Christian is astonished he can pay attention to the conversation around him and even be capable to add an anecdote here and there. During coffee, Elliot tells a story about how he picked on Mia when she was little.
"Elliot, why don't you tell everyone about Mia's twin?" Christian asks his brother egging him on. Elliot gives him a devilish grin.
"No! You're terrible!" Mia cries out while laughing.
"So when Mia was about 6, my brother here and I had her convinced she had an identical twin sister who was accidentally lost on a family vacation and Mom and Dad were so upset about it they didn't like talking about it. Then one day, we're sitting at the table for Sunday dinner with the whole family - aunts, uncles, cousins, and our grandparents when she slipped up and mentioned her twin sister. Everyone was looking at each other perplexed, especially when Mia apologized for bringing it up. Christian and I couldn't keep it together any longer and we busted out laughing. I thought I would piss myself! Mom and Dad, on the other hand, were so furious they grounded us for a month."
"That was the meanest thing ever!" Mia playfully whines at Elliot. Everyone around the table is in hysterics at the tale. It helps that Elliot is a talented storyteller and is rather animated. Suddenly, Ana laughs so hard she snorts which causes everybody to laugh even harder.
"Did you just snort?" I ask her taking in the vision of her exquisite smile. When Ana looks down timidly, Kate answers for her.
"Ana snorts whenever she laughs too hard. She got us in trouble during a lecture about Of Mice and Men when she laughed so hard she snorted and disrupted our professor." Kate shares in jest.
"I couldn't help it! I was up all night studying for my Theory And Interpretation class so I was working on no sleep and the guy in front of us kept farting." Ana defends herself making everybody laugh more.
Just hearing Ana laughing and being so lively is enough to cause Christian to smile. But his elation is curtailed when he realizes that he fucked everything up with her by listening to fucking Elena. He could hear that laugh every day if he wasn't such a gullible asshole. He thinks to himself.
Mia brings Christian's attention back to the present. "I got even with him yet. When Elliot was going on his senior class trip, I offered to pack his suitcase for him. I stuffed the suitcase with night time pull-ups and stuck a note in there that stated, 'Mommy and Daddy love you Elliot. We hope you don't have any accidents while you're away.'" Everyone laughs once more, barely getting the chance to catch their breaths.
"Seriously! I assumed she was being sweet, little Mia. It wasn't until I was in the hotel room in Florida when I realized it. The worst part of it was I was so close to closing the deal with Amanda Gailey." Elliot explains to everyone, howling along with them.
"That is so cruel! Genius, but cruel." Kate tells Mia who dramatically bows.
The rest of the dinner goes by quickly with hilarity and enthusiastic conversation. It's undeniable that Kate and Elliot have chemistry together and a few times that evening Ana felt as if she was interrupting private moments. They surely aren't apprehensive about PDA and showing how much they like each other. Ana's never been like that - even when she dated someone, she preferred to be more reserved. However, that is where she and Kate are so different. Kate is outgoing and fearless while Ana is introverted and more comfortable in the company of an excellent novel. Ray always teases Ana that she somehow inherited his personality because her mother is plainly more like Kate in that regard. Ana likes having something shared with Ray even if it isn't genetic. He raised her and is the only father she's ever known. Without him, she wouldn't be the person she is today.
Since both of the girls had many glasses of wine and were feeling a tad rosy, they agreed to take an Uber home. Now in the car, Ana realizes how drained she is and luckily, it appears Kate feels the same way so she won't get the customary interrogation from Kate. But she will not be that lucky since Kate still has a couple of questions on her mind.
"So, it looks like things went nicely with Christian." Kate mentions to Ana.
Knowing Kate is studying her and awaiting to see her expression, Ana continues resting her head on the back of the seat in the late model Toyota Corolla with her eyes closed.
"If you mean we didn't break out into a fight or get into a shouting match, then yes, I suppose you are correct." Ana's voice is relaxed and aloof.
"You know, I caught him watching you a couple of times." Kate goads her.
"I'm pretty sure everyone was looking at everyone else since that's generally how conversations go."
"Ana! You know what I mean!" she playfully smacks Ana's arm hinting at her annoyance with Ana's apathy to the night's events. "And, I'm positive I saw you look at him and blush."
Instantly, Ana opens her eyes and shifts to glare at Kate. "Of course I was blushing! I was shocked by the appearance of a guy…" Ana pauses and glances at the Uber driver who is expertly pretending he can't hear their exchange. In a now hushed and furious whisper, Ana finishes her explanation. "...I didn't think a guy who I ended up having a one-night-stand with would be there!"
Kate's bubbly laugh eases the unease between the best friends. "Ana, you're such a prude sometimes. First, you didn't have a one-night-stand since you went on more than one date and have spoken with each other after the fact, and second, people have one-night-stands all the time. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Ana can't help but smile when she sees Kate's playful smirk. Ana shakes her head, why she thought Kate wouldn't act like Kate, is beyond her.
"So, young brother, fancy seeing you here tonight." Elliot provokes Christian.
"I came here because you informed me Mia's new boyfriend would be here. I didn't think Kate and Ana would be here, too. Why didn't you tell me?" Christian is feeling a mixture of indignation and embarrassment he was caught off-guard with the extra guests at dinner.
"Elliot, don't be a butt head. Mom said Christian didn't know and assumed it was just Ryan here." Mia defends her brother.
"Well, anyway, I think I saw Ana sneaking some peeks at you." Elliot grins smugly and rests his hands behind his head satisfied at how his plan worked out.
"Elliot, don't be a fucking idiot." Christian responds, struggling to suppress the shred of optimism in his voice.
"Christian, I noticed it too. She liked you before why wouldn't she still like you?" Mia tells him matter-of-factly.
"Why wouldn't she like me now? Probably because she thinks I am a priapic asshole, and she has a boyfriend." Christian tells her candidly. He's not going to live in some kind of dreamland that there will be a happily ever after in his life.
"Bro, if you haven't noticed, her boyfriend is nowhere to be found." Elliot plainly states.
"I'm not having this discussion with either of you right now. I have things to do." Christian bitterly gets up from his seat at the table and turns to leave. "I'm going to say goodbye to mom."
"Christian! Don't be like that!" Mia yells after him.
"Goodbye, Mia!" he yells back not turning around as he saunters out of the room.