Chapter 23

An hour later, Kate and Ana finished getting themselves and a picnic basket ready. Ana had made some cream puffs and muffins the day before while Kate made some mini sandwiches and other little things to nibble on. It was sort of like a potluck; everyone was going to bring something, so they weren't going to be short on food.

Kate was wearing a mint green midi skirt with a white top and Ana wore a white playsuit with little blue flowers all over and the bottom half was very flowy so she wouldn't feel restricted. It had a sweetheart neckline which Ana hoped was fancy enough for Mia's standards for the park.

She was sure that she'd be running around with Elliot at some point, so she opted for white sneakers and Mia better accept it. She left her hair down and did minimal makeup. She might be 22 now but she was still the same person. She wasn't going to start changing things up now.

They both walked to their local park to go and meet the others. The sun was shining, and it was still warm outside, even in September. It was going to be a great day.

On their way to Elliot's apartment, Christian punched Elliot on the arm, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Elliot exclaimed, rubbing where Christian had punched.

"I know what you were up to this morning," Christian stated.

"And pray tell dear brother, what would that be?"

"You deliberately failed to mention that you were at ANA'S house so I would come and get you. And I know this whole thing was just so that I could speak to Ana. You're not very subtle in your matchmaking attempts."

"Am I ever subtle?" Elliot chuckled impishly. "I know Ana wouldn't have told you or anyone that it was her birthday today, but you guys are really good friends now aren't you? I thought you would want to know that it was her birthday, so I just got the ball rolling. Now look where we are? You're spending the day with her! I'm just your very capable wingman Chris," Elliot exclaimed.

"Hm," was all Christian said.

"You guys talked though right? I hope good things happened when I wasn't there," Elliot said conspiratorially. Christian flashed him a withering look.

"On a serious note. You guys would be so good together. I wish you could see it the way everyone else sees you both."

Christian was quiet.

"I guess…. Thanks Elliot. For whatever that was," Christian said quietly, albeit a little confusedly.

Elliot grinned, proud of himself. "You're welcome. Now come on, hurry up we have lots to do," he clapped his hands.

"We don't go for another two hours."

"That's what Ana thinks. We're all going to get there a little earlier and set it up nicely and stuff. And I have to go get some supplies."

They were silent in the car for the next few minutes. Christian's mind was on Ana and he was thinking over everything about this morning and a little smile appeared unknowingly on his face.

"I don't know about you but I'm feeling 22!" Elliot sang quietly in a falsetto to himself. Christian rolled his eyes. Hungover. Right.

Christian and Elliot went to the supermarket and got a bunch of things; from beers to frisbee's and every ready-made snackable food they could find. They went overboard, of course.

Arriving at the park, Elliot seemed to know exactly where he was going so Christian followed him. They arrived at a clearing and in the middle of it Mia and Emily were setting up.

"Christian!" Mia jumped up and hugged him when she spotted him.

"Hi Mia," he laughed, "what's with the warm welcome?"

"I'm just surprised but delighted that you're here," Mia said lightly.

"Am I chopped liver?" Elliot said sourly.

"I saw you last night," Mia said, patting him on the back as she resumed setting up. Elliot grumbled to himself but got down to work. They greeted Emily and were told what to do before the girls arrived.


Ana and Kate rounded the corner and Ana was looking down at her phone as they walked, replying to some birthday messages so she didn't see the others ahead of them. Kate nudged her and she glanced up. A wide grin broke out on her face when she spotted the others.

They had laid out a large plaid blanket and there was a cooler and two picnic baskets, not counting the one that Kate had in her hands. There was even a little balloon bobbing in the breeze tied to the corner of the blanket. Ana could see sandwiches laid out, loads of baked goods and she spotted the frisbee which made her laugh. There was a little speaker somewhere and she could hear '22' playing on it.

Elliot, Mia, Emily and Christian were all stood around it. "Guys!" Ana exclaimed with a hand on her cheek. "You didn't have to do all this."

Mia gave her a look that made Ana shut up.

"Happy birthday Ana!" Emily shouted, bounding over to give her a hug.

"Thanks, Em," Ana smiled.

Kate and Ana sat down and laid out the things that they had bought. Because it was September and technically summer had come and gone, the park wasn't as busy as it had been when they had come last time. There were still families lounging around, groups of teenagers, couples taking strolls so it didn't take away from the atmosphere.

They all grabbed beer bottles and toasted to Ana who had cheered delightedly. Kate kept snapping away with her camera of random moments. Jose arrived a little later and Ana jumped up to greet him.

"Jose! You made it," Ana hugged him. She had invited him earlier this week but wasn't sure if he was going to make it or not.

"Of course, I did. Happy birthday," he grinned at her, handing her a gift-wrapped box.

"Thanks Jose. You didn't have to get me anything though."

"Ana, I swear to god. If you say someone didn't have to do something for you again, I will throw my sandwich at you," Mia threatened, gesturing with said sandwich in her hands.

The others laughed while Jose greeted everyone else. He was surprised to see Mr Grey there.

"Mr Grey!" He said with a surprised yet polite smile.

"Mr Rodriguez."

"Oh come on, none of this Mr nonsense. Christian, Jose. Jose, Christian," Ana said gesturing to them with her beer bottle.

Christian looked at her amusedly. "Whatever the birthday girl says, I suppose Jose," he shrugged as Jose chuckled. Ana nodded with a self-satisfied smile.

"Oh, and this is Mia," Ana introduced Jose to Mia. He'd met everyone else.

"Hi," Mia smiled, a little shy.

"Hey. Nice to meet you," Jose flashed her a toothy, gleaming grin. Ana watched as Mia's eyes lingered on Jose's face a few moments longer than necessary and her brows rose slightly in disbelief.

"Oh my god, there's cream puffs!" Elliot shouted in delight. They laughed at his expression; he was leaning over the picnic basket peering in with such a happy look on his face. It was like looking at a kid who just saw all the presents under the tree on Christmas day. He didn't hesitate before tucking right into them. Kate had to warn him not to eat all of them.

Ana's hangover was a thing of the past now and she was feeling better than ever. The sun was beaming on all of them and they all donned sunglasses. Mia and Jose were chatting to themselves, Christian and Emily were debating something and Kate and Elliot were talking about something over her, but she wasn't exactly attuned to the conversation. 22 had been playing on repeat since they arrived. It was loud but not loud enough to disturb others in the park.

"Happy birthday to whoever's birthday it is!" Came a shout. They all turned to see where it came from and saw two young teenage boys on bikes, one of them waving at them as they cycled past.

"Thanks!" Ana shouted, raising her bottle at them. Their gesture made her grin to herself. The song and balloons made it quite obvious.

A little while later, the girls were all trying to catch some sun with their faces upturned towards the sun when Mia suggested they play a game.

"How about truth or dare?" Mia questioned. They all agreed and sat in a circle. Somehow Christian ended up next to Ana. Elliot found an empty beer bottle and Mia got the first spin.

It landed on Emily. "Truth or dare, Em?" Emily answered truth. "What's the worst present you've ever gotten?"

"Hm," she looked up thinking. "My dad gave me a box of condoms when I was 18. I mean, great gift and all but not what you want from your dad. He gave me them when I left for college. I was so embarrassed. I couldn't face him." They all laughed as she took huge gulps of her beer.

After a couple more rounds, Emily spun the bottle and it landed on Christian. "Dare," he said confidently.

Emily flashed a quick look to Elliot and Kate before her eyes settled back on Christian again. "Alright, Mr Grey. I dare you to take the birthday girl on a piggyback ride around the park. Running." She challenged. Elliot started bouncing in his place.

Ana blushed and wanted to hide. Christian on the other hand didn't hesitate, offering Ana his hand to help her up.

He turned his back to her and crouched slightly. "Jump up."

"Christian you don't have to," just as those worlds left her mouth, something hit her leg. She looked to see a green grape on the grass by her feet and her eyes flew to Mia.

"I warned you," was all Mia said, picking up another grape to eat.

"Come on Ana. I can't admit defeat. It's just a piggyback ride," he smiled at her encouragingly.

She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, while his hands went under her thighs to hold her in place, hoisting her up as he straightened. Ana hoped he couldn't feel her heart racing at their close proximity. Her legs were tingling where his arms were holding her.

"Okay go!" Emily shouted, as Christian set off on a jog.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Ana mumbled, close to his ear.

Christian chuckled, not breathless at all. "Believe it. It's your birthday, we're having fun. Anyway, Elliot would never let it go if I forfeited a dare."

"Ah, sibling rivalry. Something I'll never be envious of," Ana said dryly, tightening her arms around his neck.

Christian huffed out a laugh. Ana looked back to see Kate taking pictures of them with that ever-faithful camera and the rest of them were cheering.

"I hope I'm not hurting your back or anything," Ana bit her lip.

"Don't be stupid Ana. You're as light as a feather. I'm actually quite enjoying this," he said lightly.

They eventually got bored of the game and stopped playing. Ana sat in silence as conversations went on around her. Emily and Mia were sunbathing again, and Jose was sat next to them. Kate and Elliot were talking quietly to each other. She looked around for Christian and found him sat alone on the edge of the blanket, looking at something on his phone.

A few minutes later, he plopped down right next to her. "So, this is what you were up to last night?" He showed her his phone and it was a video on Facebook that Mia had uploaded; the one from last night when they surprised her at the restaurant.

Ana chuckled. "Yeah, we went through all the margaritas on the menu last night."

Christian laughed, "explains the hangovers." He watched the video again. At one point the camera pans to Ana and she just grins happily at the camera. "You look so happy," he observed.

"I was. It was a really nice surprise. My first instinct was to be embarrassed at all the attention but then I thought, I might as well bask in it for once."

"You should bask in it more often. You know for someone who loves to live in the moment, you're always very worried about others in these moments like when I gave you that piggyback ride. I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all, but I think in moments like these, you should just enjoy yourself and not worry about others," he said quietly, gazing at her face.

Ana mulled it over. He was right. She tended to fret about a lot of things. "You're right. I should practice what I preach right?" She smiled at him, nudging him with her shoulder to show she wasn't offended.

He grinned, "right."

"Are you having a good time?" She asked curious.

"I should be asking you that, but yes. This is a fun group of people even if two of them are my siblings," he said with a smirk.

"I think it's cool that you guys are close. You're lucky to have them." Ana mused, leaning back on her hands as she watched Elliot pull Mia into a headlock.

Christian watched them too. He turned to look at her. "So how does being 22 feel like?" A pause. "God every time I say 22, my brain sings that line from that damn song," he rubbed his forehead.

Ana chuckled. "He hasn't stopped playing it in about three days. It's been nonstop. But honestly 22 feels no different," she shrugged.

"I remember being 22," he mused, looking off into the distance.

Ana scoffed. "Come on. Stop acting like you're 40 or something. 22 wasn't that long ago for you."

He flashed her a boyish smirk before popping a cream puff in his mouth. "Ana I'm nearly 30. 22-year-old me was so very young," he said after swallowing.

"Nearly 30 and still scoffing cream puffs like a 15-year-old boy. Sounds about right," she snickered.

He mimicked her pose and leant back. "Only creams puffs turn me into a 15-year-old boy. Yours and my mom's so maybe you need to stop making them if you don't like 15-year-old me," he joked.

"Couldn't do that because Elliot would turn into a sulking 5-year-old and he already acts like a kid half the time so it would be unbearable. I'll choose teenage you over toddler Elliot." They both laughed. "So what were you like when you were twenty two? Any words of wisdom oh-wise one?"

He snickered. "I had just gotten GEH started so it was a terrifying time. Not knowing whether all the work I'd put in and after everything that I had sacrificed, if it was going to be successful or a big fail. I was scared but I was sure of myself and what I and the others with me were capable of. It's the oldest saying in the book but hard work does pay off in the end. I didn't have much of a social life though so can't advise you on anything about that."

"I don't need any more of a social life. I'm happy with what I've got. That might be the introvert in me talking. It's disheartening when you put all your effort into one part of your life, and it doesn't work out."

They were so engrossed in their little conversation that neither of them saw Kate with her trusty camera secretly snapping away at the two of them. Kate and Elliot had also confided in Mia after she begged them to tell her what was going on between Ana and Christian. Once Mia was on a roll, there was no way anyone could control what came out of her mouth so they were wary that she might 'spill the beans'. Not to mention subtlety wasn't her strongest point and this was a sensitive matter.

Mia had turned a watchful gaze onto Ana and Christian chatting away, away from the rest. She hadn't thought about it before; never even crossed her mind but looking closely she saw that there was something there. A buzz of energy surrounding them. Mia quietly huffed a little laugh of incredulity to herself. Who would have thought it?

Ana was telling Christian a story from her 8th birthday when she got hit by something on the side of her head. "Hey!" She exclaimed in shock. It was a softball, so it didn't hurt. Christian grabbed it before she could and they both turned to see who the culprit was.

"Are you two going to play or are you going to spend the day in your own bubble?" Elliot shouted.

Ana blushed slightly as Christian stood up facing Elliot. Without warning, Christian threw the ball with so much force that Elliot's eyes went wide when he saw how fast the ball was coming for him. He didn't move away in time and so he got a ball to the face and he made an 'oomph' sound.

Ana looking at Christian with wide eyes as he rubbed his hands and his face had a satisfied grin on it. He glanced down at Ana. "What?" He shrugged, looking innocent.

Ana shook her head as she laughed. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Christian grinned and offered her a hand to help her up and they both went to join into whatever Elliot had planned.

The three of them threw the ball around for a while, egging each other on and taking digs at one another. After a while, Ana decided to leave the brothers to it and take a break.

Jose eventually got up to go run around with the boys and the girls were left to themselves. They ate and talked, although Kate did seem distracted as she texted on her phone and kept glancing around the park.

The three boys plopped back down on the blanket looking exhausted but happy. Elliot lay on his stomach and Kate went and sat on his back as she rubbed sunscreen on it. Ana was fascinated that she did this without any words being spoken between them.

"What's your guys' love languages?" Mia asked as Ana tuned back into the conversation.

"What's that?" Emily asked.

Mia looked around at all their confused faces. "None of you know what that means?" They all shook their heads. Mia sighed. "What's something that someone special could do, that speaks to your heart? I'll start. So I really love when they randomly buy me something and I don't mean that in a shallow way, I mean if they're walking past my favourite bakery or something and they remember that it's my favourite, so they go in to buy me a cookie. Or if they go grocery shopping and get me toothpaste even though I didn't tell them to or they get me a book that they'd think that I'd like. You know like 'I saw this and thought of you' kind of thing," Mia said in a wistful tone.

The others were silent as they thought about theirs. "Tell me anything, doesn't have to be deep, I just want to know," Mia reassured them.

"Well I bake a lot so if they eat all of it without complaining, I think that's pretty neat," Emily said with a grin, earning a laugh from the others.

"Come on be serious! What's something that anyone does or can do that'll make you feel giddy inside?" Mia asked passionately, hands flailing.

"Okay… maybe being reassured? Like being told what I mean to someone just out of the blue. I like that," Emily said timidly.

Mia smiled at her. "Yes! That's exactly what I mean."

"I'm going to say something, but I don't think its what you're asking but here me out. I take photos in my free time, have done since high school. i think my way of showing someone that I appreciate them or love them is taking photos of them without them knowing. You know when they're doing ordinary things, I like to take candids of them," Jose said.

Mia smiled at him softly. "I think that's so cool Jose. Love captured in photographs."

"I like physical touch. I'm a big sucker for hand holding and linking arms or resting heads on shoulders," Kate said, rubbing a hand down Elliot's back.

"I really like casual intimacy. Like Kate's but more like… unconscious small gestures, like a hand on your back or someone leaning against you or them standing behind you and resting their hands on your shoulders," Ana said quietly. Mia was nodding with that smile still on her face.

"Christian?" Mia prompted.

"Um…." he stuttered, unsure. He'd never thought about anything like this before, so he was at a loss. "Being known maybe?" He asked. Mia flashed him a look as if to say 'what the hell'.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know a lot of people think they know me, but they don't. I like it when someone remembers little things about me like how I don't like tomatoes, so they always get me a sandwich with no tomatoes, or them noticing my habits like if I fiddle with my pens when I'm nervous. Saying things like 'your favourite pie is cherry right?' or 'you always make that face before you try something.' I don't know but I like people noticing things about me without me telling them, and I like doing the same for them," he mused, looking at his outstretched feet. He looked up to see them staring at him thoughtfully. "But only people I want to notice things about me. Otherwise, no."

Some of them let out a few chuckles at that. Ana thought this conversation was a vulnerable one. They were learning things about each other that they otherwise never would have. It's like seeing inside their minds, it was fascinating.

Ana gazed at Christian's side profile; he still had his eyes on his shoes. Maybe he felt embarrassed exposing that about himself. She nudged his foot with hers, waiting until he met her eyes. "I get that. I really like that too," she said quietly. A corner of Christian's mouth lifted.

"Elliot?" Mia asked when he didn't look up from the ground.

"I don't know Mia. Everyone else's sounds so…deep but I don't know if there's something for me. I like a bit of everything."

"I think you like touch. You're a big hugger and cuddler," Kate said.

"Yeah, and you know, you and Christian both like taking care of others. You've always been like that, so maybe that's something too?" Mia guessed. "Acts of service?" She mumbled to herself. Shaking her head, her eyes lit up again. "Oh! You know what else absolutely gets me?" They all gave her baffled looks. "When someone says my name randomly in a sentence. God I love it," she got this dreamy look in her eyes.

They laughed again as Mia was bought back down to reality. "Thanks for sharing that guys. I love hearing things like that."


Ana was lying on the blanket exhausted after the game of tag team they had just played when Christian plopped down next to her, panting.

"Tired?"

"I have a stitch. All that eating and then running around straight after wasn't a good idea," Ana grumbled throwing a hand over her eyes.

Christian chuckled. He was silent as he watched the others still running about. "So you have any other plans for today?"

"Nope. I'm completely wiped out. I don't have it in me to do anything else apart from sleep. I don't think I can eat anything more either. If Kate or Mia say there's something else to do, I'm going to riot," she said in a no-nonsense tone.

"As you should," he agreed with a nod. "Good day?"

"Amazing," she agreed.

"What about cake? I've been looking forward to it all day."

"I'm not going to lie Christian, but I'm all caked out. There's no way-" Ana got cut off.

"I don't know about you! But I'm feeling 22!" Shouted a very familiar voice.

Ana furrowed her brows. It couldn't be. She removed her arm, nearly whacking Christian and sat up abruptly. Her eyes focused on a very familiar hyperactive blonde.

"Lily! Oh my god!" Ana squealed, jumping up and throwing her arms around Lily.

Lily laughed loudly in delight. "Ana! Happy birthday!"

The squeezed each other as tight as they could, swaying side to side.

"Everything will be alright if you keep me next to you!" Ana sang loudly, laughing at the same time.

Everyone else gathered around them. Kate only took a couple of photos, then just watched the two friends, taking the moment in. Christian was watching them from his spot on the blanket with a small grin on his face. Their energy was infectious, and it was hard not to smile.

"What are you doing here?" Ana asked breathlessly, pulling back.

"Long story short, there was some family thing I had to be back for and I decided to make a slight detour since I know it's your birthday," Lily grinned.

Kate stepped forward to hug Lily and then Lily kept an arm around Kate's shoulders as she addressed Ana. "This one was my accomplice. She told me what you guys had planned for today and where you'd be so I could pop by."

They introduced everyone to Lily who seemed to have a permanent grin on her face. Christian was the last one to be introduced.

"And you've met Christian," Ana gestured. Christian was on his feet now and offered a hand.

"It's really nice to meet you in person Lily," he said charmingly.

Lily was eyeing him with barely contained glee, but she was also wondering what he was doing here. She had hugged everyone else, so she dismissed his hand and threw her arms around his neck. Christian nearly stumbled but he held his ground. His eyes flew to Ana in mild panic.

"I've seen you in person before but yes it's so cool to officially meet you." She took a step back. "I used to be intimidated by you but don't worry, I'm not anymore. So, do I have to call you Mr Grey?"

The others snickered. "Christian's fine," he said, amused.

Ana and Lily sat side by side and caught up with each other. Sure they talked on the phone, but it was different in person. Everyone was completely taken with Lily as she cracked jokes and told her ridiculous stories about her time teaching and travelling. It seemed she had a knack of getting herself into awkward situations.

The boys had gotten up and started having some sort of play-off.

"What is that about?" Lily waggled her eyebrows suggestively, looking between Ana and Christian.

"What?" Ana said innocently.

"Ana what is your hot as shit boss doing here?" Lily exclaimed in a whisper.

"I invited him," Ana shrugged.

Lily's brows hit her hairline. "I didn't realise you guys were so chummy."

"Friends, Lily," Ana emphasised.

"Mhm. Sure," Lily conceded, taking a pull from her bottle.

"Ana likes him," Kate blurted out before slapping a hand over her mouth, but not looking the least bit sorry.

Lily choked on her beer and Ana threw an apple at Kate. "Kate what the hell? I do not."

"De Nile is not just a river in Egypt my friends," Emily toasted. Ana softly punched her leg.

"Ana, when are you going to admit it to yourself?" Kate said softly.

"He's my boss."

"So, you like him?" Mia asked. They all knew the answer, but they wanted her to admit it.

Ana shrugged and sighed, replying after a beat. "How can you not?" She mumbled. "He's an amazing guy. He's a good friend and boss, I don't want to ruin that. Besides I could never do anything about it."

The others were silent. Ana shook her head suddenly. "It doesn't matter anyway. It would be inappropriate, and I can't afford to go into that mindset and think of him like that. We have a good work relationship and friendship. Nothing needs to change. I'll get over it." She dismissed before jumping up and walking over to the boys.

The other girls watched her go. "I think she's scared," Lily said quietly and she received hums of agreement.

"You know what I think? I mean I've only just found out about this little - whatever they have – today but I know my brother. Granted I've never seen the side of him that appears around Ana, but I know he feels the same about her. Maybe even more. He's never looked at anyone else like that before. God, I hate the word chemistry, but you guys have seen their chemistry, right? There's this aura surrounding them or something," Mia mused.

"Yeah. I saw it the night of the ball. The way he was looking at her; it was like something you see in movies," Emily agreed.

"As much as I would like to see them together, I think we need to leave them to it," Kate added.

"I agree. Ana's smart," Lily watched the two of them. "She'll see the light eventually. We'll just let them be and what happens, will happen."

The sun was starting to set as it was just after 7pm. They had ate, they had played, they had chatted about everything under the sun.

Christian got his wish of a cake when Mia produced one seemingly out of nowhere and Ana opened her presents while they ate. They all got along spectacularly, and it was a fun group of people to hang out with. Ana was so touched by all these people here today to celebrate…well, her.

Ana, Kate, Elliot and Lily were going back to their apartment while the rest of them went home since it was Monday tomorrow and they had early starts. Lily wasn't in town long and she was going to crash on their couch for the night.

They packed everything up and Ana hugged them all tightly, thanking them for coming and making the day so special. Christian was last.

Ana reached her arms out toward him as she grinned. They hugged gently.

"Thank you for coming today Christian. It wouldn't have been the same without you," Ana said softly into his shoulder.

"Thanks for inviting me. This was one of the most enjoyable days I've had in a while. It felt good to be around friends." His voice made a few strands of her hair fly.

"I'm glad. Were you feeling 22?" Ana said in a sing song voice as they came apart. Little did they know, they had several pairs of eyes on them.

He chuckled. "That damn song. I'll be hearing it in my dreams for the next month."


The next morning, Ana walked into work with a pep in her step. She had told Christian she didn't feel any different being 22 but something had changed within her overnight and she felt like she could conquer anything.

Andrea wasn't at the front desk, so Ana shed her coat and powered up her computer. Needing a cup of tea before she got started with the day, she headed to the break room. She didn't look up as she rounded the corner and kept her gaze on the floor, thinking about nothing in particular.

"Happy birthday Ana!"

Ana gasped as her head snapped up and she stumbled back slightly in shock. One side of the break room had been overtaken by balloons and streamers on the wall of all colours. Andrea, Ros and Christian were stood by the table with grins on their faces. There was a large bouquet of flowers perched on the table and some gift boxes by it.

"Oh my gosh," she said wide eyed. Andrea stepped forward and wrapped her up in a hug.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me it was your birthday Ana," Andrea said in mock sadness.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Ana said. Ros gave her a hug as well.

"I bought blueberry muffins for us to have instead of cake. You're probably all 'caked out'," Christian grinned. Ana chuckled as they shared a knowing look.

"Who did all this?" Ana asked.

"Mr Grey. He came in with all the decorations and we got to decorating," Andrea explained. The tips of Christian's ear went pink.

"Yeah, how on earth did he know and not us?" Ros enquired.

Ana stuttered. "Oh… his siblings are actually really good friends of mine, so they probably spilled the beans," she made up an excuse. She looked to Christian and he wasn't looking at her, fiddling with the muffins. She wondered if she'd said the right thing. It would be weird if people from work found out they hung out outside of it right? What if Christian didn't care whether they knew or not? She was second guessing herself now.

They bought the excuse and Ana peered into the large bouquet of flowers. There was an assorted arrangement of different coloured styles and colours of flowers; the only ones Ana recognised were daisies and tulips. She plucked the card from the top.

Happy 22nd birthday Anastasia. Love your GEH team. X

It read that it was from the whole team, but this was definitely Christian's handwriting. She tried to contain her giddy grin.

Ros handed her a gift bag that contained a Jo Malone candle that Ana couldn't stop smelling. Andrea swore that she was going to get Ana the most perfect present, but she just had to wait. Delayed gratification and all that she had said. Christian didn't offer anything and quite frankly it didn't even occur to Ana.


Just before Ana was about to leave for lunch she was called into Christian's office.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked, stepping in. He was stood by the windows again.

"I did. Are you about to head out?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm meeting Lily for lunch actually," she explained.

"I won't keep you long." He walked to his desk and pushed a flat-ish box forward. "Here. Open it. It's your birthday gift," he explained when she flashed him a confused look.

"You didn't have to-"

Christian rolled his eyes lightly in amusement. "Yeah. Yeah, I know the drill. Just please open it."

Ana stepped forward and carefully opened up the box, wondering what on earth it could be. Inside was a light grey coloured leather journal with her full name written in elegant font across the bottom of the cover. Her eyes flashed to him as her mouth dropped open slightly. No words came out.

Christian was stood there watching her reaction intently, with his hands in his pockets. "It's a journal. I know it's not the most unique gift and what not but you're always saying how you love to read other people's words and stories and I thought maybe you write your own. One day. If you hate the idea of writing – which is totally okay – you can use it to document moments in your life that you love so that you can remember them later on. Like a scrap book or just a book for your thoughts and ideas," he shrugged.

"Christian-"She breathed. She ran her hands over the smooth cover. She could smell the leather. "This is – wow."

"You like it?" He asked.

"Of course, I do." She stressed. "This means a lot to me, thank you so much." Her eyes met his soft ones and he averted them to the ground. "You know, I've never thought about writing. I'm not creative enough – or at all actually, which is why I went into reading instead, but maybe I'll give it a go," she smiled.

"I think you can. I would read whatever you write." He returned her smile. "Now shoo, go to your lunch. We don't want to keep Lily waiting, do we? As much as I like her, I'm scared that she's going to turn up here if you're late," he joked.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Ana laughed. "Oh, do you want me to get you anything for lunch?" She asked, clutching the journal to her chest.

He shook his head lightly. "I'm okay but thanks Ana. Now go enjoy your lunch."

"Thank you again Christian," Ana gave him a little wave as she walked out.


"So."

"So," Ana echoed, looking down at her rice bowl.

"You like Christian Grey?" Lily asked casually. Ana's fork stopped midway to her mouth. "You can tell me Ana. it's just me. Little old Lilykins," she patronised herself.

Ana blew out a breath, causing the loose strands of hair around her face to flutter. "It's just a harmless crush, right? Like I said I'll get over it. I'm thinking maybe its because he's such an insanely good guy that makes me feel some type of way. I've never been this close to a guy before."

"Figures that the one guy you've shown interest in besides looks is unattainable and the mighty Christian Grey," Lily said light-heartedly. "Why couldn't you like someone like Jose or something?" She teased.

"Funny you should say that…" Ana started talking about the time Jose asked her out.

"Ah poor schmuck. He's a cool guy though," Lily said.

She didn't want to push Ana any further on the Christian matter, so she let it be. She was secretly hoping that they would be together by the time she came back to visit again though. She'd seen them two yesterday. Christian was a good guy and Lily knew he'd treat Ana right.