Chapter 23: Ana 2.0
AKA: Montesano and butt plugs
Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything.
Maybe it's about unbecoming anything that isn't really you,
so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.
Saturday morning started with our customary run. It was raining and I managed to trip all of three times, but Christian caught me before I could fall. One of my slips was particularly bad: we came to a stop in a wet corner, and I nearly fell on my back. Christian managed to catch me, grabbing my arm with such strength it was sore for a while.
After showering—and having sex in the bathroom—, because we would be having lunch at the Grey's house, I skipped the skimpy clothes and went straight for nice but supportive bra and panties, plus a plain black t-shirt and denim shorts. Since it was rather chilly, I finished the ensemble with a cute black cardigan with pink flowers.
Once we were dressed, Christian went off to his office to work and I began unpacking and arranging my portion of the closet. I was halfway done when my boyfriend showed up, claiming it was time to go.
Still not ready to lax the personal protection, Christian had Reynolds drive us to his parents' house. As we were parking, I saw Kate, Elliot and Ethan walk into the house.
As usual, Grace and Mia were exuberantly happy to see us. As Christian walked further into the house, his mum held me back by wrapping an arm around me.
"We've been seeing him more often ever since you came into his life. Thank you, Ana."
I shook my head. "You don't need to thank me. He's the one who lets me know we've been invited to come here. I've never pushed him."
"Carrick and I have been inviting him and Elliot over about twice a month ever since he moved out, but more often than not Christian would say he was busy with work." She answered. "Don't sell yourself short. You've brought him back to us," she added, teary.
"I don't think I deserve all the credit. I know he used to be more aloof a few months ago. Believe me, I do! But he's the one who's been making an effort. Me too, honestly. I wasn't the most outgoing person, either. Ask Kate. I think we've… reminded each other to live a little."
"Well, then I'm glad you've grown together. That's a sign of a happy healthy relationship."
I smiled shyly at her. I knew she was right, and it warmed my heart.
Lunch wasn't ready yet, so we congregated in the living room. I accepted a glass of wine from Carrick and sat down between Christian and Kate.
The conversation seemed to be in a lull, and everyone turned to look at Christian when he said, "Anastasia and I have good news."
I could've sworn Mia's eyes zeroed on my left hand. Jeez.
"I asked her to move in with me, and she agreed." He beamed down at me, and I smiled bashfully.
"Oh, that's great news!" exclaimed Grace happily, standing up. We followed her lead, and she hugged us. "I'm so happy for you both!"
The rest of the family congratulated us in turn, although I could hear Mia scold Christian about leading her to believe we were engaged.
"Slow down, Mia," muttered back Christian, and I silently agreed.
"Have you moved in already?" asked me Grace. "Have you told your parents?"
"Yes, and no. Christian and I will go to Montesano to visit Dad next weekend. I'll tell him then, and afterwards, I'll call Mum. If I tell her first, she'll spill the beans. I'm sure she'll be ecstatic, though."
"And your Dad?"
"He still sees me as his baby girl," I grimaced.
"And he carries a gun, doesn't he?" joked Elliot.
"I'm sure Anastasia won't let him shoot me," answered Christian, making me laugh.
"It's this one you should be worried about," commented Kate. "I've seen her in a shooting range. She's got great aim."
Kate elbowed me playfully, hitting my arm softly.
"Ouch!" I caressed the spot Kate had barely brushed.
"What's wrong?" asked Christian.
As I lowered my cardigan's sleeve a bit, intending to take a look at the surprisingly sore area, I replied, "I don't kno—Oh!"
I exposed my black and blue bruise, which I could tell was shaped like Christian's hand.
"What happened?" Kate asked horrified, and I could tell just where her mind had gone.
I grimaced, covering my arm once again.
"Christian saved me from cracking my skull against the pavement this morning," I reassured her.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked worriedly, frowning.
"I'm fine," I waved him off. "Just bruised. You know I get marked easily."
"But does it hurt?" he insisted.
"Only when I touch it, love. Otherwise, I would have iced it earlier today."
Grace insisted on giving me a cold gel pack after that, even if it wasn't such a big deal.
I wasn't averse to bruises. I probably had several in my knees and thighs from hitting the bed, a desk or the kitchen counter.
I sighed frustrated. "And to think I was just about to suggest we go playing paintball sometime."
"I'm game! Women against men!" exclaimed Kate with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"I don't like seeing you marked," whispered Christian as the conversation around us changed to the weather.
"You know I'm bruised all over, handsome. You fell in love with a klutz."
"But I especially hate it when it's my fault—unless I've just reddened your ass."
I gave him a small smile and shook my head.
"Now's not the time for such thoughts, Mr Grey. But maybe I'll be a bad girl later."
Gretchen showed up to tell us lunch was ready, and we all stood up. I didn't get to go far though, as Kate held my forearm. Noticing I had stopped walking, Christian turned to look at me. I gestured at him to go ahead.
"Are you really okay?" asked Kate anguished.
"I'm fine," I reassured her, looking into her eyes with honesty. "You know I'm clumsy, Kate. We ran into a wet corner this morning, and when I stopped jogging, I almost fell on my back. Christian managed to catch me. It would have been quite the spectacular fall otherwise.
"I'm glad you've got my back, but I swear Christian wouldn't hurt me." I shook my head vehemently. "Even if we weren't in love and that contract wasn't… null and void, he still wouldn't hurt me."
"The whole punishment stuff freaked me out," she confessed.
I exhaled, looking around us.
"This isn't a good place and time, Kate. Why don't I come over during the week?"
Tuesday evening Christian was swarmed with paperwork, so I opted to go visit Kate. He pouted but knew my friendship with her was important to me, so he didn't complain.
"I'll be back in a couple of hours," I reassured him.
After calling Kate and making sure she was free, I drove—meaning Sawyer drove me, but let me ride shotgun—to buy some pizza, and then I met her at her apartment. It was weird not living there anymore, but in a good way.
Once we were seated on the floor with the TV on and the pizza on the coffee table, her nursing a beer and I drinking Seven Up, Kate told me to "spill."
"You said you were still worried about some things…"
"The whole punishment thing freaked me out."
I nodded. "I understand. It scared me at the beginning, too. It's not something that enticed me, and most of the things intimidated me. I tried out some of the moderate forms of punishments, and I didn't like them. I told Christian I wouldn't agree to any of it, and he respected my limits. Everybody has always respected my limits, Kate. Nobody's ever hurt me."
"So the spanking, the whipping and the canning…"
"I've never let anyone use a cane on me, or a belt or any of that hard-core stuff. We've played with a whip, but not as a punishment," —I should've had wine— "and I'm fine with the spanking. More than fine. It's not something exclusive to BDSM, you know?"
Kate nodded.
"Oh, I do. Elliot doesn't like it, but I've had my fun."
"His loss," I smirked.
"Christian's a bad influence," she joked.
"Oh, I've had a dirty mind for a while, Kate. I've just kept it hidden."
"I'm starting to see that. I've missed out on so much fun!"
My first week living with Christian was brilliant. We had a lot of sex, which was unsurprising but very pleasant. Tuesday and Thursday morning, we woke up half an hour earlier and I joined Christian and his personal trainer in his—ours—gym upstairs. Naturally, Claude set me to do an easier workout, but I still felt great and sore afterwards.
When I left the office Friday evening, it was to find Christian waiting for me, much like the week before.
Hmm… I could get used to this.
He looked hot as usual in his black slacks and a white shirt, sleeves rolled up to fight the warmth of the summer. I greeted him enthusiastically as we climbed into the car. Christian had decided there was no reason to worry about our safety while out of Seattle, so all the CPOs had the weekend free.
Mindful of the two-hours long drive ahead of us, I had dressed comfortably that morning, with stretchy grey patterned trousers and a simple white blouse.
I texted Dad to let him know we were on our way.
The trip was long but enjoyable. We talked about our days and Elliot's upcoming birthday, which would be happening in a week. He had plans to celebrate it with friends Friday night and had requested we take The Grace on a trip Saturday afternoon. He only wanted to invite Kate, Ethan, Mia, Carrick and Grace, so Christian had agreed readily.
Elliot's gifts had already arrived. The only thing that reminded was to wrap them skilfully.
It was a little after seven when we arrived at my dad's home—the house I had lived in all through High School.
Montesano was a small town of about 3,300 inhabitants, right by the Olympic Highway. It had one single High School, with a limited number of students. I couldn't say I had made any real friends there, even if I had gotten along pretty well with everyone. The other students had been friendly enough, but I had much preferred my books. Mum had convinced me to socialise as much as possible. I'd joined the school's book club, and when my graduation dance came, she'd insisted I'd come to regret it if I didn't go—cue me losing my virginity; I was sure that's not what Mum had had in mind.
Dad opened the front door the moment we parked on the driveway.
"Annie!" he exclaimed as I stepped out of the car.
"Hi, Dad." I hugged him hello.
Christian gave us a minute to ourselves, taking our bag out of the trunk before shaking Dad's hand.
"Mr Steele."
"Christian, do call me Ray. It was nice of you to drive my Ana all the way here."
"It's no problem, sir. We're not that far away."
Dad led us inside, and I showed Christian to my old room. When I had called Dad to inform him of our visit, I'd had to coax him out of trying to make Christian sleep on the couch. I shuddered thinking of the reaction he'd have when he learnt we were going to be spending each and every night in our bed from now on.
Christian and I settled down and put on more comfortable clothes. While he visited the bathroom, I returned to the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, Dad was making tea.
"There you are," he said, placing three empty cups on the table. "How was the trip?"
"Good. Tranquil," I answered, looking for the tea bags. "Seattle was crazy with traffic, but once we were out of the city, the highway was virtually empty. And I don't need to tell you how nice the view is."
"And what about work?"
"It's been brilliant. I've been assigned some good stories. They're mostly easy to check on… the senior, most experienced editors take care of the messy writers. And the best ones, of course. But I truly enjoy what I'm doing," I finished as Christian walked into the kitchen. Now that he was wearing jeans and a plain black shirt that read GEH, he looked more at place in my Dad's small and outdated—but clean and homey—kitchen.
I filled a pot with water and placed it on the burner, intending to make some spaghetti. Christian told Dad all about his newest green technologies as we sipped on our tea, and once the water boiled I threw in the dry pasta and roamed the freezer for some frozen tomato sauce.
Somehow, while I was busy, the chat had turned into fishing and I had to suffer through the boring conversation. Dad mentioned he wanted to take us to Lake Sylvia State Park, and we were all for it. Christian was the outdoorsy type—as much as his busy schedule allowed—and I had no wish to refuse to visit the beautiful lake and forest. What I did fight against was taking a boat into the lake, and insisted they go fishing from the bridge crossing over the lake instead.
When we were nearly over with dinner, Dad asked, "So what brings you all the way here? Something tells me it's not just a social visit. You've been fidgeting."
"I do have news to share. I'm… moving in with Christian."
He nodded. "I can't say I didn't see this coming. I'd ask you if you're sure about it, but you don't own one impulsive bone."
"Are you calling me boring?" I asked with playfully narrowed eyes. "We've been making an effort to go out more."
"You know that's not what I meant. You've got a good head on your shoulders, so if you think this is what's good for you, then I won't interfere." He turned to look at Christian. "And I trust you'll take care of my girl."
"Of course, sir."
"He doesn't need any encouragement for that," I reassured him. "And I've already told you about my new best friend."
"New best friend?" asked Christian.
"Sawyer, of course! He follows me everywhere," I joked. "Except for the bathroom that is." Christian frowned, thoughtful. "Don't even think about it."
"I was just considering a female CPO—"
"No. You need to relax."
Dad snorted.
"It's good to see you bicker like an old married couple instead of lovesick teenagers. It means you're not walking blindly into this."
"I don't know. I didn't expect her to take over the bathroom as she did," joked Christian.
"It's a huge bathroom, anyway. It's got two sinks! And Kate owns like three times as many things as I do. I bet so does Mia."
"I don't even want to know what Mia's bathroom and bedroom look like," he claimed.
"I don't think we've ever been blindly infatuated anyway," I commented. "He really annoyed me when we first met," I said with a smirk.
"You weren't Miss Sunshine, either."
"Yet now you think that I am," I said, trying to raise an eyebrow but lifting both instead.
He smiled with amusement, knowing I had no control over those facial muscles. He had tried to teach me to raise only one eyebrow and failed.
"You joke and laugh more," he explained sincerely, love in his eyes.
"And you're less frustrating."
"You warm my heart, Miss Steele."
Dad just smiled at us.
I climbed into bed that night wearing a nice and innocent nighty. My intention wasn't so innocent, though. The moment Christian got into bed with me, I wrapped my arms around him like vines.
"Did you know I've never had sex in this bedroom?" I asked, my hands travelling south.
He held my wrists.
"Don't even think about it, Anastasia Rose Steele. Your father is in the other room."
"But my bed needs to be christened."
I pouted and begged, but I couldn't seduce Mr sex-on-legs and fell asleep frustrated.
We woke up even earlier than usual the next morning, and my Dad joined us in the kitchen while I was cooking breakfast.
"You're up early," he commented.
"Christian and I usually are on Saturdays," I reminded him. "We thought that after having breakfast I could pack some sandwiches, and then we could go to the Park and hike for an hour or two."
That we did. Dressed comfortably, we hopped into Dad's truck and in five minutes, we were parking by the lake. We picked a hiking trail and walked in the forest for about an hour and a half. The terrain was treacherous there, so jogging was out of the question for me.
"The view is beautiful," commented Christian. "It's been a while ever since I've hiked in someplace other than Forest Park in Oregon. We should go there sometime," he added, looking at me. "But we ought to keep the trip private this time around," he muttered, and I chuckled.
"We barely spent time with Ros and Gwen in New York!"
"And I hope Ros had fun, because I'm not letting her anywhere near you again."
I snickered. "She was just trying to rile you up," I told Christian rubbing his back—both comfortingly and condescendingly.
"I know she was just joking, but—"
"I don't know if I'd go as far as calling it joking. I'm sure they'd have been happy to let me join them." I frowned, mockingly offended.
"I know they would have!" he said affronted. "And that's why I'm keeping Ros away from you," he added, a smile threatening to show in his face. I could also tell from his tone that he was merely joking around.
"What about Elliot's birthday? Won't she be there?"
"I had forgotten about it. I'll ask Gwen to keep her in a short leash."
"I have a hard time picturing it."
"Gwen tamed the beast," he assured me. "Ros used to be as much of a player as Elliot—she was his wing-woman until she left him for Gwen."
"Would you look at that? You learn something new every day."
Soon after that, we were back at Dad's truck. I grabbed the sandwiches and a folding chair, and the men took the fishing gear from the trunk.
The next few hours were spent with them bonding over fishing—mostly in silence; I didn't get them—and me reading a mystery novel recently published by TWCS.
For lunch, we ate the sandwiches I had made, and half an hour later we returned to my Dad's home. We didn't stay in for long before hopping in Christian's car, this time to go to a shooting range in the outskirts of Hoquiam, about half an hour away from Montesano.
I knew Christian and his family were very anti-guns, and while I agreed, I still liked going to the range and shooting with my Dad. I assumed my boyfriend would look like a fish out of the water, but he didn't.
When I pointed it out, he answered, "I don't like shooting, and I don't personally own a gun, but Taylor insisted I learn just in case. I'd be a fool not to listen to my Head of Security."
He joined us, more out of politeness that pleasure. His aim was acceptable, but it paled in comparison to mine and Dad's. I had the joy of giving him a few tips, rejoicing on being able to do something better than him.
"We're so going to play paintball sometime soon," I said as Christian failed to hit his target again.
"Three against three sounds boring," he answered.
"I'm sure Elliot will be able to find some willing players."
That evening, as Christian worked from the kitchen table, Dad and I sat outside, sipping tea.
"You look happy," he said. He wasn't one to talk about feelings, but I had expected a serious talk after revealing I had moved in Christian.
"I am," I smiled. "Christian makes me happy. Plus, we've both been making an effort to hang out with more people; mainly his siblings, Kate and Ethan, but it still counts."
"It's not the number of friends that you have; it's the quality… Have you told your mum? About moving in with him, I mean."
"If I had, you would have learnt it from her and not me. I'll call her tomorrow. I'm sure she'll be ecstatic, though." I snorted. "When I visited her in Savannah, she asked me if I loved him. And I told her that I didn't and that I never would." He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "We… had a hard time communicating. But I enjoyed spending time with him, and I hoped that we would remain good friends after we broke up—as if it was inevitable—. But now I've got no plans of ever letting him go. I know I'm young, but…"
"Age doesn't matter. Most people need… to be in another stage of life, more mature, when they decide who to spend the rest of their lives with. But you've always been middle-aged."
"So has Christian."
"Which is why I'm not adverse to you living with him. I'm not a fool; I know whatever you do living with him, you already did living separately." I blushed. "It'll be good for you to know what it feels like to live with him before you decide to take the next, more permanent step."
"I'm almost twenty-two, Dad. I'm not thinking about marriage. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone other than Christian, but getting married is way down the line."
Silly me.
I was in a reflective mood after my talk with Dad. Things between Christian and I had changed a lot ever since we had met—we had changed a lot—. We were more social, patient and sympathetic. More affectionate, romantic and optimistic. More open to our closest friends and family members. More… the best part of us.
It's like we were finally becoming who we were always supposed to be by holding each other's hands in the path we chose to walk together, not towards each other, but better versions of ourselves. And I loved him all the more for it.
I was Ana 2.0; new and improved.
"A penny for your thoughts, beautiful?" asked me my boyfriend as we got ready for bed that night.
"They're worth more than a penny."
"I'm sure I can pay you with something appropriate enough," he said flirty, hugging me closer, "once we get back home. I'm not getting on your dad's bad side."
I chuckled. "You're a tease. I was just thinking about how much I've changed ever since I lived here. I owned less than half the hair and skin products I do now, I used no make-up, wore no dresses… had no sex."
"Well, you're a woman now. All woman," he whispered, caressing my curves. "A beautiful one."
I blushed.
"If seventeen-years-old me could see us now!"
The next few days flew by. Sunday morning, I cooked and filled Dad's freezer. After lunch, Christian and I drove back home. In Escala, we had all the sex we hadn't been able to during the last two days.
The workweek was uneventful. I edited books, Christian took care of business and we made love whenever we could.
Friday night finally came, and I was uncharacteristically excited to go out. Elliot's birthday party would be taking place at the lounge in the rooftop of 'The Emerald.' It was the condominium in which Elliot lived, and was barely a five-minute walk away from Escala. I had never visited Elliot's apartment, but I knew from Kate it was modern, spacious, and had a single bedroom and a study. It was on the 30th floor and had a nice view from both the city and the Sound, as well as the islands and mountains beyond. Ros and Gwen lived only a few floors above him.
I chose to wear one of the dresses that had mysteriously appeared in my side of the walk-in closet after I had moved in with Christian. It was tight, but not too short nor low-cut. The back was plain dark grey, and the front was completely covered by white, black, turquoise and nude coloured sequins.
Christian looked good enough to eat in a grey shirt that did wonders to his eyes.
We decided to walk to The Emerald, with Ryan as custody. When we made it to the rooftop, about twenty guests had already arrived. I knew Elliot was expecting another forty.
The lounge was huge and nicely furnished. The indoors area was scattered with white rugs, light grey couches and large white tables with matching chairs. In the outdoors area, there were several tables, couches and a couple of firepits, as well as an open bar.
I easily spotted Kate, who was dancing in an emerald green short halter dress. As I dragged Christian towards her, I noticed she was with Ros and Gwen. What a small world.
Both women were wearing different black dresses, with what seemed to be the same black leather jackets. Even if Ros was the most dangerous of the duo, it was Gwen the one in the dress with the indecent neckline.
"Hi, girls!" I exclaimed happily before hugging Kate.
"Ana!" they chorused.
Christian and I went around greeting all three of them, and then Kate pointed us to Elliot, who was having a beer with a few friends.
"Hey, Elliot! Happy birthday!" I wished him once we were close enough.
"Ana Banana! Christian! You survived Montesano!" he exclaimed, standing up to hug us hello.
"I did. Happy birthday, Lelliot," said Christian, handing him the bag with his gift.
"Oh! A present!" he celebrated, happy like a child.
Christian and I grinned wickedly, especially because the girls had decided to join us. They'd get quite the show.
Elliot took the dark blue sweater Christian had bought him and his eyes widened when he noticed what had been hidden underneath the piece of clothing. He hastily returned the sweater to the bag, and Christian and I burst out laughing.
"What is it, baby?" asked Kate, taking the bag from his hands.
She lifted the sweater, and after noticing the box with five different sized butt plugs and the whip, she muttered, "You bitch," looking right at me.
Our laugher intensified.
Ros tried to snatch the bag from Kate, and after some struggle both her and Gwen managed to take a look at the toys and began laughing, too.
Elliot looked ten times more embarrassed that we had on Christian's birthday, and Kate looked horrified.
"You're welcome," said Christian after having calmed down enough.
We decided to give Elliot a respite after that and made a stop in the bar. As we looked for a place to sit, we caught Mia and Ethan climbing out of the elevator. The leggy raven-haired woman looked great in her loose ivory dress.
We mingled and chatted with a few of Elliot's friends. Some Christian already knew, others we were introduced to by Ros. We hit it off mostly with a few friends Elliot had made in college and who had also decided to settle in Seattle: Peter, Ian and Sue.
Kate eventually got over her embarrassment and dragged me to dance with her and Mia. Christian followed me, happy for the excuse to hold me tight and move against my body.
"Elliot seems to be avoiding you guys like the plague," commented Mia.
"He got a taste of his own medicine," answered Christian.
"You don't want to know," said Kate insistently upon noticing Mia's inquiring look.
The raven-haired Grey pouted.
"It was payback for the gift he gave Christian for his birthday," I volunteered.
"Oh. Got it. I don't need the details."
Christian and I made our escape close to midnight. Ryan picked us up with the car, as Christian didn't feel comfortable walking outside so late at night. I didn't fight him, as I didn't like it either and my feet were starting to hurt.
Saturday morning, we woke up early, although not as much as usual. We went for our custom run, the routine feeling cosy and pleasant, rather than boring and dull. We had a nice, relaxing bath—that may have involved nice, relaxing lovemaking—ate a filling breakfast and drove down to the marina.
On the cockpit of The Grace, we found Christian's parents.
After greetings and hugs were exchanged, Christian said, "You're early."
"Blame it on your sister," answered Carrick. "She wanted to get started on lunch. She's in the kitchen, kneading the dough for the pizza."
"Oh! I'll go help her."
Inside the catamaran's well-appointed kitchen, I found a tired-looking Mia working on the dough.
"Ana! Hi!" she welcomed me cheerfully, despite her clear fatigue. She had still been at Elliot's birthday party when Christian and I had left.
"Hello, Mia. What can I help you with?"
"Could you chop the vegetables for the sauce? The aprons are right there," she added, pointing at a bottom drawer with her foot.
Not wanting to get my white romper dirty, I put on an apron before starting on the onions.
"Did you and Christian have fun last night?" asked Mia.
"We did!"
"I don't think I've ever seen Christian so happy at a party before."
"We're a couple of homebodies, Mia. No more parties for a few weeks!"
"Aww!" she complained.
"What about you and Ethan? You seemed cosy."
She blushed and I smiled at her warmly.
"He's amazing! So sweet and considerate! And he always pays attention to me. I know most people don't hear half of the things I say when I'm rambling, but he does. Even when I'm speaking too fast!"
I chuckled. "Ethan's a good guy. You didn't go home with him last night though…" I said, not wanting to be rude and ask bluntly about their private lives.
She smiled mischievously. "Not last night. I wanted to arrive early today. Plus, I'm still living with my parents," she winced. "I'm looking for my own place, but for now I'm getting knowing looks if I don't arrive home until the next morning. It's quite embarrassing."
"I'd bet!" I rolled my eyes. "Every time I came home after spending the weekend with Christian, Kate would be waiting for me on the couch."
She giggled. "How d'you like living with Christian?"
"I love it," I smiled. "It's nice seeing him every day; not having to say 'goodbye,' but 'see you later.'"
"It's great to see him so happy!" she gushed. "I'm not going to lie—for a while there I thought he'd never fall in love and he'd a bachelor forever."
"Not to mention celibate!" exclaimed Elliot happily behind us.
We turned around to find the rest of the family had joined us. Elliot, Kate and Ethan looked every bit as tired as Mia.
Christian glared at his brother's comment, and Grace berated him.
A battle of wits had to be postponed, as it was time to leave the shore. I found Mac's presence and expertise wasn't necessary, as both Elliot and Carrick were almost as knowledgeable as Christian when it came to managing the boat. I got the honour to 'drive' and cut the engines once again, as Mia and Ethan canoodled in the cockpit lounge, and Grace and Kate stared at their working men from the couch behind me.
The morning was spent comfortably as we sunbathed in the foredeck's sunpads, which were basically mattresses covered in cream-coloured faux-leather. At noon, Mia and I cooked the pizzas, and we had lunch in the main saloon, hidden from the sunrays. We spent the afternoon chatting and joking around before returning to the marina.
I could get used to this.
Disclaimer: I still don't own the characters… Big surprise there!
The idea of Elliot and Ros being good friends come from this one hilarious fanfic called Mr Grey's Wild Ride, by amgomer. Thank you Foggynights and Guest for pointing me towards it!
Next Chapter: the last look at Christian's thoughts.
Recommendation of the day: P&P variation: Hypothetically Married by Renata McMann and Summer Hanford