Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and it was created solely by me as the author. All characters are over the age of 18. Any similarities to characters, businesses, places, or things are all happenstance, though my appreciation to those who have
inspired
my works is immense.
Author's Note:
This is the fifth part of a series I believe you've been finding enjoyable. It's a nice buildup into the hot and heavy scenes, but, as usual, my stories are STORIES, so many details make for fun, exciting, and interesting plot lines. Please remain calm in awaiting the next installment, but I assure you, it'll be worth it.
Some clarifications: I would love to be able to decipher for you when Ana is writing or typing to Alex with different fonts, but as there is only one font available, you'll have to forgive my approach. I have tried to make it as clear as possible.
Questions and comments are welcome. Please take the time to rate this story and follow me also! I hope everyone will be kind.
Recap:
At just after 6pm, which was only a few minutes later than his intended time to leave the room (but their kissing got kinda heated, and there may have been a need to check hair and makeup), Alex led Ana out of the room and to the elevators again. She walked beside him, even though she didn't know where they were headed. Alex loved the trust she'd placed in him from early on. He planned to always make her feel as safe as ever so that she'd continue to give him that perpetual faith she granted him whenever they were together.
All My Life - pt. 05
Alex led her to a small ballroom where the doors were closed. "I believe we're right in here, Ms. Lopez," Alex informed her as he stopped to open and hold the door for her. Ana gasped as she saw that the entire room was filled with helium balloons lining the walls in colors of green (same as her dress), black, silver, and white, while others were bunched together to hover above every table. Six circular tables sat around one another spaciously with plenty of room to walk between them. Each table seemed to be filled with people sitting at them already.
"Surprise!" they all yelled when Alex walked his girlfriend into the room. Ana jumped, and then saw that the people who were there, well most of them anyway, were all familiar. She also saw that every person there was wearing formalwear.
"Alright, alright," Alex announced loudly to calm them all down with their clapping, loud whistles (Brian), and cat calls. "Thank you all for making yourselves available for this special weekend. Ana has absolutely no idea about what is going on, so give her a minute to catch her bearings. I'd like for us to be able to stop at each table so we can greet all of you."
At the first table, Savannah, Sara, and Sam sat together with Dan, Brian, and Caroline. They'd been actively involved in an engaging conversation until Alex and Ana had entered the room from what Alex had noticed since they were at the first table closest to the door.
"Hey!" Savannah yelled and stood up to hug her friend. All the girls were excitedly hugging her, including Caroline, which made Alex smile. He knew they would get along when they met. Brian gave Ana a high five which made Alex tilt his head, but then Dan stood up and hugged her, much like a parent would hug his daughter. "Go visit the other tables!" Savannah encouraged her and shooed the two on. "We'll talk later!"
At the next table, Eric, Pauley, Mr. and Mrs. Cardinale, and Mr. and Mrs. Edgemeyer, Ana's counselor (and her husband) from college who really helped her to succeed and whom Alex had hunted down from the time he'd begun making the plans for the weekend, sat together making polite conversation.
"Mrs. Edge-my-yer?" Ana greeted her counselor as the older woman stood to greet her. "What...?"
Mrs. Edgemeyer smiled and took Ana's hand to hold out from her so she could look at Ana in her magnificent dress. "Ana," which was the first time Ana was hearing her name on her counselor's lips, "you look wonderful! It's so good to see you again! I had heard through the grapevine at work that you'd lost your job due to an illness. I was so worried. When Alex contacted me and explained his reasoning for our presence, well, Bill and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I'm so, so happy for you!"
"Thank you!" Ana replied and hugged what she now considered her
friend
again. Once the counselor had sat down again, Alex brought Ana over to meet his other two friends, Eric and Pauley. They politely shook her hand and told her it was such a pleasure to meet the girl who had their friend smiling so much.
"Ms. Lopez, it is an honor to see you again, and may I add, your jewelry looks even better on you than it did when Alex bought it for you," Mr. Cardinale praised her as she hugged him. "Might I introduce you to my wife and best friend of 37 years, Lucia?"
"Oh, call me Lucy," she responded and brought Ana into a little hug. "Dom hasn't stopped telling me about you, so when Alex arranged all this, well, of course we wouldn't have thought to miss it for anything!"
"Nice to meet you," Ana shared sweetly and nodded after touching her own heart.
"Alright, let's keep moving," Alex encouraged as Ana looked around at the tables. "The natives will be getting restless soon if we don't finish and allow the food to start being served."
"Let them eat," Ana urged him. "We can visit while they start
serv-vin
," Ana advised quietly before they got to the next table.
"Are you sure?" Alex asked. Ana nodded, so Alex waved at the closest server who ran over to talk to him. "Go ahead and start at table one with the salads and soups, if you will. As we move, go ahead and serve them. The lady doesn't want the people to wait." Ana nodded and looked up lovingly at Alex. When he turned to face her, he tilted his head? "What? Just doing
that
makes you happy? Boy, you are going to be living a good life, my girl. I aim to please, but you make it so simple."
At the third table, the parents of Savannah, Sara, and Sam were seated together talking like old friends... because they
were
old friends.
"Well, hello!" Marianne, Sara's mother, greeted the couple as they approached the table. "Well, I dare say, Christi? You look ravishing."
"
Ana
," Mary, Sam's mother, corrected of her friend's name choice, "she's right, you look stunning! It's so nice to see you again, and we are thrilled to be here to celebrate with you."
"Does it offend you if we still occasionally refer to you as 'Christi'?" Angela, Savannah's mother, asked and waved away her husband's hand as he tried to keep her from saying anything.
"Oh, no," Ana assured her and then looked at the whole table and nodded at each couple when she realized they'd all known her as such since middle school. "It's fine. I
pree-fur Ah-na
, but I will
all-ways ans-er
both...
es-
"
"...especially for you fine folks," Alex added. Alex had almost been sure that was what Ana would have said, and Ana's squeeze on his hand confirmed as much. "Truly, thanks for coming, and enjoy the meal."
"Thank you," Ana whispered and squeezed his hand again.
"I've got you," Alex reminded her and winked when she looked up at him.
At the fourth table, Maggie, Alex's secretary and main assistant who'd been with him and the business since the beginning of Xander McLleyn, and her husband, Rich, Steven, Ana's nurse, and his boyfriend, Kyle, and Susan, Ana's therapist, and her friend, Cortney, were seated together and talking amongst themselves about things like they were old friends, which, as far as Alex knew, they were not.
"Well, boss," Maggie greeted him as she looked up and kept her flirting hand on her husband's chest, "don't you clean up nicely?"
"Maggie," Alex greeted her. They had a friendly and teasingly fun friendship. Never in a million years had he considered her as a relationship option, mostly because she was more like what he imagined a sister would be like. She was protective as all get out when it came to handling her boss's life, work or otherwise, but she'd met Rich shortly after she'd started working at XM, and Alex could hardly remember a time that they hadn't been together.
"It's nice to see you all," Ana greeted them, especially making eye contact with Susan. "Thank you for com-ing," Ana continued carefully.
"Good job!" Susan whispered into Ana's ear as she hugged her quickly.
"Enjoy the food, and thanks, guys," Alex told them.
Moving on to the last table, Alex noticed a smaller table with two chairs sitting so that the occupants could see everyone in the room. It was perfect. Behind the small table was a dance floor. Soon, a DJ would be setting up for them to have a little 2-hour dance party. The cake was ready in the kitchen already, or so he'd been informed. All was going to plan.
"I was just telling Georgie that!" Mike, Dr. Sallas' husband, was telling Dr. Mitchell about whatever it was they'd been discussing.
"Well, look who finally came to see us," Dr. Sallas teased at Alex mostly. "Ana, you look just ravishing, darling," she purred and pounded Alex's fist.
"Truly!" Toni agreed and stood up to hug Ana. "You are just gorgeous, girl! Both of you! What a wonderful evening already!"
"Well, we'll have time to talk more," Alex informed them. "You guys enjoy the food, and thank you, all of you, for all that you've done and that you've fixed your schedules to be able to be here with us this weekend."
"Wouldn't have missed it, boss," Sonja chimed in and nodded before turning her attention back to Mike and his original thoughts.
"I believe we have the seats of honor right over here, my love," Alex told her and brought the hand which he'd been holding up to his lips to kiss it gently. As they sat down, Alex looked over at her. "So, how'd I do?"
"What?" Ana asked in the form of a gasp and put her hand on her heart. "How? Is this
ev-
, um, all who you want-ted here?"
"Oh, here," Alex noted and pointed at the fancy card sitting on the table. "Look at this."
Celebrating Alex & Ana
Dinner - February 5th, 2021
Table #1
Brian Urbana
: best friend of Alex, & his girlfriend
Caroline Demeter
Savannah Martin
,
Sara Sullivan
,
Sam Dougherty
: best friends of Ana
Dan Folgerty
: godfather of Alex
Table #2
Eric Thompson
,
Pauley Sutherland
: friends of Alex
Mr.
