The Bet

Love In Slow Motion

Ana woke up early the next morning. Her eyes were still puffy from crying but she was determined to not cry anymore. Getting up she let Poppy run around in the backyard as she got dressed. She needed to run since her mind was full of thoughts and emotions.

Putting her headphones on Ana began her run. She decided to take a longer route to help clear her mind. She was in the zone not paying attention to those around her. As she was nearing her house she began to pick up her pace. Once she reached the outside fence she stopped to catch her breath. As Ana walked up the path towards her front door she felt someone grab her wrist. Immediately, Ana spun around and kicked her attacker straight in the chest knocking them down.

Chris felt the wind get knocked out of him as he fell to the ground. He looked up at Ana with a surprise look on both their faces. "WHAT THE SHIT?!", Ana exclaimed as she saw Chris on the ground. He's still stunned not saying anything. Slowly he stood up dusting off his jeans. He can't help but smirk at what Ana just said, "I guess you liked my cameo in Free Guy." Ana rolled her eyes and smirked at him, "Eat shit." Chris threw his head back laughing louder. Ana smiled but then turned serious, "what do you want Christopher?" He stepped closer to Ana lifting her chin so her eyes met his, "I need to talk to you, please." Ana could hear the pleading in his voice and slowly she nodded her head.

Once inside Ana made her way to the kitchen, "can I get you something to drink?" Chris followed her sitting down at the kitchen island, "water is fine." She grabbed two water bottles from the fridge handing one to Chris as she leaned against the counter. They both take a sip of water while staring at one another. Neither not knowing what to say. The silence becomes too painful before Ana finally snaps, "okay cut the shit and tell me what you need to say."

Sighing, Chris pulls out the stool next to him motioning for her to sit down. Ana reluctantly sits down next to him. They are silent once again before Chris grabs her hand, he's thankful she doesn't pull away. "Jacob lied to you. Ana is not my girlfriend and we've never slept together either, just want to throw that out there." Ana is silent for a moment, now she feels like an asshole for overreacting but how could she not. Why would Chris be interested in her when he could have any supermodel or actress in the world.

Chris stares at her while she's still quiet as she chews on her bottom lip. He can tell she has probably a million thoughts running through her mind. To put her at ease Chris cups her face with both his hands, "the only Ana I'm interested in is the one sitting in front of me." Ana blushes and tries to fight back a smile but it disappears and turns into a frown, "then why would Jacob tell me that?" Chris contemplates what to say. He doesn't want to bring up the bet because it's over and done with but still he needs to make sure Ana stays away from Jacob.

Chris gently rubs his thumbs across her cheeks, "he's jealous that we've been talking and hanging out. He told me at Scott's party he was interested in you. I guess he was mad you didn't show interest in him." Ana laughs, "well he seemed like an ass when I first met him. Plus his demeanor reminds me of my ex.." she trails off not wanting to go into detail with him just yet. Chris nods, "I'm sorry you thought that I would be that type of guy." Ana groans, "I'm sorry I let him manipulate me into thinking you were that type of guy."

They both sit in silence again while Chris still cupped her face. Slowly he moves his thumb down to her bottom lip forcing her to release it from her teeth. Her breath hitches as they move closer to one another, "Ana..." Chris's voice faintly whispers her name, "Ana.. c-can I kiss you." It was so faint he wasn't sure if she heard or not. Relief washes over him as he sees her nod her head. They both smile as they lean in. Their lips gently brush against each other before it becomes more passionate.

She tasted like heaven to him. Since the night he met her all he thought about was what it would be like to kiss her. He felt fireworks exploding around them as their lips continued to move together. He couldn't get enough of her. Standing from the stool he cups the back of her neck to deepen the kiss. He swipes his tongue along her bottom lip asking for entrance.

Ana happily let's Chris in as their tongues fight for dominance but she gives in letting Chris take control. She stands up as well throwing her arms around his neck as he bends down to wrap his arms around her waist. They kiss for what felt like hours, neither wanting to break the kiss. Even though her lungs were screaming for air Ana refuses to break away. She couldn't believe she was kissing Chris. She felt like she was in a dream but it was definitely not a dream as she felt Chris grip her waist tighter.

Ana reluctantly releases from the kiss first. Chris leans his forehead against hers as they both catch their breath. Smiling up at Chris Ana giggles, "wow". Laughing Chris moves one hand to her cheek, "wow indeed. I've wanted to do that for a while now." Ana reaches up to stroke his cheek, "what took you so long to do so?" Chris gently rubs his nose against hers, "I didn't want to rush anything." She nods in understanding and pulls away because she needed a drink of water after that Earth shattering kiss.

Ana invited Chris to stay for breakfast, together they made eggs and bacon. Ana tossed a couple of tortillas on the stove since she wanted to eat a bacon & egg taco. She pours her and Chris a glass of orange juice and they sit at the table to eat. Conversation flows freely between the two. They hop from one conversation to another in a matter of minutes. It truly felt like they had known each other their whole lives. Even though they hadn't known each other long they both could feel themselves falling for each other. Of course they wouldn't say anything yet because it was way too soon. They hadn't even been on a date yet unless they counted the night of Dodger and Poppy's play date.

Once they were finished with breakfast Ana moved the dishes to sink to wash them. Chris helped dry the dishes and then wiped the counter down. It was only after they were done cleaning up their mess that Ana realized she was still in her running clothes. Feeling self conscious Ana stepped further away from Chris. He grabbed her by the waist keeping her close, "what's the matter?" Ana blushes in embarrassment, "I'm still all sweaty and sticky from my run." Chris throws his head back and laughs, "well I'll let you take a shower then. I'm glad we cleared the air though." He bends down to gently kiss her and pulls away.

Ana walks Chris to the door with a smile still on her face. Before Chris leaves he cups her face again, "can I take you out on a date tonight?" Ana smile widens, "yes, I'd like that." Chris grins at Ana before kissing her again, "great, I'll pick you up at 7." With that he turns and walks away.

Ana squealed with excitement quickly texting Scott that she had a date and would need his help picking out an outfit. Scott immediately replied letting her know he'd be over later. He watched from his window as he saw Chris leave Ana's house. He had been watching it ever since he noticed Chris's car pull up outside her driveway. He was also happy to see Ana knock Chris down on his ass. Something he would happily bring up to tease Chris about later.