Chapter 25: The Pool Game
Anastasia's POV
I haven't been much angry in the past six years. The most I had been was when I was angry at myself for being stuck up at the same job with minimal pay and hence I decided that i'll do everything in my power to get a better one. It took me exactly 11 months to finally land an interview that was flexible with the time I was ready to work as I couldn't keep Mila in the daycare for elongated periods. The reason for that was simple - the more the hours, more the fees.
So now that I am angry.. wait scratch that, infuriating, I cannot compare it to anything. I can barely keep myself from internal combustion. It seems the only emotions i'm having since I came back to Escala are anger and anxiousness. Gosh i've made a mess of myself, haven't I?
I'm pacing around in Christian's library, scanning books after books. He has stocked his library with classics that I wanted to read for a long time. In the past years, in order to get a 'better insight' - my boss's words not mine - I was expected to read the modern books with the same ol' teenage drama. So when I found these books here, I cannot help but trail my fingers over them and smile at the thought of the rush i'll get while reading the classical novels again.
"Something that holds your interest, Miss Steele?" a voice says from the door. I don't need to turn to see who is it.
"Actually many things right now", I reply, being lost in the decision to which book should I actually read.
"The bestsellers are on the shelf to your right", he says.
I flit from one shelf to another as I pick out books to read. As I go further into the library, I spot something. It's the pool table. Not any pool table, the table on which we played a match.. and did many other stuff. I don't know for how long was I staring at the table but I didn't notice him coming behind me, startling me in the process.
"Ah, I haven't played pool in a very long time", he says. If he takes one more step forward he be basically touching my back.
"Let's play one then", I turn around and look at him. Christian raises his eyebrows, asking me if i'm actually serious. "Well, we both are here, so is the pool table. I don't see what's the problem", I shrug.
"Okay then", he says and goes to the cabinet to take out the balls and the striker.
"But this time, the rules will be mine", I smirk and he looks at me but continuous arranging the balls on the table. "After every ball we pocket, we get to ask the other person a question. It can be anything the person wants to ask. But on every strike that you miss, you don't get anything."
"Fair enough", he says as he hands me the striker. "You go first."
"Also, the person who wins the game can punish the opponent in anyway they want", I say as I take the striker from him. It's been a long time since i've played pool too, I don't even know why am I doing this. I think it mainly has to do with the anger I have towards him today. I'm taking you down today, Christian Grey, by hook or by crook.
"Careful, Miss Steele, 'anyway' is a dangerous word", he looks at me smugly. I wink at him and angle the striker towards the ball. I push it back a little and hit the white ball with all my power, hoping to pocket at least one ball. And I did.
"You get the strips. Shoot your question, Miss Steele", he says.
"You decide to tell your mother everything about me, of course, without consulting me. Did you not think it was important to ask me about it?", I say as venomously as possible, gauging his reaction carefully.
His eyes widen in surprise but he answers anyways. "When I found out about your sickness.. I wanted to do everything in my power to cure it. And the only person I could think of was Grace back then. So I asked her opinion. I did not know she would actually supervise the treatment.."
"The question was 'did you not think it was important to tell me'", I say making quotation marks with my fingers.
"I was going to. I was looking for the right moment.." he seems lost for words, "How did you find out about it anyway?"
"It's not your turn, Mr. Grey", I say as I position myself to strike again. I pocket another ball and hear him mutter "are you kidding me".
"Question two. Can I have the assurance that you will consult absolutely everything with me in the topics that involve me and my daughter?"
He looks at me incredulously. "Anastasia!"
"Answer the question."
"Yeah, fine", he grumbles and I smirk a victory smirk.
I strike again but this time cannot pocket a single ball. I pass him the striker as he crouches and takes the position of a predator ready to attack it's prey. I'm actually worried right now. What kind of questions will he have for me? He hits the white ball with such grace that I almost didn't notice him pocket two solids together.
"Impressive", I mutter. Was he kidding when he said he hadn't played in a long time?
"First question, describe Mila's birth to me", he says, taking me by surprise that he didn't ask how I got to know about him telling his mother. As if he read my mind, he says, "I'm guessing it's Grace herself who told you so.."
"Well, Mila's birth.. that was a difficult yet the most beautiful moment ever. I lived alone.. so when my water broke, I literally had to do everything on my own. I had the bags and stuff ready so I took them, booked a cab on the phone and went to the hospital. I was in the labor for a solid 38 hours and then after a C-section, was born Mila.. perfectly healthy with her perfect features. I cannot even describe the feeling of the rush when I first held her..", I say and look at him and he has such an intense gaze on me that my heart starts to beat rapidly. What is the gaze about?
"There is more to the story", he simply says and I look at him with confusion. What does he mean?
"Second question, why did you leave the part about the complications?" he says and I stare at him. There is no way in hell he can know about this. But then again, he is Christian Grey. I decide not to ask him about this and answer his question.
"Well, as you already know, I had certain complications. Mila was breached. And there were some more complications which I don't want to talk about now.. but I remember vaguely of been given the option to choose between myself or Mila since the delivery was not going smoothly and I was extremely tired.. so I chose Mila and I had already listed my dad as an emergency contact.. so if I didn't make it..", I didn't bother to complete the statement and he didn't ask me to elaborate further. He takes a deep breathe and composes himself.
How did a simple game of pool turn to life story?
For the next 20 minutes, we played the game and asked each other questions of the past. Turns out, Christian did have 11 girlfriends and not subs. He tried the dom-sub relationship with his first 2 girlfriends but he didn't feel like it anymore so he abandoned his playroom. For some reason, I wanted to keep my hands over my ears and not listen to it further. It angers me to imagine him being a dom to someone after me.
"How many men have you been with in the past years?", he asks.
"None actually. I tried blind dates but those didn't go well. And I had Mila to take care of so I didn't really mind, to be honest." To which he looked pretty surprised. Yeah so what that I hadn't been in a relationship in 6 years? At least I wasn't busy being a casanova and a complete jackass like him.
"Why did you 'change' your girlfriends so much?", I asked when I pocketed my second last strips ball.
"Never felt attached to anyone. Some were rebounds while some suggested marriage so I had to leave them", he shrugs as my eyebrows draw in confusion. Is he saying he hated marriage proposal so much that he left them because of that?
The final round was a tough one. We kept missing the target or pocket the black ball but not the consecutive one. Finally, after ten minutes of passing the striker to each other, I finally pocketed both the balls.
"Yes! On you face!", I beam at him and he shakes his head in amusement.
"So what's my punishment, mademoiselle?", he asks with mock courtesy.
"Christian Grey, I've waited for this day for a very long time. I've been so furious this morning to find out you've been keeping things from me which are about me!"
"Whats on your mind, Steele?"
"Something that will satisfy me, but not you, Grey", I smile smugly.
"Well, lets see then", he says as I take his hand and lead him out of the library to his bedroom. "Why are we in my bedroom?", he asks as I lock the door behind us.
"Have you heard of the the game, 7 Minutes of Heaven?"
"Yes..", he says, cautiously.
"Well lets just say I have a revised version of it but it'll be heaven for me.. hell for you", I smirk.
"Okay.. i'm listening, go ahead."
"I'm going to set an alarm for 7 minutes here and tease you every in way possible without actually touching your body with my hands, except for your arms and face of course, till the timer is up. You used orgasm denial on me to show your frustration six years back, remember? Let's see how this shows mine."
~*~*~*~
I have this terrible writer's block. I haven't written a word since 15 days now (this is a pre written chapter btw) and I don't even have the will to. I want to complete it, i have the idea too (i decided everything even before I started the book).. but just.. i don't have the will. Can y'all suggest something?
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Until we meet again, xoxo ~ Ava❤