The clacking of heels on the tiled hallway floors snapped me out of my reverie, causing me to slam my laptop shut. The click-clack gradually got louder, until a pair of black Pradas entered my doorway, paired with a faux fur coat, as she always reminded me- she cared about the animals.
She'd always been a dramatic one.
"Mia, you've changed your hair again. It's lovely." I acknowledged. She absolutely adored changing up her hair.
"Why, thank you Christian." She smiled and gave her head a pat. "I wasn't quite sure about it honestly… but you're humble opinion has sold me. It's remaining this way forever!" She poked fun at my half hearted compliment, I typically gave her the same one each time.
"Honestly Mia, it's nice." To which she replied with a sarcastic eye roll. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I can't come visit my brother at work?" She stood in front of my desk, arms crossed. It was almost comical to see her standing in a high school classroom wearing over a thousand dollars worth of jewelry alone.
"You never have before, you said the ugly would rub off on you." I smirked, quoting something she'd said when she was sixteen and refused to go to public school.
"Shut up, I'm twenty now. I'm mature." She argued.
"Oh yes," I agreed. "You've for sure hit your maturity peak."
She stuck her tongue out at me.
"Look, the company wants to have a meeting with you, they're going to call." She explained. I leaned back in my chair and crossed my ankle over my knee.
"What's it about this time?" I sighed.
"They want an answer, Christian. I know Carrick left the company to you, but there are several potential buyers, and I can't help out much longer." I leaned forward to prop my elbows on my desk, inhaling sharply.
"We don't need a meeting. I don't even think I'll finish out the semester here." I'd made my decision, I'd stay at the school until Christmas at the latest.
"Christian it's only the second day, are the kids that bad?" Mia asked. She knew I'd had several problem students last year. I was one of the strictest teachers and they liked to push my buttons.
"It's actually one in particular."
"Oh?"
I decided to confide in Mia, she'd understand. She was only twenty herself, and very open minded. As long as I wasn't acting on any feelings, she'd keep my secret safe. I opened my laptop and turned it so that she could see what I'd been looking at.
"That's a student file?" She squinted at it, before coming around my desk to look over my shoulder.
"Anastasia Steele. Is she a problem student?"
"You could say that…" I hinted.
"Oh, Christian!" Mia gasped. "You don't mean to tell me you and this girl…" She made blatant eye contact with me, so I could see the disapproval in her eyes.
"No mia, it's not like that. Not right now anyway. I fear it will be though. She's a beautiful girl who's very outspoken for her age- wise above her years. She's not like these other students." I explained. Mia turned and hopped up to sit on my desk, this way she maintained eye contact with me.
"Well you're only twenty four, and you're teaching a bunch of seventeen and eighteen year old girls. They're in their prime, and you're young. There's bound to be some attraction to some students, but you have to learn to ignore it." Mia said, and she was right. When you're teaching a group of people so close to your own age, you are bound to find some of them attractive, but that had never been the case with me.
"You're right, that's how it is for most people, not me though. I have never thought of a student of attractive until now, but it's more than just her physical appearance that appeals to me, if it were just that I could ignore it." I may not have known Ana long, but in the past few days I'd had several more intelligent conversations with her than I have with most adults. She stimulated me in several ways.
"Well… how old is she?" Mia said, as she was beginning to accept what I'd told her.
"It says in her file that she'll be eighteen next week. As of right now I can remind myself she's a minor, but after her birthday I won't have that excuse."
"Well that's not that bad, at least she'll be legal… but Christian, you can't let anything happen until you've left your position here."
"I'm very aware of that, Mia. But I'll have to see how things pan out before I leave this school. I'm teaching two classes, they'll be fucked without me."
"You're very right, but maybe you could go ahead and tell them that you're leaving after Christmas? That gives them plenty of time to find a replacement." She reasoned. No matter how far ahead I put in my notice, I'd feel guilty. The staff here had been wonderful to me, and I'd hate to leave them in such a position.
"You're right. I'll talk to Mrs. Chaplin tomorrow."
"So, how big is he?" Kate questioned, causing me to drop the cup I was holding. At least it was plastic.
"Shit!" I exclaimed, looking down at the spilled coke.
"Give me a number, Ana, inches. How many inches do you think he was?" Kate prodded from the other side of the phone. She called to see how my detention went, and of course didn't believe what I told her.
"Jesus Kate, I spilled a drink. I didn't have sex with our English teacher." Unfortunately.
"Okay fine, but how big do you think it is?"
"Ray will be home at any moment and this is not an appropriate conversation for him to walk in on." I furiously grabbed at the paper towels, one handed.
"But-"
"Bye Kate." I pressed the end call button to hang up on her. I sat my phone down on the counter before bending down to wipe up the sticky, carbonated mess. It was a quick cleanup, and I was throwing away the dirty paper towels when my phone started buzzing on the counter. No doubt it was Kate calling me back. I quickly picked it up and answered it, feeling guilty for having cut her off so harshly.
"What, Kate?"
"Do you know how rude you are?" She berated.
"I know, I know. I'm so awful." I placed my cup in the sink, deciding that I'd probably only spill my drink again if I made another.
"Well, at least you admitted it." She said as I made my way to my room, shutting the door behind me in case Ray came home.
"So," I said as I sat on my bed. "What'd you call back for? I already told you nothing super interesting happened."
"That's a lie, Steele."
"Well…" I bit my lip.
"I knew it!" She exclaimed, and I could practically see her sticking her tongue out at me in classic, immature Kate fashion.
"Nothing happened between he and I. When I was leaving though, I bumped into this girl. She was walking into his room." I confessed.
"A girl? Like a student, or a possible girlfriend?" Kate asked.
"Definitely a possible girlfriend." I deadpanned. "She looked like she could be around his age, and she was wearing designer everything."
"So Mr. Grey is a gold digger? That's how he has such a nice car." Kate giggled. I decided to let her think what she wanted on this, I wasn't going to tell her about Mr. Grey's money. He'd asked me to keep it a secret, so I would.
"How do you know what he drives? Do you stalk him in the parking lot?"
"Only every single morning." Kate laughed, but there was a very good chance that she was completely serious.
"Was this girl pretty?" She asked after I was silent.
"Beyond pretty." I answered. "Sort of an exotic beauty, like a movie star."
"What about her body? Did she have a good body?"
"Only legs that went on for miles."
"No cankles?" Kate asked, and I imagined her pouting as she realized Mr. Grey might be unavailable.
"No cankles." I smiled at her ridiculousness.
I heard the front door open and slam shut, followed by a muffled: "Ana, you home?"
"Gotta go Kate, Ray is home. See you tomorrow."
"Bye Ana." She responded, before I heard the click of the line going dead. I put my phone down and got up to see what Ray needed, all the while trying to get the goddess from this afternoon out of my head.
You're just a kid Ana, she's a woman.
And Mr. Grey, most certainly, needed a woman.
"I'm just saying, I don't understand the "magic" that is a gel manicure. What's the big deal? Mine started chipping after a day." Kate talked with the other girls at the lunch table. I wasn't very interested in this specific topic, I rarely painted my nails. I'd actually never even been to a salon, there was no point in spending the money when I'd just bite them.
Instead I picked at my salad, making sure to take a bite every time I felt a set of grey eyes on my back. Grey seemed adamant about all his students eating. To everyone's surprise, if a student had missed breakfast or lunch he would allow them to eat in class, this was the only thing he was lenient about and no one knew why. All I knew was that he seemed to apply the rule to me in a stricter way, or at least that's what it felt like.
"Ana what do you think?" Kate nudged my ribs.
"About what?" I asked with lettuce dangling from my open mouth. Attractive, Steele.
"Gel manicure or French tips?" Everyone's attention was on me. Where were the guys today? They'd have changed the subject a long time ago.
"I've never had either." I admitted, blushing. Eyes widened and jaws dropped, you'd think they'd been told the bubonic plague was back in style.
"What?" Kate screeched. "You've never had one? And I never even thought to take you! I'm so sorry Ana, I have neglected you as a friend." Kate said dramatically, putting her hand over her heart. I laughed, Kate and I were such polar opposites sometimes.
"Seriously though, no girl should go a lifetime without one. I'll take you after school." Kate decided.
"Kate I ca-" I started, but was cut off by the new girl, Marissa, asking if she could tag along. Of course this sparked Kate's excitement, she was definitely "the more the merrier" kind of a person. Once Kate was babbling, there was no chance of getting a word in.
I'd tried several times to butt into the conversation and remind Kate of my detention, but the girl talked a mile a minute. When the bell rang, I reasoned with myself that Kate was smart enough to figure it out once she realized I wasn't leaving seventh period.
I stood from my seat, gathering my bag and school books before turning to throw my half eaten salad away.
I should've eaten more. I thought myself, as I could feel the disapproval that two grey eyes were giving me from a mile away.
"Did you enjoy today's lesson?" Mr. Grey asked me. The last class of the day had just come to an end, and I remained seated for detention. I still didn't know what I was going to do about Kate.
"Yes, it was amazing as always." I smiled, and retreated back to my thoughts.
"Is something bothering you?" He leaned forward on his desk, bringing his hands together and looking at me, full of concern.
"I'm fine." my smile faltered and I blushed, damn Grey and his perceptiveness. He sighed, obviously not buying into it, but he decided to leave it alone for now.
"I noticed you didn't eat much at lunch today. Big breakfast?" I scowled, again with the eating?
"No breakfast actually." I smirked. He couldn't control me, as hard as he tried.
"I've told you how important it is to keep up your health. Why didn't you eat?" He prodded. Why was it any of his business? Why did he care so much about my eating habits? He didn't question other students on what they've eaten.
"Why is it your business?" I shot back, all of my fear dissolving. His mouth dropped for a second, I always surprised him with my smart- ass attitude. He pulled himself together quickly but didn't get his chance to speak.
"Ana! I thought you were behind me, what are you still doing in here? We're gonna be late, come on." Kate said from the doorway. She turned out of the room and took a few steps before realizing I wasn't following. She instantly turned back, irritated. "Ana. Come on."
"Kate? Would you mind giving us a moment alone? Ana will be right with you." Christian flashed her his infamous smile that any girl would comply to. Kate just parted her lips slightly, her eyes wide as she nodded. She backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Christian turned back to me, intimidating as hell with the pissed off look on his face.
"Did you have plans Miss. Steele?" He snarled.
"I just… um" I didn't know how to reply. Should I lie to him? I didn't know the man very well, but I was aware of his ever too short temper. I wasn't sure what could set him off, but I wasn't stupid enough to lie. That option was out.
"Answer." He demanded. Okay, so he needed answers. Understandable, I was disrupting detention.
"Kate didn't really give me any room to tell her I had detention today. She wanted me to get my nails done since I've never been before." His eyes immediately softened, and I wasn't sure why he would be kind about me skipping detention to get a manicure. He looked at me for a minute, obviously tossing thoughts around as he contemplated something.
"Go ahead. We'll negotiate the terms of your punishment later." He jerked his head to the door and gave me an encouraging smile. I was shocked for a moment. He was literally a total 180 from what he'd been not even thirty seconds ago. He was raging and furious, but now he was encouraging and soft eyed. I couldn't speak; I instead nodded my thanks to him as I gathered my bag and threw it over one shoulder. I glanced back at him a few times as I walked to the door, knowing fully that he caught me every time. I stumbled a bit, but caught myself on the door. I blushed and smiled to reassure him that I was okay, before bounding through the door and into Kate.
"So?" Her blue eyes were wide and full of curiosity and wonder.
"So what?" I studied my blue tennis shoes, biting my lip. I really didn't need Kate catching on to my tiny, miniscule thing for Mr. Grey. I'd never hear the end of it.
"Aren't you going to tell me what happened?"
"I would if there were anything to tell." I decided the conversation was over, and walked past Kate towards the parking lot. Kate quickly caught up, and seemed to have other ideas.
"Come on Steele, you guys totally made out didn't you?"
"Kate I assure you, nothing pornographic happened in there."I rolled my eyes and adjusted the strap of my bag. Kate was like any other teenage girl I suppose, ruled by hormones. I was just better at hiding it than she was.
"Mhm…" Kate murmured unconvinced. "So you've got a birthday coming up missy!" Kate smiled and nudged me, in an attempt to lift the mood. It worked, anything was better than talking about Mr. Grey.
"What of it?" We were now out of the building and approaching Kate's white Honda Civic. She was fishing her keys out of her bag as we walked.
"What are we going to do? You'll be legal! You should get a makeover! You know, since you'll be eighteen. Kind of a new, more mature you."
"Gee, thanks." I poked fun as I stopped at the car, waiting for Kate to unlock it. I heard a beep as Kate hit a button on her key ring, and took it as my queue to climb in, throwing my bag in the backseat. Kate followed suit, hopping into the driver's seat and cranking the car.
"You know that's not what I meant. Maybe just some highlights and new makeup. And you wouldn't die if you wore heels every now and then." Kate smirked and buckled up, preparing to back out of the parking space. Before I knew it we were moving, and I braced myself. Kate wasn't the best driver.
"I'd consider some caramel highlights. Nothing too noticeable, or out there. Maybe just something to brighten my hair a bit." I agreed.
"You could be highlights and lowlights. It would add depth without changing much. And you could get the salon to teach you a natural but sophisticated makeup look. Then we can have a party to celebrate the new and improved you! Oh this will be fantastic!" Kate cheered, taking both hands of the wheel and pumping them in the air.
"Kate the road!"
"Oh, shit." Kate put her hands back on the wheel and straightened the car. "Don't have a spasm Ana, we'll be there in a sec."
True to Kate's word, we pulled in the parking lot not a moment later, and parked- crookedly of course. Kate was bouncing out of the car before it was even fully stopped, grabbing my hand with a squeal and pulling me towards the door. We saw Marissa out front, where we exchanged hello's before stepping inside.
We were instructed to pick our colors, which took a while since Kate kept shoving neon pinks and greens towards me. In the end, Kate settled for a bright yellow while I decided to try out french tips, they looked sophisticated and I liked them.
We were called to two open tables, where I copied Kate by telling them what I wanted and offering the guy my hands. He went straight to work, soaking my hands and scrubbing dead skin from my nails, and I allowed myself to do some thinking.
Was it possible that Mr. Grey found me attractive? Certainly. People can find people attractive, there's nothing wrong with that. Did that mean he liked my personality? No. Did attraction make it okay for a teacher and a student to date? Nope. Was Mr. Grey going to do anything even if he thought I was pretty? Nada.
Why was I even thinking about this, he obviously had a girlfriend.
I could dream, right?
Then I thought about Kate. I already talked to my best friend less and less all because of the crush I was harboring. I was scared something would slip out since I was so comfortable around her. If something happened between me and Mr. Grey what would I do? I couldn't hide something like that from Kate, but I'd have to. Would I have to avoid Kate altogether? No, I could never do that.
"Hey, Kate."
"Yeah?" Kate asked, not looking up from her nails.
"I love you." I said meaningfully. We were mushy at moments, for sure. Kate beamed back at me.
"Love you too, Ana banana."
Definitely not the best chapter, but I pumped this out in under two hours. It's meant to be more of a filler anyway, because the next chapter is her birthday. You'll definitely get to see more Grey/Ana interaction. Please excuse any grammar mistakes, as I said I put this out fairly quickly because I didn't want you guys to wait too long and this is my only opportunity to write for about a week.
I don't own anything, if I did own FSOG I'd be on my yacht, not writing fanfiction.
Love you guys, please review. BTW writing in Christian's perspective is not something I'll do a lot unless you guys request it, I'm not good with writing from a guy's perspective. So, if you want more of his POV be sure to leave a comment. Thanks!
