Chapter 13
First Date
"Once upon a time, there lived a little girl from Spokane who aspired to be a world well-known painter. But beyond the fine line strokes of her brush and her starry view of the world, she was romantic by heart. Meet Ana, she moved to Seattle and despite changing her city, she remained unfortunate in love."
While I brushed my hair in front of the boudoir, a deep male voice narrated my whole life as if it were a trailer to a 2000s romantic comedy movie. I smiled dreamily as the imaginary narration continued on:
"After one chance encounter or two with a handsome yet serious Seattleite businessman, Christian Grey, she finds herself falling in love with him. Follow Ana and Christian as they journey along India for a Bollywood romance of a lifetime-"
No, no... I shook my head at that. Christian and I won't fit well in the Bollywood scene. I pushed the button in rewind and replayed the trailer once more:
"Follow Ana and Christian as they fall in love. Will this be love? Or will this just be another cliche?"
"Of course, it would be love!" I told myself in the mirror.
Ever since Christian's boombox-way of serenading this morning, I practically spent the entire day recalling the look on his face and feeling my heart thumping beneath my chest. Thankfully, I was able to remain focus while teaching the new illustrators of the proper formats and how to align the cover with the author's vision.
When 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' stopped playing on the boombox, Christian stood straight and even from my window, I saw his cheeks turn bright red. He seemed taken aback at the courage he showed as he displayed that grand gesture. He typed something on his phone and a few minutes later, my phone buzzed. It was an email!
Subject: First Date
Hi Ana,
I am writing to express my genuine interest to ask if you would consider joining me for a first date. I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversations, and I believe a formal evening would be a splendid way for us to get to know each other better.
I have taken the liberty of planning an elegant evening that would allow us to engage in quality conversation. Considering the formal setting, I kindly request that we both dress in formal attire.
I would be more than happy to pick you up at the hotel lobby at 7:00 PM
Should you choose to accept my invitation, I assure you that I will make every effort to ensure this evening will be memorable. Our mutual comfort and enjoyment are of utmost importance to me.
Please take your time to consider this invitation. Please revert if you require any further information.
Best Regards,
Christian Grey
COO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.
I can't help but laugh at the email he sent. On one hand, he went all romantic just like John Cusack in Say Anything but on the other hand, he really was just a serious businessman who was finally giving love another try.
I replied to his email with:
Hi Christian,
After careful consideration, I am delighted to accept your kind proposal and look forward to spending an enjoyable evening with you.
Until then, anticipate the pleasure of our meeting.
Kind Regards,
Anastasia Rose Steele
Lotus Publishing Illustrator
I gazed at him from the window and he flashed the biggest smile.
We went ahead with our day and in the back of my mind, the thought about tonight made me feel like my dreams about love and romance were finally coming true. It was overwhelming.
7:00 in the Evening . . .
The time had finally arrived and I went to the lobby feeling like the prettiest I had ever been in my entire life.
I wore a black dress that reached right above the knee, its fit emphasized my slender figure, and the long sleeves added a touch of class. The necklace I wore was with a sapphire pendant so it matched well with my blue handbag. I slightly curled up my bob cut and my makeup was light-just perfect for the evening.
When I reached the hotel lobby, he was already there. As usual, he wore his gray suit but unlike before, there seemed to be something different about him. He looked like he was pacing back and forth but when he looked at my direction and saw me, I saw him dramatically widen his eyes and languidly form a smile.
"Hi, Christian," I greeted.
"Hello, Ana," he grinned at me before offering his arm.
I stared at him incredulously before clutching his arm.
"Are you ready for tonight?" He asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be," I replied.
With that, he led me to a black sedan waiting outside.
During our whole ride, I couldn't help but realize how I had been treated so badly by my exes. We hadn't even arrived in the restaurant yet but I already felt how Christian prepared this evening for me. In the past, I was always overdressed or underdressed. One time, one of my exes forgot to bring his card so I had to be the one to make a payment. Also another time, I prepared for 45 minutes to have my hair and makeup done, only for the date to last for 5 minutes because there was an 'emergency'.
This time felt different. This time felt like the universe shifted.
"How come you drive so well, Christian?" I asked him. Unlike in the States, Indians drive from the right-hand side. Christian's surprisingly good at it. He looked like a natural.
"I've spent most of my time here as a travel journalist," he answered.
Right. Before becoming a businessman, Christian was a writer.
"I see. So that's why you're fluent with Hindi too," I stated.
He slowly nodded. He added, "This is a beautiful place, Ana."
"I agree," I really did. As he drove down the city, I gazed outside the bustling metropolis. There were a lot of people in sight and that just made the city more alive. Sure, the traffic was crazy but I've never been anywhere livelier. Tall buildings were everywhere and there were temples too. I had to pinch myself. I made it to India. And I was with a great first date.
I needed background music so I asked Christian, "Can I turn the radio on?"
"Sure, you can. You're the DJ of my passenger side, Ana," he told me and that made me smile. I loved that title.
I turned the stereo on and from one channel to another, they mostly played Indian music. I couldn't really relate but there's this one catchy tune and Christian sang along with it. The whole time while we were in the ride, I smiled as I looked at him. He was enjoying himself singing to this Indian music. He just looked . . . happy.
We arrived in front of a public square with fusion of golden and neon lights. He entrusted the car with the valet and he led me to this fancy restaurant on the third floor of the building.
It seemed like my jaw dropped all the way back to Seattle when the entrance door opened. The entire room was colored in charcoal shade and there was a pianist in the middle. He was playing sweet music, just loud enough to be heard but low enough to let diners engage in a good conversation.
Our server led us to our table and it was somewhere in the middle. We were seated between a table of two Indian businessmen and a table of a British family who was having an argument.
"So, let's order?" Christian asked.
The night went on spectacularly. It had been days of eating spices and bread so upon seeing that this was an Italian restaurant, I just ordered whatever I wanted. I didn't care.
While I ate, Christian did most of the talking and I loved it. I loved that he was opening up.
He talked about writing and how his dream was fulfilled when he became a travel journalist.
"Among all the countries you've travelled to and written stories about, which was your favorite?"
He grinned, "Well, it would be India. First of all, India's the very first place I wrote a feature for in a magazine. I have been to Mumbai, Jaipur, Goa, Calcutta, and Delhi. Everything about the place just mesmerizes me. As a first timer, I just felt like this place left a mark on me."
"I can see that. And aside from India? Which country was your favorite?"
"Oh, Poland. You saw how much I love Indian pop music, right? Wait until you see me listening to Polish songs. They're spectacular," he shared.
That made me realize how much he really appreciated music.
"Would you like to get another plate of pasta, Ana?" Christian smiled.
"Yes, please," so he ordered one for me.
I practically devoured my third plate and he just laughed at me. He wasn't judgemental and he most certainly wasn't acting snobbish. He looked as though he was enjoying watching me eat our meal. With him, I could act like a hungry monster and still feel comfortable about it.
By the time we got to dessert, I asked him, "If you loved travel journalism so much, why did you quit?"
"Because my mother died. Dad and Elliott were grieving and I was the only one strong enough to hold them together. I planned to go back into writing again but Dad and Elliott needed help running our companies and before I know it, I'm already 32 and it's been a long time," he said.
I didn't know what to say after that. He said his mother's death so casually that it somehow sparked a suspicion in me. Did he not grieve when she died?
Sensing the seriousness enveloping our atmosphere, he cleared his throat and asked, "So, enough about me. Let's talk about you."
"What about me? You practically know everything about me."
"I don't know a lot of things, Ana like uhm . . . your first pet."
"Oh! I adopted a cockroach when I was four! I named him Mr. Coffee Bean!"
Christian burst out laughing and then I talked about Mr. Coffee Bean and how I'll always consider him my first pet. Christian's face looked so bewildered when I narrated Mr. Coffee Bean's story-his first food, his adventurous flying moments (okay, it was horrifying for me), and ultimately, his untimely death when Dad stepped on him.
We talked for hours and hours about silly things and it was the best first date ever.
10 at Night . . .
When it was time to go, Christian didn't fail to remain the gentleman that he was. He led me back to the sedan and I was surprised when he revealed that he borrowed the car from Suraj.
As we drove back to the hotel, Christian abruptly stopped the car when a cow randomly crossed the road. There were a lot of cows here roaming around the city.
"Are you okay, Ana?" His voice was filled with concern.
"I'm fine," I assured. I looked at the cow and it decided to take a rest in the middle of the street. I guess this meant that we had to wait for it to decide to get up and move. Christian could honk at the cow, but I understood why he decided not to. He respected their culture and he didn't want to offend anybody.
After a few minutes, the cow got up and continued on crossing the road again.
We arrived back in the hotel and he offered to walk me to my hotel room. This time, I wasn't drunk so I was really happy about that. Christian stayed at the fifth floor.
As we stood in front of my door, Room 105, he and I smiled at each other . . . awkwardly. The night was perfect and it had to end? I didn't want it to end.
"So, ugh . . . yeah . . . uhm . . . thank you for tonight, Christian," I said.
"No, I should be the one thanking you. Thank you, Ana."
We paced in front of each other until we shook hands. We shook hands!
"Bye," Christian said awkwardly before rushing to the elevator.
Just like that, it ended. Our night ended. I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes. This didn't feel right. I got inside my room and when I slammed the door ajar, I rested my back against it.
Really? We shook hands and he practically ran to the elevator?
Really? That's how things ended? That's how my best first date ends?
We didn't even kiss?
No, Ana! You got this! You won't let it end this way. Okay, I will open my door and go up to Christian's hotel room and get mad at him for letting our moment end this way. I took a deep breath and gathered all my willpower. I was coming after him.
"Okay, Ana, on a count to three, you'll be opening your door and head upstairs to Christian's. One, two, three..."
When I opened the door though, I was startled. Christian was already there. He looked like he was about to knock and by the looks of it, he was fidgety.
"Christian-"
Taking one step closer to me, his rough yet warm hands cupped my face and in the strangest rush, he pulled my face close to his until he leaned in for a kiss. His soft warm lips pressed against mine.
The deep voice in my head narrated once more:
"Love, it was definitely love for Ana and Christian."
Author's Note:
Hi everyone,
First of all, I apologize for not updating the story as early as I usually do. I was under the weather for the past couple of days.
Thank you so much for reading.
What do you think about this chapter?
Thank you.