Love Can’t be

Esme. Announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will be taking off shortly. Please ensure that your seatbelt is securely fastened and remains fastened throughout the flight. Please return your seatbelts and tray tables to their upright positions. All electronic devices must be switched to airplane mode. Thank you.” “Dames en heren, we zullen binnenkort opstijgen. Zorg ervoor dat uw veiligheidsgordel goed is vastgemaakt en tijdens de vlucht….” “One language is f*****g enough.” I hissed in anger, as I ransacked my bag for my eye mask. As if it wasn’t enough that my stupid manager couldn’t book a proper five-star hotel for my shoot, he didn’t even pick the earliest flight back to… “Excuse me ma’am,” “For f**k sake,” I cursed, turning to the flight attendant bowing slightly beside me. “We advise that you place your phone in airplane mode as the flight is about…” “I get it!” I almost yelled out of anger. “I was going to do that just now.” She let out a small smile. “We candidly…” Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the phone, turned on the airplane mood and nearly shoved it into her face. “Happy now?” She nodded. “Thank you for complying.” “So much for catching a flight.” The past nine days has had to be the most hectic week I’ve had in a while. First, my agency signs a contract without my consent and deems it fit to inform me, three days prior to the shoot. Who the hell packs for a major food shoot three days before?!! I just can’t wait to be back home. I f*****g miss my red fluffy bed, the soft pillows and my vintage record player. After going through my small pouch for the fourth time, I finally found the eye mask. At least something has worked out today. Now, I just have to close my eyes and enjoy an hour nap before we land in Edinburgh. And the first thing I’m gonna do when I touch down, is to fire that slow, clumsy nitwit of a manager whom I had employed on a whim. I don’t have another major event for the next three weeks, and it should be enough time to hire his replacement. Draping my blanket over my body, I adjusted my posture on the reclining chair and covered my eyes with the mask, at the same time as the plane took off from the runway. But after tossing and grunting for the next fifteen minutes, I pulled the blanket and tossed it into my bag with rage. I didn’t care if it wasn't the cause of my discomfort on that plane. I began to rummage through my bag again, hoping I had brought something that might keep me busy, as my phone was utterly useless without the internet. Face towel. Two packs of chips. Dental floss kit. Glosses. Make-up pouch. Food magazines. As I tried to pull the next item, something fell from the bag, but before I could reach it, the air hostess from before grabbed it. I turned and gave her an angry stare. “That’s mine.” “I’m aware.” I was beginning to loathe that fake smile on her face. Does she not feel pain from the constant stretched lips? “Then hand it over.” “Unfortunately, sharp objects aren’t permitted in the cabin,” She explained. “Sharp?” I scoffed. “That's kitchen scissors.” “Regardless, I need to secure them until we land.” Now she is getting on my last nerve. “And if I don’t consent?” “I’m only trying to follow the safety procedures, Ma’am.” “I don’t care whatsoever it is you are doing.” I shot out. “You are not taking my property.” Why the hell was she still smiling? “I assure you, they will be returned to you after landing, subject to our procedures.” Was she serious? “What difference does it…” “What’s going on?” Her colleague interjected swiftly, cutting me off. “What’s the issue ma’am?” “I have been…” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Aren’t you.. Esme? Esme De-Brown?” “And does that have anything to do with the situation at hand?” I flared. “Tell her to hand over my item.” The light in her eyes died as she inched closer to her colleague and maintained a straight face. “I’m really sorry ma’am but we have to…” My fist balled and sprang up with a force that blurred my vision for split seconds. “I’m already having a bad day as it is and I would appreciate it if you both didn’t make it worse. Now can you just gently hand over my scissors?” I noticed eyes were already blaring at our small crowd, but I didn’t give a f**k. Not when my favourite Japanese scissors is at stake. The flight attendant lowered her voice. “Please don’t make this difficult. We simply need to secure the scissors for the remainder of the flight.” “Do you even have any idea how much those cost?” “No ma’am.” Exactly. “Now hand them…” “Of course it's her.” I heard someone comment. When I glanced around, my eyes locked with a young man two seats from me. It was short but so intense that a sudden wave of dizziness followed immediately. What the hell? “Ma’am?” The air hostess’s voice jolted me back to the fact that I was about to lose something so precious. “The flight’s not even that long so what’s the essence of trying to confiscate a harmless item by the way?” I managed to stutter. “We are just..” “Please don’t give me that crap of safety protocol.” I cut in furiously. “If it was an unsafe item, they would have alerted me at the screening point.” “This is way above our…” “Some people really do believe a first-class ticket comes with a license to terrorize the cabin.” Hell no! That was my last f*****g straw. Right now, the air hostess was my least problem. How dare he? I walked to the man and pushed his shoulder. “What did you say?” He chuckled, still fixated on his book. “You know I could sue you for that right?” I let out a humorless laugh. “That doesn’t answer my f*****g question.” He shrugged. “I only said some people need to learn manners.” “For someone who has been eavesdropping on a conversation that has absolutely nothing to do with him, you’re lecturing me about manners?” “I believe I’m entitled to that as a passenger who is supposed to be enjoying a quiet flight, which you have made impossible.” I almost laughed. “Then perhaps you should learn to stick your nose in your book and not other people’s business?” Who the hell does he think he is? The book finally snaps shut and he lifts his face again. Getting a closer look at him, I almost stopped breathing at how handsome he looked. Too bad he had a nasty character. Asshole. “I’d love to. Unfortunately, your business has become everyone’s business.” His voice was annoyingly calm. “You know nothing about me.” “That would have been right a few minutes ago.” For f**k sake. “And you are not gonna say anything?” I yelled at the air hostess. “This clearly wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t try to be so nosy with my…” My vision blurred again, followed by a quick haziness. “Ma’am, please sit down.” “No.” I blinked. “I’m not gonna stick my ass on that chair and chunk down the insult this impudent man just howled at me.” “Exactly why you need to be lectured about manners.” He muttered, picking up his book. “Did you hear that?” I yelled, snatching the book from him. “If you have an issue, why not take it out with me?” “Please calm down and sit ma’am. The plane might experience…” “Not until this man apologizes..” I stopped midtracks as another wave of dizziness hit me. My breath began to quicken and heat crawled up to my neck. “Ridiculous.” The man muttered. “Now she’s putting up a show.” “I’m not…” My chest suddenly tightened and a wave of pain hit me so hard, I stumbled. Then something warm trickled down nose. Gripping the nearest seat, I wiped my nose with my finger. The sudden red colour made all my anger dissipate. “Ma’am?” The flight attendant looked more frightened than I was. “You’re bleeding.” I touched my nose again and it gained more blood. “Get me a tissue…” Like a drunk person, my legs began to go numb, the plane tilted and I was fast collapsing to the floor. I didn’t know what happened next, but when I opened my eyes again for brief seconds, a few heads were peered above mine anxiously and I was in the arms of my newly found arch nemesis. Before my health could betray me further, I gripped the collar of his shirt and squeezed tightly. “f**k you.” I muttered. “Heyy!” He brought his ear closer to my lips. “What did you say?” Leaning closer, I gripped tighter and whispered, “f**k you!” “You are one hell of a…” No way on earth would I let myself lose to him. So I gathered my little strength and bit his ear, before slipping into the coat of darkness.