"Want some popcorn? There is a scary movie marathon going on right now," Ana asked Ethan from the kitchen. Normally, she would have preferred to read a good book over watching old movies, but she felt like she really needed the company tonight. So much had happened over the past 24 hours that she couldn't turn her mind off.
"Do you have any chips?" he called back from his place on the couch, eyes glued on the set. Geez, he can be demanding. Ana was thankful that Christian did not get sucked into the television as easily as other men; seeing Ethan in the living room reminded her of how Ray would get during football season.
Ana grabbed the bag of chips and sauntered over to the couch to reclaim her place next to Ethan. His eyes remained focused on the tube. "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend," Ana snorted as she threw a pillow at him.
He looked at her sheepishly, the spell finally broken. "Sorry, but I told you it was the good part. Would you rather play some poker and you could tell me all about your issues and troubles? It would bring back fond memories of last week for me."
Ana let out a giggle and gave him a swift kick. "You are such an ass, Ethan, but yes, I will play with you. Help me find the cards."
Playing cards proved to be an excellent distraction for Ana since Ethan was really good. She had to concentrate on her hand and her strategy rather than on Christian's fucked up personal history. Ana sent Ray a silent message of gratitude because he had introduced her to the game early on and so she was able to give Ethan a run for his money.
As they played, Ana told him about her creepy boss attacking her and Christian at the market and how much Christian hated her car. Ethan updated her about the week-long trip he was taking to Los Angeles before he began his graduate program at SeattleU. It had worked out well for him to stay in town for an extra week because in a few hour he would be heading straight to California instead of having to leave from his parent's home, which was further away. They stayed up talking until Kate and Elliot made an appearance sometime around 9 am.
"How long have you guys been out here?" Kate frowned, looking at both of them in turn. "Did you get any sleep at all, Ana?"
Ana smirked and looked back at the hand Ethan had dealt to her. "Good morning to you, too, sunshine. Ethan and I couldn't sleep. I wanted to wake you up to talk, but…"
Kate nodded, as she trailed off. Yes, things were defiantly changing between the two of them with all of these men around and Ana did not like it one bit. Her statement had grabbed Kate's attention, though. "What did you want to talk about?"
Intrigued, Kate walked over sit next to Ana on the floor. Ana waited until she had settled in before holding up her left hand for examination.
Kate gasped, obviously impressed by the size of the diamond. "Holy shit, Steele, you're engaged?" Kate squealed and wrapped Ana in a big hug, effectively knocking the air out of her.
Elliot cleared his throat. "I guess I get to be the awkward one and ask if you are engaged to Christian or some other dude. If it is the latter, then I would hate to be around when the control freak finds out."
Ana had to laugh at his choice of words. "Watch yourself, mister. You are talking to the future Mrs. Control Freak."
Frowning, Kate pulled away. "I don't get it; you were convinced 48 hours ago that it was over for good and now you're getting married to Christian? If I didn't know any better, I would think that this was a little unexpected on your part."
Unsure of how to explain their situation, Ana just smiled sweetly back at her. "It is, but I'm really happy. We were able to work things out the other day and, well, the stuff that went wrong isn't even going to be an issue anymore."
Kate looked a little pouty over Ana's revelation. "Just remember that I get to kick his ass if he ever hurts you again, Steele." With that understanding in place, Elliot stepped forward and enveloped Ana in a hug.
"Welcome to the family, sis," he said, giving her a goofy grin. Yes, the Grey men were in a class all their own. Everyone was having a good time ribbing Ana about the engagement when her phone vibrated. Ana had forgotten to charge the blackberry when she got home so it had been in her room until several minutes ago.
Frowning, she checked the screen to see if she had missed any calls. Fuck! Christian had tried to call four times in the last two hours. She scrolled down to find the two text messages he had sent:
*Where are you? Why won't you answer?
*Pick up, Anastasia. I'm going to be late getting to Kate's apartment this morning.
Ana gulped as she scrolled down further to see the email and four voice messages he had left, as well. Not wanting to read more of the same, Ana opted to just call him back and face the music. "Sorry, guys, I've got to call Christian," she muttered as she headed down the hall, aware that each of them were assessing her change of demeanor.
Christian answered on the first ring. "Where have you been?" he snapped. "I have been calling you all morning."
Ana hesitated. "I know, that is why I am calling you back. How has your morning been?"
"Well, I've had better than the cluster-fuck of trying to get ahold of you." God, Christian was steaming. Ana determined that she had to change tactics if she had any chance of defusing the situation.
"How long do you think it will take you to get here? Elliot, Kate and Ethan have found out about the engagement, so we should probably get a hold of our parents soon." There, that would likely make Christian's mood brighten.
As if by clockwork, she felt him smile at the thought of making the announcement. "I'll be there in an hour. The deal I was working on last night went sour and I have to do some last minute things in the office."
Ana thought she was completely off of the hook until Christian's voice dropped an octave. "But you won't distract me that easily, baby. You are going to have to learn to answer when I call you and I know just the way to give you the lesson."
Her legs turned to jelly at the sound of his threat. "Well, you can't do very much from your office, you I'd say I'm safe for at least another hour here… who knows, I might get into more trouble by the time you show up."
Christian sucked in a breath, taken aback by her brazenly defiant attitude. "We'll see about that, Ms. Steele." With that, he was off of the line.
Ana felt on top of the world as she walked back into the living room. Maybe Christian wasn't going to be so difficult to deal with after all. Give the man a little sass and suddenly not answering the phone is a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
Everyone stopped talking when she entered, trying to assess whether the engagement was still on. Ana scowled at them, reading their thoughts. "Yes, we are still getting married, people. He is all bark, no bite." That is no completely true. She shuttered inwardly as she remembered the night she first left Escala. Surely Christian wouldn't pull something like that again…
"Good," Kate said. "We need to load Ethan's crap into my car because his flight leaves in less than two hours. We have to move out now!"
Within fifteen minutes, all of Ethan's bags were packed and ready to go. Kate and Elliot would be driving them to the airport and would likely be meeting Ana and Christian at the Grey's home later to share the big engagement news. Ana did not even want to think about what they would be doing during the time in between because of the looks they had been giving each other all morning. Hey, if they do it at Elliot's place at least I won't walk in on them. Ana wondered idly if Kate ever shared the same sentiments about her and Christian.
All too soon, she was giving Ethan a hug goodbye. "Thanks for the shoulder last week, friend," she whispered. Ethan gave her a squeeze before pulling away.
"Don't get soft on me, Steele," he warned with humor in his eyes. He pulled her close before adding "anytime, though." Ana waived from the front door as they pulled away.
The apartment felt so small now, with just her in it. Suddenly there was a strong knock at the door. Expecting that Christian may have left the office early after their banter, Ana raced over and put on her sexist smile. At least, she hoped that it looked at least a little sexy and not too comical.
When Ana opened the door, there was no one in sight. Instead, only a note was left on the mat. She stooped down to collect it, hoping that it was from the mailman or maybe a practical joke courtesy of Elliot. Instead, the words made her face blanch and her skin go cold. She quickly scanned the area surrounding the entrance, but her attempts were fruitless. Who could have taken these pictures?