Our Ana | Kate & Ana & Christian

Chapter 9

Ana's Pov;

In the later more decent morning hours my room is flooded with bright sunlight and Christian is asleep beside me, arm still half-way draped over me. I grin, gazing at his peaceful resting face. He looks innocent, carefree, so different from when he's awake. I slither out from under his arm, careful not to wake him. When I'm free from his grasp and he's still unconscious, I tiptoe into the kitchen to fetch my man some breakfast in bed. But when I arrive to my kitchen it turns out we don't have much of a breakfast selection in stock. In fact, we have next to nothing that fits into the breakfast category. No cereal, no oatmeal, no granola, no yogurt, no nothing. Instead of breakfast in bed, I settle for just a glass of orange juice to give Christian when he wakes. I peek my head into the bedroom and see he's still fast asleep, so I make an impromptu trip to Kate's bedroom where she's sitting up in bed. "Good morning." I greet her with a smile and she responds with a grumbled Good morning. Her hair is all knotted up around her head and the look in her eyes tells me she's exhausted. "Orange juice?" I offer the glass I originally intended on giving Christian and she holds her hand out to take it. "Thanks." She takes a sip. "No problem." I give her a quick smile, then I head back to the kitchen to get Christian a glass of orange juice and formulate a plan to wake him up to drink it.

Christian doesn't even stir as I climb atop the bed and slide back into my original place beside him. I toss one leg over his middle and curl around him, my arm resting on his chest. My fingertips grace the exposed portion of his chest that isn't covered by my comforter as I hum to myself. I begin to trace my foot along his inner thigh as I move my hand up to stroke the little curls in his hair. His body responds to my touch as he begins to wake. His eyelashes flutter and as I slip my hand down his front and stop just inches from his crotch, his eyes fly open. He blinks a few times, adjusting to our new position, then a smirk appears on his face. "Well Hi there." He says. "Hi." I smile cheekily, and slide my hand down further to stroke his erection. "What are you doing?" He asks, eyeing my hand. "Waking you up." I smile up at him sweetly and snake my way down to the edge of the bed so I'm at eye level with his crotch. I lick my lips, staring up into his eyes, then I slowly take his full length into my mouth. "Ah, Ana. Slowly." I know he said slow, but the way he moaned my name makes me want to go faster. He grabs a fistful of my hair and guides me, taking control of the situation as always.

We've had our fill of morning sex and Christian is sipping on his glass of orange juice in the bed beside me when we come to the agreement that we're both in dire need of some breakfast. We each grab a quick shower and dress ourselves. I inform Kate that we're heading out. Then Christian and I walk out the door hand in hand and continue walking on down the street. We head up Vine street, turn right on First, and continue to go straight for a couple blocks. I know of a cafe just about a block further from where we are now. It happens to be a favorite of Kate and I's. I feel calm, serene, just holding Christians hand as we walk. I'm struck by the normalcy of the gesture. This is what normal couples do, It's what I've wanted all along, and what I thought Christian could never give me. Yet here we are, doing it. Defying all odds. "This feels so normal. It's very unlike us." Christian says, seeming in sync with my thoughts. "I know. There's not a chain or whip in sight. How odd." I joke, nudging his shoulder, and we share a laugh. "I love it. I didn't think I would but I do." He admits and I smile proudly. He's come so far, but we've still got so much work to do. Holding hands is a wonderful start, but It'll take much longer to be able to trust him again. "It's nice out. Very sunny and beautiful." I note, examining our surroundings in awe. "It is." Christian agrees with a squeeze of my hand. "What would you like to do today? After brunch I mean." He asks. "Brunch?" I giggle. "Yes. It's a little late to be calling it breakfast don't you think?" He defends his word choice, his expression amused. "I suppose you're right. I'd like to get my hair cut. It's a little long." I run a finger through the long strands, imagining it shorter. "I'll take you then. I know a place we could go." Christian offers and I smile in appreciation. "Sounds like a plan." Christian opens the cafe door for me and we step inside. We're immediately hit with the sweet smell of fresh bread and coffee brewing. "Charming isn't it?" I comment, as I catch Christian glancing around the place. "Indeed it is. You have impressive taste, Miss Steele." We eat our meal, commenting on the art decorating the walls as we do. And when the check comes around I jump to grab it before Christian can. I smile, smug, and he shakes head in disapproval. "You gotta be quick around here, Mr.Grey." I tease, with a light laugh. "How much is it?" I inspect the bill, then report the price back to Christian in answer. "Twenty-two dollars and sixty cents." I say, reading it out to him. He grumbles under his breath as I set it aside ready to be picked up. "You're sure you want to cut you hair?" He asks, switching the subject. "Yes. It's entirely too long." I complain, thinking about the unmanageable mass of hair attached to my head. It needs some professional help without a doubt. "I like it long. It suits you." I smile at his compliment. "Thanks. I grew it all by myself." He chuckles, forgetting about his anger over the check. "My parents have a charity ball this evening. I was hoping you'd accompany me." I frown at his invite to such a fancy sounding event. I don't really think I'm cutout for such a function, but I know it'd be a big let down if I didn't agree. He informs me that it's black tie as I suspected and at his parents home. Grace and Carrick are pulling out all the stops tonight. "Which charity is it for?" I wonder if I'll recognize it. "It's called Coping Together. It's a drug rehabilitation program for parents with young children." Young children like Christian once was. "Sounds like it's for a good cause." I know better than to mention Christians direct link to said cause. "So, you'll go with me?" He asks. I bite my lip, still hesitant to agree. "I don't have anything to wear." I whisper, embarrassed. I wouldn't even know how to go about attending such a prestigious event. Something of this caliber is much more up Kate's alley. She loves dressing up with all the glamorous hair and makeup typical girly girl stuff. "I have a dress for you, numerous dresses actually. You can choose one at my place." Of course, he's thought of everything. "Okay..." I exhale, nervousness bubbling up inside of me at the whole ordeal. "Kate would be much better at this than me. She loves all that stuff." I smile fondly, thinking of Kate. I've missed her during all this time I've been spending with Christian. "I'm not surprised." Christian examines my face for a pause, reading me. "You want to bring her don't you?" He asks, reading my face with ease. I bite my lip and shrug, not wanting to admit to it. I wouldn't want to impose by begging to bring Kate along, but I'm sure I'd find it much more enjoyable with her there. I hate ditching her all the time to be with Christian after she dedicated her time, heart, and soul to helping me cope after Christian and I's breakup. I don't want her to feel like I've just cast her aside now that Christian came back into my life. I know how it probably looks to her but It's not like I just lost all feelings for her because I decided to give Christian a chance to fix things between us. Love doesn't work that way. "I think you should invite her then." Christian offers, even though I never gave him a direct answer. He knows that's what I want without my having to say it. "Thank you." I thank him, a huge smile on my face. "Let's go get your haircut. We've still got time to kill." He takes my hand and leads me out of the cafe and on down the street.

 We walk for about half a block and Christian stops suddenly. The building he's stopped in front of is huge and sleek looking. It's a high end beauty salon called Esclava. He opens the door for me and as we enter the building I see the interior is stark white and very roomy. The young blonde receptionist greets Christian as we enter, recognizing him instantly. She bats her eyes as him flirtatiously, but he doesn't seem to pay any attention to it. "Greta." He nods to her, politely. "The usual, sir?" She asks, cocking her head to the side. "No. Miss Steele will tell you what she'd like done today." He answers calmly, but I catch him giving me a nervous glance. This is where he's taken all his subs. I glare at him but I don't speak on the issue. "You can have whatever you want. They do everything. Massages, facials, waxing..." I grimace at the mention of waxing and he chuckles in amusement. "Just a haircut please." I announce to Greta and Christian both. "Certainly, Miss Steele. Franco will be ready for you in just a few moments." Greta says, typing at her computer keyboard. I peek up at Christian as we wait and I see he's staring intently ahead. Something has caught his eye. I turn to find what he's looking at and come into contact with a tall, tan, blonde woman. She's in her forties at least and is wearing black uniform style attire. She's stunning. She smiles warmly at Christian when she sees him and I see the clear recognition between the two. He steps past me to approach her and they greet each other with obvious affection. The Blonde leans in and kisses each of his cheeks, her hands placed on his shoulders. I watch them, an uncomfortable sense of anxiety rushing through me. Who is this woman? They're all smiles and friendliness as my discomfort turns to recognition. I know who the woman is now. Christian's face tells it all as he looks at her. It's her, his Mrs. Robinson. I think I'm going to be sick. My face drains of all color and my scalp prickles at the sight. She touches his arm again and bites her lip-my signature move. All I can do is stare in shock at the two of them together. My eyes well up with tears as I turn and run out of the building. Away from Christian and all his fuckedupness. I just can't deal with this anymore. I have to get away. I'm halfway down the street when Christian finally catches up with me. "Ana where are you going?" Christian yells, chasing after me. I stop and turn to face him. "Do you not see how fucked up that was? Why would you bring me there? To meet her?" I glare at him, fuming. "No, of course not! She wasn't supposed to be there. I would never intentionally bring you to her that way." I shake my head in disbelief at his excuse. "You brought your subs to meet her." I state, feeling betrayed in every sense of the word. "Yes, but you're not one of them." He looks apologetic, but still I can't let it go. "She's attractive." He blinks at me, probably trying to determine where I'm going with that statement. "Yes." He reluctantly agrees. "Why aren't you with her then? Surely she'd be the much easier option." He runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I don't want her. I want you. Now if you'll just come back to my place I can have Franco come over and cut your hair there." He tries to take my hand but I pull it away. "I don't want to go anywhere with you!" I snap. He whips out his phone and dials a number, ignoring my outburst. "Christian Grey. I want Franco at my apartment at one. Thank you." He hangs up and looks at me expectantly. "He'll be there at one. Let's go." I gape at him, wide eyed. "No! I just told you I wasn't going to do that." I'm exasperated and furious. Fuck this. I take off down the street, away from Christian, and in the direction of my apartment. "Ana!" I ignore him. I'm so angry I can't even think straight. I walk back home faster than I've ever walked before. Christian follows after me. "Ana! What the hell are you doing?" He yells from behind me, still following. "Going home to talk to Kate!" What does it look like I'm doing? Trying to spontaneously run a marathon? "Talk to Kate about what? Our fight?" He asks. "No to invite her to the stupid charity event I agreed to attend with you!" I know it's not polite of me to call a charity event stupid, after all it's for Carrick and Graces benefit that we're doing not Christians, yet I'm too angry to correct myself right now. When we get inside the apartment, I'm no longer angry, instead exhaustion has taken over my body. Christian and I take a minute to cool off, neither of us speaking. When he does break the silence the first words to come out of his mouth is a much needed apology. I sigh, knowing we've both overreacted and acted childish. "I'm sorry too, for making us run all the way here instead of just going with you." He laughs, amused by the ridiculous turnout of our situation and I feel my lips turn up into a smile as well. I can't stay mad at him, not for long, and while we'll have to discuss the issue more later if we want to move on from it, I decide to let it go for now so we can go through with our plans for the evening.