10 Things I Hate About You

Chapter 11

How Claire managed to walk from the Innovation Center all the way to Owen's bungalow in heels and under the burning sun of Isla Nublar, she wouldn't be able to tell. Perhaps her boiling blood, hotter than that noon weather, had been what had kept her going.

There had been only a few times in her life when she had felt completely defeated, and today was one of them. She was breathing fast, her heels loud against the staircase up to Owen's bungalow. She knocked on his door, hard enough for it to feel like she was about to actually knock the door down.

She knew it was his day off and he should be home; at least that's what he'd said before leaving her to start her day that morning, after breakfast.

"Hey~" He frowned upon answering the door. Just by the look on her face, he knew something was wrong.

The way she immediately collapsed against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist told him things were worse than he thought. He frowned, his hands brushing her hair before he wrapped her tight into a reassuring embrace. "Did you just walk all the way here?" He noticed her car was nowhere to be seen.

Claire nodded against his neck and sobbed. He gently led her inside and closed the door behind them. It wasn't until they were sitting on the couch that he heard her crying, but it was not a sad crying. It sounded like she was frustrated and just tired. She never let him see her face. She wasn't used to letting people see her like this, and she really didn't want to show him that vulnerable side of her just yet.

"What happened?" He murmured, letting her know he was concerned and that she could totally rely on him and just vent. Owen kissed the top of her head, his hand caressing her shoulder while he held her as close as he could.

"You know...very few times in my life I've felt like I couldn't handle something. I'm always up to the challenge of not only delivering but going beyond what's expected." She sobbed, her arms tightly around his waist. "You know what that makes me?"

"That makes you the best." She wasn't expecting an answer, but he had taken the second she sobbed to slide that in.

"It makes me stupid. It makes him believe that I can do everything, that I have eight arms and can do whatever he throws my way." She was talking about Masrani, who had been constantly pressuring her for a presentation they had on Monday for their new asset's potential sponsor.

"It means you are his go to girl, and he trusts you with his life and his fortune." Owen tried to remind her why she worked so hard, to reassure her.

"I like to believe I have everything under control, that I can juggle each ball they throw at me and gracefully keep three balls in the air." Owen nuzzled close, feeling the collar of his shirt pampered while she cried on his shoulder.

"You can juggle four and even five balls in the air if you want!" He took her hands and kissed them lovingly.

"Then why am I failing?" She mumbled. She hated to admit it, because she liked to keep the image that she was invincible. "Why am I going to miss the deadline and that stupid presentation won't be ready for the meeting on Monday?" She hiccuped a little, unable to keep her tears quiet anymore.

No one would understand how this made her feel, like everything was crumbling down; once she lost control... it was game over for her. Owen slowly pulled back and kissed her tears away before he stood up. "I will be right back, babe." He reassured her.

He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and poured some in a clean glass. He also went looking for a box of tissues and met her back in the living room. Owen sat back down next to her and with one tissue he cleaned her face, feeling her green eyes on him, before he let her blow her nose with a clean tissue. He then offered her the glass of water. Owen reached down for her feet and took her heels off. He was sure they were probably killing her after having walked that long distance.