The Pursuit

Thirteen

⬻Maggie⤖

"Where are you taking me", Maggie asked Damien. She saw the Philadelphia skyline come into view. The city, ugh, remember when you used to live in a city?, she reflected sadly.

"We're going to the airport", Damien declared. His voice sinking deeper into Maggie's bones.

"Then where are you taking me? I thought we had to stay in the woods for two weeks?", Maggie looked confused as the signs for the airport came into view.

"No one said anything to me about having to stay in the woods nor sitting still for two weeks. If I'm your babysitter then I have permission to take you where I see fit, and right now we are going to the airport", Damien spoke matter of factly. Maggie could hear the boyish excitement in his voice.

"I don't know if I have enough money to go to the airport, plus I thought Sam wanted me to be protected, not babysat", Maggie said with venom in her voice. Who is this guy? Babysit me? Ha! Good luck with that buckaroo!

Damien chuckled and Maggie felt her body light up with warmth once again. His eyebrows peaked as if to accept her challenge.  "Let's be completely honest with each other, at least the most we could for being strangers who literally just met", he pulled into the parking garage of the airport and looked at Maggie. "Your boyfriend has given us quite the down payment on the adventure of a lifetime and I'm not about to pass that up even with little miss cranky as my companion for two weeks". He pulled into a spot and stopped the car. He looked at Maggie and challenged her to respond to him.

Boyfriend? Cranky? I am not ! He is not! Maggie could feel the anger rise up in her and she lifted her hand and felt it slap Damien on the cheek. That felt good, do it again! Wait! Don't! That was wrong!,  Maggie cringed.

Damien's hand grabbed Maggie's arm with a gentle but firm grip. Maggie could feel his skin brush against hers ever so lightly and she calmed instantly. "I'm sorry", she apologized. Damien smiled at her. "I am not cranky. Well maybe I am, but I have earned that right at this point in time and, so be it, that's how I feel. I am not going to let you tell me how to feel. I have too many men in my life telling me what I should and shouldn't feel. And he is not my boyfriend!", she raised her voice to emphasize her point.

Damien still held her hand and his deep blue eyes searched Maggie's. Maggie felt herself feel uneasy again. Why is he looking at me like that?

"I apologize for calling you cranky", he let go of her arm and undid his seatbelt. "I am totally unaware of your situation and I did not mean to belittle you or your current state of crank", he opened his door and laughed. His laugh hit her in the chest and sent a spark into the black hole.  He took his phone and deposited in the door of the truck. He's going to be annoying, calling it right now. Thinks he's cute, but he's just an ass in disguise, they all are,  she reminded herself.

Maggie eventually joined Damien outside the truck with her bag in her hand. Am I really going to go with him. I don't know him. Look where not knowing men has landed me!,  she chastised herself. 

Damien didn't wait for her as he walked towards the departure gates. She followed behind. I have no other option. I have no money. I doubt I have my phone. I don't have anything to my name. He is my only hope right now. She felt the anger rise again. Always the same fucking story, dependent on a male, once again.

They walked to the Alaskan Airlines ticket counter. Maggie turned up her nose. Ah, could't do Pennsylvanian woods so what's better? Alaskan! He's taking me to fucking Alaska. How do I get out of this fucking curse.

Damien dropped his bag on the floor, which Maggie just realized he had been carrying. Her tote bag was smaller than his. She got closer to Damien to hear him talk to the ticket agent. She could smell the scent of the ocean on his clothes. She closed her eyes and her inner vixen curled her toes and imagined what he looked like without the jeans and the flannel button down.

"Yes, two to Honolulu", Damien's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Hawaii?, We're going to Hawaii?" Maggie raised her voice an octave in excitement. She had never been outside the eastern coast let alone the mainland. Calm down freeloader!

Damien turned and looked down at her pleasantly surprised she was so close to him. Maggie took a step back and looked at the ticket agent. The female agent clearly affected by Damien's huntsman looks. She was literally squirming in his presence. Maggie gave her dirty look out of pure instinct and then realized she was behaving irrationally. Reign it in tiger, he ain't yours.

The ticket agent processed their tickets and they headed towards security. Maggie looked at Damien with intent, "Why Hawaii?"

"Well before your boyfriend called me to ask me to babysit you I was starting a very well deserved vacation. Plus I have a house there", he shrugged with confidence and walked away from her. She followed him in  hurried pace. Who just happens to have a house in Hawaii?

"He is not my boyfriend!", she fumed outwardly and loud enough to make sure he got the point.

Once they were through security Maggie realized she was starving. As if on cue her stomach erupted into the silence of the  gate area. Damien turned and looked at her and raised his eyebrow,  "We should probably get you some food, wouldn't want to get fired for not feeding the baby" he laughed as Maggie threw up her middle finger and smiled sarcastically. "Lord knows I can't lose this job", he laughed louder and more dramatically and got up to find food. Again, Maggie followed him around like a lost puppy with no other option as he had the money and her only chance for survival in his hands.

A while later they were boarded, in first class, no less. Maggie felt herself stretch out and her feet barely reached the other end of her cubicle. She looked at Damien and saw he was already asleep across from her. How could he be that tired? I should be the exhausted one! Maggie yawned instinctually.  The stewardess came around and asked her to stow her bag and prepare for take off. She looked around and put her hands in her lap. She looked over at Damien and wondered what in world she had gotten herself into, again.