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SURF CENTRAL
Ashley heard the door open as she was pouring the first cup of coffee. "Antonio," she said quietly without turning around. "I didn’t mean to wake you. I was going to let you sleep." Gabi stood motionless; her heart pounding so loudly in her ears she almost didn’t hear Ashley’s words. Ashley turned around with the steaming mug in her hands. "Here’s…" The two women stood in silence staring at each other. One filled with mild embarrassment, the other raging, jealous anger. The seconds passed like minutes to Gabi before Ashley spoke. "Good morning, Gabi." She was so nonchalant Gabi had to quell an overwhelming urge to walk over and slap her across the face. "I didn’t hear you come in. Would you like some coffee?" The sight of Ashley standing half-naked in the kitchen wearing only Antonio’s shirt was more than Gabi could take. She didn’t know what to say; she wanted to cry. "I…I," she stammered as she averted her eyes from the woman who had shared Antonio’s bed and body so very recently. "Excuse me." Gabi turned quickly hearing Ashley call after her as she ran into the living room. She wanted to keep going straight out the door, but she needed to change into fresh clothes before she went to work. Taking the stairs in a flash, Gabi turned the corner to head down the hall. She stopped just outside Antonio’s door and placed her hand against it; visions appeared in her head of Antonio and Ashley and the night they had just shared on the other side. A tear slipped down her cheek as she hastily yanked her hand away and ran down the hall, slamming the door to her room. Antonio sat upright at the sound of a distant door slam. He rubbed away the evidence of lack of sleep from his eyes and threw back the covers. As he stood from the bed and pulled on a pair of grey sweats, he heard a quiet knocking at his door. "Ashley?" he queried sleepily as he opened the door. "Is everything alright?" "I don’t think so," she confessed as she bit her bottom lip. "I was down in the kitchen making coffee when Gabi came in. I think she thinks…" Ashley’s eyes dropped to the clothing she was wearing; Antonio’s eyes widened with immediate understanding. "I tried to stop her to explain but she ran upstairs. I think she’s in her room." Antonio took a deep breath. "Thanks." Ashley put her hand on his bare forearm and nudged him in the direction of Gabi’s room. As Antonio started down the hall, she went into the other room to change back into her clothes. He walked hesitantly to Gabi’s door and listened. He could hear her marching around the room, slamming drawers and tossing things to the floor. Antonio raised his hand and knocked; she didn’t answer. "Gabi?" he called out softly as he attempted to turn the locked doorknob. "Gabi, let me in." Gabi leaned over and looked in the mirror; she was a mess. The tears she had shed in the few short minutes she had been upstairs had come from the bottom of her heart and her eyes were already puffy and reddened. She sniffled and wiped her nose with a tissue. She didn’t want to see Antonio fresh from the bed he had made love to Ashley in. "Go away," she ordered so softly that he had to ask her what she said. "GO AWAY," she repeated louder. "We need to talk," Antonio replied. "Please Gabi, let me in." He leaned his head against the door and willed her to open it. Come on, Gabi, he mumbled under his breath. It’s not what you think. Suddenly, the door flew open and Gabi blew past Antonio like a fury. She took him by surprise and he had to run to catch up with her. She couldn’t help but shoot a look into his room; his bed sheets were rumpled and tossed in a heap. Her heart twisted as she passed his door and made her way down the steps. "Gabi!" he called out as he grabbed her arm. "Wait." He held her arm tightly forcing her to stop and turn to face him. The sight of him bare-chested and in his sweatpants having just rolled out of bed brought fresh tears to the surface. "I’m late for work, Antonio," she said without meeting his eyes. "I have to go." "Gabi, let me explain," he begged seeing the misunderstanding written all over her visage. "You don’t need to explain anything, Antonio," Gabi answered defiantly finally looking up at his face. "Yes I do," he assured her as he loosened his grip and stroked her arm gently. His touch was almost painful as she imagined his hands all over Ashley. "No, Antonio," she said as she pulled herself away from him. "It’s obvious what happened last night. Ashley was half-naked in the kitchen this morning and what she did have on, belonged to you." As she raised her beautiful eyes to his, he saw the tears brimming and wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and tell her how wrong she was; that he only loved and wanted to make love to her. "Gabi," he whispered as he reached out to her. "No. I have to go," she said backing away from him with a quivering lip. "Goodbye, Antonio." "Gabi, wait!" he called out as the door slammed in front of him. He ran up the steps and flung it open but she had already managed to jump into her car and was heading out of the drive. "Damn it!" Antonio slammed the door and turned to find Ashley standing next to the couch. "I’m sorry, Antonio," she offered apologetically. "She didn’t give me a chance to explain." Antonio walked over and flopped down in the chair. "It’s not your fault, Ashley. Gabi’s pretty strong-minded…she probably wouldn’t have believed you anyway." He chuckled sadly as Ashley walked around and sat down on the couch. She placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of Antonio. "Thanks," he said as he took a sip. "I should have gotten dressed before I came downstairs," Ashley groaned as she saw how it had hurt Antonio for Gabi to walk out. "I wasn’t thinking." "Ashley," he reprimanded her gently. "It’s okay, really. I’ll talk to her later, when she’s had a chance to calm down." Antonio smiled softly. "So, did you get any sleep?" "A little," she admitted. "I mostly did a lot of thinking about Alex and everything." "And?" he prompted her. There was a long pause. "I think I could get used to being Princess Ashley," she smiled as she raised her eyes to Antonio. "I love him," she said with a sparkle in her eyes that told him she really did. "He’s a wonderful man…just like you, Antonio." Antonio blushed and dropped his head. "He’s a lucky man, Ashley." He stood up and held out his hand to her. As she rose from the couch, he took her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "You’re going to be a beautiful bride, Ash…and I always knew you were a Princess." Ashley pulled away from his embrace and their eyes met. "Thank you," she whispered softly as her eyes shone with moisture. She leaned forward and their lips met in a brief but tender kiss. Ashley backed away quickly and squeezed his arms. "So, I guess I have a phone call to make." "Yes, you do. I’m going to get dressed," he replied with a smile. "Take your time." "Antonio," she called out, as he was almost halfway up the stairs. He turned around. "Don’t let her go." Antonio gave her a wink and a nod and began walking back up to his room. He took his clothes into the bathroom and stepped into a hot shower. He had to be at work in less than an hour and he really needed to see Gabi. They had a lot to talk about and the sooner, the better. Ashley was sitting on the couch smiling to herself as Antonio came down the stairs. She turned over her shoulder and in that instant, Antonio knew that the love they had shared was in his past and Gabi was his true future. He stepped over to the couch and sat down. "Thank you, Ashley," he said receiving a confused look from her. "For what, Antonio? I’m afraid I may have made things worse for you and Gabi." "No, actually you answered a lot of questions for me," he admitted as he took her hand in his. "You’ve made me do a lot of thinking over the past few weeks." "About Gabi?" she wondered with a smile. "Yeah," he sighed. "I think she and I have a lot of talking to do. I need to find out how she really feels about me." "I think it’s quite obvious, Antonio, judging by the way she reacted to what happened this morning." Ashley squeezed his hand. "She loves you." "I hope so Ashley." Antonio tilted his head back and shook it. "But if she does, where does that leave Ricardo?" "You and your brother have always been close, Antonio, but you can’t control what happens with your heart." Ashley always knew what Antonio needed to hear. "Follow your heart or you will always be sorry." As Antonio looked at the woman sitting before him he knew that they were both making the right decisions. He could never offer her the life she had come to know; his entire world existed in this small beachside town. Ashley was used to traveling abroad and attending grand social functions with members of high society; Antonio was a former priest turned youth counselor at a local center. Their lives were worlds apart and trying to bring them together now would only eventually end up pushing them apart. God’s will had been done six years ago when Ashley’s father sent her away; their futures were never meant to be together. They sat silently, holding hands and he knew that deep in her heart, Ashley was thinking all the same thoughts. With a smile, Antonio stood up from the couch. "I really have to get going. Are you going to be okay?" he asked as she stood up and straightened her skirt. "Yes," she replied happily. "I’m heading home and packing my things. Alex is sending his jet; it should be here in a few hours." "I’m really happy for you Ashley," Antonio admitted as he pulled her into a hug. "I know you’re making the right choice. You’re going to have a wonderful life." Ashley leaned back and studied his face. "I want you to be happy too, Antonio. Promise me you will." "I’ll try," he said with a genuine smile. "I promise I’ll try." Ashley drew her hand softly down Antonio’s cheek. "I’ll always remember you," she admitted quietly as she leaned up and pressed her lips gently against his. Antonio closed his eyes and pulled her a little tighter around the waist. They held the kiss for a few seconds before they simultaneously pulled away. "I better go." "Me too," Antonio said quietly, checking his watch. He was going to have to make tracks to the youth center; they had a field trip today and he was running late. "Will you keep in touch?" "Absolutely. I want to make sure you keep your promise." They stared at each other briefly then Antonio turned for the door. He was almost outside when he stopped and turned back. "Ashley?" She turned to face him and he gave her a heart-melting smile. "Goodbye." Her heart fluttered and she closed her eyes with a smile. "Goodbye Antonio." He closed the door behind him and she went back upstairs. THE STATION "What’s wrong with Gabi?" Spence and Ruiz were huddled in the corner watching Gabi toss files from the cabinets to the floor in the file room. She’d been in a huff since she arrived and hadn’t yet spoken to anyone. "Maybe she had a fight with Ricardo," Ruiz offered as he and Spence turned to each other with wide eyes. "Oh damn. We better stay outta his way, too." The two officers scooted out the door and back to work before running into the cause of Gabi’s foul mood. Gabi was muttering under her breath and didn’t hear Ricardo sneak up behind her. He slid his arms around her waist, which only infuriated her more. "Ricardo! We’re at work," she snarled pushing his arms away. "What the hell is wrong with you, Gabi?" He stepped back and eyed her cautiously. Gabi sighed and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Nothing, Ricardo," she insisted. "I’m just not having a very good day." "Gabi, it’s only 8:30. How bad can it be?" Ricardo gave her his quirky, half-smile and leaned in for a kiss on the cheek. "Lunch? 12:30?" "Sure, sure, Ricardo," she mumbled as she returned to her task. "I’ll see you later." Ricardo shook his head at her and left the room. Must be one of those woman things, he thought to himself as he met up with Chief Harris in the hall. Gabi heard them laughing as they walked into the main room of the station. She couldn’t get the image of Ashley out of her head; standing in the kitchen with Antonio’s shirt on. Thinking about him making love to Ashley made her so green with envy she thought she was going to explode. Irrational thoughts filled her head; Antonio and Ashley married, having their first child, sharing the holidays at Carmen’s, every family function and holiday from now until eternity. Gabi slammed the file drawer and the cabinet shook from her fury. If Antonio’s plan was to make Ashley part of the family, she needed to know right now so she could get herself used to the idea. When Antonio left the priesthood she never imagined he would hook up with someone so quickly. Then again, he and Ashley had a past; a very intense past, she reminded herself. Ashley could have been her sister-in-law from the very beginning, she thought. If that were the case, she and Antonio would never have fallen in love and the entire problem would be non-existent. Maybe it would have been better that way; never having known Antonio’s love would make her life so much easier now. But she did know his love and now she needed to know if he still felt anything for her at all. Gabi grabbed her purse and walked up to Spence. As she touched his shoulder, he jumped two feet in the other direction. "Gabi?" Gabi’s eyes flitted to the Chief’s door. She could see Ricardo sitting across from the Chief; they were sharing a cup of coffee and the usual morning chatter. "Tell Ricardo and the Chief that I went home sick, okay? Tell Ricardo I’ll call him later." "Sure, Gabi. Whatever you say." Spence gave her a weak smile and jotted down a quick note for Ricardo. Gabi turned on her heels and headed out the door; she had to find Antonio and settle things once and for all. THE YOUTH CENTER Gabi pulled into a parking space in front of the center. Antonio was in front loading kids onto a bus. She sat in her car silently watching as he spoke to the children; the smile on his face was wide and genuine. Antonio loved his job working with the kids; he was so much happier here than he had been at St. Joseph’s. Gabi felt guilty knowing that Antonio had been happy as a priest…before… She took a deep breath and decided it was a bad idea for her to come here. As much as she hated to think of Antonio spending his life with Ashley, she reminded herself that she had chosen to spend her life with Ricardo. She didn’t want to cause Antonio any more pain; whatever would be, would be. She started her car and looked over her shoulder to see if it was clear to back out. She swung back around and turned to check her mirror; Antonio was knelt down beside her car resting his arms on her rolled down window. Gabi’s heart jumped into her throat as they stared silently at each other; she seriously considered hitting the gas and driving away, but her body was frozen and she couldn’t move. Antonio’s dark eyes bore into her soul and she couldn’t leave without knowing; she couldn’t live without knowing. She loved him with all her heart and she knew she had to tell him.
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