State of Confusion

Chapter 10

- ANA -

Warm tea soothed her cold hands as she sat curled up on one end of the couch while the tenacious Kate occupied the other end. She had prepared herself for this moment. The one that would beg of her to share every dirty little detail from the night before. Honestly, she wished she hadn't played eye spy from across the dance floor because then they would not be having this conversation at all. But she had and now she felt like she was in an interrogation room being poked and prodded by her line of questioning.

Ana set down her cup of tea on the coffee table and carefully ran through the scene of events. Her chest constricted with the memories. Her heart swelled with the rush of emotions she had and continued to feel for him. Her lips tingled at the mention of his head spinning kiss. This detail she almost opted to remain a secret, but instead, she shared reluctantly. As the truth left the tip of her tongue, she glanced over at Kate who was wide eyed and mouth gaping at her in shock.

"He kissed you," she reiterated the breaking and extremely confidential news that she had just shared with her. "Wow."

Ana rubbed the palm of her right hand that had left her with the stinging reminder of her encounter with Christian. It had happened so fast in the moment, and yet, now it played out in slow motion.

"Was it good?" Kate asked curiously. She was unbelievable sometimes, particularly right now.

"It doesn't matter," she shook her head.

Her eyes peered at her with suspicion. "That means it was."

"Like I said," Ana spoke a little louder. "It doesn't matter. It's not going to happen again. I told him to stay away and hopefully he finally got the message through that thick head of his."

"It is an odd way of apologizing," she pointed out humorously. There was a long silence before Kate spoke again. "I'm sorry, Ana. I know you just want to move on from what happened, from him. I think he really does want to make amends, even if he has a strange way of showing it. I hope for your sake that you're right and that he finally took the hint."

As much as she wanted to distance herself from him, she knew that it wouldn't be that easy. It never had been since she woke up in her hospital bed. This wasn't just a minor mishap that could be forgotten. This was something that shook the world beneath her feet in a way that would haunt her for months, maybe years, but hopefully not a lifetime. She could not imagine a lifetime of feeling like this. The pain, the torture, the bundle of emotions that quaked just at the mention of him. Something or someone would surely come along and help her erase it all. For now, though, she had to endure what life threw at her and she had to handle it to the best of her ability because she didn't have a choice. She never did the instance their worlds collided.

"In all honestly, I would just like to forget that last night ever happened." Ana sighed.

"Maybe for you, yes, but for me," Kate whistled. "Let's just say it was unforgettable in a very good way."

Well, at least one of them had a good night. Shut up, you're night wasn't all bad. Stop lying to yourself, her conscious kicked her swiftly. The unravelling of Kate's night filled her ears, but she was lost in thought. There was no concentration to be had outside her bubble that trapped her against her will. All she could think about was how incredibly mind boggling last night had been for her, and it all started with her stupidity. If she had never given him the satisfaction of one dance would she be here contemplating her feelings like a detective on a high profile case? The answer to that was no. No matter if she had denied him, he would have pursued her. He was too stubborn and too caught up in the notion of their irrefutable connection, according to him.