Chapter 28

It was nearly a month later.

Ana had her interview for the publishing house earlier this week and was anxiously awaiting a phone call. They said they'll let her know in a couple of days, but that didn't stop her from waiting with her phone glued to her hand during every waking moment. Kate had admonished her multiple times for being so nervous; she had so much faith in Ana.

Not much progress has happened regarding her and Christian. As she said, she didn't want to get into anything with him until she had gotten the publishing job and officially left GEH. No matter how many reassurances she heard that she was going to get the job, she was still worried that she wasn't.

She was obviously still at GEH and she saw him five days a week, but they didn't act any differently towards each other, or at least they didn't think they did. It was just like pre-Christmas times.

New years had been a whirlwind and her thoughts often strayed to that night. It had been perfect.

Since she had been back at GEH after Christmas, she'd been appreciating everything knowing that she could be leaving very soon.

Andrea and Ros knew about the publishing job but no one else and they wanted to keep it that way.

Ana found herself wanting to go and do copies and spend the day wrestling with the copier, she wanted to take notes in meetings and set up the conference rooms. It could all be gone soon enough.

On another note, Christian had been having lunch with her and Andrea whenever he had the chance which was about once or twice a week. The three of them spent the hour in the break room, talking about everything and anything. He's been very easy going at work lately, but Ana knew he was slightly on edge at having to eventually replace her and having someone new around here.

Outside of work, they texted, they facetimed each other but haven't had another chance to hang out due to everyone being busy. They went for lunch at Emily's café a couple of times during work but nothing outside of it.

Ana had also taken it upon herself to bring in baked goods at least once a week as an appreciation of her gratitude. She felt like she needed to give back to Andrea and Christian for all they had done for her.

Her interview with Jerry Roach went well, it was completely informal, and he questioned her about her reasons for wanting to go into publishing and what working at GEH was like. He was a kind man and his passion for literature was so evident.


Ana was laser-focused on the report she was typing up that she didn't even notice Andrea speaking into her headset.

A couple minutes later, she heard the elevator ding and heels clattering on the floor but didn't look up so she got the fright of her life when Grace appeared in front of her, greeting Andrea.

"Ana, it's so good to see you," Grace greeted her warmly, looking elegant as always.

Once Ana got her heart beat in check, she stood up to hug Grace. "It's so good to see you too. What are you doing here?" She asked without thinking. "Oh sorry, that was a stupid question," she laughed it off, embarrassed.

"Nonsense. I thought I would take Christian out for lunch. It's been a long time since we last got the chance to do so."

Ana nodded. Grace started asking her questions and they were both so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't notice Christian joining them.

He stood slightly off to the side watching his mother and Ana conversing, having no clue what they were talking about.

He was content to observe so he didn't bother interrupting them. He exchanged an amused look with Andrea who was watching them with keen interest.

Eventually Ana caught a glimpse of him. "Oh Christian," she all but squeaked in surprise. He simply smirked in return.

"Christian!" Grace embraced him as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Sorry, I didn't notice you there." Ana apologised.

Grace laughed lightly. "We just got so caught up. Anyway, it was me, I'm the one taking up all of Ana's time."

"You see Ana and forget all about me?" He asked, feigning offence.

"Of course not," she dismissed him before turning back to Ana.

Christian rolled his eyes exasperatedly as he chuckled.

"Have you had lunch Ana? Would you like to join us?" Grace asked her.

Ana was caught off guard and her eyes flew to Christian. He was looking at her expectantly, having no objections.

She cleared her throat. "Uh... no, I haven't but-" She was cut off by Grace.

"Excellent, you can join us. We're just going to a quaint little bistro around the corner."

"I'd really love to but Andrea-" she was about to say that Andrea had the first lunch today but again got cut off. This time by Andrea.

"Don't worry about it Ana. I'll go after you come back." Ana's eyes flew to her. "Go." Andrea said with an encouraging grin.

"If you're sure.." Ana hesitated.

"Very sure." Andrea reassured her. She saw Grace grin triumphantly while Christian smiled at the floor.

"Okay," she breathed. "Let me just get my things."

"Thank you Andrea. You're a sweetheart." Ana glanced to see Grace speaking with Andrea quietly as Christian was off to the side, typing on his phone. Ana couldn't be sure but she thought she heard Grace saying something about wanting to spend time with her son's girlfriend or something along those lines and Ana nearly dropped her phone.

She tried to look at them discreetly, not wanting it to look like she was eavesdropping. All she saw was Andrea nodding her head and saying something but she couldn't make out what.

As Ana said goodbye to Andrea, Andrea gave her a discreet thumbs up and mouthed 'mother's approval'. Ana didn't know what to make of that.

The trio headed to the elevator and inside, Christian leaned against the back wall next to Ana. They glanced at each other at the same time and couldn't stop the grins that appeared on their faces, amused at the whole situation.

Grace walked in front of them in the lobby and Christian leaned closer to Ana. "She might be overbearing but she gets results. I'm glad she got you to join us."

Grace overheard what Christian had just said and smiled, pleased with herself.


Ana was walking back from her lunch break one day, that she had spent with Emily, when she got the phone call.

She stopped by a bench, unable to keep walking and talking at the same time.

After exchanging pleasantries, he told her that she got the job. Ana was ready to burst out of her skin.

This was happening.

She thanked him as graciously as she could without sounding too giddy, but she doesn't think she was successful as he kept chuckling and she could hear the smile in his voice. She was pretty sure she had accidentally let a squeal rip. She probably looked ridiculous to all the other yuppies that were walking by her, but she couldn't find it in her to care.

He informed her of her start date and when she can come in to sign her contract and all the other necessities.

After thanking him one more time she hung up and just looked around the area, taking a minute to absorb what had just happened.

She needed to tell someone right now.

She called her dad who had laughed in delight and congratulated her and told her that he knew she was always going to get the job; he hadn't been worried. Ana had smiled and her eyes filled with emotion as he sang his praises. He had always been her biggest cheerleader.

Before they hung up, her dad announced that he was going to be coming up to Seattle soon to spend some time with her in the city before she embarked on her new journey and she couldn't contain her excitement. The only time he'd been here was when she first moved here so she was excited to show him around.

She saw the time and realised she was late, so she started walking back to GEH and called Kate on the way.

"Steele, this better be good. You just made me lose my trail of thought for this article I'm writing," Kate said as a greeting.

"Hello to you too Kate," Ana smirked, one hand holding her phone to her ear as the other went in to the pocket of her trench coat.

"Steele," Kate warned. Ana knew she wasn't too mad. If she had really been busy, she wouldn't have answered.

"Okay, okay, this is good, trust me." She paused for dramatic effect. "I got the job!" Ana squealed. She got some curious glances, but she was oblivious to them.

Ana heard some commotion before Kate's voice came back. "I told you Steele! I knew you'd get it!" Kate exclaimed happily. "Oh, mind your own business Hal," she heard Kate mutter distantly.

Ana laughed, assuming someone must have heard Kate's exclamation. "Kate, don't disturb anyone."

"I'm not, I'm in the hallway but this geezer was still staring at me," Kate said.

They kept the conversation short, both of them having to go back to work so they'd talk at home.

Ana headed on up to the 20th floor looking at the lobby and everyone in it with what felt like fresh eyes. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and something in her life was finally happening.

"Hey Andrea," Ana said with a happy sigh, a dreamy look in her eyes. "I'll be right back," she dashed off without taking her coat and bag off. Andrea watched her confusedly, wondering what had happened during lunch.

Ana knocked on Christian's door tentatively. She heard a faint 'come in' and took a deep breath before entering. This was going to change things.

He was sat at his desk, typing on his computer as he ate his sandwich.

"Hey," he appraised her. "Are you okay?"

"Hi, yeah everything's fine. It's more than fine actually," she said breathlessly coming to stand in front of him.

A pucker appeared between his brows as he looked at her questioningly.

"Jerry called; I got the job!" She exclaimed, grinning.

A broad grin appeared that lit up his entire face. "Ana!" He always knew she was going to get it, but he went through all this for her sake. "Congratulations!" He wiped his hands on a tissue before coming around.

Ana laughed breathlessly. "Thank you."

He pulled her in a hug as Ana's arms went around his waist. He could feel her smiling into his chest.

"Do you finally believe that you've got the job now?" He teased her with a grin.

Ana rolled her eyes lightly, scoffing. "Yes."

He chuckled. "When do you start?"

"He said approximately three weeks," Ana told him. "Shouldn't you know?"

"Ana, I meant what I told you. I'm not involved in the running's of the publishing house, Jerry's the boss, I'm just the silent owner."

Ana nodded slowly.

"Have you handed in your resignation?" He asked.

Ana was startled. "What? No," she said quickly.

"I would have thought you'd have typed it up the day I told you about it," he said.

She shook her head. "Of course not. Writing the letter would make it real that I was leaving this place and I don't think I was ready for that."

His eyes softened as he looked at her. "It's not as final as you think, you know. You're welcome here any time. Hell, you can pop in from time to time and sit in meetings and man the desk if you want. I'm sure Andrea won't have a problem with that, and I sure wouldn't," he smirked.

He watched with a grin as she burst out laughing, feeling very proud that he made her laugh. It was one of his favourite things to see. When she laughed, her entire being lit up.

"Don't be ridiculous," she weakly punched his shoulder.

He flashed her a boyish smile.

They spoke for a couple more minutes about start dates and things before Ana had to get back to work.

She told Andrea the happy news, running down the hall towards her from Christian's office and Andrea engulfed her in a huge hug.

Andrea held Ana's face in her hands, examining it and caressing her hair like a proud mother.

"I'm so, so, so happy for you Ana," she stressed.

Ana counted her lucky stars for the most amazing and supportive people that she had in her life; she was so grateful for each and every one of them.


Ana spent some time trying to type up her resignation letter, but it was difficult.

These conflicting emotions were raging a war inside her.

From the get-go, GEH was always going to be temporary; it was never going to be forever but the one thing she hadn't counted on was meeting some of the most amazing people.

GEH had been everything and more that she had ever expected and with that she let the words flow out as she typed, thinking about the journey that bought her to where she is now.

She got home that night to Kate and Elliot surprising her with her favourite cooked meal and a bottle of champagne. They had a quiet night in, which was just the way Ana wanted to celebrate.

Her resignation letter was all but finished and all that was left to do, was to hand it in to human resources.


Throughout the week, people congratulated her on her new job from near and far. Even Grace and Carrick had called to congratulate her which completely filled her heart with gratitude. She wasn't expecting it, and she had called Christian afterwards and found out that he had told them as they were invested in her journey.

Kate had told her one night to meet her at a restaurant that they frequented, and she had arrived to see all of her friends present including Christian.

It was a perfect evening, the drinks and laughter flowed while they all ate to their heart's content.

She and Christian had sat together and even though everyone present probably knew that their relationship had progressed, they didn't outwardly show it.

It was a very nice surprise when she had felt his hand grab hers under the table. When she looked at him, he avoided her gaze, but he couldn't hide the upturn of his lips. They carried on conversations with others, all the while holding hands and occasionally the other one would tighten their hold or fingers would start stroking the others'.

It was this sort of casual intimacy that Ana absolutely loved. This was her love language. And there was nothing spoken about it which made it even more lovely. She wondered if he remembered what she had said about her love language at her birthday picnic but whether he did or not, the gesture meant a lot to her.

The implications of leaving GEH for her and Christian didn't go unnoticed by either of them but neither voiced it.

On the days leading up to her last day at GEH, Ana had taken to writing her thoughts down in the journal Christian had gotten her. There were so many emotions and thoughts flying through her that it was the only way she knew how to cope with it.

Each time she done it, she felt so much lighter and maybe in ten years' time, she could read it back and reminisce.

She was also appreciating everything GEH-related a lot more than usual, the commute, the work, the atmosphere, just taking it all in.

Was she being dramatic? Perhaps, but she had always been nostalgic and that wasn't about to change.


It was Friday today, her last day at GEH.

She made more of an effort in her appearance today. She was wearing a beige tweed style sheath dress with nude heels and she had even styled her hair; it was left down and wavy which was a rare thing. She never usually wore her hair completely down for work, some part of it was always pinned up but she made an exception for today.

She had also made some blueberry muffins and cream puffs as a gift for Andrea and Christian for everything they had done. It was the only way she knew how to show them her gratitude.

Ana actually had a week off after this. She didn't start her new job until the week after and she wanted to have some time to herself and completely relax before embarking on her new journey.

Her dad would be here and maybe she could take a small trip somewhere.


Christian was in two minds about Ana's last day. He'd miss seeing her every day, but he was also excited for what was to come in their relationship.

It was bittersweet and he knew Ana was feeling the same way.

He was stood by the reception desk in the lobby when he happened to glance the other way. The lobby was bustling as people arrived, but his eyes located Ana easily in the crowd.

She was heading for the elevators looking deep in thought, but she still smiled and greeted a few people as she passed them. He knew she didn't feel like the most graceful person, but she was all but gliding through the place even in her heels.

He watched as everyone she greeted, gave her a genuine smile back. Ana was just one of those people who could change your mood with a tilt of her head and a careful smile.

Her hair was down and flowing behind her, which was a nice surprise. It hit him that this was likely the last time he'd see her entering the GEH lobby ever and a pang went through him.

He wondered how he was going to get any work done today at all. He just wanted to spend all day with her.

They were throwing a small going away 'party' for her later on and he'd been told by Andrea that his job was to distract her so they could set up. He wasn't sure if Ana had told Andrea about them but when Andrea had accosted him with his duties, there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

He wouldn't be mad if she knew though. Andrea had been with him for as long as he could remember and sometimes, she felt like an older sister or godmother who was always around to look after him so he knew he could trust her.

Andrea and himself had decided to not hire someone for Ana's job straight away. It would just be them for a couple weeks and they'd see how they coped but likely they'd be hiring within the next two weeks.

He watched as Sawyer stopped her and they spoke about something briefly, both of them laughing before they parted. Christian felt what he thought was jealousy, but he knew he had no reason to feel like that and it was just irrational.

The last time he really had such an interest in a girl was in high school, so he was experiencing a lot of new things when it came to Ana. He wasn't completely clueless when it came to women, but he'd never felt anything like this before.

His eyes didn't leave her until the elevator doors had closed on her, a contemplative look on his face. His eyes happened to skim over Sawyer again who had a smirk on his face as he watched Christian.

Christian raised a solitary brow, challenging him and Sawyer simply shook his head, still smirking and disappeared out of sight.


"I can't believe you're leaving," Andrea mumbled. "It feels like you've always just been here."

"You'll manage fine without me. You did before," Ana said mindlessly.

Andrea shook her head. "Doesn't matter. It'll never be the same."

"You're right. I mean I am one a kind," Ana winked.

"Alright, alright, don't get too big headed," Andrea motioned as if to calm her with a smirk on her lips.

"I'm kidding," Ana laughed. "You just need to stop having such high expectations. And if you find a good person to replace me, who doesn't have some ulterior motive," Ana pointedly glanced down the hall to Christian's office, "then you can teach them everything you know, and they'll do great. I knew nothing when I came here and look at me now," she said with a flourish.

Andrea was silent for a beat as she studied Ana. "You're irreplaceable. It's not just your work ethic, it's you."

"I did offer to train a replacement, but you and Christian are the ones who shot that down," Ana shrugged.

"The wound of you leaving is just too fresh," Andrea said.

"Has anyone every told you that you're just a little dramatic?" Ana held her thumb and forefinger when she said 'little'.

Andrea nodded once. "All the time, Anastasia." Her lips started twitching though so her whole acting serious thing started to crumble. Ana breathed out a quiet laugh.


As Ana did her thing throughout the day, visiting various floors, people stopped her to wish her well and it honestly warmed her heart. She hadn't really made many proper friends, but there were co-workers who would always say hello to her in the hallways and they'd speak in meetings etc.

At one point she had ventured down to the basement area looking for Dave. She really liked him, and he had done so much for her during the holiday season, so she wanted to say goodbye.

He was surprised that she was leaving so soon but he was happy for her after she had explained that publishing had always been her dream. He told her that in all his years at GEH, he'd never seen this place decorated so magically than he had this year and that she gave him hope for the younger generations as he saw her happiness for the holidays.

He'd given her a hug and told her 'go and do great things, kid.'

Ana had walked slowly back up to the top floor. Just when she thought she was ready leave, something like that happened and all the feelings came rushing back. It seemed like a never-ending battle.

She stopped by to see Jose at her old department and she ended up spending quite a while talking with her old co-workers.

Luckily, she had finished everything that needed to be done today and she was pretty sure that nor Andrea or Christian would mind that she wasn't there. Andrea had even encouraged her to go say her goodbyes.

She was sat on Jose's desk as he typed something on his computer. Natalia, his boss, knew Ana was there and since it was her last day, she had no problem with Ana being here.

She was eyeing the department. This was the place that she had started. Her first job after college. It was a significant place.

It was getting to the end of the day now and Ana just wanted to prolong it and put off the inevitable.

Jose was saying something about meeting up for dinner next week.

"Mr Grey." Ana heard someone say behind her. Both of them turned around to see Christian walking towards them, getting a couple of stares as he went. Apparently, he didn't take trips around here that often.

He was nodding at various people and Ana regarded him curiously while Jose tried to hide a smile.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Ana asked lightly.

"Looking for you actually," he stated simply. They were getting a couple of stares, but they ignored them.

"Oh?" Ana said confusedly. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that. I need to talk to you. Whenever you're done here,"" he said quietly.

She furrowed her brows.

"It's not important so you can take your time. I just thought I should let you know before you get accosted by other people for your time," he smiled.

Ana's mind went into overdrive. She was convinced something was up.

"Okay," she replied quietly. "You could've texted me that you know, you didn't have to come all the way down here," she said with a small smirk.

A bashful look marred his face. "I heard you were here, and it was on my way so..."

Ana smiled. He was being too cute. She really wanted to tease him but refrained due to their audience. "I won't be too long."

"Great, see you in a few," he smiled and said goodbye to Jose before he popped into Natalia's office.

Ana turned back to Jose who wiggled his brows at her and she rolled her eyes. "Stop it."

"I don't know how I've never seen it before. You reduce that man to a shy boy, how do you do it?" He asked, shaking his head in wonder.

"Oh shut up," she threw a balled up piece of paper at him.


Ana texted Christian to let him know she was on her way up, just in case he wasn't in his office but as she was making her way to the elevators, she saw him approaching from the opposite direction. He gestured for her to follow him.

"Hey. Where we are going?" Ana asked.

"You'll see," he turned slightly to glance at her, a small smile on his face.

"Cryptic," Ana laughed quietly.

They headed to the elevators and he ushered her in.

He produced a key from his pocket and inserted into the keyhole that Ana had never even noticed before pressing one of those ambiguous buttons that she always saw but had no idea what the symbols meant.

She flashed him a suspicious look, wondering where on earth they could be going. "Is this going to take us to some secret floor?"

"Maybe," he said cryptically.

The doors opened and Christian stepped out first after Ana shot him a look when he gestured for her to go first. She had no idea where they were, and she wasn't going to step out into the unknown. Who knows what could be out there?

He smirked and went ahead with Ana timidly following.

"This place is like Narnia or something," she said mumbled.

It was pretty dark with the halls dimly lit and there seemed to be nobody around. She followed him until suddenly it got very bright.

Looking up, she saw a large greenhouse looking thing.

"What is this place?" She breathed.

He opened a door and they walked into the room where the temperature was warm. The entire thing was glass including the ceiling and she could see the clouds rolling past them. It was like a beautiful field in here with plants and flowers of different shapes and colours everywhere.

"It's our botanical garden," he stated.

"Since when?"

"Since always. It's just that not many people know about it."

"It's kind of an odd thing to have here, isn't it?" Ana asked walking around. Christian was on the other side of the aisle, but she could see glimpses of him through the plants.

"It is odd, yeah but my mom convinced me to do it after she explained all the environmental benefits and things like that. We have an external company that is in charge of it and maintains it."

"It's so beautiful," Ana breathed.

"Not even Andrea knows about this."

"So, I'm one of the special ones? Or did you show me this because I'm leaving?" she teased.

He appeared at the end of the aisle, looking at her wryly. "The answer to both is yes, you know that."

Ana laughed softly as her heart fluttered at what he'd just admitted. "It really is a hidden gem."

He walked over to where she saw stood, inspecting some flowers. "Don't go exposing our secrets."

"My lips are sealed, sir," Ana motioned, pretending to throw away the key.

He followed her around for a while answering any questions she had while she peered closer at the plants.

As they reached the other end of the conservatory, Christian sat himself down on some steps that led directly to the roof, facing the skyline.

Ana sat next to him, resting her elbows on her knees. Their shoulders and knees were pressed together as they both pretended to ignore it.

"I can't believe I won't be here anymore," Ana muttered pensively.

"I'm sure I've said it before, but you're welcome here anytime," he replied quietly.

"Won't that be weird though?"

He shrugged carelessly. "Not to me. Not to us and does anyone else's opinion matter?"

"I guess not." She paused, thinking. "Okay, I'll be back some time to visit my favourite assistant in the country," Ana joked, eyes swimming with mirth. She didn't want to admit anything to herself, but she was scared to voice anything about 'their' future. She hoped there was a future for them; she wanted there to be a future for them, but the future was unknown, and she didn't want to put anything out there for fear of jinxing things.

She wasn't a paranoid individual, but she wasn't about to take any risks.

"Harsh," his hand went to his heart.

"I'm kidding. I'll come to visit my favourite CEO in the state of Washington," she grinned.

"In the state of Washington? I'm wounded Ana."

Ana chuckled lightly.

She sighed as she leaned forward slightly and turned to look at him. "I can never thank you for everything you've done for me. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for you and GEH," she said softly, her eyes seeming so open.

"I know you're going to do great things," he paused, hesitating. "I'm happy that you're going off to achieve your dreams and the implications it has for us that I won't be your boss anymore but on the other hand I won't get to see you every day; no more hearing your tuneless humming as I'm rounding corners or no random mugs of tea left everywhere." They both chuckled. "I'm going to miss the small signs of your presence the most."

Ana wasn't too sure what to say to that, it was so heartfelt, so she simply wrapped her hand around his and squeezed. He responded by flipping his hand over and intertwining their fingers.

He chuckled as he thought about something. "I remember the first time I saw you."

"My first day as your assistant?" Ana questioned.

"No," he shook his head once. "During that lecture at your college."

Ana's brows flew up. "Seriously? You remember that?" She asked in disbelief. He nodded. "Why?"

"Well, you did walk into the lecture theatre late at the beginning. Your face was the first one I really saw, everyone else's was just a sea of faces at that point," he paused, stroking his chin with his other hand. "There was just something about you and I remember I watched you walk to your seat and you smiled at me or something and looked away."

Ana watched him with wide eyes. "I was so embarrassed and then I realised you were looking at me and I felt like a deer in headlights. You have an intimidating gaze," she told him.

"So, I've been told," he chuckled.

"You know I wasn't going to apply for the job," Ana told him after a moment. She saw him looking at her from the corner of her eye, waiting for her to explain. "Lily was the one who convinced me. I remember her singing to me and going on about me being a CEO one day," she grinned as Christian laughed.

"I'm going to have to thank Lily one day," he said. "I can't imagine you not being here."

"Me neither," she smiled. "I want to say there's no place I'd have rather been but that's way too corny," she cringed.

Christian smiled at her amusedly as his phone went off and he checked it.

"You want to head back? It's getting late?" He asked, standing up.

Ana sighed. "Yeah."

They headed back to the 20th floor slowly. Ana just didn't want this day to end, she was feeling some sort of dread.

The elevator doors opened, and Ana very nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Surprise!"

Ana's hand flew to her chest in shock as her eyes lay upon a group of her co-workers including Andrea, Jose, Ros, Taylor and Sawyer. They stood in a group and as Ana walked out, she spied a large poster on the wall that said, 'we'll miss you Ana'. There was a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and some snacks arranged on a small table.

This was the last thing she was expecting, and her heart swelled.

"I can't believe this," she said in awe.

"Did you really think we were going to let you leave without giving you a proper send off?" Christian asked her, his voice light. She had forgotten he was there.

She made her way around the room, thanking everyone. Each and every one of them expressed their happiness for her going off to do her dream job and wished her luck which made her feel warm inside.

She had definitely lucked out on the co-worker department and thanked her lucky stars that she ended up in this place with all these people.

They toasted to her, but thankfully, she didn't have to give a speech other than a quick thank you to everyone collectively.

They gifted her a basket filled with a bunch of gifts like her favourite chocolates, flowers, a mug that had her name on it with two 'definitions' underneath with one being 'the next boss bitch'. Ana had laughed out loud when she read it and her eyes instantly flew to Andrea who was grinning. There were some other little trinkets and a small fake desk plant.

Her favourite thing though was the framed picture of them in New York on the ferry. Ros said that she can display it on her new desk. It was such a cute picture, and she was glad that she had a printed version of it.

Andrea complained that it wasn't good enough as she wasn't in it, so they rectified that situation by taking some pictures right then and there and Andrea promised to send her the new and improved ones.

People slowly trickled out and soon it was only her, Andrea and Christian left packing things up. Ana was in the break room, looking for her mugs and containers that she had left here throughout her time and she couldn't find a certain mug.

She heard Christian rattling around in his office and popped her head in.

"Hey, have you seen my monogrammed mug anywhere?"

He looked up, nodding. "It's actually on the table, here." He walked over to the table in the corner where lo and behold her cup was.

"How did it end up in here?" She asked, walking in to meet him halfway.

"You must have left it when you were last in here."

Taking the cup from him, she glanced around pensively. "This is the last time I'm going to be in here," she mused.

"Potentially. I hope you'll be back to visit," he replied.

She walked over to the window. "And this view! When am I ever going to see a better view of Seattle than this?" She gestured out.

He was quiet for a moment. "Well…my apartment has some pretty impressive views," he said slowly.

Her mind went racing. "Oh?" She asked with a raised brow, wanting him to elaborate.

He ran a hand over his jaw. "Yeah. You could come over and see it for yourself," he suggested nervously.

Ana suppressed a smile, nodding. "I could."

She saw him out the corner of her eyes as he seemed to be contemplating something. She waited to see what he wanted to say.

"Ana," she made eye contact. "I do believe that you promised to go on a date with me," he said, a corner of his lips upturned.

Ana felt her cheeks heat, but he spoke before she could reply. "And it's been official that you're leaving for some time now so… Anastasia Steele, will you finally go on a date with me?"

The smile that she had been trying to hide, broke free and she grinned happily, eyes shining. "I'd love to," she said graciously.

He released a breath that he wasn't aware he'd been holding and grinned back.

That's how Andrea found them; both of them just stood there facing each other by the windows, grinning at one another.

"What's going on here?" She asked in a knowing tone. She was done trying to act clueless.

"Noth-"Ana began to say but she was overshadowed by Christian.

"She agreed to go on a date with me," he declared. Ana's wide eyes flew to him and he simply shrugged.

Andrea was nodding slowly, a smirk on her face. "I see you're wasting no time there, boss."

Ana looked at Andrea disbelievingly. What?

Christian just laughed at what Andrea had said. He knew that she knew there was something between him and Ana. "Long time coming. I didn't want to wait any longer."

"How did- "Ana began in a breathless voice.

"I've known for a while Ana. I wasn't 100% sure but knew there was definitely something going on. It became obvious to me after you got back from New York and after that I didn't have to look too hard."

"Does anyone else?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about it, Ana," Christian said as his hand came to rest comfortingly on her shoulder.

"No," Andrea said surely. "Maybe Ros, and Taylor once mentioned something but that's because we all work with you both closely, closer than anyone else in the building so we see things that others don't. I wouldn't worry Ana."

"Andrea, Ros and Taylor know me better than anyone in the building. I trust them with my entire life. They were bound to notice," Christian added.

"And no one has a problem. It's not wrong you know, even though you've been trying to convince yourself for half a year. We're all happy that Christian has found someone, and we couldn't be more ecstatic that that someone is you, Ana."

Ana's shoulder's sagged as she started to believe them. Andrea would have told her straight up if there was something wrong. She smiled up at Christian, who was still rubbing her shoulder, to show that she was okay.

Andrea was watching them with narrowed eyes. "You go well together."

Both sets of eyes flashed to her simultaneously and they flashed her smiles which made Andrea want to go 'gah'. It was so cute; they were so in sync and just…complimented each other well. Andrea was older than the two of them so she couldn't help but feel proud of them, like a mother hen.

She knew they would work out; they were definitely in it for the long haul. Neither of them was into dating for the sake of it so this was it. It had to be.

They resumed their tidying and by the end, Ana had a small box of all her things in her arms.

They chatted as they made their way down and out of the building. Christian left them before they went to the parking garage; he'd be seeing Ana soon enough and Andrea wouldn't so he thought he should let them have a moment together.

He kissed Ana on the cheek as a goodbye and promised he'd see her soon. He wanted to do more than that but a quick glance to Andrea confirmed that she was watching them, and she just quirked a brow at him in a challenge almost, so he settled on a kiss on the cheek for Ana. It didn't matter that she was happy for them, that wouldn't stop her from taking any opportunity for some good-natured teasing.

Andrea grilled Ana about her and Christian on their short walk to the car park. She somehow managed to extract quite a lot of information from Ana in that small time; she was efficient that way.

Andrea hugged her tightly after Ana had placed her box of things in her car.

"I'm going to miss your face around here. I feel like you've just always been here, you're practically part of the walls," she murmured in Ana's ear.

Ana chuckled. "I'm going to miss you too. So much," Ana whispered back.

"Promise you'll visit us? I'm expecting you here, visiting your dear beloved." Ana felt her grin against her shoulder.

"Stop it," Ana scoffed lightly. "I'm not going far. This isn't the last you're going to see of me Andrea."

"It better not be Steele." She pulled back and held Ana's shoulder as she gazed at her. "You're going to do extraordinary things and I can't wait to see. Good luck for your new job, I know you're going to kill it," she said confidently, emphasising her words with a jostle to Ana's shoulders.

Ana smiled. "Thanks Andrea. For everything. I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't taken me under your wing. This is all on you."

"Fairy godmother, what can I say," Andrea said with a flair, as they both laughed. "But it all comes down to you being a good Samaritan and telling me about that coffee stain on my shirt. It's good karma Ana."

Ana smiled sadly. "This isn't goodbye."

"No. It isn't." Andrea said confidently.

They parted ways, promising to keep in touch. There was no way Andrea was going to let her off.

As Ana got in her car, her eyes started stinging. This was it.

The emotions coursing through her were so overwhelming and her farewell to Andrea just made it worse.

She started driving home in a daze, thinking about her journey to where she was now. The images and memories flashed through her mind like a movie.

Who would have known that applying for this job was going to become such an important part of her life?

She thought about the first time she'd met Christian. He seemed so blasé and his entire being just exuded confidence and authority. She appreciated his good looks but never entertained the idea of anything more than that.

Not too long after she'd met him, she found herself rethinking everything she'd initially thought about him. She used to regard him as some 'other-worldly' presence.

But he wasn't. He was just a man. A surprisingly normal and approachable man who occasionally showed her hidden glimpses of the shy and gentle boy hidden underneath.

All he wanted was to show her that he was just a regular guy. Everything else was surface and irrelevant.

He was romantic and unassuming. There was an easy-going quality about him once he let his guard down which luckily around her, he didn't have up too often, and it made her feel calm.

There was no instant connection the first time they met. It just felt like one day he spoke to her or smiled at her as normal and all of a sudden, she found her thoughts circling around him.

She couldn't exactly remember when things had changed for her; maybe the night of the ball or maybe it was the time he had stayed back late with her; she couldn't pinpoint the moment things changed.

Maybe there hadn't been a big moment where it all changed but maybe there doesn't always have to be. Maybe it happened gradually as they continued to go about her day-to-day lives, the changes in her and around them going unnoticed.

It was as she got to know him slowly; the small glimpses of himself that he'd reveal in the most random of times. She grew to know him, the real him.

It's been a journey to get to here, but she found herself not wanting it to be any other way.

She could see herself falling for him, but she was pretty sure she was already halfway there.


Thank you for reading!

I'm going to leave it here for a while. Thank you to everyone who has ever left a review, it means a lot; never in my dreams did I think that this story would get close to 1000 reviews, it completely blows my mind.

Writing this was my escape and I hope it could be the same for you.

Please stay safe and look out for each other.