Lustful Paradise

After the game, everyone relaxed around the beach, with Jack and James using ice bags to rest their bruises, while Ethan was sprawled on a beach chair, feeling as if all his energy had been drained out.

Meanwhile, Lucifer, Layla, Eva, and Madison were swimming in the sea and having some fun around the water. They were splashing each other and laughing when Madison said, "You know, Lucifer. You did the right thing by teaching a lesson to those two. Jack deserved it, and James is... well, I kind of know why you did it to him, so good job."

"Speaking of that, I can't believe you hid the camera and were spying on me... That wasn't right at all, Maddie," Eva glared at her friend before splashing her with a wave of salty water.

"Hey! Don't splash me like that! My eyes hurt if I get too much seawater on them. And what do you mean spying? I was just worried about you, that's all!" Madison yelled at her. But after saying this, she gave her a wink and continued, "But it doesn't matter now, does it? You won't be getting back with him anyway. Let's just move on from that already!"

"Why are you so sure about that?" Eva raised an eyebrow as she looked at her.

Layla shook her head as if finding the question strange. "Don't pretend that we don't know, Eva. Lucifer told us already, so it's no secret anymore."

When Lucifer heard this, he just shrugged his shoulders before looking back at Eva and smirking. "Well, Eva. Enough with the talk about those guys. Let's just focus on enjoying ourselves."

With that, they kept on swimming in the water, playing and relaxing.

***

When the sun was high in the sky, signaling lunchtime, the group moved to the beach restaurant, where they met up with the rest of the guys.

They ordered several dishes to enjoy. Some were international foods while some were traditional ones from the island.

However, the way Nathan kept sighing, coupled with the lack of a spark in his eyes, didn't go unnoticed by the others at the table. More specifically, James was quick to pick up on this and asked him what was going on.

But Nathan didn't want to bring the mood of the group down, so he just shook his head, "I feel like the heat is getting to me, that's all... Nothing to worry about."

"If you say so... Still, if anything is wrong, feel free to talk to us about it," James said. Although he knew Nathan wasn't being completely honest, he didn't want to pressure him further.

On the other side of the table, Zoe saw that Lucifer was looking at her and she gave a slight nod towards him. It was almost as if they exchanged a few words without saying anything.

And getting the hint, Lucifer smirked before resuming his meal. 'Well, well, seems like Zoe took care of everything on her end. Now, only Eva is left for the job to be done.'

Just a moment later, James turned towards Eva and cleared his throat, catching her attention in the process.

"So... Eva," he began while thinking about what he should say, "About that stroll around the beach, how do you feel about doing it after we finish eating?"

Eva didn't want to give him any time at the moment and thought about ignoring him. However, when she caught sight of Lucifer giving her a meaningful look, she decided otherwise.

'Lucifer said he wanted to spend time with me alone, and James seems to be planning to make things better, so I guess it would be better to just get over the bad part before I meet with Lucifer again...' Eva thought before giving James a hesitant nod of affirmation.

"Sure. Let's do it as you say," she said after taking a deep breath. As much as it irritated her, she knew that dealing with James first was the right thing to do.

"Good. Then it's settled," the young man said as he continued eating his meal, clearly pleased with the outcome.

The rest of the group also took their time to enjoy their food and talk between themselves.

***

When the group finished eating, the two broke off from the others and started walking down the shore.

For a long while, neither of them spoke and just let the crashing sound of waves and the wind wash over their ears.

They both knew the purpose of their stroll, but each of them had different thoughts on it.

While Eva was thinking of finishing things between her and James once and for all, the latter was trying his best to find a way to smooth out any tension and patch things up again.

"Eva..." James broke the silence first as he turned to look at her, "About the yesterday thing... I hope you understand that I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything. It's just... Well, we have already talked about it too much, and I don't want to ruin your mood, so I won't go into it anymore."
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Eva glanced back at the young man, who had his hands stuffed in his shorts' pockets, and frowned. "Wait, is that all you wanted to say?"

"Yes," James replied while nodding his head. "I thought you might be still affected by what happened last night. So I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Damn it... I was a fool for hoping that you might say something else..." She cursed at him.

She felt rage bubbling within her chest, and she couldn't hide her scowl anymore. "Do you think you are someone so special that others must follow your wishes while suppressing their own happiness in the process?! No, you aren't. And I've had enough of this relationship."

"What are you saying, Eva?" James was surprised when he heard this sudden outburst, and confusion clouded his face. He didn't expect her to suddenly snap at him like that.

"Don't act dumb, James! You are smart enough to know what I mean!" Eva shouted angrily before continuing, "I was with you for so long, but did you ever care for me? No! Even though you were the one to ask me out, you never put the effort to cherish me like I deserved to be! Can you understand how frustrating that feels?"

"No, that's not true. How can you say that I didn't put the effort? We dated, and I did everything that a boyfriend should do. We had fun together and we enjoyed each other's company. Or are you saying that none of that meant anything just because I didn't sleep with you?"

James couldn't remain calm after hearing this. It felt like the more time passed, the more accusations were thrown at him for being a man of strong beliefs.

"That's the point! That's exactly it! I wanted you to treat me as a woman, not just some pretty doll that you can play around with," Eva glared at him with frustration boiling within her chest as she took a step closer to him. "But that stops now. This relationship ends here. I am breaking up with you, James."

The moment James heard those words, he knew that the situation had gone from bad to worse. "Calm down, Eva... You are making a rash decision here. Why don't we take a step back and discuss this calmly?"

He tried to dissuade her, but it seemed like she had already made up her mind.

"No, James. There is nothing else to talk about. As I said, I've had enough of holding back. This time, I am not going to let you convince me otherwise and bring up silly excuses. So now that I made myself clear, please respect my choice. It's over between us. Good bye."

And with that, she stormed off without looking back, leaving a dumbfounded James behind her.