Chapter 3: Highways and Motels
Author's Note!
Hahaha hello readers. Don't be so worried about this story. Even though I've started another one about Christian and Ana, I will still be writing this one. Helloooo, I'm in love with the idea of Ethan and Ana. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this one :)
I had my legs against the drawer area of the rental car. Ethan had decided that we could have a choice of flying home if we rented. The sun was setting and I tugged my cap lower down to shield eyes. Ethan thumped to the beat of M83's Midnight City, the best song on the Warm Bodies' sound track.
Ethan had thoughtfully downloaded Warm Bodies into his iPad to keep me preoccupied on the long trip. It would take us at least three days to get to DC. "Wanna stop for some..." Ethan peered out of the window, squinting his eyes to scan the upcoming shops along the road. "Starbucks?"
"Starbucks!" I chimed, then shot him a disapproving look. "If you keep stopping for me, we're never going to make it." Like the considerate gentleman he was, Ethan constantly pulled over and random gas stations and eateries. Just in case I needed to use the toilet or was hungry.
He laughed and winked at me, "Who says that's not part of the plan? We could just buy a house along the way and settle down."
My eyebrows rose and I gawked at him, smiling. "Never took you to be that kind of guy."
"Oh Ana, sweetheart." Ethan shook his head as he chuckled. "I'd go anywhere as long as you're there with me."
The blush rose in my cheeks and I cast my gaze out of the car. He always said these sweet things. Just as I did, Ethan halted at a Starbucks lot. "Ethan!"
"Don't pretend you'd turn down a latte right now, babe." Ethan poked me in the ribs, inducing laughter as I smacked his hand.
"Fine!" I rose my hands in surrender. "An iced green tea latte does sound brilliant."
Ethan winked at me playfully, "What can I say? I know what women want." He dove to open my door, "Just in case you beat me to it."
I giggled and waved him away, sliding out of the car. Heading into Starbucks, Ethan caught up with me and put his arm around my shoulder. I ravished in the warmth of another human being, more importantly, it was Ethan's. A few people looked up as we entered.
"How may I help you?" The charming and bouncy young blonde girl behind the counter asked.
Ethan gave her a broad smile, "Venti Mocha Frappe with Java Chip and a grande skinny iced green tea latte for the lady."
"Right away!" She practically winked at him and danced off.
I jabbed Ethan in the ribs, "She's totally into you!" I whispered under my breath as she returned.
"And... I need your name for the coffee?" Clearly, this was another way to get names. She seemed rather abashed, waving the pen in the air nervously.
Ethan deliberated a second too long. "He's Ethan Kavanagh. K-A-V-A-N-A-G-H." I said on his behalf, helping the poor girl along. Ethan punished me by slapping me across my ass. I yelped and rubbed, giggling as he paid the bill.
"You two make a great couple." She gushed, a tinge of envy in her voice.
I could not restrain the blush that colored my face. " Thank you." Ethan accepted the compliment, literally glowing.
" Ethan!" Another lady called, waving our drinks from the other end of the bar.
" Nice meeting you." Ethan said firmly, giving her a nod of his head as he guided me towards our drinks. As we retrieved them, I made a grab for the free magazines situated at the counter.
Ethan handed me my drink, "Toilet for the mademoiselle?"
I narrowed my eyes at him, "We've had toilet breaks every fifteen minutes! I'm starting to think you don't ever want to reach DC."
He chortled insincerely, "I've told you to start looking for houses, sweetheart."
Sticking out my tongue at him, I marched towards the car. Ethan caught up with me and opened the doors. "The next stop will be Best Western alright?" I clarified with Ethan. He gave me a shrug and a playful wink.
As we made it back onto the highway, I began flipping through the magazines. Unfortunately, it was nothing like Seventeen. Instead or celebrity gossips and whatnots, it was one of those classy magazines that talked about formal things.
Rolex watches. Booming businesses in China. Economic trends. I froze at the page, my hand cold around plastic sheet as I stared into grey eyes. Peering right at me was Christian Grey himself, in an expensive tuxedo and that same grey tie...
"USA's hottest and richest bachelor, Christian Trevylan-Grey." The caption read. I clenched my jaw and shut the magazine. I did not even know what to think.
"What's the matter?" Ethan asked from behind the wheel, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.
I folded my arms and looked out the window, not wishing to talk to anybody at all. Christian Grey was running through my thoughts uncontrollably. Trillionaire CEO. I recalled our funny moments, the love we shared.
Everything seemed to remind me of him. Cars pointed out our trips in the Audi and my sub special. The sky reminded me vaguely of his beautiful eyes, clouded with brooding. The mere colour of the road...
"L. I. F. E. G. O. E. S. O. N." Ethan sang, swinging his body like a pendulum to the beat.
"What?" I directed my attention to him, watching in amusement as he tapped along to the beat. "I'm pretty sure you're mocking me."
"Me?" He feigned innocence. "I'm just singing a song!"
I stuck my tongue out at him. "Sure you are!"
"Heyyyy, keep the PMS to yourself, sweetie." Now he was really teasing me.
"This isn't PMS!" I was exasperated. I reached for the magazine and turned the spread for him. "Look!"
Ethan's face soured and he sighed. "You have to get over him, love."
"Normal break-ups I can deal with. Not when your ex is forever across magazine spreads or maybe on The television!" I pressed my ears closed with my palms, feeling like my world just got a whole lot smaller. "He's everywhere and I can't shake him off my mind!"
Warm skin clasped itself around my wrist and jerked gently, pulling my hand off my ear. "Ana, it doesn't matter who he is. You're strong enough to move on."
"But what if I'm not?" I snapped. "What if all there is to me is Christian?"
"Then I'd feel sorry for you." Ethan's words surprised me, not exactly on the kind frequency. "Letting yourself rot over someone you barely know."
"What?" I whimpered.
Ethan shrugged nonchalantly. "You were strong enough to leave him, so you'll be strong enough to move on. You cut it off before it got too deep."
Was that what Christian and I was? A shallow relationship? That did not sound like it at all... He had let me into his dark world and I had let him into mine, literally. I closed my eyes and leaned back into the headrest. My thoughts revolved around Christian… I found myself wondering what he was doing at the moment.
I imagined him in his tower, overseeing the Seattle world in his mighty oyster. He would be strong and he would move on. Christian Grey was never one to trip over anything. He got anything and everything he wanted. The trillionaire CEO was king of his world.
CPOV
I am the king of my world. The king of the world even. I look at the time. It's noon and I am still in bed. As relaxed as I am, I tuck both my hands behind my head and stare up at the ceiling. With no doubt, I had enough money to do this for the rest of my life.
"Sir." Taylor's voice resounded from my bedroom door. "Grace would like to see you."
Hell. I cursed myself. If there was somebody who would kick me in the ass for slacking off, it would be my own mother. I could imagine Grace in all her glory waiting for me in the dining room, she must have brought along a truckload of reprimands and questions.
Before I knew it, my bedroom door was thrown open. "Christian Trevylan-Grey!" Grace scolded as she stepped in uninvited.
The light from the outside world was too bright for my eyes, I threw my arm over my eyes. "What Grace? What do you want?" I groaned.
I felt her lower herself down onto my bed, "Oh darling, I'm so sorry."
That seemed to grab my attention. Just as she pulled me into her motherly embrace, I opened my eyes to watch her begin to hold me. Grace was holding me? My heart thumped unevenly. Only Ana held me like this… what gave her the nerve?!
"Christian." Grace cooed, "You're going to be alright."
"Of course I'm alright!" I snapped.
"My poor baby." She soothed, her hands stroking my head. The whole scene felt… so… nice. I leaned into my mother's hold and snuggled up into her, curling my feet under me. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I began to draw comfort from her embrace.
"Mom, she left me." Was all I could whisper before the event that had occurred three days ago stabbed me in the heart once more. The memory of the love of my life telling me she could no longer look at me… I was breathless as the pain returned.
Grace's fingers in my hair were a source of comfort, I lavished in them as the tears began to spill over my eyelids. "She just needs some space, sweetheart."
"Space?" I whined. "No mom, it's over. She's gone." Why else would I lock myself in my bedroom for the past three days? I would only allow Gail to come in and out with my daily meals, other than that, I was to stay put in my room.
Grace pulled back from me to stare at me in shock, "What happened to my confident son?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "The son I raised is a fighter! He never gave up."
"It's not a choice mom, she's gone!" I was exasperated, beginning to recline from Grace.
She sighed loudly and folded her arms across her chest. "Enough of 'she's gone'. Because she's not. She's still alive, isn't she?" I nodded. "Then she's not truly gone."
"She doesn't want me anymore." I whimpered, like a dog with a broken paw. "She doesn't."
"Christian… how did you become like this?" Grace was worried for once.
I was broken. There was nothing in the world that could motivate me to get out of bed at the moment. Ana was gone and so was my world. Even if she was still alive, her rejection was enough to prove that she was gone from my world. She would exist in the world, just not mine.
"Sweet child, you can't just give up like this." Grace scolded. "That girl is the only girl for you, Christian. I don't want any other daughter-in-law except her and you're telling me that you're giving up?"
"You don't know what I did, mom." I was suddenly very depressed. If my infidelity had not materialized, I would be chasing Anastasia Steele right this moment. Unfortunately, I had cheated on the love of my life and that was a full stop.
"Of course I know." But how? "Kate and Elliot told me, that's why I'm here."
Leave it to my elder brother and his annoying little girlfriend to spread the news faster than any magazine or newspaper could. "So you'll know how hopeless this all is. The battle is lost."
"I've told you, dear child." Grace nuzzled the back of my head lovingly. "It's not completely lost if she's alive and breathing."
I desired to have her back in my arms, back in Escala with me. I would never let her go again, never ever. I intended to marry Anastasia Steele and settle down. The inner hunger to change 'Steele' to 'Grey' within me growled. But I was now barricaded by my infidelity.
Regret had eaten me from the inside out the moment I had been in Leila. It felt so wrong, it was wrong. Leila was not Ana, she could never be. Even through my courtship with Ana, I struggled with the inner desire for someone more… submissive. But the moment I had a taste of that with Leila, everything changed. I was now aware that animalistic sex was nothing compared to the sweet love-making I could have with Ana.
In all its ugliness, there was a plus side to my infidelity. That was that my love and loyalty to Ana was now stronger than ever. Unfortunately, she was not going to be around to have a taste of my newfound love for her. She had upped and left, just as I had imagined from day one.
I was undeserving of love. Especially the pure, innocent, overwhelming love of Anastasia Steele. I closed my eyes and found myself staring into her beautiful blue eyes. They reminded me of the vast blue ocean that stretched for miles. The same one the crack whore had taken me to when I was little. They had a soothing factor, a warming charm within them that told me I was safe.
I could hear her laughter ringing in my ears. The bright chime of her laugh accompanied by the mind-blowing smile she would have whenever I teased her. With Ana, I was in a state of bliss and happiness. Her happiness translated into my happiness.
My thoughts were interrupted by her tears, the salt water streaming down her cheeks as she had stepped away from me. The realization had hit me that I could no longer make her smile and laugh the way I did. The wound I had left in her was far too deep than anything could heal.
"Christian, you've got to try." Grace whispered. "If you don't try, you'll never know."
Grace was right. The wound I had created in her could only be healed by me. I had hurt her, the love of my life, and the only way out was to love her to the ends of the world and back. She deserved my love, even if she did not want it.
A seed of determination sprouted within me. "Taylor!" I called and the man stepped into the bedroom.
"Yes, Mr. Grey." He said, a spark of joy in his eyes having seen me for the first time in three days.
I sat up on my knees and gave him a curt nod. "Find me Ana's location."
PLEASEEEE REVIEWWWW AND FAVOURITEEEE SO I KNOW TO CONTINUE.
L. I. F. E.G. O. E. S. O. N. ; Island Def Jam
Mr Brightside; The Killers
Better Together; Jack Johnson