((I imagine him giving her this look during the date. So dreamy! ))

 "Kate, what am I doing?"

"The only part of this plan that was scripted was his interview. You two have grown, changed, even if he has gone back to before, this time won't be like last time. Let the old Christian meet the new Ana, maybe you can pull some stuff from him. Don't stress over this."

"But-"

"Think of it as a recreation of your first date. It's almost like renewing wedding vows." I sigh, giving into defeat. Kate is right. What do I really have to stress over? Kate and Elliot are here to keep an eye on Juliet and Kenneth while Phoebe, Alexander, Ava, and Navy go hang out and Teddy caught a virus or something so Sophie is taking care of him. Everything is under control.

I check the clock 10:00, my departure time nearing. I also see three new texts.

Taylor is sending me constant updates on Christian ever since he woke. He seems to be just as nervous as I am, of course he is better at hiding it though.

"I feel sick." I groan, taking a sip of my tea. Kate's old recipe.

"Then go get sick, clean yourself up and go get your man back."

"You give the best pap talks." I say in a monotone voice.

"What would you do without me? Now get everything together and leave already, I know you'll be sitting out in the car for at least five minutes. We got everything covered here." I nod, looking over towards my charming brother-in-law arm wrestle his nephew on the floor while his niece attempts to stand in her play pen to watch them.

"Okay, thank you guys so much." I round the counter and give Kate a big hug.

"Anytime, I love you."

"I love you too." She kisses my head and I walk to the door.

"Kenneth, I'm leaving. Behave." I call out.

"Ugh...okay, Momma...ahh...I will." He shouts back, his sentences chopped up with painful groans. Elliot better not tear his arm off.

I sit long in the car, wanting to get this wait over with and wanting to see his face in person again.

A text from Taylor comes through.

From Taylor: Mr. G has left. Insisted on driving himself.

All of this is becoming too real.

I park across the street, looking around for Christian's car before getting out. I don't see his car around, but I do see him. He is standing by the front door, arms crossed, shoulder against the cement wall.

My heart starts to race.

He is beautiful.

I attempt to exit the car as gracefully as I can, not wanting to cause a scene with my clumsiness again, and with my mind as scattered as it is, it won't be hard for me to trip over air.

As I cross the road in an awkward jog, Christian's eye finds me. Our eyes meet.

His face softens, he stands up straight, shoulders back, a satisfied look in his eyes.

"Good morning, Anastasia. It's lovely to see you again." His eyes dance as he takes in my appearance, lips stretching into a flirtatious smirk.

"It's a pleasure to see you as well." I sound like the college girl who barely worked up the courage to talk to talk to such a young, handsome, brooding bachelor. It's 2011 all over again. Although, this time around I know how the story ends up from here...or should.

"After you, Miss Steele." Christian, opens the door for me and then follows closely behind.

"What would you like to order?"

"English breakfast tea?" I ask. He looks down at me with an eye brow raised in suspicion. "What?"

"Nothing." He looks back to the front of the line. The distance between us is so far I can feel the fibers of his jacket against my shoulder. "I'll stand in line; you go pick a table." Without a word I scamper off to find a table for two, away from the rest of the shop.

My phone buzzes with a text from Kate.

From Kate: How is it going?

Before responding, I make sure Christian isn't looking this way. I don't believe texting other people while out on a date is good manners.

To Kate: It's been almost five minutes. Chill out.

I tuck the phone under my leg.

I look back over to Christian, who happens to be already looking at me, and shamelessly admire him. We hold eye contact, because I refuse to back down first, until the woman in front of him walks off. He reluctantly turns his attention away from me.

Damn, it. I forgot to tell him bag out. Oh well.

Trying to devise a plan on how this will go I look out the window.

Streets aren't crowded, no angry pedestrians, it's a beautiful sunny day. Kate was right. This day isn't for stress. It's for...second chances? Do overs? Whatever happens.

In no time at all Christian approaches the table with a tray.

"I ordered your tea bag out, I hope that's alright." He looks uncertain, as if this one mistake will send me storming through the door never wanting to see him again. I can't help but feel giddy. Did he remember this?

"It's perfect. Thank you." He nods and grins.

"Good."

Christian's POV

I turn my attention away from the beautiful woman seated by the glass window, seeming to be out lined in sunshine. Damn.

"Hello, what can I get for you today?" A young girl asks, no older than twenty-five.

"A regular medium coffee, crème and sugar-" I look at the display of bakery good, regretting the decision to bypass breakfast. "blueberry muffin, and a small English breakfast tea." The girl types it all out. I reach around my waist for my wallet.

"Bag in or out, for the tea?" Shit. I look over at Anastasia.

She said bag out. No she didn't. Yes, she did. She never specified. Yes, she did!

I silence the argument in my head. I'm never able to get even five fucking minutes of peace and quiet.

"Out." I answer, hoping I made the right choice. This wouldn't sour the mood of the date would it? Shit, is this a date? I date?

"Sugar?" Fucking damn it woman.

"Can you put some on the side?" I made unnecessary movements with my hands trying to get my point across. Luckily she understands. As she walks away and starts filling out the order, the voices start again.

She didn't fucking order tea with the bag out. Yes, she did you son of a bitch, you finally remembered something. How can I remember something that never happened before? This did fucking happen before!

Through all the arguing, an invisible force continues to shizzle away at the wall.

Did I just remember something?

Ana's POV

I continue sipping my tea, looking down, it's almost uncomfortable to make eye contact with him. I've almost missed this feeling. That high school crush feeling. It starts in your toes, and slithers up your legs, swirling in your belly, buzzing through your chest and arms, and setting a fire in your cheeks. That feeling has morphed to a similar exhilaration through the years we have been together, but coming back to where it all began seems to spark a dwindling flame.

"You blush a lot." Christian states. I breath a laugh and trace the handle of the cup with my finger. "It helps me get an idea of what you're thinking."

"Why do you say that?"

"You seem...hard to figure out." You don't need to be figuring me out, Mr. Grey.

"Well, I'm not a closed book." His lip twitches. Oh how I want to kiss him. I need you back Christian, please come back to me!

"Who said you were?" Here we go again with a challenging tone. At least he is being playful. I enjoy this side of him.

"Just letting you know." I shrug, sipping my tea without another word.

"Why did you call me by my first name when you left?" I glance around the shop, feeling intimidated by his clipped tone. Did he find that rude?

"It-it slipped. I'm sorry if it-"

"No." He cuts me off and shakes his head. When he starts speaking again. "It's fine I just..." He trails off. "In the interview you said it was just you?" I nod. "No husband or kids?" He almost flinches at the 'k' word.

"Nope." I feel terrible for even pretending that my kids don't exist. I want our family back to the way it was. Damn the universe for cursing us.

"So what of the rest of your family?" He starts peeling away the rapper of his muffin. I watch his fingers work as I answer him.

"Um, I'm the only child and my mom and her husband, Bob, aren't having the best of times right now." I twist my fingers together, giving him no detail, talking to him as if he knew me and everything that has happened in the last eighteen years.

"How so?" He seems genuinely interested.

"Well, this is the longest relationship she has had, and it's almost like every month she tries to find a reason for it not to work anymore resulting in him moving out for a week or so. He is staying at his brother's, I believe, right now." Mom and Bob can be children sometimes.

"And my dad, well not biologically, lives in Montesano. His health hasn't been in the best shape as of late."

"Has he remarried?" I watch every move he makes. From breaking a pinch off and placing it on his tongue, to the way new wrinkles form as he knits his brows.

"Not after my mom. He has dated a few women, but he has reached an age where he doesn't feel the need to be tied down again." Christian just nods.

I remember when I found out Mom and Bob were fighting and how Christian consoled me, telling me I won't have to worry about her going through another divorce. I remember the night he held me for hours while I cried, having just told him that Ray had a stroke in his house. Luckily I decided to visit that day or who knows what would have happened? I don't even like thinking about it.

A silence falls between us. It's not uncomfortable, but it doesn't feel like our normal silence.

"You said you were in an accident. What happened?" I haven't been wanting to talk about the accident, but I've been wanting to talk it through with him, my Christian. Unfortunately, I think this is the best I will be getting for a while.

"Aren't you intrusive?" He chuckles. God I've missed that sound. I miss the fucking sound of his bare feet against the floor in the morning.

"You didn't seem to mind yesterday."

"That was a scheduled interview, Miss Steele."

"Is interviewing not a key part in dates, Mr. Grey?"

"So this is a date?" I feel like that nervous college girl again.

"Well, I just assumed..." He nods his head with a smirk. I wet my lips and wait for him to answer.

"About a month ago, I was involved in a pretty bad collision on my way to a business ordeal. I don't remember how it happened, I don't remember the date or time. I can't even remember when I woke up at the hospital. I have a whole life I can't seem to remember." He folds his hands on the table and looks out in the window in thought. I want to know what he is thinking. I want to help him figure his life out right here and now.

"What I do remember is some strange lady in my room, though." He says with a smirk and I laugh, a whole hearted laugh, causing him to join in. "I like your laugh."

The compliment comes out of nowhere, so effortlessly, causing me to stop, and he seems to realize what he just said. Heart, slow down. He clears his throat.

"Um, but I don't remember what was said between us, I was still groggy. I can just remember your face as clear as day." He says that with a sense of awe in his voice. "For some reason, my world doesn't feel so shattered when I think of you."

"You think of me?" I'm breathless. Christian opens his mouth, but doesn't seem to be able to fit the right words together. His cheeks flush.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. That was uncalled for especially since I've only officially met you yesterday, but-"

"It's okay." And out of habit I reach over, placing my hand on top of his. We both seem to be caught off guard by this extremely public display of affection, but just before I'm about to retract my hand, his thumb slowly comes into contact with the top of my hand and makes small strokes.

Nothing away from the table seems to exist. It feels as if our lives are intact, and we are just enjoying a morning out together. We both seem to be in a trance, but the spell brakes as soon as he blinks it away.

I go to pull my hand away, but he stops me.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Probably just eating a sandwich in front of the tv." After tucking our kids into bed, of course.

"Let me make you dinner." As serious as this conversation has gotten right now, I almost want to laugh, because Christian still can't make full meals by himself. "I live in Escala a couple minutes away; I can have my driver come pick you up."

"What time?" I ask, some tension seems to evaporate from his shoulders.

"Eight-thirty?" Gives me enough time to get the kids to bed.

"Okay." A light goes off in his eyes and ever so subtly the left side of his lips tip up.

"Okay."

Christian escorts me back out of the shop and across the street to my car, the whole time he has his arm wrapped around my waist. My heart and stomach can't seem to stop doing summersaults.

"Your ride will be there at eight." He says as he opens my door. Normally this would happen in the morning and I would stretch up on my toes to give him a kiss, even though we were just riding to work together.

"Thank you." I smile.

"I'll see you tonight." He nods his head, a boyish grin on his face. I feel like we are in an alternate universe.

I can't seem to come up with any words, so I go for a simple nod of the head and red cheeks. For some reason Christian chuckles and walks off back across the street. I slip into my seat and close the door. Only now that I am alone do I realize I'm biting my lip super hard. Is that what he was laughing at?

I pull my phone from my purse and text Kate.

To Kate: Well... I have a date tonight!

((Sorry the update it late. What do you think of this? I didn't want to make it too similar. I will update later as well. The next couple weekends will hold some....important, life changing, unexpected(?) chapters, so stay alert! Thank you guys so much for reading!!))