gave it to Ana. "Now you can try it and decide if you like it."

Christian decided to call the hotel to send a car for them. They could have run again but it was still heavily raining and with the box of bagels, it would have been more difficult. He didn't want either of them getting sick and Ana was already soaked and shivering.

While Ana waited by the door for their car to show up, box of bagels in her hands, Christian went up to the woman and decided to pay for the remainder of the bagels in the shop. However, he didn't want them for himself. He quietly told the woman to give them out to the homeless or anyone who looked like they needed it and this way they would still profit. It was a win-win situation. The woman thanked him profusely for his generosity. She also may have stage-whispered to Christian that he and Ana were a lovely couple and she wished both of them well.

Christian got flustered at that. He thanked the woman with an embarrassed chuckle and pretended to look at the display cabinet again so he could compose himself before looking back at Ana. He wondered if she heard that. The woman hadn't exactly been quiet.

It was a small space, so Ana had heard everything that had been said. Christian was one of the most generous people she'd ever met. He could have told her/bragged to her that he was going to do that, but he didn't flaunt his wealth and didn't feel the need to publicly announce all of his acts of kindness which Ana had seen people do all too often. A lot of people only did nice things so that they could boast about them and get attention. His quiet generosity was one of the many things she admired about him.

She had also heard the woman call them a couple and Ana blushed. She heard Christian mumble a thank you, but he didn't correct her which Ana thought was peculiar. It wasn't the first time they'd been called a couple but every time it happened; she couldn't help but think of what it would be like if they were a couple.

Was there something other people were seeing when they looked at the two of them? Or did everyone just automatically assume that a man and woman together were a couple?

In the car, she put the box on the seat between them and tied her wet hair.

"We have less than an hour before we need to leave right?" Ana asked.

He checked his watch. "Yeah. The plane is scheduled to leave at 6 so ideally we need to be out of here an hour before that."

"Wait. Isn't check out earlier than five?" She asked him.

"It is but I pulled some strings so we can check out when we are ready." Christian said with a small grin.

Ana nodded. "The power of Christian Grey." She gushed exaggeratedly. "I forgot you were THE Christian Grey for a while." She said. He looked at her, bewildered. "I was hanging out with a normal guy today. Nothing you did today indicated that you were otherwise. Oh, except buying all those bagels. But you didn't necessarily have to be a billionaire to have done that. You could have just been crazy." Ana shrugged.

Christian barked out a laugh. "Crazy seems more plausible than billionaire huh? And I like that you forgot. I don't want billionaire to be my dominant character trait. It's superficial. I am just a normal guy Ana. I'm as ordinary as can be." He said earnestly, looking at her with soft eyes.

"Sorry I didn't mean to say that I only ever saw you as a billionaire. I know you are so much more than that and I'm glad that I get to know who that is." She smiled at him, feeling shy all of a sudden. He flashed her a smile full of gratitude.

"So, will you be ready to leave by five?" He asked her.

Ana nodded slowly. "I think so. I'm going to take a quick shower because I feel disgusting." She pulled the fabric of her dress that was sticking to her thigh to showcase her point. "And I still have a few bits and bobs to pack."

"It's okay if you need an extra ten minutes or so."

"No. I don't want to hold everyone else up. I'll be ready by then, don't worry." She was silent as she glanced out the window. She huffed out a big sigh. "I'm gonna miss this place. It's been so amazing. It was everything I've ever dreamed of."

"Somewhere between living and dreaming, there's New York." He mused. "I'm sure you'll be back soon enough." He said softly against the patter of the rain drops on the car.

"I hope so." She said pensively.

They got to the hotel and rushed up to their rooms. Ana gave the box of bagels to Christian as he offered to take them to the plane to make life a little easier for her.

In her room, she popped her wet clothes in a plastic bag before packing what was left. She took a quick shower before dressing in a sweatshirt and jeans, knowing it was slightly chilly outside. As she was packing the souvenirs she bought, she came across the book she had bought for Christian. She put it in her handbag, deciding to give it to him on the plane.

Because she had just thrown all her clothes into her suitcase instead of folding them properly, it was difficult to zip it up and she had to sit on it for it to close properly. It was time to go and she had heard Ros leave her room a few minutes ago. Out of breath from all the effort of closing her suitcase, she stopped by the door and looked around the room for anything she missed. Her eyes stopped on the view again from her windows. She walked to them, sticking her head out and admiring the stunning view one last time with a wistful smile on her face.

This was a trip she'd remember for a long time. She would be back. That she was sure of.

Pulling her suitcase along, she went down to the lobby. Everyone was already there, waiting for her. Everyone's eyes turned toward her, and she smiled sheepishly.

"Are you ready to go Anastasia?" Christian asked as she got to the group. "Got everything?"

"Yep. I'm good to go."

"You look flustered." Christian stated, eyes examining her face. He had changed into different jeans and a jumper, similar to her.

"I had a little trouble closing my case, but it's done now." She waved her hand dismissively.

Christian held his hand out to take her suitcase, but Ana shook her head. "It's okay, I've got it."

He just gave her a look that made her hand it over wordlessly with a grumbled 'thank you.' He could be a bit domineering at times.

In the car, Ana spent every moment watching the city go by. The nostalgia was hitting her full force. She failed to notice the eyes watching her.

On the plane, she sat alone for take-off, plugging her headphones in and just looking out the window. Was she being a little dramatic? Possibly so, but she had fallen in love with this place and she didn't know when she'd get to come back. She heaved a sigh once they ascended above the clouds and she couldn't see the city anymore. It had been good.

An hour into the flight, she twisted her head around to see where Christian was. Everyone was again doing their own thing in different corners and she saw him reading some papers alone. There was an empty seat next to him, so she decided to go over.

He smiled up at her in surprise when she squeezed past him to sit by the window. "Hey. You good?"

She smiled as she got comfortable. "I'm good. Thought I'd keep you company. If you want some, I mean." She added as an afterthought.

He chuckled. "How can I say no?" Ana grinned happily.

She tied her hair up as it had dried now and put her bag down by her feet. "What are you doing?" She asked him.

"Just going over some reports."

"Work? Do you ever stop?"

He shrugged. "I just want to get things done. Don't like to put them off."

"Well I think it can wait. All I ever see you do is work. You worked on the flight here too." She brought one leg up onto the seat, facing him.

"What else do you suggest I do then?"

"I'm glad you asked that because while I was exploring New York, I got you a little something." She said animatedly.

He raised his brow wondering what on earth she got him. She reached into her bag and pulled out two books. Leaving one on her lap, she presented the other one to him.

"Ta-da." She grinned.

"You bought me a book? Of course." He laughed.

"It's sort of my brand isn't it. What else would you expect?" She laughed. "But seriously. I remembered how you said you wanted to read some more books. I saw this while I was in a bookstore and I thought it'd be perfect for you." She handed it to him.

"1984 by George Orwell." He read, examining the book.

"Did you know it's one of the top three most checked out books from New York Public Library?" He raised his brows in surprise. "It's about a dystopian world where the government has total control over everything and if you go against the societal norm then you're punished for it. really, it's about the oppression of the people. I'm sure you heard the term 'big brother is always watching.' This is where that came from." She nodded towards the book. "It's no Shakespeare but I really think you'll enjoy it." She said, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden.

She bought him a book. Such an Ana thing to do and it made his chest ache with some unknown emotion. She was fiddling with the hem of her jumper and it was clear she was feeling nervous.

"Thank you, Ana. It means a lot." He said sincerely. Ana's breath caught from the look he was giving her. It seemed like his eyes were burning into her face. He cleared his throat and looked away. "I'm going to start reading this now."

She smiled. "Good. I'm going to read my one too." She held up her book to showcase her point.

They read in relative silence, both of them immersed in their respective novels but still aware of the others movement. Ana had glanced at Christian from the corner of her eye at one point to see if he was actually reading it and she had to smile at what she saw.

His brows were knitted in concentration and his lips were pursed as his eyes ran over the page back and forth. He mouthed some words every so often and she had to admit he looked absolutely adorable. She felt very satisfied with herself.

Sometime later both of them had fallen asleep and Julia had covered them with a blanket. Ana's head was on Christian's shoulder, book still in her hand and Christian had his cheek leaning on top of Ana's head, the book spread open on his lap. Ana had taken her shoes off at some point and she was snuggled into his side over the arm rest.

Ros was walking by them on the way to the bathroom and she had to stop at the sight of them. She caught Taylor and Sawyer's eyes who were staring at her curiously for abruptly stopping. "Look at these two." She whispered. "Don't they look so sweet. They look like babies." She cooed with a hand on her chest. Taylor and Sawyer peeked over at them and both of them chuckled. They did look cute.

All of them thought that they had never seen Christian so relaxed and carefree as he was around Ana. He acted younger which they all thought was a good thing; he needed to live his life outside of the company. Something in him changed when she was around him. A softer side maybe. He wasn't a patient man but when it came to her, he had all the patience and time in the world.

It was a good change. None of them were complaining.

Ana's presence on this trip completely changed the tone. She was light and she made the trip more light-hearted and relaxed. They had worked, but they'd also enjoyed themselves a lot more than they usually did.

Ros did her business in the bathroom and then went to get her phone. "This might be good payback one day." She muttered as she took a few pictures of them. "I'll send them a card with this picture at Christmas or something."

An hour or so later Christian woke up first, confused and disorientated. The clinking of glassware had woken him as the others ate their dinners. Someone was snuggled into him and he glanced down to see Ana's head on his shoulder. His head had been resting on top of her head and it was shockingly comfortable. Her hair smelled clean. She was still sound asleep, shoulders moving with her breathing and he decided to let her sleep; she was probably exhausted from today. It gave him this warm feeling, knowing that she was comfortable enough with him that she fell asleep on him.

He looked around the plane to see if anyone was watching them, but no eyes were on them. He tried to sit up a little without jostling Ana's head.

As Julia walked by with a smile, he asked for a glass of water and decided to eat dinner a little later when Ana woke up. With a goofy little lazy smile on his face, he resumed reading his book.

There was an hour left until landing and he needed to wake Ana so she could eat something before they landed. No doubt she'd fall asleep as soon as she got home.

He nudged her shoulder gently and called her name. It took a bit of nudging before she snorted lightly and lifted her head, opening her groggy eyes to glare at him like an angry, confused kitten. He had to hold his laugh in at her snort, but a few snickers left him. She was very confused and it took her a while to get her bearings.

"Wha…" blurry blue eyes took in their surroundings before she abruptly sat up. Wide eyes turned to him, wide awake now and it was very amusing to him. "Oh my god. I fell asleep on you." She said quickly, aghast. Christian nodded with a smirk. "I am so sorry! You should have woken me up or pushed me away. I used you as...as a human pillow." She exclaimed.

"Ana, it's okay. I fell asleep on you too. I'm not sure when we conked out, but I woke up an hour ago and I was asleep on top of your head, so I think that makes us even." He said softly, trying to ease her worry.

"But I was still asleep on you for an hour. You probably had things you needed to do. You should have kicked me off of you." She said.

"It's alright. Honestly Ana. I read my book. I relaxed. I was content. It was about time I put away the work and you gave me an excuse to do that. If I did have pressing things to do or I minded that you were asleep on me, I would have woken you up straight away." He said.

She frowned at him, examining his face before she leaned back and released a breath. "Okay. If you say so."

"I do." He said simply. "Now I woke you because you need to eat something. We land in an hour."

They got their food and ate while chatting about irrelevant things here and there. Once finished, Ana leaned back in her seat and looked out the window.

"You okay?" Christian asked.

She looked at him bewildered. "Yeah, why?"

"You just sighed really loudly." He stated with a smirk.

Ana's face heated slightly. "Oh. I didn't even realise." After a beat, she elaborated. "I was just thinking about how amazing this trip was. I've had the most incredible time there."

"It has been pretty good. I'm sure you'll go back some time or another." He said lightly.

"I definitely will. I want to get explore the whole city. I've made a deal with myself. But who knows when that may be?" She shrugged. "I think I started to miss the city while I was still there. Almost after every moment, I got this nostalgic feeling." She mused.

"Doesn't that mean you make the most out of every moment then?"

"Sort of… But I feel as though sometimes I get so caught up on trying to remember everything that I'm not really living in the present. I don't know if that makes sense." She shook her head lightly, to expel her thoughts. She was probably talking nonsense.

"No, I understand what you're saying. It's a fine balance and you might never get it right but that's ok." He shrugged. "This has definitely been a trip that I'm going to remember. Your presence has made so much of a difference to all of our experiences on this trip. I mean when was the last time we all went sightseeing together? Or the last time I did a pinkie promise? Or just hung out in the park all day and then ran through the pouring rain to get bagels?"

"When you say it like that, it sounds so great. But I don't think it was me that changed it. I didn't do much. I don't have that much power." Ana said doubtfully.

"You might not know it, but you do. You're effortlessly infectious. In everything you do." He looked away from the window to meet her eyes.

Ana was thrown by the intensity of his words and the way he was looking at her, so she averted her eyes quickly back to the window.

"And who else can say that they made Ros, Taylor and Sawyer get in a picture together and smile?"

Ana chuckled. "Perhaps my greatest achievement."

What Christian wasn't telling her was that, this too had been the most amazing trip for him. It was always work, work, work on these things but this one he had found time for himself and relaxed and just let go of everything. He had a newfound appreciation for New York because of her. Her love for ordinary things had influenced and maybe even changed him. He saw the significance in just sitting in a park and people watching. He was aware of the magic during late nights on rooftop bars, staring out at a never-ending view.

He wasn't going to turn into a sentimental person overnight, but he had a newfound appreciation for moments.


On Monday morning, Ana walked into work a little later than usual due to having to go pick up her car from the garage.

They'd landed late Saturday night in Seattle and Ana had spent the whole of Sunday catching Kate up on what she'd done and everything that had happened. She mentioned spending the night at the bar with Christian and the day in the park with him and Kate had gone wide-eyed and was eager to know what happened but didn't say much which was unusual for her.

"Ana that might just be the most wholesome thing I've ever heard. You say you hate movies but sometimes your life is a literal cutesy- finding yourself kind of movie." Kate had told her. "I wish I was there though; it sounds like the most amazing time. We have got to go together one day." Ana had immediately agreed.

Ana did sometimes envision herself as if she was in a movie. Albeit a very boring movie with limited drama but it changed things. Especially when she was studying; pretending she was the main character gave her more motivation to sit and study.

The trip did feel like a movie. She had to agree with Kate on that. If she hadn't lived it, she wouldn't believe that things like that actually happen in real life.

Ana juggled the box of bagels in her arms as she hit the button on the elevator. She had to text Christian to let her know she was on her way up because he wanted to be there to see Andrea's reaction to the bagels.

Stepping out onto the twentieth floor, Ana spied Andrea walking towards her and the desk speaking to someone through her headset. She also saw Christian step out of his office quietly and she had to bite back a grin.

The box was nondescript and generic looking. Andrea flashed Ana a smile and a wave as she laid eyes on her and gave a puzzled look directed at the box in her hands. Ana set down the box on top of their desk and stood on the other side as Andrea typed on her computer as she started to wrap up her call.

"Hey. What's up with the box?" Andrea asked her as she took her headset off, eyes trained on it looking for any indication as to what it contained.

"It's for you." Ana said simply. She saw Christian out of the corner of her eyes, lurking out of Andrea's sight. "Open it." Ana pushed the box forward.

Andrea narrowed her eyes at Ana. "I swear if something jumps out at me, there will be hell to pay Ana." Ana rolled her eyes with a small smile.

Andrea opened it up timidly, with the carefulness of a surgeon.

When she laid her eyes upon the bagels, she gasped loudly, eyes going wide. "Are you joking?!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

Christian appeared out of the wings and was laughing as he came to stand by Ana who had a big grin on her face.

"It's your beloved bagels." Ana stated happily, eyes dancing with mirth.

Andrea was speechless, not taking her eyes off of them. She tried to speak, her mouth was open, but no sounds came out. "I…Wh….My… uh…"

Christian and Ana flashed each other amused looks. Mission accomplished.

At that moment, Ros walked past them reading a file in her hands and looked up at them. Seeing the box, she shook her head in exasperation. "I hope you're happy Andrea. That thing took up a whole seat on the plane." She said, walking off in the direction of her office, muttering to herself. Christian smirked and Ana couldn't contain her chuckle.

"Ana…what…?"

"This wasn't actually my idea. It was this guy's." She gestured towards Christian with her thumb.

If possible, Andrea's face became even more befuddled. "I do take full credit. I have to say, this was one of my finest ideas." He said proudly.

"You got me 50 bagels?" Andrea said.

"So, I went to go and get the bagels you asked for and it just so happened that Christian was with me." Ana started.

"It was raining very heavily so we had to run through a New York downpour for these. And since we had to go through all that to get them, we couldn't just come back with 5 bagels, I figured 50 bagels might be a bigger testament to the work it took to get these. And I know how much you love them so I knew they wouldn't be going to waste." He shrugged and became almost shy at the end of his explanation which Ana found it quite endearing.

Andrea was silent as she gazed at the bagels. "I don't know what to say or think." She met his eyes. "Thank you, Mr Grey. Safe to say I've never gotten anything like this before." She turned her eyes to Ana next who had a small smile on her face as she watched the exchange. "And you Ana. Thank you both for running through the rain for these. This is my dream come true." She said sincerely. "I'm sorted for bagels for the foreseeable future."

As Ana came around the desk, Andrea pulled her in to her side giving her a one-armed hug while Ana giggled. Christian watched them amusedly.

"Speaking of…a French toast bagel?" Ana asked her.

"It's divine. Have you tried one?" Andrea asked enthusiastically.

"Nope, but he bought me one that I haven't tried yet." She nodded towards Christian as she took her coat off. "I'm going to have it for lunch."

"Oh my gosh I have an idea!" She walked quickly to the break room and came out with a plate which she placed two French toast bagels on. "There, these are Mr Grey and I's lunch too. We can all have the same thing and compare notes on them. Bonding time, right?" Andrea said.

Ana and Christian chuckled at her eagerness over the bagels. Andrea didn't get animated over much.

They spent their lunch together in the break room after putting the phones through to voicemail. A first. They ate the bagels and spoke about their time in New York.

Ana and Christian left out some bits. Some things were better kept private.

Andrea noticed something. There was a change. This weird energy of sorts. And it was between Ana and boss man. It was almost tangible.

Something had changed in nyc. Before they'd left, they barely spoke to one another and Andrea thought something had happened. But now they were chatting up a storm, communicating with just looks and so at ease with one another.

There was some sort of invisible connection and Andrea spent some time just watching the two of them. They certainly weren't acting like employee/employer anymore. If one saw them, they'd think they were the best of friends, perhaps even more than that. It's like this invisible line that had existed, just disappeared.

They both laughed a lot more, smiled brighter and were just happier. Andrea couldn't say that she disapproved of whatever this was.


Hello, hello, it's been a while and I'm really sorry!

I've been reading all your messages and reviews that you've all left and I can't even put into words how they make me feel! Thank you for all your kind words, i appreciate them more than you would ever know. I'm okay to everyone asking and i think we'll all be okay :)

I hope you enjoy this long-awaited update and I promise to update more a little more frequently. i have plans for this story and I'm not done telling it just yet.