2: THE TALK

Anastasia doesn't like how she's weeping especially since her boyfriend, Ethan Kavanaugh only gets to stay beside her seldom times. He has always been a busy guy especially these days when he gained countless fans because of his tandem with Cassandra Whitman. There are multiple awaiting projects for him including an endorsement for a clothing line, new television series, and an action movie to be filmed in Australia.

They were supposed to have that romantic dinner. Ethan cooked scallops for her and he even prepared her favorite Italian spaghetti. Her gloomy apartment seems to look like a restaurant for a candlelit dinner rather than a plain old forty square meter space.

Her tears don't stop flowing so Ethan kisses her temples before assisting her to lie down the bed. Ethan lays down right next to her. They both face each other as Ethan gets his handkerchief out of his denim pants and wipes the tears off her face. When Anastasia finally stops crying, she looks straight at Ethan and she sees how it seems like he was the one who wept.

He looks pained. They have been together since freshmen year of high school. In the whole eight years of their relationship, Ethan looks like he's about to cry too when he sees his girlfriend to do so.

"Sweets, what's wrong? Are you ready to tell me now?," he questions tenderly while his thumb soothes her smooth arms.

Anastasia barely whispers, "Sweets, I don't know what to do anymore."

Ethan's eyebrows furrow as he asks, "What do you mean by that? What exactly happened today, Sweets?"

"I got fired. Okay, it's not just about that. How can I be reacting this way when I didn't even like that job? Well, as you know, I am already fed up. Being a dog groomer was my ninth job and I can't help but feel like a failure. My life is just unfair, okay? I don't know what else to do!"

Just like any other time, Ethan says, "Just let it out" while he soothes her back this time.

"My co-workers were being cruel, okay? They talk badly about me even though they know that I am standing right next to them! What's even worst was that they were gushing about you and they even compared me to Cassandra Whitman! They even said how she was much better than me!"

Ethan is taken aback. From his lying position, he lifts his body up to a sitting position. His blue eyes never glared that way before. He immediately feels a lot of pain upon hearing his girlfriend talk that way. Like a light bulb appearing on top of his head, he realizes that the bottom line of all of these is Anastasia's insecurity heightens and he's one of the reasons why.

"Sweets, you already met Cassandra. You already know that nothing is going on between us and you know how she is."

"But that doesn't mean that I am much better than her!"

"Anastasia Steele, for once, can you just tell me about what you feel right now? Ever since two years ago when I started out as an actor, all you ever did was become passive. When you start to tell me about how you're feeling like now, you just give out something vague. Can you just tell me what you're feeling without leaving me completely puzzled?"

"You want an honest answer?"

"YES!"

Anastasia sits down too and the intensity of her blue eyes matches his blue ones. She clenches through her teeth, "I feel completely small right now, okay? I feel completely feel small about every aspect of my life. I hate how everybody achieved their dreams and I am here searching for a stable job. I hate how my mother and father are completely proud of my sister while they can't even invite me to their own anniversary party. I hate how I have been rejected by numerous recording studios. I hate how you may lose your job when people find out that we are together."

Ethan frowns and sighs deeply before he replies, "Anastasia, you know how great you are. You are the most talented person I ever met and-"

"Don't try to patronize me, Ethan. Please just don't."

"I wouldn't call that as patronizing but if you don't want me to say those words, what can I do to make you feel okay? Can you just please tell me? Because I can't stand it knowing that you are not fine." When Amanda looks at him this time, he has already shed a tear.

Ana guiltily whispers, "How can you know how to make me feel okay when I myself don't even know how?"

All her boyfriend does is to wrap her in his warms arms. Ana's ear is pressed right to his hard chest and she feels it beat faster than usual.

Both of them don't say a word during the time they hold each other. It seems as if Ana has figured out the answer to her own question. Maybe all Ethan needs to do is just to hold her in his arms. He's not been around too much lately that she has forgotten how to cure her own wounds.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she finally feels the amount of pain lowering. She takes a deep breath and decides that she can finally look at Ethan in the eye without showing off her tears.

"Ethan, I am so sorry for bursting out like that and-"

"You don't have to be sorry for anything at all. I should be the one to apologize, okay? I am really sorry for not finding a studio which will help you with your music career. I am sincerely sorry for that. If I could do it just as easily, you could have been the most famous singer in the world right now."

"That's not your fault and-"

He doesn't let her reason out. He interrupts, "You know what my greatest goal is? I want to be able to dedicate all my awards to you. I want to be able to announce it to the whole world. I also dream to have you as my date during all the red carpet events. I wish to do all of those but I am so sorry I can't."

"Gertrude's rules, right?," Anastasia rolls her eyes as she utters the name of Ethan Kavanaugh's nosy manager.

"If she will just allow me, I will take you to every event, Sweets. I would hold your hand and tell everyone that you are my girl. I am sorry I can't."

With all sincerity, Anastasia kisses his cheeks and says, "You honestly don't have to apologize for that, okay? It's not your fault that the entire world just ships you and Cassandra together. And it's out of your control when you receive a death threat from your fans."

Ethan winces at that moment a year ago. He really wanted Ana to watch a movie with him but they weren't careful enough. Some paparazzis took shots of them but thankfully, Ana's face was covered. Since that incident, Ethan has received multiple death threats and some of his projects were about to be pulled out. With Ana's support, Ethan has done what Gertrude asked him to do.

Later on, he explained in an exclusive interview, "It was nothing, okay? Stop interfering with my life. Cassandra and I are going stronger now so please just leave us alone, okay?"

Since then, Gertrude has turned cold to Anastasia.

At the moment, Ana shakes those thoughts away from Ethan's head as she presses her lips to his for a short while before she finally smiles and says, "I wouldn't want you to lose your career so stop apologizing, okay? Also, it's not your responsibility to find a record deal for me. If I am going to make it, I am going to make it."

Ethan rests his to hers before he says, "You are going to make it."

Ana envelopes her arms around him for a tight embrace. After a few minutes, Adam assures her, "You don't need to worry about Cassandra, okay? You know how we are. She has a boyfriend too and you are the only one who knows this but I hate her. She's a pain in the ass. No matter what people say, you're my only girl. I know I sound cheesy right now but you are my only Sweets."

Ana blushes at what he says and she punches him, "Stop being so cheesy, okay? You've been saying that since eight years ago."

Ethan gives her a kiss on the lips before he says, "I love you"

"I love you too, Ethan."

Ethan raises his brow so Anastasia corrects herself, "I love you too, Sweets."

After a passionate kiss, Ethan lifts Ana up from her bed and leads her to dining table. The heat of the food is gone now but they don't care. Ethan and Anastasia have returned into what they were before. All they do is just laugh and laugh and annoy each other and they won't get tired of doing so.

It has been eight years since they got together and there have been times when both of them wanted to give up but they realized that they were incomplete without each other. They were like earphones. If the right earphone loses its sound, the other will still function but no matter how loud the noise is, it makes no sense without the other.

Anastasia didn't plan on being with the ambitious Ethan Kavanaugh but when she fell in love with him the moment of the homecoming dance. Anastasia was too nervous to sing her self composed song in front of everyone that she literally stared at her schoolmates for a whole minute after singing the song's chorus.

That's when Ethan entered her life. He starts singing the tune of her song using 'Na Na Na' and everyone seems to follow his lead. Anastasia then finds the power to sing again and the whole time she was staring at Ethan Kavanaugh.

After she got off stage, she approached Ethan to thank him and Ethan said he would only accept her gratitude if she danced with him. Actually, Ethan accepted her gratitude too much that they danced the entire night.

Right now, both of them lay down the bed together face to face. None are saying anything to each other for different kinds of emotions were stirring right inside of them: Happiness for they have finally resolved a pretty serious situation and sadness for when Anastasia opens her eyes in the morning, Ethan won't be beside her anymore.

Ethan strokes her cheek with his warm hand.

"Do you really have to go to London tomorrow?" Anastasia desperately wants him to stay and never leave her again.

"I wish I don't." Ethan sincerely tells her. He and Cassandra are going to London for a photoshoot for the clothing line they endorse.

Anastasia yawns and after several more strokes in her cheek, she finally falls asleep knowing that she won't see him again for another week.

The next day as she expected, Ethan isn't there anymore. She wakes up right next to an empty side of the bed. When she stands up, she looks at the table and smiles. Ethan has cooked breakfast for her. She smiles to herself before she begins to eat the bacon and egg her boyfriend cooked.

After eating, she washes the dishes and realizes that she no longer has a job. Without hesitation, she grabs her old guitar and begins to write another song for the man she loves. She writes the lyrics:

Soothe my back as I feel the pain.

For I need the sun now that it's rained.

Can you do it back and forth? Again and again?

Promise me you won't get tired then.

Lie down with me in this smooth sheet.

Ignore the noises outside the busy street.

In the dark, my thumb and your thumbs meet.

In the midst of bitterness, I taste something sweet.

Don't say anything, don't say a word.

Let me cry and be mute from the world.

To see me this weak; you are of worth.

Just stay quiet while I weep and it will work.