A/N: I want to say thank you to all the amazing people who have taken the time to read this story, review it, follow it, and choose it as a favorite. Your support means the world to me. I also want to send a shout-out to all the wonderful ladies at the group FSoG Fanfic Obsessed. I honestly wouldn't have been able to write this if it weren't for your support and encouragement. I also want to do a small shout-out to the amazing Philaenis, if you haven't read her story The Dark Side of Love, then you're missing out on A LOT!
In regards to updating this story, I'm hoping to be able to update once a week. I don't imagine it would be a long story, but I can't predict now how many chapters it will be. Having said that, I'm travelling to Dubai this evening, and won't be coming back until Jan. 1st. I'm hoping I'll be able to write a bit while there, but I don't imagine I will be able to post any updates until I'm back. So, until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 3
Ana POV
Friday, November 14th, 2014
Today is the 5th day post Christian, and I feel the tears sting my eyes once again as I think about him. I don't know if I can actually call it that, a post Christian phase. I mean, we only kissed, nothing more.
But God damn it, it was the best kiss I've ever had!
I wanted to call him, and I actually picked the phone and pressed in his number more than once, but then I always locked the phone and threw it in my purse.
I kept telling myself that I had to keep a clear mind, that I need to focus on my dream, my end goal.
I only managed to do that on Monday, simply because I avoided Jose. Luckily, he wasn't at my apartment after Christian dropped me off, but he did corner me at the office the following morning. I did, however hold my stand and kept on my brave façade.
That only lasted until dinner Monday night, where I broke down in Jose's arms, crying that I had ruined a great opportunity. Once I calmed down, I blamed my tears on hormones, and went back to insisting that I'm better off without him.
That he's better off without me!
For all I know, I could be just like my mother, never finding the desire to settle down, or never able to stay in love with any man I get involved with. He doesn't need that. He's such a great guy that he deserves someone to worship the ground he walks on.
You could've been that someone, you idiot!
I roll my eyes at the inner voice screaming in my head, and decide to put on a pair of skinny jeans and a pink dress shirt for casual Friday at the office. I slip into a pair of pink flats, but put my silver sky-highs in a bag, since Jose has insisted on us going out to celebrate his hit with GEH.
During lunch on Tuesday, Jose casually mentioned that he was now sending photos directly to Christian. Meaning, he's contacting him personally on almost daily basis. I think it was his not-to-subtle way to get me to ask him about Christian, or if Christian had asked about me.
I only nodded at him as I got tears in my eyes, and excused myself back to my office, barely having eaten any of my lunch.
I look at the calendar hanging at the fridge door, and I let out a sigh. Only 12 days left before my last attempt at IUI. If it doesn't work this time, I have to stop for a couple of months to allow my body to rest, then I'll start again.
Or maybe I won't.
A shocked gasp leave my mouth at the stray thought I had, and I shake my head to rid myself of it. I can't believe I even let myself think that! This is what happens when I even think about letting a man in! I don't want to imagine what would've happened if I agreed to go out with him!
I keep scolding myself all the way to my car and even to work. By the time I reach my office, I'm dead set on my plan, and that I had done the right thing by rejecting Christian.
The rest of the day goes in a blur as I'm drowning in manuscripts. By the time I actually manage to lift my head up from all the work I've done, I realize that the time is approaching 7 p.m., making me reach for my phone and in result wince at all the missed calls I have from Jose.
Apparently, I had forgotten to turn on the ringer on my phone!
He had taken the day off to finish some work on the GEH new outreach campaign, which worked in my favor because he wasn't here to keep bugging me about our night out.
As I call him back, I contemplate on how I can avoid going out tonight. After such a long day, I just want to go home and relax in the tub with a glass wine.
I stopped drinking when I began with the IUI procedure, and went on a strict healthy diet trying to get pregnant, but the last negative pregnancy test I got 5 days ago proved that everything I had done is for nothing, so I decided to just go with the flow this time around. That's not to say that I've been drinking heavily since, I'm just not avoiding it as hard as I did these past 2 months.
"Where the hell are you, Steele?" I hear Jose's voice from the other end of the line.
"I'm still at the office. I lost track of time."
"Well, get your ass down here! We're waiting for you."
"Listen, about that…" I begin as I start to gather my things.
"Don't even think about it, Anastasia!" Jose says sternly, and I actually pause at his tone. "We are celebrating tonight. Besides, you've been in a bad mood since Sunday, and it's about time to loosen up a bit!"
"But…"
"No freaking buts! If you're not here within 20 minutes I'm coming to your place to drag you by your hair. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir!" I say and can't help but giggle.
Although he's never been part of the military, Jose sure knows how to act like his dad sometimes.
I hang up with a smile on my face as I tidy up my desk. Jose has the magical ability to make me smile no matter what I am going through. Sometimes I wonder if we would have ended up together if he weren't gay.
Exactly 18 minutes after my call with Jose, I make my way through Fifty's Pub and to our usual table. It's a small bar that we discovered almost 2 years ago, and we have been usual customers since then. I hear my phone chime, indicating an incoming text message, and I pull it out of my purse as I walk to where I know Jose and Ethan are. I smile as I read the text from my Dad, and I only look up from my phone when I hear Jose say, "There she is!"
I'm frozen in my spot as I look around the table, and find a pair of piercing grey eyes looking straight at me.
"Uh… What's going on here?" I ask, shooting Jose a deadly look.
"We're celebrating Jose's great work." Christian says as he sips on his drink, which by the look of it I'm assuming is a scotch neat. "He mentioned that you guys will be coming here for drinks, and I asked if I could join."
"Aha." I say, raising a skeptical eyebrow at him. "Jose, can I have a word, please?" I ask and grab his arm, dragging him away before he could have the chance to protest. "What the fuck, Jose! What is he doing here?"
"I called Ethan after my meeting with him today, and he overheard me talking about tonight. He asked if he could join, and it's not like I could tell him no!"
"Well, you could have told me that he was here. I wouldn't have come if I had known!" I whisper-yell at him. "You know how I feel about this whole thing! I can't believe you did this!"
"Well you need to get your head out of your ass and realize what you are doing to yourself!" Jose snaps at me. "For the millionth time, Ana, you are not Carla, and not every man is like the asshole. Not every marriage is doomed to fail. People fall out of love, that's true, but that is not always the case. It's all about finding the right person. Look at Ethan and me; look at my parents! You really should stop thinking so negatively about love."
I look at the table, and I realize that Christian is looking at us with sad eyes. Before I begin to comprehend what is going on, I see him say something to Ethan before standing up and heading towards the door.
"Where did he go?" I ask Ethan as I quickly walk back to the table.
"He said that it's obvious he's not welcomed here, so he decided to leave." Ethan says, shooting me a deadly look. "I really don't understand what you're doing, Ana, but that man is obviously smitten with you. You won't lose anything if you give him a chance."
I look at Ethan then back towards Christian, and in a split second, I make the decision to follow him, noticing that Ethan and Jose look back at me with beaming smiles.
"Christian, wait!" I call just as he steps out of the pub. "Please, I'm sorry. Wait."
I see him freeze in his spot, but he doesn't turn around to look at me.
"I'm sorry I bothered you, Ana. I'll just head out. No worries." He says once I'm standing in front of him, but he's not looking at me. He's looking everywhere but me.
"I'm the one who's sorry, Christian." I say, and before I can control myself, I reach out to hold his hand, making his head snap in my direction, and feeling something like a spark once our hands touch. "Come back and join us. We wouldn't be celebrating if it weren't for you anyway."
"I don't want to bother you." He says as he looks down at our joined hands. "I should respect your wishes, Ana, but quite frankly, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since Sunday."
"Oh." I say, shocked by his admission. I'm as confident as they come, but I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this Adonis of a man is interested in me! I know that I'm beautiful, but there are far more beautiful women out there.
Why me?
"Why not you?" He asks, and I realize that I've actually voiced my question. I blush crimson at him but can't help but squeeze his hand gently. "Give me a chance, Ana. We'll take this at your pace, however slow you want it to be."
I internally swoon at his words.
He really is a true gentleman!
"So?" He asks, and I realize that he's still waiting for my response.
"There are a lot of things that you don't know about me Christian." I say with a small frown, and I'm surprised as he holds his hand against my forehead and gently runs his finger against my brow.
"Don't frown. You're too beautiful to mar your face with a frown." He says, and again I blush at his words. "And yes, you're right. There are a lot of things that I don't know about you, just like there are a lot of things that you don't know about me. But I would like to change that, and I can't do that if you don't give me a chance. So, what do you say?"
I look at him for a long minute, and the amount of emotions I see in his eyes throw me for a loop. I can identify hope, promise, and finally resignation, and I find myself unable to reject him.
My heart actually hurts at the thought.
"We take this one day at a time, ok Grey?" I ask, and the smile that adorns his lips at my words could actually light up a room.
"I promise, you won't regret this." He says before he holds my hand up to his lips and places a soft kiss on my knuckles.
"Let's get back before Jose sends out a search party for us." I say as I try to tame down my blush. He doesn't let go of my hand as we walk back into the pub, and once Jose and Ethan see our joined hands, they slap each other a high-five and grin at us.
"It's about freaking time!" Jose says as he pulls me into a hug while I'm still holding Christian's hand, and I feel him squeeze it a little harder.
Oh, I've a got a jealous one!
"Please don't let your mind get the better of you, Ana." I hear Jose whisper in my ear, loud enough for only me to hear. "He seems like a great guy."
"I'll try." I whisper back before I unwrap my one arm from around Jose and turn to look at Christian, only to find him looking impassively at me.
"Christian, do I need to remind you that Jose and Ethan are together?" I ask, and I actually feel his hand relax against mine, almost like he forgot that small fact. "Are we going to have a problem with me having male friends? Because if we do, we might as well end things right here and now." I say, my tone dead serious.
Jealousy can be attractive, but not crazy jealousy! That, I will never tolerate.
"I'm sorry." Christian says as he takes a deep breath and runs his fingers through his hair. "I'll work on it."
"Good." I say as I try to get up on the stool in front of me. I hate those things! They are never easy to get on for someone of my height, even when I'm wearing 5 inch heels.
"Need help?" Christian whispers against my ear after my 6th failed attempt to get up on the stool, and I only let out a frustrated sigh. I look at Jose and Ethan, and find them looking back at me with a comical look on their faces, and it's obvious that they are trying hard not to laugh.
"Screw you, guys!" I snap jokingly at them, then I feel Christian's strong hands hold my waist before he lifts me up effortlessly and places me gently on the stool.
"Wow." I breathe at how strong he is, and I see Jose fanning himself while Ethan was just smiling softly at us. "Someone's got strong arm muscles."
"No, someone's very light." Christian says as he twirls the end of my hair around his finger. "You're too thin. You need to eat more."
"Please, oh please talk to her about that!" Jose says, now suddenly serious. "She doesn't eat enough!"
"Can we not talk about this now?" I ask as I reach for Jose's beer and take a long sip. "We're here to celebrate your success, Jose, not discuss my health."
I give Jose a pointed look, silently asking him to drop the subject. I don't want to go into the details of my diet, because it would lead to information that I am not ready to discuss with Christian yet.
"Yes! Let me get you a drink, and then we'll toast to Jose and his great work." Ethan says, and smile at him thankfully.
"What do you want, baby?" Christian asks, and I can't help but smile at his term of endearment.
"I'll have a glass of white wine, please." I say, and before I even attempt to reach for my purse, I see him walk towards the bar, closely followed by Ethan.
"Are you going to tell him?" Jose asks, and I roll my eyes at him.
"Really, Jose?" I ask and lightly punch him on the shoulder. "I just agreed to date him! I'm not going to go into the details of what I want to do with my life yet. Things might not work out between us, and there's no need for him to know the exact details of what I'm doing."
"I'm not talking about that, although you do need to tell him that." Jose says as he sips on his beer. "I'm talking about your fear of commitment."
"I do not have a fear of commitment!" I say, my tone full of resentment. "I just don't believe in it."
"Label it whatever you want to, but you need to tell him that. It's not fair to him to invest in a relationship if you're not going to get serious with him."
"We haven't even gone on a date, Jose! Calm the hell down!" I snap. "I told him that I want to take this one day at a time, and that is exactly what I will do."
"Fine!" Jose snaps back just as Ethan and Christian come back to the table.
"Here you go, baby." Christian says as he places a chilled glass of white wine in front of me before he wraps his arm around my waist.
"Thank you." I say and notice Ethan placing shots in front of us. Once we all have our shots in our hands, I look at Jose with a sincere smile on my face.
"To Jose, and his amazing photography. You are the best, my dear, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"To Jose." Christian and Ethan echo before we all down our shots.
For the remaining hour, the four of us engage in light banter and jokes. Jose does not hesitate to share embarrassing stories from our youth, and at one point, Christian actually has to hold his sides from laughing too much.
Christian also shares stories from his youth, about Elliot, his brother, and him pranking their sister Mia, which almost always resulted in them grounded.
"It was so worth it." He says as he smiles fondly at the memory.
"Shit!" I suddenly hear Jose swear, and I look up at him in alarm, but once I turn to look at who he's looking at, I can't help but swear as well.
"Fuck!"
"Hey bro!" I hear, making Christian look towards the direction of the voice, and he too swears under his breath.
"Elliot, what are you doing here?" Christian asks as the guy, who I can only assume is Elliot, walks towards us with his arm wrapped around no other than Kate.
"Well, if it's not the fairy and his fag." Kate spits out at Ethan, making us all tense.
"Kate!" Elliot gasps and shoots a dirty look at her.
"Well, if it isn't the wicked bitch of the West Coast." I shoot back, making Christian snicker.
"What did you just call me?"
"You heard me!"
"Calm down, baby." Christian says as he places his hand gently against my arm.
"Are you going to introduce us, Christian?" Elliot asks, trying to dissipate the situation a bit.
"Baby, this is my brother Elliot, and you already know Kate." Christian says before he turns at Elliot. "Elliot, this is Ana, and that's Ethan, Kate's brother, and Jose, his boyfriend."
"Nice to meet you guys." Elliot says as he shakes Jose's hand then Ethan's. "And I'm happy to finally meet you, Ana. Christian hasn't stopped talking about you."
Queue blush!
"You better wash that hand before you even think about touching me." Kate says and steps away from Elliot before he has the chance to wrap his arm around her waist again.
"What the fuck, Kate?" Elliot snaps.
"You heard me!" She says and shoots daggers at Jose and Ethan. "They're… they're..."
"They're what?" I ask and I jump off the stool to stand right in her face, and at that moment, I'm so happy I'm used to high heels and that I didn't embarrass myself by falling face-first. "Gay? Homosexual? Comfortable enough with their selves that they don't give a fuck what you or the rest of the world says?"
"I'm not talking to you, bitch. This is between me and my boyfriend."
"Well newsflash hun, your boyfriend is my boyfriend's brother, and your brother happens to be my best friend's boyfriend and a very dear friend of mine, so that does make it my business." I say in one breath, glad that I didn't stumble over my own words.
"Boyfriend?" Elliot asks with a shit-eating grin as he looks between Christian, and me and that's when I realize what I said.
Shit! I called him my boyfriend!
"Yes, do you have a problem with that, Lelliot?" I hear Christian say, and when I look at him I find him looking at me with a shit-eating grin of his own.
"None whatsoever, bro!" Elliot says before he suddenly pulls me in a bear hug and actually lifts me off the floor.
"Put her down, you goof!" Christian laughs over my own laughter.
"Elliot, what are you doing?" Kate screeches and looks at us with horror. "She's a sympathizer."
"You weigh like a feather girl!" Elliot says, basically ignoring Kate and her outburst. "You need to get some food into her, bro."
"Don't start!" I say pointing a finger at Elliot.
"Elliot!" Kate snaps again, making Elliot turn around to face too quickly that I'm surprised that he didn't get a whiplash.
"What?"
"We are leaving right this minute!" She says and literally stomps down her foot. "I will not be seen sitting with them."
"No, cupcake. You are leaving, and I'm going to have a drink with my brother and his friends." Elliot says as he steals Ethan's beer and downs it in one gulp, making Kate look at him with so much disgust that I'm worried she's going to throw up right there.
"You did not drink his beer!" Kate screams, and Elliot only raises a questioning eyebrow at her, silently daring her to open her mouth again.
Suddenly I get a light bulb moment, and reach for my glass of wine.
I'm so glad I switched to red wine.
I sip gently on my drink, then pretend to stumble over my own feet, making sure I spill my almost full glass over Kate's white Valentino blouse, causing her to let out a shriek so loud that the whole pub goes silent and everyone looks at our direction.
"Oops." I innocently say. "I think you have to go change now, pumpkin."
"You bitch!" Kate screeches and looks back at Elliot, as if she's waiting for him to do something about what just happened.
"Ana's right, babe." Elliot says with a smirk. "I'm sure you don't want to be seen with a dirty shirt."
"Aaarghh!" Kate screams again before she stomps away from us. Once she's out of the pub, we all break down in a fit of laughter.
Well, all except Ethan.
"Are you ok?" I hear Jose ask him, and Ethan silently nods before he downs the rest of Jose's beer.
"I need something stronger." Ethan says, and before he even finishes his sentence, I'm on my way to the bar.
"What the hell just happened?" I hear Christian ask from behind me, and I'm momentarily startled. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
"No worries." I say and order a round of shots for everyone and a gin neat for Ethan. "And Kate is what happened."
"I've never seen her this evil!" Christian says and I can actually hear the surprise in his voice.
"I actually think she was holding herself back because we're in public." I say and smile as Christian orders me another glass of wine.
"I really don't understand why Elliot won't break up with her sorry ass."
"Maybe you should ask him about that, because sweetie, I don't have an answer to that one." I say and lean against the bar counter as I wait for our order.
"So…" Christian starts as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer to him. "Boyfriend, huh?"
"I'm really sorry about that!" I say and look at his chest as I play with the hem of his shirt. "I didn't mean to…"
I'm cut off by the feeling of his fingers on my chin as he forces me to look up at him before he places his lips on mine in a soft kiss. He doesn't deepen the kiss, even though I have a feeling that he wants to.
I want to, too!
"I like that you called me your boyfriend." He says as he pulls away.
"But we haven't even gone on a date yet." I say with a soft smile.
"I guess that means that I owe you a date, Ms. Steele." He says and mirrors my smile with one of his own.
"That you do, Mr. Grey."
"Tomorrow?" He asks, his tone hopeful.
"Tomorrow." I answer with a nod, and his smiles widen.
We make our way back to the table, and I'm happy to see that Elliot, Jose, and Ethan are laughing about one thing or another.
"What are you guys laughing about?" I ask as I pass around the shots and place Ethan's gin in front of him.
"Christian!" Elliot gasps between laughs, making me raise a questioning eyebrow at Christian, who only groans at what Elliot said.
"Oh my God, Ana! You have to hear this!" Jose says as he tries to calm himself down.
"No, she doesn't." Christian says as he takes a sip of his drink, obviously knowing just what Elliot is talking about.
"Oh, now I really have to!" I say and look at Elliot expectantly.
"Imagine this, Ana-banana!" Elliot starts, and I snort at his nickname.
Very original, Elliot.
"Christian, 15 years old, and he's just discovered my stash of Playboy magazines that I was hiding under my bed. I think I don't have to go into the details of the reaction he had as he started flipping through the pages." Elliot continues, and I chance a look at Christian only to find him blushing. "It was the 4th of July, and my mother always has these huge gatherings. So the house was basically filled with guests, including our friends. One girl, who had this huge crush on Christian and also happened to be the daughter of one of mom's friends, offered to go find him when he took too long to come back to the party. I believe she was 14 at the time. 5 minutes later, she comes back running to her mother in tears, stuttering these exact words: Christian, naked, huge, scary, and penis." Elliot says and I can't stop the laugh that leaves my lips. "Apparently, she had walked in on my dear little brother here jacking off, and it had traumatized her."
"Oh my God!" I gasp between laughs.
"It's not funny!" Christian says with a pout that I find is very sexy.
"It is, baby." I say as wrap one arm around his waist before I rest my hand on his chest. I notice that he tenses for a second, just like he did in his car back on Sunday, but he then relaxes.
I don't have the chance to think about his reaction because I hear Elliot gasp from beside me, and when I look at him, I find his eyes fixed on my hand that is resting against Christian's chest.
"What's wrong?" I ask and move to pull my hand away, but Christian holds it in place. When I look up at him, I see him look at me with eyes full of what I can only describe as amazement. "Christian?"
"I'll explain later." He says softly as he gently squeezes my hand. "One day at a time, right?"
"Right." I say with a nod, but I can't help but let my mind wander to different places.
Does he not like to be touched? But he's letting me touch him…
"I hate to break this up, guys, but we have to be up early tomorrow." Jose says as he looks at his watch. "We're driving up to Montesano, and I need enough rest before the long trip."
"You asshole!" I gasp and punch him in the arm. "Why didn't you tell me that you're going up there?"
"I didn't have the chance!" Jose says as he rubs the spot I just hit. "Mom called me this morning and demanded that Ethan and I go there for the weekend. She wanted me to go today but I told her we're celebrating."
"Tell Daddy I said hi if you see him." I say with a smile at the mention of my father.
"I will." Jose says as he gathers his things. He and Ethan say their goodbyes to Elliot and Christian then make their way out, leaving me alone with the two brothers.
"I guess I should make my way home as well." I say as I reach for my purse. "It was a pleasure meeting you Elliot, although you have a questionable taste in women."
"I'm really sorry about earlier, Ana-banana." Elliot says as he wraps his arms around me. "I'll talk to her."
"Good luck with that." I say and turn to Christian. "Walk me to my car?"
"You're not driving tonight, Ana." Christian says sternly as he pulls out his phone. "You've been drinking."
"I'm good to drive, Christian." I say with a roll of my eyes, even though I know I should just call a cab.
"I realize that you obviously have a high tolerance for alcohol, which is rather surprising for someone your size." He says with a wink, silently telling me that he's teasing. "But I'm not taking the risk."
"Fine. I'll call a cab." I say as I pull my own phone.
"Good luck with that!" Elliot says from his chair, throwing my words back at me.
"I'll take you home." Christian says as he holds his phone against his ear. "Taylor, meet us out front."
"Who's Taylor?" I ask Elliot as Christian is still on the phone. I hear him say something about a Ryan and he mentions my car, but I don't pay close attention.
"Taylor is Christian's driver/bodyguard."
"He's my CPO." Christian explains as he puts his phone back in his pocket. "Close protection officer." He further explains when I look at him with confusion.
"So bodyguard." I state with a smile.
"Yes." Christian says and rolls his eyes.
"What about my car?" I ask as the three of us walk out of the bar. I notice a black SUV parked in front of the pub, and I smile at this Taylor's efficiency.
"Ryan will drive it to your place." Christian says just as two men step out of the SUV. I recognize one to be the same man I saw at GEH on Sunday.
"Taylor, Ryan." Christian says as the two men approach us. "This is my girlfriend, Anastasia Steele." He introduces us, and I can't help but notice the way their eyebrows rise in surprise, but it's quickly replaced by their stoic mask.
"Nice to meet you, gentlemen." I say with a small nod, not sure if I should shake their hands or not.
"Ms. Steele." Both of them say with a nod.
"Ryan, I need you to drive Ms. Steele's car to her place." Christian says as he holds his hand, palm open, in front me, and I realize he's waiting for me to give him my keys. I quickly fish them out of my purse and place them in his opened hand.
"Of course, Mr. Grey." Ryan says and takes the keys from Christian. I point him towards my car, and I notice all 4 men do a double take when they see it.
My car is a 2002 convertible beamer, and it was the first car I could afford with my paycheck. It was the first car I personally paid for and I simply love it.
"You drive that?" Christian asks with a hint of anger to his voice. "That's not safe!"
"Hey! Don't diss my car, Grey!" I say, but inwardly I know that what he's saying is true. The car is 12 years old, and it was already pre-owned when I bought it 3 years ago. It's not the most reliable there is, nor is it the safest, but I can't bring myself to part with it.
"I'm sorry, baby, but it's not!" Christian says as he shakes his head then turns to look at Elliot. "Go with Ryan, Lelliot. I'll drive you home after I drop Ana off."
"I only had that one beer and one shot!"
"I'm not going to repeat myself, Elliot. Get in the car with Ryan!" Christian says with a glare, and Elliot obediently follows Sawyer to my car.
I smile at Christian's obvious protective nature as he helps me into the backseat of the SUV, and my smile only grows as he insists that I buckle my seatbelt. He then gets in the car as well, and once Taylor is behind the wheel, we drive off towards my apartment.
"I really had fun tonight." Christian says, and if I didn't know better, I would say that he was surprised by that fact. "Thank you."
"I had fun too." I say and reach to hold his hand. For a good 5 minutes, he just looks at our joined hands as he rubs his thumb over my knuckles.
"Why was Elliot shocked when I touched you?" I find myself asking, and Christian's thumb freezes for a second.
"Later, remember?" He asks and looks at me with pleading eyes.
"But not much later, ok?" I ask, knowing that my curiosity will eventually get the better of me and I will keep nagging about the subject.
"Tomorrow good?" He asks, and I smile as I remember that we will be going on our first date.
"Good."
"Good." He repeats, and before I can say anything else, he unbuckles his seatbelt, and I'm suddenly pushed against the back of the seat, with Christian's lips devouring my own.
I give in to his kiss, my hands automatically going to his head and my fingers run through his unruly hair.
I've been dying to do this all night!
I feel myself getting wet as his kiss intensifies, and I moan as his tongue joins mine in a battle for dominance. We only pull apart when we hear a soft cough coming from the front seat, and I'm mortified that I had just basically made out with Christian, completely forgetting about Taylor.
"We're here, Mr. Grey." I hear Taylor say, and I hide my face behind my hand.
"Oh my God!" I gasp, then I let out a giggle. "What are you doing to me, Christian?"
"Good things, I hope." Christian says with a smirk before he places one final kiss on my lips. "I would offer to walk you up, but I don't think that's a good idea, yet."
"Thank you." I say, grateful that he is keeping his word on taking things slow.
I might be very attracted to him, but I am not ready for that, yet.
"Until tomorrow?" He asks as I unbuckle my seatbelt and reach for the door handle.
"Until tomorrow." I say before I get out of the car and walk to the front door of my building, but not before taking my keys back from Ryan. I turn around just as I see Elliot and Ryan get in the car with him, and I softly wave goodbye at him before they drive off.
This time, as I look at the taillights of his car, I watch him ride away with a giddy feeling in my heart.
