“I wanted it to be just the two of us, Maya!” Anna whined endlessly as they walked into the beach, their hands entwined. Jack, Charles, and Clara where walking ahead of them. She watched the way Clara was clinging onto Jack and how Charles was smiling widely at whatever it was they were discussing about.
“I didn't know that. But that girl is harmless, Anna. I think it’d be fun to be around them, aren’t they all so amazing? And her boyfriend is so hot, don’t you think?” Maya giggled at the frown that was on Anna’s face and she wondered why Anna had been so restless since they walked into the restaurant with these people.
She held Maya’s wrist and stopped her from moving further, “I haven’t gotten the chance to tell you, Maya. Do you know who that boyfriend is?”
Maya innocently shook her head. “I don’t know him, who is he?”
“He’s Jack Roberts...” Maya cut her off, already feeling uneasy. She knew it, whatever Anna felt this uneasy about was something so huge and she wished that it wasn’t something so bad.
“Of course, he’s Jack Roberts, she has already told us that, didn't she?”
Anna smacked her arm, “Didn’t the name click in your head, Maya? He’s Jack! The balls resetting guy, the pilot we fought, he's the one that...” Before Anna even got the chance to finish saying what she was, Maya had already furiously moved forward and she knew if she didn’t stop her, nothing could stop her from getting to Jack and she will be the worse best friend in the history of life.
She forcefully pulled her back and laughed outwardly, “What do you think you’re doing, Maya?” She lifted her head up exasperatedly and chuckled, it was both funny and exasperating. “Are you going to punch that well-physiqued man? He’s going to strangle us all even though we have Charles to protect us.”
Maya glared at their retreating backs, “That idiot, but how dare he?!” She was furious. Anna had always known that Maya had a very bad temper especially if it was something that had hurt her, but she had never thought that temper wasn’t just when they were having a conversation over the phone.
“I know, but can you at least control yourself? I'm fine, can’t you see? And you’re here with me, right?” Anna smiled innocently and sweetly. But instead of an answer, Maya pulled her to her chest and hugged her warmly.
“Oh darling, are you alright?” She asked on her shoulder and Anna chuckled softly. This was the kind of friendship she signed up for.
“I am, of course. But it wouldn’t be so bad to reset those balls again, don’t you think?” They all threw their heads back and laughed before they moved further into the beach. They ducked down and pulled their heels together and held them while they ran and screamed their lungs out.
“What do you think about her? What’s her name again, yes, Clara!” Maya yelled over the wind that was crossing over them and Anna laughed and looked above her. The two men were holding the picnic basket they had stopped at Maya’s house and got while Clara clung onto Jack as they lazily walked across the beach.
“She’s fine, don’t you think? Beautiful as well, I can say she’s harmless.” They were running faster now, and Anna was beginning to laugh so hard even though her lungs were getting tired and she knew Maya will soon stop if she noticed the way she was beginning to fight for her breath.
And she did because she forcefully held her wrist and pulled them down on the sand. “You’re out of breath, where’s your spray?” She was already searching through her bag when she asked her where it was and whilst panting for breath, Anna stared at how worried yet calm Maya looked until she found the spray and she sprayed it into her mouth.
“Are you feeling well now? Let’s rest for a while before they spread out the mat and we can move over there.” There was a long distance between them, and Anna wondered if Charles had noticed that they weren't behind them.
“They’re having fun already; will they even notice that we aren’t behind them?” She asked with a sad smile and turned to look at an angry Maya.
“Apologize on their behalf, it’s itching me to go and reset all their balls, you're Charles included. Even though he seemed like a nice guy but nah, I hate Jack and that talkative girlfriend of his.” Anna threw her head back and laughed before she stood up.
“Dear Maya, my boyfriend is sorry. As for Jack, you can reset his balls but only when his girlfriend isn’t looking, okay? Let’s do it discreetly.” Maya stared through her eyes before she placed her hands on her shoulders.
“You’re sad, Anna. Can you cheer up a bit? Come on, my baby girl can definitely do this, right?” Anna nodded her head and laughed before they held their hands and walked toward them.
They were recollecting their childhood memories when they reached them, and they all looked up at the way they were laughing with Anna screaming at the pitch of her voice that she hadn’t done what Maya was accusing her of doing now. “Maya, I've been telling you this, how could I do that?!” Maya laughed and they lazily slumped on the carpet and Anna placed her head on Charles shoulders.
She turned to look at him when Maya kept on insisting, “Charles, can you believe that I locked this girl in her room just because I want to go play with her childhood crush at the time? As innocent as I am?” She asked with light and love on her face and Charles looked at the way Maya feigned hurt and how she kept insisted that she deserved an apology from Anna.
“My Anna could never do that. Come on, Maya, she’s so innocent, don’t you see?” He said lovingly and to add more to the mood, Anna laid her head on his laps.
“Look at me, beautiful, innocent and lovely, isn’t it, Charles?” She looked up at his face and instead of an instead, he leaned down and kissed her passionately. Just when he looked back at Maya as the argument was now between them while he defended her, their eyes met with Jack and she smiled wickedly at him. From the look in his eyes, that kiss hurt him.
❦
From where he stood, Jack stared at the way Anna and Maya kept playing in the water together with Clara. She was giggling at the pitch of her voice as she jumped happily. If someone looked at him now, one could think that he was staring at how Clara was playing in the sea, but that was the least of his concern. He stared at Anna with all the attention he had never given something in his life.
And it hurt to know that no matter how much he tried to take his eyes off her, he couldn’t. She was splashing the water on Maya’s face now and when Maya tried to catch her, she will duck and run away but the water will still reach her. So, this was what Anna Brayden looked when she looked? So freaking amazing that he was certain he could never get tired of staring at her face while she laughed.
He had to hurt her, that was one thing. He had to take his revenge on her and the fact that she caught his eyes the way she did today was a different thing. And that wouldn’t make him forgive her since she hadn’t asked for the forgiveness herself. He wouldn’t even forgive her even if she asked. He was such a fool, he thought, for seeing her with a different perception he had never thought he would.
It baffled him how she had acted as though this was the first time she had ever seen him in her life. How calm and reserved she looked, giving them all the Anna Brayden style he knew so well was only a facade of her. He looked up at them when he heard the shriek that escaped her lips and he saw that it was Charles that had lifted her and was threatening to throw her into the sea, and she was clinging onto him as she screamed at the pitch of her voice and both Maya and Clara were laughing at the way the couple acted.
The couple, he nearly laughed at the way that thought slipped through his mind because what the hell was wrong with him? How could he think of that? Wait…he stopped himself and ran his fingers through his now messy hair, was he jealous of her? “No!” The answer came out as aggressively as he felt it in his heart just when Clara ran toward him and the smile that filled her face was enough to tell him that this woman was enough for him and she was the only one he would be hurt over because of her.
“Clara!” He laughed as he hugged her firmly and she immediate peeled her face away from his chest.
“I need you to come with me to the sea, we’re playing, can’t you see?” She whined with a beautiful pout on her face. Jack knew he could never deny her whatever she wanted if she had this look on her face and he begrudgingly nodded his head, but the truth was, he wanted himself nowhere near Anna since the incident that happened in that office. He could still feel the soft texture of her lips on his and the way she felt in his arms…so freaking amazing!
When they got to where they were, he noticed that Maya had been glaring at them since they walked toward them and that was enough to tell him that Anna had told her who he was and what was between them. He smiled at her but instead of her to even nod or smile back, she looked away with what looked like a frown on her face.
“Jack!!!” Clara shrilled as she splashed water all over his face and he threw his head back and laughed, doing all he could not to glance at where Anna was because he didn’t know what was wrong with him anymore.
“Clara, the very next minute I catch you, that will be over for you!” He said and ran after her, aware of Charles and Anna that were playing in the same water they were and Maya that had moved over to the sand and she looked like someone that was on a phone.
He caught Clara in his arms, and she threw her hands up in surrender as she laughed her soul out while he made sure her whole hair got drenched. When she slipped out of his hold, he ran after her and somehow, they interchanged. He caught the woman he wasn’t meant the catch in the same place. With her face flushed with water and happiness and her black hair sticking to the neck that looked nearly forbidden to stare at and the lips that looked so plump he nearly leaned on and devoured on them.
He was firmly holding her waist and from the background laughter he was hearing, Jack was certain he Charles and Clara weren’t aware of what was going on between them. They stared into each other’s eyes deeper than Jack had ever stared in her eyes and he realized, her eyes were more of silver and blue than any color he had ever seen. He wasn’t sure if it was right to have such eyes or the power they possess over him.
She had both her hands placed on his chest and he was certain she could feel the way his heart was wildly beating in his chest, but that wasn’t what was wrong with him. It was the look in her eyes, the softness and it looked as though she wanted to tell him something she only wanted to tell him, but she couldn’t voice it out. His firm hold hadn’t wavered even for bit and when she bit onto her lower lip, Jack’s attention was deviated from her eyes to her lips and then back to her eyes.
They both had the same look in their eyes and just when he was about to lean in and take the risk of kissing her lips, she coughed slightly and when she spoke, it wasn’t like the Anna Brayden he had known for quite some time now. “Let’s just fight and get over with this temptation.” Somehow, without wanting to, he broke into a fist of laughter and released his hold on her waist while she stared at him as he laughed.