THIRTEEN: IRENA
I R E N A
Irena is all alone. Scratch that. She is alone in the sense that there are no other human beings. However, there is a dog. And it stinks. Every time she moved inside the plane, Titan followed her. She had counted countless times she almost tripped over him.
“Titan ,” she exclaimed for the thirty-third time. “Just go lie down.” Why Sage refused to take her on an expedition, she did not know.
He had been gone for ten minutes, and Irena considered opening the door and driving Titan away. But she had promised Sage to keep an eye on the animal. She sighed. Why did she have to make promises that made her unhappy? Next time she really needs to think before she speaks.
Titan barked at him.
After saying that, she went into the small kitchen. Sage asks her to cook something for dinner using canned food in the kitchen. Hopefully the rescue team will find them tomorrow. If not . . . Irena shook her head. She didn’t want to think about it. They will be found. Arrange.
After opening and closing the cabinet, she placed all the canned goods on the counter. All the rich people’s food looks at her. What does it have to do with canned caviar and pickled asparagus? His stomach churned at the thought of eating both, let alone together.
“Are you eating this?” she asked Titan , who was tilting his head to the side. Every moment she spent with the furry animal seemed to allay her fears about it. She doesn’t like him, but she starts to put up with him. This is a step in the right direction. Especially since they need to exist together.
Fumbling through the drawers, Irena found a can opener. It goes through vegetables and through meat. When she opened the can of salmon, Titan clapped his hands.
“Ah, so you ate that,” she said, looking down at him. “Did you know that every year there are more than 33 million cases of food poisoning?
Titan barks.
“I know. It’s horrible.” She took a few plates and served the food. Strange colors and even strange smells.
Sage appeared at the door of the plane with her as he closed the door behind her. “What you are doing?” he asked.
“I’m cooking dinner.” She stopped. “Actually, I’m opening dinner.”
Sage approached the counter and looked at the plates. “Did you open all that I have?”
“Ah, not all. Am I staying away from pigeon pate? Seriously?”Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.
Sage takes it from her hand and smiles. “I got it from a girl…” He cleared his throat. “I got it in Paris.”
Irena looked at him. So he had a daughter in Paris. Attractive. “Good. You have the favorite food of the girls you meet. That still doesn’t explain why a billionaire’s son eats canned lasagna. She picked up a can of Chef Boyardee and waved it over her nose.
“Is your reporter surprised to hear that I might prefer this to the real thing?”
“Reporter. And yes. You can hire the best chefs to personally cook for you whenever you want, but is that something you choose?” “It’s not me.” he is getting smaller. He turned his back to her and walked over to a small table sandwiched between two leather chairs.
Irena ‘s stomach rumbled, and it wasn’t the smell of the food. She had upset him, but she didn’t know how. Apparently his father’s money was not something he liked to discuss.
As she looked at him through the window, she thought about what she should say, or whether she should say anything. Obviously there’s a problem. It’s probably best to keep things simple between them. It’s no use trying to get to know Sage Kennedy . It was just a job. Therefore.
Suddenly, Sage climbed into a chair and started kicking at the window. Irena looked. What is the man doing? Was what she said terrible?
“Sage?” She cried when she approached him.
He doesn’t stop. Glass begins to crack under impact. Titan sat up and started barking.
“Sage!” she said, reaching out and grabbing his arm.
When the window disappeared, Sage turned around. “What?”
“You broke the window.”
He glanced back. “Correct.”
Irena sighed and crossed her arms. “Where do I come from, that’s not the normal way to deal with stress.”
He studied her. “Emphasize?”
“Yeah, stressful. You know, since the plane crash, or your obvious desire not to talk about your dad’s money.
Sage narrowed his eyes as if he didn’t understand what she was saying. Then he nodded. “I broke the window so I could light the fire.” He pointed to the opening. “It’s to clear the smoke.”
It was Irena ‘s turn to stare at him.
“Wait. You think you pissed me off enough for me to start breaking a window? He chuckled under his breath.
This only annoyed Irena more. “Well, how do I know that?” After walking away saying you don’t want to talk about something, you start destroying your plane.
Sage approached her with that smug look on his face. “Miss. Derrick , don’t flatter yourself. It’s true that you annoy me, but not as much as you think.” He leans down a few inches from her face. Angry. How can a man drive her crazy just by being near her? She tried to think of a good comeback but lost. Instead, she gave him one last look, then turned and walked over to the counter.
“Eat it,” she said, setting the plate on the table.
Sage nodded. “I’ll light the fire first.” He took a metal bowl from one of the cabinets and placed it in front of the window. Then he took some of the brushes he had brought from outside and broke the sticks. After tearing the handkerchiefs, he piled them into a bowl and lit a fire. A crackling sound echoed through the air as the sticks were engulfed in flames.
Warmth filled the cabin as Sage turned and sat down at the table with her. They ate in silence, both staring at the vast white landscape beside them.
“Did you find anything? You know, outside?” she asked
Sage sighed as he put down his plate and sat down. Looks like everything was destroyed.
A shiver ran down Irena ‘s neck. “So no one knows where we are?”
Sage shook his head. “From what I can tell, the storm may have taken us west, but I don’t know how far it will take us or even where.”
Irena blinked. Fail. They were trapped. In the Greenlandic wilderness. “Do you think someone is coming to arrest us?” She looked at him.
He nodded. “Of course. I just wonder how well they will do.”
She swallows. “How difficult? Just send a helicopter to pick us up.”
“It’s not that easy. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. There are a million places we could have touched. We should go down the mountain in the morning.
Irena couldn’t control her anxiety. I was nervous walking past her, so she stood up and put that strength back together. “Get out of the plane? What if they find it and we’re not there? It’s going to be hard to tell if we’re in the desert?”
Sage ‘s jaw muscles tighten. And if they ever were? found plane her hands were shaking as she gripped the counter. It seems the stress and pressure of the day has affected her. The realization that they were trapped hit her hard. She could die with Sage Kennedy being the last person she talked to.
She turned her gaze towards him and glared at him. She should never have put her life in his hands.
He sighed. “What now, Miss. Derrick ?” He rubbed his face with his hand.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words she wanted to say couldn’t come out. Instead, “94% of air accidents happen on private jets,” he blurted out.
Sage stood up, grimacing, letting go of his hand. It was as if he were struggling with the thoughts that passed through his eyes. “Actually?” He sighed as his shoulders drooped, and he walked over to the couch. Opening the top drawer, he pulled out a sleeping bag and a pillow.
Irena plays with the hem of her sleeve. She didn’t want to say it as an accusation, but she feared that was the case. “Sage , I…”
He raised his hand. “Listen. We’re both exhausted and probably a little shaken by what’s happened. Sleep well because we have a long day ahead of us. He pointed to the sofa. “You sleep here, I sleep on the ground.”
“But…”
He turned to look at her, anger clear in his eyes.
“It’s your plane,” she whispered.
He shook the sleeping bag and let it hover over the couch. Then the cherries go into the same compartment and come out with a blanket. “That’s what you call a gentleman, Miss. Derrick”
Perfect. Her name was Miss. Derrick again. Every time he said that, she felt like he was speaking to her mother. But it didn’t seem right to talk about it at the time. Looking at his pursed lips and slumped posture, he was tired.
“Okay,” she said. If she’s honest with herself, she’s exhausted too. Sleep better than argue.
He nodded and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Irena alone.
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked around. Why couldn’t she say the right things when she was with him? Why did he lose his mind every time he looked at her?
She shook her head. Tonight, she wouldn’t allow herself to think anymore. Pulling the blankets off, she
ducked under them. Tomorrow your mind will be clear. Tomorrow will be better.