I Hate Him But He's So Hot

Two

She had a phobia for flights, and right now she knew that it would only be a matter of a few minutes and she would make a mess of her clothes. She turned to look at the old woman that was seated beside her and wondered what she would do or what she would tell her. She had to go to the toilet unless she wanted to vomit on the innocent woman. “Excuse me, Madam.” She immediately stood up, feeling dizzy and her breath trying to hitch. She didn’t know how she would be able to get to the toilet alone. Didn’t Julia asked to follow her and she would take the next flight back to California? Why did she have to be so stubborn and when it came to her life as well?

The old woman held her arm, “Are you sick, young lady?” She asked with care laced on her voice and Anna knew she could not deny being sick, could she? It was palpable. 

“Yes, I have a phobia for flights, Madam. I’m feeling nauseous, I need to go to the toilet.” She was feeling dizzy after all these feelings trying to rumble her state of mind. She wanted to go back home, and maybe if Nate would agree, she would send her jet to bring him to California. No, she shook her head almost as immediately as the thought crossed her mind, Nate would never agree. He would have one excuse to the other that would stop him from coming to California.

The woman stood up with her hands firmly holding Anna’s, “Let me help me, it doesn’t look like you could take yourself there.” She had never been so thankful to someone like she was to this woman, and as she guided her to the toilet, Anna had already forgotten about who their pilot was, all she wanted to save was herself, her life.

She vomits out the breakfast she had this morning, which was Mom’s doing because if not because of her, she wouldn’t have taken even an apple. The woman was by the door when she got out and Anna smiled brightly at her, she was feeling much better now. “Let’s get you back to your seat.” She held her as though she were a baby and Anna enjoyed that feeling. Something her shopaholic mother could never have given her attention to, it would always be maids around, taking care of everything.

It was as though she were a baby because the woman made sure she tucked her back into her seat and asked for a blanket from the flight attendants and Anna leaned back to get some sleep, she was tired and sick already. She wondered what would be of her when they reached Florida. She was fast asleep until the woman softly tapped her shoulder and when she lazily opened her eyes, she realized they were already in the airport in Florida, oh, he wasn’t a quack, after all, was he?

She hissed the thought of him away and sat upright. “I can see that we’ve landed safely, something to be thankful for. Thank you so much for your help, Mrs…” she let her words trailed off with a polite smile because she didn’t know what she would refer to her as.

“Mrs Theodore, my name is Rose.” The old woman replied to her as well with the same smile and she stood up, ready to leave. But Anna knew she would have to let them leave first. First, it didn’t matter the distance of her flight, she would be as weak as a drowned cat, and she would certainly be jet-lagged. 

“Thank you, Rose. I prefer to call you that.” The woman nodded her head when she hadn’t taken her eyes off Anna, she realized what that meant, “Oh, My name is Anna. Anna Brayden, it was a pleasure meeting you on this plane. Thanks for helping me.” They shook hands before Rose walked out of the plane along with the other occupants of the business class and Anna sat on her seat, not being able to make her next move as she brought out her trolley from the cabinet.

“Do you need some help, Ma’am?” One of the flight attendants asked from behind her and she closed her eyes to relish the thought of getting some help. Lifting a finger was so hard, she wondered how she would take her trolley out.

“Yes, please. I’m sick, will you help with my trolley or find someone to do that for me?” She asked politely, silently smacking herself for not letting Julia come with her, she wouldn’t have had to do all this. It will simply be done without her asking.

“Yes, sure. I’ll take you from you.” And she did. They walked down the plane silently and Anna was taking her next steps meticulously. She was weak, she wanted to sleep for hours without being interrupted. She had planned on going to see Nate the next minute she had arrived, but after all, she was going to get some rest for the rest of today. He didn’t know she was here, right? 

The lady gave someone her trolley to help her out of the arrivals and when they got to where her driver was patiently waiting for her, she smiled at the man that helped, gave him a tip and entered her limo. She closed her eyes as she leaned back on the seat, relishing the thought of being on land. 

“The hotel or the company, Ma’am?” She heard the sound of the driver’s voice and she weakly shook her head.

“The hotel please, Mark. I’m sick, we’ll go to the company tomorrow.”

“Okay, Ma’am.”

And she didn’t open her eyes until they were in front of the hotel she usually stayed in whenever she came to Florida. It was among the best hotels in Florida, and even though over the years other hotels had been established but she especially loved this one because it was the place she first kissed Nate. And the company, where he worked, where she first met him when she came over for a meeting, would be a place she would forever cherish. Despite her being sick and tired, she smiled as Mark helped her with her luggage to the usual suite she always lodged after he had booked her room in the reception.

“Thank you, Mark. I’ll call you tomorrow when I’m ready.”

“Okay, Ma’am.” He smiled and closed the door while he left the suite. She walked into the suite and directly moved to the bedroom so she could get some sleep and if she was lucky, by the time she woke up, she would be feeling well.

Even as she stripped herself off her office suit, and put on her comfortable sleeping dress, it was itching her to give Nate a call, maybe he would come to her after he had closed for work. But she didn’t want to spoil her surprise for him, she wanted him to see her out of the blue moon and that way, he would be so happy and it would prompt him to show her the ring with the question, ‘Will you be my wife, Anna?’

She laid down on the bed with a deep breath, closing her eyes almost as immediately as sleep overtook her soul. It was wondering how she was still alive when she was sure that pilot…well, he didn’t deserve her thoughts, did he?

❦

The harsh sound of her ringing tone woke her up and she wondered why she didn’t put her phone on ‘do not disturb’. She thought she had told Julia not to call her until she was back? Without opening her eyes, she grunted as she picked the call and her sleepy voice muttered, “What is it, Julia? Didn’t I tell you not to call me unless it’s something urgent that only I could take care of?” She dreaded hearing her answer because she knew if it was indeed Julia that had called, then she might have to be boarding the next flight back to California because it would indeed be something so urgent.

“Your health should be what should matters the most. I heard you were sick on the plane, didn’t I tell you to take your medication, Anna?” Mom uttered enraged, and Anna had to squeeze her eyes close, she didn’t know what this woman got from disturbing her life.

“Mom, I thought I told you that I’d call you myself? And why would you be asking around about me? Can’t I have my own life?” She hated this, of all the things her mother did to her. She hated being babied, she was an adult and she could have her own private life like every other adult out there, couldn’t she? She wondered who the spies her mother had hired to be looking over her were.

“I supposed you don’t know how dangerous it would have gotten, right? You keep on saying you’re an adult, you can take care of yourself, but every day you keep on failing that I have no other choice but to keep on taking care of you and keeping tabs on you, Anna. You always disappoint me.” That struck hard that no matter how much she wanted to end the call and go back to sleep, she realized she could not do that anymore. She had to wake up and reply to this woman with the right words. 

“I don’t always disappoint you, Mom. What do you know about my life? Nothing! I’m just a small girl forced into the world I’ve always been afraid of, what do you expect me to do? And the hell, I’m trying my best to fit into that world without making any mistakes, isn’t it enough? Don’t even get me started.” She was fuming as she sat upright on the bed, raking her hands through her muffled hair.

Mom scoffed, but Anna knew just like her words hit home, hers did as well. “You can’t speak to me like that, I’ve already warned you!”

Anna hissed and squeezed her eyes to adjust to the light, she didn’t realize she had slept off with the lights on until now and when she looked out at the window, it was already dark. Oh dear, she was hungry, she realized, almost as immediately as her stomach gave out a growl. “Do you know what? You can go to hell, Mom.”

“Tell that to that useless guy you shamelessly follow around. And mark my words, he’s going to break your heart.”

“Mom!!!” She screamed at the pitch of her voice and instead of an answer, Mom ended the call and Anna sat on her bed, staring at her phone as she fumed. 

She got tired of sitting on the bed and realized she had to take a shower and get herself some food. She could easily call the hospital’s restaurant and order for something, but she needed to have a walk around to ease the knot on her mind, and maybe if she could, she would go to Nate tonight or better, wait until tomorrow when she wasn’t looking as rugged as she was.

She walked directly to the bathroom and released the water on herself, pushing away the words that if her mother didn’t end the call, she would have uttered back at her. She came out of the shower and got into her evening dress, not minding drying her hair off, she went to the elevator and went down to the nearby restaurants.

She got all the junky snacks she could lay her eyes on even though she was certain she didn’t have the appetite to finish them all but buying always calmed her down. A trait she had gotten from her shopaholic mother which she would rather be killed than to admit out loud. She went over to a nearby pharmacy and got her drugs before she went back to the hotel.

On her way toward the elevator, she greeted the people that worked there who had gotten acquaintance to her over the years and she was sure while she stood by the deck and exchanged a few words with them, a broad shoulder walked past them toward the elevator and if not she wasn’t sure that Nate would never be there, she would have said she knew that shoulder. Maybe not know whoever got the shoulder much, but it didn’t look strange.

“Bye, take care. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” She called out at the receptionist and took a few strides toward the elevator out of mere curiosity, she wanted to see who it was.