Sporting khaki colored shorts and a white t-shirt, Devon joined his friends for dinner of spaghetti and drinks that night. But Preston went all out of his way to pretend that a certain malicious prankster just hadn't sat down to eat at the same table.

Upon cue from the bespectacled junior, Devon broke the silence. "Preston, I'm told that I'm supposed to say sorry to you for what I've done. So yeah, sorry."

Nathan hung his head hearing that. This guy can never learn to apologize! I think it wasn't a bright idea to agree to move in with him. But I've already signed the lease 'cause I was too tempted to live in that lavish villa...

Preston was also thinking along the same lines. "It's okay, man, at least you've tried to feel sorry I suppose," he sighed. "Besides, I think you're a good chap at heart."

"I won't cause any trouble to you guys when we move in together," said Devon quietly.

"I don't understand why you don't fuck around anymore like you used to when you were new here," said Preston. "There are so many hot chicks out there dying to get your attention. What's wrong with you?"

"He has understood that fucking around is a waste of time," said Nathan sharply. "And you will stop right there, Jay. Don't even think of turning him into a womanizer like you."

"Why don't you go and get your nose over a big fat book like you always do," Preston drawled, narrowing his eyes on him.

Nathan frowned, adjusting his dark blue rimmed spectacles.

"Like I was saying, being a marketing intern, my job frequently takes me to Los Angeles and Las Vegas," Preston spoke with importance, filling another glass of alcohol for himself. "Two weeks ago, on one such similar trip to Las Vegas, I got a chance to take both of you along too. But you guys disappointed me big time. You didn't commit a single sin in the city!"

"How could we? You committed our share of sins too," snorted Nathan, thinking about the overwhelming number of girls Preston had slept with during their week long trip.

Devon snickered in agreement.

Preston, deciding to ignore them, spoke further, "Inspite of being surrounded with sexy naked girls at the beach, Devon, you didn't even look at one, let alone get dirty with them. Like how? And Nathan had fucking gone off to a library to read Encyclopedias. I mean, who the hell does that in frickkin' Las Vegas?" Preston ran his hand through his light brown hair in frustration.

"We do," Devon raised his hand up in the air and lifted Nathan's hand too.

"Can't believe I went to Las Vegas with two holy priests who don't know about the fun in casual sex," grumbled Preston, digging the fork grudgingly into the spaghetti.

"I feel sex is pointless if you don't have any real feelings for the other person," said Devon matter - of - factly, keeping his fork down. " I believe it'd be fun to commit sin and lust over the person you're emotionally attached to. Else, it's inhuman."

"Whoa! What a great snub!" hooted Nathan, "Way to go, dude."

Preston gave Devon a 'world-has-ended' look. "You called me inhuman??? You called me inhuman, Devon?!!"he protested, in a deeply offended tone.

"Yeah, I think I did," responded Devon bluntly.

Preston's suave face bloated up and he looked at Devon scornfully with his two light brown eyes. "I'm a marketing guy who slogs in office like a dog! And you call me inhuman??!! How could you???"

Nathan snickered hearing that. "He means to say you can call him a dog but never an inhuman," he told Devon.

"No seriously, you should fuck off and undress a boring book," Jason gave his brother a pointed look.

"You're disrespecting my love and passion for knowledge!!"

"Which reminds me, bro, that you should start dating a girl. " said Preston seriously. "Open your eyes and look around you for a change. Girls find your nerdy appearance very attractive. There's a reason why Lisa so readily flashed you."

"Uh huh I agree," smirked Devon.

Nathan almost yelled in embarrassment. "Listen you two!! I'm not fucking gonna drive myself crazy over a girl! I'm better into books."

***

The following day when Devon knocked on Preston's door, the latter opened it while attending to an office call. While Devon waited, he noticed the slideshow of images on Preston's laptop screen that was placed on the bed.

There was one particular photograph that caught him completely off guard. Before he could realize what he'd just seen, the next image flashed on the screen. Devon instinctively strode towards the laptop and stopped the slideshow. He navigated back to the image which left him dumbfounded...

Eleanor Sanchez....

In Silicon Valley? Here in San Jose??

His heart ran wild within his ribs as he tried to come to terms with what he just learnt....

She has always been near and I didn't even fucking know it.

"Trying to do some shady thing to my laptop, are you?"

Preston's drawling voice broke the ring of tumultuous thoughts in Devon's head.

"N-No, I-I just was looking at these cool pictures," Devon said, trying to sound composed as he skimmed through all the images.

"Oh these were taken during our boss's birthday celebrations in office last month," replied Preston

"This pic in particular is sick." Devon showed him the photograph that had Eleanor in it. "I didn't know you've got so many sexy girls working in your office. Like this girl here." Devon made sure he sounded absolutely random while pointing at Eleanor.

"She's Eleanor. Joined office just a few months back," said the elder guy. "Never interacted with her 'cause she works with a different team than mine. But she's one gutsy girl I've ever come across. Have seen her perform daredevil martial arts stunts. She is so fierce that a lot of guys like me are shit scared of her. "

"You can't be serious," Devon blurted out in shock. Eleanor and daredevilry?? The description given by Preston clearly didn't match to how Eleanor was when they were in a relationship.

"I'm serious, man," said the other boy gravely. "Once a guy had misbehaved with a female colleague of hers and Eleanor wounded him so bad that he was a mess of blood and broken bones."

Devon couldn't believe his ears that Eleanor has changed so, so much. She wasn't anymore the naive girl he knew.

"But there is no denying the fact that she is very hot and attractive," said Preston.

Devon saw truth in those words 'cause in the said photograph, Eleanor looked sexy in that shimmering black one shoulder short dress, smoky eyes and sinful red lips.

Preston further added, "So there were two to three guys in office including her team leader who mustered courage to ask her out but she rejected all of them."

Good. Else I would have broken their necks, thought Devon. He looked back at a photograph and spotted a familiar guy from college.

"He is Noah, right?"

"Yes," responded Preston. "Eleanor and he work in the same team."

Devon's mind was already racing over his next course of action.

"Hey, wait," Preston called out from behind as the other boy reached the door. "I, uh, I want to actually tell you something...." he said in discomfort as Devon turned around.

"What?"

"Remember the owner of the villa, Mr. Sengupta, had told us that all seven tenants of the villa will be boys?"

"Yes, ofcourse," responded Devon. "Nathan and I agreed to move in the villa with you mainly because there wouldn't be any girls around."

"But.....I-I got a call from Mr. Sengupta the other day and he told me that-that those four guys backed out due to some problem and instead four girls have signed in to live in the villa...I-I hid it from Nathan and you 'cause I didn't know how to break this to you guys..."

Before Devon could react in shock, Preston added. "And unfortunately Eleanor Sanchez is one of those four girls. My goal of staying miles and miles away from her bites the dust."

Preston hung his head gloomily due to which he missed seeing Devon's lips curl into a lopsided smile.....

***

It didn't take long for Devon to locate Noah in the campus. Because the latter had been the target of Devon's numerous pranks in the past, the poor fellow didn't dare to refuse when he was asked to hand over his phone.

Devon scrolled through Noah's contact list and sure enough, he found Eleanor's number and noted it down. Noah hurried away when the phone was handed back to him. He didn't know what Devon did with his phone, he could only dread it wasn't some nasty virus.

***

Devon wasted no time to dial the number he had just laid his hands on. His eyes blazed with wild eagerness as he waited to hear her voice.

***

Eleanor was startled on receiving a call from a private number. And she somehow felt the wind around her lose its benevolence. Swiping the screen, she slowly connected the phone to her ear.

Fighting the dark enigma building up in her spine, she answered in an alert tone, "Who's this?"

Devon clutched the phone tight as he experienced a violent adrenaline rush hearing her. After all this time again....

He had been waiting for this moment since such a long torturous time now. ..

Eleanor was growing impatient by the second hearing absolutely no sound from the other end. "Who the hell are you? Speak up!!" she demanded.

"I may be hell but mostly I'm Devon Parker."

Eleanor was left gobsmacked hearing that hoarse and sinful voice after so long....

"I'm coming again," Devon smirked, his pupils dilating in passion.

And he hung up.

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