AN: Happy Valentine's Day! Here is a short story about our favorite couple. I am not exactly sure how many chapters it will be. I hope you enjoy it. ~Melissa

Chapter 1: The First Rose

Anastasia's POV:

It is the start of the New Year, the first day back at school after a couple weeks off due to winter break. This is the last half of my senior year, next year I will start back at the beginning and be a freshman again. I have applied to Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Colombia. My top choice is Harvard. I want to open my own publishing company one day, so I am going to have a double major in Literature and Business.

I live in Seattle, Washington with my parents, Raymond and Carla Steele. I am their only child, which gets lonely at times, but I have friends and my studies to keep me busy. My dad owns his own construction business, Steele to Steel Inc, and my mom owns her own interior design business, Carla Steele Designs. They are hard working, but always had time for me. My best friend, Katherine Kavanaugh, the daughter of media mogul Eric Kavanaugh. She has an older brother, Ethan, who is attending Columbia University to become a doctor. Kate's family has always been our neighbor since I could remember, we have always been together, attached at the hip. Our other neighbors are the Greys. Elliot, the oldest son, is attending UCLA, and is Kate's long term boyfriend. They have been dating since he was a junior in college, and we were freshmen. Mia, the youngest of the siblings, and the only daughter is a freshman this year. The middle child, Christian, is also a senior. He is cocky, obnoxious, and an asshole.

We never got along. We have been in several classes together throughout the years, I always had my head in the books, studying and focusing on my future. Christian, he would come late to class, well when he showed up, do his best with the tests and work, and focus on girls and partying. He is the captain of the row team, so I know he needs to keep his grade point average up. He must be cutting it close to failing because before winter break, the principal, Mr. Fox, called me in and asked me to start tutoring sessions. I agreed before knowing who the student was going to be, my biggest mistake. I signed the paperwork stating that I can stay after school and drive myself home, also listing my parents for emergency contacts. I signed stating that I would tutor for eight hours a week, two hours for four days. I can come up with the schedule with the student that I tutor.

Kate and I are sitting in lunch, sixth period, talking about winter break and how we do not want to be back in school.

"It went by too fast." Kate whines to me as she dips her apple slice in the peanut butter.

"I know, but we had a lot of fun skiing together."

"We did. I had fun with Elliot, too." She winks at me.

"La La La." I sing, covering my ears. We start to giggle when we see Christian walking towards us.

"Ugh. My tutoring session starts with him today, and I am not looking forward to it, at all." I complain to best friend.

"Maybe he won't be that bad. I see the way he looks at you sometimes, I think he likes you."

"No. He likes to annoy me, and it works, which then makes him to continue because he knows how bad he gets under my skin."

"Oh, I'm sure he wants to get under your skin. Speaking of -"

"Kate. No. Just no." She holds her hands up in front of her, surrendering to me, for now. I am a virgin, seventeen year old virgin, and I think the only virgin in the senior class. I don't mind though, I want to save myself for someone special, the one person that I love. Sure, I've had dates and some short term boyfriends here and there, but I never felt the need or want to have sex with any of them. My last boyfriend, Jose, lasted six months, we dated in junior year. His father is in the army and was transferred to West Point, New York. Jose tried to further things along with us, but I just wasn't ready. Sure, we made out and engaged in other sexual activities, but I stopped it there. Towards the end of our relationship, he turned mean and would cause fights a lot, so I ended it. About a month after we broke up, he moved away. So long.

"Well, hello there ladies." Christian states as he plops down next to us.

"Hi, Christian." Kate replies, nicely, making me give her a look. Sure, she is completely in love with his brother, but she never reacts like that to him. She just shrugs her shoulder at me and gives me a wink.

"Kate. Hi, Ana."

"It's Anastasia, only Kate calls me Ana."

"Ouch. Okay, we aren't on that level yet, but don't worry, we will be."

"No. No we will not, Grey."

"You wound me, Steele." He feigns being hurt, placing one hand over his heart and the other stealing a piece of pineapple from my fruit salad. He pops it into his mouth and then proceeds to suck the juice of his finger. My stomach tightens at the sight, but I try not to let him know how that has affected me. He gives a wink and stands up from his spot.

"See you after eighth period, Ana."

"Shit, Ana. You are telling me he doesn't like you?"

"That's what I am saying. He does it to annoy the shit out of me. He could care less about me, and I am dreading tutoring him."

"How long do you have to do it for?"

"For now, until this semester ends, then depending on his report card grades, we will stop or continue. Although, he is the captain of the row team, he won't be able to participate in meets if his grades continue to suck."

I roll my eyes as I watch him walk away and sit with the other guys from the row team. I can't lie, Christian Grey isn't made like the other boys in this school. He is tall, muscular, and gives off that all American boy aura. His copper hair and intense grey eyes rival anyone's looks.

He's been around, a serial dater I like to call him. He has never been in a serious relationship, he enjoys dating some poor girl for a weekend, and there were some lucky ones here and there that got to 'date' him for a long weekend; like Leila Williams. She seems to be the only girl in school that he has a relationship with.

I don't realize that I am staring at him until he turns his head and gives me a smile, with his perfect, straight, white teeth. I roll my eyes, and from where I am sitting I can see his grey eyes darkening, like a sky that is about to storm. It's too unsettling, and I have to look away.

The bell rings to signal the end of sixth period, Kate and I clean up our lunch trays and head back inside the school building. We don't have the next two periods together, so we agree to hang out tonight after my tutoring session.

I head into my British Literature class and sit in my normal seat. This is my favorite class, with my favorite teacher, Mrs. Jones. I sit in the front row, right in the center. At the end of the school year, who ever has the top grade for this class gets the chance to go to England and take a summer course in Literature at Oxford University. Right now, it is me, and most likely will still be me at the end of the school year.

We have been in class for fifteen minutes, discussing the themes of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

"Let's discuss the theme of 'Love and Autonomy' for now." Mrs. Jones direct us. "I am going to pair you up with a classmate, where you will converse the given theme and then prepare to present your findings with the class." There are groans and moans heard around the room as Mrs. Jones pairs us up.

"Anastasia, your partner will be Christian." Shit.

Everyone looks around, and notice his empty chair in the last row. I roll my eyes, knowing he is probably in a janitors closet somewhere with one of his girls. Just as Mrs. Jones was about to assign me with someone else, the door creaks open and Christian slides in, hoping to go unnoticed. Like he can ever be unnoticed. What the hell? Why would I think that?

"Well, thank you for joining us Mr. Grey. Take a seat next to Anastasia, this will be your new assigned seat for the rest of the year."

"What? Why?" I ask.

"One, so I know when Mr. Grey decides to sneak into class again, tardy, might I add. Two, you will be tutoring him for this class, so might as well start now."

I glare at him, hating the fact that I agreed to tutor without knowing who the student was. He looks at me with a sly grin and has the audacity to wink at me. He grabs the chair at the desk next to mine, swirls it around, drags it to my desk and takes a seat.

"You have your own desk."

"I know. I'm your partner for whatever it is we are doing though, and you smell good today, Steele."

"Don't start." I warn him as I highlight and take notes about the given theme. The other students are already discussing and I am left with this baboon.

He leans back to his desk, grabbing his copy of the book and starts thumbing through it. "So, what is it we are suppose to be doing?"

I let out a huff, "Finding evidence of the theme of 'love and autonomy."

"You're cute when you are annoyed. You get this little 'v' that forms in between your eyebrows and your nose twitches."

"It does not."

"Yes, it does."

"Christian, please. Let's get to work."

"Can't we just do this later after school when you have to tutor me?"

"No, Grey, we can't. This is class work, as we have to complete it now, in class."

"Okay, okay."

"Great, let's get started then. I have already highlighted a point to prove the theme. Look in chapter eight." Christian starts turning the pages until he reaches the chapter. He begins to skim and scan the pages, and I know he is waiting for me to tell him where to look specifically.

"What did you find?" I ask him and the look he gives me is comical.

"You, you don't know the evidence?"

"Oh, I know. I don't have to look in the book to know what text would show the themes of this story. Think of this as a preview of your tutoring sessions. I will not do the work for you, Grey. I am not one of your girls. I work hard for what I have accomplished, and you will learn to do that also. Now, what did you find in chapter eight?"

"All right, Ms. Steele, we will play it your way."

"Time is ticking, Christian. Please, enlighten me."

He hesitates to answer. His eyes mimicking the movements of a tennis ball, going from me to the book, back and forth.

"Well, um, Jane Eyre wants love, she searches for it."

"Good start, what else?"

"She, um, well, not only does she want a romantic love, but she wants to feel valued, a sense of belonging."

I'm impressed, he is off to a great start, and even though he wasn't too sure of himself, I can tell her read the novel.

"You've read it?"

"Well, yes, I, um, did." He nervously looks around the room, probably making sure his row team buddies aren't listening in.

"That's great, Christian. We can work off of that." I smile at him, a genuine smile.

"Okay, let's not get carried away. I don't need this to get out. You are really smart you know."

"Oh, um, thank you." Now it is my time to become shy. "Let's move on."

"I don't think I know much else, what do you have?" He asks, writing some notes on the margin of the book.

"Oh well, in chapter eight, it states that when Jane speaks to Helen Burns, she tells her, "to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest." In that moment, she wasn't worried about harming herself in the process of finding love. She needs to learn how not to sacrifice herself while finding love."

He looks at me with wonder in his eyes, and it is completely unnerving. Mrs. Jones interrupts us by announcing that we will continue to discuss the themes during tomorrow's lessons.

As the bell rings, I move to pack up my things, however, a large hand stops me by picking up my book for me.

"Thank you."

"Sure thing. See you later. Where are we meeting?"

"Oh, the library."

"See you then, Ana."

"It's Anastasia." I tell him, once more as I walk away.

My next class, calculus, goes by way too fast for my liking. Before meeting Christian in the library, I need to stop at my locker and get the books I need for tutoring and homework.

Kate meets me at the end of the hallway and we walk down the hallway, our arms linked together. Some of the boys stare, mostly at Kate, but she doesn't even notice them. I am a plain Jane next to her, her blonde curls and bright sea green eyes attract all the boys in school. I have long mahogany wavy locks, and deep blue eyes. Kate says I am a stunner, but I just don't see it. I've never looked at myself like that.

"How was English class?"

"I was paired with Christian, because the Gods hate me and want to torture me even more."

"Don't be so dramatic. Maybe you two will be perfect for one another."

"Umm, no." I need to shut her down, quick.

We turn the corner to get to the hallway our lockers are located on, and she stops short.

"What the hell, Kate?"

"Ana… look…" She points to my locker and I roll my eyes at her being dramatic.

I glance down the hallway and I see a blush pink flower sticking out of my locker. There is a matching ribbon tied to it, and a small note attached. Kate drags me to my locker in record time.

"It's probably for someone else."

"Oh, really. Is that why it says 'Anastasia' on the envelope."

I take the flower from the locker, and I can't help but smell its sweet scent. With shaking fingers, I open the envelope and take out the crisp white paper, the note is typed, from a typewriter. Clever.

"Someone knows you." Kate says as she notices how the letter is typed out.

"Yeah…" I breathe out.

"Well, read it…"

"Okay."

"Out loud."

"Hold on. Let me read it to myself first." She rolls her eyes at me, but continues to open her locker and gather her cheerleading uniform and Pom-poms out.

I silently read the note to myself, ignoring my best friend.

Beautiful Anastasia,

I hope you like the single rose. I chose blush, because it reminds me of the blush of your cheeks when you become shy or embarrassed.

It took me a long time to gain the courage to do this. I'm not ready to tell you who I am, but know that one day, soon, I will.

Speak to soon.

~Your Secret Valentine