A/N: Hey all! Here is a little story I've been working on for a bit. I was really inspired by Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" because I just thought it described Ana and Christian beautifully. So, to make this work I took Ana OOC and I changed a few little details from canon. Also, I chose to write it in third person because I'm just so much more comfortable in third person and I'm also just experimenting a bit with writing styles. So...
I was going to upload this last night, but last second I realized that this is probably a really stupid plot actually. And I really debated whether anyone would like it. Well, it's my first long Ana/Christian fic, so I guess if it's terrible…oh well. But if anyone agrees that all this is stupid, I'm open to criticism in a respectful way. You know, like a compliment sandwich. Say something nice, say something bad, then finish it up strong. Hahah. Anyway, I'm still learning as a writer so…I'm always looking for ways to improve.
Enough of my blabbing. Let me know what you think of this before I chicken out again and decide not to post it.
I don't own anything.
Blank Space
Preface:
My mother always told me: "When you're sad and you don't want to talk about it, write about it." She handed me a blank notebook with a pink flower on the cover and a black ballpoint pen. I was thirteen years old and starting notebook number one. Somehow, I managed to be twenty-one starting notebook number thirty-seven.
I have filled every inch of those notebooks. Black ink scrawled across white pages, holding every thought, every hurt, and every emotion I never wanted to share. My life is written in those pages through poems, lyrics, entries, euphemisms, saying everything that never made it to my lips. I wrote until my hand hurt, until it trembled, until my fingers held indentations from the pen, and until the very void in my heart stopped aching - only then would I stop writing.
I guess you can say that that is how I found my love of writing, this is why I chose to pursue a career in English and this is why I wanted to be a publisher one day. For the past eight years I have wrote more words than I can count, I have grown up into who I am now, and I have learned the kind of person I want and the kind of person I want to be.
Yet there is always another blank space for another name. And I'll go through every name in this world until I find him...
I just never counted on all the heartache along the way.
_._._._
Chapter 1:
She is standing in front of the bathroom mirror applying the last coat of lip gloss over her bright cherry red lips. She smooches her lips together and then smirks to herself before heading out of the bathroom.
It is a typical Friday night, however the one thing untypical about this Friday night is Brodie. Yes, Brodie Lemmon. No, not even kidding. That's his name. Only make sure you spell Lemmon with two M's otherwise, he will make a point to correct you.
It was three days ago to be exact, Ana was getting coffee at one particular Starbucks not too far from her Seattle apartment when she saw this very attractive worker serving coffee.
Having guys look at her was nothing new to Ana - in fact, she knew that all too well. Guys loved exactly what she was; put together, hair combed nicely, soft curls, simple but classy make-up. Her dark hair, crystal blue eyes and alabaster skin made every head turn when she entered a room. And let's be honest, Ana loved this. She didn't mind the attention, it gave her confidence it made her feel good.
But lest she wear make-up to run to the store, or throw her hair in a sloppy bun for the afternoon, and not a single head would turn. And those were the days she remembered how ugly she actually was - her confidence would fall and all she would want to do is wallow in self-pity for the next fifty years. Yet, this was just the language of men, and she new this all too well. Her mother always made a point to remind her of inner beauty.
"The right man will see the real you. He will love you no matter what you look like. Because inside your heart is where the real beauty lies."
Her mother's words were true. Ana always remembered them, but she was yet to find a man who loved her inside and out - just as her mother said.
So as she gazed over at this incredible stranger in the Starbucks, Ana couldn't help but stare. He was the epitome of perfection, with his own crooked smile to accompany his chiseled features. She made a point to flirt, bat her long eyelashes, and overly thank him for her coffee. But as she had expected the Mr. Perfect Coffee Guy to write his number in delicate Sharpie across the back of her coffee cup...he didn't. Yup, he handed her the blank cup with her coffee in it and just a friendly smile. You may have been expecting Mr. Perfect Coffee Guy to be Brodie Lemmon, but no, we're still getting to that.
So, to say Ana was offended by Mr. Perfect Coffee Guy would be an understatement. But she did have half a mind to walk out of Starbucks, head down, fast pace and now utterly embarrassed with whatever remained of her dignity. But as she was jogging out, a "bumbling" dirty blonde collided into her, spilling her coffee to the ground. He apologized profusely and insisted on buying her a new one. Well, Ana wasn't going to pass this up - a free coffee and a chance to show Mr. Perfect Coffee Guy just what he missed out on - and so she let him. He asked if he could walk with her once he got his drink and she had hers. So, they did.
As they walked, he revealed his name to be the Brodie Lemmon - as you've heard so much about.
"Lemmon," he said, producing a hand to shake. "Brodie Lemmon," he clarified, his cool demeanor now completely disintegrated. "That's my name. I'm not just saying Lemmon cause I like to talk about lemons. No, it's my last name. But not like lemons that you use for lemonade, this one has two M's."
This guy was cute - disgustingly cute. She hated him and loved him all at once. She was a bit amused by his rambling and so yeah, why wouldn't she give him a try? What was one more boy to add to the collection? What was one more name to write about?
"So Lemmon?" she had said to him and then, suddenly feeling a bit brazen, she added: "So you must have sex a lot then?"
He stopped walking and looked back at her, stunned and wholly shocked.
She just smirked and continued walking. "I take it you never read fanfiction in your teenage years then…" The whole conversation went right over his head as he stood there with a empty expression written all over his face, so Ana filled in the awkward silence by smiling shyly as she looked to the ground. "I'm Ana. Ana Steele. But not like when you steal something, but like the metal. Except, this one has two E's and then an E at the end."
And this was the beginning of what would be another relationship for the Miss Anastasia Steele.
As they parted ways and exchanged numbers, precisely ten minutes went by and Ana received a text from Brodie:
*I'm glad I bumped into you. Even if it may have been planned. ;)*
She couldn't help the smile that crept up on her face as she read it over. Yeah, he was disgustingly cute alright.
So that leads us to Friday night now. She is about to head out the apartment door, thinking she can get by her roommate without having to deal with her over-questioning about another one of Ana's dates. But of course she is never that lucky.
"Now wait," Kate scolds as she barricades herself in front of the door, blocking Ana's exit completely. Ana can only roll her eyes at her roommate with a bemused smirk playing on her lips. "Ethan called. You have to call him back. You can't avoid my brother forever, Ana."
"I'll get to it," she decides, giving Kate a positive nod and she looks to the door, ready to make a break for it.
"No, you won't," Kate continues. "I know you. But it doesn't matter, Ethan is coming to visit at the end of this month, so you'll have to see him whether you like it or not."
"Alright, alright. I'll deal with that at the end of the month then, but please, Kate. I'm late now and Brodie is downstairs waiting for me."
Kate rolls her head on her shoulders and steps to the side. "Okay, but remember to call me at the first sign of trouble okay? I'll be right there if you need me."
"Thank you," Ana says with a small smile before she opens the door and walks out of the apartment. She pauses in the open doorway, stopping and looking back to her roommate. "I'm just hoping that maybe this one can last until date three."
"Hey, maybe Brodie will be your first," she winks.
"Not on the first date, Kate. But nice try."
"Well, you never know...I won't wait up if you don't come home."
With one last eye roll, Ana shuts the door behind her. She is a bundle of nerves as she heads to meet Brodie, constantly fiddling with her fingers and chewing her lip. As she walks out the front doors of the building, she sees Brodie wave from the driver's seat of a blue Honda Civic. He smiles, eyes lighting up as he sees Ana. She almost melts at seeing him in dressed in a black suit accompanied with a black tie. He looks nice, sophisticated, and classy. Yeah, maybe this one won't be so bad. "Hey," he says surprisingly calm as she opens the door and gets in. "You look beautiful. I like your dress."
"Thank you," she responds. She pauses before continuing watching his eyes gaze her up and down like he's appraising her for something. The little motion has her squirming in her seat. "Yeah, I uh...borrowed it from my roommate. She just bought it and it was too nice to sit in the closet, you know. So I took it."
Brodie gives a smirk as he looks to her eyes finally. "Definitely too nice." She wants to vomit at his words and for a split second considers bailing right now - but no, she convinces herself: he might not be all that bad. "So, I got us a reservation at this French restaurant across town - Trois Trésors - or something like that. But uh, don't kill me, but I need to stop at my office first. You can come with me, but, I just forgot to hand in my week's business claims to my boss and if he doesn't get them by tomorrow morning I'm gonna be dead. I'm already on his bad list…"
Ana shrugs. "That's fine. I'd love to see where you work. But…why are you on his bad list?"
Brodie rolls his eye emphatically as he pulls out into traffic. "I don't know. I've been working there two years and it doesn't matter how hard I work, he always gives me the cold shoulder. We joke that he's just a naturally cold guy - and intimidating. I swear he could freeze a glass a water just by taking a sip."
"So he has powers?" she jokes.
"I don't know…maybe?" he smirks back. "Might explain why he's not capable of human emotion."
She chuckles as they continue driving. "So what is it that you do?"
"Oh, I'm an operations manager, so I oversee things in my department. I work on the business side of things. Our company employs about a hundred businesses, and to put it simply, I manage them. Which means looking over business expenses, seeing which one are failing, where we need to improve revenue…blah, blah, it's boring. Lots of numbers and math. But what about you? What do you do?"
"I'm a writer."
"A writer? So am I going to end up in one of your stories…?"
"If you're lucky…or unlucky," she adds quietly.
"Don't know how I feel about that answer."
Ana laughs, tossing her head back. "Then I guess I shouldn't tell you that most people who end up in my stories are unlucky…"
"Oh." His smile falls but not for long. "Well, perhaps you will make an exception for me?"
"We'll see how you do, Mr. Lemmon," she smirks.
"So, have you published anything?" he asks, switching the topic.
"No, I just moved to Seattle a few weeks ago with my roommate after graduation. I've got a few job interviews lined up for publishing houses. I'd like to be an editor and write my own things on the side."
"That sounds nice. Wait, so how old are you?"
"Twenty-one."
His expression falls slightly. "Oh, I thought you were like twenty-four."
"And is it a bad thing that I'm not?"
"Well...no. Just, I don't know. No, it's great. You can drink, so it's all good."
Ana nods along skeptically and lets the silence fall between them. Somehow they end up talking about the weather for much of the duration of the drive. As all things come to an end, Brodie parks the car on a busy side block and motions for Ana to get out and follow him. They walk for a block and then Ana is met with the one and only sign of Grey Enterprises Holdings.
Her mouth falls open in shock. "You work here?"
"Yup," he says nonchalantly as he leads the way into the building. He is walking so fast, Ana nearly trips over her own feet in an effort to keep pace with him - and in heels, it's surely difficult. He barely manages to catch the elevator for her with a lazy outstretched arm, but she clambers inside, breathing in relief.
"Place should be dead," he announces in the awkward silence. "Everyone should have gone home."
"No worries," she says with a shrug.
He leads the way quickly through huge glass doors, grey colored cubicles, mahogany desks until he stops at a door near the end of the hall.
"This is my office," he states, flashing a broad grin. He doesn't bother to close the door, but instead, leaves it open, the light seeping into the dimly lit hallway.
Ana gazes about the pristine look of it, blue eyes staring up and wide. "It's beautiful."
He doesn't waste time on showing her around as he bustles to his desk and begins pulling out papers from drawers. He is muttering to himself about a missing paper, but Ana is more interested in the view from outside his window.
"Brodie?" a commanding deep voice asks, and suddenly, Brodie's head shoots up from the desk.
"M-Mr. Grey," he flusters. "What are you doing here? I didn't think anyone would be here this late."
"Sometimes I have work to do that requires me to work late. But I don't see how that is any of your concern." His eyes are trained sharply on the brunette still gazing out the window, her attention now peaked as her head slowly turns around. "Now, I don't know what kind of escapades you are running in this office but I don't want‑"
"No, Mr. Grey," Brodie interrupts. "This is my date for this evening." He rubs a hand behind his neck in sudden embarrassment. "We were about to head out t-to...dinner. I, uh, have reservations‑"
"Dinner?"
"Yes, sir."
"So then, what are you doing here?" he asks his employee impatiently.
"Well...I forgot to hand in the business claims. I-I didn't want them to be late. I was just going to leave them...on your desk."
Grey's eyes darken wildly and it is only then that Ana turns fully around to look at him. His breath hitches when he finds himself staring into the deepest blue eyes he's ever laid his own steel eyes upon. For a moment, he feels the world stop moving before it shifts back to its intended rotation.
"I see," he says, not missing a beat even if he knows part of his brain just shattered. "Still, I don't appreciate outside relationships interfering inside the workplace." He sighs exasperatedly and infuriatingly. "It appears now that you best go file those claims while I have to stand here and babysit. You better not make me late for my dinner reservations tonight."
Brodie falters, gaping at Grey. "Wait? Now? But...it's after hours‑"
"Well, you should've thought about that before you forgot. Now, go." He swats a hand at Brodie, not even bothering to make eye contact with him as he sets his hard eyes upon Ana, who is standing there statuesque, looking almost offended at him.
"This will only take a minute," Brodie mutters in a sidelong glance to his date. Ana manages a wavering nod and in a second, Brodie is dashing out of the office with a bundle of papers, leaving her alone in a room with his very handsome looking boss.
Immediately, Ana feels the electricity intensify tenfold as they stand there, eyes boring into each other as if challenging the other to make the first move. She can't help but be mesmerized by him, his very form is reeking of self-assurance and dominance. His smoldering gaze has her hooked on him like a drug; it takes everything within her not to instantly take a step toward him. But no, she won't.
But just as she thinks it, Grey takes the bold first step, closing the distance between them and instantly melting the tension inside of her. Yet, as she assumes he will stride right over to her, he stops along Brodie's desk and leans on it, folding his arms across his chest coolly.
"What's your name, Miss...?"
She clears her throat quietly, watching him as if her life depends on it. In a moment, though, she notices she is still staring and tears her gaze away. "Steele," she announces. "But Ana. Ana Steele." Her words are as pretty as her looks in his mind.
"Miss Steele," he says and she can't help her insides heat up at the way he says her name. It's seductive, enthralling, and enchanting all at once. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Her eyebrows furrow and he takes careful note of the way her lips pout in the same manner. His eyes are glued to her facial expression, especially the softness of her lips, he is resisting every urge in himself to walk over and touch her supple mouth, running his finger across her bottom lip and matching his own lips to hers. But quickly, he banishes those thoughts from his mind.
She is not mine, he reminds himself.
"Finally?" she questions.
"Yes, you're Mr. Lemmon's girlfriend. He's always talking about you. But it's nice to see you two back together‑"
"Wait, but, I just met him three days ago - this is our first date."
Grey blanches, straightening his seat in growing discomfort. "Oh," he says. "Forgive me, I just assumed you were...well, nevermind." He stand abruptly, never taking his eyes off of hers.
Ana suddenly looks down, nerves setting in as she bits her lip to hold in her confusion.
Lowly, Grey groans at just the sight of her. This is becoming too much for him to take, he tears himself away from her and walks toward the glass windows. "So where is your dinner reservation tonight?"
She thinks for a moment. "A French restaurant across town. That's what Brodie said. Les...or Tres...something."
"Trois Trésors?"
"Yes!" she beams. "That's the one, you know it?"
"Funny," is all he responds before the conversation lulls. The silence invades between them as the electricity creeps its way in again as well.
"So, what about you?" Ana says, walking up behind him. "You work here with Brodie?"
He scoffs, lips quirking up as he gazes into the blackened Seattle skyline. "Yes," he chuckles. "Yes, I do work here."
She stands next to him now, looking out into the same picture he is seeing. "And what do you do here?"
"I own it."
Her eyes grow wide as she gapes at him now. "Oh, Ohh! Oh, god, sorry...I just thought...I don't know..." she trails.
"No, what did you think?"
"No, it's stupid. I just wasn't putting it together. I'm sorry, I just thought you were Mr. Grey's son or something. I didn't think someone your age - well, I mean, I thought. Nevermind." She mimics him from before, not feeling too guilty as now it seems their even for their outspoken and assuming comments.
"You assumed the Grey of Grey Enterprises Holdings was older?"
Ana casts her eyes to the ground again. "...a little," she says, the statement sounding more like a question.
He chuckles calmly, a slow hand finding a home between her shoulder blades. Ana jumps slightly at the contact, hoping he doesn't notice. "Good view, isn't it?" She gives him a little nod. "I saw you admiring it before. You see the Space Needle, off to the side over here?" He points with his left hand as his right hand on her back suddenly trails lower. "You should come see it in my office. The view there is impeccable. I can show you sometime..." His hand stops on her lower back and she feels her heart beating erratically. Instantaneously, he removes his hand and clasps it behind his own back with his other hand.
"I'd like that," she manages to find a voice and say.
"Good." The word from his lips is low, as if spoken in a thoughtful undertone.
"Ana?" Brodie's voice interrupts from the doorway. "I'm finished, are you ready?"
"Yes," she says, jumping away from Grey's side and joining Brodie by the door. She lifts her eyes back to his, giving him a solid look full of mystery. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Grey."
"Same here, Miss Steele. I hope to see you around again...soon."
The way he says the last word, has her breath heightening. But as Brodie clasps an arm around her waist, slowly she comes back to reality from her staring contest with Grey.
Brodie only gives a nod to his boss as he leads Ana back down the hallway. "I'm so sorry about that," he murmurs, pressing the button for the down elevator. "But hey, you met our stone-cold boss. What do you think of him?"
Ana shrugs. "Intense," is all she says when in reality, she can't get his piercing gaze out of her mind. There was something intriguing about him. Something making her want to pursue him, wanting to uncover all the subtext littered between his words, wanting to devote her time to him, and wanting to see just what she could show him.
Thus was the way with men. She saw his wandering eyes, she felt his hands combing down her back, she knew he felt it too. A part of her was growing, wanting to see just how far this could go.
Already in her mind, as the elevator takes them back to ground level, she is not enthralled in Brodie anymore, she is composing the next few lines of her soon-to-be newest writing endeavor: Nice to meet you, where you've been? I could show you incredible things. Magic, madness, heaven, sin...
Yet, Mr. Grey will have to wait. She doubts she will see him again, at least not for a very long time anyway. Besides, everything with Brodie could turn out well, and perhaps her meeting with Mr. Grey will only wind up as the prompt for her next novel idea? There is nothing worth getting excited over.
So when, the couple arrives at Trois Trésors and they are shown to their table, part of Ana is deftly surprised when she sees none other than those two piercing grey eyes walk through the front door of the very same restaurant.