Chapter Text
Sitting on the dock, you held a cool bottle of water against the side of your neck to try and relieve some of the heat. You peered over the top of your sunglasses as your companion paced back and forth.
"Nick, come and sit down. You're stressing over nothing." You patted the seat beside you with a smile, the man huffing before dropping down next to you. You considered yourself lucky, playing personal assistant to Nicholas Cage was definitely your favourite of all jobs you'd had. But the man was a chronic overthinker and worrier.
"But we don't know anything about this guy. Richard hasn't returned my call yet. What if it isn't safe?" He pursed his lips a little, looking over at you.
"Then we just haul ass out of there. We've ducked out of many parties before without making a scene, it'll be manageable!" You patted his arm, offering him a relaxed smile. The man just nodded, rubbing a hand against his beard as he disappeared into his thoughts again. You shook your head, stretching out your legs in front of you. When Nick had called earlier that week, you hadn't expected it to be to accompany him to Mallorca of all places, for a rich fan's birthday. You spoke Spanish fluently thanks to a penpal programme when you were a kid and he didn't really have a knack for languages. Plus he'd offered to pay for it all to say thank you. You looked up as a boat pulled up and idled in front of you, a man giving a wave to signal he was your ride. Golden curls hung around his face, a soft smile on his lips. He was very attractive from what you could see. You couldn't help but momentarily admire him before you nudged Nick and grabbed your bags, him doing the same before you both boarded the boat. You greeted the man before taking a seat, Nick grumbling under his breath about sea legs as the boat started up again and towards your destination. Part way across the water, Nick's phone rang and Richard, his agent, finally returned Nick's call.
"I mean, what do we know about this guy anyway? Is he a Spanish Dr. No? Is he into something strange?" The man at the wheel of the boat glanced over his shoulder and you had a feeling this was your mysterious host by the way his brow furrowed before looking away. You glanced at Nick, apparently oblivious to this as he continued talking with Richard. You shook your head a little and enjoyed the breeze on your skin while Nick shoved his phone back into his pocket with a slight huff. You knew things had been rough for him lately, between his family problems and his career; Nick had a lot on his shoulders. You felt lucky that he still kept you on his payroll and actually considered you a friend enough that he would confide in you from time to time. Richard had called you privately as well to ask you to keep a close eye on Nick and make sure he was okay. You knew Richard cared more about Nick's career and public appearance than his actual health but you took it upon yourself to be there as his friend as well as assistant.
Once the boat finally came to a stop, Nick grabbed his things and handed them to some staff waiting at the dock before climbing off. The man who'd driven the boat offered you his hand with a charming smile and some girlish part of you almost giggled as you took it and used him for balance as you climbed out. The villa stood before you all on the hilltop, it looked beautiful and peaceful. Flowers were everywhere and the sound of the ocean always helped you relax. The three of you followed the staff up some stairs towards the villa entrance when Nick suddenly turned around.
"The guy that owns this house, what's his name?" He asked, the man who'd brought you here tilted his head a little.
"Javi." You couldn't help but glance at Nick, praying to whatever deity was out there that he wouldn't say something weird.
"Yeah Javi. Is Javi going to want me to… you know?" He mimed something that you instantly knew he what was insinuating. You smacked him on the arm gently with a warning under your breath.
"I'm not sure I understand." You glanced at the man, his accented voice was like warm honey and in normal circumstances you'd be swooning and trying to talk to him but right now you were concerned Nick was about to insult your host. And indeed he was.
"Look, if Javi wants me to suck his dick, or fuck his wife, or watch me watch him fuck his wife, that's a no-go. You understand? Es no bueno." You actually gasped and cursed yourself for oogling the other man instead of stopping Nick.
"Nick! Oh my god." Without skipping a beat, the other man just replied calmly.
"I am Javi." With a smile tugging his lips, you just hoped he was amused by Nick's insanity instead of offended. Nick just stared at him for a second before pressing his fist against his open palm with a bow of his head.
"Nick Cage." You lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of your nose in frustration and embarrassment. To your surprise, Javi mimicked the greeting as Nick introduced you before turning to lead you both inside.
"This is going to be a long trip…" You muttered to yourself, almost reluctant to follow the men through the gates of the villa.
Your bags were taken to your rooms while Javi gave you both a tour of the place. It was gorgeous and you could tell Javi loved his home with how he spoke about it. It had incredible views, was totally private and even had a pool and a hot tub.
"Thank you for having us here Javi." You smiled warmly at your host, Javi pulling his sunglasses off and giving a small smile back.
"You're very welcome. Thank you both for coming." You couldn't get over those dark brown eyes that regarded you so warmly before he turned and excused himself to go and get you both some drinks. As soon as he was out of earshot, you spun on your heel and stared up at Nick.
"I know. You don't need to say anything." He frowned but there was a hint of an amused smile on his lips.
"Luckily Javi didn't take offence to what you said. He is our host and apparently your biggest fan so be nice, okay?" You nudged Nick before shaking your head.
"Let's just take the rest of the day to relax and get settled, meet me by the pool later?" Nick pulled his sunglasses off as he spoke to rub at his tired eyes.
"Okay Nick, come find me if you need me okay?" You gave a smile before turning to head back to the room Javi had pointed out as being yours. It was almost bigger than your whole apartment back home, the bed practically swallowed you as you flopped onto it with a grin. A holiday to a beautiful warm country, a stunning host and you were getting paid to be here? You really had gotten lucky this time. You took your time unpacking and getting comfortable, taking a shower and changing into some more comfortable clothes - a loose sundress draped over your swimwear in case you decided to take a swim. You applied some sunscreen before heading out for a wander around the grounds, a bag hanging off one arm with a book and a towel in for when you got back to the pool area. As you were walking, you met a woman around your age. You greeted her with a bright smile, the woman almost surprised when you spoke fluently in Spanish with her.
"You speak Spanish like it's your native language, where did you learn?" Gabriela asked as the two of you walked.
"I started learning when I was about eight? I started watching Spanish movies to try and correct my pronunciation. I've always loved languages, learning new words and things that only exist outside of English. Incredible!" You grinned, realising how nerdy you probably sounded but the other woman just smiled.
"Well it's nice to meet someone who doesn't just expect English everywhere she goes." You chuckled, nodding in agreement. Gabriela was one of Javi's closest friends from what you could tell, and his biggest supporter. She admitted she'd been the one to convince him to invite Nick out here.
"See I remember telling my friends I was applying to be Nicholas Cage's personal assistant and they laughed so hard." You rolled your eyes. "Jokes on them cause it all worked out." You grinned, Gabriela laughing along with you. The two of you chatted for a little while before she excused herself, you waved and continued your exploration. The whole compound was enormous and there was security everywhere, you figured Javi must be important to need them. You passed by a room with a huge mirrored door, eyeing it curiously before you carried on walking. Rounding the edge of the garden, you made your way into the kitchen to request a bottle of water before heading to the pool area where you found Nick with Javi, Gabriela and a blonde guy you hadn't met yet. But something about him instantly rubbed you the wrong way, especially with how he spoke to Nick.
"Must have been nice to have been a star. And now…" You felt irritation burn in your chest as you walked over, ready to step in as Nick just grabbed his beer and stood up, shedding his dressing gown. He was more than capable of fighting his own battles but you knew lately he hadn't been himself. You gasped as, without skipping a beat, he just stepped into the pool and sank to the bottom. You waited a second to see if he resurfaced but he didn't. You dropped your bag and followed the others to the edge of the pool where you could see the blurry shape of Nick sat on the pool floor, downing his beer. You and Javi exchanged glances before he dove straight in and pulled the older man out. The blonde apparently grew bored and wandered away as Gabriela scolded him, you checked Nick was okay before convincing him he should go to his room. You followed him, making sure he had everything.
"Just ignore that asshole Nick. He's clearly just an idiot." You muttered as you drew the curtains in Nick's room, placing some water by the bed since you weren't sure how much he drank in your absence.
"He's not wrong though." Nick muttered into the towel he was using to dry his hair and face. You moved to stand in front of him, putting your hands on his shoulders.
"He is wrong Nick. Who knows you better, me or him?" Nick looked up, pointing at you. "Exactly. He is wrong, I don't know who he is but if he speaks to you like that again then I will drown him myself." Nick laughed a little at that, falling back onto the bed with a sigh.
"I think I'm just tired." He mumbled, his eyes on the ceiling. You nodded, patting his knee.
"Get some rest, tomorrow is a new day okay? In a few days it's Javi's party and we'll have an amazing time." Nick just made a non-commital noise. "Just call me if you need me, okay?" You paused by the door, watching Nick for a moment before leaving. People never considered that actors were human and often spoke cruely like that blonde idiot had, not caring for how it might affect the person they spoke of. You took a breath before making your way back to the pool area, everyone had apparently left. You grabbed your bag and moved to sit in one of the sun loungers, determined to try and enjoy this trip. You stretched out comfortably on the seat, finding your place in your book before getting lost in the pages. You had no idea how much time had passed as you read and enjoyed the warm evening. You leaned your head back, eyes closed behind your sunglasses as you felt the warmth on your face. You definitely needed to come back here as an actual vacation instead of for work, it was so relaxing. A shadow fell over you, disrupting your thoughts. You opened your eyes to see Javi stood there in a fresh, dry shirt and some shorts.
"Hey Javi." You smiled, the other man giving you a smile that would melt even the coldest hearts. He offered over a glass of wine which you took with a soft "thanks" before he sat on the edge of the other sun lounger beside you.
"I wasn't sure if you were asleep or not." You shook your head, pushing your sunglasses onto the top of your head.
"No, just enjoying how peaceful this place is." Javi nodded, his eyes moving from you to the view of the ocean beyond the compound.
"I do love it here. I guess since I grew up here, I can take it for granted." Javi smiled, his eyes falling back on you as you sat up properly to sip the wine he'd given you.
"You'd be surprised how often I hear people say things like that when others point out the beauty in the area they live." Javi nodded, those soft curls bouncing slightly and you momentarily found your brain flashing the impulsive thought of running your fingers through them. A quiet fell over you both, Javi toying with the glass between his hands.
"I want to apologise for my cousin's behaviour. Lucas often speaks without thinking." You shook your head.
"Javi, given your first conversation with Nick… I think we can call it even." Javi paused, his eyes widening for a moment before he burst out laughing. You smiled, unable to resist the urge to laugh along with him.
"It was funny! I can see why you would think I may be offended though." You wrinkled your nose a little, nodding.
"Nick just… he's a chronic overthinker and sometimes his brain offers the most bizarre scenarios. I'm just relieved you didn't take offence." You sipped your drink, glancing over at Javi. You caught each other's eye and burst out laughing again.
"Does he often have weird requests from fans?" You groaned playfully and nodded.
"Javi, the things some people say to Nick is enough to make the devil himself blush." Javi pulled a face before taking a sip of his own drink.
"Well lucky for him, there is no wife and I am not interested in him sexually." You snorted softly, shaking your head.
"You seem like the most normal fan I've met really. You don't lose your cool around him, you actually speak to him like a human being. It's nice. I can tell you're a good man Javi." Javi beamed at this, your heart fluttering ridiculously at the adorable look on his face, he had such expressive eyes behind those dark lashes. He somewhat reminded you of a puppy, happy to be told the simplest of kind words, and it was absolutely endearing. Javi asked you about working with Nick, how long you'd been doing it and what it was like. You were happy to chat openly, but were always careful to not talk too much about Nick's personal life. Javi told you about growing up in this villa, the city beyond it and his passion for movies.
"Have you ever wanted to be in one? Or would you rather just stay in the audience?" You asked as you finished your drink, Javi offering over the bottle to refill your glass as he spoke.
"I used to want to act but I am not that great at it. However, I love writing. I sent a screenplay to Mr Cage, did he ever get it?" You tilted your head a little as you tried to think.
"Honestly Javi, I couldn't tell you. I don't see that side of things. You'd have to ask Nick for yourself." Javi pouted slightly but nodded in understanding.
"I wanted to ask him earlier but… Lucas appeared and ruined it." You hummed quietly, biting back a remark about Javi's cousin being rude, especially when you could see Javi was upset by the interaction already.
"Is he really quitting acting?" Javi asked softly, you paused and took a moment to debate the answer as you took a swallow of your wine.
"He says so. But, I think it's just a rough patch. He gets a lot of stick for the arthouse horror movies he did, especially Willy's Wonderland, and he just got rejected for a role. There's personal issues as well. I think this trip might help him relax and find himself again, yknow? Your screenplay might help him too." You smiled warmly at Javi, the other studying your face for a moment before he smiled back at you.
"I hope so!" You chuckled a little.
"You are precious Javi." You shook your head, leaning back in your seat with a smile on your face - missing the way Javi watched you for a moment before he finished his drink.
"I should probably head to bed. It's getting late and I have a lot planned for the next few days!" He smiled, you glanced up at him then checked your watch, barely realising how long the two of you had sat talking. You gathered your things together, Javi insisting on walking you back to your room.
"Thank you for your company tonight Javi, it's been fun." You smiled at him, Javi nodding as he brushed a hand through his hair.
"Yeah, I've enjoyed it too. I shall see you tomorrow." He held out his hand to you, you took his in your own anticipating a handshake but he surprised you by brushing a small kiss to your knuckles.
"Sleep well." You found your head empty for a brief second before you smiled at the man.
"You too. Good night Javi." He bowed his head before turning to head off to his own room, you watched him for a moment before stepping into your room with a childish grin on your face. You knew it was silly to swoon over your host like this, especially when you barely knew him and you were only there as Nick's plus one. But there was something undeniably attractive about Javi.