"Anne!" "Anne!"
It was almost the end of November and, alongside college, projects, thesis, job, internship, Arianne was overburdened up with pre-winter assignments as well. Night after night she stayed awake after college and work to study for her tests.
And, Ira supported her immensely. He prepared breakfast, dinner for both of them, packed her lunch - somethings he hadn't done even for himself when he was alone. After dinner, he didn't even let Arianne help him with any washing or cleaning and made her sit to study as soon as she could. He took well care of the house as well as of Arira. And, whenever Arin saw him with the cat, it looked as if he enjoyed being with her; like if she was human, she'd have been his own child. After dinner, before going to sleep himself, he made coffee for Arianne and stored it in a flask for her to use up through the night.
But, one night, after having brooked a sample of Savannah's whimsical nature, when he came out to get a bottle of water from the kitchen, he saw Arianne fallen asleep on her heap of chemistry books. She lay on her front on her bed, with her head buried in her books.
Ira pushed through the half-open doorway and sat by her side. The flask of coffee and her cup were on the floor and, when he picked up the flask, he knew it was over. Even after almost two cups of coffee, she had fallen asleep.
"Anne! Anne!" he tried calling her up to make her roll on to her back and sleep normally. As she did and opened her eyes bleakly, he started shutting her books and arranging them beside her. "No, no, no, no," she shot up from the bed as she saw him doing that and pulled them back from his hands.
"I need to study," she said.
"Don't stress yourself. You fell asleep on the book. I think you should take some rest."
"I know. But, I need to finish off with this."
"Do it tomorrow. Your assignment is not tomorrow, right?"
"I've kept this off for many tomorrows. I need to do it. Or I'll surely flunk."
"Anne, this is not your finals. Chill! Plus, everyone knows you can't flunk. You're the best."
She pouted, yet still didn't let go of her books. "I don't even want horrible grades. It'll pessimize me."
Ira knew she wouldn't let it go unless she did what she wanted. "You're skipping college tomorrow, you said. So, what if you do this particular chapter in the morning?"
"I told you. No more tomorrow. I'll never be able to go to sleep without having known that I'm done with this horrible chapter. It'll give me dreams...bad dreams."
"Your surname should have been stubborn, you know," he said, getting up, "come, let's sit at the dinner table. At least then, you won't feel sleepy."
Arin arranged her books and pencils and followed him into the kitchen. As she sat down at the table, he put the flask and her cup on the kitchen bar and set the vessel for another pair of cups of coffee. "What are you making?" she asked, turning around.
"Study," he said in a very gruff voice,"or, I'll spank you."
"What?" she exclaimed loudly at that, turning around again.
"Study," he said with a giggle, without turning back to look at her.
"Here," Ira placed a cup in front of her and held one for himself. He sat down beside her and, sipping at the coffee, watched her read and try to memorize her lessons. Now and again, she hitched up her shoulders and, putting her hand on her neck, gave out a grunt, as if in pain.
It seemed she was in a terrible condition of a neck pain. And, Ira could not help wanting to relieve her from it. He went behind her and as she did another grunt, he put his hand on her shoulders and massaged it. "Hey," she turned back again, "you don't need to do that." "Study," he said again, "or, as I said, I'll spank you."
"Oh my God! I'm so scared!" Arianne remarked.
"Good! You should be!"
They spent the rest of the night awake. Arianne studied and Ira, either massaged her neck, or helped her with her organic chemistry. When she finished with her aldehydes and ketones, 5:00 in the morning, they went to sleep together, in Arianne's room.
Around 7:00, her sleep broke with a loud and continuous noise seeming to come from far away. She sat up, and looked around. Ira was still beside her, sleeping peacefully, ignorant of the sound. She got up and went out of her room.
Kitchen, perhaps!
She went into the kitchen. Ira's phone, that lay on the table, rang and vibrated too loudly. She rushed to check who it was. In case, it was an emergency. It was Savannah.
Even though she could have taken the phone to Ira or attended the call herself, she didn't want to. Only because it was Savannah! She had seen Ira pissed off almost every time he talked to her. She couldn't afford to call him up from his sleep and allow him to get disturbed again. Neither did she want to ruin their time together. It seemed to be a millennium ago when they had slept together in the same bed!
She put the phone on silence, and went back to bed. True, they weren't making love or having sex, but watching him sleep next to her was quite worthwhile itself.
That Friday, when he came back home, there was a huge surprise awaiting him.
"Guests!" He murmured to himself as he saw three pairs of shoes beside their shoe case. One, an expensive women's shoe, and two of kids. He left his beside them and slowly walked to the end of the short corridor before he got thrown in the kitty party Arin and Anastasia Grey were enjoying.
Their favorite tea, along with a game of cards lay spread in front of them on the floor as they sat across each other, chatting. Two kids sat beside them, playing with Arira. "Hi," Arin noticed him, "you're home."
She stood up and went to stand next to him. "Ana," she called, "this is Ira Armstrong. Ira, meet Anastasia Grey." "Hello," Ana stood up to shake his hand, "thanks for the drawings. Did Christian pass my gratitude?"
"Yes," Ira smiled, "yes, he did. Not a big deal, Ma'am. It was a pleasure getting to draw you and your family. Equally pleasurable to meet you."
"Call me, Ana," she said and turned to Arin, "he's too cute!"
"And, Ira," Arianne urged him to look at the kids, "this is Theodore, and this is Phoebe. The Grey children. Aren't they lovely? See, I think Arira likes them too."
"Hello," Theodore looked up at Ira and produced his hand to him, "nice to meet you." "What a gentleman!" he shook his tiny hand, "nice to meet you too, Sir."
"Get fresh," Arianne called from the kitchen, "I'll make you tea. Plus, there's a surprise for you." "What surprise?" he peeped into the kitchen. "Not now," she said, "I'll tell you after you come back."
When he came back, Arin and Ana were back to the floor again. Sitting in jeans and a shirt, Anastasia Grey did not seem to be someone who runs a publishing house, wife of the zillionaire Christian Grey. She looked like Arianne, down to Earth and happy and contented with simple stuff.
Unlike Savannah!
He found it crazy how people, even when they belong to the same kind, can be so different. He found it crazy how one type can be so easy to be happy with, and the other type can be equally hard to deal with.
"C'mon, Ira," Ana called him as she saw him coming out of his room, "join us," and tapped on the floor beside her. He complied. "What surprise?" he asked, looking at Arianne.
She gave him a shy smile and, picking up a magazine from beside her, said, "I hope you don't get annoyed."
She flipped through the weekendly magazine of SIP, and when she came to a particular section, turned it to him. She pointed at a heading and, as he saw what she showed him, his jaws dropped, as if in unconditioned reflex. "You're kidding me," his voice was merely a whisper.
"No," she stared at him, as he still tried to persuade himself to believe it, "I'm not. This came out today."
As Ana stared at the two of them, Ira looked up at her, as if to ask her whether it was all true. She laughed at his expressions and said, "Ira, this is true. We did publish your poem. I liked it so much when Arin showed it to me, I couldn't help wanting to publish it."
"People love it, Ira," Arianne said, taking his hand, "though not as much as I love it! They had been sending messages and mails at the office e-mail to appreciate you all day."
"Why did you do it?" he asked, clasping her hand, not knowing how to express his gratification.
"You wanted the world to read it. I thought we could start with Seattle at least."
"Thank you, Anne," he tried not to cry, "thank you so much."
Wednesday, after her chemistry test, when she went for the internship, Ana and she had a long chat about Ira. And, by mistake, she said out Savannah's name.
"He's dating Savannah Helmsman," she said, and immediately regretted it.
"Really? He is?"
"Umm..." she stammered, "God! Ana, please, do one thing for me."
"What?"
"Forget what I just said...about Ira and Savannah. Please. I don't know if I was supposed to say that. No one knows it except for me and Ira's best friend. Ana, please, don't tell anyone about it."
Ana had looked at her for a while, and said, "it's our secret, I promise. Even Ira won't know that I know. Chuck Savannah Helmsman. Tell me about Ira."
"What about him? He...he's a great human being, you know. Really great! He loves the simplicity that life brings. Even after being such a high-paid employee, he lives in that apartment. He is a simple, innocent yet extraordinary man. And, he creates beauty. He paints. You know that. And, he is a poet. He writes poetry which is simply amazing."
"Poetry? Can you show me a sample?"
"Yes, I have a recording of him reciting this one to me. He calls it, 'My Greatest Poetry'. This poem is amazing. We have memories with it, you know."
Arin had played the recording she had. Anastasia listened to the words intently. "What memories?" she asked when the record was over.
Arianne told her about it. The first time when she discovered his talent and the poems, their separation during summer, his visit to Miami, his birthday, their love-making and then, the confession. Her eyes had watered with the sorrow of the memory and Ana had consoled her, "I don't know why, but I think he's in a state of utter confusion. He doesn't know what he wants, what he needs. Like a teenager. Arin, you could guide him. Give him the love he needs and he'll know."
Arianne told her about Ira's desire of letting the world read his writings and poems. "This is worth publishing," Ana said when she heard her. "Isn't it?" she insisted. "I have an idea," she said and they planned on publishing it in their weekendly magazine to record people's reactions to the poem.
Ana was right. The poem was worth publishing. Within a couple of hours from when the magazines were distributed in the morning, the office e-mail ID flooded with mails of appreciation. Some mails even came from women who wanted to meet Ira. "That's disgraceful," Arin had expressed her disgust when she read one such letter where the woman had given her phone number, inviting Ira to call her back.
"Stop thanking me," Arianne cradled Ira's arm. He smiled and kissed the top of her head, and Ana couldn't help giving out a little "Aww" at the sight. Both of them blushed and immediately pulled back.
"A few more surprises I have," Arin said, removing the scarf she was wearing. When she turned to him, she had her left palm covering a portion on her chest, right above the neck of her t-shirt. "What?" he asked, perplexed.
She gave him a huge smile this time and removed her hand. And, he saw little above where the t-shirt began, a beautiful tattoo. Arira's name written in the same font as it was on her basket, in black. "A tattoo?" he chuckled out. His expressions changed as he noticed the inflammation of her skin around the tattoo. His fingers spontaneously moved to her swelling and he ran his fingertip over it.
"Ah!" she gasped and moved back, "it still hurts." "Of course," he said, withdrawing his hand, "why did you do it?" "I don't know," she said, turning to Ana, "maybe, because I love my baby girl so much." Ted and Phoebe were now sprinting all around the house and Arira lay beside Arin, quietly licking her own hands. Arianne picked her up and nuzzling her nose in the hair on her neck, put her back on her lap.
"What else?" he asked, "today is really getting interesting!"
"Just one more thing."
"What is it?"
Ana giggled out suddenly, in elation. She knew what this would be. And, she loved this of all the other surprises.
Arin glared at her and told Ira, "SIP sabotaged my career rights for a year after my grad."
"What do you mean?" he frowned, looking up at Ana.
"It means that I'm going to be a columnist at SIP after I graduate for a year. I'm going to have a column of my own and a salary to my name."
"Oh, that's great," Ira beamed with joy, "congratulations, Anne! Wow, this is great! Really!"
"Congratulate me," Ana said, making Phoebe sit with her as she came springing to her mother, "getting a writer like her is sort of a boon. And, you've no idea, convincing her was the toughest thing I've ever done. Not even dealing with Cryptic Grey is so tough!"
"Cryptic Grey?" he wondered who it was.
"Christian!" she replied, "you know how he is."
"Oh! By the way, why did you say 'sabotage'? I mean, what's so sabotaging in it?"
"Sabotage!" Arianne widened her eyes and giggled out, "I signed a contract with the SIP. It says that at least for a year after my grad, I can't get into any other publishing house or any other company or occupation. I can continue with my studies, but I'd have to deliver my attention and dedication to the weekendly column too."
"A contract?"
"Yes. A legal...contract. Sabotage, you see!"
"Umm...no offense, Mrs. Grey...but, Anne, are you sure about this? I mean, did you think of it before signing it?"
"Yes, I did."
"You sure you'd be able to cope with a full fledged job alongside your masters?"
"It's not a full fledged job, Ira," Ana intruded, "she just needs to sit at her desk on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Basically, all she needs to do is to keep submitting for her column. And, after a year, if she thinks she wants to leave, she can. Or else, if she wanna stay, she will be welcome."
Ira took a deep breath, worrying about it. Arianne watched him for a while, liking the fact that he was so worried about her. Her future. Maybe, her future with him. Was he thinking of that, she wondered. Could Ana, Father Lewis, the little hope in the corner of her heart - all be correct?
"As you wish," he finally said, "I hope you can take it all. And, I hope you're finally going to give up the Caketeers job?"
"Yes, I will. After this Christmas."
"Arin," Ana called, "so, I guess it's a wrap on the part of the surprises? So...I can say what I really came here for?"
"You didn't just come to have a chat?"
"Shutties! Okay, this is nothing special! Just a normal thing! Ira, I guess you know this. Christian's family do this charity party every year. Fundraising event! So, they throw a party with a dance and an auction. And, the money collected or donated is given to 'Coping Together'..."
"Yes," Ira said, after having listened patiently for a while, "my friend and I've organized the party for them this year."
"You have?" both Arin and Ana said out almost at the same time, befuddled.
"Yes," he nodded, and looked at Arianne, "Dawson and I. Mr. Grey gave us the contract last month. We'd been working on it for quite a time. Remember, Dawson came and we were planning on a project, I said. This was it."
"You never mentioned this?" Arianne asked, still bemused.
"You had your tests. I just didn't want to disturb you with this."
Ana raised a finger, "umm...I actually came with an invitation to the party this Sunday. But, I think you're going anyway."
"Yes, of course."
"You are?" Arianne asked, suddenly growing sad about him not having told or asked her about it.
"We are," he said, looking at her, "you don't want to go?"
"You didn't ask me. Just took it for granted that I will."
He smirked. The kind of smirk that could make fire run through her veins. "Well...I'm asking you now. Will you go to this amazing party with me, Anne? I'm sure you'd love it."
"That's not quite convincing, Ira," Ana, who had been watching, spoke up, "even Ted can do it better. Ted! C'mon here once, darling!"
The 8-year old came running into his mother's arms. "Do one thing," Ana said to him, "teach Ira how to convince a woman to go to a party with him. You remember, like that time when you asked Lily out?"
Ted ran back to Arin's room, where he had been reading a comic book alone. "Where's he gone?" Arianne asked as they watched him go.
Within a couple of seconds, he was back with a decorative yellow rose kept in a vase in the room and, as he stood in front of Arianne, Ira giggled, "I see I've a competitive contender."
"Arianne," Theodore said in his cute voice, long to be marked by masculinity, "I heard there's this posh party been thrown on the other side of the city. And, I heard there's a dearth of beautiful women there. I was wondering if I could do justice to them and take a gorgeous woman with me. Will you help me in this process? Can I take you as the gorgeous woman to that party?"
Arianne laughed out and said, "yes, yes, yes, Theodore, I'll definitely go with you."
"It's a really fancy party," Ira told her before they separated to get to sleep in their separate bedrooms the night before the party, "do you have any partywear here, or are all in Miami?"
"I have one," she said as they sat side by side, drinking beer, "here. Though, I haven't worn it in a while. Don't know if I'm in shape for it."
"The one you wore to Theresa's party?"
"No! That wasn't fancy. I have another one. Ever since Ana told ne about the party, I was thinking about it."
"Show me how it is."
"Nah!" she smiled, "not now. What are you worrying about? That I won't look good beside you?"
"Anne!" he scolded, "I just wanted to see. Cause, you know, you're that kind of a girl who considers simple things to be fabulous, extraordinary, extravagant. I just wonder if that is it with the dress as well. And, I'm just saying because it's a very rich party. You'll feel uncomfortable yourself. And, as much as I know you, you'll start thinking yourself to be the ugliest girl there when you're going to be the most beautiful one I know."
"Savannah?"
"What Savannah?"
"Isn't she the one most beautiful you know?"
Ira looked at her, his lips pursed into a firm line. Why was she so self-repungent? Why couldn't she just accept the appreciation he had for her? Why did she have to keep going back to Savannah and pick that topic up right at times when he was trying to tell her how much important she was to him? She...only she...not Savannah Helmsman.
"What color is your dress?" he changed topic.
"Black," she said, looking away.
The next day, Arianne spent a long time in the washroom, waxing and bleaching and trying to make herself look better. "My God!" Ira exclaimed when she came out, mentally appreciating what she had done to herself, "it was over an hour."
"Fancy party, you see!"
"Ira, if you're done, could you come and help me a bit?"
Arianne had spent the afternoon walking in and out of her room as she talked to Vanessa on the phone about the party and what accessories she wanted to wear with the dress. It pleased Ira as he watched her from his room, to see that she did not deny to go to a party anymore. It pleased him to see she could trust him enough to let go of her fears.
He had decided much earlier what he wanted to wear. A black suit with a white shirt and a tie. But, he waited to decide the color of the tie after knowing the color of Arianne's dress. He wanted both to be the same. Except if she wanted to wear a white or an orange dress! He'd have never worn such a tie!
"Are you d...?" he dragged on as the sight of Arianne getting ready took his breath away. Her dress was indeed gorgeous as she stood in front of the mirror in her room, her eyes tight shut, holding something in her hand. It suited her - the color, the leg-long length, the monochromacy of black from her hips till her toes, the way the blouse of the dress hugged her body.
But, she...she was way too gorgeous.
"Ira? You here?"
"Yes," he walked in, and stood behind her, "how can I help you?"
Keeping her eyes shut still, she said, "my eyeliner isn't dried, you see. So, you've to do a lot of stuff."
"Let me, Your Highness!"
"Stop being cheesy," she scolded, "first, zip my dress. It's halfway up. I can't go the rest, I'm so unfit!"
He stepped back to find the zip to do it. Zip it up? Her sight made him want to zip it down and peel the dress off her.
However, he managed to obey her, and said, "what next?"
She handed him the earrings she had in her hand, and said, "because I can't see, please put these in. And, don't lose the hooks. I don't have extras."
Once done, he made her turn to him. Sensing his hands on her shoulders, she said, "now, blow on my eyeliner till it dries up." He smiled at her and held her face between his hands. In a flash, he forgot what he had to do. He simply kept staring at how beautiful she was.
As her eyebrows twitched up at his touch, he could see that she understood what he wanted to do. How terribly he wanted to kiss her!
"I think it's dried up," he said, trying to calm the situation back to normal, "you can open your eyes."
Just like her sight had drove him bonkers, his sight did her too. She realized how her recognition of his beauty had done him utter injustice! He was way more beautiful a man than she had agnized.
She smiled as her eyes ran over him, head to waist and then back up to his face again, and settled on his lips for a while. Chiseled, as if! She wanted that chiseled pair of labra to satisfy hers. And the tongue they enclosed! She knew she wanted it to run over her entire body. Over there!
She stepped on her toes and holding his face in between two fingers, turned it to kiss his cheek. "You look great," she said as his hands spontaneously held her back. He smiled at her and returning the kiss the same way, said, "I guess the feeling is extremely mutual!"
Mutual? Aren't all feelings mutual?
"Wait!" he said as they came out of the room, "sit in the kitchen. We're ahead of time. Let's utilize it."
As she waited, he came back with his camera set on a tripod in one hand, making Arira follow him, "Arira, c'mon in girl, go to Mamma."
Ira often said that. Called himself Arira's Daddy and Arianne her Mamma. Arin loved the idea. Of him being the father and she the mother. Could it be, she thought as she watched Arira purr softly and make her way to her from underneath the dining table.
Maybe, somewhere in a different world! A world named future!
"You know," she said, picking her up "cats are generally not as obedient and quiet as Arira is. And, I'm glad she is. My baby girl! I love you, sweetie pie!"
"We brought her up well enough. Or, maybe, she gets it from you."
She laughed. "What are you doing the camera for?"
"I always wanted a photo of us with Arira. Because we've time and we're dressed up to the nines, I thought today could be it."
"Here," he came rushing back to where she was sitting, and pulling a chair beside her, sat down as well. Arianne handed Arira to him. "You hold her," he said and handed her back. He just pulled in closer and put his arm around her.
Arianne couldn't help looking back at him as he stared at the camera. As Arira managed herself against the table, she put her hand on his stubble and grazing her fingernail on his sideburn, put a kiss on his cheek. And, right then, the camera flashed.
"Oh Jesus!" she gasped.
"Let me get it," he said and rose from his seat. When he saw the picture, his smile told her he loved the photo. "Wait here," he said and left again with the camera, "give me two minutes."
She smiled and complied. It satisfied her eyes to see him so happy. She loved the idea that his happiness was because of Arira, whom she had brought home. Arira was, in a way, like a child to them. And, she saw that the little organism had led him to become much more distinguished a man than he already was.
He had started taking up responsibilities, started caring for the family, and, the best of all, she had seen him cutting down on unnecessary expenses and saving money. Though, one may raise a question as to what good connection does saving money have with having a pet cat. Well, it's maybe just human psychology.
"Come on out," Ira called her outside as he finished with what he aimed to do. "Oh wow," she exclaimed when she saw what he had done. On the bookcase, he had put a landscape photo frame with the printed picture in it. He had regarded his enthusiasm and immediately taken a print of it out with the help of his printer. "You like it?" he asked as she picked it up and looked at it more carefully. "I love it, Ira," she said as he held her.
"Gosh!" Anastasia came running to her new friend as they showed up at the party, "look at you two. You're looking massively great."
"Look at you, Ana," Arin praised back and hugged her. As Ira gave her a kiss on the cheek, she took them to meet Mr. Christian Grey.
"Christian!" she called as they reached him, talking to someone. As he turned, Arianne, for the first time, saw Christian Grey up close. He was really a very good-looking man. Very good-looking! Any sort of appreciation could be nothing enough to describe the grandeur of his beauty.
"Hey, Armstrong," he produced his hand immediately to shake Ira's. "Christian, this is Arianne Daveson," Ana introduced, "I told you, an intern at SIP. She'll join us after her grad."
"Hello, Miss Daveson," he shook her hand as well, "I've heard a lot about you." "Don't trust a word Ana says," Arianne blushed, "it's nice to meet you, Mr. Grey."
As their joined hands lingered a little longer than expected, Ira frowned, naturally wondering about it. "I find it strange," Christian Grey said again, "but, have I seen you before? Have we met before?"
"Umm..." Arin looked around at Ana, who looked cluelessly at her, "maybe, sometime at the Grey House. I've been there quite a few times, you know." "No," he said, still not letting her hand go, "somewhere else."
"I got it," he finally said, "yes! Ira showed me his paintings of you. Yes! That's where the memory comes from. God, Miss Daveson! You're very beautiful, you know that?"
"Thank you," she blushed again, and this time, pulled her hand back herself, "call me Arianne."
"Ira showed me, I remember!" he continued, unnecessarily stretching the conversation, "when he was about to buy the boat. I should tell you something about Ira, Miss Daveson! He's a very hard working man. One of the nicest and the most talented software engineers we have at the GH. And, he has earned his place. He's the one, in the history of GH, who has earned a promotion in less than a year. And, see what he had done to the party. It's looking grander than I've even seen this party be."
"Sir," Ira tried stopping him, "this isn't a party about me." As Ana took them away to introduce Arianne to someone else she wanted her to meet, she turned to her husband and mouthed, "well done."
"Who is it?" Arin asked as Ana separated her from Ira and led her elsewhere. "It's...oh there he is," she pointed out the person, "John?"
When he turned, he introduced himself, "oh, Miss Daveson, hello, I'm John Flynn."
"Hi, Mr. Flynn. Nice to meet you." Arin found it awkward that the person knew her name even before Ana introduced her. "Arin," Ana said, "he's Christian's psychiatrist friend. And...he's gonna show you why I think Ira loves you too." "What?" she giggled out, "really?" "Yes," she replied, "well, I'm gonna leave you here with John. He's a great guy. He won't bore you, I'm sure."
"Mr. Flynn," Arianne talked to him after Ana left, "you really don't need to do that, you know. He doesn't love me and I know that." "I'll still try," the doctor said, "first tell me, where he is. We need to make sure he sees us." "The jealous thing?" she asked. He nodded, "how did you know?" "I'm a psychology student myself, Dr. Flynn." "Then, how come you're still so unaware of the truth?"
Arianne and John Flynn stayed together. They took a couple of drinks at the bar and talked until Ira found them. "Hey, you're here," he walked to them, "new friend?"
"Umm...yes," she said, turning to John who gave her a look that told her what to do, "this is John Flynn. He's Christian Grey's psychiatrist friend. Ana introduced me to him. John, this is Ira, my friend. I told you?"
As the party continued, so continued John Flynn's procedure of recognizing Ira's feelings for Arin. They stayed together for a long while, each noting carefully the evolution of Ira's behavior through the party. And, foolishly falling prey to their traps, Ira flashed up instances of his jealousy and possessiveness.
Any time they fell out of his sight, he looked around like a lunatic and rested only when he found them again, talking to someone or giggling about themselves. He wondered what could make Arianne spend so much time with that guy when it was himself she came to the party with.
Could these be enough test of his love? Love?
"This is gonna be great now," John laughed as half of the evening had gone by and Arianne had spent almost the whole of it staying away from Ira. And, courtesy of the doctor, she had noticed him suffer due to the isolation. Could it be?
"What?" she asked.
"They're gonna put you to auction. And, I'll deploy my ultimate artillery, you'll see."
"What do you mean they're gonna put me to auction?"
"Not just you. All the young girls. Even Ana would go. Just a fundraising event of the party. But, this time, I'll show you Ana and I aren't wrong."
"This is useless, you know?"
"Anne," Ira called out for Arianne as the party was shifted to the room next to the banquet hall, by the MC arranged by Ira and Dawson. When she looked back, he handed her a mask and said, "I'll keep a seat for you beside me." She looked at him for a while, smiling and wondering what she would do if John Flynn could really prove what he aimed to. "Wear it," he said as he wore his own, "it's a masquearde auction and a masquearde dance after that. You're going up for the auction, aren't you? Ana told me." She nodded.
"Arianne, come on here," Christian Grey's sister Mia and Ana called her into the wings beside the stage. "What is all this?" she asked them, "auction and all?"
"It's for fundraising," Mia Grey described, "the girls are taken on the stage and are praised and exaggerated about. Then, the bidding against her starts. Whichever man buys her, donates the money for the fund and gets the girl to dance with him later." "Oh!" she said, adjusting her mask over her eyes.
They stood in an Indian file and were soon called up on the stage one by one. As the bidding of the first girl started, Arianne cracked Flynn's idea. She gasped as she wondered how pathetic a scene it would be if Ira did join in to bid for her and John did that too, just to succeed with his plans. He had a wife! He shouldn't do that. But, she knew, he will.
"And, now we have," the MC called on stage, "the sweet and charming Miss Arianne Daveson." He continued as she stepped on the stage, the levels of adrenaline in her blood making her veins seem to burst, "beach summer girl from Miami, she has not reserved herself to the beach just. Singing and dancing since a very young age, she has also learnt a few European languages as she grew up. A grad student of Biology at the WSU, she aims to doctorate in her field. Folks, don't let this opportunity roll! Bid for this beautiful, this talented, this intelligent, this amazing young woman! Start it folks!"
Anyone, even from the last seating row, could see the burning color on her cheeks and hear her loud heartbeat as they all waited for the bidding to start.
"One thousand dollars," everyone heard Ira's distinct voice from among the crowd.
"One thousand and five hundred dollars," John Flynn shouted out as Arianne stood on stage, blushing and horrified at the same time.
"Wow," she heard the MC say,"two bidders! Let it be pretty steamy, my men! One thousand and five hundred dollars, people! Anyone more than that? No?"
Arianne had her eyes fixed on Ira, who sat looking at the direction of the man who bidded against him. She couldn't deny she wanted him to go on with the bid. She wanted to dance with him, not with the charlatan. She wanted him to own her!
"One thousand and five hundred dollars going once! Warning, men!"
"Three thousand dollars!" Arianne smiled when she heard Ira's voice again.
"Three thousand and five hundred dollars!" John said immediately. "Shit!" Arin murmured. She could see the change in Ira's expressions. But, she wasn't sure what it was for.
Was he going to give it up? Wouldn't he bid anymore?
"Six thousand dollars!" Arianne breathed relief when she heard him coming up again. But, this time, more than Ira, there was an angry and frustrated young man talking.
"That's the highest till now," the man beside Arianne said, making her all the more guilty for allowing John to do that, "six thousand dollars! Going once! No more for Arianne? Six thousand...going twice! Warning, the other guy! Six thousand dollars going...thrice! And, sold!" The crowd cheered and applauded as she stood there, blushing.
Arianne peeked a look at the wings and the way Ana was almost jumping in her high heels, she could not help smiling out at her. She turned as the MC prepared to call Mia on stage and walked down the stairs. Ira stood at the end of the row where he had sat and kept a seat for her and welcomed her gracefully as she reached him.
"Six thousand dollars?" she asked as she took her place beside him. "You're worth it," he said, undoing his button as he sat. He politely took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "Don't stay away anymore," he whispered as Mia's bidding continued, "it's unbearable!" Yes, it is!
The bidding rolled on to properties and after a few bungalows and classic cars, paintings were brought up for the tender. Catalogs, distributed initially, had a different section for paintings and, Ira's murmur of a 'wow' at a page was more than just a murmur. It was almost a scream of appreciation!
"Look at this," he showed Arianne, "this is what I call painting!"
She looked at it. The painting, done by a long-dead artist, was indeed beautiful. Over-lapping of colors on a water base, white dots on the background, an amazing juxtapose. The description on the adjacent page said it was a typical example of 'Fauvism'.
"What's Fauvism?" Arianne asked Ira as they waited for the bidding.
He looked back at her as he thought of an answer to say. Just the word had shown him in his vision what exactly he wanted to say. But, art...art could never be said, decribed by words. Could only be felt, awed at, appreciated.
"It's French artwork," he said, "blend of different bright colors and simple drawing."
They looked through the catalog till the tender started again. There were many paintings, beautiful artwork, but Arin saw none of them interested Ira as much as the first one did. And, the first one to put to auction was that one.
"Why so low?" Ira seemed to feel deceived, as the MC asked for only a thousand dollars for the painting.
And, even then, he saw noone bought it. "Why don't you get it?" Arin instigated him to buy it. "Umm..." he staggered on but said nothing.
"Oh! You wasted six thousand dollars on me and now you can't buy this for a thousand dollars! I feel guilty."
As the amount reduced to six hundred, Arin couldn't contain herself anymore. Watching Ira regret not buying it made her feel guilty. She shouldn't have encouraged John Flynn to go on with his lousy experiments. That charlatan!
"Six hundred dollars," she said out, making everyone look back at her in awe. And, the most awed was Ira. Even when she got the painting and everyone else looked back, he didn't. He stared at her until she looked back. "Where do you think we should place it?" she asked, cradling his arm and bringing it close to herself.
After the dance and the dinner, Arin decided they should go for a walk. Leaving the bustling party behind them, they took the road. It was a suburban area and it was a chilly night, making the walk filled with more romanticism than they thought it could be. Ira pulled her in closer to him as they walked and they treaded the road in silence.
Recalling the time after Ira's cricket match. It was almost similar. A party, a few drinks, a walk, less people around. But, a lot was different. They had come a lot closer since then, hurdling through the many obstacles that they had seen come in their way of being together. But, there was a lot coming closer left to do. And, Arin knew it couldn't be done unless some barriers were removed from in between them. Unless he decided to remove them. Unless he realized they need to be removed.
They were like the Earth and the sky Arianne saw meeting when they drove towards Dawson's family ranch. Separated by a hairline separation of the horizon. Close they seemed, but never close enough they were.
They walked by some houses, made and probably even moduled, set for sale. Huge houses, similar to the ranch house, maybe just a floor less. Gorgeous from outside. "Look at that house," Arin pointed at one as they neared it, "beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yes. Is it like the ones you dream of having a family in?"
"I think so. But, look at it. It must be so out of my budget. I'll find some other house, that, you know, may fit my budget." He smiled at her and then looked back at the house.
They walked back to the party to make the donations and collect the painting. "Would you come meet me tomorrow once?" Ana asked as she, along with the two and her husband watched the painting get packed, "I know you don't have a class. Just like that, you know!" "Okay, I will," Arianne replied.
"You sure you don't need to stay?" Arianne asked Ira as they carried the painting to the car, "you know, as the organizer! You don't need to stay till everything is removed and cleared or something?" "Dawson agreed to stay," he informed her. "Even we could, you know," she said again. He loaded the painting in the car's back seat, smiling and said, "you want to stay until Ana leaves?"
"It's not that! I was just asking you to not give up on your responsibilities!"
They talked endlessly in the car. About things that made them happy. Especially, about Arira. They planned on buying a kitty quilt for her and, because she was growing up, a new and bigger basket for her on Christmas. They talked about the painting and planned on where to put it up. And, also planned on buying more paintings of Ira's choice.
"We should also get a soft board sort of thing to pin up cutouts of your articles and columns to," Ira said as the elevator stopped at their floor, the doors ready to open.
As they did and he managed to get the painting out very carefully, he heard - more than saw - Arianne ceasing to walk suddenly and ask, "who's that?" Just as he looked up, and the woman who had been standing in front of their door looked back at them as well, it didn't take Arianne even half of a second to recognize her.
"Savannah?"