Perfection Is Just An Illusion (Swimming Upstream Series Book 1)

by Rebecca Barber

  “But Renee…”

  “Renee knows exactly where I am. And don’t fool yourself. You think if I went home now and left you alone I wouldn’t get my butt kicked?”

  Anna couldn’t help but smile. Ryan never failed to make her see the bright side and right when she needed it the most, he didn’t fail. “Renee’s not scary.”

  “You reckon?”

  “Yeah, she’s a softy at heart,” Anna assured him.

  “She might be. But her brother isn’t, especially when it comes to you, Princess.” Ryan winked knowingly, sending a swarm of butterflies deep in Anna’s stomach.

  Defeated, Anna gave in. She was beyond tired and everything ached. Her feet were red and sore from an entire day of shopping. Stumbling to her feet she ran herself a scalding, vanilla scented bubble bath and poured a glass of red wine. After lighting a few candles and plugging in her iPod she finally let herself relax and forget about everything.

  When she emerged an hour later, her hair was sopping wet, her legs were red from the scalding water, and her face had been scrubbed within an inch of its life. She poured more wine and curled up on the lounge. Ryan sat back in the recliner watching Anna like a hawk. His eyes never wavered. Anna noticed the fear in his face, but didn’t call him out on it. There was no point. She’d barely gotten comfortable when a break in the show Ryan had been watching caught Anna’s attention. And then there he was. James had been accused of being a drug cheat. The way the story was being portrayed, they had already declared James guilty. The English press were playing judge, jury, and executioner. She watched on intently as they shamelessly attacked him.

  “Can this day get any worse?” a deflated Anna asked Ryan.

  “Don’t ask. You never know what’s going to happen next.

  “Yes, I do,” Anna corrected him.

  Before Ryan knew what to do or say Anna was stuffing clothes into a bag. She was headed to England and no one would stop her. She didn’t even pause to remember the fight that she had with James. That meant nothing now. He was accused of being a cheat and Anna knew the truth. James had always been a crusader against drugs. The idea that some athletes would go to any length to win disgusted him. It completely compromised what the sport was really about. But more than that, Anna knew that James was absolutely terrified of needles. He was petrified of them. So there was no conceivable way that he would or could stick himself with a needle just to help himself win. He didn’t need them. James just worked longer and harder than anyone else, and the rewards just kept coming.

  Half an hour after the broadcast, Anna was in a taxi on her way to the airport. Her flight left in an hour. Soon enough she would be in London standing beside him. No matter what happened or what anyone said, they could handle it together. And they would. Anna sighed to herself as she remembered just how manipulative and invasive the English press could be. Two weeks after James had announced their engagement; it made the news in the UK, or at least the trashy UK tabloids. It wasn’t long after they began digging through their lives. It was Anna’s rude introduction to celebrity. The biggest complaint they had was Anna had no dirt to dig up. They made deplorable attempts to talk to her family and friends yet they still came up empty-handed. The only thing they found was Anna had dated the same boy at high school for three years—Grant—and they had a rather messy break up. They even contacted Grant and tried to bribe him into talking. Thankfully he remained silent.

  Anna rang Renee from the back of her taxi. “Hey, Renee.”

  “Hey! I was just going to call you. Have you seen what’s happening over there? Can Europeans be any more stupid? It’s painfully obvious they don’t know James at all. He has already rung me three times trying to find out where you are and why you aren’t answering. He’s trying to find you. Please talk to him,” Renee begged on her brother’s behalf.

  “Renee, shut up.” Anna laughed. “I’m not home. I’m in a taxi on my way to the airport now…” But before she could finish Renee cut her off.

  “Where are you going? This really isn’t the best time to take a holiday, Anna. Please at least talk to him. Please, Anna. Think about it.”

  “Renee! Calm down. I’m heading to London. My flight leaves in an hour. That’s why I’m ringing. I need your help.” Anna knew that if she asked for Renee’s help she wouldn’t hesitate. Renee was amazing like that. Family was the most important thing in Renee’s world. She would do anything to protect them. And that family now included Anna. No matter how reluctant she was to admit it.

  “That’s so romantic. How can I help? Just name it,” Renee’s voice trilled with excitement.

  Anna’s head was spinning, her heart pounding. She was so nervous and so afraid she feared the cramping in her stomach would swallow her whole. “I need you to get in touch with your parents and tell them I’m on my way. But they can’t tell James. He can’t know. Not until I get there. And if it’s not too much trouble, can you ask them if they would mind picking me up at the airport?” Anna quickly gave Renee all of her flight details before saying goodbye.

  “No problem! They’ll be there to meet you. Good luck, Anna. Have a great trip and thanks for keeping my husband occupied.” Renee let out a little squeal as she hung up.

  As the taxi turned into the drop off area, Anna’s stomach lurched as she glimpsed her watch, she was already running late. Quickly, she tossed some cash at the driver, grabbed her bags, and ran through the heavy glass doors. The airport was buzzing. People milled about crying goodbye to loved ones, while others grinned wildly as someone they knew emerged from the bowels of the airport. Anna looked down at her small suitcase and cabin bag and suddenly remembered everything she had forgotten. She’d been in such a hurry that she hadn’t paused to think about what she was throwing in the suitcase. She had what she had, anything she was missing she would have to make do.

  Her flight was announced and Anna clambered on board and found her seat. Due to her poor decision making and lack of organisation she’d been forced to make a last minute booking. Not only did this max out her already well-worn credit card but it had sat her in the middle seat of the crowded cattle class. Some days I wish I wasn’t so stubborn about accepting James’s money, Anna scolded herself as she fumbled into her seat, dreaming of first class. The woman in front of her was travelling solo with her four little kids. Anna couldn’t contain her smile as she thanked her lucky stars it wasn’t her. Twenty-two hours trapped in a sardine tin with four kids was definitely not her idea of a pleasant way to travel. The eldest couldn’t have been more than eight years old. Anna watched as she struggled to stow her luggage and control her kids. Anna jumped up and helped her pack her bags into the overhead compartments before taking her seat next to the young boy.

  “Hello there, Miss.” He grinned, looking up at her friendly face. Anna remembered how dishevelled she must look. Her hair was pulled back and her face had been covered in a light dusting of makeup which she could only assume had mostly been wiped off by now. In her haste, she hadn’t had the time or the desire to touch it up. Besides, by the time she disembarked on the other side of the world she would only look worse anyway. “You’re very pretty, Miss.” He smiled sweetly. He had the most perfect smile and his accompanying English accent was endearing.

  “Thank you. My name’s Anna. What’s yours?” she asked, extending her hand.

  “My name is Braiden,” he stated, taking her hand.

  His mother gazed over at him, shaking her head apologetically. “Braiden, leave the poor lady alone. She doesn’t want to listen to you nattering on.” His mother looked up at Anna with apologetic eyes.

  “It’s fine, really. So Braiden, how old are you?” Anna enquired with all the enthusiasm she could muster. The young boy was beaming with confidence. For some bizarre reason this intrigued and captivated her.

  “I’m seven years old, Miss,” he answered politely. Anna noticed he was only around four and a half feet tall and as skinny as a rake. He wore a pair of faded blue jeans, which were held u
p by a dark brown belt with a huge silver buckle in the middle. He had a pale blue button up shirt with a white undershirt showing from under his collar. He had a mass of jet black hair and big, sparkling, green eyes. He was one of the most beautiful children Anna had ever seen. He seemed extremely intelligent and well-spoken. He was cultured and polite and seemed more than capable of holding a civilised conversation with people more than three times his age. “What is your last name, Miss?”

  “My surname is White. Anna White, and it’s very nice to meet you, Braiden, who’s seven years old.” She smiled. For some reason Braiden was completely mesmerised by Anna.

  “Miss White, are you Australian?” Anna nodded back to him. “Can you tell me what it’s really like? All I got to see is my Grandma’s. I was there two weeks and I didn’t even get to see a kangaroo. Have you ever seen one?” Braiden peppered her with questions. His impeccable manners threw her into a state of shock.

  “I promise to tell you anything you want to know, but only if you promise to call me Anna. Miss White makes me sound old.” They both laughed.

  “Deal!” Braiden agreed, giggling back at her. They sat chatting as the plane took off. Their conversation only paused long enough for them to scoff down the horrible airline food they were served. Anna told him all about Australian animals and places and in turn, he told her about all the places that she must visit while she was in England. Anna was amazed by the way Braiden spoke about his homeland. He had such passion, such a deep affinity for his country and its people.

  “You have to visit the country. It’s amazing out there. When Dad’s home he takes me camping and there are birds everywhere. We go hiking and we play in the waterfalls. He says I’m too young to swim in them yet, but maybe this year I’ll be big enough. If you go out there I can tell you the best camping spots.” As Braiden spoke romantic images filled Anna’s head.

  “Wow! You must really love England. You sure you’re only seven?” Anna joked. She genuinely liked Braiden. He was interesting and the whole time she was talking to him she forgot about everything else. All the bad stuff in her life was forgotten. And for the brief moment she didn’t have room to consider what James was going through or what she was going to do when she got to England, especially if James didn’t want to see her.

  “Are you coming to London by yourself?” Braiden probed. Anna could read the concern in his eyes, but immediately discarded the idea.

  “No, I’m meeting someone there,” Anna reassured him.

  “Your boyfriend?” Braiden smirked, sounding slightly jealous.

  “No. Not my boyfriend,” Anna never lied. James hadn’t been her boyfriend for a while now and he was never going to be again.

  “Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked nervously.

  “Nope. I don’t have a boyfriend. Do you have a girlfriend?” Anna teased, watching as a blush consumed him. If he wanted all the details of her personal life then she would make him squirm a little.

  “No! Girls are mean. Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend because…I have a fiancé,” Anna answered honestly.

  “Do you have a picture? Can I see?” Anna flipped open her wallet and handed him a picture of James and her together. Anna was perched on the swing, James standing behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist and they were both smiling whole-heartedly. Braiden took the picture out of her hand and studied it intently. “What’s his name?”

  “That’s my James. You’d like him. He’s kind of like you in a way; he loves Australia just as much as you love England.” Anna was trying to reassure him that James was worthy of her. Or maybe she was reassuring herself.

  “I think I’ve seen him somewhere before. I’m just not sure where,” Braiden stated, looking confused as he reluctantly handed back the picture. “What’s he do?”

  Anna thought it was strange being interrogated by an inquisitive seven year old who she only met a few hours ago. But nothing would deter her from answering him. If there was one thing Anna hated more than anything else it was lies and liars. There was neither the need nor the place.

  “He’s a swimmer.” Anna saw the lights flicker in Braiden’s eyes.

  “Now I know where I’ve seen him. He’s James Thompson. He swims for Australia. He’s very good and has broken lots of world records. I didn’t know he was getting married.” All the pieces had fallen into place now. Everything that Anna had said about the man she was going to marry, it all began to make sense and come together.

  Their conversation fizzled, and Braiden turned his back to Anna, curled up on his seat, and fell asleep. Anna felt sorry for the young boy. He’d been so talkative right up until Anna’s mystery man was revealed then he just rolled over and went to sleep. Anna pulled out a blanket from the overhead compartment and draped it over him.

  Braiden’s mother looked over at her son, then at Anna. “I’m sorry. He shouldn’t have talked your ear off. He’s a good kid.”

  “That’s fine. I learnt a lot talking to him. Especially about England.” Anna winked, closing her eyes.

  A bright-eyed flight attendant woke Anna hours later. “Excuse me, Miss. We will be landing momentarily. Could you please place your seat in the upright position as we begin our descent?” With those few words Anna was thrown back into reality.

  It was time to face James. The anxiety was back in cyclonic proportions. The last time Anna had seen James, he had been so angry and hurt. Anna knew she had to face the possibility that James might not want to see her. She’d flown halfway around the world, and she hated to fly, just to see him and support him. But what if he didn’t want her there? What was her next move?

  What seemed like hours later she had cleared customs and was nervously shuffling through the steel doors out to the arrivals hall at busy Heathrow airport. Anna was hoping that Renee had managed to reach her parents, and that they were there to meet her. She couldn’t bear the thought of being alone in this strange city. Thankfully she didn’t have to find out. Diana saw her standing there, looking very lost and very scared. Even after a twenty-two hour flight, Anna still looked amazingly beautiful and fresh.

  “Anna!” Michael called out, taking long strides towards her.

  “Hey guys. I didn’t know if you would come,” Anna admitted sheepishly. She dropped her bags and embraced them both at once.

  “Don’t be silly, Anna. Of course we were going to come. James will be delighted to see you,” Diana comforted her.

  “And relieved,” Michael added with a smile.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here. We told James we were getting a cup of coffee. That was two hours ago.” They all laughed and headed towards the exit.

  They arrived at the hotel where Anna’s greatest fears rang true. The English press were camped out en masse. Michael suggested that he and Diana head up first—after all the press already knew who they were—and then Anna would follow ten minutes later. Anna agreed, but despite Diana’s optimism she still remained jaded. The closer she came to seeing James the more she feared his reaction to seeing her.

  ***

  James

  When Diana and Michael entered, James was pacing back and forth across the room. “Where did you two get to? Seriously! Three hours to get a cup of coffee?”

  “I wasn’t aware that we were on curfew,” Michael retorted. He didn’t mean to be rude, he could see the amount of pressure his son was under, but he wasn’t about to bow down to temper tantrums.

  “Sorry, Dad. I didn’t…” A knock at the door cut him off. James knew the press were out there, but he thought they at least had the decency to leave him alone while he was in his room.

  Everyone froze. Everyone in the room knew it was Anna except James. He pointed to Joel to be the one to open the door. Joel just shook his head. “Your room, you answer it!”

  James tried to get everyone to answer it. His face filled with frustration when no one budged. The knock came again. “It’s just the door. Answer it,” he snapped at
his father. James was in a foul mood. He hadn’t slept in days.

  “Well, if it’s just the door, answer it your damn self,” Michael told his son, using his stern dad voice. He left no room for arguments. The decision had been made.

  James charged towards the door and hesitantly unlocked it. As he opened the door, Anna lifted her face up and looked into his shocked eyes. He slammed the door so hard it nearly fell off its hinges. Instantly James was fumbling with the chain, it was almost as if he couldn’t get the latch off fast enough. With a ferocity he had never known, James yanked open the door and rushed out. A contingent of the local press had camped out on his floor, watching for any sign of movement. The moment the door opened, they pounced, cameras ready. James didn’t care. He dived out the door and swept Anna off her feet. A sea of camera flashes went off. Neither James nor Anna even noticed. “I am so sorry. I’m sorry,” James repeated, covering her neck and face in kisses.

  Without hesitation, James carried Anna through the door and kicked it shut behind him. Within minutes everyone hugged Anna and expressed their gratitude for her coming before they discreetly excused themselves, leaving Anna and James completely alone, staring doe-eyed at each other.

  The moment they had their privacy, their embrace was full of passion and happiness. Now it was time to make up.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” he asked, kissing her again. He still hadn’t let her go. He never wanted to let her go again. His hands roamed her body greedily. The time they had spent apart was more than enough.

  “I didn’t know if you wanted me here, so I didn’t tell you and just came anyway, just hoping you didn’t send me away.” Anna smiled, her eyes reflecting the happiness that consumed her. James was still holding her tight. “Sweetie, you know I love you, but could you please loosen your grip a bit? I am having a little trouble breathing.” Anna giggled, looking up into his eyes.