Obvious (Chapter 1)
Pairing: Will/Anna & Skandar/Georgie
Rating:PG
Summary:Sequel to More Than Anyone...takes place seven years in the future. Will is 27, Anna is 25, Skandar is 23 and Georgie is twenty...oh and Colin Moseley is seven...
Hope everyone enjoys the sequel! Thanks again to all those who read More Than Anyone...here it is!
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Anna awoke one morning to hear her husband yelling into his cell phone. Yawning, Anna slowly got out of her bed to head downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. Walking down the hall, she peeked her head into Colin’s room and smiled at the sight. He slept just like his father. He was in the middle of the bed, leg hanging off, one arm over his head, the other under his pillow, his mouth wide open and snoring. Shaking her head and laughing at her seven year old, Anna closed the door. When she got closer to the stairs Anna was able to decipher Will’s yells much more clearly.
“She’s doing what? She‘s not old enough…With who? She knows she’s supposed to check with us first…we’ve never even met him…wait until I get a hold of her…” Will said, loudly.
When she reached the living room, Will turned to see his wife with a confused look on her face. He pointed to the phone and mouthed “Skandar”. Nodding, Anna headed towards the kitchen to make herself some tea. The conversation between Will and Skandar went on for another half an hour. Anna had a feeling of who they were talking about and thought back to her conversation with Georgie from the night before.
“Hey there, Georgie how are you?” Anna asked when she answered her cell phone.
“I’m great…Anna, I have to tell you something…” Georgie said, “But you have to make sure you aren’t around, Will…”
“Ummmm ok,” replied Anna bewildered. Georgie was never one to keep secrets from Will. Obeying Georgie’s request, Anna headed upstairs to their bedroom. Will and Colin had fallen asleep on the couch while they had been watching a movie, but Anna sensed this was important and didn’t want to take any chances. “Alright, Georgie…Will’s nowhere near me…what’s up?”
“Well, I…Yesterday, one of the boys I go to University with…you see he called me and asked me out…”
“Georgie, that’s wonderful! Congratulations…what‘s his name?”
“Daniel…”
“Are you excited?”
“Yes…very much so, but you know how overprotective Will is…and Skandar, too…so please don’t tell them…or Colin for that matter…you know how he likes to repeat everything everyone says…And, I wanted to ask you…I know this sounds crazy because I’m twenty…but I don’t know what to do…you know I’ve never really been on a date before…”
“What do you mean? Just be yourself, dear one…”
“What do you think I should wear?…I‘m not a fashion queen like you are…”
Giggling, Anna asked, “Well, where are you going on your date?”
“The movies,” Georgie replied. “And we might get something to eat after…”
“Okay…so it’s a casual date so you don’t want to dress to nicely for it…What about a pair of jeans…a cute sweater…and either your trainers or boots…and I think you should wear your hair down…”
“That sounds good…Oh, I do wish you were here… I’ll be so nervous…I’m so glad I don’t live at home anymore because I know my mum and dad would embarrass me…I called mum last night and told her and she practically started planning my wedding…It was so humiliating…I don’t even know him that well.…I know you must think I‘m totally mad…I sound like I‘m thirteen again…not knowing what to wear and what not…listen to me I‘m rambling…”
“It’ll be fine, Georgie…I promise…you’re going to go and have a wonderful time…but be careful, like you said you don‘t really know him that well…and… just be careful and have fun…”
“Thank you, Anna,” Georgie said softly.
“Always…and I promise I won’t say anything to Will or Skandar…I imagine they won’t be too happy about it…”
“Probably not…but I’m not a baby anymore…I’ve grown up…”
“I know…but I want you to call me as soon as you get home tomorrow night…I want details…”
“Definitely…well, I’ve got to go…but thanks again…Love you…and give my love to Will and Colin…”
“I will…love you, too…Talk to you tomorrow…”
Anna smiled at the thought of Georgie going on a date. Truth be told, Georgie had only had one other boyfriend in her life and that had been when she was thirteen and lasted a few months. After that she concentrated on her writing and schoolwork and being an aunt to Colin. Georgie had never really been concerned about dating. Anna and Will both knew she was waiting for Skandar, but neither said a word deciding it would happen if it was meant to.
The teapot began whistling, just as Will came into the kitchen. He kissed his wife good morning and sat at the table with an angry look on his face.
“What’s wrong, darling?” Anna asked setting a cup of tea in front of him. He waited until she was seated before responding.
“Georgie…is going on a date…” Will answered.
Giggling at her husband’s tone of voice, Anna said, “Yes I know…what of it?”
“What do you mean you know? She told you?”
“Of course she told me…last night while you and Colin were sleeping on the couch…”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because she asked me not to…and your reaction to the news is exactly why she didn’t want you to know…or Skandar for that matter…how did he find out anyway?”
Taking a sip of his tea, Will said, “His mum told him…Apparently, when he had went over there for breakfast this morning his mum was talking with Mrs. Henley and she mentioned it.”
“Georgie is going to kill her mother when she finds out…So, anyway, Skandar decided to call you as soon as he left his mum’s house and share this information with you…”
Nodding, Will added, “She’s too young…”
Shaking her head, Anna replied, “William, don‘t be ridiculous. Georgie is a twenty years old and she’s a woman. It was bound to happen sooner or later…”
“Well, we don’t even know who he is…I told her that she needed my approval…Skandar’s furious, too…”
“And what exactly do you both plan on doing? Driving to her apartment and embarrassing her…because if that’s your plan I assure you…Georgie will never speak to either of you again…”
“I still think I should call her…”
“NO…” Anna said, her tone very serious.
“But Anna…” Will started, but his wife cut him off.
“I said, no William Moseley…if you so much as go near your phone today you will be sorry….”
“Fine…Skandar will…”
“Skandar isn’t going to do a thing either because I’m going to call him and make sure of it…”
“Women…” Will muttered into his teacup.
“Yes, I know…but you’ll get over it, darling…why don‘t you go get Colin up and we‘ll go to the park?” Anna stood from her seat and gave her husband a peck on the lips and went off to call Skandar.
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Skandar walked into his apartment fuming. As far as he was concerned, Georgie wasn’t allowed to date…ever. So when his mother told him about this boy who had asked her out, Skandar was furious. He thought of as many reasons as he could why she shouldn’t go on this date. She’s not ready. She doesn’t really know him. He may be after something more than just a date. That one thought made Skandar want to drive over to his boy’s house and strangle him. Skandar’s train of thoughts were broken when his cell phone rang.
“Hello…” he answered.
“Skandar…” came Anna’s voice over the other line. Her tone sent chills down his spine.
“Hello, Anna…”
“Don’t you hello Anna me…I want you to listen to me…Don’t you dare call Georgie and say a word to her…and you will not give her a hard time if she does decide to mention this date to you…and you will not harass this boy if you ever meet him, do you hear me?”
“Anna…she’s shouldn’t be…”
“Shouldn’t be what, Skandar? She’s twenty years old…she can date whoever she wants and she doesn’t have to answer to you…”
“I know…I just want to protect her…” Skandar said.
Sighing heavily, understanding completely how he felt because although she was supporting Georgie’s decision, it was hard to realize that she truly was an adult now. “We all have to accept that she’s not that little girl anymore…which…I thought for you would be a good thing…”
Confused for a moment, Skandar asked, “What are you talking about?”
Anna laughed, “It’s nothing…sometimes you men are so daft…Skandar, just don’t give her a hard time, alright. I talked to her last night about it and she’s nervous enough…don’t bring it up unless she does…”
“I promise…I’ll leave it alone…” answered Skandar.
“Thank you…Look, why don’t you come over and have dinner tonight. Colin would love to see you…as would Will and I…we don’t get to see our favorite leading man now that he’s taken over Hollywood…”
“I wouldn’t exactly say I’ve taken over Hollywood…and your husband isn’t doing so bad either,” laughed Skandar. “But that sounds great…I’ll be there.”
“We’ll see you then…we love you.”
“I love you guys, too. See you later.”
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Anna sat on a swing in the park beside her son, as Will pushed him on another.
“Come on, dad…you can push me higher than that!” laughed Colin.
“I could…but then mummy would have a heart attack,” replied Will.
“Please, mum…just this once let him…” pouted Colin as he pumped his legs.
Smiling at her son, she sighed, “Just this once…go ahead, Will…”
“I love you, mum!” Colin yelled as his father pushed him as high as he could go.
“Keep pumping your legs, Colin…I’ll be over here with mum…” said Will as he pushed his son one more time. He then walked over to Anna and stood behind her. Covering her hands that held onto the swing, Will leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “How is my beautiful wife?”
“Fine…and what about you?”
“Wonderful…going to the park as a good idea…it’s a beautiful day out…”
“Did you expect anything less from your brilliant wife?”
Will laughed and bent down to kiss Anna’s neck, “What was I thinking?…I hope you weren’t too hard on Skandar, love…”
“I do feel like maybe I was…its just so difficult not to be though…he’s so protective of Georgie and has been since forever…and he just wants her to wait around for him…It’s not fair to Georgie, Will and you know it.”
“I know…I’ve tried to get him to talk about it…but he just avoids it, so I’ve stopped pushing…”
“It’ll happen if it’s meant to, I suppose…speaking of which I invited him over for dinner…” said Anna.
“That’ll be nice…did you tell Colin?” Will asked as he began pushing Anna gently on her swing.
“Not yet…I figured it could be a surprise…By the way, don’t forget that next week is your week to take him to school…”
“Which means I have to get up at what time?”
“You act like you’ve never done this before…6:15am…”
“Good Lord that’s early…”
“Yes…I know…but I’ll be doing it for a month while your off finishing up filming for your movie so I don’t want to hear it…” Anna rebutted.
“If Colin weren’t in school I’d be bringing both of you with me…I miss you both terribly when I’m gone…” said Will.
“We miss you, too…” Anna said. She stopped her swing and tilted her head back so that Will could kiss her lips. When they parted Colin’s voice filled the air.
“Mum! Dad! Watch this…” he yelled and as soon as he was high in the air, he released his grip on the swing and jumped off, landing on his feet.
Anna got off her swing and pointed at Will, “That’s your son…mine would never try to do such a thing…”
Laughing, Will called over to his son, “You’ve done it now, Colin…I’d run if I were you…”
“Don’t encourage him, William…he could have gotten hurt…” Anna snapped.
Rolling his eyes, Will replied, “Please…that’s nothing compared to what I used to do as a child…”
When Colin saw his mother walk towards him he smiled and did exactly what his father had instructed and ran and Anna followed. She chased him around the swings and then up on the pirate ship, that also was a slide. Seeing her son head for the slide, Anna jumped off the pirate ship to catch him when he got to the end. But Will had beaten her there. Wrapping his arms around his wife, Will picked her up and started spinning her around.
“Hurry Colin! I’ve got her…” Will said loudly so that his son could hear. Not realizing how dizzy he would become after spinning himself and Anna around, he went to take a step backward and completely fell over, taking Anna down with him. They both landed with a thud on the ground and began laughing.
“Lose your balance, darling?” Anna asked through giggles.
Pulling a leaf out of Anna’s hair, Will replied, “Just a little bit…”
“Here I come!” yelled Colin. The slide was pretty steep and slippery so when Colin got to the end he ended up not being able to stop himself and landed on top of his mother and father.
“Hey there, son…comfortable?” inquired Will.
Colin nodded laughing loudly in reply.
“Well, I’m squished…so why don’t you let mummy up?”
“I don’t think so, mum…not until you say that I’m the bestest son in the whole world…”
“Well, that’s easy…Colin Moseley…you are the bestest son in the whole world…”
“And now you have to say that dad is the bestest dad and husband in the whole world…”
“Now that’s pushing it don’t you think?” Anna asked.
“If you want to get up, you gotta say it…” Colin said in a sing song voice.
Anna poked her husband in the chest, “He’s definitely your son…this is all your influence…only you would teach him to torment me…”
Will laughed, “Maybe just a little…but I suggest you say it because my legs are becoming numb…”
After slapping her husband on the head for his comment, Anna repeated her son’s words back to him and he happily jumped off his mother’s back. Will and Anna stood from their places on the ground and dusted the dirt from their clothes. Glancing at his watch, Will noticed that it was after noon and decided it would be best if they headed home for lunch.
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Georgie stood in front of her mirror running a brush through her long hair. You would never know that she had been in one of the most popular movie series ever made. She never flaunted her celebrity status, never mentioned other auditions she would go on, and she lived quite simply for someone who was rather wealthy for her age. Georgie had always been a simple girl. She found happiness with her family, friends and with her stories, which she continued to write whenever she had a moment of free time. It was hard for her to say yes to Daniel when he had asked her out on this date. Trusting someone was hard for her. Georgie never knew whether they liked her for who she was rather than what she was…a young, beautiful, successful actress. That was the main reason she was never really concerned about dating anyone…that and Skandar.
Sighing heavily at the thought of him, Georgie sat on her bed resting her head in her hands. She loved him and was well aware of it now that she was old enough to understand such feelings. When she was younger, Georgie has chalked it up to an infatuation, figuring that because she didn’t spend time with other boys her age that Skandar was the most logical choice for her first crush. But then they got older and the feelings she had for Skandar never went away…they continued to get stronger, until that fateful day when she knew she was completely and utterly in love with him.
“Skandar…is it really necessary for me to be blindfolded? Honestly…” Georgie said. Skandar had picked her up from her parents’ house, insisting that he take her out for her seventeenth birthday. The actual date had been a week ago, but Skandar had been off filming a movie and had just returned.
“I missed your actual birthday…so I wanted to make it up to you and its not fun if there’s no surprise…”
“You weren’t here, Skandar…and you called me it’s not like you forgot about it…”
“Georgie…do me a favor and just stop talking…”
“Have I told you lately that I hate you?”
“Of course…”
“Good…as long as we’re clear…”
Georgie felt Skandar take her hand and squeeze it gently. She knew that he was probably smirking and she smiled slightly. The rest of the car ride was in silence and for Georgie it was completely dark. After what seemed like forever, she felt the car come to a stop. Georgie heard Skandar tell her they’d arrived at their destination. He said he needed to check on something and that he’d be right back to get her.
“Do not take that blindfold off…do you hear? I’ll be right back…” said Skandar.
“Yes dad…” replied Georgie and even though Skandar could not see, he had a feeling she was rolling her eyes at him.
Skandar hadn’t been gone more than five minutes when he came back to retrieve Georgie. She reached out for him when he opened her door and Skandar immediately took her hand. They walked for sometime before Skandar allowed Georgie to take off her blindfold. Her eyes were still closed and she hesitated before opening them. And when she did Georgie was in total awe. They were in Kensington Gardens and were standing before the statue of Peter Pan. The trees, flowers, and bushes surrounding them were laced with white Christmas lights eliciting an enchanting glow.
“Skandar…what…I…I don’t know what to say…” Georgie whispered her eyes gazing around her.
“Well…you always wanted to see the fairies of Neverland…I know these are just lights…but…” Skandar said running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know how to thank you…this…Skandar…it’s so beautiful…it looks just how I imagined it…”
Taking her hand, Skandar led her around through the gardens and Georgie could not believe that he had done all of this. It seemed as if the entirety of the gardens was a home to all fairies. As they made they way down the path, Georgie couldn’t help but run her hand along the flowers and trees. When they reached a clearing, Georgie saw that a table and chairs had been set up. A picnic basket rested on one of the chairs, but when Georgie looked to the middle of the table, her eyes welled with tears.
“Happy Birthday, Georgie…” Skandar said softly.
“Is…is that my fairy house?” Georgie asked through her falling tears.
“Yes…it took forever to find one…but I did…You’ve always wanted one so…”
Before Skandar could say anything else, Georgie threw her arms around his neck. She held him tightly and he in turn wrapped his arms around her waist. They stood their for a moment in a close embrace, until Georgie pulled away suddenly. Skandar furrowed his brow in concern when he noticed the fear in her eyes.
“Georgie…what’s wrong?” he asked.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to regain her composure from the revelation that had just occurred, Georgie smiled, “I’m fine…just overwhelmed…it means a lot that you’ve done all this Skandar…I don’t know how you did it, but I’ll never forget this…”
Smiling widely, Skandar tugged on a strand of her hair, “Come on…let’s eat…”
And Georgie never did forget it. That night haunted her dreams because the moment she had pulled out of Skandar’s embrace she knew that she loved him and she knew that it would change everything. Turning her gaze towards her dresser, Georgie smiled at the fairy house. Leave it to Skandar to be completely romantic in a platonic way, she thought. Georgie knew that she needed to attempt to move on. No matter how great they got along now…or how caring he could be towards her, Skandar had never given a hint that he wanted more. I’m still just the little girl he met in Narnia…That’s how he’ll always see me.
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Colin Moseley was running his father ragged. After they had eaten lunch, Will suggested they watch a movie which his son happily agreed to. Unfortunately, Anna had put in Superman and when the movie had ended Colin ran off to find himself a cape. And now was attempting to fly. Or rather he was jumping off pieces of furniture while his father tried to catch him. Anna on the other hand was greatly amused at the scene before her. She sat on the couch, drinking tea and watched her son and husband run around the house.
“You know you could help me, Anna!” Will called over his shoulder.
“I told you earlier he was your son…mine would never do such a thing…” she laughed. “Pretending to be Superman never hurt anyone…”
“Weren’t you the one earlier today who was worried because he jumped off a swing?”
“Yes…but I was taken off guard and no one was there to catch him if he fell…this on the other hand…” said Anna gesturing to her son climbing on the back of the couch, “is fine…because you’re making sure he doesn’t fall and hurt himself…you’re prepared…”
Rolling his eyes, “Do you have an explanation for everything?”
“Dad! Watch!” Colin yelled as he jumped off the back of the couch. Will sprung forward to catch his son, but instead slipped on the hardwood floor and hit the back of the couch. He knocked Anna forward, spilling some of her tea on her shirt and she groaned. Colin had landed perfectly balanced on the floor and was now standing on his father’s back pretending to be a surfer.
Anna wiped the tea from her shirt and leaned over the back of the couch and couldn’t help the giggles that escaped her.
“Mom! Look…I’m a surfer…” Colin exclaimed.
“I didn’t know Superman knew how to surf, darling…” Anna replied.
Sighing in exasperation at the fact his mother didn’t know a thing about Super man, Colin said, “Superman can do anything!”
“Will, are you still alive down there?” Anna questioned, leaning further over the back of the couch to her husband.
“You just had to give him that candy after lunch, didn’t you?”
“I’m not the kind of mother who would deny her child…especially if it’s going to mean he’s tormenting you instead of me…”
“You’re not funny, love…” Will said.
“I am…and you love me…” Anna replied.
“That has yet to be determined…” Will rebutted.
Their playful banter was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. Anna smiled, “Colin, why don’t you get that…I have a feeling it’s for you…”
Immediately obeying his mother’s request, Colin jumped off his father’s back and raced towards the front door. Will groaned as he lifted his aching body from the floor. He narrowed his eyes at his wife’s smiling face.
“I’m glad you find amusement in my pain…” he said.
Reaching for her husband, Anna leaned up and kissed him gently, “My poor darling…I promise I’ll give you a back rub later tonight…”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Will said capturing his wife’s lips once more.
“Excuse me…I hope you both don’t do that in front of my godson…” came a voice from the entryway.
“Mum! Dad! Uncle Skandar came for dinner…he’s going to play video games with me…aren’t you Uncle Skandar?” Colin asked excitedly, holding onto his godfather’s hand.
Laughing, Skandar replied, “Just let me say hello to your mother and father first…you go on up to your room and get everything ready…”
Without a second thought, Colin raced past his mother and father and bounded up the stairs to his room.
“He’s happy to see you,” Anna smiled walking over to Skandar and embracing him.
“I’ve missed the little bugger,” replied Skandar dropping a kiss on Anna’s cheek. “And you both as well.”
“It’s good to see you,” Will said shaking Skandar’s hand and then pulling him into a hug. “Even though I talked to you already this morning…”
“I’m just as unhappy with it as you are…” said Skandar.
“I really think that we ought…” Will began, but Anna stopped him right away by pulling on his ear.
“What did I tell you? You’re both to leave Georgie alone…she’ll tell you about it when she’s ready…Honestly…” Anna twisted her husband’s ear once more before releasing her grip.
“Must you do that…I hate it…and it hurts…” Will questioned while rubbing his now very red ear.
“Well, if you’d stop giving me reasons I wouldn’t have to…”
Skandar smirked, “Still happily married I see…”
Will snorted, “Oh, you have no idea…”
“William…” Anna warned and Will immediately covered both his ears with his hands. Shaking her head and trying to fight a smile, Anna went into the kitchen to start dinner. And Will and Skandar, still being the little boys they were at heart, raced each other up the stairs to see who could get to Colin and his video games first.
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Georgie sat at the table in the small café, resting her head on her hand. She didn’t realize that dating was supposed to be this boring. The beginning of the date had gone fine. Daniel had picked her up on time, paid for the movie, but there hadn’t been much need for conversation while sitting in a dark movie theater. But now that they were seated face to face and had time to talk, Georgie began regretting this date. He was nice enough, but he kept asking her questions about making films, the stars she had met and things of that nature. And Daniel would talk about himself and how he was an aspiring actor and if Georgie knew anyone he could get in contact with. Georgie being the polite girl she was, smiled and nodded pretending she was listening to everything he was saying. Part of her wanted to scream at him for using her…the other part of her wanted to cry. She finally allowed herself to go on a date and this is what happened. The very thing she had feared for so long. Daniel didn’t want her. He just wanted to be seen with her and use her to establish contacts in the movie industry.
“Daniel…” Georgie said, interrupting his speech about himself. “I’m not feeling very well…would you mind taking me home…I hate to do this to you, but it just hit me all of a sudden…”
“Of course…” he said, pretending to be greatly concerned for her well being. “I’ll get the check and we can go…”
Nodding her thanks, Georgie waited for him to pay for the bill and he then escorted her back to his car. She had wanted desperately for the car ride back to her apartment to be a silent one, unfortunately for her Daniel didn’t come with an off or mute button. Taking a deep breath, Georgie closed her eyes and tried to tune him out.
Eventually, they arrived at her apartment and Georgie declined Daniel’s offer to escort her up to her door. She said she would call him tomorrow, knowing full when she wasn’t going to, but Georgie wasn’t one to hurt anyone’s feelings…even if they had no regard for her own. Waving as Daniel pulled away, Georgie turned her eyes to the third floor where her apartment was located and then she turned to her car. It’s still a bit early…I wonder what Will, Anna and Colin are doing, Georgie thought.
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“Dinner was wonderful, Anna,” Skandar said sitting back in his chair.
“Thank you…We’re glad you could make it…” she replied.
“Why don’t you come see me more, Uncle Skandar?” Colin asked as he finished his final bite of food.
“I’ve been working a lot lately…but you’ve been getting the gifts I send you when I’m away haven’t you…” Skandar asked.
Colin nodded, “Yes…but I wish we could hang out more…”
Skandar felt the guilt wash over him. He knew that he didn’t see his godson as much as he would have liked and he thought about that quite often. Skandar called as often as possible when he was away and stopped by whenever he was home in London. Lately, however, Skandar hadn’t been home much. He was promoting several movies that he was to be starring in and his time management skills weren’t the greatest. Skandar thought for a moment and knew that he had the next couple of weeks off, so he had an idea.
“Next weekend why don’t you come stay with me, Colin…I’ve got some time off and we can do whatever you want…just us guys…”
Eyes widening at his Uncle’s question, he immediately turned to his mother and father. “Can I please? I promise I’ll behave…”
“Of course you can…that sounds wonderful,” Anna replied.
Will laughed at his son who was bouncing up and down in his chair with excitement. “Are you sure, Skandar? Can you handle it?”
“Well…if I don’t return Colin to you by next Monday, you may want to come check on me…” answered Skandar.
“Mum…may I be excused please?” Colin asked.
“Yes…go put your toys away and mummy will get you ice cream after she clears the table…”
“Okay…” Colin then drank the last bit of his milk and headed off to clean up his toys.
“I’ll get the dishes, Anna…don’t worry about it…” Skandar said.
“Skandar, you’re our guest…” Anna rebutted.
“I know…that’s why Will is going to help me.”
“You’re a bastard…” laughed Will.
“That’s touching…really,” replied Skandar placing a hand over his heart. “Now let’s get this taken care of so I can get some ice cream.”
Anna shook her head and laughed, “I knew there was another reason…”
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Pulling into the Moseley drive way, Georgie put the car in park and wiped her eyes. Half way to Will and Anna’s Georgie couldn’t help but let a few tears fall. She had wanted this date to work out. She had wanted so desperately to try and let go of Skandar. But when she had seen his car in the drive way as well, Georgie realized that fate had other ideas in store for her. After checking her makeup to make sure she looked presentable, Georgie headed towards the front door and knocked gently.
“Georgie!” Anna said, obviously surprised.
“Hey…I’m not interrupting anything am I?” Georgie asked.
“Of course not…come in…are you alright?” Anna questioned. By the looks of it, Georgie had been crying and she knew that her date had been tonight. “He didn’t…try anything did he?”
Shaking her head, Georgie replied, “No…no…it’s not that…I’ll tell you later…but I just wanted…”
Offering a comforting smile, Anna motioned for Georgie to follow her into the living room. “Just so you know…Skandar and Will know about your date…Your mum called Mrs. Keynes and told her and she told Skandar who in turned called Will…”
Sitting on the couch, Georgie sighed heavily, “That just makes my already wonderful evening much better,” she said sarcastically.
“I know…but I just wanted to warn you because you know the fact that you’re here and not on your date is going to worry them…”
“Well, you might as well let them know I’m here then…where’s Colin?”
“In his room…why don’t you go see him and I’ll have a word with the boys before they see you…”
Nodding in agreement, Georgie stood from the couch and walked upstairs to see her godson.
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Anna entered the kitchen to hear Skandar and Will laughing loudly. It seemed that they had gotten more water on themselves then they had on the dishes.
“Having fun, boys?” she asked standing in the doorway.
Both men nodded and laughed in response. And then Will asked, “Who was at the door, love?”
“Georgie…she’s upstairs with Colin right now…” replied Anna.
“Isn’t she supposed to be on a date?” her husband questioned further. Skandar was already drying his hands ready to go find Georgie, when Anna put a hand up to stop him.
“Yes…but apparently it didn’t go very well…she’s seem upset about it, but said he didn’t try and do anything or hurt her…so you both can just relax…And I told her that you knew about the date…”
“You’re sure he didn’t hurt her?” Skandar inquired, wiping his hands with the dish towel.
“No, he didn’t…” came Georgie’s voice behind Anna. “Sorry for interrupting…Colin apparently fell asleep on the floor in his room…”
“Thanks…” Anna said and placed a comforting hand on Georgie’s shoulder.
“Look…I know you’re both worried about me…but I’m fine…it just wasn’t a good date is all…he talked about himself the whole evening, except for when he was asking me for advice on how to get into Hollywood…I’m sorry I didn’t tell either of you, but from the looks on both of your faces you have to understand why I didn’t…it’s over and done with and I don’t want to talk about it…alright?”
Clearing his throat, Will said, “Well, Anna and I are going to put Colin to bed…we’ll be right back…” Before heading upstairs he embraced Georgie as he passed her, kissed her cheek, but didn’t say anything. Georgie smiled at Will and watched him and Anna climb the stairs. This left her and Skandar standing in the kitchen in silence for a few moments.
“Do you…uh…do you want some tea?” Skandar asked.
“Yes…please…if you don’t mind…” replied Georgie quietly.
Skandar nodded. He grabbed the teapot from the stove and refilled it with water. Opening the cupboard he brought down two cups and teabags. He’d been in this house so many times that it was easy to find things as if he had put them there himself. The silence between Georgie and Skandar continued while they waited for the water to boil. He found it slightly amusing remembering how when she was younger Georgie absolutely hated tea, but now it was practically all she drank. Skandar didn’t have to ask Georgie how she wanted her tea because he already knew exactly how she liked it. A spoonful of milk, two lumps of sugar and a slice of lemon, he thought as he put it together for her. After he finished making his own, Skandar placed the cup of tea in front of Georgie as she sat at the kitchen table.
Taking a seat beside her, Skandar gestured to the tea, “Is it alright?”
“Perfect…thank you…” Georgie replied taking another sip.
“I…look…I just want you to know that I may not like the idea of you dating but…”
“Skandar, please…I can’t do this right now…”
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry things didn’t turn out the way you would have liked…” Skandar said.
“Oh…I appreciate that…thank you…” replied Georgie.
“And I’m sorry that you got hurt…”
“I’m fine…really…it just wasn’t what I expected and…”
Skandar covered her hand with his, “Georgie…I know you…and I can see in your eyes that you’re hurting…I don’t need you to tell me why…I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry for it…” Squeezing her hand gently before he let go, Skandar leaned back against his chair, holding his tea.
“You’re thinking about driving over to his apartment and slapping him around a bit aren’t you…” smiled Georgie.
“I bet I’m not the only one…” Skandar smirked.
“Thank you…”
“Just remember how nice I was to you when I need you to hide me because your friend Daniel went missing…”
Georgie laughed loudly and it melted Skandar’s heart. He was glad the sad expression on her face was gone and she was smiling widely. Skandar and Georgie began into a conversation about his newest movie coming out and how university was going for her. Unbeknownst to them, Will and Anna were hiding around the corner listening to them.
“Do you think they’ll ever stop playing this game with one another? They had to know it’s obvious how they feel about each other…” Anna said.
Will placed a gentle kiss on the side of his wife’s neck, “I don’t know…I wish they’d hurry up already though…it’s quite tiring watching these two go back and forth…”
“I agree…but I have to say it’s definitely entertaining…is that what we were like before we got together?
“You mean flirting one minute and at each other’s throats the next?…I’m afraid so, love…”
Kissing her husband once more, Anna stepped out of the hallway and into the kitchen with Will as if they had just come down the stairs. Skandar stood and made a cup of tea for both of his friends. And they sat around the kitchen table until after midnight, talking, laughing, and reminiscing.
Rating:PG
Summary:Sequel to More Than Anyone...takes place seven years in the future. Will is 27, Anna is 25, Skandar is 23 and Georgie is twenty...oh and Colin Moseley is seven...
Hope everyone enjoys the sequel! Thanks again to all those who read More Than Anyone...here it is!
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Anna awoke one morning to hear her husband yelling into his cell phone. Yawning, Anna slowly got out of her bed to head downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. Walking down the hall, she peeked her head into Colin’s room and smiled at the sight. He slept just like his father. He was in the middle of the bed, leg hanging off, one arm over his head, the other under his pillow, his mouth wide open and snoring. Shaking her head and laughing at her seven year old, Anna closed the door. When she got closer to the stairs Anna was able to decipher Will’s yells much more clearly.
“She’s doing what? She‘s not old enough…With who? She knows she’s supposed to check with us first…we’ve never even met him…wait until I get a hold of her…” Will said, loudly.
When she reached the living room, Will turned to see his wife with a confused look on her face. He pointed to the phone and mouthed “Skandar”. Nodding, Anna headed towards the kitchen to make herself some tea. The conversation between Will and Skandar went on for another half an hour. Anna had a feeling of who they were talking about and thought back to her conversation with Georgie from the night before.
“Hey there, Georgie how are you?” Anna asked when she answered her cell phone.
“I’m great…Anna, I have to tell you something…” Georgie said, “But you have to make sure you aren’t around, Will…”
“Ummmm ok,” replied Anna bewildered. Georgie was never one to keep secrets from Will. Obeying Georgie’s request, Anna headed upstairs to their bedroom. Will and Colin had fallen asleep on the couch while they had been watching a movie, but Anna sensed this was important and didn’t want to take any chances. “Alright, Georgie…Will’s nowhere near me…what’s up?”
“Well, I…Yesterday, one of the boys I go to University with…you see he called me and asked me out…”
“Georgie, that’s wonderful! Congratulations…what‘s his name?”
“Daniel…”
“Are you excited?”
“Yes…very much so, but you know how overprotective Will is…and Skandar, too…so please don’t tell them…or Colin for that matter…you know how he likes to repeat everything everyone says…And, I wanted to ask you…I know this sounds crazy because I’m twenty…but I don’t know what to do…you know I’ve never really been on a date before…”
“What do you mean? Just be yourself, dear one…”
“What do you think I should wear?…I‘m not a fashion queen like you are…”
Giggling, Anna asked, “Well, where are you going on your date?”
“The movies,” Georgie replied. “And we might get something to eat after…”
“Okay…so it’s a casual date so you don’t want to dress to nicely for it…What about a pair of jeans…a cute sweater…and either your trainers or boots…and I think you should wear your hair down…”
“That sounds good…Oh, I do wish you were here… I’ll be so nervous…I’m so glad I don’t live at home anymore because I know my mum and dad would embarrass me…I called mum last night and told her and she practically started planning my wedding…It was so humiliating…I don’t even know him that well.…I know you must think I‘m totally mad…I sound like I‘m thirteen again…not knowing what to wear and what not…listen to me I‘m rambling…”
“It’ll be fine, Georgie…I promise…you’re going to go and have a wonderful time…but be careful, like you said you don‘t really know him that well…and… just be careful and have fun…”
“Thank you, Anna,” Georgie said softly.
“Always…and I promise I won’t say anything to Will or Skandar…I imagine they won’t be too happy about it…”
“Probably not…but I’m not a baby anymore…I’ve grown up…”
“I know…but I want you to call me as soon as you get home tomorrow night…I want details…”
“Definitely…well, I’ve got to go…but thanks again…Love you…and give my love to Will and Colin…”
“I will…love you, too…Talk to you tomorrow…”
Anna smiled at the thought of Georgie going on a date. Truth be told, Georgie had only had one other boyfriend in her life and that had been when she was thirteen and lasted a few months. After that she concentrated on her writing and schoolwork and being an aunt to Colin. Georgie had never really been concerned about dating. Anna and Will both knew she was waiting for Skandar, but neither said a word deciding it would happen if it was meant to.
The teapot began whistling, just as Will came into the kitchen. He kissed his wife good morning and sat at the table with an angry look on his face.
“What’s wrong, darling?” Anna asked setting a cup of tea in front of him. He waited until she was seated before responding.
“Georgie…is going on a date…” Will answered.
Giggling at her husband’s tone of voice, Anna said, “Yes I know…what of it?”
“What do you mean you know? She told you?”
“Of course she told me…last night while you and Colin were sleeping on the couch…”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because she asked me not to…and your reaction to the news is exactly why she didn’t want you to know…or Skandar for that matter…how did he find out anyway?”
Taking a sip of his tea, Will said, “His mum told him…Apparently, when he had went over there for breakfast this morning his mum was talking with Mrs. Henley and she mentioned it.”
“Georgie is going to kill her mother when she finds out…So, anyway, Skandar decided to call you as soon as he left his mum’s house and share this information with you…”
Nodding, Will added, “She’s too young…”
Shaking her head, Anna replied, “William, don‘t be ridiculous. Georgie is a twenty years old and she’s a woman. It was bound to happen sooner or later…”
“Well, we don’t even know who he is…I told her that she needed my approval…Skandar’s furious, too…”
“And what exactly do you both plan on doing? Driving to her apartment and embarrassing her…because if that’s your plan I assure you…Georgie will never speak to either of you again…”
“I still think I should call her…”
“NO…” Anna said, her tone very serious.
“But Anna…” Will started, but his wife cut him off.
“I said, no William Moseley…if you so much as go near your phone today you will be sorry….”
“Fine…Skandar will…”
“Skandar isn’t going to do a thing either because I’m going to call him and make sure of it…”
“Women…” Will muttered into his teacup.
“Yes, I know…but you’ll get over it, darling…why don‘t you go get Colin up and we‘ll go to the park?” Anna stood from her seat and gave her husband a peck on the lips and went off to call Skandar.
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Skandar walked into his apartment fuming. As far as he was concerned, Georgie wasn’t allowed to date…ever. So when his mother told him about this boy who had asked her out, Skandar was furious. He thought of as many reasons as he could why she shouldn’t go on this date. She’s not ready. She doesn’t really know him. He may be after something more than just a date. That one thought made Skandar want to drive over to his boy’s house and strangle him. Skandar’s train of thoughts were broken when his cell phone rang.
“Hello…” he answered.
“Skandar…” came Anna’s voice over the other line. Her tone sent chills down his spine.
“Hello, Anna…”
“Don’t you hello Anna me…I want you to listen to me…Don’t you dare call Georgie and say a word to her…and you will not give her a hard time if she does decide to mention this date to you…and you will not harass this boy if you ever meet him, do you hear me?”
“Anna…she’s shouldn’t be…”
“Shouldn’t be what, Skandar? She’s twenty years old…she can date whoever she wants and she doesn’t have to answer to you…”
“I know…I just want to protect her…” Skandar said.
Sighing heavily, understanding completely how he felt because although she was supporting Georgie’s decision, it was hard to realize that she truly was an adult now. “We all have to accept that she’s not that little girl anymore…which…I thought for you would be a good thing…”
Confused for a moment, Skandar asked, “What are you talking about?”
Anna laughed, “It’s nothing…sometimes you men are so daft…Skandar, just don’t give her a hard time, alright. I talked to her last night about it and she’s nervous enough…don’t bring it up unless she does…”
“I promise…I’ll leave it alone…” answered Skandar.
“Thank you…Look, why don’t you come over and have dinner tonight. Colin would love to see you…as would Will and I…we don’t get to see our favorite leading man now that he’s taken over Hollywood…”
“I wouldn’t exactly say I’ve taken over Hollywood…and your husband isn’t doing so bad either,” laughed Skandar. “But that sounds great…I’ll be there.”
“We’ll see you then…we love you.”
“I love you guys, too. See you later.”
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Anna sat on a swing in the park beside her son, as Will pushed him on another.
“Come on, dad…you can push me higher than that!” laughed Colin.
“I could…but then mummy would have a heart attack,” replied Will.
“Please, mum…just this once let him…” pouted Colin as he pumped his legs.
Smiling at her son, she sighed, “Just this once…go ahead, Will…”
“I love you, mum!” Colin yelled as his father pushed him as high as he could go.
“Keep pumping your legs, Colin…I’ll be over here with mum…” said Will as he pushed his son one more time. He then walked over to Anna and stood behind her. Covering her hands that held onto the swing, Will leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “How is my beautiful wife?”
“Fine…and what about you?”
“Wonderful…going to the park as a good idea…it’s a beautiful day out…”
“Did you expect anything less from your brilliant wife?”
Will laughed and bent down to kiss Anna’s neck, “What was I thinking?…I hope you weren’t too hard on Skandar, love…”
“I do feel like maybe I was…its just so difficult not to be though…he’s so protective of Georgie and has been since forever…and he just wants her to wait around for him…It’s not fair to Georgie, Will and you know it.”
“I know…I’ve tried to get him to talk about it…but he just avoids it, so I’ve stopped pushing…”
“It’ll happen if it’s meant to, I suppose…speaking of which I invited him over for dinner…” said Anna.
“That’ll be nice…did you tell Colin?” Will asked as he began pushing Anna gently on her swing.
“Not yet…I figured it could be a surprise…By the way, don’t forget that next week is your week to take him to school…”
“Which means I have to get up at what time?”
“You act like you’ve never done this before…6:15am…”
“Good Lord that’s early…”
“Yes…I know…but I’ll be doing it for a month while your off finishing up filming for your movie so I don’t want to hear it…” Anna rebutted.
“If Colin weren’t in school I’d be bringing both of you with me…I miss you both terribly when I’m gone…” said Will.
“We miss you, too…” Anna said. She stopped her swing and tilted her head back so that Will could kiss her lips. When they parted Colin’s voice filled the air.
“Mum! Dad! Watch this…” he yelled and as soon as he was high in the air, he released his grip on the swing and jumped off, landing on his feet.
Anna got off her swing and pointed at Will, “That’s your son…mine would never try to do such a thing…”
Laughing, Will called over to his son, “You’ve done it now, Colin…I’d run if I were you…”
“Don’t encourage him, William…he could have gotten hurt…” Anna snapped.
Rolling his eyes, Will replied, “Please…that’s nothing compared to what I used to do as a child…”
When Colin saw his mother walk towards him he smiled and did exactly what his father had instructed and ran and Anna followed. She chased him around the swings and then up on the pirate ship, that also was a slide. Seeing her son head for the slide, Anna jumped off the pirate ship to catch him when he got to the end. But Will had beaten her there. Wrapping his arms around his wife, Will picked her up and started spinning her around.
“Hurry Colin! I’ve got her…” Will said loudly so that his son could hear. Not realizing how dizzy he would become after spinning himself and Anna around, he went to take a step backward and completely fell over, taking Anna down with him. They both landed with a thud on the ground and began laughing.
“Lose your balance, darling?” Anna asked through giggles.
Pulling a leaf out of Anna’s hair, Will replied, “Just a little bit…”
“Here I come!” yelled Colin. The slide was pretty steep and slippery so when Colin got to the end he ended up not being able to stop himself and landed on top of his mother and father.
“Hey there, son…comfortable?” inquired Will.
Colin nodded laughing loudly in reply.
“Well, I’m squished…so why don’t you let mummy up?”
“I don’t think so, mum…not until you say that I’m the bestest son in the whole world…”
“Well, that’s easy…Colin Moseley…you are the bestest son in the whole world…”
“And now you have to say that dad is the bestest dad and husband in the whole world…”
“Now that’s pushing it don’t you think?” Anna asked.
“If you want to get up, you gotta say it…” Colin said in a sing song voice.
Anna poked her husband in the chest, “He’s definitely your son…this is all your influence…only you would teach him to torment me…”
Will laughed, “Maybe just a little…but I suggest you say it because my legs are becoming numb…”
After slapping her husband on the head for his comment, Anna repeated her son’s words back to him and he happily jumped off his mother’s back. Will and Anna stood from their places on the ground and dusted the dirt from their clothes. Glancing at his watch, Will noticed that it was after noon and decided it would be best if they headed home for lunch.
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Georgie stood in front of her mirror running a brush through her long hair. You would never know that she had been in one of the most popular movie series ever made. She never flaunted her celebrity status, never mentioned other auditions she would go on, and she lived quite simply for someone who was rather wealthy for her age. Georgie had always been a simple girl. She found happiness with her family, friends and with her stories, which she continued to write whenever she had a moment of free time. It was hard for her to say yes to Daniel when he had asked her out on this date. Trusting someone was hard for her. Georgie never knew whether they liked her for who she was rather than what she was…a young, beautiful, successful actress. That was the main reason she was never really concerned about dating anyone…that and Skandar.
Sighing heavily at the thought of him, Georgie sat on her bed resting her head in her hands. She loved him and was well aware of it now that she was old enough to understand such feelings. When she was younger, Georgie has chalked it up to an infatuation, figuring that because she didn’t spend time with other boys her age that Skandar was the most logical choice for her first crush. But then they got older and the feelings she had for Skandar never went away…they continued to get stronger, until that fateful day when she knew she was completely and utterly in love with him.
“Skandar…is it really necessary for me to be blindfolded? Honestly…” Georgie said. Skandar had picked her up from her parents’ house, insisting that he take her out for her seventeenth birthday. The actual date had been a week ago, but Skandar had been off filming a movie and had just returned.
“I missed your actual birthday…so I wanted to make it up to you and its not fun if there’s no surprise…”
“You weren’t here, Skandar…and you called me it’s not like you forgot about it…”
“Georgie…do me a favor and just stop talking…”
“Have I told you lately that I hate you?”
“Of course…”
“Good…as long as we’re clear…”
Georgie felt Skandar take her hand and squeeze it gently. She knew that he was probably smirking and she smiled slightly. The rest of the car ride was in silence and for Georgie it was completely dark. After what seemed like forever, she felt the car come to a stop. Georgie heard Skandar tell her they’d arrived at their destination. He said he needed to check on something and that he’d be right back to get her.
“Do not take that blindfold off…do you hear? I’ll be right back…” said Skandar.
“Yes dad…” replied Georgie and even though Skandar could not see, he had a feeling she was rolling her eyes at him.
Skandar hadn’t been gone more than five minutes when he came back to retrieve Georgie. She reached out for him when he opened her door and Skandar immediately took her hand. They walked for sometime before Skandar allowed Georgie to take off her blindfold. Her eyes were still closed and she hesitated before opening them. And when she did Georgie was in total awe. They were in Kensington Gardens and were standing before the statue of Peter Pan. The trees, flowers, and bushes surrounding them were laced with white Christmas lights eliciting an enchanting glow.
“Skandar…what…I…I don’t know what to say…” Georgie whispered her eyes gazing around her.
“Well…you always wanted to see the fairies of Neverland…I know these are just lights…but…” Skandar said running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know how to thank you…this…Skandar…it’s so beautiful…it looks just how I imagined it…”
Taking her hand, Skandar led her around through the gardens and Georgie could not believe that he had done all of this. It seemed as if the entirety of the gardens was a home to all fairies. As they made they way down the path, Georgie couldn’t help but run her hand along the flowers and trees. When they reached a clearing, Georgie saw that a table and chairs had been set up. A picnic basket rested on one of the chairs, but when Georgie looked to the middle of the table, her eyes welled with tears.
“Happy Birthday, Georgie…” Skandar said softly.
“Is…is that my fairy house?” Georgie asked through her falling tears.
“Yes…it took forever to find one…but I did…You’ve always wanted one so…”
Before Skandar could say anything else, Georgie threw her arms around his neck. She held him tightly and he in turn wrapped his arms around her waist. They stood their for a moment in a close embrace, until Georgie pulled away suddenly. Skandar furrowed his brow in concern when he noticed the fear in her eyes.
“Georgie…what’s wrong?” he asked.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to regain her composure from the revelation that had just occurred, Georgie smiled, “I’m fine…just overwhelmed…it means a lot that you’ve done all this Skandar…I don’t know how you did it, but I’ll never forget this…”
Smiling widely, Skandar tugged on a strand of her hair, “Come on…let’s eat…”
And Georgie never did forget it. That night haunted her dreams because the moment she had pulled out of Skandar’s embrace she knew that she loved him and she knew that it would change everything. Turning her gaze towards her dresser, Georgie smiled at the fairy house. Leave it to Skandar to be completely romantic in a platonic way, she thought. Georgie knew that she needed to attempt to move on. No matter how great they got along now…or how caring he could be towards her, Skandar had never given a hint that he wanted more. I’m still just the little girl he met in Narnia…That’s how he’ll always see me.
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Colin Moseley was running his father ragged. After they had eaten lunch, Will suggested they watch a movie which his son happily agreed to. Unfortunately, Anna had put in Superman and when the movie had ended Colin ran off to find himself a cape. And now was attempting to fly. Or rather he was jumping off pieces of furniture while his father tried to catch him. Anna on the other hand was greatly amused at the scene before her. She sat on the couch, drinking tea and watched her son and husband run around the house.
“You know you could help me, Anna!” Will called over his shoulder.
“I told you earlier he was your son…mine would never do such a thing…” she laughed. “Pretending to be Superman never hurt anyone…”
“Weren’t you the one earlier today who was worried because he jumped off a swing?”
“Yes…but I was taken off guard and no one was there to catch him if he fell…this on the other hand…” said Anna gesturing to her son climbing on the back of the couch, “is fine…because you’re making sure he doesn’t fall and hurt himself…you’re prepared…”
Rolling his eyes, “Do you have an explanation for everything?”
“Dad! Watch!” Colin yelled as he jumped off the back of the couch. Will sprung forward to catch his son, but instead slipped on the hardwood floor and hit the back of the couch. He knocked Anna forward, spilling some of her tea on her shirt and she groaned. Colin had landed perfectly balanced on the floor and was now standing on his father’s back pretending to be a surfer.
Anna wiped the tea from her shirt and leaned over the back of the couch and couldn’t help the giggles that escaped her.
“Mom! Look…I’m a surfer…” Colin exclaimed.
“I didn’t know Superman knew how to surf, darling…” Anna replied.
Sighing in exasperation at the fact his mother didn’t know a thing about Super man, Colin said, “Superman can do anything!”
“Will, are you still alive down there?” Anna questioned, leaning further over the back of the couch to her husband.
“You just had to give him that candy after lunch, didn’t you?”
“I’m not the kind of mother who would deny her child…especially if it’s going to mean he’s tormenting you instead of me…”
“You’re not funny, love…” Will said.
“I am…and you love me…” Anna replied.
“That has yet to be determined…” Will rebutted.
Their playful banter was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. Anna smiled, “Colin, why don’t you get that…I have a feeling it’s for you…”
Immediately obeying his mother’s request, Colin jumped off his father’s back and raced towards the front door. Will groaned as he lifted his aching body from the floor. He narrowed his eyes at his wife’s smiling face.
“I’m glad you find amusement in my pain…” he said.
Reaching for her husband, Anna leaned up and kissed him gently, “My poor darling…I promise I’ll give you a back rub later tonight…”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Will said capturing his wife’s lips once more.
“Excuse me…I hope you both don’t do that in front of my godson…” came a voice from the entryway.
“Mum! Dad! Uncle Skandar came for dinner…he’s going to play video games with me…aren’t you Uncle Skandar?” Colin asked excitedly, holding onto his godfather’s hand.
Laughing, Skandar replied, “Just let me say hello to your mother and father first…you go on up to your room and get everything ready…”
Without a second thought, Colin raced past his mother and father and bounded up the stairs to his room.
“He’s happy to see you,” Anna smiled walking over to Skandar and embracing him.
“I’ve missed the little bugger,” replied Skandar dropping a kiss on Anna’s cheek. “And you both as well.”
“It’s good to see you,” Will said shaking Skandar’s hand and then pulling him into a hug. “Even though I talked to you already this morning…”
“I’m just as unhappy with it as you are…” said Skandar.
“I really think that we ought…” Will began, but Anna stopped him right away by pulling on his ear.
“What did I tell you? You’re both to leave Georgie alone…she’ll tell you about it when she’s ready…Honestly…” Anna twisted her husband’s ear once more before releasing her grip.
“Must you do that…I hate it…and it hurts…” Will questioned while rubbing his now very red ear.
“Well, if you’d stop giving me reasons I wouldn’t have to…”
Skandar smirked, “Still happily married I see…”
Will snorted, “Oh, you have no idea…”
“William…” Anna warned and Will immediately covered both his ears with his hands. Shaking her head and trying to fight a smile, Anna went into the kitchen to start dinner. And Will and Skandar, still being the little boys they were at heart, raced each other up the stairs to see who could get to Colin and his video games first.
--------------------------------
Georgie sat at the table in the small café, resting her head on her hand. She didn’t realize that dating was supposed to be this boring. The beginning of the date had gone fine. Daniel had picked her up on time, paid for the movie, but there hadn’t been much need for conversation while sitting in a dark movie theater. But now that they were seated face to face and had time to talk, Georgie began regretting this date. He was nice enough, but he kept asking her questions about making films, the stars she had met and things of that nature. And Daniel would talk about himself and how he was an aspiring actor and if Georgie knew anyone he could get in contact with. Georgie being the polite girl she was, smiled and nodded pretending she was listening to everything he was saying. Part of her wanted to scream at him for using her…the other part of her wanted to cry. She finally allowed herself to go on a date and this is what happened. The very thing she had feared for so long. Daniel didn’t want her. He just wanted to be seen with her and use her to establish contacts in the movie industry.
“Daniel…” Georgie said, interrupting his speech about himself. “I’m not feeling very well…would you mind taking me home…I hate to do this to you, but it just hit me all of a sudden…”
“Of course…” he said, pretending to be greatly concerned for her well being. “I’ll get the check and we can go…”
Nodding her thanks, Georgie waited for him to pay for the bill and he then escorted her back to his car. She had wanted desperately for the car ride back to her apartment to be a silent one, unfortunately for her Daniel didn’t come with an off or mute button. Taking a deep breath, Georgie closed her eyes and tried to tune him out.
Eventually, they arrived at her apartment and Georgie declined Daniel’s offer to escort her up to her door. She said she would call him tomorrow, knowing full when she wasn’t going to, but Georgie wasn’t one to hurt anyone’s feelings…even if they had no regard for her own. Waving as Daniel pulled away, Georgie turned her eyes to the third floor where her apartment was located and then she turned to her car. It’s still a bit early…I wonder what Will, Anna and Colin are doing, Georgie thought.
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“Dinner was wonderful, Anna,” Skandar said sitting back in his chair.
“Thank you…We’re glad you could make it…” she replied.
“Why don’t you come see me more, Uncle Skandar?” Colin asked as he finished his final bite of food.
“I’ve been working a lot lately…but you’ve been getting the gifts I send you when I’m away haven’t you…” Skandar asked.
Colin nodded, “Yes…but I wish we could hang out more…”
Skandar felt the guilt wash over him. He knew that he didn’t see his godson as much as he would have liked and he thought about that quite often. Skandar called as often as possible when he was away and stopped by whenever he was home in London. Lately, however, Skandar hadn’t been home much. He was promoting several movies that he was to be starring in and his time management skills weren’t the greatest. Skandar thought for a moment and knew that he had the next couple of weeks off, so he had an idea.
“Next weekend why don’t you come stay with me, Colin…I’ve got some time off and we can do whatever you want…just us guys…”
Eyes widening at his Uncle’s question, he immediately turned to his mother and father. “Can I please? I promise I’ll behave…”
“Of course you can…that sounds wonderful,” Anna replied.
Will laughed at his son who was bouncing up and down in his chair with excitement. “Are you sure, Skandar? Can you handle it?”
“Well…if I don’t return Colin to you by next Monday, you may want to come check on me…” answered Skandar.
“Mum…may I be excused please?” Colin asked.
“Yes…go put your toys away and mummy will get you ice cream after she clears the table…”
“Okay…” Colin then drank the last bit of his milk and headed off to clean up his toys.
“I’ll get the dishes, Anna…don’t worry about it…” Skandar said.
“Skandar, you’re our guest…” Anna rebutted.
“I know…that’s why Will is going to help me.”
“You’re a bastard…” laughed Will.
“That’s touching…really,” replied Skandar placing a hand over his heart. “Now let’s get this taken care of so I can get some ice cream.”
Anna shook her head and laughed, “I knew there was another reason…”
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Pulling into the Moseley drive way, Georgie put the car in park and wiped her eyes. Half way to Will and Anna’s Georgie couldn’t help but let a few tears fall. She had wanted this date to work out. She had wanted so desperately to try and let go of Skandar. But when she had seen his car in the drive way as well, Georgie realized that fate had other ideas in store for her. After checking her makeup to make sure she looked presentable, Georgie headed towards the front door and knocked gently.
“Georgie!” Anna said, obviously surprised.
“Hey…I’m not interrupting anything am I?” Georgie asked.
“Of course not…come in…are you alright?” Anna questioned. By the looks of it, Georgie had been crying and she knew that her date had been tonight. “He didn’t…try anything did he?”
Shaking her head, Georgie replied, “No…no…it’s not that…I’ll tell you later…but I just wanted…”
Offering a comforting smile, Anna motioned for Georgie to follow her into the living room. “Just so you know…Skandar and Will know about your date…Your mum called Mrs. Keynes and told her and she told Skandar who in turned called Will…”
Sitting on the couch, Georgie sighed heavily, “That just makes my already wonderful evening much better,” she said sarcastically.
“I know…but I just wanted to warn you because you know the fact that you’re here and not on your date is going to worry them…”
“Well, you might as well let them know I’m here then…where’s Colin?”
“In his room…why don’t you go see him and I’ll have a word with the boys before they see you…”
Nodding in agreement, Georgie stood from the couch and walked upstairs to see her godson.
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Anna entered the kitchen to hear Skandar and Will laughing loudly. It seemed that they had gotten more water on themselves then they had on the dishes.
“Having fun, boys?” she asked standing in the doorway.
Both men nodded and laughed in response. And then Will asked, “Who was at the door, love?”
“Georgie…she’s upstairs with Colin right now…” replied Anna.
“Isn’t she supposed to be on a date?” her husband questioned further. Skandar was already drying his hands ready to go find Georgie, when Anna put a hand up to stop him.
“Yes…but apparently it didn’t go very well…she’s seem upset about it, but said he didn’t try and do anything or hurt her…so you both can just relax…And I told her that you knew about the date…”
“You’re sure he didn’t hurt her?” Skandar inquired, wiping his hands with the dish towel.
“No, he didn’t…” came Georgie’s voice behind Anna. “Sorry for interrupting…Colin apparently fell asleep on the floor in his room…”
“Thanks…” Anna said and placed a comforting hand on Georgie’s shoulder.
“Look…I know you’re both worried about me…but I’m fine…it just wasn’t a good date is all…he talked about himself the whole evening, except for when he was asking me for advice on how to get into Hollywood…I’m sorry I didn’t tell either of you, but from the looks on both of your faces you have to understand why I didn’t…it’s over and done with and I don’t want to talk about it…alright?”
Clearing his throat, Will said, “Well, Anna and I are going to put Colin to bed…we’ll be right back…” Before heading upstairs he embraced Georgie as he passed her, kissed her cheek, but didn’t say anything. Georgie smiled at Will and watched him and Anna climb the stairs. This left her and Skandar standing in the kitchen in silence for a few moments.
“Do you…uh…do you want some tea?” Skandar asked.
“Yes…please…if you don’t mind…” replied Georgie quietly.
Skandar nodded. He grabbed the teapot from the stove and refilled it with water. Opening the cupboard he brought down two cups and teabags. He’d been in this house so many times that it was easy to find things as if he had put them there himself. The silence between Georgie and Skandar continued while they waited for the water to boil. He found it slightly amusing remembering how when she was younger Georgie absolutely hated tea, but now it was practically all she drank. Skandar didn’t have to ask Georgie how she wanted her tea because he already knew exactly how she liked it. A spoonful of milk, two lumps of sugar and a slice of lemon, he thought as he put it together for her. After he finished making his own, Skandar placed the cup of tea in front of Georgie as she sat at the kitchen table.
Taking a seat beside her, Skandar gestured to the tea, “Is it alright?”
“Perfect…thank you…” Georgie replied taking another sip.
“I…look…I just want you to know that I may not like the idea of you dating but…”
“Skandar, please…I can’t do this right now…”
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry things didn’t turn out the way you would have liked…” Skandar said.
“Oh…I appreciate that…thank you…” replied Georgie.
“And I’m sorry that you got hurt…”
“I’m fine…really…it just wasn’t what I expected and…”
Skandar covered her hand with his, “Georgie…I know you…and I can see in your eyes that you’re hurting…I don’t need you to tell me why…I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry for it…” Squeezing her hand gently before he let go, Skandar leaned back against his chair, holding his tea.
“You’re thinking about driving over to his apartment and slapping him around a bit aren’t you…” smiled Georgie.
“I bet I’m not the only one…” Skandar smirked.
“Thank you…”
“Just remember how nice I was to you when I need you to hide me because your friend Daniel went missing…”
Georgie laughed loudly and it melted Skandar’s heart. He was glad the sad expression on her face was gone and she was smiling widely. Skandar and Georgie began into a conversation about his newest movie coming out and how university was going for her. Unbeknownst to them, Will and Anna were hiding around the corner listening to them.
“Do you think they’ll ever stop playing this game with one another? They had to know it’s obvious how they feel about each other…” Anna said.
Will placed a gentle kiss on the side of his wife’s neck, “I don’t know…I wish they’d hurry up already though…it’s quite tiring watching these two go back and forth…”
“I agree…but I have to say it’s definitely entertaining…is that what we were like before we got together?
“You mean flirting one minute and at each other’s throats the next?…I’m afraid so, love…”
Kissing her husband once more, Anna stepped out of the hallway and into the kitchen with Will as if they had just come down the stairs. Skandar stood and made a cup of tea for both of his friends. And they sat around the kitchen table until after midnight, talking, laughing, and reminiscing.