2. Chapter
The next time I see Christian Grey I am more aloof. I manage not to stare at his lips for too long and I don't shrink beneath his deep gaze. I also have mayonnaise in the corner of my mouth but that's beside the point. The skin around his gray eyes' crinkles slightly, as he gives me a mega-watt-smile obviously happy to see me. I gulp down the bite I took of my sub and greet him.
"What a surprise. I thought you were back in New York by now." He says kindly, gesturing to the empty seat across from me as a question. With a blush I wipe away the leftover mayo from my face as he gracefully sits down. Dressed in light pants, a dark blue shirt, and a wool cardigan, he looks smart with his MacBook case in one hand and a leather bag with a strap across his torso.
"I was going to leave yesterday but I still have some stuff to deal with around here." I tell him that my reason to visit Seattle in the first place was to handle some matters for my boss. While Jack is currently in Taiwan for the purchase of an ocean marine insurance company, accompanied by assistant #2, I got the duty in hand to manage the installation of high-tech security systems and the setup of his gym at his new place in Seattle. Apparently, that is much more important than any business deal. Said duty took longer than anticipated and by now I should be back in the office, especially since Jack is absent, but here I am at a deli with potential mayonnaise stains somewhere on my dress and Christian Grey sitting right across from me. Life is full of surprises.
"Oh, I know that place. That's close to the studio I work with." Christian tells me. The proud owner of the Escala building, Jack eventually decided to turn the penthouse into his own home away from home. I think he likes the view from up there but would rather bite the dust than to confess having mundane preferences like that. The question is if mundane is the right word to describe a luxurious high-rise apartment complex or its breathtaking view.
"Are you staying with your parents at Bellevue?" He asks after getting himself a sub and some soda. The conversation flows easily, somehow neither of us awkward nor shy. Not that Christian was ever the shy one out of us, but it is still impressive how he hasn't shown signs of discomfort neither last time we met nor now. I wonder if I have gotten more brazen but after our last meeting at the bar, I have decided not to feel scared of whatever has happened between us in the past. The past has passed. It's that simple, I tell myself.
"Nope, I am staying at a hotel in town. That way I don't have to ride back here from Bellevue every day, you know." I say with a shrug. "Beside somehow staying in my childhood bedroom doesn't seem… fun." I struggle to find the right word and giggle. The memories of the past silently raise their heads in the drawer I have put them somewhere on my mind, but quickly shut them down.
"But I will be at their place over the weekend, I think." I add and watch Christian's face light up with a smile.
"My parents are throwing their annual neighborhood charity dinner. I think your parents are invited. If you are in town maybe you could come, too."
Ah, yes. Mr. and Dr. Grey's annual charity dinner party for their nearest and dearest where they hope to get our neighborhood's members to donate money for a good cause. The object of their goodwill is a Seattle based charity organization called Coping Together for poor families and children in need. The dinner parties they hold are a private affair consisting of the neighborhoods' families and friends. They have been doing these types of things for as long as I can remember and I have memories of said evenings ending with great amounts of donations and even greater amounts of fun for our neighborhoods' older generations. A good cause as an excuse to get drunk, I guess.
"Right, I think, Kate mentioned it." In fact, I know that she did after the night we all hung out together. But I don't want Christian to know that I make effort to remember stuff about him. Call it childish, but he doesn't need to know about my nervousness regarding him or my weird interest in him. The past has passed.
"Her parents were invited, too. My parents would also be happy to see you, Ana. You know, they love a good party and an even better cause." I remember kind and kinder Mr. and Dr. Grey and wonder if Christian is as generous as they are. Does he care about the less fortunate? Somehow the thought that he doesn't seems impossible. He is too light with a bright mind and kind heart, I think. Shining through the darkness.
"I will see what I can do." I say, mentally knowing that my mum will drag me along, but I don't want to seem too eager. While I have decided on growing a backbone and acting as nonchalant as I can around him, I hadn't expected to see him ever again or at least not as soon as this. Maybe I had hoped not to see… well, that's a lie. I had hoped to see him again and that was worse than behaving like an idiot in front of him.
I gather a few pieces of information about grownup Christian. Besides his passion for music and his patience as a tutor, he is ambitious and eager to always learn. He enjoys his coffee black, likes his subs with no pickles, and since high school he has also started to play guitar. From early childhood on, his parents had made him take piano lessons and I remember a few fights of them when adolescent Christian had wanted to learn to play the guitar instead. It was a rough time. Who could have known that it was only the calm before the storm?
Quickly noticing that I'm not as forthcoming as he is, Christian bugs me with questions about my life, my work, my hobbies… He wants to know me and what I have grown up into. His obvious interest, no matter what his intentions are, is heartwarming. But it makes the situation a bit awkward… or I'm awkward.
"And how is Jack like? The press is usually calling him hard to work with."
"He is alright." I say, watching him with a frown. I guess I enjoyed the small talk and I don't even want to think about how somewhere deep inside me adolescent Ana is swooning, but the elephant in the room slowly starts to become more visible. Or am I the only one noticing it? Does he remember? Did he forget? Surely, he hasn't forgotten, right?
The past has passed, but… I have to get out of here.
"What's wrong?" He asks with a frown himself, stopping mid-sentence when I suddenly get up from my suddenly very uncomfortable plastic seat.
"I should get going." I ramble, blushing as I realize how rude I am being. "I am way past my lunch time and the crew is… uh, I gotta go back and supervise them."
"Oh, sorry for keeping you, Ana." Of course, he has the manners to apologize as if it is his fault. His smile doesn't reach his eyes this time. He probably sees through my lame ass excuse.
"It was nice seeing you, Christian." I smile as sincerely as I can, packing my things and putting on my jacket. "And about the weekend… I will see if I can arrange time."
He doesn't kiss my cheek as a goodbye this time. I shrink even though I got away from his gaze as I can't avoid the memories slowly creeping up from the deep vaults, I had locked them up in. Christian and Olivia breaking up. Christian and me becoming friends. And Christian and me breaking up because of Mrs. Elena Lincoln.
I wonder how he broke free out of the darkness she surrounded him with.
I remember the bruises she left on him.