*Chapter Thirteen: Red

Chapter Thirteen: Red

The man stretched his hands out like my head was a bag of heavy grains and I don't even weigh much. He was unlike the other guys I have ever seen before.
He was handsome in the conventional sense with profound beautiful hazel eyes that contrasted exceptionally with his light toned face. But that wasn't what got me hooked, what got me hooked was his ability to mend in but somehow still stand out in his environment.
His hazel eyes were deep and expressive; I could stare at them all day and never get tired.
He smiled lazily and blinked to refocus his gaze, taking way the faraway look in his eyes. He was the furthest thing from modest or humble.
"You really like me to say sorry, don't you?" I asked him again, this time I spoke slowly.
"That would be a welcomed change, a woman actually apologizing for doing something wrong" he closed his eyes briefly leaning on the chair.
"I was going to apologize to you but now, I have changed my mind" I said stubbornly and forced my eyes to stop looking at him.
He grunted softly but didn't utter another word. He was well built with a muscular lean body that could melt hearts and raise the dead, given the crew neck t-shirt that he wore, hiding his magnificent body wasn't on his mind. Like I said earlier he was the furthest thing from modest or humble.
I turned to check on Noah and he was still asleep. I pulled down his shirt and adjusted his little hat.
Fifteen minutes later, Noah and I took our seat in the airplane going to Arkansas. Noah opened his eyes but he didn't cry and I was grateful for it.
A man wearing a suit sat on the seat next to me. He was on the phone and he was really loud. I have always hated people that enjoyed yelling at other people. Even when I threaten people in my firm, I do it privately and in a calm voice. It's just more effective that way.
I was concerned that the yelling man was going to scare Noah and make him cry. I took another glance at him. He was tall, lean and nasty. He opened his briefcase and took out a bunch of papers.
"If I lose this deal because of your stupidity, I will ruin you" the man was angry and he made no attempt to hide it.
It was official now, he was frightening Noah. His small lips curved and he let out a cry that almost deafened me.
It was almost take off and the no phone sign was on. A young beautiful air hostess approached the man in suit and asked him to switch off the phone.
"Sir, you need to hang up and switched off your phone" the air hostess said with a smile.
"Sweetheart, this is an important call"
The man was dismissive and rude. I have always hated when they think they can call a woman sweetheart in a demeaning way and get away with it.
"I am sorry sir but you still need to switch off the phone"
The man ignored her and kept talking over the phone.
"Sir? Sir, I have to insist you do as I've asked" the hostess was calm but I could see she was barely keeping it together.
Noah was crying and everyone in first class was getting agitated by the minute, I get it....no one wants a screaming baby in an expensive first class.
I crouched closer to the man, my teeth clenched and a little hint of smile that didn't touch my eyes and I slowly, I passed across my message in a subtle way.
"If you don't get off that stupid phone and stop frightening the baby, I will shove my foot so down your throat that you will need a surgeon to get it out. You have five seconds.... sweetheart"
The man looked at me like he didn't believe me. My smile never wavered but the sincerity that I will carry out my threat never left my eyes either. It took him a second to end the call and switch off his phone.
The hostess smiled nervously at me and I smiled back at her. I picked up Noah to try and soothe him before takeoff. I placed him on my laps and wipe his face with a soft towel.
"Hey, Noah....stop crying, you are making people uncomfortable" I smiled at the boy but he didn't care. Once we took off and were in the air, his cry intensified and I had no idea what to do with him.
I couldn't exactly call Charity or Wendy for help.
"Hi Sweetie...tell me what is wrong and I will make it better" I spoke in a soothing tone.
The man beside me called for a glass of scotch and he looked at me like Noah was a nuisance. I ignored him and kept talking to the baby.
"Can you make him stop? He is giving me a headache" the douche bag man in suit said to me and I ignored him.
The hostess handed a glass of scotch to him and he dropped it on the makeshift table in front of him. I noticed the man sitting beside him for the first time. He had his face covered with a sleeping mask and I could barely make out his face.
He sat up and removed the mask from his face. I was in awe; he was the same man I had a spat with earlier before we took off. While the man in suit rampaged through his briefcase to get a document, the man with hazel eye slipped something into his drink.
I looked at him and he pressed his index finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet. I didn't really like the man that made Noah cry in the first place and so when he took the glass of scotch and downed it in a gulp; I didn't try to stop him. Five minutes later, he was snoring softly like a pig. The hazel-eyed man left his seat and made his way to sit on the empty chair beside me.
"Do you know what I hate more than people using me as a human pillow?" He asked and looked at me intensely.
"People who don't worship the ground you walk on?" I said jokingly
"Close enough but no, it's people who yell at babies and make them cry"
"Putting sleeping pill in someone's drink is illegal" I told the man.
"Don't tell me you are a lawyer, Red?" The man said with a grin.
"Don't call me Red and yes I am a criminal Attorney, maybe you've heard of me....Aaliyah Macks" I told him.
"I have never heard of you, Red"
Noah's tiny hands went to my hair and I tried to push my hair away from him. The hazel-eyed man took Noah from me without asking.
"It's his ears, Red. They are hurting because of the increased ear pressure" he took the baby bag with asking for my permission also and took the baby earplugs. He placed them on Noah and rubbed his ears in a soothing way and like magic he stopped crying.
"He is a lovely kid, Red" he commented
"It's still Aaliyah not Red and thanks, Noah is indeed lovely but don't you need my permission to pick up my baby?"
I hadn't meant to call Noah my baby, it just slipped from me before I could stop myself.
"Seeing that he is almost dozing off to sleep, I think he prefers me to you, Red"
"Aren't you a regular knight in shining armor?" I mocked him.
He didn't seem offended by my mockery.
"Hi, I am Aiden....nice to meet you, Aaliyah"