Chapter Four-Proposals

She falls onto the bed with a blank expression as she stares at me open-mouthed.

I stay quiet a few minutes to let the shock wear off, but when she doesn't say anything for almost five minutes I break the silence.

"Ana?"

She seems to snap out of it and her blue eyes blaze at me. She stands up in a rush and glowers down at me.

"Have you lost your everloving mind?" she yells. "I cannot believe you would even have the audacity to ask me that, I mean marriage? To you?" she openly scoffs at the thought while shaking her head.

"It would only be temporary," I remark.

She rubs her forehead frantically. "Temporary or not you're still asking me to be your wife, Christian!"

I stand up in front of her and take her hands into mine. "Look, I get that I'm asking a lot, and you have to understand how desperate I must be to ask you to do this for me. But seriously, look at it from my standpoint, Ana. You saw what happened today at dinner. I need money to start my business so I can prove to my family that life without a college degree isn't the end of the world." I look at her with pleading eyes. "I need this, Ana. I need to prove them wrong. I want them to realize that they should've had faith in me to be successful without an Ivy League diploma in my hand."

She stares at me. I watch as different emotions pass through her eyes. She blinks and looks down. "I don't know, Christian." She looks back up at me. "I can barely stand you on good days. I think maybe you should find someone else to-"

"No one else would understand the way you would, Ana. And I consider that a good thing that we can barely stand each other. That means our expectations won't be high." I step back and run my hand through my hair. "Look, I'm not expecting you to accept this right now. Just think about it, okay? You have my number," I say as I leave the boathouse.

When I get back to my room I don't know what to do. I don't feel like watching TV, I don't want to read, I don't want to socialize with my family. I decide to just take a long hot shower in hopes of washing away my rapidly building stress.

When I get out of the shower, I wrap a warm fluffy towel around my waist and head towards my closet to grab some pajamas. The chime of my phone alerting me of a new message pulls me back into my room.

I unlock my phone and see I have a text from Ana.

*You told me what you'd be getting out of a marriage to me, but what would I be getting from it?

The trust fund contains $700,000. I'll give you 15% of that.*

I wait for a reply but one doesn't come. I throw my phone down on my bed and put my pajamas on. I flop onto my mattress and put my earphones into my phone, wanting to listen to music to pass the time. I play my Brian Culbertson soundtrack to relax me, and before I know it I'm dozing off.

When I wake up, I look up at the clock and see that it's only two in the morning. My body clock is still on London time. I try to go back to sleep but I can't even though I feel exhausted. I get up to use the bathroom, and when I sit up I accidently pull my earphones from my ears. I pick up my phone and try to press the home button, but soon realize my phones dead. I groan and throw it aside and go use the bathroom.

When I come back I turn on my bedside lamp and stare at nothing. But think of everything. I wonder if I already had money where I would be? I know for a fact I would have my own apartment. I love my family even though they piss me off, but I'm ready to live on my own. I'm tired of people breathing down my neck and constantly asking me questions. Maybe that's what I should do with the money I saved up from my internship? I might as well do something with it that will push me forward in my life.

I sigh as I roll onto my side.

I know I'm only twenty-one, which is still pretty young, but I feel like I'm trapped in the same spot as I was when I was eighteen. I don't feel like I have many options right now and I'm not sure how to push ahead, let alone where to start.

I got a glowing review from Schwartz & Billingsley so I know if I wanted a job I have a good recommendation over my head, but that's the problem. I don't want a job. I want a career and I can't get that without money. It's always about fucking money.

I turn to my other side.

I wish Ana would just agree. It would be so easy and it's not like we would even have to see each other every day. I mean she's still in college and I'll be working hard to get my company up and running. Plus we're both still living at our parent's homes, so it's not like we wouldn't be able to see each other. And I think it'll be easy to convince my family that we're actually in love. Sometimes I really, really cannot stand the woman, but underneath all that bravado is some severe sexual tension. I know she feels it too. Whether I'd ever act on it is another problem altogether.

I flip onto my back.

My eyes find Kim Basinger's.

"Oh, Kim," I breathe. "How easy your life must be . . ."

I slowly open my eyes when I feel sunlight shining down on my eyelids. I hadn't realized that I fell asleep again, but I'm thankful I did. I would have driven myself mad with all my thoughts bouncing around in my head.

I rub my eyes as I stand up and go to the bathroom. I take my morning shit and shower, and leave the bathroom feeling refreshed. As I'm walking downstairs I decide I'd rather have breakfast with just Elliot instead of my entire family. I go to find him but once I step onto the ground floor, the front door opens and in walks Ana and Ray. Mr. Steele doesn't seem to notice me, but Ana's piercing gaze finds mine.

She grabs my hand and pulls me back up the stairs onto the second floor and into the hallway bathroom.

"Why didn't you answer my text, Idiot?" She questions me.

"Wow, good morning to you, too, sunshine. Aren't you just a sight for sore eyes?"

She rolls her eyes. "Just answer my question, asshole."

I cross my arms over my chest. "What message are you talking about, She-Devil?"

She glares at me and pinches my arm. "Ow!"

"You're such a wimp. Now answer my question."

"My phone died last night. I didn't even know you texted me back."

I reach over and flick her nose.

"Ow, Christian! You know I have a sensitive nose, why would you do that?"

"You pinched me."

"So that gives you the right to flick me?" Her baby blues are glaring holes into me.

She reaches out and I know she's going straight for the nipple. I fucking hate when she does that. And she knows I can't do it back to her which is why she does it.

"Don't even think about it," I hiss, holding her wrist in my grasp.

"Let go of me," she demands.

I push her away from me as I let go and hold my hands over my chest. She smirks at me. I roll my eyes.

"Since you're making such a big deal about this mysterious message you sent me, what did it say?"

"What?"

I glare at her. "Do you know how to fucking listen?"

"Do you know how to not be a fucking asshole?"

"Do you know how to not to a spoiled bitch?"

She glowers at me. "Fuck you, Christian. And to think I was actually going to agree to help with your pathetic excuse of a life."

She goes to the door and gets it open about an inch but I grab her by her upper arms and pull her back. "What? You were going to agree?"

"I was. But not anymore." She lets out a bitter laugh. "I can't believe I was actually going to agree to marry a piece of shit." She laughs again, more humorously this time. "I was going to marry honest to God shit!"

I glare at her and grip her arms tighter. "Will you just stop being irritating for one minute, Anastasia?"

She rolls her eyes. "Or what? You going to go boo-hoo to mommy?" She laughs again.

I've never been more tempted in my life to slap a woman. I dig my fingernails into her skin. She stops laughing to tell me that I'm hurting her.

"Good. Maybe now you'll keep your huge mouth shut." She tries to pull away but I only grip her tighter.

"Jeez, okay, Christian I'll stop just let go. You're seriously hurting me."

I let go and take a step back as she rubs her arms.

Her angry eyes meet mine. "I'll castrate you if I bruise."

"Promises, promises," I mutter flippantly. "Now do you or do you not agree to marry me?"

She raises her noise in the air haughtily. "I do not."

"Why, exactly?" I grit out through my teeth.

She looks me straight in the eye. "Because I don't want to have to tell people that I'm married to an asshole."

"Oh and you think you're my ideal wife? How do you think I'll feel having to tell people I'm married to the anti-Christ?"

She crosses her arms and scoffs. "You'd better be lucky I wasn't that evil. Your life would be worse than what it already is."

"Oh trust me, it's getting there."

She glowers at me as I glare at her. Neither one of us moves, or blinks, and if I'm right Ana's even stopped breathing. Then she lets her breath out harshly through her nose.

She throws her hands into the air. "See, this is why I said you should pick some other girl. It hasn't even been ten minutes and I'm ready to rip your head off!"

"Well if you would learn to keep your mouth shut once in a while, I'm sure you wouldn't feel that way. Sure you would learn a lot more too," I mutter the last part under my breath.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

She purses her lips. "And you wondered why I wouldn't marry you, you're such a child!"

My reply is just on the tip of my tongue but I close my mouth, knowing if I say something this bickering will go on forever. I look at her. "You're right. Some of my remarks were childish. I'm sorry."

She looks at me completely speechless. "Um . . ."

I smirk. "So now I'll ask you again. Will you marry me?"

She looks at me skeptically. "Give me one good reason I should agree to this?"

I don't have to think long about my answer. "Because I need you more than I've ever needed anyone else to make me happy."

She stares at me and then clears her throat. I see a small smile soften her lips. "Get down on one knee and ask me."

My shoulders slump. "Seriously?"

"Even if it's not a real marriage I still want to act like it is. Now don't take the fun out of the tradition. Get on one knee and ask me," she demands sternly.

I sigh, but for some reason I can't keep the small smile off my face.

Sinking down onto one knee, I take her left hand in both of mine and gaze up at her. "Anastasia Steele, will you be my wife?"

She looks down at me with a smirk on her face. "I guess," she answers resignedly.

I stand up and pull her into my arms. I close my eyes and inhale the flowery scent of her hair. I exhale softly as I whisper, "Thank you for doing this, Ana."

She's about to say something but we both pull away when we hear a loud gasp from the doorway. We both look over and there stands Mia with both hands covering her mouth and wide eyes.

Thanks for the lovely birthday wishes. It was a fun day despite it being Monday.

Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favorites.

SS&G xoxo