Five Days of Perpetual Night

Chapter 5 and Epilogue

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

I wake in Ana's—well not Ana's bedroom. The light is streaming in through the vast window. I am strewn across the bed and the iPad is open. The battery is low. I chuckle. Since Ana has left, I have awoken on splintered glass, in the playroom, on my sofa, and now in this room. I seem to recall only spending only two sleepless nights in my own bed. I lay for a moment longer, watching the curtains dance lazily in the slight breeze from the open window. It is a mesmerizing motion, almost like a ritual dance. Like two lovers embracing.

I glance at my watch and see that it is after 6 a.m. I groan and wipe my hand over my stubble and over my eyes. I inhale a deep breath and realize that I need to start my plan on how to make things right with Ana. Christ, I'm nervous as hell, but I am also aching to see her.

Getting up, I grab Ana's iPad and head to my room. I place her device to charge as I take my shower. The shower is the best place where I like to think. I probably make most of my business decisions in the shower. I close my eyes. The scalding water feels good on my back. Today is the day that I try to win Ana back. John and I have spoken of goals and that my main goal is to get Ana back. Well, time's come to implement it: Ana said she wants 'more'. Done. I will get her to clarify what 'more' is and what her needs and wants are. She will have to communicate them to me. I know that I will most likely have to offer the vanilla option first to get her to trust me—and to trust us. The simple decisions are sometimes the hardest to make: I want her back and I will sacrifice everything to get her. I want her any way that I can get her—even if my needs take a back seat.

In the kitchen Gail is doing the finishing touches on breakfast. She passes me the plate of scrambled eggs and toast. After I'm done eating, I ask Gail where the wrapping paper is kept. She cocks her head and smiles when she sees the iPad. She leaves the room and moments later, enters with a roll of beautiful thick silver wrap. She pulls scissors and clear tape from a utility drawer. Like choosing the flowers, I want to wrap this myself. I put the iPad and charger cord neatly back into the slim white box. I take the personalized note I had made earlier and slipped it between the glass and the case, ensuring that she will see the note when she opens the leather case. I close the iPad box and slide the wrap under it. I stare at this for a moment. This can't be too hard. I cut the paper to size, but I am dumbfounded where to go from here. I lift an end and loosely place it over the box, remove it and try the same with the other end of paper. Christ, this is not rocket science. I move the paper again. I slide my finger down and get a paper cut. Jesus! How could something so small hurt so bad? Then I remember the small cuts from laying in glass. Those hurt too...

“Shall I wrap this for you, Mr. Grey?” Gail asks, seeing my painfully obvious inexperience with wrapping. My hands are all thumbs and I can't seem to get a square corner on the paper. There is a trickle of blood from the cut and Gail hands me a small, clear bandage. I acquiesce and step away from the counter. I snicker. I guess that being a business mogul does not pull from a skill-set which includes gift wrapping. And here I thought that I could do everything... I apply the bandage while I watch Gail perform the most beautiful and precise wrapping. Who even has the ability to put 'hospital corners' on a wrapped box? Apparently she can.

Gail smiles and passes me the box. I take it, the Blackberry and the MacBook Pro and insert them in a larger gift box.

It is now 7:00 a.m. I summon Taylor. “Please notify Sawyer that I will be keeping him on staff and to continue his surveillance on Ana.” Taylor nods. “Also, we are leaving in ten minutes.”