About fifteen minutes later, Ana returns to where Nolan has been waiting. "Sorry about that, I saw Mia by the bathroom, and we started talking about Jane Austen," Ana tells him without taking a breath.
"Whatever. Ana that Adonis has the hots for you." He slyly tells her.
"Who? What Adonis?" She asks him cluelessly.
Nolan rolls his eyes at her. "Seriously, Ana, how dense are you? Christian, the hottie who helped you put the tv in your jeep."
Her cheeks redden, and her eyes get wide. "What? How do you know?"
"Because he came up to me and asked me about you. That's how. I may be gay, but I can tell when a guy is into someone." he tells her candidly.
Ana looks down, her cheeks still blushed. She starts to fidget uncomfortably revealing her nervousness and anxiety. Anastasia is a beautiful woman, Nolan thinks. He doesn't understand why she doesn't believe that.
"You know, it's not that hard to believe," Nolan tells Ana kindly. He reaches down and takes her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You should go talk to him."
"And say what? Hi, I'm Ana, and we have nothing in common so let's talk." She asks acrimoniously and looks into her friends' eyes and smiles. Just then, she looks across the room and makes eye contact with Christian.
He holds her stare for a few seconds before the corners of his lips curl up into an understated smile. Ana's heart begins to beat so quickly it's the only thing she can hear. Nolan has to be wrong. There is no way someone like this guy could like her. She stands there, trapped in his gaze, frozen and not knowing what to do.
Before she realizes it, Christian is purposefully walking in her direction. Still frozen and unable to hear anything but her hurriedly beating heart, the only thing Ana can do is concentrate on her breathing. In...out...in...out.
"Ana, right?" Christian smiles at Ana and she isn't sure if she is still breathing. She's met and talked to cute guys before, and she may have even dated a couple, but there is just something about him that completely renders her stupid and speechless.
"Yes, Mia's brother, Christian, right?" She knew exactly who he is, but she didn't want to let on.
"That's right. Have you bought any more TVs lately?" he asks, tongue-in-cheek. He tries to look serious as he asks the question but can't hide his smirk, and they both start to laugh, partially out of nervousness especially Ana.
"Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of buying another tv. Have you been shopping?" She teases him.
"Hey! I wasn't the one shopping, that was Mia, for your information." Christian has never been very good with small talk and quite frankly, has never seen the reason for it… until now. He knows he wants to get to know Ana more, but the curious man isn't sure why or how he feels. And, he knows nothing about her except she purchased a tv without checking if it would fit in her jeep first. "So, how did you end up working at the bookstore?"
"Oh, well, my best friend and I went to UW here in Seattle so I started working there as a part-time job. Since we stayed in the city after graduation, I just kept working there. Everyone there is nice and the hours are flexible, so it gives me time to do my freelance work." She looks into his eyes and is surprised to see he actually seems interested in what she is saying. Most of the time, when she describes her job, people tend to get glassy-eyed and space out.
"What type of freelance work do you do?" He asks before he takes a sip of his drink. Ana focuses on his lips and her thoughts race, thinking about what those lips could do to her. She takes a deep breathe and try and calm down, but it's too late - she can already feel her cheeks redden. Hopefully, he won't notice.
Her pause is longer than usual, so Christian smiles at her and brings her back to her senses. "Um, I'm a freelance copy editor." She quickly looks down when she realizes he noticed her blushing.
He can't help but smile again at her wondering what errant thoughts made her blush like that. For some reason, he finds her demureness attractive. She's… cute. Christian doesn't understand these feelings he has; except her brunette hair and her figure, she is the opposite of the kind of woman which typically attracts him.
"My company sometimes hires freelance copy editors." Christian shares with her.
"Oh? What company do you work at?" Ana innocently asks.
"I own the company, Grey Enterprises Holdings." He smirks down at her arrogantly. He may not be a good man, but that company is his and his alone. He made it what it is today, on his own. Ana's eyes get large at this news from him. She lets out a little laugh showing her surprise at what he just said and is unable to think how to respond.
"But, you're so… young." Ana's voice is barely above a whisper.
He gives her a wolfish smile. "I work hard for what I want, Ana." His voice is laced with sensuality, and she isn't sure if he is talking just about business. Although, he seems like he doesn't have to want for much.
"Hey, Ana?" Ana and Christian look up to see Nolan with a concerned look on his face.
"Nolan, what's wrong?" Ana immediately puts her drink down on the table beside her.
"John called, his mom has been sent to the hospital. I have to go." Nolan is anxious, his eyebrows are knitted together with concern, and the corners of his mouth are turned down into a frown. "I'll drop you off at your place and then head right to the hospital. I'm sorry, Sweetie."
"Oh, no. I completely understand. Let me find Mia to say goodbye." Ana goes to gather her things.
"Well," Christian interrupts. "I can drop you off at home so Nolan can head right to the hospital." He shrugs nonchalantly.
Nolan looks over to Christian in relief, "Really? You could do that? Ana, are you ok with that?"
She was not sure of accepting a ride home from a practical stranger, regardless of how gorgeous and friendly he seems. He could be a complete sociopath - they say Ted Bundy was a charming ladies' man. She looks over to Christian, assessing the situation. But, she can't do that to Nolan. The concern for John's mother is evident on his face. "Yeah, totally. Drive safe, and I hope everything is OK."
Nolan leans down and gives a kiss on Ana's cheek and shakes Christian's hand. Before Ana could have any second thoughts, Nolan is out the door. She turns to look at Christian, and he returns a charismatic smile.