When We Were Young

Chapter 2

Six years ago (Flashback)

Paula closed her locker with a weary sigh. None of her two friends had attended school that day. She felt bored and lonely. And to add to her misery, it was burning hot. Even the air which blew around her was hot. She fanned herself wishing she was back home , laying herself in the cool swimming pool.

Reid, a guy in her science class approached her. Leaning against the locker , he cast her a small nervous smile, while adjusting his glasses in the process.

"Boring day , huh?," he stated.

A smile crept on Paula's face when he voiced out her very thoughts.

"You can say that."

"I am going for ice cream. Do you want to join me?," Reid asked her in a nervous voice as he pinched his nose bridge.

"Sure , why not,” she replied with a wide smile on her face.

Paula watched with fascination as a huge smile broke out on his face. Reid was known as a loner. He was always acting nervous and rarely had any friends.

Suddenly Reid was grabbed by the collar and thrown against the lockers with a thud. Paula gasped as she stared at Andre's furious face.

"Andres , let go of him right now! ," she demanded in a furious voice.

"I have noticed this little sucker ogling you with predatory eyes on many occasions. I won't let my baby sister turn into some one's plaything," Andres blurted out angrily, tightening his hold on Reid.

Paula began to feel mortified as several students gathered in the hallway to watch the scene unfolding before them. They began to whisper among themselves. She drew closer to her furious twin brother and dropped her voice to a murmur.

"He didn't do any of that. I asked him to help me with a math problem," she lied to him.

With one last warning glare at him, Andres loosened his hold on Reid. Paula felt relief wash over her. Reid scurried away, disappearing into the mass of students. She directed her furious gaze at her brother. Andres was always ruining her chances at dating. Almost every guy in school was now scared to approach her and she hated it. She was going to complete her senior year without a boyfriend , thanks to her overbearing and tyrannical twin brother( note the sarcasm).

“For goodness’s sake, can’t l have any friends, Andres! I am sick of this attitude of yours. I DON’T NEED A FRECKING BABYSITTER!,” she cried out in frustration.

Andres was born eleven minutes before her and he was very possessive when it came to her and Paula hated his over protectiveness of her. Ever since they were kids, Andres would hang out with his guy friends leaving her behind and he didn’t want to see any guy lurking around her, even his own best friends.

“You have friends, Paula. Stay away from shit like Reid. I know his type. Acting all innocent and nice when he only want one thing from girls.”

“Reid is not like that. He is nice and..”

Her voice trailed off when her brother pinned her down with one of his  infamous glares. She sighed. It was pointless to argue with him. Andres was just like their father. He never admitted his wrong doings.

“Andres!,” his group of friends called him out from the other end of the hallway.

“Take me with you. I am very bored,” she pleaded with him when he was about to walk away.

Andres turned back to her and cast her a warning glare.

“I can’t let you anywhere near those bastards. They are predators, devouring every girl who comes their way. Stay away from them, got that?”

She gave a small nod and a smile suddenly broke out on his face.

“Good,” he said before ruffling her dark hair, a habit of his she hated so much.

He joined his friends and they strode away laughing and chatting about their evening plans. It was a Friday after all. Paula was left standing alone in the middle of the hallway. Students had begun to disperse when they saw that the free show was over.

She had everything money could possibly buy yet she felt so lonely and empty. Her parents were mostly travelling around the globe building their business empire and her brat of a brother was going around courting girls.

                                          ~****~

Upon arriving at the grand Solano mansion, Paula hurried to the kitchen , her favorite place where Hazel had told her numerous tales of her hometown and taught her to bake.

The older woman was baking a cake whilst humming an old country song. Paula tiptoed silently across the marble tiles and embraced her from behind.

"Goodness!," Hazel gasped in shock.

A low laugh rumbled from Paula as she unwrapped her arms from her waist to face her.

"Did l scare you?," she chuckled.

"Young lady , you are getting mischievous by each day," Hazel said as she playfully pinched Paula's rosy cheeks.

"You seem to be in a good mood today. You found a boyfriend?," Paula asked as she scrutinised her face.

"Goodness child! Where did you get that crazy idea from?," Hazel exclaimed in horror as colour rose in her cheeks.

Paula cocked one eyebrow at her with amusement dancing in her dark eyes.

"I can set you up with Romeo. I have noticed him staring at you with doe eyes."

Hazel burst into laughing at her words.

"Young lady, go get changed and come down for food," she chuckled as she gently pushed Paula out of the kitchen.
Paula smiled to herself as she made her way to the small white cottage that was at the back of their mansion . She was holding a small gift bag and a box with a chocolate cake. It was Hazel's birthday and she planned to surprise the older woman. For the past week she had begged her father to throw Hazel a grand birthday party but the grim faced man had declined her request.

Pedro Solano had told her off in his infamous horse voice.

"She is only a maid , princess. No need to concern yourself with those low lives."

Her father's ungrateful and cruel words had pierced her heart for Hazel had done so much for their family.  She had raised Paula and her brother like a mother would. Her biological mother was rarely there but spent time attending glamorous parties in Madrid hanging at their father's arm.

So Paula had taken it upon herself to celebrate the older woman’s birthday. She had stayed up late secretly baking a cake to surprise Hazel. She swung open the wooden door of the cottage but collided with a muscular wall. In her cry of fright, the box slipped from her hands and landed on the pavement completely ruined.

She saw herself slowly falling and closed her eyes waiting to feel the impact of the cold hard ground but she was caught back in muscular arms.

Her eyes flew open and she saw dark eyes boring into hers . She swallowed hardly able to collect her thoughts beneath the intensity of his dark gaze. His face was rugged and handsome . He had a sharp jaw and a mouth that was sculptured to give pleasure. His silky hair was too dark and too thick.

After what felt like forever for her , the stranger snapped his fingers at her.

"Are you okay , miss?"

His deep rich voice jerked her to the present. And that was how they first met. An encounter she would gladly erase if a time machine would take her back.