Christian
After all that non-sense with those women I just sat in my office to get my head right. I do not take pleasure in firing people but what they did with Ana was uncalled for and unprofessional. Maybe when they are looking for another job the will realize what they had here was great. Eventually I make it to my desk and start finishing some projects and emails I had pushed back during my weekend. I love having something other than work to do now. I look up when I hear a knock at my door.
"Sir Ana is at the apartment and is helping Gail with dinner." Taylor says in a formal tone. This is a first, he has never told me my dinner plans before.
"Excuse me Taylor but why are you telling me this?" I am a bit confused
"Sir it is almost six. Ana said dinner will be served at six thirty and if you don't come home on time you won't get any food." He looked like he wanted to laugh and have the floor swallow him whole at the same time.
"Really? What else did she say while she was on the phone with you and not me?" His smile grew wider when I asked this.
"She said sir and I quote 'Next time he doesn't answer my phone calls or texts… umm… he doesn't get desert" He has a shit eating grin on his face. Ana knew I liked desert.
"Did she happen to mention what she was making for dinner?" I was curious to find out what her first meal will be at the house.
"Well she mentioned bacon mac and cheese sir." He said with a confused face.
With that I pop up out of my chair and turn off my computer. I stuff my now dead phone in my pocket and carry some work files with me as I head towards the door. "Hurry Taylor I need to get home!" I yell from the hall way. He jogs alongside me.
"Whats the big rush sir?" he says while facing the doors
"That damn mac and cheese is the best thing in my life that she has ever made. She made it for me only a few times when we were teenagers." I always looked forward to this meal and I will be damned if I miss it.
"Did you really meet her in high school?" Now I sense the curiosity in his voice.
I look at my watch and see that we have at least five minutes to spare. I quickly press the stop button and the elevator slows. I turn to Taylor as he looks to question what I am doing.
"Taylor I met Ana when I was kicked out my previous school for fighting. She was the small little teenager who dared sit with me at lunch. She was a social outcast in a school where they worshiped showing skin. My Ana was by my side the entire day. She showed me where my classes were and she helped me feel normal. From that point on we even ended up married in a class project that extended to where we are now." I look back at that life and smile
"So why hasn't she been around until now?" It was a reasonable question
"I messed up and distance was needed. I am not a perfect man and she knows that. However even when I was a COMPLETE asshole she did not give up on me when she could have. She invested in my company did you know that? She gave me the half million that I needed to make this empire and even with what I did she didn't fleece me or command anything in return." I say looking at this burly aged man.
"Wow you found yourself a keeper in high school sir, that is rare." He nods to himself.
"Yeah and I thank heaven everyday now that I have my Ana back" I press the button to get to the truck and look forward to dinner.
….
I walk into Escala and the smell of cheese and steak greets me and Taylor as we walk into the foyer. I head right to the kitchen and see Ana cooking and Gail sitting at the island drinking wine. Weird but I really don't care about anything else besides Ana and this meal.
"Hello baby" I say with a kiss on her cheek and try to reach over and grab a bite.
"No Christian. Go get cleaned up and then we can have dinner" she slaps my hand with a wooden spoon.
"Oww such violence" I say while rubbing my hand
"If you try stealing food again I will give Taylor your desert." She threatens
"What is desert?" I leer at her
She rolls her eyes and says "Double chocolate chip lava cookies"
That was it. I sprinted to the bathroom washed everything that I had too and put on a t shirt so I wouldn't get my dress shirt dirty. I head back in time to see that Gail and Taylor would be joining us for dinner. Ana served me and Taylor and Gail big portions.
"Oh Mrs. Grey we don't need that much on our plates." Taylor and Gail protested.
"Oh yes its needed. Just taste the food." I insist.
"Didn't you taste it Mrs. Jones while you were here?" I wonder
"Ana said she only has one taste tester and that it was a surprise." Oh my wife always cooks just for me.
"OH MY GOD!" Taylor exclaims while tasting the food. "What is in this?!" Gail follows his lead
"Good right?" I said with a smirk
"This is….." Taylor just ends up shaking his head and digs back into his plate. Gail nods her agreement.
"So how was the office boys?" Ana says while eating
"Oh you know fired people, worked on a project and answered emails." I say with a shrug of my shoulders.
Ana then looks to Taylor.
"I did back ground checks and updated safety protocols." Taylor says over his food.
"How was your time here Ana?" I want to make sure she is comfortable here.
"I have to talk to you about what happened with Kate when I left your office." She didn't look happy. Then I looked down at the meal. I knew Ana cooked when she wasn't feeling right. I know she was using my favorite meal as a means to focusing her energies on something that wasn't her problems.
I just have to bide my time until she is ready to talk.
When all the food was eaten and cleaned up Ana gets milk and the cookies out. She takes the lid off the plate and the smell of chocolate hits my nose with a delicious aroma. Taylor and Gail try them first before I do. They moan and take their share and head to their own space of the house. Gail winks at Ana then leaves.
I don't touch the cookies yet.
"What happened with Kate Ana?" I said gently
She hangs her head and looks like she was going to cry. I walk around the table and kneel down to see her better.
"She…..sh… she thinks what I am making a mistake by being here with you. She said you would just do the same thing you did to me last time." She whispers in my ear.
I stiffen at the words. How dare Kate say that to her? She doesn't even know me like that
"That isnt the worst though." She says even lower. Her voice is being muffled by my shirt.
"What is?"
"She said she couldn't support our marriage, I didn't even get a chance to tell her how long we have actually been married. She just assumed that I rushed to forgive you and that us being married was just a way to put a patch on a bad relationship." Now I was pissed.
"Ana we both know she is wrong. She will come around eventually." I say while rubbing her back.
She just continues to cry and I rock her until she feels better.
She rubs her eyes eventually and rests her head on my chest.
"Ready for cookies?" I ask.
She nods her head yes and she and I eat our fair share on the couch and we finish talking about our day and we just avoid the obvious gap.
Eventually she drifts off to sleep and I carry her to bed.
Seeing her on my pillows feels so right. I gently take off her clothes and put her in one of my shirts and lay her down for the night.
Looking down at her angelic face I grow angrier and angrier. I leave a small light on and head to my office and dial my brother. I know he is with Kate now and he somehow wants that harpy to be with him but I am beyond pissed to care about his feelings when my wife's have been hurt my his girlfriend.
"Hello brother" he greets me with a cocky smug tone
"What the hell is your girlfriend doing making my wife cry?!" I yell
"What are you talking about?" he sounded confused
"Well let me tell you that Kate told Ana that she won't support our marriage and that this marriage was a band aid on a bad relationship and that I am just going to hurt again. Kate did not let Ana tell her that we have been married for years or even the details as to why we weren't seeing each other over this length of time. Ana was so upset that she cried for hours after she told me." I am livid at this point.
"Woah there brother. So are you telling me that Kate said all of this to Ana because she barely knows you guys are married?"
"Yes" I growl.
"What brought this whole discussion on all of a sudden between the two of you?" he asked. Okay logical question
"I begged and I MEAN BEGGED Ana to spend some of her time here with me at Escala. She barely agreed but I compromised and said she could spend the other half at Kate's. Ana wanted to share with Kate this new development and apparently your girlfriend was not too thrilled with this."
"Crap brother sorry. I am going to her house tonight. Maybe I can reason with her especially since she doesn't now the whole story." He mumbles over the phone.
"Yeah do that before I have words with her. No one makes Ana cry." With that I hang up and I try to calm down.
I go and grab one of the chocolate cookies. Mmmmm they make me feel better fast. I quickly undress and cover her body with mine and hug her to me. I stay up until Ana roles over and she mumbles "Go to sleep. Be angry tomorrow."
I smile and settle in with her.
…
Elliot
I knocked on her apartment door apprehensively. She was a spit fire when happy, I wonder how she will be when she is mad
"DON'T EVEN TRY TO DEFEND YOUR BROTHER!" she yells as she opens the door for me. I see on their counter is a bottle of rum and a pint of rum ice cream
"Kate I am here for you but you need to know that you don't have all the facts about them."
"OH REALLY LIKE I DON'T KNOW MY OWN BEST FRIEND! OH RIGHT AFTER ONE WEEKEND WITH YOUR BROTHER SHE WENT AND GOT MARRIED AND HE BRAINWASHES HER INTO MOVING IN WITH HIM!" She stomps around in her high heels and pencil skirt…. Focus!
"THEY HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR YEARS!" I yell over her
"What?!" This freezes her mid-stride.
"Yeah so do you mind sitting down while I tell you why you acted like an idiot today?!" I say. I don't mean to be harsh but my brother was finally getting his life back together and Kate is just rocking the boat.
"Oh well enlighten me what you know about my friend and what I don't know." She says sarcastically
Okay I am going to have to do this slowly. I raise up my hand and count on my fingers.
"1. My brother and your friend have been married for almost six years.
2. The reason she and my brother didn't see each other this long because they had an agreement.
3. Whether we like the affects or not they decided this because Ana had school and Christian had an empire to build.
4. Ana wants to spend time with Christian
... because she loves you so much she told Christian that she would only spend half her time with him at his house because she wants your support.
6. Christian had to beg to get her to stay with him. It's not like he is more important that you.
7. Yes no one knew about this marriage until like days ago so don't look so left out.
8. Ana wanted to probably tell you on her own and you didn't let her get a word in before you freaked out on her.
9. We want what makes them happy and this is it.
10. Most importantly Christian is pissed that you made Ana cry." I finish and I now get why Christian was so mad.
Kate looks stuck and her face crumbles into a whale face. This is going to be a long night.
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