Banner by Tommos24

"Hey, Champ, what's up?!" Devon smiled broadly at his laptop screen that displayed Jackson's cute and adorable profile.

"I'm great," beamed the kid. "I'm so happy that both of us live in a generation where Skype is a reality!"

"I feel ya, buddy," laughed Devon.

The half brothers spoke almost everyday. Talking to the child has always been the only time Devon forgot everything about his fucked up life.

"By the way why are you up so late in the night?" inquired Devon. "It's way past 9:30."

"I know, sorry...."mumbled Jackson. "I have a debate tomorrow in school about whether chocolate is good or bad for health. So was just googling information with Granny. And then I wanted to talk to you...are you angry?"

"No of course not, buddy," said Devon softly. "Good luck for your debate. How was you day today?"

"Hectic." Jackson gave a long sigh. "Grade 3 is very hectic. It is making me so busy these days! And today was a very bad day."

"Why? What happened?" asked Devon, alert out of concern.

"We had a poster making activity in school today. My parter was a girl who was very, very horrible. She just wouldn't let me color!" whined the kid.

"If anybody troubles you, Jackson, tell them the things I've taught you. That will shut them off," said Devon in an obvious tone.

"Roger!" grinned the little boy. "I told her that all colour pencils and crayons become useless when she uses them. That made her face bloat up in anger," chortled Jackson.

"That's like a champ," snickered Devon, feeling like a proud coach.

"Devon, can I tell you something?" Jackson said in a low hesitant voice. "Promise me you will not be upset...."

"I promise. Tell me,"

"Sometimes I miss Eleanor a lot..."
That caught Devon off guard. His body turned stiff.

"I don't know why we don't talk to her anymore and she doesn't talk to us anymore...." Jackson trailed off sadly. "Is she angry with me for some reason?"

"No, buddy, she can never be angry with you. She loves you to the moon and back," said Devon at once.

"Did you guys have a big fight then?" Jackson asked innocently.

Devon felt the burden in his chest smothering his breaths.

The child spoke again, "Can you please get her to visit me, Devon? I want to tell her so many things about school. And I even want to read stories with her just like before! Can you please find out where she is and tell her that I want to meet her?"

The kid looked at Devon expectantly.

"Ye-Yeah, I will," Devon tried to smile through the pain.

"Thank you so much, Devon," the kid smiled widely at him.

After the call ended, Devon went outdoors, shed all his clothes except his boxers and dived into the swimming pool to release the agony that was numbing his insides.

It was nearly two weeks now since they had moved in the villa but Eleanor had turned every of his attempts to get close to her, to talk to her futile. Her indifferent attitude towards him ached him. And it wasn't just with him, she was the same with everybody.

She never smiled, not even with her chirpy friends or when Preston cracked a joke. She preferred to stay alone all the time and hardly speak. The way she was completely detached from the world was scary.

Once he had tricked Preston into asking Heather about Eleanor.

"It's nothing new that Eleanor is so distant and aloof from everybody," sighed Heather. 'She has been like that all throughout the freshmen year. I've tried being a friend to her so many times but she pushed me away...."

Eleanor had steeled herself to such an extent that she now was a cold and unfeeling being. The girl who once loved to giggle and laugh despite being in pain and whose life used to revolve around her family, friends and boyfriend had in the present day made stark loneliness and dead silence a crucial part of her existence.

And I'm fucking responsible in a big way for this.

Devon felt a sharp pang in his heart.

I hurt her, I broke her completely with my words and actions. I fucking failed to respect her feelings and emotions. ..

But I'll fix her, and make her mine again.

Devon swam aggressively in the pool...

Dressed in a sports bra top and denim shorts, Eleanor was walking across the hall on her way to the basement area in the West Wing for her martial arts training when Heather suddenly approached her and grabbed her by her wrist.

"You cannot miss this! You've got to see this!" she exclaimed in excitement.

""What?" asked Eleanor but in response was pulled over to the kitchen counter by her housemate. Briona was there too.

"Dude, you just can't miss watching Devon swimming in the pool. Just look!" Heather gazed dreamily outside the window. "He is so damn hot! Look at those abs and biceps! Look at the way his muscles are flexing ! I'm so wet imagining those sinful hands on me!"

"We've been standing here since quite sometime now," added Briona. "Can't he just take off his boxers now?"

Eleanor rolled her eyes at that but then she had to admit that Devon had gotten sexier and more manly since his high school days. She allowed her gazes to linger on his steamy bare torso for a few moments before turning her eyes away.

While the girls continued to gush over his physique and intense brooding looks, Eleanor started to leave when....

"Devon is all set to be mine," Carmen declared snootily as she got there sashaying her hips. "So losers, time to back off," she added, looking at Heather and Briona.

"We ain't losers," the girls snapped back.

"Really? Then why is it written all over your faces?" snickered Carmen, her lips curling.

Briona clenched her fists tight. "You can never get Devon interested in you. So stop being a bimbo and fuck elsewhere."

"You'd be a bimbo if you thought Devon would never want to get in bed with me," smirked Carmen. "Watch and learn."

And she climbed upstairs to her room.

Eleanor had no clue what Carmen was up to. But it bothered her a lot....

"What the fuck does she think about herself?!" Heather grumbled. We ain't losers. She needs to know that we've been personal shoppers for Rihanna and Leonardo DiCaprio!!"

"Really? Have we been?" Briona asked in shock. "When? And why didn't I know of this???"

"Because it happened in my dreams," Heather admitted sheepishly.

Briona rolled her eyes.

Eleanor didn't hear any of it as she was trying hard to rid herself of all the insecurities that had infested every of her breath. Right then Carmen reappeared wearing a sultry red bikini that showed off her body in the most sensuous way. In no time she was in the pool wading towards Devon.

Eleanor's eyes spilled fury seeing Carmen wrap her hands seductively around his neck and pull herself closer to him. Seeing them so close caused a mad uproar within Eleanor. Knowing she was hit by a sharp pang of jealousy that had rendered her defenseless, Eleanor stormed off there in frustration.

Devon jerked Carmen away in disgust. He was about to step out of the pool but she clutched his bicep.

"We both know you want me, Devon," she smiled impishly. "Let's not pretend we don't have anything between us," she added, moving her hands suggestively over the skimpy cloth that clung weakly to her breasts.

"You've got nothing close to what I fantasize," Devon ridiculed her.

Carmen smirked. "I don't believe that. How about drinks tonight? Just you and me? That will surely get you to change your viewpoint."

"I'm not interested in you," Devon said coldly before jumping out of the pool in anger.

***

Eleanor was smeared with sweat all over as she subjected herself to an intense martial arts workout. Her eyes blazed like burning coal as flashes of Carmen and Devon in the pool stormed her head. Eleanor swung her feet and kicked hard in the air, her hands balled into harsh fists. She was breathing heavily. She could detach herself from everything,  even Devon for that matter. But she couldn't detach herself from the thought of him being with someone else....

***

Devon came across Eleanor in the halls as she climbed upstairs from the basement area. He clenched his jaws hard when she gave him an apathetic look as usual and walked past him. Eleanor was shocked when he firmly gripped her elbow all of a sudden and held her back.

"Eleanor, I want to tell you something," said Devon standing behind her. "I---"

He couldn't complete as Eleanor jerked his hand away with a strong repulsive force. And that didn't go down well with Devon...
"I find it hard to believe that you hate my touch considering the fact that you've spent your high school days in my arms," he spoke in a hard tone, his irises dark and menacing.

Eleanor looked at him with two emotionless eyes. "That was because I was too naive to understand your manipulative ways. Simple."

Devon's cheekbones grew taut as Eleanor didn't spare him a second glance and continued to walk off.

"It's about Jackson! " Devon called out from behind.

Eleanor stopped on her tracks hearing the name. Her heart missed a beat in despair as her eyes grew wide. Jackson....

Memories of her with the kid back in Crawford Lane flooded her mind. In the last one year, she had been so much into getting rid of her past that she didn't even for once thought of contacting the little boy. And the realization filled her with pain.

"I hope your hatred for me didn't make you forget about that innocent kid," said Devon in a steel voice. "He misses you a lot. He wants to meet you. If it's too much to ask for, let me know."

"Where is he?" she asked quietly.

"Not far from Silicon valley. We can leave in my car this Friday evening after work. It's a short drive. We'd reach there by night and stay there over the weekend."

A tensed silence followed. Devon's heart was hammering desperately in his chest. A muscle in his jaw twitched threateningly as he stared darkly at her back. He didn't know how he'd deal with himself if he was to hear her refusal. 

"Okay." Eleanor agreed and left from there.

(Hope you like it :) Please understand that the upcoming chapters will have mature content. I will be posting warnings at the beginning of those chapters for your convenience.)