18

The next morning, Jason was showered, shaved and feeling fresh. He looked out of his window to see the Hawaii sun high up in the sky at just ten a.m. People were already gathering on the beach not far from the hotel and the excitement was in full swing. He already felt giddy and he knew they had to visit the beach that very day.
He stepped out of his room and pressed his ear to the door of Jean’s room. Silence. She was obviously still asleep. She didn’t seem like the type to sleep naked so he snuck in and grabbing a pillow, loomed over her for a few seconds before whacking her with the pillow continuously.
“GET UP! GET UP! WHY ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING?”
“What the hell?” Jean grudgingly woke up with a sore arm that was still being hit by a frustrated looking Jason, “Why are you disturbing my sleep and... are those bunny slippers?”
She laughed as she sized him up in khaki shorts, a top and pink bunny slippers with the largest ears she had ever seen.
“Yeah, they are so comfortable,” Jason whined.
“Forget that. Why are you disturbing my precious sleep in your ridiculous bunny slippers?” she asked, her nose twitching. She could literally feel his bones as he jumped on her, causing a ‘harrumph’ to escape from her lips.
“The sun’s awake. So I'm awake. So we have to play!” Jason whined, earning him a cocked eyebrow.
“Did you just quote Frozen?”
“I never envisioned you to be the type to watch a children’s cartoon, Jean Taylor.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Shut up. I watched it when I visited an orphanage one time.” She took in his bewildered expression, “I like children, so what?”
“Wait till I tell the world that The Jean Taylor can cook like a goddess and loves children? I wonder what else I'm gonna find out about you."
“Well, as you may have noticed, I prefer to keep my private life just that: private.”
“You never fail to amuse me.”
“Excuse me?” she frowned.
“Well, it's just funny that most people in your position would be stuck up snobs who only care about making money and their own selfish interests.” Jason shrugged.
“Actually, when I started out, that was when I just came to America, I was just really interested in designing clothes. I guess I was really good because people started buying. A lot. So I used the extra money to expand my business and started hiring people to use the latest technology to make my clothes. Then I read an article about investment and since I had so much money, I started investing and that’s why my brand has so many products under it now.”
“Wow, you’re an intelligent woman. But at this point, what is your driving force?”
“I still love designing clothes and I still do it but I guess right now, there are thousands of workers all around the world who depend on me now for their salaries and wages and I can’t let them down just because they were unfortunate enough to work for me.”
“But I’ve seen different articles actually condemning your work. How do you explain that?”
“I think my work is amazing. It's just that some people don’t know what to wear, how to wear it and when to wear it. For example, that Madelyn woman at the reception, she wasn’t meant to wear that dress. I solely designed it for people with hourglass body shapes and she decided to wear it on her pear body.” Jean rolled her eyes, “So annoying.”
“Jean, have you ever been to an interview?”
“Yes, but its always about the latest deal I just had and its never a camera thing either. I just do articles and things like that.”
“No wonder you’re so oblivious. I just conducted a random interview on you and instead of getting suspicious, you answered freely.”
Jean blinked once, twice.
“Y’know what? It's too early in the morning to think this much. And besides, I only answered cuz you’re my friend and you should be trusted.”
“Firstly, it's almost eleven and secondly,” he touched his heart, pretending to cry, “I'm so touched you trust me.”
“I said, should be trusted.”
“Whatever. It's still close. So are we going to the beach or not?”
“Yeah, yeah. Now get out of my room so I can get ready.” She started kicking him in the shin.
“Fine, I'm going. I'm going to add martial arts to that list of things I'm gonna tell the world about you.”
“Oh, stop being a cry baby, its just self-defense classes.”
“You’re just being modest.”
“Whatever.” With that, she slammed the door in his face and started getting ready for the beach while he also did the same.

About thirty minutes later, Jean entered the living room to find Jason drinking pineapple juice while watching a program on the television. He was already dressed in a baby pink shirt, white shorts and sandals with his sunglasses hooked in his shirt. After much debate, she had finally decided to wear a long Caribbean-style dress with tiny straps and her gold sandals, her own sunglasses on her head with her wide beach hat in her hand sans make-up.
As she went to the fridge in the dining area to get a granola bar, he finally noticed her and cocked an eyebrow.
“Never thought I’d see the day you would be without an Armani suit and those killer heels.”
“Shut up, Jason.” She scoffed.
“I'm starting to think our friendship is a very abusive one.”
She laughed and set her hat down on the dining table. She finished her bar and went to look out the glass wall.
“So many people.”
“Well, unlike you, many other normal people enjoy the beach very much.”
“It's not that I don’t enjoy the beach, its just….” She trailed off. Jason didn’t bother straining her for answers because he knew that in due time, she would open up to him. He understood that some scabs were just too painful to pick at. He brought her out of her reverie by tapping her shoulder lightly.
“I would appreciate it if we actually got going anytime this year, thank you.”
Jean whacked him on his arm and he looked at her, shocked for a second. This was the first time Jean had ever made physical contact with him except the professional handshake and despite the fact that it was to hurt him, he was happy that she was actually warming up to him little by little. She was shocked too, she hadn’t thought much of it when her hand went up to hit him, but it seemed normal; like it was okay for her to have a friend and hit him when he insulted her.

The beach just amazed both of them. It was beautiful with pale brown sand and the sea was blue and active with bouncing waves. The surfers were already in full swing, so were the parasails, swimmers, and divers. There were several umbrellas scattered everywhere for the vendors and people who brought their own umbrellas. At a corner, there was a middle-aged man playing the ukulele while some women dressed in grass skirts taught people how to dance the luau. Everybody was smiling and the atmosphere was just ecstatic.
Jean squealed when she noticed a man cutting the heads off huge green coconuts. She dragged a confused Jason towards him while smiling widely.
“I’ve always wanted to try one. I heard they are amazing.” She squealed, pointing towards the man with his wide straw hat, protecting him from the sun. Jason envied the seller, he should have taken a cap along instead of testing Mother Nature. Jean already had on her wide beach hat and was already in front of the seller's trolley. Rushing over, he saw that Jean was still smiling and pointed at the biggest coconut she saw. The seller cut off the head smoothly and put in a straw and a tiny umbrella.
“A lovely drink for the lovely lady.” He bowed a little as he handed Jean her coconut. She smiled and thanked him before collecting it and taking a sip as he prepared Jason’s coconut. The coconut goodness was actually cool compared to the hot weather.
“And an equally lovely drink for her man.” The seller said, smiling mischievously at Jason. Jason just smiled his thanks while Jean almost choked on her straw.
Why is everyone assuming that? she thought.
“Thank you for the drink and for giving me a purple umbrella, but he’s not ‘my man’,” she clarified, earning a surprised look from the seller, “he’s just a friend. And a rather goofy one at that.”
Jason touched his heart mockingly.
“You hurt me, Jean.”
The seller just laughed at them and named his fee for the coconuts. Jean raised up one side of her long dress to reach in her shorts where she kept her money and phone but Jason beat her to it, paying the seller and thanking him once again before dragging her away with his free hand.
“You should have let me pay.” She argued.
“You might be richer than me, Jean, but its tradition, the man pays.” He held his hand up for her to shut up when she was about to argue, “Besides, I dragged you out here, so what’s wrong with me treating you to some coconut goodness? And maybe everything else we buy here.”
She didn’t have anything to say so she just opened and closed her mouth like a fish a few times before letting herself come to terms with the fact that Jason was right. She crossed her arms and scowled. He just kept on grinning at her and before she knew it, it was infectious and she was smiling too.
Twenty minutes later, they were under a rented umbrella lying on rented towels. They both didn’t bring anything for the beach so they had to rent it all. Jason had kept his word about paying for it all and Jean just felt very useless. She wasn’t used to just sitting around without being involved.
“Why do we need this umbrella?” Jason whined for the fiftieth time. He was against using the umbrella since he had purchased a face cap and the sun no longer bothered him. Jean, however, had insisted on getting the umbrella, she had even volunteered to pay for it since he didn’t want it; of course, he had refused flat out.
“Because I am already pumped up on melanin and I don’t need the sun to roast me beyond the point of recognition.” She replied flatly. She avoided the sun at all costs as it didn’t go well with her. Her chocolate skin would get dry and she liked when it glowed. She had always hated sunscreen so she wasn’t going with that option.
Jason just sighed at her retort and started singing. He was a terrible singer and he knew it.
“What is that?” Jean asked, scrunching up her face in disgust, “It sounds like there are cockroaches blocking the entrance to your voice box.”
He ignored her and continued singing ‘I Will Always Love You’ really loudly earning some glares from other people which he also ignored. Jean, on the other hand, didn’t like the attention as some of the on-lookers recognized her with wide eyes. She smacked him on his head.
“Ow!” he exclaimed, rubbing his head and scowling, “Have I ever told you that you are a really violent woman?”
“Continue singing and you won't just see me as violent. I'll be barbaric too.” Jean said, trying to sound threatening but she couldn’t help the smile that crept up on her face.
Of course, Jason, being the trouble maker he was, started singing ‘Someone Like You’ even louder and even worse (if that was possible). Shouting like a banshee, Jean leaped on him but he was too fast as he quickly dodged and took off running. She chased after him, laughing like a lunatic while people on the beach made way for the two idiots screaming around the beach.

James watched from a low cliff not too far off as Jean chased after Jason. He knew he shouldn’t be stalking her like this but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t believe that they had actually come here together. He knew that they weren’t together by the way they behaved but even if they were together, Jean wasn’t in love with him. That gleam that was in her eyes anytime she looked at someone she loved dearly just wasn’t there when she looked at Jason. He knew he was a terrible person, but that actually made him feel better.
Jason yelped as Jean jumped on him from behind, biting his shoulder and they laughed together when Jason fell on the sand, taking Jean with him. James scowled not because Jean was smiling, but because it wasn’t with him. They got up and dusted themselves clean before heading towards the ice-cream stand. They bought their ice-creams before going back to sit down and they started chatting animatedly. James wondered what they were talking about that made them have those smiles that made the corner of their eyes wrinkle.
She looks beautiful, he thought. It had been so long since he had seen her in just casual clothing. He had doubted the fact that she even had anything that wasn’t corporate except her sleepwear. The dress she wore was free throughout and had a carefree edge to it. The brown and white patterns of the material accentuated her chocolate skin perfectly. Her face had been half-hidden by her huge beach hat at first but she had removed it under the umbrella. He chuckled to himself when he noticed that she was sensitive about the sun. He also remembered that she absolutely loved the rain; she used to go outside just to get soaked whenever it rained. She had many weird things about her and he loved them all.
He was still deep in thought as a woman in a red bikini walked past him and looked at him flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes. He could tell why; he had discarded his shirt due to the heat and his toned and muscled torso was now out for the whole world to admire. He paid the woman no heed because the woman that filled his mind was the one he was currently stalking.
Looking at his watch, he noticed that they had been at the beach for about four hours now. He occupied one of the rooms below their penthouse and he had heard when they had gotten in the elevator. He had rushed down the stairs in time to see them dressed for the beach in the lobby. By the time he had showered, dressed and gotten to the beach, they were already enjoying coconuts under an umbrella. He had been watching ever since, only stopping to buy a croissant and a soda.
James and Jean got up and headed to the shack on the beach for lunch with James hot on their trail without their knowledge. They went up to the counter and ordered. Jason ordered a cheese-burger with extra onions and chips with a Coke while Jean ordered some chicken with an extra-large banana milkshake. Jason raised an eyebrow at her when she ordered her beverage.
“I like milkshakes, don’t crucify me.” She shrugged and Jason just chuckled lowly.
They went to wait at a table while James ordered bacon and eggs with bread and coffee, keeping his head down the entire time. James then proceeded to sit down at a table at the other side of the shack where he still had a good view of the duo.
When their orders finally arrived., Jean looked down at her plate and frowned before calling the waitress back.
“Sorry, as much as I would love this, I didn’t order bacon and eggs. You got my order wrong.” She smiled at the waitress who looked at her notepad in confusion before looking at James’ table which had chicken and a milkshake on it. Her mouth settled into an ‘O’ shape and she smiled apologetically at Jean.
“I am so sorry. I mixed your order with that man’s own. I’ll exchange it right now.”
“No problem.” Jean chirped as the waitress took her tray away. She looked at the man that had been given her plate and she couldn’t help but think that he looked extremely familiar despite the fact that he bent his head in such a way that his cap covered his entire face. He muttered a thank you to the waitress but Jean continued staring at him trying to place him. She never forgot faces but if he could just look up, she would know if she was mistaken or she really did know him.
“Hey! Earth to Jean Taylor.” Jason snapped his fingers in her face and she blinked over at him, “I see you staring at that guy over there but I also see your chicken getting cold.”
Jean rolled her eyes at his statement that she was ‘staring’. She was staring but not ‘staring’ as he had implied it.
“I just can't help but think that he looks familiar.” She mumbled as she bit into a chicken lap. She chewed on the juicy poultry as Jason stole a glance at the ‘mystery man’.
“You’re right, he does seem familiar but he’s got that cap covering his face and he’s wolfing down his meal like a pack of hyenas are after him.”
Jean laughed and they continued their meal. The next time she looked at the man’s table, he was gone.

James had almost run out of there. He had slapped a hundred dollar bill on the table and left with his head still low. Back in his hotel room, he thought about the way he could literally feel Jean's dark brown gaze on him as she had scrutinized him as if she was trying to recognize him. He didn’t think he had ever eaten that fast before. The food didn’t really touch his mouth at all.
Why did that stupid waitress have to make such a dumb mistake? He thought, transferring his aggression to the waitress. He was partly glad that Jason had made her forget him for a while so he could escape. He rubbed his hands on his head in frustration. He was pathetic. Here he was, stalking a woman who was obviously having a lot of fun with his colleague.
No matter how he tried to twist his thinking, it all boiled down to him setting things straight with Jean. He planned on doing that as soon as they got back to New York. As long as he was here, he would keep stalking Jean.
Just in case, he thought, in case she needs me.
Hopefully, she hadn’t told Jason all about her past yet. He didn’t want to have to deal with his underboss disrespecting him because of a past mistake.
He watched their movements the whole day from his makeshift pride rock.