The Twin Dragons Mate

Chapter 2: Anastasia

I stood there in front of so many people. Two men on either side of a gorgeous woman and me, standing right in front of me holding a knife. I tensed; what was going on? Was this a dream? That’s what it felt like, a dream, but at the same time, it didn’t. The woman turned to me and sneered, “They are mine, Maryanne; they will never be yours.” Who was Maryanne? 

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” I told her, “My name is Anastasia.” She wasn’t listening and turned away. I caught a glimpse of two other people who were bound as well, but I couldn’t see them well. I was about to try to fight when the woman came back to me and slit my throat, pushing me over the edge; tears fell down my face as I plummeted to my death. I screamed until I hit the rocks below, and everything went dark…

Jolting out of bed, I wiped my head; I poured sweat, and tears stained my face. I sighed, looking at the clock to see it was only nine in the morning. I got up and went to my bathroom; I looked at myself in the mirror and looked at the faint scar on my neck. I was born with it. The orphanage headmaster said that when I was dropped off, I had the scar on my neck, but it wasn’t put there by anyone, that I was born with it. They had taken me to a doctor to find out about it to ensure that I was being abused; at least, that’s the excuse they went with. I sighed and washed my face before heading back to my room and getting ready for the day.

I went to the kitchen to see Ruby making breakfast. I smiled at her and Lucy, “Morning.” I told them; Lucy ran over to me and hugged me tightly, 

“How are you?” Lucy asked, “Did Andy bring you home? I swear, if he didn’t, he won’t get any for,” I cut her off,

“Andy brought me home, made sure I didn’t need anything, then left,” I told her, and she smiled. Ruby rolled her eyes.

“Drama queen much, Luc?” Ruby asked her; Lucy scoffed,

“Whatever, Ruby. I just want to make sure our girl is taken care of.” Lucy defended; I chuckled before sitting down at the table. Ruby brought over our plates while I reached over for the apple juice on the table. We sat ate, and they told me about what happened at the club after I left. Apparently, Darcy got to dance a song at the end of the night and managed to bring at least twenty people or more into the club; Jackson even filmed her dance for the site. I rolled my eyes, thinking about Darcy dancing for those men. The thought of dancing in front of so many people made me cringe. I’ve never been one for the spotlight, not even as a child. While Ruby and Lucy were trying to be seen, I tried to stay in the shadows. 

After breakfast, we decided to chill since it was our day off. After deciding on the newest Suicide Squad movie, we all curled up on the couch. We weren’t even five minutes into the film when my phone buzzed. I didn’t recognize the number, so I ignored it. Then my phone buzzed again with a text; picking it up, I glanced at the message. It was the guy from last night! I glanced over at my roommates, but they were completely involved in the movie, so I texted him back. He wanted to see if I would be at the club tonight. When I told him I wasn’t, he asked if I wanted to get some coffee. I smiled playfully, biting my lip slightly. Lucy noticed, “Who are you texting?” She asked. Before responding, Ruby took my phone, and they both looked at the messages. Lucy got up and ran off towards the bedrooms,

“So you two met last night?” Ruby asked me, clearly curious about the stranger. “What does he look like? How old is he? Is he hot?” She questioned; I rolled my eyes, and then Lucy returned with a handful of my clothes. 

“Get dressed.” She demanded; I gave her a look,

“What?” She handed me the clothes, then she placed her hands on her hips,

“Ruby, text him the address and tell him to be here in fifteen.” She told Ruby; I began protesting, but that’s when Lucy turned to me, “You’re going.” Lucy told me plainly, “Ana, between the three of us, you have never had a boyfriend. Hell, I even started thinking you were gay until I caught you a few months ago.” My face turned red, Ruby raised a brow,

“You swore you wouldn’t bring that up!” I yelled. Lucy raised her hand to silence me, 

“The point is, you’re amazing, and you work so hard. Ana, you deserve to have some fun!” Ruby stood up beside Lucy and nodded,

“She’s right. You’re always taking care of everything, and honestly, it’s not fair. Go have coffee with you mystery man, have fun.” I smiled; how could I say no to my two best friends? I got up and started getting dressed. Ruby braided my hair, and Lucy put a little bit of makeup on me. When they finally got me to stand up to make sure I looked alright, there was a knock on the door. I gulped; this was it. Lucy stayed by my side while Ruby went to answer the door. “Hi, please, come in,” Ruby said, and I heard his voice,

“Thanks.” He followed her to the living room, and when he saw me, his jaw nearly hit the floor. I had to fight the urge to giggle at his expression. “Hey, you look amazing.” He said; I blushed,

“Thanks. Nice to see you.” I told him, he looked at Ruby and Lucy, which made me mentally slap myself in the face, “Oh, um, these are my roommates, Ruby and Lucy.” I motioned to them as I said their names. He waved,

“Nice to meet you; I’m Alejandro.” Ruby began fanning herself, and Lucy bit her lip; I elbowed her in the ribs. 

“We should go. Lucy’s boyfriend should be here soon.” I told him as I grabbed his wrist. He nodded,

“Yes, of course. Ladies, it was lovely to meet you.” He told them as we headed for the door. 

We sat outside in the small cafe just a few blocks from home. It was a beautiful summer day. The heat was nothing; I absolutely loved it. We sat there, drinking coffee and talking, “So, how was your friend’s wedding?” I asked; he smiled,

“You remembered?” He said; I nodded,

“It’s in a few hours, actually; they told me to ask you out, and so, I did.” I smirked, “I’m actually surprised that you said yes.” I raised a brow, curious to his meaning, “I just mean, you’re so beautiful. I was sure you had a boyfriend or maybe a girlfriend.” I laughed a little,

“You’re the second person today to assume I was gay.” I joked. He laughed,

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.” He told me, but I put my hand up, 

“Not at all; it’s just funny,” I explain, taking another sip of my coffee. “Honestly, I’ve never cared much for dating. You can actually thank Ruby and Lucy for even getting me out here.” I told him, he chuckled, 

“Did I make that bad of a first impression?” He asked; I laughed and shook my head. It was this moment I actually took time to take in his appearance; his jet black hair was slicked back, and he had deep brown eyes, more profound than chocolate. He wore a white button-down shirt and black slacks, and his skin was a deep caramel color that made me lick my lips slightly. He didn’t notice, thank goodness. 

We continued to sit there and talk until he had to leave for the wedding. He paid for the coffee then walked me home, “I had fun.” He told me. I smiled,

“Me too, especially for my first date.” He stopped right in front of my building, jaw dropped,

“Please, tell me this wasn’t your very first date?” He said; I blushed and nodded slowly. Alejandro began shaking his head, “No, this is not how a gorgeous young woman should have her first date.” He proclaimed; Alejandro pulled out his phone and stepped away for a moment to make a call. I waited for him to come back. When he did, he had the biggest smile on his face,

“What is it?” I asked, 

“Find the nicest dress you have; you’re going to be my date for the wedding.” I was frozen in place, a wedding? Seriously? The nicest outfit I owned was a work dress. But I didn’t want to tell him that. I hurried upstairs with Al on my heels. 

Reaching the door, I pulled out my keys and unlocked them. Lucy and Ruby were playing cards when I barged into Lucy’s room. Curious, they followed me after saying hi to Al. “Um, what’s going on?” Ruby asked,

“Why are you going through my clothes?” Lucy asked me; I continued to push through her clothes for something suitable to wear.

“Going to a wedding. Need a dress. HELP!” I explained. Without any more explanation needed, Lucy got to work,

“Ruby, go distract Alejandro for a bit. I’ll work my magic on Ana.” Ruby bit her lip,

“Sure, I’ll handle the hunk.” She joked; I shot her a daring look before Lucy sat me on her bed, away from the closet. I sat there, trying to figure out why Lucy was the one to always pick out my clothes. 

“I swear, why is it I’m the only one here with style?” Lucy mumbled to herself, but it came out more like a complaint. I laughed and rolled my eyes; oh yeah, that’s why. Lucy was the resident fashionista in our little family, I was the brains, and of course, Ruby was the t**s. We all had banging bodies, but out of all of us, Ruby had the best curves, the best t**s, the best…everything! There is nothing that girl doesn’t have. 

After what felt like forever, I was finally dressed. Lucy made me give her a turn to make sure it was to her satisfaction; she gave me a nod and sent me on my way. Ruby was curled up on the couch with Alejandro when I came into the room. Al got up and looked me up and down; I felt a little embarrassed, mainly because this was the girliest I have ever been. “Wow.” Alejandro said, walking up to me and taking my hands gently, “You look incredible. Hopefully not more so than the bride, or she’s going to flip.” I didn’t know whether to giggle or be scared. I waved to my friends, and we were out the door. 

Alejandro introduced me to the groom and their friends before escorting me into the church. He pointed to an empty spot at the back, “Here, sit right here. The ceremony is about to start, so I’m going to be a little bit.” I nodded, hoping no one would try to talk to me, 

“I’m nervous,” I admitted; he kissed my cheek, 

“You’re with me. There’s nothing to be nervous about.” Al said, oh so smoothly; I smiled and nodded, “I’ll see you in a little bit, beautiful.” He told me before hurrying off to another part of the enormous building. While he was gone, I took the time to admire the decor. The roses that seemed to be everywhere, the gorgeous arch over the altar, and not to mention the lighting itself. I felt like I was in a fantasy world, the one where the princess was about to marry the prince, and they lived happily ever after. I smiled at the thought; I’d love something like that one day. The music began playing, and everyone started to walk out. The minister, the groom, Drake, and Alejandro all walked out and stood at the front of the church. Then the bridal party. As soon as the bride’s mother was standing in her spot. The music changed, and the bride and her father began down the aisle. The minister motioned for everyone to sit, and we did.

The ceremony was pretty short. It was simple, do you or not, followed by I do’s and then sealed with a kiss. It was the quickest thing I’ve ever seen; it makes me wonder why spend so much money when it’s literally that quick? All of the guests were escorted to the reception. When the bride and groom entered, Alejandro took the opportunity to find me, which was pretty easy, “Hey gorgeous.” He said to me, kissing my cheek, “Having fun?” I smiled; not really, I was left alone, and now I’m surrounded by people I don’t know. Four people have asked me how I knew the bride and groom, which has been entirely awkward. 

“Yes, I am.” I lied, he nodded, “I think I’m gonna try to head out soon, though.” I told him; he began pouting. 

“But you can’t; it’s not over.” He protested, but I looked at my phone, 

“I really need to go. I have to be at work in an hour.” I lied; he seemed displeased as he grabbed my wrist roughly. I tried to pull away, but he only tightened his grip. “Let me go,” I said to him, but I saw something snap behind his eyes,

“No, you’re staying right here with me.” He whisper-yelled in my ear, so no one got suspicious. But then,

“Excuse us,” I saw two men come toward us; they were both ruggedly handsome and had such clear blue eyes to pierce hearts, “is there a problem?” One of them asked, the other coming up behind me. Alejandro tightened his grip on my wrist,

“Not at all, sir. We’re just having a discussion.” Alejandro lied; the man in front of us looked at me, knowing very well what was going on. 

“Well, it looks like she needs to be excused.” He said. I nodded; Alejandro growled under his breath before releasing my wrist and allowing me to walk towards the restroom.