A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
A POV
"You kept this?", Christian asks, pointing to the paper ring he picked up from the top of the dresser. He made the ring last night out of the paper from his Sonic drink straw.
"Of course I kept it.", I shrug from the bed where I'm sitting crossed legged. "Why wouldn't I?" He stares down at the ring for a few more seconds and then sets it back down on the dresser.
"I don't know." He settles on the side of the bed. "Maybe I thought you'd wake up this morning and throw it away after figuring it was a cheesy gesture."
"Christian, it wasn't a cheesy gesture." I cup his chin and smile, yet he remains silent. "Is something on your mind?"
"Kind of.", he murmurs. "Slipping that paper ring on your finger last night felt good and right." He takes a deep breath. "I'm going to just lay my cards out and tell you how I feel. I fall deeper in love with you every day, and I know that it's not to going to stop. Ana, you're it for me. There's no one else, and there never will be anyone else. I have this vision of us being married."
"Are you asking me to marry you?", I ask.
"No.", he replies. I feel a pang of hurt at his answer. "Let me rephrase that. I'm not asking you to marry me at this time although I do plan on asking you at some point. I just wanted you to know my intentions. I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself since you might not say yes when I do ask." I close the distance between us and kiss him.
"I wouldn't worry about me saying no.", I whisper against his lips. He relaxes and beams at my confession.
"This is it.", I tell Baker upon arriving at the Nelson Agency. I'm still unable to return to work, but I wanted to stop by to see everyone. Baker's by my side the entire way to the building.
"I've always wondered how long it takes some ads to come together.", she says.
"I've had some that instantly to come me, and I've some that have taken forever."
We get to the lobby, and Baker stays in the hallway while I open the office door. I see everyone hard at work with their respective tasks. I spot Julia standing by one of the fax machines. She finishes what she's doing and turns in my direction, grinning when she sees me.
"Ana, oh my gosh. It's so good to see you.", Julia says. She gives me a gentle hug. "I'm trying to be careful since I know you're probably pretty sore."
"I am although every day is better than the last. It looks like the place is bustling."
"Definitely. I just sent a fax to Rawlings Motors. The ads are coming together nicely. I'm just glad to be a part of the plan to turn it back into a profitable business. Come on and say hi to everyone else." She hooks her arm in mine and leads us further into the office. Kate glances up from her desk and waves.
"Hey there.", Kate says after rolling her chair over to Julia and me. "How are you feeling?"
"Good.", I answer. "If you were busy..."
"I wasn't. We miss you around here."
"Yes we do.", Julia adds as I see a dark brown haired girl sitting at my desk. Kate and Julia's eyes go to each other and then to me. "That's Michelle. She started yesterday. Mr. Nelson is working on finding a spot for her, but in the meantime she's at your desk. She hasn't moved any of your things." I see that my photos are still in the same place. One of the photos is one of my parents, and the other is one of Christian and me.
"Ana, I thought I saw you walk in.", Mr. Nelson says while making his way towards me. "How are you?"
"I'm doing good. I thought I'd come by and say hi. I miss being here."
"We miss you and can't wait to have you back." He notices my eyes on my desk. "We've got a new employee. Her name is Michelle Winstead. I've got to do some rearranging of the desks, but until then I placed her at your desk. It's only temporary of course." Even though he sounds genuine, I can't help but feel a little upset. "Let me introduce you to her." We walk over to my desk. Michelle stops typing and smiles at us. "Michelle, this is Ana Steele. Ana, this is Michelle." Recognition crosses her face.
"Oh, you're the Ana whose desk I'm borrowing.", Michelle. "It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too. How are you liking the job so far?", I ask.
"I really like it. Everyone has been nice. This is my first real job, and I'm doing my best to make sure I do well."
"I'm sure you're going to do fine."
"It's weird seeing someone other than Sawyer with you.", Kate says, nodding towards Baker who's sitting at the table a few feet from the one occupied by Kate, Julia, and myself. I was planning on going home after leaving the office, but Kate and Julia suggested that I join them for lunch at Spiro's.
"It is odd not having Sawyer, but Baker's nice and has been doing great.", I reply while breaking my breadstick in half.
"Has Sawyer started his physical therapy yet?", Kate asks.
"He started it yesterday but still has a ways to go." I take a bite of my pasta and wipe my mouth with the cloth napkin. "I feel like I'm out of the loop with what's going on with you two. Enlighten me."
"Nothing major is going on with me except Elliot and I are adjusting to living together. We've had our moments, but I'm glad we're doing it."
"I'm happy to hear that. I promise I'll get the rest of my things soon."
"Ana, don't worry about it. There's no rush." I nod and look at Julia.
"Things with Will are still going well, slow but well. We're learning more about each other with each passing day, and it's nice. We have moved forward slightly though. We've been doing some kissing."
"Some?", Kate scoffs jokingly. "That's not the way you described it to me. You said you were barely able to come up for air when kissing him." Julia covers her eyes.
"Ok, ok. Maybe the kissing has been intense, but that's as far as it's going for now."
"There's nothing wrong with just kissing.", I tell Julia. "It's as far as Christian and I can go until I get cleared by my doctor in a couple of weeks." Kate and Julia give me sympathetic looks. "Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?", Kate asks.
"Like you're about to cry. If you cry I'll cry, and I was aiming for a cry free day."
"I'm going to try not to cry.", Julia says. "But I'm also going to tell you how grateful I am that you're ok. You mean a lot to me, and I need you in my life."
"I echo those words.", Kate replies.
"I need you guys in my life as well.", I tell as the three of us join hands in the middle of the table.
C POV
"If all goes well the first training courses will begin in a few months.", Sandra Wilson says while sitting in my office where we're meeting about the training program I helped start alongside the Wilson Organization. "We've already had a few women interested in it."
"It's nice that we've got interest, yet it's also kind of sad.", I sigh. "Those women wouldn't be interested in the program if they had never been in abusive relationships."
"Fair point, but they were also brave enough to get out and seek help. Many women are afraid to do so. They're scared of the consequences from the abuser if they leave. There are also some who feel shame." She closes the folder in front of her. "My mother fell into the shame category. She and my father were part of high society. They'd go to fancy parties into their elegant attire, and then they'd return home where my father would beat her. She covered her scars and bruises with makeup, but she couldn't cover the inner scars. He never laid a hand on my twin sister and me though. I often wished I could trade places with my mother so I could take the beatings instead of her. She told him one day she was going to leave, and he laughed. He said she wouldn't be able to survive on her own, and she believed him. She continued putting on a show for their friends and family while being his punching bag. My sister and I graduated school but were scared to go to college. Neither of us wanted to leave our mother alone in the house with him. We enrolled in community college so we could live at home and watch over our mother. On the day before our classes started my mother got a call from my father's boss. He had collapsed at his factory job and was being rushed to the hospital. We got to the hospital and were told he had suffered a heart attack and didn't make it. Yes my mother lost her husband, and my sister and I lost our father, however there was relief. He could no longer hurt my mother. That was ten years ago. My mother met a wonderful man about five years ago, and they married this past year." My past isn't something I routinely discuss, yet her telling me about her father compels me to let her know this project has a special meaning to me as well.
"I'm sorry your family went through such a horrific experience.", I say. "I'm not going to go into specifics, but I do know first hand the trauma abuse can cause. I look forward to helping these women start fresh in life. They need to know they're not alone."
"I hope you're hungry because I made pretzel crusted chicken.", Ana says. I narrow my eyes towards the dish on the counter. "Don't knock it until you try it."
"I like pretzels and chicken so I'm sure I'll like it." I pad across the floor and wrap my arms around her waist. Our lips careen into a soft kiss. "I know I said I would ease up on my worrying, but I hope you didn't exhaust yourself today."
"I didn't."
"Ok. How did your visit to your work go?", I ask. Ana shrugs and steps away from me. "What happened?"
"Nothing. It was weird being there as an onlooker. Mr. Nelson's hired a new girl. Her name is Michelle, and she seems nice. She's also at my desk until he can get some rearranging done. It's only temporary."
"But you still felt upset." She nods at my words. "I understand, but soon you'll be back at work and at your desk."
"You're right. Things were better when I had lunch with Kate and Julia. We had some delicious food and caught up. Afterwards Baker drove me to Kate and Elliot's where I got a few more things." She gives me one more quick peck on the lips. "Now go and get ready for dinner."
"Yes ma'am.", I laugh with a salute. I stride into the bedroom and remove my jacket. As I'm setting it on the bed I notice the paper ring I gave Ana is no longer in its spot on the dresser. She said she was going to keep it, but it seems she might have changed her mind. It suddenly feels like a knife is being shoved into my heart.
"I picked up the gravy bowl and spilled some on my blouse.", Ana says on her way into the bedroom. She stops midway to the closet, probably wondering why I'm just standing by the dresser. "Why aren't you getting ready for dinner?" I run my hand along my chin. "Christian?"
"You didn't have to pretend to like the paper ring. I'm a grown man who can handle the truth. What I'm curious about is whether you were being honest about what your proposal answer would be."
"Christian, I..., she says, but I shake my head and go on with what I'm saying.
"Lying to me is a little shitty, but I don't need you to sugarcoat things for my benefit. You've said you aren't fragile, and neither am I."
"Are you finished?", Ana snarls. She stomps past me and goes to the dresser. She then opens the lid of a wooden jewelry box I'm just now noticing. When she moves her hand back out I see the ring in her hand. "The jewelry box was one of the things I picked up from my old room. I don't normally wear a lot of jewelry so I usually just lay it on the top of the dresser, but I thought it would be better if I kept the ring in a safe place."
"I'm sorry.", I sigh. "I saw it gone and got the wrong idea."
"It shows how little you think of me.", she mutters. "You really should've given me more credit, yet you chose to think the worst."
"It was a mistake, one that I'm sorry about." She doesn't respond. "Baby, say something."
"You better hurry up. Dinner's ready."