I Hate Him but He's So Hot

She was hurrying down the departure hall, the distant voices of travelers filling her ears as she tried so hard to concentrate on what her nagging mother was saying to her over the phone. She shifted the phone from her left to right ear, and when she hissed, she made sure it went unheard. “I don’t understand what you mean, Mother. You know that I’m not coming back, right?”

She was sure that hit home, for her Mother was nearly murderous at the sound that escaped her lips. “Anna, what are you trying to say? You have to come back home. I told you there’s no way you’re visiting that bunch of—” Before the insult came, because it always did, Anna stopped her mother.

“Mom!” she yelled, her angry getting more prominent that she couldn’t hide it even if she wanted to. “I’ve told you several times that you have to stop insulting Nate, didn’t I? Why are you doing this? He’s the man I love, and sorry, but I’m already in the airport, and my flight is in the next fifteen minutes. I’ll call you when I land.” She was barely fuming when she said that. She didn’t know what was with her mother and Nate. He was a good guy; why couldn’t she see that for god’s sake? And he was handsome too. She thought Mom always loved handsome men, and it didn’t matter whether he was her age or not.

“What,” her mother screamed, and Anna had to take the phone away from her ears, for the next words might rupture her eardrums, “the hell? You are in the airport already? What do you mean? Since when did you start traveling alone? Where’s your assistant? Give her the phone. You need to come back home now, Anna!” Anna would have laughed this off if she were with her mother. But why bother to nag and become angry over this? Her mother knew so well that when she set her heart into something, she would have to do it no matter what.

But instead, it riled her up. “I’m an adult, Mom. I’m 22 years old for God’s sake. You can’t be controlling my life. Look, don’t bother calling me again if you know—” She was silenced when a strong shoulder nearly knocked her off balance, and when she closed her eyes to embrace the embarrassment that came along with falling on her butt, strong arms took over her waist until she was standing firmly on her feet. But that didn’t lessen her anger, she was fuming!

“Who the hell do you think you are?” she yelled, shrugging his hands off from her waist, and he looked at her. He was staring at her as though he had saved her life, and instead of a thank you, he was getting an insult.

“Anna, your medication?” she heard Mom’s voice from the other end, and that was when she remembered she was having a phone call, and she had to catch a flight in how many minutes? She looked over her wristwatch and rolled her eyes exasperatedly. It looked like today wasn’t her day after all, was it?

“You don’t need to remind me about my medication, Mom. I’m an adult. I can take care of myself. Bye.” She ended the call before her mother angered her even more, and when she looked at the man that stood beside her, maybe ready to apologize or…

He put a stop to her thought when he replied, equally angry as well. “I’m sorry, Miss. But you got in my way too. You’re walking without being mindful of your surroundings, and in fact, I saved your ass from falling to the floor, didn’t I?” Okay, he wasn’t going to apologize after all. From the way she saw things, he would likely demand for an apology from her.

She put her phone back into her handbag and firmly held the hook of her trolley. “This is your freaking excuse for nearly taking me down? That I’m on the phone?” She was yelling with her eyes closed as she wanted to exhaust her anger on him. She knew if she weren’t in a bad mood already, she would have both apologized and thanked him before she walked off, but nah, he would be the receiver of everything she had held back from telling her mother.

He stood straight, as though he couldn’t believe what had just happened and what he just heard. Glimpsing at his wristwatch, he figured if he stayed with this girl, she would likely make him even more late than he was already. He hissed when he stared back at how she was fuming and wished he weren’t as gentle as he actually was. “You’re an idiot. I don’t know what gives you the impression that I’d apologize to you over something that’s clearly your fault. I don’t know what you’re doing in the airport…” He let his words trail off as his gaze quickly wandered back to the trolley she was holding, her knuckles getting pale at the way she was tightly holding the hook, a murderous look in her eyes. “Or where you’re even traveling to. But really, maybe you’re heading to a train station and lost your way?” There was a mocking look in his eyes, and the smirk he had plastered on his face was ever so prominent that even though Anna knew he was more powerful than her, she wanted to give punching his face a try.

“You called me an idiot?” she scoffed, as though she couldn’t even believe her ears. She stared at the nametag written on his left breast and said his name, “Jack Roberts.” Her gaze lingered up and down his attire, and that was when she realized who he was. “Oh, so just because you’re a pilot…” She palmed her face to help calm herself down because if she didn’t calm down, she might do something even worse, and that would only delay her from getting to her flight and getting to Nate. “Just because you’re a quack pilot, you dare call me an idiot? I don’t know what you really are, because apart from being an asshole, you’re clearly stupid.” She giggled in such a way she was sure would rile him up. “You even have the guts to say I should have been in the train station? You would have been a gardener in one of my mansions, or worse…” Her glaring eyes scrutinized his body as though to figure out which category would best fit him, but when she did, she hated to say that he was well-built. His biceps were even poking out of his white sleeves. “Well,” she flipped her hair back and smirked. “A bodyguard wouldn’t look bad on you.”

She could see the way he was both trying and failing at controlling his rage, and all she wanted was for him to have an outburst of that, so she would have an excuse to call whatever agency he worked at. He moved toward her in such a powerful stride that even though discreetly, she took a step backwards. “Jack!” They all heard his name called, and he stared between her and the caller before he walked away, his face a shade of red.

“Jack?” she called him back, and when he turned, she was certain that if he were standing a mere inches away from her, nothing could stop her from showing her fear outwardly. “Stay away from planes, for I’m sure you’d be the worst pilot to ever live.” She sensed the indecision from the way he took a step toward her then toward his obvious colleague that was staring at him urgently. “Stupid!” she yelled out again, not minding the way some of the travelers turned their eyes on her to see who she was referring to.

She flipped back her hair and walked over to the waiting area and sat down, feeling fulfilled. The look on his face was everything. As she waited, a call from her secretary came through, and even though it made her scowl, she picked it up. “What is it, Julia?” she questioned.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. But your Mother just called. She wants me to cancel your flight, and I thought I should let you know before doing that…” Anna abruptly stood up.

“What do you mean? If you dare do that, Julia, I’ll make sure you regret that.” She ended the call, and just when she was about to call back her Mother to vent another frustration on her, she heard her flight being called, and she decided not to do that. It would only be some hours, and she would be in Florida together with Nate, and all of this wouldn’t matter anymore.

She remembered the way he smiled, the way his body felt against hers, the way he held her as though she was a priced possession he couldn’t dare lose. A slow smile graced her lips as she stood up to board her plane. She wanted to call him and decided not to. The whole plot of this was to surprise him, and in three days, they would have their three years anniversary! Which was what drove her to pay him a visit. Last year, they didn’t spend their anniversary together. She wanted to have a blast this time and, hopefully, a proposal.

He would propose to her, of course. He loved her, and he had been indirectly asking her about marriage recently. She couldn’t wait for him to propose to her, so she could proudly revoke her mother’ words of him being a bad guy. She had said, “I know bad guys when I see them, Anna. Nate will only break your heart. I’m so sure of this.” And, of course, every time her mother had said this, she had argued with her, and mostly, they ended up fighting about it. Anna so badly wanted to prove her mother wrong.

She knew Nate would never break her heart. He loved her too much to do that to her. In fact, in their relationship, he loved her more. With a new wave of confidence and eagerness to meet the love of her life, Anna walked over and boarded her plane. She walked over to her seat and sat down, and beside her was an old woman that warmly smiled at her. Being soothed by thoughts of Nate, she smiled back at the woman and nodded her head before she sat back.

She stared at her bare hands and thought that by the time she boarded her next plane, she would be the soon-to-be bride of Nathaniel Clayton. And in a few months, she would be Mrs. Clayton. How amazing did that sound? She muffled her giggle with her palms and buckled her seat belt as ordered. And then the commanding voice of the pilot engulfed the plane.

“Hello, my name is Jack Roberts, and I’ll be your pilot…” She didn’t have to hear the next words he had to utter for her to know who the voice belonged to. She thought she had already declared him a quack pilot? He would most likely get them burnt in the air, and when they would next land on earth, it would only be their ashes.

She tried to stand up to ask them to change the pilot when a flight attendant came over to her with a smile, “Can you please get back on your seat, Ma’am? We’re taking off now.”

Anna wanted to talk, or even argue with her, but then all the occupants of the business class were staring at her with curiosity in their eyes. She could only nod her head with a faint smile and firmly held her fingers together. She was getting nauseous as the plane began to take off, and when she checked her bag for her pills, they weren’t there. Well, she thought she was an adult, didn’t she?

She had a phobia of flights, and right now she knew that it would only be a matter of a few minutes until she made 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 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 hitched. She didn’t know how she would be able to get to the toilet alone. Didn’t Julia ask to follow her and say she would take the next flight back to California? Why did she have to be so stubborn 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 of flights, Madam. I’m feeling nauseous. I need to go to the toilet.” She was feeling dizzy after all these feelings rumbled in her mind. She wanted to go back home, and maybe if Nate agreed, 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 an excuse that would stop him from coming to California.

The woman stood up with her hands firmly holding Anna’s. “Let me help you; 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 vomited the breakfast she had this morning, which was Mom’s doing because if not for 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. Her shopaholic mother could never have given her this kind of attention. It was always the maids 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. Anna leaned back to get some sleep. She was tired and sick already. She wondered what she would be like 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. 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 trail off with a polite smile because she didn’t know how to refer to her.

“Mrs. Theodore. My name is Rose.” The old woman smiled, 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 didn’t take 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 in 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 would 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 minute she had arrived, but she needed to get some rest 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 there were other hotels that had been established, 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 her usual suite.

“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 immediately moved to the bedroom, so she could get some sleep, and if she were lucky, by the time she woke up, she would be feeling well.

Even as she stripped herself off her suit and put on her comfortable sleeping dress, she wanted 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 be so happy when he saw her that 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 a wonder 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 ringtone 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?” 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 urgent.

“Your health should be what 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 out of 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 the most out 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 were the spies her mother had hired to be looking over her.

“I suppose you don’t know how dangerous it would have gotten, right? You keep on saying you’re an adult, and you can take care of yourself, but every day you keep on failing. 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 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 hair.

Mom scoffed, but Anna knew her words hit home 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, 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, 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 her mind. And maybe if she could, she would go to Nate tonight or wait until tomorrow when she wasn’t looking as ragged as she was.

She walked directly to the bathroom and unleashed the water on herself, pushing away the words that she would have uttered back at mother if she hadn’t ended the call. She came out of the shower and got into her evening dress, not bothering to dry her hair. 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 them always calmed her down. This was a trait she had gotten from her shopaholic mother which she would rather be killed than to admit it 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, 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.

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