A Love to Last Ch. 02

"Excuse me!"

He rose from the chair like the hounds of hell were after him, running after the boy. When he came outside, he found the boy entering a taxi and he tried to chase it but too bad he couldn't. His car was parked so far away that he had no chance of finding the car.

"Shit!" He cursed, stamping his foot on the floor. "You stupid man, David. You've lost him again. You had one chance of talking to him and you blew it."

David didn't care what happened but he knew he had to see the boy again.

***

David was seated on the swing in the garden of his mansion with one leg crossed. He had his mind on the tablet he was holding, going through some files. He was wearing a black short and white vest.

"Hey!" He heard his sister's voice. "I thought I'd find you here. What are you doing?"

She offered a cup of coffee to him and he took it, thanking her.

"Nothing much, just going through some work." He sighed as he took a sip. "I need to go through some documents so that I will be ready by next week. Mom wants to be more involved in managing the company."

"That's good. You've grown up so much. It's so cute."

"You're one to talk." He rolled his eyes.

Amber laughed as she sat with him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"By the way, I had forgotten to ask. Why did you leave like that at the restaurant? Next thing I knew, you were calling that we needed to leave. I didn't even finish my lunch and you owe me that." She said, slightly hitting him. "Were you so nervous to give your line to that handsome boy?" She laughed. "I have never known you as a coward."

"Oh no!" He shook his head. "Your head is so far ahead. But since you're asking, I'll tell you."

Amber raised her head and paid attention. She was dying to hear his explanation.

"When I was coming to meet you at the restaurant, I almost got into an accident." He sighed. "There was a boy that I almost ran over. I was so upset with him that I shouted at him but when I looked at that boy..." He paused and a smile began forming on his face. "...I don't know what I felt. It is nothing like I have felt before. He's so handsome, very very handsome but he's also calm... his smile... that smile got my head spinning." He chuckled, feeling his heart begin to race.

"I don't know what happened but... I saw that boy leaving the restaurant again. At that moment, I knew I had to talk to him. So I gathered my courage and chased after him. But when I got out, he was already in a taxi going out."

Amber was interested. She was staring at her brother like he'd grown another head.

"This is both interesting and shocking. I can't believe a boy got you so speechless that you couldn't even talk to him." She teased, shaking her head. "And here I was thinking my brother was on top of his game."

"This was different." He had a stern look on his face. "Up to this moment, no boy has ever made me feel this way. It's not just his face, but there's something about him that keeps drawing me to him. I don't know what but I want to see him again."

"Oh, that is so sweet." Amber moaned, wrapping his arms around him. "You will find him. Besides, you're David Paola, a very hot guy. If you weren't my brother, I would have been falling for you too."

"Eeew..." He laughed, getting up from the swing. "...that is creepy. I wouldn't even imagine dating you. You're such a pain."

He laughed as he headed inside.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amber asked as she followed him. "David?"

***

Ben was seated on his bed with his small table, his mind focused on the sketches he was making. They were so good. He knew they were so good but his mind was on what Elena had said to him that morning.

"Not this again.

No matter what you do, your designs will never be as good as my son's.

The only thing you're good for is cleaning my son's shoes and being a janitor."

He stopped what he was doing and started reliving those nightmares, those hateful words. It wasn't the first time she had uttered those words. Even as a kid, he had been able to make very nice sketches and had actually impressed his father and his clients. But when she found out, she had been so pissed that she had beaten him up for it. But that still didn't stop him from doing what he loved.

'Even if I won't be working in my father's empire, I can always use my skills for something else.'

Ben was gotten out of his thoughts when he heard the door to his room opening. It was Jim and he was busy staring at his phone like he expected something to come out of there. He sat on Ben's bed without greeting him and just continued being on his phone.

"What seems to be so important that you can't even greet me?" Ben asked, trying to look at Jim's phone. He was on facebook. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to look for the man of my dreams. But I have been at it for hours and still can't find a thing. I can't find his sister's account either." He sighed. "I have tried instagram, Twitter and now Facebook but nothing. I feel like I'm going insane."

Ben frowned, wondering what his brother was even talking about.

"But why? I thought you went to talk to him. Didn't you get anything from him?"

"Just his first name. When he was about to give me his line, he just left out of the blue. I would have gotten from his sister but next thing I know, she is leaving too."

"Maybe it has to do with the fact that he's married." Ben rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you were actually talking about a married man."

"What?" Jim laughed. He was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The man you showed me back there was older with two children and a woman. I assumed that was his wife, right? Where did you even get the courage to approach his table?"

Jim burst into laughter when he heard what Ben had just said. He laughed so much that tears of mirth began coming out the side of his eye.

"Wait? Is that the reason why you left without me? You were scared someone was gonna beat you again? Come on, you know I can't do anything with a married man. That's disgusting."

"No, that isn't the reason why I left. I had to submit something I forgot so that was why I left." Ben laughed nervously. "And the man that I saw was..."

"You saw the wrong man. My prince charming was the most handsome man that was in that restaurant.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Every man is the most handsome to you, Jim. As long as you have some interest in him then he's automatically the most handsome. You said the same thing about Sean."

Jim chuckled, holding Ben's hand. "This one is different. I am telling you, Ben, that man is the one. I don't know him yet but I'm gonna do whatever I can to make sure that I know him and we get together."

"Don't get your hopes up, my dear sweet brother. Sometimes, things do not go as planned."

"No man has ever rejected my advances till date. Especially, this one because he's my future husband. He's my final destination. I just know it."

Ben sighed, staring straight into the face of his brother.

"And what will you do when you realize that this man is dating already or he's in love with someone?"

Jim laughed. "He's got no choice but to choose me. Just look at me." He got up and spun around. "That man to reject me has not been born yet. Just give it time, I'll be introducing him to you as your future brother in law."

Ben burst into laughter, still staring at his brother. "You know, Jim, I have seen you act like this before. But if you truly think this man is the right man then I'll support you... in the background." He laughed, hitting him arm. "You deserve all the love this world can provide. If he's the one then not even the world can stop the both of you from being together."

"Oh!" Jim moaned, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "You're the sweetest brother. I just know I can count on you for anything. Now that I've found mine, I will help you find yours. We're gonna tie him and lock him up in your room."

"You're insane." Ben moved away from Jim and threw a pillow at him. "We are not kidnapping anyone."

"I am just saying. Otherwise, you're gonna die a virgin."

"I just don't want to fall for the wrong guy." He said, pretending to do something.

Jim took his sketch book away. "No, you're just looking for someone like Brandon. But it's easy, let's just search for his name on social media like I am doing. You guys can rekindle your love."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jim." Ben lost the smile on his face. "We've both moved on."

"Have you, though?" He raised his eyebrow. "Prove to me then. Find a guy and love him. It's not difficult. There are lots of guys, rich guys that are willing to kiss your feet. Have fun while you're still young. Look at me, I have been having fun and now I just met someone I wanna spend the rest of my life with. I can hook you up with his brother, if he has one."

Ben burst into laughter. "Come on, don't be crazy. I'm sure when I meet my prince charming, I will recognize him without any help from you. That I know."

The two boys had a wonderful chat about boys and their future. It was a beautiful sight to see.

***

"Yes, mommy, I have gotten enough clothes." Jim said as scanned the designer clothes in front of him. "I told you that I have enough clothes to last me for a life time."

'You can never have too many clothes, baby.' Elena spoke on the other end of the phone. 'Besides, you're a Henandez and that means a lot of people have their eyes on you. You don't want to be on the cover of any magazine or a newspaper with a bad picture with bad clothes."

He laughed. "Okay, got you mother. You have always told me how important it is to represent ourselves out there."

'It's just you. I don't care about Ben or whatever he calls himself. Besides, no one is interested in him. He's nothing but an illegitimate child.'

"Mom?" The tone Jim used was displeasing. "Can we not talk about him? Besides, you know how much he doesn't care about what everyone thinks of him or how he dresses. He wouldn't have come with me even if I had forced him to."

'Good!' She hissed. 'One day, you're gonna see what I see in that boy. He's nothing but trash, just like his mother. Nothing good can come out of a whore's son.'

"Alright, mother." He sighed gloomily. "I'll talk to you later. I love you."

'Love you too, my baby.' She kissed the phone. 'And don't forget we're meeting for lunch today. I'll be waiting for you as usual.'

"Sure, ma!"

He cut the call and took a deep breath before something caught his eye. He wore an amazing smile and rushed there like he had just hit a jackpot.

"Hi!" He waved happily at the girl that was busy browsing through clothes. "How are you, Amber?"

Amber slowly turned and found Jim with a smile. She smiled back.

"Hey... Jim, right?"

"Yeah. Nice to meet you again." He chuckled nervously. "It seems like fate keeps bringing us closer. I never thought I'd bump into you so early after our first meeting. What are you doing here?"

Amber chuckled, giving some clothes to the lady that was assisting her.

"Like you, I am here to just get a little something for myself."

"Is that so?" He was nervous as hell. He looked around to see if he could see David. "Are you alone?"

"Yes, and I am guessing you're looking for my brother?"

Jim's cheeks turned pink and he felt a bit embarrassed. Was it that obvious, he thought as he chuckled nervous while scratching his hair.

"Look Jim, I want you to be honest with me." She said with her arms crossing her chest. "Do you like my brother or maybe you want something from him? I saw the way you were looking at him at the restaurant. We're both teenagers and I have crushed on someone before."

Jim cleared his throat. "I wouldn't want to lie, Amber. I am very interested in your brother. I am not the type of guy that loves to hide his feelings. I saw your brother and I liked him from the first timer I set my eyes on him. This might be strange but I think I am in love with him."

"Many people say that about my brother." Amber shrugged. "You're not the first one to say that. What makes you so different from them. Maybe you are just after something else."

Jim chuckled. "They say that when you meet the person destined to be your lover, you'll know. Let's just say, it's instinct. Something is drawing me closer to your brother and this has never happened. I'm not after money because my family is one of the richest families in this country. I don't mean to brag but I'm telling the truth."

Amber laughed softly. "I'll be honest with you, Jim, I think you're a nice guy and I liked you from the time I saw you. But what makes you so sure that my brother will even like you or accept you to be in his life?"

"All I know is that I need to try." He moved closer and held Amber's hands. "If you met the person, you think is destined to be yours, wouldn't you do anything to try and get closer to him? Wouldn't you go out of your way to bring him closer and make sure he sees you?"

Amber was just staring at the boy without uttering a word.

"I like David and I don't mean to rush into anything with him. I'll understand but I'll not give up either."

Amber sighed. "I love your confidence, but it isn't up to me. It's up to David. I'll help you, only because I like you and I think you and my brother will make such a cute couple."

Jim brushed, combing his hair with his fingers. His heart began racing because he hadn't expected that to happen. He had been thinking Amber was gonna be rude to him and never agree to help him but he had been wrong all along.

"You're so sweet." He said sheepishly.

"It's okay. I am hosting a party tomorrow to welcome my brother back into the country." She said as she got out a card and handed it to him. "I'm inviting you there. This will give you an opportunity to meet my brother and talk to him."

Jim literally jumped as he looked at the card, like his life depended on it. "David Paola" his heart hammered in his chest as he read that name. Shit, he felt shivers going down his spine.

"I don't know how you're gonna talk to him or what you are gonna say, but I'm wishing you luck."

Jim raised his head and gave Amber a quick hug. "Thank you so much, Amber. This is the best thing anybody has ever done for me. This means a lot."

"Just a sister wanting the best for her brother. Let's just say, I'm doing this for selfish reasons."

"Oh!" He moaned, pressing his hand on his chest. "My savior. Does this mean we can be friends too, since there's a high chance that we might be seeing each other a lot."

"Sure!"

"Yes!" Jim acted like he had won a jackpot.

He was happy everything was going in place. He couldn't stop smiling and anticipating about meeting and talking to the hunk.

"Since we're now friends, how about we shop together while I get to know you."

"Sure!" Amber smiled as she started walking slowly with him. "Just don't get bored because I can be a little talkative sometimes."

"I don't think anyone is as talkative as me." Jim replied.

It was a lovely day for Jim that day. They talked and talked about almost everything as they did their shopping. They went to get ice cream together and found that they had a lot in common. Every once in a while, Jim asked questions about David and Amber answered some but told him he was gonna find out on his own from David soon.

For instance, he found out that David loved going out for jogging in the morning. He loved vanilla and chocolate milkshake that he always had it every day. He was a down to earth guy that loved perfection and adventures. He was an interesting guy and... most of all, he loved his family a lot. Jim figured if he got closer to Amber, it was gonna make it easier for David to love him back. The two had a wonderful bond that they were literally each other's shadows. That was what he was gonna do. He was almost closer to getting David and he couldn't wait to have his hands all over the hunk. Just thinking about it made his body feel hot.

***

"Thank you so much." Ben smiled at the waiter that had just saved him some hot chocolate and a piece of cake.

He was having his lunch after spending almost the whole morning in a lecture. He was tired and hungry. But when he took a bite of that yummy vanilla cake and took his chocolate, they mixed in his mouth and he couldn't help but moan.

"Ben!"

He heard someone screaming his name. He took a glance near the entrance and found his brother running towards him like a child.

"Oh my God, Ben, I'm so glad I found you here." He was trying to catch his air. "Shit, let me take a breath."

"What's with you?" Ben frowned. "Did you win some competition or maybe a lottery?"

"Lottery?" Jim laughed, taking a seat. "I can buy the whole company that do those things. This is better than that. Guess whom I bumped into today?"

"Queen Victoria?" Ben said jockingly right before he burst into laughter.

"Very funny, but even better. I bumped into Amber while I was shopping today."

"Amber?" Ben was confused and the look on his face wasn't helping matters. "Who's Amber?"

"My sweetheart's sister from yesterday. My soulmate."

"Oh, is that why you're acting like that?"

"Because I am one step getting closer to the love of my life. She's hosting a party tomorrow and guess who's going?"

"You?"

"Us." Jim enthused, gripping Ben's hand. "We're both going. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I cannot miss it for anything in the world."

"Me?" Ben gasped, pointing at himself. "Why me? Last time I checked, you're the one who's interested in this guy. So why the hell am I being dragged into this?"

"Because you're my brother and you love me." He raised an eyebrow at Ben who rolled his eyes. "And also, because we're literally like twins so wherever I go, you go."

"I didn't sign up for that. And you know very well I don't like parties. Especially this. There's going to be a bunch of strangers."

"So?" He shrugged. "Don't forget that we're the sons of Jerome Henandez. That alone should be able to get us an audience with even the freaking queen of England. We'll probably be among the richest kids there."

"That doesn't matter. I don't do well with strangers." He complained. "You're the one with a mission and I can't be walking right behind you. Besides, I don't have anything to wear."

Jim's eyes widened in awe. "You know you're lying, Ben. But I figured you'd say that. That's why I got you something to wear for tomorrow. So, you've got no reason to refuse."

"You did what?" Ben's voice was so high he didn't realize some people were staring at their table. He glanced at them and whispered a sorry. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I ain't going anywhere without you. Unless you want me to get mad at you."

"Good! Talk to you whenever your anger melts because there's no way I'm stepping my foot at that party."

He started having his lunch.

"Come on, Ben." Jim said in a sad tone with puppy eyes. "You can't do that to me. You know how important this meeting is to me. You've always said that you've got my back anytime. Besides, I want you to be part of every important event that is happening in my life. That's how important you are to me."

He gripped his arm again and moved closer to him. Then he lay his head on his shoulder and continued pleading.

"Come on, Ben. You know if you're not coming the I am not going anywhere. I'll stay with you. But whatever you do, just know that this is my one opportunity to be truly happy with a man."

Ben groaned angrily, pushing his brother away from him.

"I am gonna regret this, ain't I?"

"Yes!" Jim rose from the chair and jumped. "I knew you were gonna give in. And no, you won't regret this. This might be your chance to meet some new people. David doesn't have a brother but I'm sure he's got some friends as hot as him, one of them might just sweet you off your feet. Wedding bells could be ringing in a few years. Maybe even a joint wedding."