Written in the Stars
By Tvdfanpam
Chapter 10
Still at the Ball
Grace turned in her seat to see who sat down beside her. "Oh hello Rhian. That is Christian's new girlfriend Anastasia Steele. Isn't she lovely? She is graduating college soon."
"Hello Grace, Carrick." John Flynn joined his wife and shook hands with Carrick and kissed Grace on the cheek. "It's good to see him so happy. He looks at her like he just realized what love is." He nodded his head towards Christian still out on the dance floor with Ana. "It looks like he overcame his touch issues." They sat there in silence a few minutes watching the couple dance. "I don't think he has stopped smiling since he got here. I have been watching. "
Grace wiped a tear off her cheek. "So have I. I can't take my eyes off of them. I am afraid to blink. She interviewed him for her college newspaper. They have only known each other a week."
"Sometimes the best kind of relationships begin unexpectedly." He said sagely. "I met my own lovely wife on a blind date." He took Rhian's hand in his and raised it to his lips and kissed it softly. His wife smiled in response.
"If it's meant to be, it'll be." Grace said then laughed. "That sounds like song lyrics." They chitchatted with the Flynn's and drank more champagne. Christian and Ana came over to their table after the music stopped.
"Hello John, Rhian. Good to see you both." Christian said to the Flynn's. "This is my girlfriend Anastasia Steele. Ana, this is John and Rhian Flynn. John used to be my therapist."
"Nice to meet you both." Ana said shyly. Christian guided her to a seat and they sat down. A waiter that was walking by stopped to offer them each a glass of champagne. Christian took two glasses and then cleared his throat.
"I'd like to toast my new girlfriend Anastasia." He raised his glass in a toast. He couldn't get past the lump in his throat, he really wanted to say the love of my life but he didn't want to scare her off. Ana blushed as if she knew what he left out. They raised their glasses to the toast and then the announcer came back on stage taking the attention off Anastasia.
"A big thank you to all of our donors tonight. Coping Together has received a combined total of $2,150,000.00. This year's donations topped last year's total by…" He stopped talking when someone came on stage to whisper in his ear. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I was just told that an anonymous donor has matched what was donated tonight for a new total of $4,300,000.00." He stopped talking when the applause drowned him out.
Christian leaned over to whisper to his mother, "It looks like you can build the new center this year." She gasped in surprise.
"Darling, are you the anonymous donor?" She whispered back. He shrugged. They turned their attention back to the announcer.
"Once again, on behalf of The Grey Family and the Board of Directors for Coping Together, we thank you for coming and for your generous donations. This year was a rousing success." More applause as people stood up to go.
"Mom, dad would you like to go with Ana and me out on The Grace tomorrow? We could do lunch. Ana has to be back in Vancouver tomorrow night by 7:00 pm. We won't be out too long that way."
"That would be lovely dear except I am leaving for New York City at 2:00 pm for a conference. I will be out of town til Friday. Could we do breakfast instead?" She smiled at her son.
Christian looked at Ana. She nodded back in reply. "That will be fine. How does the Fairmont Olympic Hotel sound? We could meet you there at 9:00 am."
"That sounds wonderful darlings. We will see you then. Have a safe trip home." She kissed her son and hugged Ana and Christian shook his dad's hand then took Ana's hand and they made their way to their car.
They had to wait in the long line of cars leaving the event. Ana curled up to Christian after she took her beautiful shoes off and promptly fell asleep. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her onto his lap so she would be more comfortable. He roused her when they pulled into the parking garage. "Cinderella, we are back from the ball. Time for bed." She snuggled into his arms.
"I had a great time tonight Christian." She said sleepily as she sat up and grabbed her shoes. "Thank you for inviting me. I really did feel like Cinderella. You sure know how to impress a girl on a date. How will you top this one?" She joked as she let him help her out of the car. He kept her hand and she held her dress up off the floor with her other hand. He took her shoes from her.
They rode up the elevator to the penthouse in silence. Well Ana couldn't stop yawning and Christian couldn't stop thinking about her sleeping in his arms. He wished that she could sleep in his arms all the time, preferably naked. They walked into the apartment and Christian saw an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne chilling on the bar with two crystal champagne flutes. Ana saw it and turned to Christian.
"I'll just change into something a little more comfortable." She turned her back to him. "Would you please unzip my dress? There is a tiny button at the top I don't think I can undo by myself." He caressed her neck as he did that then bent down and kissed the same spot.
"Hurry back." He said a little husky. "I will change and meet you back here for a nightcap." They both went to their separate rooms to change. Ana came back out 10 minutes later, her hair down and her face scrubbed clean of all the glamorous make up. She was carrying the box with the jewelry.
"Please put this in your safe. I'm sure you have one. I don't feel right taking those home with me." He frowned in annoyance. She walked over to him and touched his arm. "Just think of it as keeping them safe for me." He took the box and sat it on the dining room table.
"Whether they are in my safe in my office or your safe deposit box at the bank, those jewels belong to you Anastasia." He said taking her in his arms. "One, I don't have my ears pierced and two rubies aren't my thing." She laughed as he wanted her to. He kissed her firmly on the lips, pulling her closer to him again. Then he whispered into her ear as he held her: "For it was not into my ear you whispered but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed but my soul." He kissed her neck softly.
Ana sighed into him resting her head on his chest. "I loved Jane Eyre. That was a beautiful quote. If you are trying to make me fall in love with you Mr. Grey, it's working." She said softly. "I would still like you without all the extras." She took a deep breath and moved so she could look into his beautiful grey eyes. "Ever since we met, a week ago, I've known that what this is between us is special. That the way we talk and laugh and act around each other is different than anybody else. That I will never meet anyone I can trust as much as I trust you and I think most people search their whole lives to find what we've just found." He wiped a tear off her cheek.
"The most beautiful part is I wasn't even looking when I found you." He kissed her on the lips. "I gave up, I thought I would always be alone. I know we have only known each other a week but I think I love you." He was just as surprised as Ana by that little revelation.
"I think I love you too." She said as she took his hand and led him to her bedroom. "I'm tired and need to go to sleep. Will you stay with me tonight?" He nodded and she pulled the covers back off the bed and got in. He went over to the other side and got in beside her.
"This is a first for me Miss Steele. I haven't ever slept with a lady; I mean, I usually send them on their way afterwards…" he stammered.
"I hope you don't break my heart Christian." Ana said softly as she cuddled into his side. She was asleep in minutes.
A/N: thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/followed/favorited this story. I'm glad you like it and I will try to keep the lighthearted tone of the story.