Fifteen Layers of Steele

Chapter 19

**NOTE: This is the last chapter of "Volume one" of this series! Brace yourselves!

As I was driving home from the clinic, I couldn't help but notice that a black car to my rear seemed to be following me. From the moment I left, I noticed that every time I looked in the rearview mirror, it was that exact same one. Just when I thought they couldn't be making the same specific turn as me, there they were. Being that it was wintertime in Seattle, it was impossible to see who was inside because the windows were highly tinted and the sun had already began to set. It was quite probable that they just lived somewhere near me, but as I got closer to my place, my suspicions grew further. Sweat started to accumulate on my palms. Who would want to follow me and why? It must just be a crazy coincidence, I brushed it off, keeping my eyes on the road ahead. Soon I approached my apartment, and I debated about whether I should turn into it or not. Come on Anastasia! It's not like you're part of the Mafia! Who would need to follow you to your house and kill you? You're always so paranoid.

Deciding it was probably just chance that they were on the same route as me, I nervously pulled into the parking lot on the side of my apartment building. The car drove straight past without slowing down at all.

"Whew," I sighed in relief and fell into the steering wheel. See! It was all in your head. I thought you were supposed to be listening to José and not overthinking so much anymore.

Walking over to the front door, I cheerfully hummed while twirling my keys around my finger. The previous false scare was not enough to bring my mood down after that great session Christian and I had today. As soon as we "finished," he scurried at the speed of light to put the bed back together. His receptionist came back just in time to see if he was ready for the appointment that was scheduled to begin right that minute. Being the great therapist he is, he completely finished everything in our session, and even made it just in time for his next client without a single second to spare. Right before he let the next man in, I was sent off with an exuberant hug and a "I'm so proud of you" from Christian, and a "You made wonderful progress today, hope to see you again next time" from Mr. Grey as I walked out the door. We cleaned up so well that nobody could even tell that a crazy hot sex therapy session had just occurred in there.

Unlocking the bottom latch, I headed into my apartment with a smile and began working on the rest of the reading from today's class, feeling totally accomplished and like nothing in the world could drag me down.

Finally it was performance day. I had on a gorgeous flowing, red dress that would fly out and spin as I twirled. It was the perfect, elegant and sexy dress for dancing. When I had arrived home last night it was awaiting me on my bed, gift wrapped with a letter. Of course it was from none other than Christian himself. He had went out and purchased it as a secret gift, and with Kate's help, had it delivered to my house. On it, the note read:

A beautiful dress for a beautiful girl. An evening as special as this one requires an outfit equally as so. I picked this one out just for you. The color reminds me of the coat you wore on our first date as well as your fiery spirit. The elegance reminds me of your beautiful and pure personality, and the flow will go oh so perfectly with your body as you dance and show the world what a remarkable recovery you have made. For the strongest, sweetest, and most wonderful girl I know. It's not me who has changed you, but you who has changed me. My life is so much better and more meaningful now with you in it. Finally, I want to start living life again. Let's go show the world what we are made of in style.

Love,

Christian. <3

His letter really sent me into tears. I couldn't believe I had found a partner as amazing and perfect as this one. Having had been through a rough childhood like me, we were always able to perfectly understand each other. Having a person like that in my life, and especially one that was so close has really been what's able to allow me to recover so quickly. Knowing that he thinks I changed his life was so heart wrenching. I truly believed that we were destined for each other. All I really did for him was exist. Thinking about how that was enough to create a difference in his life caused the water forming in my eyes to fall. As someone who thought she could never be loved, this man came and not only did just that despite possibly not ever being able to touch me, but he also healed my mind and my insecurities with it. A new confidence was born within me, and I found that I was loving and believing in myself more and more each day thanks to him. He truly inspired me to do and achieve greater things. That's what I wanted to convey through this dance today.