Chapter 34 [Ana]

 

Drew was taken away by security.

Steve’s nose is bleeding.

“I’m sorry about that Ana.” He says.

“What do you want?” I ask, mad.

“Allow me to explain. I was in a very bad place that day. My wife, who just happened to be my high school sweetheart, had just left me. She took the kids with her. I didn’t have a job, Ana, and I was dirt poor, and depressed. I wanted to die. I was selfish, Ana.”

Yes you were.

“So I tried to kill myself. You’re fiancé Kris and you saved me. After that, everything changed. I realized the error of my ways. I really was saved. I made things right with the wife, got a job, and now I’m happy. Then, I wrote my first book.” He grabs a bag he’s carrying, and hands me a book.

It says, “How I took my life back.” And it shows a picture of him making a thumbs up sign.

“What do you want from me?” I ask him again.        

“Open it, Ana.”

I open it.

“This book is dedicated to my saviors, Kristofferson Bishop and Ana Johnson.” I read out loud.

“I’m touring with it. I even got an interview on Oprah!” He says.

“Oprah…” I say.

“That’s right! I would be honored if you would join me and maybe talk a little about your journey.”

“What journey?”

“Ana. What you have been through since the… death.”

I can’t talk. He takes his card, puts it into my hand, and closes it.

“Please call me with an answer.”

He walks away.

“I think I’m actually going to be sick.” I say to myself.

“What death Ana?” I hear a voice behind me. I turn to see Shay.

“Shay, you shouldn’t be out here I say.”

“I wanted to see what all the commotion was about.” She says, pushing up her big glasses. I take her shoulders and turn her around. Then, putting a gentle hand on her back, I lead her back to her room. I feel so bad for her; she seems like a sweet kid. I can’t even tell what’s wrong with her. She shouldn’t be here; she looks like she’s maybe 16 at the most.

“You didn’t answer my question.” She says as we walk.

“I don’t think I should talk about this with you.” I say back. She stops walking and turns around.
         “Ana, please tell me.”

I sigh. “Fine. Well, Shay, about 8 months ago my husband was hit by a subway and killed. He was trying to save this guy who wanted to kill himself.”

“The train not the sandwich?”

“Yes, the train. The guy he tried to save apparently ‘woke up’ and has ‘seen the light.’ He wrote a book, and he wants me to go on Oprah with him.” I tell her. Ha, saying it out load, it sounds f*****g ridiculous.

“Oh.” She says. We keep walking. In about 5 minutes, we get to her room.

“Hey Ana?” She says.

“Yeah, Shay?”

“Don’t do it, okay?”

“Okay, Shay.”

She walks into her room. I feel so s****y now… I take out my cell phone and call Reeve. He doesn’t have texting on his phone. I think his phone is off because it goes straight to voicemail. I hang up. D****t! I’ll text Ashley.

“With Reeve?” I text him.

         He responds about 30 seconds later.

         “Ya. Ill have u cll em.”

         His text language kind of reminds me of the girl Steven cheated on Celia with. My phone starts to vibrate a couple times, and I discover I’m getting a call.

         “Hello?”

         “Hey hey hey!” I hear Reeve’s voice. “I’m coming to pick you up at work, okay? Then we can hang.” He says.

         “Okay.” I respond. He’s so cute!

         I wait outside for him. A red car pulls up and I get in the front seat. Ashley’s sitting in the back.

         “Hey Reeve. Hey Ash.” I say.

         “I’m sitting in the back not because Reeve told me to, but because I am a gentleman.” Ashley says.

         “Hey.” Says Reeve. I decide to disregard Ashley’s comment. After a while of driving, and telling the boys about the tiring day I’ve had, Ashley stops us when we’re about in time square.

         “I’ll get out here. I gotta do something.” He says. He gets out of the car. Reeve and me look at each other.

         “That was oddly suspicious.” He says to me. I agree with him. After more driving, we get out to like, the middle of nowhere, and then Reeve stops the car.

         “What are you doing?” I ask him, confused, hoping he’s not a murderer or something.

         “Ana.” He says. He bites his lip in a cute way. Then he moves forward and plants a kiss on my lips. It’s just a peck, and after, he looks away embarrassed. I smile though, because he’s so adorable. Then I grab his jaw with my hand, and kiss him. We stay with our lips connected as he moves closer to me. My right hand is tangled in his scruffy hair and he has two strong hands attacked to my waist. As his left hand moves down my leg, I straddle his waist, and he kisses down my neck. It feels so nice to do this again… with someone I actually like. I’m not usually the cougar type, but for some reason the fact that he’s younger is turning me on. But he’s only like 3 years younger, so it doesn’t really matter much. His kisses seem experienced. I stop the kiss after a couple minutes.

         “Reeve, we should go to your house.” I say.

         “If that’s what you want.” He says, smiling. Quickly, he gets out of his current condition and starts driving. He’s going faster than he should. Pretty much speeding. We’re both laughing at how bad he’s driving. I put my hand on his thigh, seductively. It distracts him, and his eyes widen. I love it.