Hello! :) This chapter 2 of Searching for Forever. I hope you like it! Enjoy! :D

Chapter 2

Well, Damn! That was not the way I wanted my first day in Paris to start. But you can't really blame me for what I did. He was just edging me to do it. That rotten bastard! I was lying on my new bed, in my new but temporary home, and I was already destroying my sheets. I crumple them in my fists and let my anger pass. The house was very beautiful, it was clean and the walls were the colour of velvet. The floor was made of white marble that I wanted to walk on barefooted. My own room is lovely, Mia told me that she chose the colour of the room. The floor was mahogany, it was so smooth under my toes. The walls were turquoise blue and the ceilings were high and white. But what I like the most about this room is the four poster bed. It had white see-through drapes and comfy black covers. I still had to unpack but I was still irritated with that man. Simon Van Kleef is exactly what I thought he would, a selfish, conceited and judgmental bastard!

As I stepped through the front door a few minutes ago, I was excited to see what was inside. There was a small foyer then straight ahead was the stairs. Mia left my bags by the front door, she told me that there will be someone to bring them up to me room. She led me to what she called the music room. At the center of the room, was a white grand piano. It was beautiful, I wanted to play it but I didn't know how to. There were about four guitars, three violins and one shiny saxophone that were hanged on the wall. The walls were made of soft velvet cushions. I don't know the use of those cushions but Mia told me that it helped the sound of the instruments. We left the room and headed to the receiving room. It had the same appearance of the music room but without any instruments. I sat down on this very white sofa, I was afraid of sitting down at first because I thought that I will dirty it of its clean colour.

"Erin, sit down for a while. I'm just going to call for John and Simon." Then she noticed my terrified stare at the sofa. "I was like that too when I first saw it." With that she exited the room.

Instead of sitting down, I stood beside the window. There was this beautiful garden out at the back of the house. It was full of colorful flowers and at the right hand corner was a stone bench. I suddenly had a flashback of my mother, she once took me to a park and we always sat on a stone bench under an old fig tree, eating strawberry ice cream. I don't know how long I stood there, looking out the window, because I was alarmed by a deep voice.

"You could sit, you know." I quickly turned to the unfamiliar voice. My eyes met a pair of chocolate brown eyes covered by thick lashes. The man had unruly ash blonde hair, like he just got out of bed. He was leaning against the door way, smirking at me. I'm guessing this is Simon. Well he was very handsome, gorgeous perhaps and I know he knows it by the way he overly confidently stood.

"Well, I choose to stand. You must be Si-" He cut me off. He walked towards me and took my hand in his. "Simon Van Kleef. It's my delight pleasure to meet you, Ms. Jacobs." He slowly lifted my hand to his lips, kissing it softly.

"You are a bit old-fashioned, did you know?" I informed him. He snorted lightly, still holding my hand to his lips. I felt his hot breath on my hand when he replied, "You're the first person who ever told me that. But I do believe that I was born in the wrong era."

He lets go of my hand and gestured for me to sit on the sofa. I bit my lip and moved past him to sit on it. I looked at him and saw he was still on the same spot. He was a big guy but not the kind that you would find in front of a club. I see a few parts of him are similar to John, like the eyes. They were exactly the same shade of brown but John's eyes expressed kindness and humility, while this man's eyes were full of mischief and confidence. Their hair colours were very different, John had a soft mop of brown curls, while his half brother had this unruly ash blonde hair that sticks up to every direction but it suits him perfectly. I don't know if it was dyed or was it natural.

"It's not polite to stare, Ms. Jacobs." He said, sitting down on the chair beside the sofa. I blushed, embarrassed of being caught.

"I wasn't staring. I was merely looking at you to find if you had any similarities to John."

"Did you find any?" He rested his head on his hand.

"You have the same brown eyes but you're-" I pointed to my head to gesture to my hair.

"This is my natural colour, actually. I don't know how I got it because my mother had fiery red hair and my father had the same hair as John's." He ran his hand through his hair, making it more untidy.

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding but how did you became John's half brother?"

He sighed then smiled at me. "Well, when a man and a woman love each other, th-" I frowned. "I know how you we're made. I want to know how could Arthur have an affair while he had a wife and a child."

"It was hardly an affair. Arthur and John's mother separated a few months after John was born. He went here to clear his head or something. He met my mother when he was invited to some dance. One thing lead to another and then bam! She became pregnant but he still stayed with her until I was about two and a half but then he told her about his separation. They figured that he should go back to the US to take care of his original family but he still comes here to visit me and my mother. He told his wife about us and she surprisingly accepted it. So that's the story and John just found out when he came here. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him, "Welcome home, my dear brother." It was priceless."

"Of course, he would find it astonishing. He just found out that he had a half brother. You should have cut him some slack at that time. Not laughing at his reaction to that matter." I was nearly shouting in anger. How dare he? How dare this man find John's horrified and surprised reaction so amusing.

"Calm down. You rather defend him so fully." He informed me with a glint in his eyes that he knows something he shouldn't.

"I defend him because he's one of my best friends. For Pete's sake, he ju-" He cut me off again. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" He quirked his head to the side, bemused. I blushed, beet red. I opened my mouth to deny it but no sound came out. He suddenly threw his head back and laughed. He stood up and faced me.

"This is classic. You're in love with your best friend's husband. I can't register that thought to my mind." He teased. Then his amused expression turned to something serious. "That's what you came here for. You're trying to steal John from dear Mia. A vacation is only an excuse, you're going to make him fall for you!" He accused. With every word, my anger rose. I shot up from where I was sitting and stood right in front of him, looking up at his face.

"How dare you? How dare you accuse me of trying to steal Mia's happiness by making it my own. I would never do that. Yes! John was my first love but those feeling have long past since I found out he had an interest in Mia. I am not some selfish whore that would do such a cruel thing. I dare say that you are selfish and conceited to accuse me of something that is so not true for your own amusement." I was breathless and Simon's expression was a mixture of anger, disbelief and a touch of sadness.

"You think so lowly of me. Forgive me for judging you so quickly but I would think much differently if you didn't show much of your legs. You look like some cheap, desperate prostitute."

SLAP!

My chest was heaving, burning heat in my cheeks, and my hand was throbbing with how hard I slapped him. There was a gasp behind me and I turned quickly to see the happy couple with shocked expressions. I turned back to Simon who was still bewildered, touching his palm to his cheek that was reddening. He looked at me with wide brown eyes. I didn't know what came over me but his words went straight to my heart and it hurt really bad. The pain in my heart did not justify the pain I have given him.

I heard my name being called, it was John. He was beside me in an instant and had his arm around my waist. I vision blurred and I knew there were tears that will fall. I wouldn't let it happen in front of Simon. Suddenly, I was being walked out of the room. I'm guessing Mia is with Simon because she was not at my side. John walked me up to the stairs and led me to my room.

This is where I'm currently heaving with hate. John apologized for his brother's behavior but it wasn't good enough. It will never be good enough. I was angry and was also afraid. I was afraid that because of my violence towards Simon, that he will tell John and Mia about what he found out. But it wouldn't matter anymore because those unrequited feelings have vanished.

I swear on my life that I will hate Simon Van Kleef, whatever the circumstances.

Thank you for reaching the end of chapter 2. Chapter 3 is coming up :D