I remember the first time I ever laid eyes on Christian Grey.
It was a long time ago, but I can still remember every detail like it just happened yesterday. I was working an internship at the local paper, in the advertising office. We had been gathering together the ads that were meant to run in the next day's paper, and I had yet again misplaced my water. I swear, I felt his presence behind me even before I saw him, but I was in such a hurry that I didn't even think about it. I turned away from the table, searching for my water bottle, and there he was. Our eyes met…
...and everything changed. Forever.
I forgot everything in that moment. Where I was, what I was doing, who was with me. All I saw, for that fleeting moment, was him. I could feel his eyes boring into my own; his stare matching mine. I took in every detail that built him in physical form. His thick, copper hair, his clean shaven, masculine face, the slight curl of his lip as he looked back at me, his tall, firm build; but, most of all, his eyes. Those steel, grey eyes. It could have been a split second or a shared moment, but regardless of which one it actually was, we connected with that simple look - something that I would not realize was mutual until a later time.
The world crashed back in as suddenly as it disappeared. I could hear the sounds of the hustle and bustle in the office, the phone ringing in the background, the nagging of my coworkers as they fought our usual deadline. I felt my cheeks begin to flush as Christian stood there, staring at me, and I felt self-conscious that he found me odd.
"Hello." I said quickly, skirting around him as I remembered the reason I had turned to face him. My water; suddenly I needed it now more than before. The dryness of my throat began to burn as I started to overthink everything. How was my hair? Were my clothes mussed? Did I gawk at him like an idiot?
Granted, I am not typically confident anyway, but regardless of my lack of confidence, the sudden meeting of Christian Grey had me revisiting my insecurities like a high school freshman. Of course, at that point, I didn't even know his name.
I also now realize that my manners are not yet in order, as you don't even know who I am. My name is Anastasia Steele, though I prefer to go by Ana. Just Ana. At the beginning of my story, I was a college sophomore, hardly experienced in love and life. This is about how all of that changed. Because of him. The man who you already know to be Christian Grey. Our journey has been anything but easy - there have been bad times, as well as good and, while there were times that I wish we could have gone without, I wouldn't change a single moment, because we might not be where we are today.
We met through work. As you already know, I was working for the local paper, The Seattle Times. I wanted to be a writer, but seeing that I was a small town girl making my way to the big city, and I was really only getting started on my college education, my options were limited. I knew that, despite my lack of interest in advertising, it would get my foot in the door. If I could show my devotion to my work and my drive to move forward in my position, I was positive that I would be able to earn my place as a journalist. Call it unconventional if you will, but I was young and hungry to start my life. I had only been in one relationship before I met Christian - a rather confusing, consuming relationship that ended two years after it started. I left with a shattered heart and a questioning mind that was quick to assume the worst. I noticed that my post-relationship aura seemed to draw in some of the young men around me; men whom I was seemingly invisible to before my relationship ended, but suddenly drew around me like bees to a flower garden. I wasn't overly fond of the attention, though; despite the dread I felt of being alone, I felt disinterested any time someone tried to engage me in a conversation that involved giving me the once over. I felt happy; even free, but my brain would warn me to turn away any time I sensed that someone wanted more of me than a simple hello.
I felt so fortunate that I had Kate to confide in. My friend since we first began our college journey, Kate was also interested in journalism, but rather than opting for any position available at The Times, she chose to hold out until she was able to snag a spot writing for the paper. A year later, she was still waiting. She didn't seem to mind the wait, though - in fact, each passing day made her more determined to hold out. If anything, she felt that the free time allowed her to put more of her time and energy into the college paper, which she was excelling at, and was convinced that her hard work there would make for compelling material in her resume. While I agreed with her approach, I wasn't so confident in following her footsteps, which was why I was at the paper, doing something completely different from what I wanted. I felt that we would both reach our goals on our own terms, though she did not seem to share my feelings on the matter. Kate was so headstrong, confident, and could take charge at the drop of a hat. She was the total opposite of me in so many ways, even in her appearance. She could be a model, with height that complimented her slender figure, and long, golden hair that always fell in waves. Her smile could light up a room, and along with the way she carried herself, she demanded the attention of the whole room anywhere she walked in. I, on the other hand, was shorter than Kate; my brown hair was stick straight except for when the humid weather made it frizz just a little, and I always kept rather reserved, so I would tend to blend into the room. I wouldn't go so far as to say I felt ugly - just mousey, sometimes awkward, and not much to look at.
Perhaps that was why that gaze in his eyes when we first met made time stand still. I couldn't quite process why he stared at me with such intensity.
Kate was the one I confided in that day when I came home from work. I had been so busy after our brief encounter that I had not seen any more of the mysterious man who caught my attention that afternoon, but it hadn't left my mind for a second after it happened. I wandered in to our apartment, dropping my keys absentmindedly in the bowl by the door as I kicked off my shoes in the entryway, placed my purse on the table, and walked into the living room.
"Hey, Ana!" Kate called from the sofa, on her laptop as she scoured Google for sources to use in her next article. She was almost entirely absorbed, save a small amount of attention she spared to hear me answer her greeting.
"Hi, Kate." I replied, still slightly dazed. I sat down on the sofa beside her, water bottle in hand as I unscrewed the top and took a sip. I glanced briefly at the screen to see what her search was bringing up; statistics for a watershed project. I might have been more interested if my mind wasn't elsewhere.
Kate could tell that I was distracted. "Something interesting happen to you at work today?" she asked, still focused on her search.
"You could say that…" I replied, thinking about his grey eyes.
Kate turned her attention away from her work and looked at me, raising her eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh?" she asked, intrigued. "What happened?"
Staring off into the distance, I shook my head. "Nothing, really…" I replied, absentmindedly. "Or something."
"This sounds interesting." she replied, closing her laptop and sitting up to give me her undivided attention. "What was it?"
"I met someone...I mean, sort of." I told her, quickly revising my statement. "I don't know if you could call it meeting him, since we didn't really even talk."
This seemed to grab Kate's interest even more than my previous statement. Her eyes widened slightly, and she began to smile. "Oh, so you met a guy!" she exclaimed, sitting closer. "Who is he? What does he do? What does he look like? I'll bet anything he's hot!"
"I...I really don't know." I admitted, answering her questions, but dancing around her last statement. Was he 'hot'? I had never really thought of anyone in that sense before. I had been attracted to other guys a few times before; mainly their attitude rather than their appearances. That was most likely the reason why I began my last relationship; despite the lack of physical attraction, I felt an emotional pull to draw closer to my ex. That wound up being based on false fabrications, though; the main reason why I hadn't dated since our relationship ended. But, I asked myself, was this mysterious, new stranger 'hot'?
Yes. He was very hot.
"So let me get this straight," Kate said, eyeing me suspiciously, "You met someone today at work who you know nothing about, but you're completely distracted and can't stop thinking about?"
I nodded.
"He's hot." she said, convinced.
Though I wouldn't yet say it aloud, I agreed.
After our chance meeting, it would be a few more days before I would see him again. I found myself tiptoeing around corners at work, glancing over my shoulder at random times, and even slipping into other parts of the floor in hopes that I might stumble on him. After the third day, I felt silly for putting so much effort into someone I had only seen once. It seemed pretty obvious that he was only there once, and he wouldn't be coming back. Or, so I thought.
The fourth day was when I was proved wrong. I came in with my morning cup of tea, to go, from a nearby coffee shop. As I turned the corner into the advertising department, I nearly ran into someone who was turning the corner, coming back out. My first thought was that I almost spilled my hot tea on someone, and I panicked slightly at the notion. Strong hands held my shoulders as I began spewing apologies, checking the cup in my hand and the body before me, which I soon realized was taller...and masculine. I looked up to put a face to the victim, and saw steel grey eyes looking back down at me. My heart skipped a beat, and reawakened with a thud.
It was him. He had come back.
"Oh my God…" I murmured, quickly adding louder, "I'm so sorry! I should have been paying attention-"
"It's okay." he replied calmly, in a low rumble; the first time I heard his voice. "You missed me."
I felt my cheeks flush hot as his voice echoed in my ears. I looked him over once more and saw that he was right - despite our sudden near collision, he had come out unscathed. I made myself look back up and felt a second skip, followed by another thud as my heart managed to jumpstart back to life.
"Great." I said, sighing with relief. I started to sidestep around him to let him leave, and he mirrored my move, chuckling softly as he realized we both had the same intentions. I mumbled more apologies and stepped opposite of him, offering an abashed smile. He smiled back, radiantly, and I could feel myself melt down to my shoes.
"I'm Christian." he said, holding out his hand. "Christian Grey."
For a moment, I could neither process that he was offering a handshake, nor that he was introducing himself and had earned the same in return. I felt myself gawking and jumped; scrambling to free my hand of my hot cup so that I didn't leave him empty handed, and I struggled to find my voice.
"Anastasia Steele." I replied nervously, shaking his hand way too hard.
A crooked grin crossed his lips, and he seemed to be almost mischievous. It was that much more attractive on an already stunning man. "Anastasia…" he repeated slowly, his intense eyes drilling right through me. "It's a pleasure."
I tried to answer him, but as I opened my mouth, the marketing manager, Danielle, walked by.
"Morning, cover boy." she said casually, winking at Christian. She smiled sweetly at me as she continued to walk past. "Ana."
Her greeting reminded me that I had work to do. I turned back to Christian and apologetically ducked around him. "I'm sorry, but I have to get to work. It was nice meeting you, Christian."
"The feeling is mutual, Miss Steele." he replied; the gentle roar of his voice so deliciously captivating. The thoughts I had running through my mind were enough to make me blush once again.
"Ana." I corrected quickly, turning to glance at him one more time as I hurried to my desk. "Just Ana."