Anna grinned at him and she was so eager to be done with Mom so they could leave. “Mom!” She whined and chuckled at the expression Mom had mustered, as if she had been waiting for this outburst to come. “I promise I won’t fall sick over our stay, and I’ll come back happier and healthier, deal?” She smiled as she stretched her pinky toward her. Mom smiled and pulled her into a hug instead.
“You should be a good girl too, don’t make things hard on Charles, okay? I’ve also told Sarah about all the things you’re allergic to and your favorites, so you don’t have to worry yourself about what you’d eat, she’d always take care of that.” She knew if she wasn’t so excited on leaving, she would have been so angry at Mom for being so careful with her.
She roughly kissed her cheeks and walked off, “I’ll take care of myself, Mom, I promise! You should try and go out on dates too, okay? Have some fun!” She yelled from where she was rushing toward the car and Daphne could only stare at her with a beautiful smile on her lips as she waved back at her.
Anna met with Charles in the car and she grinned at him, she tried to rest her head on his shoulder, but he pointed at Julia and the driver that were in the front. She pouted her lips and Charles grinned before he pulled her to him, and side hugged her. Now, she felt more at home, she felt at ease and she knew that she would never experience any type of pain from Charles. They arrived at the airport and Julia began her nagging this time that Anna wanted to scream at the pitch of her voice but when she remembered that they were all doing this because they wanted her to be healthy, the best she could muster was a pout.
“I promise you, Julia, I won’t do anything harmful this time. And besides, Charles is with me, will you let me do anything bad, Charles?” She asked him with her best puppy eyes and Charles immediately shook his head, trying to muster the best professional look he could as Julia sighed.
“You should take care of her, Charles. I won’t call unless it’s something urgent, but you should always report back to me in case something happens, okay?” She told him with a stern look and Charles nodded his head at her. He knew better than to play with Anna. And besides, his heart wouldn’t even let him play with her even if he wanted to do it. He had never felt the urge to protect someone like he wanted to protect Anna.
“Don’t worry too much, Julia. I’ll call you when we arrive safely. Take care.” Anna hugged her briskly and they pulled away from each other with a soft smile on their lips. Charles pulled their luggage toward the departure an as they walked down the hall silently, Anna got the feeling of deja vú. It felt as though she was going to Florida to meet Nate, it felt as though in any minute she would have to bump into Jack, and they will get into that fight.
“Charles…” she called out absentmindedly, because she wanted to do all she could to stop her mind from thinking of those two men that added nothing to her life but pain. Even though if she could, she can refer to Jack as her life savior. Because he had always been there whenever something happened to her and she had never gotten the chance to thank him. Or rather, her stubbornness had never let her thank him.
“Yes Anna, are you off again?” He spoke slightly high and she turned with an apologetic expression on her face.
“I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I was even thinking of.” His face still didn’t ease off even when she said that, and she smiled before she linked her arm into his and grinned lovely at him.
“Come on, Charles, I’m sorry. I promise I won’t do it again. I wanted to ask you something.” He eased off a bit, and this was something she loved so much about Charles. He had never stayed mad at her longer than a few minutes and this was a man she was supposed to fall in love with. Because if it were Nate, they would have to arrive in Spain, and he would still be angry at her. It might even take up to a day or two before he will ease off.
“What is it? Are you going to ask me whether it’s safe to fall in love with me or not?” He giggled at the expression she made, wasn’t she expecting that question?
“Charles,” she whined happily and held onto him closer to her. On god, she was falling in love with this man with each passing minute. “How can you ask me that question? Of course, it’s safe, isn’t it?” She asked and he nodded his head at her, roughly placing a kiss on the top of her lips.
“It’s safe, Anna. I’ll never hurt the precious heart you possess, that I promise you, darling.” And she knew he meant each and every word he had uttered. Anna turned around and saw that people were staring at them and she turned back at him with a smile.
“Will you be okay with paparazzi all over us? Our lives won’t be as private as we want them to be.” She said sadly, but the cool smile that was on her face was enough to give off her confidence of knowing so well that Charles will always be there for her.
“Of course, I am. I even want them to know that you’re the woman I fall in love with.” She grinned before he added, “But something, will you be okay if headlines start flying that Anna Brayden is in love with her bodyguard?” He asked and they sat down on the waiting seats while Anna stared deeper into his eyes. And instead of an answer, Anna pulled his face closer to her and merged their lips into a kiss. She knew that this would make it to the news, that she was caught kissing someone in the airport and some people will identify Charles to be her bodyguard, but she wanted that to happen. She wanted to show him off to the world.
And if she could, she would have shouted, ‘Hey, world! I’m in love with the best man on earth!’
❦
“Hello, my name is Jack Roberts and I’m your pilot. I’d like to inform you that we’re going to arrive in Spain in just a few minutes, you should all buckle your seat belts and be ready. Thank you for flying with us.” Clara looked up even though she wasn’t sure from where the voice was booming but she could as a sense of proud filled her heart. It felt as though she could tell the whole passengers in the plane, ‘Hey, that’s my boyfriend and he loves me a lot!’
She smiled at the two couple that sat behind her on the plane, they had been cuddling since they came into the plane and it seemed as though the wife or girlfriend was sick, because she was now weak, and he had taken her to the toilet twice or was it thrice? She felt the urge to initiate a conversation between them and when she smiled at the man now, he smiled back at her.
“Hey, is she alright?” From what she sensed, these type of men that took a very good care of their women and loved them, the best way to get to them was talking about the women they loved. And she was right, because his face lightened up and he nodded his head at her while he fondled her hair softly, that single touch emanating the way he loved and cared for her.
“She has a phobia for flights, and you can’t imagine how much she loves to travel. She’s sleeping now, she will be fine if she gets enough sleep for some hours.” He smiled and his eyes flicked toward her face that was sleeping peacefully on his shoulder as he felt the way her love was filling every nook and cranny of his heart.
“Is she pregnant?” She asked with a soft chuckle and he chuckled as well before he shook his head.
“She’s not, but I wish she is.” He said and kissed the top of her head lovingly. Clara felt an ache for Jack to be together with her. What would it feel to have his baby growing in her? How lovely would it feel to know that she can publicly show her affection for him without fearing that his family or her mother could see them?
“That would have been nice, I can already imagine how cute your babies will look. An epitome of beauty, please wish her well on my behalf.” She said with a genuine smile and beneath her heart, she envied the love this woman had by her side even though she knew Jack was as much lovely or even more. The only problem they had was their families.
“Thank you, Miss…?”
“Oh, sorry. My name is Clara and you?”
“My name is Charles Martin,” he said softly and kissed her forehead again, “And she’s Anna Brayden, you must’ve heard her name before.”
“Oh wow! I did!” Clara said excitedly and when realization hit in her, she nearly screamed, “Don’t tell me you’re the guy she was caught kissing in the airport just a few hours ago?” She giggled and he saw that she meant no harm.
“Of course, I am, do we look lovely?” Clara nodded her head happily and felt as if she could delay their landing a little bit more, so that she could have a chance to exchange a few words with Anna Brayden.
“Can a take a picture of you two? It will warm her heart when she sees it after she wakes up.” He nodded and Clara pulled her phone out of her bag and after she snapped them a few more picture, Charles gave her his phone and she snapped them two.
“Can I post it?” She mustered her best puppy eyes and Charles knew whether or not they wanted, their relationship will be known to public.
“Yes, you can, Clara.” And she thanked him numerously before their plane landed safely. She was among the first people that had gotten out of the plane because Jack told her where she should wait for him, it was sad that she didn’t get the chance to speak with Anna Brayden.
And as she waited for him, she swiped through the pictures she had snapped of them with a lovely smile on her lips and she didn’t know that Jack was there until he kissed her lips unknowingly. “What are you smiling at?” He asked before he sat beside her and brought her to his body.
“I met with Anna Brayden and her boyfriend, even though she was asleep because she has a phobia for flights and kept vomiting in the plane. Look at how lovely they look, you need to see the way he looks at her even though she was asleep, and he keeps on touching and kissing her hair. Jack, they’re so adorable!” She swooned outwardly and showed him the picture even though his eyes were silently pleading with her not to show him.
He stared at a picture of Anna cuddled up into another man’s arms and what Jack had felt was something he had never expected he would. He felt a stabbing in his heart, and she kept swiping through the pictures, to where he had kissed her hair and how lovely he stared at her. “Aren’t they cute? He told me that I can post the pictures too. Pictures of them kissing in the airport are all over the internet.”
Jack smiled at her and nodded his head, “Yes, they’re so cute, Clara. Let’s leave, aren’t you tired already?”
“I am, let’s go.” They both stood up and with their hands entwined, they dragged their luggage and when they walked out to where the taxi Jack had called for them, he saw Anna and her boyfriend, still held close to each other as they entered the car in front of them. He wanted to pull his heart out of his chest. What the hell was this woman doing in Spain? He thought when he came here to spend just two days with Clara, he will be free from her thoughts. But it looked as if they were meant to cross paths again after all.