Chapter 27
Christian spent the majority of his Christmas day dinner answering questions from his family about Ana. It seemed like she was right and that everyone did already know about the two of them. His mom had fawned over the gifts that Ana had gotten him, even his dad was impressed.
His mom also chastised him for not inviting Ana to their New Year's Eve party that they hosted every year.
"Oh my god, why didn't you ask her to be your date to it?" Elliot had exclaimed. "Do you have no brain cells? Come on, Christian."
"Shut up, my thoughts were all over the place, it must have slipped my mind. And no offence mom, but I don't want our first date to be my own family's party," he had said.
Grace had accepted that but said that she still wanted to invite Ana. Kate was already coming so she needed to ask Ana too.
"I'm not sure when she's back," Christian had said when his mom asked him about it.
In the end, Mia had called Ana and invited her to the party after confirming that she'd be back in town for it.
Christian now had something to look forward to at the party. It would give him and Ana a chance to hang out more and talk. Maybe he'd even manage to welcome the new year in with a kiss.
He could only hope.
On the other side of Seattle, Ana spent her Christmas catching up with family, but Christian wasn't too far from her mind at any given time.
She still hadn't told Kate about what had happened, but she more than likely already knew.
She had told her dad though one night as they watched a Christmas movie that Ana wasn't really watching in the first place. Initially her dad was concerned about her dating her boss and all the implications that would come with that, but she told him that there was a high chance that come the new year, she wouldn't be working for him anymore.
She had to explain about the potential new job.
"It almost sounds like he purchased a publishing company for you Annie," he had said.
Ana was startled at the thought and made a note to ask Christian about it. Now that she was thinking about it, it sounded like he actually had.
At night when she got to thinking, she just couldn't believe that this was happening to her.
Things like this just didn't happen in real life. At least not in her life. It felt so surreal.
And his little speech about not looking for anything but then he found something… in her. It made her go gah every time she thought about it.
The anticipation of being back in Seattle was killing her but she was also terrified of all the changes that were going to happen when she got back; the unknown of what was going to happen.
It felt like everything was changing at once.
She spoke to Christian a couple times while she was away. They texted every so often.
Mia had called her to invite her to the Grey's NYE party and Ana had accepted, having nothing better to do but in the back of her mind, she did wonder why Christian hadn't mentioned anything.
He called her soon after and had told her that he did want to ask her to be his date to the party but then he decided that he didn't want their first date to be at his parents' party. Ana had laughed and understood. The whole time she had been giddy that he had called her. They'd spoken on the phone before, but it was always in a professional manner. This was the first time they were doing it on a personal level.
She felt like a teenager again.
They had chatted for a while and Ana was hesitant about bringing this up but eventually she managed to tell him that she didn't want to date just yet; at least not until she secured the publishing job.
She just couldn't date her boss. It seemed wrong and no matter who told her or how many times she was told it was okay, she couldn't. It went against everything she thought.
Christian completely understood and said that he'd be there when she was ready.
After a lot of hilarity, arguments, petty pranks and laughs, Ana left her family and headed back for the city. She had gotten back to Seattle a couple days before Kate and it was weird being in the city by herself. Yes, they lived their own lives, but they were so intertwined with each other that being here without her felt odd.
On the other hand, it was nice to be alone for a while. She went to coffee shops and sat there with the journal that Christian had given her, open on the table waiting to see if inspiration hit and she could write about something.
She wrote about her thoughts and feelings of what was currently going on in her life and the apprehension and nervousness she was feeling of the possibility of finally getting a job in publishing.
Speaking of publishing, on New Year's Eve day she had met up with Hannah and they had gone for dinner where Ana had interrogated her.
"I can't believe you didn't say anything," Ana said popping a potato into her mouth.
"Ana, you have no idea how much I wanted to but I signed confidentiality agreements and NDA's so I couldn't," Hannah said apologetically.
"I know, I know. So, tell me what happened then," she said eagerly.
Hannah sighed and stared at her plate. "Well, I don't know how much I can say because you don't officially work there yet so I'll give you a brief version okay?" Ana nodded. "Jerry called me one day, out of the blue and told me to come into the office. Obviously, I was very skeptical because the place had been closed for weeks now so why did he want me to go there but he said to just come, and I trusted him so I went.
"I walk into his office and lo and behold Christian Grey is there. They explained that Christian bought the place and that I was one of the only other people to know. Christian wanted Jerry's opinions on who to bring back from the previous workforce. You have to remember though; this was weeks after Hoffman had closed and most people had moved on and gotten other jobs so there was only about seven people who we could bring back in total. The two assistants got promoted to editors after interviews with Jerry and the others got shuffled around and I finally get to work in graphics!" She exclaimed, smiling triumphantly.
Ana smiled at her, happy for Hannah.
"Then we needed more staff and I recommended you for editorial assistant. I told Jerry all about you and then Mr Grey actually piped up and sang your praises. Jerry was pretty surprised that you were his assistant. He was really impressed with your resume and between me and Grey, I think we put up a convincing argument, so he wants you to interview." She leaned in close. "But you're pretty much guaranteed the spot, it's more of a formality."
Ana took a moment to process all of that. "I never thought it would happen so soon," she mused.
"Thank Grey for that," Hannah mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"Do you know when it's officially opening?"
"Not for a while. There's still so much to be done. Renovations are mostly done but there's still quite a bit and we still need a full staff and all that jazz."
Ana didn't voice this for the risk of sounding ungrateful, but she was going to miss GEH a lot. She's been waiting for this moment for so long but now that it's happening, it feels like it's going so fast and she hasn't prepared herself mentally. It's almost as if she's just floating through her life at the moment, not really processing anything.
She needed to get over this funk. It was sad, but it was also a new beginning.
When Ana had gotten back home that day, Kate was bustling around as she always was, and Ana thought about telling her.
She was a very private person and really didn't feel the need to tell people everything but Kate was her best friend, and she was all for Ana and Christian being together, so she toyed with the thought for a long time.
Eventually, she came to the decision to tell. She probably knew anyway.
They were in the kitchen; Kate cooking something while Ana sat at the breakfast bar sipping on her drink.
"So, you want to know what's going on with me and Christian?" Ana asked, coming outright with it.
Kate flew around. "I thought you'd never ask. Tell me!"
Ana told her about what had happened in Christian's office. She already knew about the other 'gift' of the publishing job, but she didn't know what transpired after that.
"He said that?" Kate all but swooned when she told her about Christian's confession of his feelings.
"Yeah, and I swear my heart was about to burst out of my chest."
"I don't know how you didn't combust. That's the most swoon-worthy confession I've ever heard, and I have half a mind that you're making it up," Kate said, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Certainly not. I have no idea if he rehearsed that or if the words just spilled out."
"Christian's known about his feelings for a while; definitely a lot longer than you have. He's been quiet about it, but there's no hiding the way he looks at you Ana, it's a wonder how you missed it."
Ana hummed, contemplating.
"So, what's going to happen tonight?"
"I'm not sure. I guess we'll just hang out as usual? I'm nervous to see him," Ana murmured, fiddling with her glass.
"Ana don't psych yourself out. It's just you and Christian. Nothing's changed except that now your feelings are out in the open. You guys are going to be more than fine, just make sure you communicate, and things don't get lost in translation," Kate said, stirring something on the stove.
Ana was silent. "It feels like I'm in a daydream. This can't be real."
"Well, you better believe it Steele because it's happening, and you are not going to miss a single moment of it."
They spent a couple hours getting ready; they wanted to dress up but not too dressy since it was the Grey's family and friends and not some nightclub.
Kate wore a navy bodycon dress while Ana wore a sequined mini dress.
Elliot was going to pick Kate up, but she had argued that then Ana would have to be the third wheel and it might have been awkward for her, despite their familiarity with each other so she told him that she'd just meet him there.
When they got there, Gretchen took their coats and they headed inside, where the chatter and music could be heard.
It was actually livelier than Ana expected and there were quite a few people their age. It looked very elegant, probably the classiest nye party either of them had ever attended.
"Ana, Kate," Grace hugged them in greeting. "I'm so glad you both were able to make it."
"Thank you for inviting me Grace," Ana said easily, when she hugged her.
"It's not a problem, although I thought I wouldn't have to and a certain son of mine would have already done it," she said knowingly.
"You and me both," Kate mumbled.
Ana blushed but didn't say anything.
"Come on, I'll introduce you to some people."
As they mingled, Mia accosted them and chatted up a storm. She was already tipsy. Jose was also around somewhere.
Ana saw some people she recognised from the ball months ago, who she managed to converse with easily. The drinks were flowing, and the music was pumping through her ears but there was one nagging thought in the back of her mind.
She kept glancing around unconsciously, trying to see if Christian was here yet and maybe she just hadn't spotted him. No one had mentioned him yet, so she wondered where he was. Elliot wasn't here either so maybe something came up.
A little while later, Christian and Elliot entered the very crowded room. They were slightly late, having gotten side-tracked at Christian's apartment, talking.
As they entered, Christian's eyes immediately searched the room, his neck craning up slightly.
Elliot watched him before leaning close to his ear. "It's all about who you look for in a crowded room," he murmured quietly, patting his shoulder. He flashed Christian an easy grin before sauntering away into the crowd.
Christian stood there for a moment processing Elliot's words. He was in deeper than he realised.
He was surprisingly wise for such an unserious person.
Earlier in his apartment, Elliot hadn't stopped badgering him about giving Ana a kiss on midnight. As much as he wanted to, Christian thought it was too cliché and didn't plan nor expect anything.
Before he had a chance to look any further, his dad approached him looking very suave.
"Hey son," he greeted, "Fashionably late?" They did that one-arm-hug thing.
"Something like that. Elliot and I got sidetracked and he's to blame."
Carrick chuckled. "Your mom's been waiting for you. I hear a certain brunette is here," he said coyly.
Christian directed a quick bashful smile towards his shoes, before looking at his dad dryly. "All of you need to stop looking so smug."
Carrick shrugged easily. "It was a long-time coming Christian, we're just happy for you." He took a sip from the tumbler in his hands before clapping Christian on the back. "Let's get you a drink."
A little later, someone approached Kate from behind and covered her eyes.
"Guess who?" Came a shrill voice.
Ana looked to see Elliot grinning wildly and she raised her brows at the voice he was putting on.
Kate on the other hand was having none of it. She swatted at the hands. "Get off me you big oaf. I know it's you," she grumbled, but when Elliot's hands came off, she was fighting off a smile.
"Now is that anyway to greet the light of your life?" Elliot mocked.
Kate mumbled something before the two of them greeted each other properly. Ana was watching their exchange amusedly then averted her eyes once things started to get heated.
Their playful banter worked for them; Elliot being the cheese ball that he is and Kate being a hardcore, no-shit taking girl. They really balanced each other out but even between all the cheesy one-liners and grumbling, the love between the two of them was so obvious.
"Ana banan, you look beautiful tonight," Elliot kissed her cheek once the two had broken out of their embrace.
"Thanks Elliot," she smiled.
The three of them caught up with each other and all Ana could think about was where was Christian?
"Is Christian here?" She blurted out, unthinkingly. Crap, she hadn't wanted to sound so eager.
The two of them looked at each other knowingly.
"He's around. We came together," Elliot said simply.
Ana uttered a quiet 'oh', not knowing what else to say. Instead, she fiddled with the glass in her hands.
"He started looking for you as soon as we entered the room Ana. He'll find his way to you soon enough, he must have gotten hounded by someone if he's still not here," he told her.
Ana's heart stuttered. "Really?"
Elliot nodded, wrapping an arm around Kate. "He's crazy about you."
Ana didn't get a chance to reply before Jose appeared and conversation resumed.
Even after all her time away, she felt like she still needed time to process everything that was going on.
Eventually she managed to get away from the riff raff and went to stand by the large wall of windows, looking out at the view. The Grey's had even decorated outside.
She had tried to look for Christian but there was a lot of people here and she was a pretty short person, so she resigned herself and figured she'd see him soon enough. In the back of her mind, she was nervous about seeing him, so she was unconsciously trying to put it off.
Across the room, Christian happened to glance around the room while he was speaking to a group of people and spied a familiar looking brunette, in a sequinned dress standing alone by the windows.
He kept his eyes on her as he excused himself, not wanting to lose sight of her. He took a few steps in her direction but halted when he saw someone approach her from a distance. He felt Elliot come and stand beside him and look to where his gaze was aimed at, sipping the drink in his hands.
The man said something to her, and Ana laughed lightly, the smile brightening up her face. It wasn't a phony laugh, when Ana laughed, she did so with her entire body language so there was no faking it.
"Girls…man," Elliot muttered.
The man disappeared and Ana was again left alone so Christina glanced at Elliot questioningly.
Elliot gestured towards Ana with his drink. "Every time they do something pretty, you fall in love with them a little more."
Christian looked at him in disbelief. "Did you become a poet and forget to tell me? You've been coming out with these phrases that make you sound like Shakespeare or the doctor of love or something."
Elliot chuckled into his glass embarrassedly. "Nah, but I'm partial to a good romance," he shrugged. "I just know things, trust me."
Christian hummed unconvincingly.
"Go talk to her bro, it's been long enough. She's excited to see you."
Christian approached her slowly. Once Ana saw a figure in the corner of her eyes, she glanced up.
As her eyes took him in, her face lit up in surprise "Hey," she smiled happily, unable to disguise her delight in seeing him.
"Hey," he greeted her smiling back, feeling something in his chest when he saw how happy she was to see him. He took a step closer to her and kissed her on the cheek.
Her cheeks heated up as he pulled back, but the smile didn't leave her face.
"Where have you been?" She asked.
"Elliot and I were late actually and then got caught up with other people. I wasn't avoiding you," he said.
"Oh, no. I didn't think that you were, I was just wondering. I've been looking for you for a while," she blurted. She hadn't meant to say that but in the midst of her backtracking, it came out.
He flashed her a smirk, looking very smug.
Ana rolled her eyes lightly at his expression, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face as she took a sip of her drink.
"How were your holidays?" He asked, leaning a shoulder on the window.
She launched into the story of her time at home. She was worried that she was boring him, but he kept nodding attentively, and chuckling and not once did he take his eyes of her which unnerved her slightly, but it encouraged her to keep talking so she did, wild hand gestures and all.
Christian was fascinated with watching her; her facial expressions, the intonations in her voice, hands flying. She really didn't know just how enchanting she was.
They stayed in their little bubble, chatting away. The eyes that kept flitting back to them going unnoticed.
"Christian, are you going to hog Ana all night?" A voice interrupted, startling them. They looked to see Carrick approaching them, arms out. He wrapped an arm around Christian's shoulder, who made wide eyes at Ana, who smiled. "Come on, you've been holding her hostage since you got here and haven't even asked her to dance," he said sounding offended.
"Da-"Christian tried to speak but his dad was having none of it.
"Bah, bah, bah, you had your chance. Ana, may I have this dance?" Carrick held a hand out, laying the charm on thick.
Ana glanced to Christian, who looked exasperated at his father's antics. "Of course," she said graciously, accepting his hand.
Christian took the drink out of her other hand and watched as Carrick led her away to the makeshift dance floor.
He watched as he twirled her around and danced as obnoxiously as possible. He was well on his way to drunkville.
Ana was having the time of her life, laughing delightedly every time he spun her around.
Christian walked over to the bar to deposit her glass and saw his mom standing there.
"Mom," he greeted her.
"Christian!" She exclaimed. "Where's Ana? Last I saw, you were both half a world away," she said.
He nodded towards the dance floor where the duo was. "Dad stole her from me," he said, all but pouting.
Grace looked over at them. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Look at him, he's laying it on thick, isn't he?" She asked rhetorically.
"He's just showing off," Christian smirked.
She turned to him with inquisitive eyes. "How are things going between you and Ana?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "Good, good. It's just like normal times. It's almost like nothing has changed between us."
Grace hummed. "At least your feelings are out in the open now. You shouldn't worry that things haven't changed between you two; it's a good thing. You have a solid foundation based on your friendship, and you can build on that."
Christian watched his dad and Ana as he listened to his mom.
"Anyway, haven't you heard? The best relationships happen when you are friends first," she said wisely.
Christian furrowed his brows. "Did I really miss something? When did everyone in this family become love gurus?"
Grace scoffed. "We're a very knowledgeable bunch, except for Mia. We just haven't talked about it with you because you were never even in that realm Christian. I mean, I tried to get you to find someone, pushing you to take dates to events but you never saw them twice, you just didn't care so there was never a reason to give you advice about it and whatnot." She turned her eyes towards the dance floor. "Anyhow, I'm glad those other ones never worked out," she smiled warmly.
"Now go ask her to dance, for the love of god! I think she's getting sick of your father's 70's moves. Besides I want him to take me for a spin."
He snorted lightly, shaking his head at his mom as he walked away.
"May I cut in?" He tapped his dad on his shoulder.
Carrick looked at him smugly, bowing and thanking Ana before sauntering away.
Christian took her hand and they fell into the dance seamlessly, like there was no second thought as to where their hands were meant to go. There was no hesitation and satisfaction bloomed in his chest that it came so naturally.
"I think I'm having déjà vu," Ana said, squinting as she thought.
"Yeah?"
"Mhm. I'm pretty sure that you've asked that exact question to your dad before while he was dancing with me."
"Ah, the ball. A good time indeed," he mused after thinking. "How history repeats itself."
"Peculiar, isn't it?" She laughed. "How does your dad always end up dancing with me before you?"
He shrugged. "He's a smooth guy and knows how to pick up the ladies – which yes that did make me feel unbelievably uncomfortable to say."
Ana chuckled as he pulled her closer and her insides went wild.
"I mean, he knows what the protocol is when it comes to... all this and I clearly don't. But I assure you that will be the last time he dances with you before I do," he said firmly but the corners of his lips were upturned. The futuristic implications of that sentence didn't go unnoticed by her.
Ana nodded once. "I'm okay with that," she grinned. They were silent for a few moments as they swayed. "I think you're doing pretty well; I mean you're no rico suave like your dad-"he scoffed, "but you're doing good, I've been charmed by you plenty of times," she reassured him.
"Well, you're the only one I want to charm so if you're charmed, then I'm doing a pretty good job, hey?"
Ana simply chuckled softly as her heart fluttered at his words, not knowing what to say.
Ana would have liked to hang out with Christian for the rest of the night, but she didn't want to monopolise his time.
So, she found herself in the kitchen with Kate and Mia, who had the munchies and was trying to scrounge up some good snacks. She claimed that the hor d'oeuvres being served were rabbit food and weren't satisfying enough.
Kate had shoved some things aside and sat herself atop the kitchen island while Ana leaned opposite her.
"I saw you and Christian dancing earlier. You guys looked like you were about to melt into one another," Kate said, grinning.
"Yeah, like you were sleepy," Mia added her two cents, while her head was inside a cupboard.
Ana shrugged.
"And geez, the smiles did not leave your faces once," Kate stressed. "It was sickeningly sweet."
Ana couldn't help but smile. "It's just easy between us. There's no uncomfortableness or awkwardness."
"A whole lot of 'ness' words," Mia mumbled. "They make my head hurt."
Kate snickered at Mia's words, before turning to Ana.
"Do you think he's going to kiss you at midnight?" She asked excitedly.
Ana moved to help Mia who was having trouble opening the jar of peanut butter. "I don't know. I'm definitely not expecting him to, I don't think we're there yet?"
"Are you asking me?"
Ana shrugged.
"I mean, who cares if you're there or not. It's NYE, everyone gets a kiss at midnight, it doesn't have to be all meaningful, does it?"
"I wouldn't kiss someone just for the sake of it Kate, it has to mean something to me," Ana said simply.
"I would make out with this jar," Mia said, pressing her face into the side of the jar once Ana had opened it for her.
"If it happens, it'll be great and I'll be the first one celebrating and if it doesn't, then that's okay too. We're talking about your first kiss and it would be very cliché to have it at midnight," Kate said, understanding her point.
"Exactly, it's our first one and this might be naïve and wishful thinking, but I don't want it to happen just because it's customary to do it at midnight or whatever, I want it to happen when we both really want it." Ana paused, thinking. "I don't care how it happens; it doesn't have to be perfect."
"Do what you want to do and not what societal rules are telling you to do," Kate agreed.
Ana was now helping Mia spread the peanut butter on one half of a bagel, while Mia was chewing on the other plain half.
"The first time Elliot kissed me, it was after our second date and he was walking me to the door and he just stopped me mid-sentence and kissed me," Kate recalled, eyes glazing over.
Ana smiled as she listened.
"It was typical you know, after a date, and I was sort of expecting it; definitely not mid-sentence, but I have no complaints about it. it was perfect in its own way. I nearly ravaged him in the hallway."
"Yuck," Mia grimaced exaggeratedly. "I'm eating; I don't want to be hearing about Elliot's activities."
"And look where we are now? Who would have thought?" Kate said. Ana hummed. "What I'm saying is, you're right, it doesn't have to be the perfect moment, but it'll be perfect in its own way."
"I kissed Jose in the park," Mia chimed in, mouth full of food.
"Mia, we really need to get you sober before midnight," Ana mused, laughing lightly.
Ana was stood in the middle of the crowd, as Grace and Carrick started to give their 'annual' speech when she felt someone brush by her shoulder. She distractedly glanced to see who it was, assuming it was just people trying to get a good vantage point to see the Grey's, but there was no one there so she returned her gaze to them.
She was surprised to see Christian stood on her other side and she smiled in greeting. They stood, shoulders lightly touching.
The crowd laughed and whooped throughout the ordeal. Ana could all but feel the vibrations every time Christian chuckled and it warmed her.
Ana had blushed and had to physically stop herself from ducking her head when Grace had mentioned Christian and everyone in the crowd turned to look in their direction.
"Despite everything that has happened, the good and the bad, we all have so much to be thankful for. This year was full of new beginnings and new relationships. We found ourselves and found happiness in the most unexpected places," Carrick threw a wink in the vicinity of their direction.
"New Year's Eve is really just the evening of little miracles. Once you peel away the exploding fireworks, the countdowns and the ridiculous resolutions, what you're left with is hope." Grace paused.
"The hope of better days, of fresh starts, new beginnings and maybe, if you're very lucky, a kiss," Grace said with a smile. "So, please join me in toasting to hope and let's ring in the new year with a roar!" They raised their glasses.
The crowd followed suit and they all collectively shouted 'to hope!"
Ana was smiling as she thought about Grace's words and clinked glasses with Christian.
"That was a really lovely speech from your mom, I loved it," she said, as they walked away from the bustle of the crowd.
"My mom's always been about hope. I think it stems from her job. As a doctor, your presented with cold, hard facts but my mom has always had that little bit of hopefulness in her, no matter what the circumstance."
They ended up on the terrace outside, where they had all sat together around the fire before thanksgiving except now the furniture was cleared minus a couple of tables were people were smoking.
"Wow… I honestly can't imagine how hard it is being a doctor or working in healthcare at all. They must always be faced with terrible decisions so I can't imagine how heart-breaking it is. Your mom is so incredible," she said quietly, her voice carrying with the breeze.
"She really is," he agreed. "There were days she'd come home and just look so dejected, but we never saw her break." He was quiet, contemplative for a beat. "You're like her in that way, you know. That speech about hope sounded like something you'd say. She's a very optimistic person despite everything, like you."
Ana raised her brows in surprise. "You think so?" He nodded. "I'm flattered," she grinned, tapping his shoulder with her glass.
They were quiet as they observed the others on the terrace and gazed at the crowd of people dancing through the windows.
"Do you have any resolutions?" Christian asked curiously.
Ana paused, thinking about her answer. "Not really, I've never been one to set resolutions. I guess this year it would be… to focus on me. First thing's first, get that job," she said.
"You will, Ana. Don't doubt yourself," he said with conviction.
Ana smiled self-deprecatingly. "How about you?"
"Me neither. I don't need the excuse of a new year to do something."
"Okay, Mr discipline," she smirked.
He shrugged. "I'm just saying. Good for others but if you really wanted to do something, you'd do it right? And wouldn't wait for a new year," he reasoned.
Ana nodded slowly.
"I'm hoping for an amazing year, no matter what happens. This year was everything I could have asked for and more and it makes me nostalgic thinking about it, but it would be stupid of me to think that no year could be better than this. It's a pretty sad way to live isn't it, thinking that the best day of your life has already happened and that that's it," she thought out loud, eyes unseeing as she gazed at people.
Christian was used to this now. She was always saying things and observing things that seemed other worldly.
"I can't imagine that. What a terrible way to live," he murmured in agreement, gazing up at the lights hung above them.
Ana didn't reply as she leaned one side of her body further into his. They were both quiet, taking in the sounds of the party, content to be in each other's presence.
Soon enough however, Mia came running out calling for Ana, dragging Kate behind her
"Anastasiaaaaa!" She sang drunkenly as she headed their way. She had lost her shoes and was running around barefoot, running as if she was frolicking through a field of daisies.
Both of them straightened their heads as they watched them. Kate just threw her free hand up, as if to say 'I have no idea' when they glanced at her.
"Hi, hi, hi, hi," she rambled excitedly. "You need to come with me," she grabbed Ana's hand and started dragging her along too. Ana looked back at Christian and he was smirking bemusedly as he rubbed his face.
Instead of dragging them back inside, Mia led them down some hidden steps from the terrace leading to the back garden. Ana had never been down here; she didn't even know it existed. There was very limited light so she couldn't see much but Mia didn't hesitate once.
"Where is she going?" Kate whispered.
"Beat's me," Ana replied. They tried to resist but Mia was surprisingly strong, even while drunk.
She led them down a short path towards the lake and stopped outside a door, letting go of their wrists. After a couple of minutes of fumbling, she opened the door and they headed in.
Mia didn't bother turning on lights but there was something flickering, and grabbed them once again before they could take the place in, leading them up another set of stairs.
"What is this, Hogwarts?" Kate exclaimed.
"Peace," Mia sighed once they got to the second floor.
Mia took one glance over the railing and staggered back. "Oop, better not do that." She sat herself down, her back against the railing.
Kate and Ana looked over and realised they were in a boathouse. The centre area of the lower floor was glass, and the water was what was creating the flickering lights.
"Oh, wow," Ana gasped. There was no boat, but the glow of the water made the entire place look surreal. The railing wrapped around the entire second floor and it was gold.
"Mia! I can't believe you never showed us this," Kate exclaimed. "I can't believe Elliot didn't tell me that his family had a boathouse," she added in a mumble.
"Did I not? Huh," Mia said in a flighty voice.
"What's up Mia? Why did you bring us here?" Ana asked gently.
"Hm, no reason, I just needed to go. It was stifling in there. Adults are boring," she muttered, picking at her nails.
Ana carefully sat herself down as graciously as she could in a short dress and Kate followed suit, both taking their heels off.
"All they wanna talk about is jobs and the future and it's all fake 'well dones' and 'congratulation's' when they aren't impressed," Mia rambled.
The three girls sat and talked for an unknown amount of time. Apparently when Mia was drunk, she got really emotional and spilled her heart out, and she didn't hold much back.
"Hey, have either of you seen Mia?" Jose asked as he approached Elliot and Christian.
Elliot shook his head.
"Last I saw, she was dragging Kate and came to take Ana too, but she didn't say where she was going," Christian told him.
"I was wondering why it felt so calm in here," Elliot mused. "No Mia," he said as if it made perfect sense.
"How long ago did you see her?" Jose asked. Poor guy, Mia was flighty when sober so when she was drunk, she was already on another continent before you even realised.
Christian checked his watch. "About half an hour ago. They went down the steps from the terrace," he said.
"Thanks Christian. I'm gonna go look for them."
"Wait Jose, I'll come with. It's nearly midnight and I want to find Kate," Elliot said.
"I think I know where they went, I'll show you the way," Christian added.
They headed down from the terrace and towards the boat house.
"How did Mia see her way around here? It's pitch black and she's drunk," Elliot questioned.
The other two didn't answer as Christian opened the door.
As soon as it was opened, they could hear laughter coming from above. Stepping inside, they saw the backs of the girls against the upper floor railing.
The guys made a motion to each other to not make any noise. The girls kept laughing wildly and they kept saying things that made them laugh even harder; Mia was laughing that scary hooting laugh she did when she couldn't breathe.
As the guys made their way to the second floor, the girls still didn't hear their footsteps over their laughter, so Elliot took it upon himself to jump out and scare them.
They screamed and grabbed at each other but once they realised it was Elliot, they laughed even harder than before. Mia had tears running down her cheeks, Kate had her head buried in Mia's shoulder and Ana was doubled over, clutching her sides.
"What…" Jose trailed off.
The girls looked up at the three guys stood there, suited and booted.
"James Bond? Men in black? Darth Vader?" Mia squinted at them as more peels of laughter rang out.
"You guys look like you had fun, I can't believe you didn't tell me," Elliot jutted his lower lip out, looking miffed that he missed out on this laughing fest.
The girls' laugher eventually trickled into giggles and snorts as they got ahold of themselves.
"While this was fun, it's my time now, let's go Katie," Elliot pulled Kate up who held her shoes in her other hand.
They could hear Kate interrogating Elliot for not telling her that they had a boat house as they walked away. Christian smirked.
"Come on Mia," Jose helped her lean on him.
"Josie! I missed your chiselled cheeks," Mia said affectionately, pinching his cheek.
"Where are your shoes, cariño?" Jose was asking her as Mia was still giggling away.
Christian turned his attention to the lone woman on the floor, who was looking up at him with a dopy grin.
"And what are we going to do with you Anastasia?"
Ana shrugged innocently; eyes filled with mirth.
Her face was lit up by the flickering of the water every so often and Christian didn't want to move her right away, she looked so comfortable, so he sat himself down next to her.
He asked her what they came in here for and what they had been laughing at. Ana could barely get the story out, falling into fits of giggles halfway through her sentence.
She eventually managed to tell him that they started out laughing at Mia's stories and impressions of people but then they just kept laughing and adding things that were in no way relevant but were funny, so they just kept going.
She rested her head back against the railing, as she felt him grab one of her hands. Her thigh was warm where his was resting against.
He played with her fingers as they spoke quietly, laughing every so often.
"Earlier you told me about your hopes for the new year," Christian started after a pause. "And I didn't tell you about mine."
"Hm," Ana hummed happily, head on his shoulder.
"I have hope too," he said softly after another long pause. He didn't feel the need to rush through this. "I have hope for us," he declared simply.
Ana lifted her head from his shoulder and bought her eyes to his, snapping out of whatever daze she had been in. He was looking at her with such intense, smouldering eyes that she didn't know what to do. It blew her breath away.
"Me too," she agreed softly.
They gazed at each other for a moment, taking in the other's features. Christian seemed to be searching for something in her eyes before he dropped his gaze to her mouth.
He leaned in closer and Ana's breath hitched and her heart started beating rapidly. Right before his lips touched hers, he stopped, and she nodded minutely which made the corner of his lips raise before he focused on her lips again.
As his lips touched hers, Ana's eyes shut on their own accord. It was hesitant at first, but then she started to move her lips against his and they melted into it. His hand came up and stroked her cheek slowly and Ana's heart went full on crazy. She wondered if he could feel it thumping.
His lips were warm and soft, and in the back of her mind she worried if she was doing this right. She'd only kissed one guy before, but she was too focused on the feeling of his lips to care properly.
That feeling when you get to kiss someone you've wanted to kiss for the longest time is indescribable. She felt like all her feelings were going to explode beneath her skin.
They broke apart after a couple of moments. They weren't breathless; it had been a slow, gentle kiss, one that screamed innocence.
He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and Ana blushed at the gesture. She's read about it before and always thought that it was such a weird thing to go gaga over; a guy tucking your hair away but now she completely understood. It was such a simple but sweet gesture.
The corners of his lips were turned up and Ana couldn't help but mirror the expression.
"I've wanted to do that for the longest time," he murmured.
"I hope it lived up to your expectations," she countered with a raised brow.
"It was everything and more Ana," he said sincerely.
"We aim to please, Mr Grey," she sassed. She had no idea where this confidence was coming from.
"That, you do Miss Steele," he chuckled as Ana bought her head back to his shoulder and he kept a hold of her hand, stroking her knuckles.
They sat there, looking out at the view of the lake through the windows. It was barely visible due to the dark, but it glimmered in the moonlight and they both revelled in the moment.
Christian held Ana's hand as they made their way through the crowd gathering on the terrace.
Midnight was in less than two minutes and his parents always rang it in with fireworks.
They found his family by the front just as the countdown started.
Ana was grinning as they all counted down, still holding onto Christian's hand.
Mia was punching the arm that wasn't wrapped around Jose, in the air with each number.
"…3…2…1…happy new year!" Everyone roared.
Christian turned his twinkling eyes to her with a small grin on his face.
Leaning down, he kissed the corner of her mouth, conscious of his family stood beside them.
"Happy new year Ana," he murmured, eyes smouldering.
Ana smiled shyly. "Happy new year Christian."
They turned at the sound of fireworks exploding and watched as they exploded into colours above the lake.
Ana held Christian's hand with both of hers and leaned into his side, watching the display.
Glancing to just past Christian, she found Elliot looking at them, grinning like an idiot and Kate was watching her with raised eyebrows and a knowing smile.
Ana tried not to smile and looked away quickly, on one hand embarrassed that they had seen them kiss but on the other hand, the more dominant one, she was just glad that her and Christian seemed to have their own personal cheerleaders and they were happy for them.
The cold air started to smell like smoke and happy exclamations were heard coming from all over as people hugged each other.
As the fireworks stopped, auld lang syne started playing loudly through the speakers onto the terrace.
Everyone started singing along loudly and proudly and somehow they all ended up in a circle, arms wrapped around each other as they sang and danced.
"For auld lang syne, my dear… For auld lang syne.
"We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
"For auld lang syne."
Christian's arm around her shoulders was warm, she could feel the vibrations through her as he sang, and she sneaked a glance at him.
As if he could feel her eyes on him, he met her eyes and grinned happily, looking like he had no cares in the world as he sang along.
Her cheeks were starting to ache from the smile that hadn't left her face. The happiness that Ana was feeling was unlike anything she'd ever felt before.
This moment, these people, the imperfect singing, the dancing – that wasn't really a dance, the man by her side.
It was perfect.
This new year, she was feeling more hopeful for the future than she had ever been before.
Auld lang syne is my favourite thing to sing, i love it.
I wanted this up for new years for obvious reasons but things got busy really fast.
Hope you all had a wonderful new years and you're all doing okay. I really hope you liked this one, it was one of my favourite's to write :)
p.s i read all your reviews so thank you to anyone who has ever left one. it means the world to me :)
