Chapter 13 - The College Diaries Part 1
Ana's POV
It was moving week and freshman orientation week at Harvard. Jerry and Christian who were very low maintenance, already finished setting up their dorm room for the year. On the other hand, I was still decorating, trying to make this very small room feel like home for a year. This was definitely not the penthouse I was used to.
I was, however, given free reign over decorating the room. I went for a modern yet feminine feel. I had all the previous furniture taken out and put in storage, so I could replace it with nicer and much more aesthetically pleasing pieces.
And although the previous bed in here was a twin size, I managed to fit a queen size bed for sleepovers with Christian.
I spent days planning my room out. I had the room repainted from an ugly off-white color to a nice welcoming light grey. I also hated the ghastly carpeting in the room, so I had it replaced with hardwood flooring. All of the new furniture was bought from Pottery Barn and Bloomingdales, and I loved how everything is turning out so far.
The closet, although as much as I tried, did not get bigger. I almost cried. Just kidding. But this was seriously really bad. I had racks and racks of clothing that were taking up way too much space in my already small room. I was thinking that I might have to rent out an apartment just for my clothes.
Most of the tasks I had left were just some light decorating — putting some photos on the wall and making the finishing touches.
I made sure to put a framed photo of Christian and I on my nightstand. It was a picture of us during summer vacation of our junior year in front of the Eiffel Tower. Chritstian had the same one on his nightstand too.
I also made sure to hang a picture of Karen, Jerry, Christian, and me at the state dinner a few years ago. It was absolutely my favorite picture of the four of us.
Orientation week had been pretty shitty. With Jerry, being "special," he didn't feel compelled to attend any of the mandatory activities for the incoming freshman. It wasn't like they were going to make him attend, anyway. Unfortunately, Christian and I weren't granted the same freedom, so we had to deal with the monotonous campus tours and completely asinine "getting to know each other" activities.
Starting on the first day, I could tell that many of the students recognized Christian and me from the constant pointing and whispering behind our backs. Nothing I wasn't used to, though. And then there were those who were more direct. They came up to Christian and me, trying to make conversation. And I could tell when someone was being genuine – when someone was really interested in introducing themselves and making new friends.
However, that was not the case. They were all fake, their smiles not quite reaching their eyes, plain-old opportunists. There was no doubt in my mind that they saw us as an opportunity to get somewhat famous. Hah, nice try. I didn't welcome fake people into my life.
After the first horrible day, I put on my bitch face. I went for the totally unapproachable bitch look, with the large designer sunglasses and designer bags that cost more than most of their families made in a year. I didn't want to be a bitch, but when you were best friends with the President's son and you were the heir to a multi-million dollar fortune, you couldn't trust just anybody.
I really did hope I would be able to meet at least a few genuine, nice girls in my classes. But from what I had seen so far, college wouldn't be much different than the last year and a half of high school. With the level of media attention Christian and I still got, I didn't know if I would ever be able to return to that girl in high school who was friends with everyone.
Despite the disappointing personalities of Harvard's student body, I had been enjoying my time with both Christian and Jerry. I couldn't let those idiots rain on my parade. I was going to have the time of my life in college with one of my best friends and the love of my life. No exceptions.
Christian's POV
Jerry and I settled into our dorm room pretty easily while Ana had been redecorating non-stop. I was surprised she hadn't hired an interior decorator yet. You'd think she was moving into a new manor and not renovating one shoebox of a room.
Jerry's lucky ass had the Secret Service haul his belongings here for him. I, on the other hand, had to lug all of my stuff plus all of Ana's stuff up the stairs to our floor. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
Ana's POV
We had to enroll in classes today, so I guess it was also time to choose my major. From what I heard, many students were choosing to remain undecided their freshman year, but that was for people who had no direction in life and saw college as a place to "explore."
I already knew what I wanted in life. And while I would have loved to major in literature and immerse myself in the beautiful fictional works of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, it wasn't practical. I also knew my dad would kill me if I decided to waste his hard-earned money majoring in English Literature.
I wasn't saying pursuing a degree in Literature was stupid, I was just saying there were no feasible good job options with that kind of degree. And let's be real, I wanted to make enough money after college to be able to maintain my lifestyle.
So, after talking to Christian and getting some advice from my dad, I was majoring in business and minoring in English Literature. I wanted to own a publishing company one day, so this should be the perfect path for me.
Christian, on the other hand, had no problems with choosing his major. Ever the budding businessman, he was going to major in business and economics. I was so proud of him. He was already talking about starting his company, Grey Enterprises, with his grandfather. He had a business plan drawn up, and he already had a company he thought would be a good starting investment.
But I did know his parents would want him to finish college before he jumped full force into the business world. I knew Christian had a mind of his own, so he was definitely not going to wait until after college to start his business. He was so hard-working and brilliant that there was no doubt in my mind he wouldn't make it.
Jerry was following in the footsteps of his father and was majoring in international relations and political science. Who knows, maybe he'd be the president one day.
The three of us were now standing in line, waiting to enroll in classes. Jerry could've made a call to some important people at Harvard, but he wanted to enroll for classes like everyone else. The consequence, however, was that there were two Secret Service agents next to us, making us stand out even more.
When it was my turn to select my freshman year classes, the college counselor asked me what I wanted to study. She then recommended classes to me along with telling me some of the required classes I'd have to take in order to graduate. I hoped I'd be in some of the same classes as Christian and Jerry. I'd hate to be left on my own. By the end of my time with the counselor, I had chosen all my classes.
"What classes did you sign up for, baby?" Christian asked me.
"Yeah, baby. What classes do you have?" Jerry mocked. Christian and I both glared at him.
"Economics 001," I said, remembering the first class on my list.
"Who's the professor?" Christian asked.
I opened up the folder the counselor gave me with a list of my classes, professors, and textbooks I was going to need.
"Professor Robertson at 9 am," I replied.
"Yay, baby. I'm in that class too."
"Don't sound too excited Grey," Jerry laughed, "That class has like hundreds of kids in it. But you're in luck because I'm in that class too."
We then went through all our classes together. The only other class all three of us had together was a writing seminar, which I already knew I was going to love. The boys, well, that was going to be a different story for them.
Both Christian and Jerry were taking some advanced math class. It was multivariable calculus. Bleh. Since a math class was required, I decided to go with a simple calculus course. As both of us were business majors, Christian and I had an accounting class together, while Jerry had an introductory political science class. My English Lit class was at the same time as Christian's business ethics class and Jerry's US history class.
A requirement for this year was a foreign language, and since Christian was already fluent in French, he enrolled in the introductory French class for an easy A. I chose that class too just to be with him. Christian was the best tutor. Jerry, on the other hand, already knew five languages: French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, and even Latin. So to broaden his horizons, he was taking Chinese.
After figuring out my class schedule, I went back to my dorm to finish decorating my room. Christian and Jerry didn't want to help me. I know, what a surprise! They went to work out together in the weight room instead.
If you asked me one thing I missed about my penthouse, it would definitely be the closet space. I had to rent out a small apartment just to fit my clothes. And even with renting out that apartment, I still had a few racks of clothes just off-the-runway and absolutely nowhere to put them. Ugh! I was going to try to find some room in Christian's closet, but I didn't even think he would have room from all the clothes I picked out for him.
While trying to stuff an endless supply of clothes in a very small closet, a knock on my door disrupted me.
I turned around and realized the door was slightly ajar. Who the hell was this? I really hated being disturbed while trying to organize. I needed zen.
"Yes?" I chirped as sweetly as possible, not wanting to come off as rude.
A shorter girl with long blonde hair stepped in. Her clothes appeared to be from Gap, consisting of a pair of worn out blue jeans, a white tee, and worn out sneakers. It was a stark difference to the ensemble I put together today – a black Valentino v-neck mini dress and matching studded Valentino block heels.
She startled me by giving me a hug. Excuse me? After an uncomfortable hug, she introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Danielle Crawford. It's so nice to meet you. You're Anastasia Steele, right?"
"Ummm, yes that's me," I affirmed. "If you don't mind me asking… How do you know my name?"
She giggled, "Oh, I'm so sorry. That must have been awkward for you. I'm the floor supervisor, so basically, my job is to spy on everyone… Haha, I'm kidding… Anyways, if you ever need anything, I'm the person to ask."
"Thank you. Are you a freshman too?"
"No, I'm a sophomore. But being a floor supervisor is a really good student job, and it really helps towards paying my tuition."
I didn't know what to say to her as I've been fortunate enough to never have to worry about money or paying for school.
I was lucky that her voice broke through the silence, "I love your dress. Where'd you get it?"
I suddenly felt self-conscious that I was standing here in a $4000 dress, while she had to work to pay for college.
Instead of name-dropping the brand, I told her the name of a department store that sold both designer and affordable brands, "Nordstrom."
"You look absolutely fabulous."
She looked over my shoulder at the racks of designer clothes and walked over towards them.
"Wow," she mused, "Are these all yours?" She excitedly looked through the clothes. I didn't think she realized how much each of the pieces cost.
"Yeah…" I replied and oddly felt embarrassed at the gross consumerism.
She took out one of my more avant-garde purchases – a full-on disco ball dress from Balmain. I didn't know where I would wear it to, but I thought it would be a beautiful piece to add to my collection. She pulled out the tag, and her eyes went wide. Shit, if I recalled correctly, that dress had a hefty price tag of about $7500. Should I have felt bad?
She glanced at me like a light bulb went off in her brain. She frantically put the dress back on the rack and stutters, "Oh… Oh… Oh my god… You're… You're Anastasia Steele." Yep, she definitely recognized me from the media.
She continued to stumble out incoherent words, "I'm… I'm so so so sorry for umm… for barging into your room like this… That was totally inappropriate of me… I'm going to go… going to go now."
She ran to the door and I wanted to say something to her, but before I could, she ran straight into Christian's massive body.
When the poor girl looked at what just hit her, she cried, "I'm so so so sorry," to Christian before bolting down the hall.
Christian's POV
After the workout with Jerry, I wanted to see if Ana was up for a hard fuck. God, I was horny. When I opened the door to her room, some girl crashed into my chest, mumbled an apology, and quickly rushed off. What did Ana do to the poor girl?
"Who was that, angel?"
"OH MY GOD, CHRISTIAN!" she exclaimed, "I feel so bad for her. She's our floor supervisor, and she just wanted to introduce herself. I was saying how she had to have the job as a floor supervisor to help pay for college, and I felt so bad sorting through all my designer clothes."
She continued her monologue, "I mean did you see her dreadful outfit! God! She mentioned that she loved my outfit and was so excited to see the racks of clothes I have. It's obvious she loves fashion. Anyways, she saw the price tag on one of the Balmain dresses and freaked out. She realized who I was, and ran off."
Ana had guilt written all over her face. She looked like she just killed someone's pet. Poor girl.
"Did you get her name?" I inquired.
"Danielle. I can't remember her last name though. I'm sure she'll be popping into your room to introduce herself. Let's hope she doesn't shit herself when she sees Jerry," Ana giggled, somehow finding the humor in this situation.
"How was your workout, baby?" she asked, changing the subject.
I walked up behind her and wrapped her in my arms. I tried to kiss her neck but she pushed me away.
"You're so sweaty, Christian," she scolded. "And this is Valentino," she said pointing to her dress.
Oops, forgot about that. I most definitely needed a shower. One of the shitty things about living in a dorm was that we didn't have private bathrooms. That meant I couldn't share a shower with Ana, so no more mind-blowing shower sex. I guess we'd have to settle for more kink in the bedroom.
First Day of Classes
Ana's POV
It was my first day of college, and did it sound crazy that I was a little nervous? If I learned anything over the years, it was that if you looked good you'd feel good.
I went for a classic preppy vibe today – a black Balmain button-skirt, a white Valentino blouse, black Gucci heels, and a Gucci tote for my school supplies. I was definitely dressed for success.
Christian, on the other hand, thought it would be acceptable to wear jeans and a t-shirt on the first day of classes no less. Ugh, I swear he was a piece of work when it came to his wardrobe!
Anyways, I told him he had to make a good first impression on all his professors, and perception was everything.
Thank God I didn't have to micromanage Jerry's wardrobe like this, or else I'd be going crazy! Jerry already did a wonderful job of choosing his outfits since he's been in the spotlight since he was a kid. I wished the same could be said for Christian, but he was learning. I mean, the man looked good in everything, so it was super easy to dress him.
For Christian, I chose a fitted pair of beige pants and a light blue button-down. It was much better than the first disastrous outfit.
Christian, Jerry, and I all had Econ as our first class, so we decided to have breakfast before the class started at 9.
Breakfast was a quick coffee and croissant for all three of us at one of the many cafes on campus.
"Excited for the first day?" Jerry cheered.
"I heard this professor is supposed to be one of the harder economics professors," Christian informed us.
"Well, I already read the whole textbook in the summer, so I should be fine," Jerry boasted.
Christian and I both rolled our eyes at Jerry. What a loser!
Although we got to class 10 minutes before it started, most of the seats in the lecture hall were already taken. I figured no one wanted to be late to class on the first day.
I was grateful that all three of us arriving together hadn't brought too much attention to us. Thankfully there were too many people in the room to notice us and most of the students looked either too anxious or nervous to start their first day and were attentively focused at the front of the room.
As my eyes scanned the lecture hall for a place to sit, I noticed that there was a whole row in the front that was completely empty. Obviously no one was bold enough to sit in that row. Other than that, I didn't see any other rows where there were three empty seats.
I knew Christian hated sitting in the front as it brought undue attention. Coupled with the fact that Jerry was with us and Christian and I had been "famous" as of late, sitting in the front would have definitely put a spotlight on all of us when all we wanted to do was blend in.
"Maybe I can ask someone to move," I commented.
There was a girl with dark brown chocolate skin sitting alone in one of the middle rows. She had two empty seats to the right and left of her.
"Hi," I said, mustering a big smile, "I'm Ana. I hate to bother you, but would you mind moving over a few seats? My friends and I really don't want to sit in the front."
"Oh, that's really no problem at all," the girl said, gathering her stuff and plopping it on the next seat.
"I didn't catch your name," I stated, setting my bag down on the desk.
"I'm Ros."
"It's so nice to meet you," I chirped and shook her hand. Judging from the non-crazy way she looked at me, she obviously didn't know who I was. Thank God! Finally someone who didn't read sleazy tabloids and was going to treat me like a normal person.
I motioned for Christian and Jerry to come join me, and they filed into the seats next to me – Jerry at the end and Christian in the middle.
"This is my boyfriend, Christian. And this is my friend, Jerry," I introduced them.
"Hey, guys!" Ros greeted us, just as the teacher entered the room.
The whole class went silent and focused their attention on the front of the room.
"Hello, class. I'm Mr. Robertson. Welcome to Economics 001. While this is the introductory course to economics, don't be fooled. It's not easy. I recommend keeping up with the work and joining a study group. I find that students who do both are usually more successful in my class. Today, we're going to be going over the syllabus and I'm going to assign you a partner for the rest of the semester. Now, I know there are a lot of you in this class, so I'm also going to be posting the partner pairings online along with all of your school emails so that you can connect with your partner. The two of you will be working on a project that is yet to be announced. It will be worth 40% of your semester grade, so I suggest you don't procrastinate and work on it little by little."
Jeez, this guy was really no-nonsense. A little boring and one-note too.
I heard the professor call out, "Fitzgerald Grant and Anastasia Steele."
Score! I got Jerry as my partner. Poor Christian, though. He was going to be left out. He looked a little annoyed that I was partnered up with Jerry, but he still listened to the professor attentively to find out the random person he'd have to be paired up with.
After a couple more pairs were read off before I heard, "Christian Grey and Rosalynn Bailey."
Oh! That must be the girl sitting next to me. She said her name was Ros, so I was guessing Rosalynn was her full name.
Ros turned to Christian and got his attention, acknowledging that they were going to be partners.
For the rest of the class, the professor droned on and on about the topics we were going to be covering this semester. For the first semester, we were tackling microeconomics, which meant I would get to enjoy lectures about supply and demand, consumer and producer surplus, cost curves, elasticity, monopolies, and much much more. Riveting, I know.
Christian however, looked like he was in his element. He loved this kind of stuff.
Christian's POV
First day of college. Which meant it was just one day closer until I could get out of this place and start my company. It also meant I was one day closer to asking Ana to be my wife.
Line break
Flashback
It was move-in week, and Ana had locked herself in her room, trying to make it perfect. Jerry and I didn't give a shit about how our room looks, so long as it wasn't a pigsty.
I put a framed photo of Ana and me on my nightstand, and that was about it for my decorations. Ana had all these cute lights and photos that she was putting up. Not to mention the boxes and boxes of clothes she had shipped here.
Anyways, thanks to Ana, I now had a huge wardrobe. She said I was in desperate need of fashion help, so Ana had taken over my clothing choices. Jesus Christ, that girl could shop!
Jerry and I were just chilling in our room, not really wanting to interact with any of the other freshmen. Apparently, most people liked to leave their door open if they were just hanging out in their room. It was supposed to create a more social environment. But I definitely wouldn't be doing that. I didn't need any weird fuckers leering at me.
I was in a dilemma right now. I really wanted to marry Ana. In fact, I would've asked her the day she turned 18. But right now, the only thing that was holding me back was my finances.
I knew what you were thinking. My parents were filthy rich. And yes, they were. But the man in me wanted to give Ana the ring and the wedding she wanted. And I wanted to be able to pay for it with my own money, not my parents.
But on the other hand, I didn't want to wait another second before I could call Ana my wife. I wanted to claim her. I wanted to make sure every other fucker who made eyes at her to know she was all mine. Mine. My wife. Anastasia Grey. The name had a nice ring to it. Mr. and Mrs. Grey. It sounded perfect to me.
Jerry could obviously tell that I had a lot of shit going on in my head. He spoke up, "Bro, what's on your mind. Your brain looks like it's about to burst."
Classic Jerry. Always trying to lighten up a situation. He reminded me a lot of Elliot in that respect. Easy going, amiable, and loved to joke around.
"Do you think Ana wants to get married?" I blurted out.
Jerry's eyes went wide, but he took some time to think before answering me. After a while, he finally said, "You know what. It might sound crazy, but yeah. Yeah. I think she would marry you right now if you asked her. And don't think that I'm not supportive because I'd totally be on board if you were to ask her. But is there a reason why you're asking her so soon? I mean you guys are really young."
Jerry did bring up a good point. There was really no reason to get married now. Ana and I were committed to each other, body and soul. We were already married to each other in our hearts. Did we really need to go through the trouble of trying to plan a wedding while we were in college? Not to mention, we were going to be scrutinized by society since we were two teenagers getting married. But then, on the other hand, we could always elope.
"I love her," I said, plain and simple, "I know she's the one. What's the point in waiting? I'll still feel the same about her in 5, 10 years' time."
"So what's stopping you?"
"You know Ana. She's going to want this huge lavish wedding, and I want her to have whatever her heart desires. I also want to buy her the most ostentatious engagement ring that will make her feel like royalty."
"And?" Jerry asked, not seeing the problem I had, "Ana's dad is going to want to pay for the wedding. You know how he is. And last time I checked, you weren't struggling for money."
"But it's not my money," I countered, "It's my parent's. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to be able to provide my wife with everything."
"C," Jerry sighed, "I know that Ana loves her designer handbags and shit, but she'd give up all that in a heartbeat to be with you. The money is just a perk."
"I still want her to give her the world. And I don't want to ride off my parent's money for the rest of my life."
"Then start GEH now. What are you waiting for?"
"My parents will kill me if I don't finish college, dude. And I'm pretty sure that I need some form of a college degree to even be taken seriously."
"Are you kidding me, Chris?" Jerry said incredulously, "You're probably the smartest kid I know. If anyone can make it, it's gotta be you. And look at all those billionaires who dropped out of college to start their companies. Mark Zuckerberg. Steve Jobs. Bill Gates. You don't need a college degree to be successful."
"So what? You suggest I drop out of college before I even start?"
He chuckled and replied, "No, dude. I mean, maybe just do a year or two. Start your business now, though. See how it's working out, and if you think you can make it as a full-time businessman, then drop out of college."
Jerry sure gave some damn good advice. Remind me again why I hated him before I even met him?
"And about marrying Ana?" I asked.
"Ana's not going to care how many carats her ring is or what the clarity is. The only thing she cares about is marrying you. And it's not like you're going to buy her a ring from Jared's. Hell, you could spend about a million on a ring without your parents noticing anything out of the ordinary happening with your account. It might not be a huge statement rock like you want, but I'm sure it'll be something Ana loves. And something tells me that Ana's not the type of girl who wants a diamond that costs a small fortune sitting on her finger."
That was a good point. I highly doubted that Ana was going to want a 20 million dollar Kim Kardashian ring weighing down her dainty little finger. 5 carats would be much more acceptable and much more suitable for a bride as classic and as beautiful as her.
"Well, then," I decided, "It looks like I'm going to need to draw up some more detailed business plans. And more importantly, I need to go ring shopping."
"I'm happy for you, dude," Jerry smiled.
End Flashback
All I could think about in Econ class was how badly I wanted to start running with my business idea. The only problem with my original proposal was that the company I was looking into purchasing was based in Seattle. And I was all the way in Boston. If this company was going to work while I was still in college, I was going to need to find the perfect company in Boston. So rather than doing homework tonight, that was going to be my first order of business. I was positive Ana wouldn't mind helping me once I told her of my plans to start the business right away.
With all the shit swirling in my mind about starting GEH and finding the perfect engagement ring for my angel, I surprisingly found myself enjoying the class. Well, at least so far. Although the professor was quite boring, I found myself interested in most of the topics he was briefly going over. It was straight up my alley and would be so relevant when I started my business.
I was a little annoyed when the professor assigned us partners for a project he had yet to announce. Out of the hundred or so people in the class, it just so happened that Jerry and Ana were partnered up. I got partnered up with Ros Bailey, who was sitting next to Ana. I hoped she had half a brain. I really didn't want to worry about this project while trying to build my business.
Ana's POV
After economics, Christian and Jerry had to head off to multivariable calculus while I had my English Literature class. I was a little nervous to be going off on my own, but I had to be a big girl about this. I couldn't expect to be in every single class with my boyfriend.
Christian sent me off to my class with a kiss then walked off to the math buildings with Jerry. I had to walk to the other side of campus for my English class, which in these heels, was not an easy feat.
I had the first book that was listed on the syllabus with me. It was a first edition my dad got me for my birthday one year, and it was one of my absolute favorites – Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
Unlike the Econ class where it was lecture-style, this class was small and set up for class discussions. There were only 15 students in the class, including me. It looked like I was the last one to arrive, as I had to trek all the way here in my Gucci heels. Beauty was pain, Ana. Keep reminding yourself that. I was thinking that I might have to go with sneakers tomorrow. Ugh, the horror!
Anyways, back to my class. The desks were in a semi-circle formation, and there was only one open seat left. I made my way to the empty seat and set my things down. There was a shy-looking girl sitting to the right of me. She was wearing large glasses and had her head buried in some book. There was a tall blonde guy sitting to the left of me. He was wearing a Harvard baseball pullover, so I assumed he was on the baseball team. He was talking to the guy sitting next to him who was the only other guy in the class. The rest of us were all girls.
He noticed me taking a seat next to him, and turned to me. Damn, he was kind of cute! Not as cute as Christian of course. No one would ever compare to him, but if I was being impartial, he was a very good-looking man.
"Hey, I'm Brody," he said with a smile.
"Ana," I replied.
"Where are you from?" he asked, making small talk.
"Seattle. What about you?"
"LA," he stated proudly.
"I'm guessing you're on the baseball team," I giggled, pointing to his jacket.
"Wow, how'd you figure that one out?" he chuckled. "So, Ana, what about you? Any sports?"
"If you call shopping a workout, then yes," I joked.
Thank God I was finally meeting some normal people here, and not like the girl who literally shit herself when she came into my dorm room.
Anyways, I was so glad that I wasn't being recognized by everyone. Well if they recognized me, at least they weren't acting weird or crazy.
First I met Ros, who seemed like a lovely girl, and now Brody. This was shaping up to be a great day so far.
"Is this your first class today?" he asked.
"No, I had Econ this morning. It was painful, to say the least. I'm really excited for this one though."
"Oh, so you're an English major then?"
"Not exactly. I'm actually a business major. English minor."
"A business major who doesn't like econ?" he chuckled.
"I know, very odd."
He looked like he was about to say something else before the professor walked in, and the whole class went silent.
The professor looked to be in her mid-forties – glasses, short curly red hair, and fairly short. From what my dad told me, she was one of the most liked English professors at Harvard. She loved teaching the freshmen and the more introductory courses because she wanted to inspire students to pursue literature and English as a major.
From her demeanor and smile on her face, you can tell she was passionate about her job. She did, however, have a rather rigorous curriculum set up for us, but I wasn't complaining. Writing about literature had always been something that came easy to me and was something I'd come to enjoy.
"We're going to be reading ten works of fiction over the semester. There will be ten essays, one for each of the books. Each essay will be worth 10% of your final grade. There won't be a midterm in this class, so you can thank me in advance for that. With all that said, this is a hard class, and it's one that requires daily work. Please do not fall behind on the reading, it will only hurt you in the long run. I really do hope you enjoy some of these books as much as I do, so reading won't seem like a chore."
Christian's POV
"So how's operation 'Steele to Grey' going?" Jerry asked as we walked to math. Jerry dubbed my plan to ask Ana to marry me as 'Steele to Grey,' obviously playing off the fact that I wanted Ana to become a Grey. He was such an idiot sometimes it was funny.
"You know how I went to the gym last night?"
"Yeah," he affirmed.
"Well, I actually went to go look at rings for Ana. I had an appointment at Cartier."
"And?"
"They didn't have anything that fit Ana."
"It was Cartier for goodness sake!" Jerry exclaimed, "You're telling me you really couldn't find a ring for her."
"Nothing that was perfect," I shrugged.
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I spoke with the head jeweler. He's going to draw up a few custom sketches based on what I told him I wanted."
"And that was?"
"Well, I've been reading up about engagement rings…"
"What a girl," Jerry snarked.
I chose to ignore him and continued, "Well I was saying… I'm certain she's going to love the classic emerald cut ring. And I think I want to go with a trinity style with two smaller diamonds around the larger one. And I told the jeweler I wanted diamonds around the band. But I also wanted something unique, so I wanted a perfect pink diamond under the main diamond."
"That's um... detailed."
"Only the best for my girl," I smiled.
Ana's POV
I was really excited about my English Lit class this year. We were reading some great classic novels, some of them I hadn't read yet and some of them were my all time favorites. Some of the books we were going to read were Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and The Tempest by Shakespeare. I was what one called a literary nerd, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
At the end of class, I got a text from Christian.
Christian: Lunch baby? Me and Jer are at Annenberg Hall
Ana: I'll meet you there :)
I smiled while gathering my things. I walked towards the door when I was interrupted by Brody.
"Hey, Ana," he called out, getting my attention, "Do you want to get lunch with me?"
Well, that was awkward. Christian might want to rip this guy's head off.
"Ummm," I stuttered, "I'm actually supposed to meet my boyfriend for lunch right now."
"Oh," he shrugged at the mention of a boyfriend. "Too bad. The baseball team is throwing a party on Friday. Bring your boyfriend. Both of you are invited."
"I'll ask him," I said diplomatically, knowing that parties were definitely not Christian's scene.
Brody looked a little defeated, but at least he backed off after I told him I had a boyfriend. Ugh, why were guys always interested in me?
Christian's POV
"Hey baby," Ana said, giving me a kiss on the cheek after entering the dining hall. She took a seat right next to me, and I embraced her in my arms. It was crazy to think I missed her this much after being apart for only an hour.
"Hey angel," I smiled.
"Where's Jer?"
"Getting food, I'm just holding the table for us. How was English?"
"Would you laugh at me if I said it was fun?" she giggled.
"Not at all." Damn, that giggle was infectious.
I leaned in to give her a kiss, when next thing you know some fucker was calling out Ana's name. I saw his eyes roam her body, and I felt my blood pressure rising. Did this fucker have any decency not to look at my fucking girl while she was practically wrapped around me like a vine?
"Hey Ana," the blonde surfer-looking boy said.
"Oh, hey Brody," Ana replied. I made sure to give him a signature Christian Grey death glare. Who the fuck did he think he was looking at my girl like that?
"This is Christian," Ana said, introducing us. "Christian, this is Brody. He's in my English Lit class."
"Yeah, nice to meet you, bro," the meathead said.
"Nice to meet you too," I spit out.
"Do you mind if I join you guys?" he asked, already setting his food down at our table.
I glared at him again, but Ana gave me a look and said, 'Be nice.'
"Of course you can join us," she said nicely.
Ugh, God could this lunch get any worse.
Ana's POV
Well, that was probably the most awkward lunch of my life. Christian kept staring daggers at Brody, and although Jerry and his easy-going attitude joined us, it did nothing to ease the hostility in the air.
I honestly didn't know why Christian was so rude towards Brody. He was so irrational sometimes. I didn't know why he thought every single guy was interested in me. He got over Jerry, but that might have been the only exception.
We'd been together for almost two years, and I still didn't know why Christian was so territorial over me. I knew he had abandonment issues from his past, but he knew I was here to stay. I reminded him all the time.
Christian was brooding for the rest of the day. After the horrendous lunch, we went to French together while Jerry went to his political science class.
After our classes were done for the day, the three of us hung out in one of the libraries, talking about our classes, professors, and people we met throughout the day.
Christian wanted to take me out to a fancy dinner tonight. He asked Jerry if he wanted to tag along, but he said he would let us have some alone time. I knew I really needed to confront Christian about his behavior at lunch. He couldn't keep doing that to every guy I met. I wasn't even remotely interested in them, but Christian always found a reason to be a jealous maniac. I loved him, but he could be so intense and overprotective sometimes.
Christian took me to a fancy French restaurant, and we were currently feasting on a delicious rack of lamb, potatoes au gratin, and some roasted root vegetables.
Christian was even wearing a suit. He knew how much it turned me on when he wore a suit. He always looked so dapper and handsome – a natural GQ model.
I was wearing a long-sleeved black chiffon mini dress with gold polka dots from Dolce & Gabbana. I paired it with gold Louboutin pumps and a gold and black Chanel boy bag.
"Is there something you wanted to say to me?" I asked, fishing for an apology for his behavior at lunch.
"Umm, no. But now that you bring it up… I need to talk to you about my plans for Grey Enterprises."
Grey Enterprises… The initials would be GE… Hmmm, that didn't fit. Also, people knew GE as General Electrics. That wasn't going to work. I should tell Christian.
"The name still needs work," I stated.
"What do you mean?"
"The initials would be GE. As in General Electrics. I like Grey Enterprises, but it needs something else. But I'm guessing the name wasn't what you wanted to talk about."
"Hardly."
"So what is it?"
"I know you were expecting me to start the business after college, but I think I want to do it now."
I really wasn't surprised at Christian's statement. He was not a patient person. I didn't expect him to wait until he finished college, but I also didn't think he was going to start the business right when college started. But then again, if anyone could do it, it was Christian.
"You're still going to pursue college, though right?" I just knew his parents would be crushed if he dropped out of Harvard his first year.
"Of course," he replied, "I want to see how the business does first. But if it works out… Then I don't know."
"You know I'll support you with whatever you decide is right for you."
"I know," he smiled, "That's why I love you so much. I really want you to be a part of this."
"Me? I know absolutely nothing about running a business."
"Well, neither do I."
I rolled my eyes at him. "Christian, you're a genius. I know you can do anything you set your mind to. And plus, you've already learned so much from your grandfather. You're a natural. You exude confidence."
"I still need you by my side, baby."
"What are you suggesting?"
"I really don't know," he admitted, "The only thing I'm certain of is that I need you."
"Don't you think that's a bit possessive?"
"What do you mean?"
I guess this is as good of a time as ever to bring up his rudeness with Brody. "Today at lunch," I reminded him.
"What about it?" he tried to play it off nonchalantly.
"You were being very rude," I told him straight up.
I saw his body tense up as he replied, "The fucker wanted in your panties, Anastasia."
"Christian!" I admonished, "No he doesn't. Why do you think that?"
"You didn't see the way he looked at you today. He was practically eye-fucking you."
"No, he was not."
"Are you defending him, Anastasia?" I could see the anger building in his demeanor.
"No!" I shouted in a whisper, "I just think it's ridiculous that you think every guy wants to fuck me. Because they don't! For goodness sake Christian, Brody's just a nice guy who I talked to briefly in my English Lit class today. There's nothing there. Do you not trust me?"
"Of course I trust you. It's the guys I don't trust. Need I remind you of junior year at Colton's party?"
Fuck, maybe he did have a point. I knew he cares deeply about my safety. I knew he'd always have jealousy issues, but I thought he'd settle down a bit. Boy, was I wrong.
I pouted knowing Christian had a valid point. It would kill him to see me in that helpless position again. I did have a problem trusting people too easily. I'd like to think that people have good intentions. I was the optimist in the relationship while Christian was the pessimist.
"Look, baby," Christian said tenderly, grabbing my hand, "I'll work on my attitude. I just… I just don't ever want to see you get taken advantage of again."
I gave him a warm smile and held his hand across the table.
"Thank you… And I'd love to help you with Grey Enterprises. I just… I don't want to be a disappointment to you," I admitted.
"You'll never be a disappointment to me, angel. And look, I know Grey Enterprises isn't your dream; it's mine. But I'd love it if you were involved when we start out. You make me a better person. You make me believe in myself. I know you talked about owning a publishing company, and I want to make all your dreams come true, baby."
Christian had such a way with words. I had tears forming in my eyes. This was the sweetest, most perfect man ever, and he was all mine.
"Christian, of course, I'll help you with the business. I want you to succeed more than anyone."
"That's so nice to hear."
Christian practically forced me to order dessert even though I told him I was on a diet. A girl's gotta keep her body looking good for her man!
Even after many protests, we ordered a chocolate souffle and a creme brulee to share.
The conversation shifted from an emotional one to a business one.
"I know you were looking into buying a company in Seattle. Are you still interested in it, or are you going to look at other more local options?" I asked.
"I'm definitely scrapping that first company in Seattle. I think we're just way too far to make the acquisition effective. Plus, from what my grandfather told me, I'm not so sure the owner would be willing to sell to someone as young as me."
I nodded and asked, "Is there a specific industry you're looking at? Because I'm sure there's a plethora of failing businesses in Boston that you could make a profit selling off."
"I was thinking about manufacturing," he responded, "Most of the heavy machinery can be sold to other companies. I'm pretty sure making a profit off that deal shouldn't be too hard."
"And you need me to help you find the perfect company," I stated, already knowing what he needed from me.
"Exactly."
We continued eating our decadent desserts in comfortable silence when I blurted out, "Grey Enterprises Holdings."
There it was. The perfect name for his company. GEH. I loved it. I hoped he did too.
"Grey Enterprises Holdings," he repeated back to me with a beaming smile on his face, "It's perfect."
Christian's POV
The first week of school came and went really fast. I was now fully confident in saying that college was so fucking boring. I sat in class, and all I could think about was how useless it was. I just had so many ideas about starting and growing my business that basic econ and accounting classes were a waste of my time.
On the bright side, Ana and I found the perfect company ripe for a takeover. It was a relatively small clothing manufacturing company that was based in Boston. They were going to go under in a few months and the owners were looking to sell as soon as possible.
I'd already consulted with my grandfather, and he thought it was a good investment. The only problem was that the company is selling for $1 million, and I just spent that money on Ana's engagement ring. My parents would definitely know something was up if I randomly spent $2 million dollars in only a week.
Ana offered to give me the money, but I didn't want to put her in that position. My grandfather insisted that he would give me the million dollars as a gift for graduating high school. I wouldn't accept the money as a gift, so we settled on a loan, which I intended to pay back in full with interest.
As of now, I haven't told anyone other than Ana, Jerry, and my grandfather of my plans to start GEH. Even though I wasn't not dropping out of college yet, I knew my parents would be skeptical. In my heart, I knew that all they wanted was the best for me. They were definitely going to think that starting this business so young and so inexperienced would be a mistake, but it was a chance I was willing to take.
I planned on telling my family if the initial investment turned into something. Ana was sure it was going to be a success with all the work we'd both put in just looking for the best possible first company to purchase.
Ana's POV
I was so proud of Christian. He was so close to purchasing his first company. I knew he was going to be a huge success. I could feel it in my bones.
In other news, I had really been enjoying college so far. On the other hand, I could tell Christian was miserable going to class every day. I knew he'd rather be doing other things like planning how he was going to tear apart the company and sell it off to the highest bidder. But he was stuck twiddling his thumbs in econ and our writing seminar classes.
Christian's been working his ass off the whole week, trying to make every detail of this deal absolutely perfect. He even managed to get the owner to lower the price by a hundred thousand dollars. Christian tried giving the extra hundred grand back to his grandfather, but he refused, saying if Christian wouldn't take the million dollars as a gift, he would at least take the hundred grand as one.
Christian wanted to spoil me with something extravagant, but I encouraged him to spend it on himself. I already had everything I could ever want or need.
Christian ended up buying himself some pilot lessons. I always knew how much he wanted to fly, so I was more than happy he did something for himself.
Christian wanted to be able to take me on a private helicopter ride through Seattle's cityscape, and I couldn't wait until that day that became a reality.
Oh, I almost forgot to update you guys on Ros. She was such a lovely girl. Even though I desperately missed my best friend Kate, Ros was so fun to be around. She reminded me a lot of Kate, in fact. We became fast friends.
She had the same no-nonsense attitude and bubbly personality – not to mention the amazing fashion sense too. She was also extremely intelligent. She was definitely doing much better in econ than I was. I really needed to choose a different major. I was dying here.
Two weeks later
Christian's POV
I couldn't wait to tell Ana how much we profited from our first deal. I turned a $900,000 starting investment into a $1 million profit. Wow, I really couldn't believe I did it.
I'd been working all day and night to push all these deals through. Ana had been helping me whenever she wasn't doing schoolwork. Whether it be doing monotonous paperwork or doing research on prospective buyers, Ana has been by my side the whole way.
I wish I could've convinced her to be my co-CEO, but I knew this isn't what she wanted to do. I was even surprised she convinced herself into taking business as a major. I knew she wasn't completely in it. I didn't want to say anything bad about her father, but I felt as if she made the choice to major in business because of him. I was the one who convinced her to at least do what made her happy and minor in English Literature.
In all honesty, I could really see her making fashion and design her career. I saw how much time she spent planning her outfits every day, and she had a keen sense of style. I didn't think she realized that fashion could be a career for her. I personally believed she would love it.
Anyways, back to the business. In short, I took the clothing manufacturing company and sold off bits and pieces of it to larger conglomerates, but I won't bore you with the details. But wow, one million dollars all made on my own. I was incredulous.
I also got Ana's ring sent from the jeweler at Cartier a few days ago. It was absolutely stunning, and I knew it would look perfect on Ana's finger. The ring ended up totaling 10 carats. The main diamond was a flawless 5-carat emerald cut sparkler. The ring also had two smaller diamonds that surround the main one, each totaling 2 carats. The band was also covered in diamonds, which completed the 10 carat total.
I hid the classic red Cartier box in my sock drawer. I know, very creative! I didn't know when I was going to propose yet, but I knew I was going to have to do something spectacular to surprise Ana.
We were supposed to fly back to Seattle for Thanksgiving break, so I was thinking I might do it there. Or I could wait for the holiday season. It was Ana's favorite time of the year, so I could create a winter wonderland proposal scene.
Fuck! I should've probably asked her dad's permission to marry his daughter. Fuck Grey! How could you overlook that little detail? As much as Ray liked me, I was still skeptical if he'd allow his 19-year-old daughter to get engaged. We would just have to see…
Line break
Ana and I were cuddling in her bed after making love for the third time tonight. It was a Friday night and most of the Harvard students were out partying, Jerry included. But I would much rather be having a night in with my beautiful angel.
Sadly, we were not at her penthouse in the sky, we were in a college dorm room. The usual moonlight that illuminated her natural beauty from her penthouse bedroom wasn't present. But that didn't change how I saw her. She was still a sight to look at even in the dark. It was like she wore a halo wherever she went. My personal angel.
I always loved the cuddling part after sex. I never thought I'd be this close with a woman, let alone crave it. In some ways, it felt even more intimate than the sex. My favorite thing to do post-sex was to bury my head into her thick mahogany hair. It always smelled like roses and vanilla. Mmmm, roses for Anastasia Rose. Hopefully soon, Anastasia Rose Grey.
This was the first time I had enough time to make love to her properly in what seemed like months when in reality it was only a couple of weeks. I'd been super busy with securing all these business deals, that I only had time for a quick fuck.
Ana didn't mind. In fact, she loved when I played rough with her. But I knew we were both craving the intimacy that comes with slow, passionate loving making.
"I missed this," Ana stated as I ran my fingers through her hair, combing out the knots I created from pulling on her luscious locks.
"Me too baby… me too," I murmured, "I'm sorry I've been so busy lately…"
"Don't be," she interjected, "I know you're passionate about this. And I fully support you. How are the deals going by the way?"
"Wonderfully," I smiled.
"Care to expand?"
"Extraordinarily," I informed her, "All the deals have gone through."
"And?" she asked impatiently, waiting for the full report.
"We made a million dollars on the sales," I said proudly.
"What?" she exclaimed, "That's amazing!" She squealed and gave me a big hug.
"You're the first one I've told."
"We have to tell Jerry tomorrow, then," she declared, "And your parents. And we can't forget Grandpa Trevelyan. Everyone is going to be so proud of you."
"I think we can hold off on telling the family."
It might have sounded crazy, but I didn't want my parents to know just yet. Just based off the past few weeks of non-stop work, I knew that continuing this business while still in college would be impossible. Not to mention my first priority of keeping Ana happy. I was only one person, and I'd been stretched too thin.
I haven't been able to spend as much time with Ana as I would like, and it was killing me. It was either quit the business or quit college because I sure as hell was not giving up Ana. She was the best Goddamn thing I had in my life, and without her all the money meant nothing.
"Why not?" she inquired.
"I think I'm going to drop out." The tone of my voice was nervous, in anticipation of Ana's reaction.
"So soon?"
"Baby, these past few weeks I've been neglecting you and your needs. I don't want to be a boyfriend who's never there. It's either give up college or the business."
"You know I support you. I just want you to make sure you've thought through your decision. And I don't want to be the reason why you dropped out of college."
"You're not to blame, baby. I just have no interest here. I'm bored out of my mind. Plus, think of the bright side, I'll have more free time to spend with you, baby. I know you have needs." I gave her a playful wink.
She lightly slapped my chest to chastise me for my innuendo then shifted the conversation back to a serious tone. "You're sure about this?" She looked up into my eyes like she was searching for the answer in my soul.
"100 percent," I stated confidently.
"I'm so proud of you."
A month into school, and I was no longer a college student. Most recently, I had set up shop in Ana's apartment that was meant to be used as storage for her clothes. For now, that would be the headquarters for GEH. I was hoping to find office space for the business in the future, but right now it was just me. No office space needed.
I still hadn't worked up the courage to call Ana's father yet. We were supposed to fly back to Seattle for Thanksgiving break next week, and Ana's dad was coming as well. I was still debating whether to call him on the phone so he didn't strangle me for wanting to marry his daughter or spring it on him during the holidays. I was leaning towards the phone call, so he couldn't physically kill me.
GEH was doing great. I was probably going to have to hire a second-in command soon. I have already made a second acquisition that made a hefty profit of $3 million. I was now working on my third deal and was trying to acquire another manufacturing company.
Ana had been drowning in schoolwork, so she didn't have as much time to help me with GEH. She was telling me to bring in Ros, but I didn't know if I should just yet. I thrived on control, and even though Ana trusted Ros and thought she was brilliant, I still had problems with trusting people. But I knew I was definitely going to need help soon.
Today was the day. I had finally worked up enough courage to call Ray.
"Hello Ray," I said into the phone.
"Christian! How's Harvard treating you?"
Well, that was awkward. Here comes the 'I dropped out of Harvard bomb.'
"Ummm, that's partially what I wanted to speak to you about."
"What is it, son?"
"I don't know if Ana's told you anything, but I recently just started a business."
"Well, that's wonderful, son. I love young entrepreneurs. But what does that have to do with Harvard?"
"Sir, I dropped out of college. I'm going to pursue the business full time."
I could hear his shock from the deafening silence. "And this business… What's your plan?"
"Well, it's basically just mergers and acquisitions, but I can see room for expansion into different sectors in the future," I rambled nervously, quite uncharacteristic of me, "And my first two deals have already gone through. I can show you all the financials if you'd like, but I've profited about $4 million in just over a month."
"That's impressive, son. And where'd you get the startup capital?"
"My grandfather," I replied.
"Is that all you wanted to speak to me about?"
"Well, no actually," I sounded more and more nervous by the second, "It's about your daughter."
"What about my daughter?" His tone of voice sounded more stern.
"I love your daughter, sir. More than anything. And, I… I… I know we're young, but I know we're each other's soulmates. So I guess what I'm asking for is your permission to ask her to become my wife."
His silence said a thousand words.
"Ray?" I asked, trying to get his attention.
"My daughter's only 19."
"I'm aware, sir. But age isn't going to change how I feel about your daughter. I'll still feel the same about her 10, 20 years from now."
"Then why not wait until you're older?"
"Why should we?" I retorted, "I know we're young. Stupidly young. But I love her, and there's no time like the present."
"I trust you have a ring picked out already?"
Wait, was he really going to say yes?! Holy mother of God.
"I'm sorry, sir?" I said incredulously.
"The ring. For my daughter. When you ask her to marry you," he clarified.
"Yes, sir. I have it already."
"Good. Now when is this proposal taking place?"
"I was thinking over Thanksgiving break. But nothing's set in stone yet."
"Good. And Christian…"
"Yes?"
"If you ever hurt my daughter, I will make it my mission to destroy you."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."