Anna woke up to the aroma of a scrumptious meal as it wafted through her nose. She smiled before she squinted her eyes, and she got a blurry vision of a smiling Jack as he placed down a tray on her bedside drawer. She gasped lovingly and tried to sit upright, “Hey, good morning.” She said sleepily, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them.
Charles came and sat beside her on the bed with a beautiful smile on his lips and he kissed her lips lightly, not minding that she hadn't brushed her teeth yet. “Good morning, beautiful.” He pulled away from her lips, the smile not leaving his face. “I hope you slept well.”
She had a permanent smile on her face as she nodded her head at him, still awe struck. “Charles,” she said breathlessly, “You did this for me?” She turned to where he had kept the meal and tears pooled the brink of her eyes. Call a cry-baby, but whatever touched her heart the way Charles did first thing in the morning, then she would have to cry. “I can’t believe this Charles, thank you so much.” She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him so tight. She broke into silent tears, for she had never been treated by a man the way Charles was treating her now.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time she had ever been treated to a breakfast on bed, but that had always been the work of the maids and it was like an obligation for them to do whatever she wanted. She smiled when she broke their hug and kissed his lips warmly. “You have no idea how happy this makes me, Charles. Thank you so much.”
She turned to start diving on the meal, which she was sure he made himself, but he quickly held her wrist as he chuckled at how excited she seemed. “How are you feeling? Julia said you have to take your pills the first thing before you eat anything.”
She whined and rolled her eyes exasperatedly, “Why is Julia this way? I'm fine, but yes, where are my pills?” She got down from the bed and Charles smiled at how ruffled she looked. She had been sleeping since when they arrived yesterday, and it was good to see her all awake and healthy again. She nearly gave him an attack yesterday on the plane and if it wasn’t because she had already told him of her phobia, he would’ve thought she was seriously ill.
She walked to the bathroom after flashing him a warm smile and when she came out, Anna was left mouth agape at how the room looked. How did he manage to do this? Clear everything that was in the room? Cleaned and did everything, when she turned around to where he was, he was already arranging her things in the wardrobe and for once in her life, she felt so sure about this man. He was the one, and she knew he wasn't doing all these things because he was her bodyguard, he wasn’t a maid, was he?
He was doing this because he loved her, that she was certain of. She walked silently toward him without him knowing until she engulfed him into a hug from behind and Charles chuckled. “Charles, why are you treating me this way?” She asked with a muffled voice, pushing back her tears as she told herself to get used to this because she was going to be treated this way starting from now.
Charles chuckled and turned her to face him, but when he did, she half screamed dramatically. “You’re only wearing your towel, Anna!” And she laughed wholeheartedly.
“Why is that? You’ve never seen me in a towel, but I think you should get used to it.” She winked naughtily at him and Charles shook his head at her.
“Get ready before your breakfast gets cold.” He slightly pushed her toward the mirror, and she threw her head back and laughed.
“Charles! It’s not like I'm naked, is it?” Something light filled her soul as she sat on the vanity stool and they stared at each other’s eyes through the mirror, “Have you taken your breakfast already?”
He turned back to his work, but she could see the blush that was evident on his face. She loved this man, oh god, she really loved this man. “Yes, I have. I'm sorry but I thought it will take you longer before you wake up and I was famished.”
“Can we eat together again? Or you’re filled to the brim?” She was wearing her underwear casually as though they had been together since forever. She was aware that every act of hers affected him and the way he was doing all he could not to take a glimpse of her, and that made her chuckled internally.
“I think I’ll try to avoid you for the rest of today, don’t you think?” She laughed out loud when he walked toward the door and briskly turned to look at her with his eyes that had already turned bloodshot, “I’ll see you later in the evening.”
“Charles! But it’s only morning now, how can I live until evening without seeing you? I'm sorry!” She called out in a whiny tone and laughed when he banged the door. “I'll see you in the evening! Or just anytime, it depends on my mood!” She yelled out at him and he smiled at how happy she sounded.
Anna was done getting ready with a beautiful smile on her lips and when she sat down to eat her meal, she noticed she couldn't let his effort leave in vain. She snapped a few pictures of how beautifully he had arranged the tray and sent them to Maya with the caption, “I’m in Spain and fully in love. When will you come and see me, darling?” She knew Maya will roast her alive because she hadn't told her that she will be coming to Spain, and the way the surprise will leave her gob smacked was something Anna wanted to see for herself.
Instead of an answer, she heard the chiming of her phone as Maya called her and she chuckled before she picked her call, “Hey! If you freaking tell me that this is true, I'll have your throat diced right this instant, Anna Brayden!” She screamed at the pitch of her voice and Anna threw her head back as she laughed. This was what she wanted to see.
“I'm serious, I wanted to surprise you, darling. Come, let’s go out for a lunch.”
“Anna, if you make me leave work...” She heard a sound as though she had thrown something off and she quickly apologized while she excused herself from where Anna knew was her place of work, “I’ll book the next flight to California and make sure I attend your funeral in the next few days.”
“Ease off, Maya I'm serious. I'm in one of Dad’s houses, you know all of them, so just guess the one I'm in.” She knew this will make Maya even more furious than she was and that alone was enough for Anna to enjoy the suspense and laugh at how angry it will make Maya.
“Do you take me as a joke, Anna? I freaking took a leave from work today, thank god it’s Friday! Where the hell are you? Send me the address and I'll be there as soon as I can.” She ended the call and Anna knew so well that Maya wasn’t someone to joke with. She sent her the address her mouth full of her meal as she smiled at both the man she was slowly falling in love with and the best friend she had always been in love with.
She was leisurely eating her food as she surfed to see which place was the best to take someone to in Spain when she heard a knock on the door and she rushed toward the door, “Maya!!!” She screamed at the pitch of her voice and engulfed Maya into an impromptu hug. Maya hugged her back, equally excited and when they broke apart, the edge of their lips could reach their ears.
“Oh my god, Anna! I can’t freaking believe this, oh my god!” She hugged her back, and this time, she felt tears of joy slipped out of her eyes. The last time she had seen Anna was during her Dad’s funeral and that wasn’t a pleasant visit. She stayed with her for a week before she came back to Spain and since then, they were only connected through their phones. Maya wanted to laugh heartily for the joy she felt in her heart.
“Come in, you can cry in peace in my room. I promise, I won’t snitch on you.” She laughed at the smack she felt on her arm and pulled her into the room before she closed the door behind her and guided her to the sofa she was seated on. “Thankfully, I'm not done with the breakfast Charles made for me. Let’s eat, it has always been fun eating with you.”
Maya stared at how Anna was glowing with happiness and she pecked her lovingly, “I’m so glad that you’re the not the mess I thought I'd see you as. To think that I was planning on visiting you in California in the next two weeks to see how you’re coping with everything that’s going on with your life, girl, I'm so glad I saw you today!” They hugged again and when they broke their hug, all hell broke loose as they began to laugh as though they were mentally ill.
“Do you know how bad that heartbreak was? Maya, please don't fall in love until you’re so sure the man you’re in love with loves you tenfold, okay?” She said while they ate their food and Maya brought up the subject about Nate. They all knew it didn’t matter whether it was an unpleasant topic to Anna, what mattered was that someone was here to listen to everything she had ever said, to never judge and to make her feel better with her words.
“That jerk, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him. Anna, how dare he say all those words to you? If I have the chance to say this to him, I would’ve said he should dread the day I'll meet him and it doesn’t matter how long it will take but I'll surely have to make him cry or angry, whatever it is. he just has to feel even an inch of what you did. That idiot.” Maya fumed, and Anna smiled, that was why she hadn’t told Maya everything he had said because she knew if she did, Maya would come to Florida before she left and she will go to his place work. And Anna knew so well that it wouldn’t end well, and she didn't want him to think that she was using her power to make them fire him.
“Do you know what pained me the most in all these things, Maya? How could he take her to the location I confessed my love to him? That idiot.” She allowed herself to relish on the feeling she had felt when she saw those picture and tears pooled her eyes.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Maya eyed her and she smiled before she flicked them back before they even had the chance of rolling down her cheeks. “You promised not to cry over him again, Anna. Didn’t you?”
“I did, but you have no idea how much it hurts me.” Her lips trembled and despite her attempt at pushing her tears back and the comforting thoughts of Charles she had brought to her mind, nothing worked. For she felt the surge of an unbearable pain through her chest and she broke into tears. “It hurts me a lot, Maya.”
Maya stared at her with all the anger, pity and sadness Anna had ever seen on her face before she pulled her into a hug, “Shh, it’s fine, okay? Cry it all out today and we aren’t going to cry over a jerk like him ever again. It’s his lost, because who in his right senses will choose that wife of his while you’re still standing? Are you sure he’s mentally alright? Because what he did doesn’t show that.”
Despite the way Anna was painfully crying on her shoulder, that didn’t stop her tears. “Maya, he’s not mad, just stupid.” Yes, definitely stupid.