Chapter 80 - She's Afraid...

Arman arranged two villas for the group. Ashley shared a villa with James and Jeffrey, while Akira, Arria, and Ava shared the other one. The boys accompanied the girls and helped them with their luggage, while Ashley went straight to their villa accompanied by Arman. She wanted to get settled so she could make a call to her husband.

As soon as Ashley was settled in her room, her brother left to attend to some matters in the hotel.

She couldn't wait for Arman's silhouette to disappear. As soon as she was sure that Arman was out of earshot, she was quick to call her husband, who had been hiding from her ever since he accidentally blurted out a secret that he had with their son James.

Just as she was about to push the speed dial on her phone, it vibrated then her favorite tune played. When she looked, a smile crept on her lips. It was Tanaga calling via facetime.

Tanaga: [Sweetheart, I'm so sorry! I know I have been bad. Please, forgive me!" He had a sad-looking face with a pouty mouth while his two palms were glued together.

She could never stay mad at him for long, and he knew it too. Ashely could only act upset and knit her brows together; she then began scolding him first.

Ashley: [Why don't you tell me what was that you said about James making some promise to you? Explain!" Her voice was louder than usual but not loud enough for him to turn deaf.

From the way Ashley was looking at him, Tanaga had no choice but to tell her everything. He didn't leave out anything, including James making a solemn promise.

Tanaga: [So, to make a long story short, there's no way that he's courting Ava. Maybe, he thinks of her as his younger sister.]

Ashley: [ Well, I will surely find out before I leave. Does Ashton know about this deal you two made?] She was staring at his face on the screen of her phone while waiting for his response.

Tanaga: [ No, he doesn't know. So, if James changed his mind and wanted to pursue her, it's fine.]

Ashley: [ Hmmm, that's good to hear. Alright, I need to check on them right now. I'll talk to you later. I love you! Bye!]

Tanaga: [I love you more! Tsup! Tsup! Tsup!] He then waved to his wife goodbye before turning off the phone.

As soon as Ashley hung up, she quickly walked out of the room to look for James. She needed to have a heart-to-heart talk with him. 

===

When Ashley arrived at the girls' villa, she found Arria, Akira, and Jeffrey relaxing in front of the TV, eating some snacks Arman had prepared for them. James and Ava were nowhere in sight.

"Mom! I thought you were with Uncle Arman? Do you need us for anything?" Said Akira as she got up from the sofa to give her mother her undivided attention.

"Hello, aunty!" Arria waved her hands before turning back her attention to the show on the TV.

Jeffrey also stood up to greet Ashley, "Hi! Aunty Ashley, do want some fruit's" He offered as he extended a plate of fruits. 

Ashley only waved her hands. "No-no-no, I'm fine!  Where are James and Ava?" Her eyes were scanning the whole living room, before she looked towards the garden in the back. 

"James asked Ava to go for a walk on the beach," Akira said nonchalantly.

When Ashley heard that, she decided to let them be. She will have a chance to speak with James later on or another day. They should clear the air. It seemed that they had a misunderstanding. 

"That's fine, then! I'm going to the main hotel to see what kind of dinner Arman is preparing for us. Do you want anything special to eat for tonight?" She asked no one in particular; she just wanted to change the subject.

Everyone only shook their heads. With that, she turned around and walked out without looking back.

Akira and Jeffrey only looked at each other for a moment before they started laughing out loud for no particular reason. Arria raised her head and turned to look; when she didn't see anything unusual, she went back to watching the show.

===

James and Ava had a long conversation and finally cleared their misunderstanding. James was pleased that she had resolved to take the test and had sacrificed her holiday to study hard. He felt that she had done it for him, and with that thought, he was charmed. 

"Big brother, do you think I can do it? What if I don't pass, it will be embarrassing. I will not be able to show my face to my classmates." Concern filled her sad eyes.

James stopped for a moment and faced her. He then patted her head, "Silly girl, you are a genius; you will pass with flying colors. There's no doubt about that. The test is just a formality for you to enter Imperial college. Don't worry, alright? I'm here; I will take care of you." He assured her. 

Hearing his confidence in her made Ava's young heart flutter a little. With his promise to take care of her, Ava suddenly felt assured that she would pass and attend Imperial college with her big brother James. That put a wide sweet smile on her pretty face.

James saw her smiling sweetly, and he couldn't help himself and teased her. 

"When we start college, don't smile like that when there are other boys around. I don't want to have to fight them." He bantered as they continued walking without a specific destination.

She puckered her lips as she glared at him, "What do you mean you have to fight them? So, you're telling me that if there are other boys around, I can't smile? That's lame!" 

He was going to say something in return, but her phone suddenly lit up. She had an incoming facetime call. When she looked to see who was calling, James noticed that it was Ashton. Two lines formed on his forehead as they stopped for a moment.

~~~o~~~

Once we get to the adult life of our main characters, the story would focus on them.. The other characters' stories will be a little later in the chapters.