Shades of Grey

Part One: She meets Him

It was a Wednesday night and I was at a party drunk off my- well you know. It was midnight when I first saw him.

I know what you may be thinking, "Who goes out and gets drunk on a Wednesday?" well, who are you to judge me and my life choices. You don't know what I've been through; you don't know my story. But for your information, it's my eighteenth birthday, and my friend, being the bad influence that she is, decided this is how I should celebrate. But you didn't come here to listen to my life story; you came here for an epic tale about two star-crossed lovers in a Rome-and-Juliet-esque fashion, so that is what you are going to get. So listen up.

As I was saying, it was a Wednesday night and I was drunk. Well, more like tipsy. No, that's a lie I was basically the dictionary definition of drunk right now. Yet, I could still feel his burning stare on my back as I danced. I turned to meet the icy blue stare of a handsome stranger; his whole countenance radiated danger that attracted me in a way no boy ever had before. Who was I kidding, he wasn't a boy; this guy was all man. I was entranced; he was like no man I had ever seen before. He was everything that my father had told me I could never be with; dangerous; rough; criminal; and, worst of all, white.

I had nothing against white men, of course. It was just an obvious rule in my strict household that we do not talk to white people; we do not become friends with white people; and we most definitely do not date them. For this reason, I had never even taken a second look at a white man, no matter how attractive. However, I could not seem to look away from this one; it was like I was trapped and I couldn't look away even if I wanted to, and trust me I didn't.

I was so distracted by his gaze, I didn't even notice when he approached me until he was standing right in front of me.

"Um...hi, I'm Blake. I couldn't help but notice you, noticing me, noticing you," He ran his hand through his gorgeous black curls, which were cut short on his head, and hit me with a smirk that literally made me swoon. I'm serious; he had to catch me and everything. It was pretty embarrassing.

"Whoa, be careful, wouldn't want to damage that pretty little face of yours," He told me, winking his icy blue eyes at me. His voice was so deep, rich, and seductive. I swear if chocolate had a voice, it would be his.

"Oh, um, thank you for catching me. I am Julienetta, but, um, I go by Juliet." Yeah, my name is Julienetta. I am pretty convinced that my parents were on meth during the time of my birth, because no one in their right mind would curse a child with such a hideous name (no offense to anyone with that name. I don't think that but the character does).

He laughs. I frown at him. So much for thinking he was charming.

"I know my name is stupid but you don't have to laugh," I tell him, feeling deeply offended and pulling out of his arms, which I just recently realized I was still wrapped up in. Yum, muscles.

His eyes widened. He grabbed my hand before I could walk away and pulled me to him so that I ran into his chest. He looks down at me, apologetic. "No! I wasn't laughing at your name! I was just laughing because your name is Juliet and my first name is Romeo, but I changed it, because I thought it made me sound like a homosexual, and I started going by my middle name, Blake."

I laughed, "Romeo and Juliet huh? Well don't tell me your last name is Montague, because mine just so happens to be Capulet."

He looked at me and smiled a dazzling smile, "Actually it is Montaguelli. But, it is pretty close. Maybe this is fate trying to tell us something?" I laughed at him, but if only I knew how true that statement was, and how this first encounter would change my life forever.

"Care to dance?" He asked me. As I went to grab his hand I got a flash of images. They went by too fast for me to see clearly. I could feel the emotions though. There was passion, love, and happiness; but there was also pain, anger sadness, and death. Something about this vision told me that if I were to take his hand that would be my future.

Deciding to take it anyway was the best, and worst, decision of my life.