The car ride is quiet at first; neither of them knows what to say. Finally, Christian breaks the ice. "So, did you grow up here in Seattle?"
"No, I grew up about two hours west of here in Montesano. At least for most of the time. You?" Ana asks Christian in return.
"My parents, as you know, live in Bellevue, where I grew up. So, what did you mean by, 'most of the time'?" He quickly asks her eager to get off the topic of himself.
"Oh, my mom and stepfather divorced when I was a teenager, so I tried living with her and her new husband at the time before I came back here." Christian senses a little virulence in her voice as she answered.
"So, when you came back, who did you live with?" He doesn't understand why, but he wants to know everything he can about this beautiful young woman sitting next to him.
Unsure of why Christian is asking her about her past, Ana gives him the more comfortable answer. "I lived with my stepdad. My biological father died when I was an infant, so Ray pretty much raised me. For all intents and purposes, he is my dad."
Christian doesn't immediately respond to her answer and instead mulls it around trying to get an idea of what makes up Ana. "You said you were an English major in college, what was your area of study?"
Ana giggles a little bit at the words Christian uses. She's not sure why but some of the phrases or words he used tonight made him sound like a much older man. "My area of study?" Ana asks him teasingly before another giggle escapes.
"What?" he asks her, feigning insult. But, he can't hide his smile. Her giggle is the most amazing thing he has ever heard - it's like listening to angels sing. He turns to look at her, and when he does, she is looking at him as well with her blue eyes sparkling and a playful smile.
Ana doesn't want to insult the gorgeous man sitting next to her since she isn't sure what kind of sense of humor he has. It seems like he can be a bit capricious. "English Literature, especially the classics." She answers his question without a preamble.
"So, what book made you want to become an English major, Rebecca?" Christian remembers when he read the book for English class in high school, and all the girls swooned over Maxim.
A mischievous smile slowly creeps across her face. "Tess of the d'Urbervilles."
He raises one eyebrow and looks at her, "Interesting."
Christian pulls up to the curb outside of the apartment Ana shares with Kate. An awkward silence hangs thickly between them. Ana goes to grab the door handle of Christian's R8, but he interrupts her from ultimately opening the door.
"Would it be ok if I call you, um, this week or sometime?" Christian asks Ana. He is ordinarily confident when he speaks and doesn't care if someone would turn him down since there are plenty of others willing to be the next. But this time, his mouth goes dry, and his heart is beating a mile a minute. He's trying to steel himself in the event she says no, so the disappointment won't show on his face.
Her cheeks blush a light bubblegum pink, and she gives him a shy smile. "Yeah, ok." She takes his phone from his hands and enters her phone number into his contacts. This time she fully opens the door and gets out of the seat. As she is leaning into the car, she tells him, "thank you for giving me a ride home. I guess I'll talk to you later."
"Ana, it was my pleasure. I hope Nolan's mother-in-law is OK." Ana shuts the door and walks to the front door of her building.
Christian pulls away smiling like he never has before.
It's Saturday night, and Ana is meeting Christian at The Last Drop Cafe for a coffee and dessert date. "Kate, how does this look?" Ana stands in the living room she shares with Kate wearing skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, black cardigan, and a plaid scarf with black booties. She awkwardly twirls for Kate to see her entire outfit.
Kate lifts her eyebrow and squints as if she's looking closely to inspect Ana. "Perfect for a coffee date," she emphatically replies with a nod of her head. "By the way, who plans a coffee and dessert date for a Saturday night?"
"It was my suggestion; I wanted something simple and casual," Ana replies as she picks up her purse from the overstuffed and comfortable chair, which is perfect for reading.
"You don't even like coffee." Kate laughs.
Ana shrugs and then gives Kate a coy smile, "I'm not going for the coffee."
Kate once again snickers, "Well, I am going to text you in an hour, and if I don't hear back from you, I'm sending out the search party."
Ana smiles to Kate in return, "Got it. See you later." Ana walks over to the couch where Kate is sitting and kisses her on the head.
"Have fun!" Kate calls after her.