I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy

Chapter 10

I do not pretend

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"Do you want to help me explain to them that nothing happened between us last night?"

Ana gasped loudly, the moment she realized what Christian was talking about. She swiftly grabbed the covers and hid under them. Out from under the covers, he heard her say. "No, you go explain it to them. I'm gonna stay right here, where it's safe."

At hearing that, Christian felt a tug at his heart.

"Right here where it's safe..." were her exact words. So Ana felt safe here in his apartment. She felt safe with him...

Christian sighed happily and smiled, unable to believe that this young woman... correction, this amazing beautiful young woman liked his company.

"Well, have you explained it to them yet?" Ana asked impatiently, making Christian chuckle loudly.

"I'm going, I'm going." He then got up and walked over to the living room with a huge grin on his face, even though he didn't look forward to the teasing he was about to receive.

~Later that day ~

At the moment Ana was sitting across from her assistant Kate. They were having lunch at their favorite coffee shop. As Ana drank her coffee, she couldn't help but think about this morning when she hid under the covers of Christian's bed. She had been too embarrassed to face Taylor and Jose, so she stayed hidden from them until they left. The night before, nothing happened between Christian and her, but the guys assumed something did happen.

Christian attempted to explain, but no matter what he said the guys didn't believe him. Ana had been eavesdropping on their conversation, leaning on the bedroom door, her ear pressed onto said door. Taylor even said that Christian was a big boy and didn't need to explain his actions to him or Jose.

At that moment Ana felt bad for Christian, but she couldn't help but laugh at the situation. It was hilarious how the guys were purposely teasing him.

As she took a bite of her pie, Ana had to admit that she had never met such big teasers before in her life. Taylor seemed such a tough guy if you didn't know him, but Ana experienced first-hand what a fun guy he truly was.

Before she left for work, Christian had thanked her for comforting him. He felt guilty about not being able to find Gia and it pained Ana that he was still hurting even after all this time.

She couldn't stand it that a good man like him was suffering so much! He deserved some happiness…

"Earth to Ana!"

Ana was taken out of her thoughts by Kate's voice.

"Ana?"

Ana cleared her throat and said." Yes?"

Kate raised an eyebrow, while a naughty smile played at her red lips." Man! I really have to meet this guy… he's clearly consuming your every thought." She openly teased.

At that, Ana blushed like a school girl." Shut up."

Kate wholeheartedly laughed and said." Girl, you've got it bad."

Ana shook her head furiously." No, I don't. Christian is my friend and nothing m…" She began, but stopped mid-sentence because she saw a familiar face. He was walking into the coffee shop.

Who?

Well, this particular gray-eyed man off course… the one she and Kate had been talking about just now.

When Kate noticed him walking towards their table, she almost choked on her coffee. She whispered." Oh my God… what a gorgeous specimen of a man. What I would do…"

As Kate fanned herself, Ana had to suppress her laughter. Her assistant could act crazy sometimes.

The moment Christian stood in front of them, Ana locked eyes with him.

"Good afternoon, ladies." He said.

"Hi Christian." Ana replied." I'd like to introduce you to my friend Kate."

At hearing that, Kate's eyes widened.

As they shook hands, the wheels in Kate's head started to turn." So… so you are Christian Grey. The man who saved my boss's life a month ago?"

He nodded and smiled at Kate. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Kate."

"Nice to meet you too, Christian…" she replied.

Kate then mumbled something Ana couldn't quite understand, so she looked at her assistant questioningly." What did you say?"

When Kate didn't reply, Ana rolled her eyes at her. She knew better and didn't press the matter. Why? Well, Kate loves teasing almost as much as Taylor and Jose.

Ana then focused her attention on Christian instead." Hey, you shouldn't be here. You know that, right? Your injuries haven't fully healed yet." She scolded him, while furrowing her brows." What are you doing out of your apartment, Christian Grey?"

At hearing that, he brought both his hands in front of him in defense." I know, I know. I'm busted, but I'm only here to pay and pick up my order." He replied. "After, I'll go straight back to my apartment… I promise, OK?"

"OK then, but please be careful. You don't want to rip open any of your stiches…" Christian heard Ana say.

"Yes, Ana. I'll be extra careful." He promised, while he looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes."

"Number 214!" They heard a voice say from behind them.

At hearing that, Christian looked over to the counter and said." So, that's me… my order is ready. See you later, Ana."

"Later, Christian." She replied with a smile on her face.

As he walked over to the cashier, Kate smiled at Ana from ear to ear." Oh… now I get why you're so smitten by him."

She huffed at that." Kate… I'm not smit…" she began, but got cut off by Christian.

"Ana, you don't mind if I put the clothes you wore yesterday in the washing machine, do you?" he asked with his lunch in hand.

At that moment Ana felt as if the atmosphere had caught fire. She was speechless and noticed how Kate was looking at her with her mouth open.

Christian saw Ana's then Kate's reaction and realized then that again, others were having the wrong idea about the two of them.

"Kate, there's nothing going on between us." He tried to explain, but his attempts were in vain.

She didn't believe him nor did she believe Ana.

"Hey, you two are adults and by the looks of it you really… I mean really like each other." Kate said, and winked at Christian.

He shook his head and looked helplessly at Ana." So sorry…" was what he said and sped away, mumbling a "See ya later, Ana."

Kate had a devilish grin on her face. Ana wasn't in the mood to explain, and only said." I'm still your boss and as your boss, I say that at the moment I do not want to get into that."

Kate kept grinning." Oh, I can so imagine why you want to keep him all for yourself, boss. He is fucking gorgeous!"

Ana instantly opened her mouth to explain, but realized Kate said that on purpose. She then decided to change the subject and asked Kate questions about their next big job, while enjoying the rest of her pie.

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After lunch they went back to the photo studio to finish up work for that day. Ana was so busy that time flew by. It was exactly 5:10 PM, when she was finally done. After everyone left the studio, Ana closed up and slid behind the wheel of her car.

As she drove towards Christian's apartment building, she thought for a second about going back to her own fancy apartment first. However, Ana decided not to.

It was so weird that she felt safer in Christian's apartment… Ana felt more than safe there. At his place, Ana felt at home...

That realization was wonderful and scary at the same time, because the feeling was all new to her. Whenever she was sleeping over at Luke's house, she never felt at home… she never felt like this. Instead, Ana felt like a guest in that huge mansion─ every single time she slept there.

Why?

She truly didn't know why…

After ten minutes or so, Ana parked her convertible in front of Christian's apartment building and was just about to step out the car, when she heard her phone ring.

She bought a brand new one before she went to work this morning, because her old one was probably still at Hyde's. What a creepy stalker! Ugh!

Luke was the one who was calling her at the moment. Ana growled at that and rolled her eyes. She wasn't in the mood to talk to him, so she let it ring till the end. However, after it stopped ringing, she received a text message. It was from Luke!

It said that he needed to talk to her, as soon as possible. Ana didn't think it was a good idea, and yet she decided to have that talk with him. So, she texted him back.

As Ana walked into the building, she decided to block the rest of the world from her mind and focused on Christian. While walking into his apartment, she automatically had a smile on her face. Ana assumed that he had been cooking, because she smelled something good coming from the kitchen.

"Christian?" she said and furrowed her brows, wondering where he was. There was no sign of him in the living room, nor was he in the kitchen.

So, Ana assumed that he must be in his bedroom or study. He had a small place, where he stashed all his books. Christian had a lot of them.

Ana took off her coat and then washed her hands in the kitchen, while shouting. "Hey, Christian. The food smells delicious! I didn't know you could cook."

A couple of minutes after she said that, Ana walked into the living room and saw Christian walking out of the study.

Ana smiled at him, the moment their eyes locked, glad that she finally found someone who understood her.

However, that moment of peace was cut short.

Oh, no… Christian wasn't alone. He was accompanied by two others…

Ana came face to face with the last people she'd ever expect to be in Christian's humble apartment…

Her parents!

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At the moment Ana was sitting at the dining table with her parents and Christian, while playing with her food instead of eating it. When she left work not that long ago, Ana was hungry. But the moment she saw her parents, her appetite disappeared instantly. She felt very uncomfortable, and wanted nothing more than to excuse herself. However, she couldn't do that to Christian… she couldn't leave him alone with her father.

Christian and her parents were having a discussion of some sort, but she was only half-listening.

At one point Ana sighed deeply, making the others look at her questioningly.

"What is it, dear?" her dad asked, while looking at her disapprovingly.

"Nothing dad… you three carry on with your conversation." Ana replied dryly.

Christian locked eyes with Ana and gave her an encouraging look. At that, she cleared her throat and decided to mingle in their conversation. The four of them ate dinner, while talking about all kinds of stuff.

Christian thanked Ana's parents for raising such a wonderful person like her. He told them that he and Ana stayed in touch after he saved her life. And when he was recovering from his injuries in the hospital and at home, Ana kept an eye on him.

At hearing that Ray nodded and smiled, but didn't comment on it. Ana knew that his smiles and laughs at the dinner table were fake. Her father was only pretending to enjoy being there.

Ana's mom on the other hand reacted differently, when she found out her daughter had helped Christian." Well, that's our Ana... always considerate of others." she said with pride in her voice, and smiled at her only daughter.

At that moment Ana was so glad that her mom wasn't pretending like her dad was and smiled back at her.

Ray asked Christian a bunch of questions about his job. As her father spoke, Ana wanted to throw up… like literally.

She really didn't expect her father to be here. And Ana knew her dad very well. He isn't the kind of person to come over to a strange man's home out of the blue. Her father has met Christian only that one time, so in his eyes Christian was indeed a stranger. Ana knew who and how her father was.

He was here with a goal in mind and she knew exactly what that was.

He can be kind and is usually nice to most people. However, if he thinks someone is threatening his plans, he can be brutal.

If her dad has something in mind, you can move heaven and earth, but he will not change his mind about it… he will not budge. And in this case his mind was set on her marrying Luke.

Through the years Ana had experienced his stubbornness, and up until now she had been the only one who dared to challenge him.

She was as stubborn as her father and intended on making it clear to him and her mom that no one could force her to get back with Luke.

That's why her parents were here at Christian's. They weren't here to mend their relationship with Ana. They most definitely weren't here to talk about Harvey and what happened 15 years ago, but about her and Luke.

As the minutes passed, Ana had enough and wanted to end all the small talk. She loved her parents and wanted to try and make it right with them, but first she wanted them to be honest with her and explain why her memory was erased.

"So dad, how did you and mom meet Christian today?" Ana interrupted them, unable to wait any longer.

Ana noticed that her father was taken aback by her question, but he recovered fast. "Well, I needed some legal advice and thought of Mr. Grey." He replied.

Ana frowned at his answer, knowing that her father had his own army of lawyers. He's got an in-house legal staff of six lawyers. Men and women who he turned to if he needed legal advice.

Ana knew that her father was lying through his teeth, but didn't get into it. Instead, she pressed the matter further." But how did you find Christian?" she asked.

"Well, I called the Police Station and heard that Mr. Grey hasn't been in, because he was shot in the line of duty. Your mom and I were very shocked to hear that. And that's when we decided to call Mr. Grey at home to ask how he was doing." Ana's father explained.

"Jose knew that they were your parents, so he didn't hesitate to give your father my number. Then your dad called me and..." Christian began, but stopped mid-sentence, because a phone rang at that moment. It was the landline.

At that, Christian got up from his chair." Excuse me, please. It must be my mom calling. I'll be right back." he said and walked over to the living room.

The moment Christian was out of earshot, Ana asked." And then, what happened after Jose gave you his number, dad?"

"I immediately called Mr. Grey and after our little chat on the phone, he invited us over for dinner." Ray replied." Are you satisfied with my explanation, dear? Have more questions for me? Is this an interrogation, Ana dear?"

He said those words in such a condescending manner, making Ana lose it completely. She couldn't take it anymore and went off on him." Why are you here, dad? What is it that you want from me? Haven't I made it clear that Luke and I are over?!"

Carla was shocked at Ana's reaction and was unable to say anything.

At that, Ana's father stood up." Who do you think I am, young lady? How dare you speak to me in such a manner?!"

Ana also stood up and glared at her dad." I know exactly who you are! And I've always respected you... I did that my whole life." She replied, her voice shaking from pure anger." But that vanished the moment I found out what you have kept from me all these years. And not only that, but that you gave someone permission to erase my memory!"

Ray was seething and was about to scold his daughter, but at that moment Christian came back. Ana cleared her throat and instantly sat back in her chair. Her father did the same and they went on with the evening like nothing had occurred between Ana and her father.

She played along and acted civil towards her parents, because in front of others they never let it show if they had problems. That was just the way they were; always acting like the perfect family in front of other people.

After dinner, Ana walked her parents to their limo. She didn't want to walk them out, but her father insisted on it.

When they reached the car, Carla gave Ana a hug and stepped into said car." Bye mom."

"Later, hon. Call me?" her mother said with pleading eyes.

Ana just nodded at that and then locked eyes with her father." Bye dad." she said hesitantly.

"Ana... I wanna talk to you about Luke. Come by my office first thing tomorrow morning, will you." her father ordered.

When those words reached her ears, Ana wasn't able to maintain her composure any longer." Was that a request? Or was it an order, dad?!" she growled, while glaring up at him." I knew it! I knew you didn't come here for legal advice. Or because you were truly concerned about Christian. Well to answer your question, dad. No, I won't be coming by your office. Why? Because Luke and I are not a couple anymore. We are over! He and I broke up a month ago."

At hearing that, Ray got angry and said." Ana, I do not know what is going on with you and Luke. But I'm sure that you two can work things out. Come on, give the boy a chance!"

Ana was furious and shook her head." Dad, I know that you've always expected me to marry him. But I've come to realize that I should be with someone, because I want to and not to please others." she said, the tone of her voice so cold it put the coldest winter to shame.

"Ana, you don't know what you're doing! Stop this nonsense, will you!" her father growled.

Others would've been afraid of Ray, but not his only daughter…

Ana wasn't gonna back down like her mom always does during an argument with her dad. She took deep breaths and looked him straight in the eyes so he would know that she was very serious." Dad, you have to accept it, because my decision is final. It is over between Luke and me."

It was then, when it dawned on her father that Ana meant every single word and that no one, not even he could change her mind about it.

He looked at Ana angrily, while contemplating what to say next.

"Ray, let's go. Please?" they both heard Carla say, her voice pleading.

However, Ana's dad wasn't done with the argument. He shook his head and glared at his daughter." And when did you realize that you had to break up with Luke? Was it the day you met this Christian guy? Huh?" he accused, making Ana feel real badly." What exactly are you two, hmm? Friends? More than friends? Have you been sleeping with the man?!"

He said the last words with such disgust, making Ana's heart bleed. Who was this man in front of her? Was this really her dad? She couldn't believe her ears and was speechless at the moment.

So, Ray went on further with the nasty remarks and insults. "You know, I have always warned you about men who don't have any money, who want to be with a rich woman like you. Remember? He doesn't care about you. He just cares about the money that we have. Why are you acting like a naïve little girl, Ana?"

As those cruel words reached her ears, Ana's heart broke into pieces, while tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't believe her father was treating her like this... How dare he thought so low of Christian and her!

Ana's lips trembled heavily, while she said." Thank you so much, dad... for thinking so highly of me and Christian. Truthfully? We are friends. Very good friends."

After saying that, she turned around and walked back into Christian's apartment building without glancing back once.

Ana walked into the apartment expecting Christian to be in the kitchen. So she was startled, when he opened the front door for her.

He immediately noticed that Ana had been crying." Hey, what's wrong Ana?" he asked lovingly.

"Nothing, I'm OK." She replied and avoided his gaze.

"Ana?"

"I'm fine, Christian..." she insisted, but he saw right through her.

"You don't have to pretend with me, Ana..." he whispered and cupped her face." I'm me... I'm not your parents. I do not pretend."

At hearing that, Ana looked up at Christian. The moment their eyes met, Ana began to sob loudly. He instantly pulled her in a tight embrace.

Ana's face landed on his chest, while she cried her heart out.

"My dad... we uhmm, we had an ugly argument and he... he..." Ana sobbed, unable to finish her sentence.

As Christian stroked her soft hair, he comforted Ana." Shhh, it's OK, sweetie... I'm right here."

The louder Ana cried, the tighter he held her. At that very moment, Christian vowed to always look out for Ana...

After a while, she finally had calmed down. Ana took a seat on the couch, while Christian brought her a glass of water.

While she took a swig from the water, Christian took a seat next to Ana. A tear rolled down her cheek, so he lovingly wiped it away. He looked into her pretty eyes and smiled." Hey, like I said before. You don't have to tell me what's going on with you. But if you need a friend to talk about it, know that I'm here for you. OK, Ana?" were the words that tumbled from his lips.

Ana knew that he meant it. She smiled through her tears and said." I don't know why you are so patient with me. It must drive you mad to see me like this, but I don't tell you anything."

Christian shook his head." No, it doesn't drive me mad, but I do wonder. But you can take all the time you need okay? I'm not going anywhere." he promised." See my stitches? They don't allow me to go too far away."

Ana laughed at his joke, making Christian laugh also.' God, I'm so in love with the sound of her laugh...' were the words that bounced inside his skull at that particular moment.

"Thank you, Christian." She said and kissed him lightly on the lips.

When she did that, his eyes instantly fluttered shut, while enjoying the feel of her soft lips onto his. Christian still had his eyes closed, even after she had pulled away. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and noticed Ana smiling lovingly at him. The look in her eyes were of a person who really cared about him. That realization made his heart swell wonderfully.

Ana was still gazing into his eyes, so Christian took the opportunity and cupped her face gently. Without hesitation he brought his lips to her cheeks, intending on kissing away the tears from her beautiful face. She automatically shut her eyes tightly, while he ran his fingers through her thick, silky locks. At one point his fingers landed on her neck, making Ana sigh happily. Christian traced her shoulder and when his hand landed on her lips, Ana's eyes fluttered open.

At that very moment, she wanted nothing more than to be explored by Christian's talented fingers. As his eyes landed on her aching mouth, Ana boldly moved and swiftly sat on his lap, straddling Christian. That action made him gasp softly, while he admired the gorgeous woman who was so close to him right now.

They locked their eyes on each other, both waiting if the other was going to back down. However, neither of them wanted to do that.

Ana and Christian both wanted more...

So, he cupped her face with both hands and crashed his lips onto hers. Ana instantly felt a tingle through her whole body from her head through her fingers and her toes. Within seconds their lips began to move slowly. Their mouths explored one another, while they held onto each other for dear life. At one point, Ana unexpectedly bit on his lower lip and sucked on it sweetly, making Christian groan loudly.

As they kissed, Christian suddenly felt her hand in his hair. At first Ana caressed his locks, but a few moments later, she tugged on it real hard, making him moan into her mouth.

Everything was going great until it wasn't. It was then, when fate decided to be cruel to them. Crap!

Her phone rang, making Ana and Christian pull away instantly. They both gasped for air, their chest heaving from their recent 'activities'.

As she grabbed her phone, Christian observed Ana's face and noticed how her lips were extra red from his kisses. She answered the phone call, but not before looking him intensely in the eyes.

It was in that very moment, when Christian realized that he had completely lost his heart to this young woman.

The moment Ana ended the phone conversation, he noticed that she was trembling lightly.

"Hey... what's the matter, Ana?" Christian asked worriedly, and grabbed her gently on both her wrists.

He immediately noticed that Ana's face had turned pale.

"Ana, what is it?"

She shook her head and whispered." It was the Fire Department, Christian... There's a huge fire raging on the top floor of my apartment building..."

Note: Thank you for reading.

Leave me a review, short or long?

J