LOVE TO HATE YOU

(NEW) Miss Pouty Lip

"Oh wow, you're sitting here too. What a coincidence." It sounded completely untrue.

I gave him a sideways glance. "Really?"

"Ja, I had no idea we would be booked next to each other and everyone else would be seated all the way at the very, very, very back of the plane." He shot me a smile and I tried not to reciprocate, but I felt the corners of my mouth twitch in response.

"Hey." I heard someone say and looked up. The model had stopped in the aisle next to Ben's chair.

"Hey, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself." She said in a sweet singsong voice that gave her a slight schoolgirl edge. "Cindy." She extended her hand for Ben to shake. He did. She leaned in closer, closer, closer... too close. "I'm so excited to be working with you." She cooed, "Your reputation really proceeds you." She smiled. It was the kind of smile that told me she wasn't talking about his professional reputation, but another one entirely. I crossed my legs and folded my arms, which caused her to look up to me briefly. She smiled at me and then started walking again. I sort of wish she'd tripped.

Ben eyed me. "I take it you and Cindy aren't going to become besties in the next few days?'

"I doubt it." I said flatly.

"She's probably a really nice girl if you got to know her," he teased.

"I'm sure she is." I answered sarcastically.

"You're just jealous."

"I am not." I turned and hissed at him. But truthfully, I was. I was so jealous of Miss Pouty -Lip right now and the way her low cut top had fallen open when she'd leaned over to reveal just the right amount of breast to Ben.

Ben turned his entire body towards me and leaned forward. "I wouldn't do anything with her, even if she threw herself at me." His voice was low and husky.

"Oh, but your reputation proceeds you." I said in a mocking tone, locking eyes with him. And suddenly it was awkward. I could see I'd hit a nerve and he squirmed under my gaze.

"That's in the past." He quickly said. Thank God the airhostess interrupted us at that moment, because the conversation was headed somewhere it really shouldn't be. I bought a Coke and soon felt better when I was washing it down with some Jelly Babies.

"You consume a lot of sugar." Ben suddenly said.

"I know." I popped another Jelly Baby in my mouth and didn't bother to look up.

"You know sugar is bad for you."

"So I've been told. But I need it to keep me awake and functioning."

"That's only because you work too hard."

"No I don't."

"Really, and how many shifts did you do this week, Sera?"

This time I stopped eating and looked up at him. "Every night this week. That's how many." He said it like a statement of fact. As if he knew exactly how many shifts I'd done that week. He must have sensed my thoughts because he quickly added, "I can hear you coming home late at night. And that's why I'm glad you're coming, you could do with a break and this won't be stressful. You can relax."

"That does sound nice." I suddenly imagined three whole days of total relaxation and I couldn't remember the last time I'd actually relaxed.

"When was the last time you went to bed at a normal time?" he asked.

"What's normal?"

"I don't know, before 3 am in the morning? I mean I know I'm not supposed to sleep, but you really don't sleep."

I thought about this for a while and realized that I only really got one normal night a week, Sunday night.

"I worry about you." He looked straight into my eyes.

"This is starting to sound very not professional again, Ben. We have a rule about that."

He shook his head. "No, it's called employee wellness. It's also my job to make sure my staff aren't completely overworked, stressed and exhausted. Of which you are all three."

"Don't worry 'bout me. I don't need much sleep to function, from years and years of practice."

"How long have you been working at the restaurant?"

"Since I was fifteen." I said without thinking.

"Seriously? Through school and college and now this job?"

I nodded. "It's been a long time, I guess." I hadn't actually realized that I'd been working there for seven years already.

Ben was just looking at me now. Staring was more like it and I could see he was thinking about something. His brain was ticking away as he tried to size me up.

"What?" I finally asked when I couldn't take the x-ray stare any longer.

"Nothing. You're an incredible woman, Sear Holmes."

"Uh... thanks. I guess." I wasn't really sure what to say back to him. Compliment him on how incredible he was? "Oh." I suddenly remembered and started digging in my handbag. "I owe you change from the other night. I took out the $88 and pushed it in his direction. He looked at my hand as if he had totally been caught off guard and had no idea what I was talking about.

"The other night." I reminded him. "You paid me with a $100. The drink only cost $12. This is your change."

Ben's eyes moved from my hand up to my eyes. "I don't want change." His words were slow and deliberate.

"Well, I can't accept this." I grabbed his hand and forcefully thrust the money into his palm.

"It's a tip." He smiled at me and tried to push the money back to me.

"I don't accept such large tips." I pushed the money back at him getting irritated at his blatant refusal.

"Keep it." He said. His tone was slow and soft and accompanied with a smile. That smile. I recognized that look and tone immediately. Pity. And it pissed me off.

"I don't accept charity." I snapped, lowering his tray table and slapping the money down onto it. I turned away from Ben and looked straight ahead as my stomach churned.

"It's, it's..." he stammered next to me. "It's not. I didn't think of it that way and I..." He stopped talking and out of the corner of my eye I saw his hand come out and take the money. "Sorry." I heard him whisper as I closed my eyes and put my head back on the head rest.