Fifty Shades Of Love, Sex And Tears

Chapter 40 - 14 letters

Charlotte's POV
It was dark but not too cold as I did as I was told. The lights from the house provided a gentle glow on to the path so I knew where I was going. I hadn't been to this side of the garden yet, so I was glad for lighting. I turned round, looking back to the house realising that Elliot had disappeared.

I continued following the path as it rounded a corner, no longer lit by the house. I slowed down, my grip on the cards tightening. I can run, fast, if anything happens, I continued to remind myself moving further away from safety. Then I saw it, a gently glowing candle lighting up the path, followed by another.

As I got closer, the vanilla smell was stronger, it smelt like home. Beneath the candle against the rocky path was the now familiar pink glow of yet another card.

And for all the future years

They were messages, for me and there was only one person they could be from... Christian.

I continued to walk, faster than I was before towards the next the glowing candle. Finding nothing, I called out into the darkness his name, desperate to find him. "Grey!" I continued to walk following the candles stopping only at the penultimate one.

Full of love and memories

"What are you playing at Grey?" I laughed, "My shoes are going to be ruined on the rocks." Hoping that would grab him attention if he was around but I heard nothing in response. It was silent except for the water on the lake to my side.

The path forked, so I followed the candles down a slight slope to what looked like a rundown out house in the dark. I knew Grace and Carrick had numerous properties on the estate including a guest house for Grace's parents, but this surely couldn't be it.

Special like you Charlotte Rose Twell x

The card, stuck to the barely open door, had tears forming in my eyes. "What have I done to deserve you?" I whispered as I placed it with the others making 12 in total. I gently pushed opened the door fully and stepped into a pitch black room. Turning to my right on a hunch, a followed the wall down a couple of steps following the soft scent of chlorine in the air.

As my foot stepped off the final step, the lights flicked on. Not your standard lights though, gentle fairy lights glowing around the room in soft reds and pinks.

"Oh my..." I gasped as I looked around what I now realised was the pool house. It was full of flowers, hanging from the viewing balcony above me, around the sides and floating in the water. I took another step forward noticing a glass platform had been constructed over the centre of the pool, so I placed one foot on it, testing it before committing my whole body weight.

"Christian?" I called out hopeful to find him as I continued to carefully walk on the platform until I was stood in the centre of the pool beneath the glass ceiling.

The sound water flowing into and round the pool, masked the sound of soft footsteps behind me of the man I loved as I stood in awe of what had been put together by a man who in his own words, 'doesn't do hearts and flowers.'

A gentle cough behind me caught my attention before I heard a voice, his perfect voice.

"Be mine." I turned around quickly at the sound, my hands moving to my face as Christian was down on one knee in front of me with a red velvet box open in his hand.

"Share my life with me." He continued whilst all I could do was nod as a tear fell down my cheek and the cards fell from my grasp, making his voice catch.

"Marry me?" He asked, hopefully with a soft smile.

I let out a breath, slowly nodding with a big bright smile. "Yes, I'll marry you."