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Chapter Three
“Hey, Mr. Sunshine.”Jaike Hepburn’s tone was cheerful but puzzled at the same time when she realized who her unexpected visitor was. When Helios Andreadis didn’t even roll his eyes at the term she had used, Jaike had her first inkling that something was seriously wrong.
“I’m sorry for the mess,” she continued after a beat when her guest didn’t show any signs of speaking. She gestured to the half-painted walls of the kitchen with the paintbrush she was holding.
Closing the door behind him, Helios murmured, “I should be the one to apologize for the intrusion.” He followed Jaike into the room, and despite the emptiness that was steadily growing inside him, Helios still couldn’t help but be amused at the picture Jaike presented.
Jaike happened to be engaged to a man who was heir to not one buttwobillion-dollar fortunes and yet here she was, busy with DIY remodeling. It was just one of the many things that made Derek Christopoulos’ fiancée intriguing.
Used to Helios’ mercurial ways, Jaike asked, “Are you here for Derek?”
“No.”
“Oh. Umm...then make yourself at home. There’s beer in the fridge and some cheese and salad, too, if you’re hungry.” She thought about asking Helios why he was here but decided against it. Instead, she went back to painting the walls, giving Helios time to decide when he was ready to talk.
Jaike’s unassuming silence somewhat helped in calming the tornado of unease that was raging inside him. MJ’s last words had gutted him, and he had found himself driving aimlessly for hours. He had always been the type of man to know what he wanted to do with his life, but MJ’s desire to be free from him had taken Helios by surprise.
It had left him lost and directionless, unable to see the point of living until the next day.
After taking a seat on one of the stools before the breakfast counter, Helios looked up to find Jaike peeking at him over her shoulder. When she realized he had caught her looking, she flushed and asked awkwardly, “Are you okay?”
He heard himself saying, “As good as someone who had just been dumped can be.”
“Oh, Helios.” Jaike immediately stopped painting and went to the younger man, reaching over the counter to pat him on the shoulder. In many ways, she was like Helios Andreadis, with his dislike to reveal any kind of emotion. But the naked pain in Helios’ tone had been so raw it made Jaike want to comfort Derek’s friend even though she wasn’t sure how.
Knowing Jaike meant well, Helios didn’t bother telling Derek’s fiancée that she was painting his shirt another color in her attempt to comfort him. Looking down at her, Helios found himself observing Jaike’s notoriously bad sense of fashion. Overalls nowadays tended to be skimpy and made women look sexy, but on Jaike, she had somehow managed to appear like Mario and Luigi’s long-lost sister instead. And a nerdy one at that, with her large eyeglasses constantly falling over her nose.
Men who were blinded by superficial things would probably call Jaike ‘ordinary’, Helios thought. Thankfully, Derek Christopoulos hadn’t been that kind of man. In that sense, he and Helios were the same. Once, he had allowed himself to be fooled by the likes of Odessa, whose beauty hid a distasteful personality. But he had learned his lesson, and that kind of beauty now left him cold.
It was a running joke in the club how Derek had fallen for Jaike faster than the maximum speed of a 10cc Dodge Tomahawk. Derek had supposedly taken one look at Jaike, knew she was the girl for him, and had done everything to win her heart.
If only Helios had the smarts to be like Derek in that sense, too.
When Jaike pulled back, he said abruptly, “I need your help. I’d like to ask your opinion about something, if you don’t mind.”
Knowing how difficult that was for someone like Helios to say, Jaike said right away, “Ask me anything.”
“When Derek...” Helios’ voice trailed off. Damn, was it fair to Jaike and Derek to rake up hurtful old memories just so he could figure out what to do with MJ?
When Helios stopped speaking, she had no trouble guessing the reason for it. Appreciating Helios’ thoughtfulness, she said gently, “Do you mean to talk about the time Derek was supposed to have cheated on me?”
He gave her a wary look. It was a well-known fact in the entire university that Derekhadcheated on her.
