Chapter Nine
I apologise in advance for any mistakes. Thank you all so much for reading this story and all of your reviews! I wish I could reply to every one, I've got a lot planned for our favourite pair. If you have any concerns, please message me!
Thursday 9th June 2011
"Sneaking Out early?" Jack snidely asks as he returns from his meeting to see me packing up my desk.
"It's half five." I nervously reply. He looks at his watch and grunts.
"So it is. See you tomorrow then." I nervously smile at him before leaving. I hope his moods settle, I love my job itself I'm learning so much. I just don't like Jack, at first he seemed okay now he's being an ass. Claire seems skittish around him as well, I put it out of my mind for now.
I've barely left the front door when Sawyer pulls up. Sawyer, my CPO. Christian "requested" I had security. He thinks that after the picture of us at my graduation made the paper, soon people are going to notice that we're together and cause trouble. I was going to argue, I assumed he thought I was incapable of taking care of myself, but I understand where he's coming from. He's scared. I feel better knowing all his family also have CPOs.
Finally we're at Escala, I need to get changed before Jose's show. I made the mistake of chewing too hard on my pen, now my lovely pale pink blouse has a navy blue splotch.
"Now that is a sight to come home to." Christian leers at me. I'm bent town wearing only a thong.
"I've ruined my bra." I sulk, my bra is stained as well.
"Give them to Mrs Jones, she's good with stains."
"Pick me out a dress, please."
"Okay. Why?"
"I kind of want to wear the sexy red one, but you'll probably be pissed about me going out in that and make me change. So I'm cutting out the middle man." I reason, he grins and kisses me on the cheek. While he picks my outfit I decide to put my hair into an elegant bun before making sure my makeup is okay, I've gone for a natural look. I stop when I see him holding the red dress.
"The sexy red one?"
"I'll be with you, I'll be jealous as fuck if someone goes too near but you like the dress so wear it." He shrugs.
"I love you."
"I love you too." We share a heated kiss. Before Christian pulls back.
"Elena called today. She wants to do go out to dinner with me tomorrow." He grins, not noticing my glare.
"Choose your next words carefully." I warn, my Slytherin sneer in place.
"I told her I had plans with you, she wanted me to cancel, then she wanted to come here, then she tried to come to my office." He says impassively looking anywhere but me.
"She's trying to control you." I tell him. I'm not in the mood for this.
"I know. After Saturday I'm going to tell my mom about her. Then I'll cut all ties." He confesses.
"Are you sure?"
"I talked to Flynn this afternoon, I can see more on why she isn't a good person. I'll tell you more later but, I've asked Taylor to not let her near me. She isn't allowed here. I don't want her anywhere near me. We may have to see her Saturday at the ball, but I'll do my best to avoid her." He promises.
"I'm so proud of you, Christian. Every moment of every day, even the moments when I'm pissed at you, you make me proud to be yours." I can tell he doesn't know what to say, he just kisses me.
"Hurry up and get ready, Charlie Tango awaits." He slaps my bare ass before leaving me indulgently shaking my head.
We walk into the gallery, and I'm in awe. Jose has such talent, we turn the corner and I see ... me. There's at least nine photographs of me, all different poses, one asleep.
"Did you know about this?" Christian asks his voice cold.
"No, I didn't. I promise." I shake my head. I don't like pictures of me, I don't even have social media. What is happening.
"I need to take this call, I'll be back in a minute." Christian promises with a kiss to my forehead. I go to another picture of me, in this one I'm asleep in mine and Kate's old apartment in Portland. I didn't even know he had his camera with him that day. We had a Star Wars marathon, it was only a few months ago. It feels like a lifetime ago. Couldn't he have at least given me some warning?
"Ana!" Jose is suddenly beside me, pulling me into a hug. "What do you think?" He asks grinning.
"I would have liked some warning." I say my voice cold.
"If I had told you, you would have said no." He defends with a grin.
"That would have been my right. Jose, you can't just put pictures of me in a gallery without my consent." I berate.
"Hey, if I had asked you would have said no." He laughs.
"Then that would have been my right. I didn't even know some of these photographs existed! How dare you. I should have been given some warning, and the option to disapprove." I finish trying to keep my voice as low as possible. We quietly start to move from the main gallery into the office. Neither of us wanting to cause a scene.
"I disapprove of your boyfriend, but you don't hear me complaining." He mutters.
"I'm an adult and can be in a relationship with who I please. Me and Christian are not breaking any laws. You are. You have no right to have these pictures in a public gallery without my consent."
"You would have said no, and they're my best work." He weakly attempts to defend.
"What is it with you and consent? You push yourself onto me whilst I was drunk, and now this. Jose you are going to have to have a serious think about what our friendship means to you. You have been like a brother to me, and I don't want to lose you. But this is pushing the limits.
"I apologised for that. Being drunk isn't an excuse, but I've had feelings for you for so long. I saw you standing there in the moonlight and I couldn't help myself."
"You're digging yourself into a nice hole there." I warn.
"I'm sorry. It was like one moment I thought I had a shot, then Grey comes along and suddenly I don't matter. I'm not..."
"Not what?"
"Your favourite guy anymore." He mutters.
"That's what happens when you fall in love, I found someone who makes me feel like the best version of myself. Yes he comes first, it doesn't mean I care less about you."
"I'm sorry, about all of this. That night, I was stupid and horrible. I do regret it, it was a horrible thing for me to do. About the photographs, if you want I can have them taken down and destroyed, or you can have them and every copy I have. You looked so beautiful in all of those pictures, and when I was asked to do this exhibition I wanted my best work. Those were a part of it." He confesses as my anger dies down.
"Okay. Keep the photographs up, however I don't want them for sale. And after the exhibition I want them back."
"Deal."
"Secondly, I find out you've forced yourself on a girl in the way you did to me or worse and I will be telling both of our fathers." His face falls. I don't believe he will do that again, I even understand where his misguidedness came from, I just needed to tell him.
"Deal." It's like he read my mind.
"Lastly, you are going to have to understand that me and Christian are together. I can see a lifetime and beyond with him, so you as my friend are going to need to learn to accept that. I'm not asking you both to be best friends, but you need to be civil with each other. And even if I wasn't with him, I don't see you that way. It's never going to happen."
"Okay, deal. I am sorry, Ana."
"I accept your apology." We grin and share a hug. I feel a lot better about Jose now.
We turn to leave the office and I see Christian standing in the doorway looking furious.