When I found you... Chapter 15(Jaevon Fanfic)

A half-naked man stood in front of her, a towel tied around his waist and his wet hair glistening from taking a shower.

“Hi.” The man greeted and smiled.

“H-Hello,” Devon replied averting her eyes away from the sight that greeted her.

“Oh… I’m sorry … just got out from the shower. I was supposed to be in a hotel but there was a little misunderstanding. The receptionist cancelled my reservations. Just arrived late last night and couldn’t find an available room so I had no other option but to stay here for the night.” He rashly explained.

Devon nodded, flustered, still looking anywhere but at the wide expanse of chest muscles.

“You must be Miss Gutierrez,” asked the man, eyeing her with interest.

“Y-Yes… who are you?” Devon asked uneasily.

“I’m Mr. Force’s secretary, Samuel Sy.” He introduced himself, extending his hand to her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Sy.”

“Don’t be too formal. You can call me Sam since we’ve met at such an awkward circumstance,” he said and smiled.

He then ushered Devon inside, “Besides, we’ll be working together closely from now on.”

Devon was confused.

“What do you mean? Where’s Ja-… I mean Mr. Force?”

“Oh he wanted me to take over and supervise with the renovations. He can’t come and supervise himself since he’ll be flying to Australia more often.”

“I see.” She said and felt a little disappointed.

Sam invited Devon to help herself with the breakfast he prepared and excused himself to change. Devon declined the offer and instead went around the house.

She stopped to admire the calmness of the waters down below. Unwanted memories of her and James along the shore invaded her thoughts.

It’s a good thing that he’s not here. I’m not yet ready to face him. I’m still confused of my feelings towards him, she thought.

Suddenly, a movement snapped Devon’s preoccupied mind.

“It’s lovely here, right?” Sam said, standing beside Devon. “The view is breathtaking.”

Devon looked up and found Sam staring at her intently.

Self-consciously, she looked back at the sea. “Yeah, it’s beautiful. The first time I came here, I immediately fell in love with the place. I guess this is part of the reason why I took the job.”

They then discussed the things to be done for the house. Together, they toured around and making notes on what changes that needs to be done.

“Mr. Force wants a modern design for the villa.”

“Yeah, we’ve already discussed about that. I believe he wants a wooden oak paneled house with huge glass windows and glass sliding doors.”

“I’ve already made the arrangements of the shipping of the materials needed. I understand that you have your team that will be working with you, so if there are problems, just tell me.”

“Alright. My team will be arriving tomorrow. We’ll start working immediately once they have settled down.”

“Okay, everything’s fixed then.”

Devon started for the door when Sam hesitantly suggested.

“Uhm Devon… how about you joining me for dinner? Let’s relax first and just enjoy the night ‘cause I’m pretty sure we’ll be busy tomorrow and the succeeding days.”

“Uhm sure. I’d love to.” She said and smiled.

Devon came to her apartment exhausted. They had dinner at ‘Fridays Boracay,’ a beachfront restaurant where they not only enjoyed the food but also the beautiful Boracay sunset. Sam always had something to say to whatever topic they happened to stumble upon. She had fun but still there are times that the image of James kept on lurking at the back of her mind forcing her to recall the newly found knowledge of James’ past and the feelings she tried to deny.

James was reading a report on their new project when the unwanted images of Devon crept up at him unexpectedly. Damn! He cursed himself and threw the report aside.

I’m driving myself too hard. He mused to himself and rubbed the tense muscles of his neck and shoulders. He walked over to the windows and watched the flickering lights of Sydney.

Watching this scenery usually evoked peace and calm in him, but now, nothing seemed to appeal to him… except the one face he should forget… the face of an angel.

He sighed and decided to accept Ryan’s invitation to go to Hawaii.

A week or two of vacation won’t affect my work, besides I need this.

He went back to his desk and tried to finish his remaining work but…

Shit! He banged his hands hard on the table.

Damn that woman! Why can’t she give me peace of mind just for a while?

Exhausted from work, his guard lowered and he eventually gave in to the temptation of thinking of her.

“Ryan, you’re the best! This place is awesome! Ivan exclaimed excitedly.

Ryan invited his friends to show them the newly opened Bang Resort and Golf Club in Oahu, Hawaii. This is another addition to his incessant business venture to expand the family business.

The four guys are now enjoying cool drinks while basking under the warmth of the sun. They’ve been luxuriating in Hawaii’s natural beauty with its warm tropical climate and inviting waters for about 3 days.

“Yeah, thanks for bringing us here,” Brett enthused, stretching his arms then placing his hands at the back of his head. “This is so relaxing. Fretzie would love it here.”

At that moment, Ryan was thinking of Devon. They’ve been communicating with each other since the party. The days they’d spent talking over the phone made Ryan hopeful that there’s somehow a connection between them. Now, Ryan had to find out whether the feeling is mutual.

“I think Devon would love it here too,” Ryan said all of a sudden.

James stiffened at the sound of the name. He is here to relax and unwind but no matter how much he tries, she still haunts him.

“Well, it’s just that I admire Devon a lot. She’s beautiful, smart, funny… and everything I look for in a girl,” Ryan continued.

Ivan quickly turned to James to see his reactions to Ryan’s confession. James seemed to be oblivious of his surroundings that Ivan thought for a minute that he didn’t care but the tensing of his jaw and the ticking of the vein on his temple gave him away.

“I don’t know Ry. Fretzie mentioned that Devon had a hard time getting over her past relationship with Enrique. Remember the teddy that you’ve ruined which caused you a big punch on the face?” Brett amusingly recalled.

“How could I forget it? That’s the first punch I’ve ever received from a girl.” Ryan said chuckling, reminiscing the incident with a fond smile.

“Well, that teddy was a gift from Enrique for their 1^st anniversary. Fretzie thinks that Devon’s still hoping he will come back to her,” Brett continued. “I can’t blame her, 7 years is quite long.”

“I’m a patient man. I can wait for her to get over him… or better yet, I’ll help her forget him.” Ryan surmised.

Suddenly, James stood up and walked away without a word.

The two looked confused while Ivan smiled meaningfully.

James was walking along the shore, absently kicking at the stones. He was thinking of the first night he met Devon. The mystery surrounding the teddy is now clarified.

So that’s why…

Now I know why she was so angry when the teddy was ruined.

He realized that there are things about Devon he still needs to unravel.

She’s an interesting lady full of surprises, he thought, amused.

What are you doing? You’re thinking of her again. Stop it.

He was deep in thought that he didn’t noticed Ivan’s presence.

“What are you gonna do about Devon?” Ivan asked, walking beside him.

“What about her?”

“Devon told me everything. You thought wrong. There’s nothing going on between us. She’s just like a baby sister to me.”

“Yeah, right. It’s only natural to hold a girl like that and shower her with jewelries not only a necklace but also earrings.” James said sarcastically. Ivan laughed.

“Ooohh… so that’s what ticked you off and made you say all those things about her,” he said, understanding dawned on him. “Just so you know, those earrings that Devon picked were for Yen. She even returned the bracelet Ryan gave her.”

James didn’t react and just kept walking.

“If you keep this stubbornness, someone will snuff her under your nose. You can’t deny the fact that she’s beautiful, witty, and has a good sense of humor. I’m pretty sure many men are lining up for her affections.” Ivan said. James stopped and looked at him.

“What are you suggesting?”

“I suggest that you get your ass off this island and go get her before someone else does. Don’t dwell in the past. I know that you know, deep inside Devon is different from Mikaela.”

James called Ryan while walking towards his private plane.

“Hey Ry, I’m sorry. I’ve got to cut the vacation short. There’s an important client that I need to convince. You can say that my life depends on it.” James said his goodbye and quickly boarded the plane.

What am I gonna say to her? I hope it’s not too late, James thought desperately while walking on the rocky path going to the villa. He remembered all the vile things he accused her of and thought of ways to atone for his mistakes.

Upon nearing the villa, he heard shouts and laughter. He took the last turn and was astounded at what greeted him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” James snapped.