Chapter 25: Chapter 25

My jaw dropped to the floor as a black helicopter lay before my eyes. It was strikingly stunning enough to stand out from the other aircraft around.

"Dad? What is this?" Greyson asked, who's also eyeing it with astonishment.

"We'll fly to Santorini using this helicopter."

Greyson gasped in amazement. "Really?! That's cool!"

"Are you excited?"

He nodded fervently.

While the two of them seem really excited, my palms are already sweating in nervousness.

For Pete's sake, I have a fear of heights. Riding an aircraft and being high up in the air will be the death of me! That was the reason why I chose to ride a bus when I flew to the city from our province.

I don't even ride an elevator no matter how exhausting walking up the stairs is because my anxiety always kicks in!

"Cleo, are you okay? Your lips are pale."

I was snapped out of my stupor when Greyson worriedly asked me that question.

I shammed a smile. "I'm fine."

I'm clearly not. I'm freaking out at the moment, and I just want to back out, but I don't want to disappoint Greyson.

"Garren! My man!"

The pilot suddenly stepped down from the helicopter and greeted Garren.

"It's been a week since we last saw each other. I miss you, bro."

"Shut the fuck up and spare me with your bromance shit, Theo."

The man, whom he called Theo, just laughed at him.

The way they talk to each other gave me a hint that they are close friends.

He took off his sunglasses and looked at Greyson.

"Is this your son now? Wow! He grew up really fast! The last time I saw him, he was just four years old."

Greyson hid behind me.

"Stop scaring my son, shitface."

"I'm not scaring him, dude." He crouched down and smiled at the kid. "Come on, bud. I'm not a bad guy, I swear. I'm your dad's best friend."

"You're not my best friend. You just made it yourself," Garren butted in, and Theo snubbed him.

I signalled Greyson him to come out. He reluctantly obliged and introduced himself.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Greyson! You're such an adorable kid."

"Thank you, mister."

He tousled his hair. "You're very much welcome."

He stood up and squinted his eyes at me.

"Who is she, Garren? This is just the first time that I've seen her. Perhaps she's your new girlfriend?"

My face contorted. He asked those questions as if can't hear them.

"She's not my girlfriend, dumbass. She's Greyson's nanny."

He gave him an incredulous look. "I thought this was just a vacation for you and your son. Why is she here, then?"

"Greyson wants her to come with us."

"But she's not really your girlfriend?"

Garren looked at him sternly.

The corner of Theo's lips tugged upward. He extended a hand at me.

"I'm Matteo Harington, lady. May I know your name? I just want to see if my surname will be a perfect match."

I wanted to die laughing with his cringe-ass pick-up line, but I contained myself.

"Stop whatever you're doing or I'll kill you."

He hissed at Garren's warning.

"You're such a wowser," he groaned before heading back to the cockpit.

"Uncle Harris seems to like you," Greyson teased me.

I shook my head. "He's just fooling around."

When the men who chaperoned us finished putting all our luggage on the chopper, Theo controlled something that increased the speed of the aircraft's rotor.

I grabbed my hair that was being blown by the wind.

Garren was the first one to head inside the helicopter. He was then followed by his son.

When it's my turn, my legs are quivering as I step foot on the landing skids.

"Damn it," I cursed, underneath my breath.

"Cleo! Come on now!" Greyson shouted excitedly.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"What the hell is your problem? You're delaying the flight!"

To my surprise, Garren switched seats with his son and is now in front of me.

I shook my head and took a step back. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I don't think I can do this."

He huffed. "Stop blabbering your damn sorry and tell me what's wrong."

I bit my lower lip. "I have a fear of heights," I mumbled.

His already crumpled face got even more screwed up. "What?! You should've told us earlier!"

"I thought we'd be using your car, so I didn't bother to say it," I professed.

He gave me a "what-the-fuck" look.

"Are you out of your mind? Using a car will take us almost eight hours before we reach Greece. That will waste most of our time."

I bowed my head in embarrassment.

He blew a fuse. "The vacation hasn't started yet, and you're already giving me a headache."

For the very first time, I didn't get mad at his snide words, because they are all true.

"If you don't get your shits together, then we're going to leave you. You'll have to walk your way back to the mansion."

His threat made me nervous. I know that I'm already getting on his nerves. I don't even want to be a damsel in distress, but I just can't tell my fear to go away.

I puffed out a heavy breath, and with all my courage, I stepped on the skids.

"Shit!" A curse reveled out of my lips when I almost slipped. If it wasn't for Garren's fast reflex, who was able to grab me, I would've fallen on the ground.

"Stupid," he whispered.

I let out a sigh of relief when, at last, I successfully got inside the chopper.

"Is everything settled now?" Theo asked.

Garren nodded. He's now in his original seat, with Greyson sitting between us.

"Alright. Fasten your seatbelts, fellas. We're about to fly now."

I did what he instructed.

"You should've told us that you're afraid of heights, Cleo," Greyson said worriedly.

I could only smile in response. My anxiety is rendering me speechless.

My suffering is yet to end. I was only able to get inside the helicopter without breaking down, but I still need to deal with the fear once it starts moving.

"We will now leave the ground in 3,2,1..."

I tightened my grip on the chair and closed my eyes. I felt like there was a huge boulder on my chest as I felt the plane going up.

"Cleo, are you okay? Your hands are freezing cold."

I put-up a smile for Greyson. "Don't worry about me. I can manage."

He doesn't seem convinced by my answer.

"You're here with us. Nothing bad will happen. Now stop your paranoid ass."

I internally rolled my eyes at what Garren had said. Does he think it is that easy to overcome your fear? That one deep breath will magically calm my raving nerves?

"You can't always run away from your fears. Sometimes you need to face them."

My eyebrows snapped together. Now I'm getting more weirded out if this is really Garren. How come those words came out of his mouth? That is very unlikely of him.

"Dad is right, Cleo. We're here. You don't need to be scared," Greyson added and held my hands. "I'll hold your hands until you don't feel scared anymore."

It warmed my heart. "Thank you."

I reclined in the chair and prayed in silence. I also took long and deep breaths, and it proved to be effective because I could feel my nerves slowly calming down. I'm starting to loosen up.

When I roamed my eyes around the helicopter, I couldn't help but be in awe. The interior design looks voguish. There's a door behind us, which I assume is a comfort room. I wasn't able to notice it a while ago.

"You feel better now?" Greyson asked.

He seems like the nanny between us at this moment.

I nodded. "Yes, all thanks to you."

He giggled. "You're welcome! Now go look at the window! You won't regret it, I promise!"

Although reluctant, I did what he said. I turned to my right and peered through the glass.

"Wow," I muttered in awe while staring at the beautiful scenery in front of us.

The clouds appear to be soft cotton balls floating in the atmosphere. And when I looked down, the lights below, coming from the tall buildings of the city, seemed like glimmering stars that fell on the ground. My breathing hitched when a flock of birds passed by, creating mystical shadow on the blue sky.

"The scenery is beautiful, isn't it?"

I nodded at Greyson's question.

"See? If you let your fear overcome you, you wouldn't have seen that kind of beauty."

I smiled. "Why are you speaking like a poet now?"

"I idolize Shakespeare!" He giggled.

We talked to pass the time. His father joins us occasionally. There are times that he can't relate to our conversation, but he still keeps his enthusiasm. I guess that's his way of knowing his son more after years of ignoring him.

Halfway through the flight, Greyson fell asleep. It turned out that he had not gotten enough sleep last night because of too much excitement.

"I still have a lot of things that I don't know about my own son," Garren said all of a sudden.

"He will eventually open up once he gets comfortable with you again." I don't know if he was talking to me, but I still responded. It would be rude if I just turned a deaf ear.

The remaining time of the light was reigned by silence. Garren and I were both quiet. None of us talked to each other. Nonetheless, it doesn't bother me because I get to enjoy the scenery of the sky more.

"Get ready, guys. We will take off in a while," Theo announced.

The nervousness I felt earlier came back. I held my breath and tightened my grasp on the seatbelt.

"You'll miss the chance to see the view of the island from here if you just sit there like a coward," Garren blurted out.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Look outside your window."

I was hesitant at first, but my instinct was telling me to do what he said, so I did- and it was indeed a great decision.

The picturesque scenery made my jaw drop. The clear blue water and the steep cliffs are sights to behold. When I looked further, I saw the white washed cube-shaped buildings adorned with blue accents.

I took out my phone and captured several pictures of the island's topography. I didn't know that Santorini is this breathtaking. The pictures on the internet don't give justice to its beauty.

Garren is right. If I hadn't had the gut to tame my fear, I wouldn't have seen this scenic view.

I was so engrossed in admiring the sea and landscape of the island that I didn't even notice that the helicopter had already landed.

Garren awakened his son.

"We already arrive in Santorini?" He asked while rubbing his eyes.

"Yes. But we still need to ride a car before we reach the hotel where we are going to stay."

When we stepped out of the chopper, a group of men instantly approached us.

"Who are they, dad?" Greyson asked.

"They are the ones who will drive us to the hotel," Garren answered.

They carried our luggage out of the helicopter and brought it to the black car parked not far from us.

"Enjoy your vacation, bro!"

I heard Theo shout at Garren.

"Yeah. What do you want in return?" the latter asked.

Theo grinned from ear to ear. "I usually ask for property or money, but this time, all I want is Cleo's number."

My cheeks flushed. Is he serious?!

"Go to hell. Stop flirting with my maid, shitface."

Theo chuckled. "You're so territorial. I'll go now. Adios!"