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SURF CENTRAL
Antonio had buried himself in work the entire week. Things at the youth center had picked up considerably with school starting again and the new after school activities schedule taking effect. He was glad to have had the distraction from trying to make sense of the sensual, erotic dreams he had been having as of late; he had thought they were all behind him. Gabi settled into the hot bath as the scent of jasmine and rose petals filled the bathroom. Dim except for the burning candles placed near the water’s edge, the ambiance of the small room was precisely what she needed to relax after a hectic day. Breathing in a relaxed, drawn out rhythm freed Gabi’s senses to a quiet, peaceful calm in which she soon surrendered to a much-needed nap. Antonio dropped the mail on the kitchen counter and checked the answering machine. A note next to the phone told him that Ashley would meet him there at 7:00 for their evening out at the Deep. Crumpling the note and checking the clock, he realized he’d better get a move on if he was going to get showered and changed in time. Antonio started to leave the kitchen then decided to grab a drink. He poured himself an iced tea and went upstairs. Pulling a pair of khaki pants and a pale yellow Polo oxford from the closet, Antonio set them on the bed and grabbed a towel for his shower. The house was empty, so he decided to save time and change out of his clothes in his room. Antonio took off his shirt and slipped out of his jeans and boxer shorts. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he grabbed his drink and went down the hall to the bathroom. Antonio pushed open the door and walked inside. Closing the door behind him, he turned into the room; his heart jumped in his chest at the sight before him. Gabi was lying submerged in a tub full of silky bubbles. Her head was tilted back and he could see that she had fallen asleep. The foamy froth lapped at the hollow of her neck and scarcely covered her breasts. Her foot was flat against the bottom of the tub and the outside of her left thigh rested teasingly against the side of the bathtub. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move; all he could do was stand and stare, her skin slick and rosy from the water. A sensual shudder ran through his body, a fog of desire blanketed his mind. Suddenly, Gabi shifted slightly and the water sloshed against the side of the basin. As she moved, Antonio saw a shell-pink nipple peek out from underneath the bubbles. His breath caught in his throat and he felt himself swell even more with the sight; he had lost all self-control and thoughts of taking her right there sent his heart pounding against his ribs. His mind clouded, his body aching, he knew he had to leave right now or lock the door and pray to God that she wanted the same thing. He hesitated for a second before the piercing ring of the doorbell sent his glass of tea crashing to the floor. Gabi sat bolt upright unknowingly revealing herself completely to him; with enormous effort and restraint, Antonio looked away and bent down. Her grogginess cleared in a flash as her eyes focused on the figure hunched down picking up something off the floor next to her bath. "Antonio?" she shrieked as she sank back down into the meager covering the scarce bubbles provided. "What are you…?" "Oh my God, Gabi," he stammered. "I…I’m sorry, I…" The shock of the doorbell instantly depleted his excitement but he still had been found lurking in the darkened bathroom with Gabi naked in the tub. "Shower, I was coming in to take a shower…and…" Gabi folded her arms across her chest and tried valiantly to conceal the wicked smile that curved the corner of her lips. Antonio had been watching her, naked and sleeping in her bath; if he had left as soon as he saw her, the bathroom door would not have been closed. Antonio scooped up the broken glass while averting his eyes from Gabi’s gaze. Gabi watched him bent over picking up the pieces, his towel hanging low on his hips and on either side of his muscular thigh. Her awakening senses made her want to touch his powerful, masculine body. He stood up and grabbed his towel with his free hand to keep it from falling off. Their eyes met in a moment of silence; a soft blush graced her cheeks as she instantly interpreted the fiery message in his dark eyes. "Antonio?" Casey’s voice called out from the first floor. "Are you up there?" Without looking away from Gabi, he answered, "I’ll be right there." He paused as his eyes found their way quickly down to the floor and back up to Gabi. "I’m sorry, Gabi." Before she could answer, Antonio turned and exited the bathroom. Gabi sank lower into the tub as her heart raged in her chest; she silently wondered just how long he had been there and what exactly he had seen. Antonio hurriedly dressed as he attempted to rid his mind and heart of what had just happened. Condemning himself for his weakness, he ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. He grabbed his keys from the dresser and headed downstairs to meet Ashley. THE DEEP Antonio and Ashley took a table near the dance floor as Antonio set down their drinks and pulled out her chair. "Sorry I wasn’t ready when you got there," he offered apologetically. "I got…caught up with something." "That’s okay. I talked with Casey for a few minutes," Ashley smiled. "He seems nice." "Casey’s great," Antonio assented enthusiastically. "He really helped me out letting me stay at Surf Central after…" His thoughts trailed off as he realized that Ashley still didn’t know about his being a priest for the last six years. "After what?" she inquired taking a sip of her wine. "You know what?" Antonio queried distractedly, "I have to go find Ben for just a second. I’ll be right back." He gave her a quick smile and stepped away from the table. Ashley couldn’t help notice that he had been oddly quiet and pensive since they had left his house; the way he always got when he had important things on his mind. Looking around the club, she found it strangely reminiscent of the club in Paris where she met… "Ashley?" Ricardo’s voice boomed from the front door of the Deep as he and Gabi walked inside. A cold chill ran up Gabi’s spine at the mention of the dreaded name; then she had the realization that if Ashley was here, so was Antonio. "Ricardo. Gabi." Ashley remarked as he made his way to the table with Gabi reluctantly in tow. "What are you guys doing here?" "Just out for a date," he reported with a smirk. "Even us engaged folk get out once in a while, you know." Ashley laughed and Gabi fidgeted at Ricardo’s side as she perused the crowd for his face; she didn’t see him anywhere. "Why don’t you join us?" Ashley prompted him as she pulled out a chair. "Antonio should be right back." "We’d love to," Ricardo answered as he tugged on Gabi’s hand. "Come on, Gab." He directed her to the chair and pushed it in. "I’ll get you a drink. Be right back." Ricardo rushed away from the table leaving Gabi uncomfortable and unhappy with their newfound companion for the evening. With a polite smile, she laid her purse on the table and tucked her hair behind her ear. "So," Ashley began to break the silence. "How is the wedding planning going, Gabi? Have you booked the church yet?" "Not yet," Gabi replied remembering Antonio’s terse disapproval of her previous behavior toward Ashley. She would make the effort tonight, for him. "I’d like to get married at St. Joseph’s, though. I just hope it won’t be too weird for Antonio." "Weird?" Ashley wondered what would make it weird for Antonio. "Yes, since it’s his former parish I thought it might be uncomfortable for him to stand up in a wedding there." Gabi had no idea that she was unaware of Antonio’s days as a priest. "I know he said that he left on good terms, but I still think it might be hard for him as the former priest to everyone there." "O..Oh," Ashley agreed, "of course. I can see why you would think that." Inside she was reeling with the information she had just learned; Antonio, a priest? "Ricardo plans to discuss it with him soon," Gabi continued, noticing the strange look on Ashley’s face. "Is something wrong?" "No, would you excuse me?" Ashley nervously excused herself from the table. She went to the ladies room to gather her composure. She wasn’t quite sure what feelings the thought of Antonio as a priest summoned in her; she had only ever thought of priests as insightful, older men with white hair and beards. Antonio, a priest; and a former one, at that? Gabi sat alone at the table wondering if maybe she had just hit Ashley with information she had not previously known. Her reaction was shocked, to say the least. Looking to the bar for Ricardo, she didn’t see Antonio approaching from across the room. He was glancing at his feet as he neared the table and spoke without raising his eyes. "I’m sorry it took so long, I had to…" Antonio’s words faded as his eyes met Gabi’s. There was an awkward silence before he continued. "What are you doing here? Where’s Ashley?" "She went to the ladies room, Antonio," Gabi explained. "Ricardo saw her when we came in and she invited us to join you." She surveyed his countenance for his feelings on the idea. "I hope you don’t mind." "No," he answered almost whispering. "I’m going to get a drink. Do you want anything?" "No, thank you." Antonio smiled shyly and headed to the bar. The last thing he needed was to sit across the table from Gabi after their incident at Surf Central; it was hard enough to keep his mind off of her without having to spend the evening with her. Lost in his thoughts, he accidentally ran into Ricardo. Ready to pound the careless fool who bumped into him, Ricardo swung around. "Hey, what the…Antonio?" Ricardo brushed away the beer that had spilled onto his arm. "It’s been so long since you’ve been in a bar you forgot to watch where you’re going?" "Sorry, man," Antonio sighed as he took the remaining drinks from him. "I wasn’t looking." "I noticed," Ricardo snarled then broke into laughter. "Nervous about something?" "Huh?" Antonio’s eyes popped open; had Gabi told him about what happened? If she had, Ricardo surely would have ushered him into the alley for a little one-on-one. "Ashley?" Ricardo nudged his little brother in the arm. "Oh, no…why?" Ricardo raised his eyes lecherously chuckling under his breath. "Geez, Ricardo!" "Hey, you’ve been waiting for her for a long, LONG time, T," Ricardo smiled. "If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to get past the second date. And you…well, nothing for six years has to have made you a little…um…anxious." Antonio cringed thinking what Ricardo would do if he really knew. "Well, that’s the difference between you and me, Ricardo," Antonio snapped. "I’m not an animal." Antonio started to turn away when Ricardo grabbed his arm. "Hey, bro, I was just kidding," Ricardo offered as he grabbed the fresh beer from the bar. "I know how you guys were so serious about that waiting stuff before. That’s cool." "Thanks for your approval," Antonio groaned as the brothers went back to the table. Ashley had rejoined Gabi and as Antonio approached, she kept her eyes away from his. "Here we go," Ricardo announced as he set down the drinks. "Sorry I was gone so long," Antonio said as he sat down next to Ashley. "I had to speak to Ben for a minute." "That’s okay," she answered softly. "Gabi and I were just talking." Antonio raised his eyes subtly to Gabi who returned his look with a soft smile to let him know she had been on her best behavior. "We were just talking about the wedding." The wedding. The word stung Antonio and Gabi’s ears as Ricardo responded jubilantly. "I keep telling her we have to get going on the planning. I thought that women were really into that sort of thing." "Not all of us, Ricardo," Ashley responded with a grin. "Some of us hire others to do it for us!" Ricardo and Ashley laughed and chatted while Antonio and Gabi each stared intently at their drinks as if avoiding eye contact and conversation would erase what had taken place earlier at Surf Central. Ashley tried not to envision the former priest sitting beside her; she couldn’t be judgmental of his secrets when she had her own. After an hour or so of casual conversation, Ricardo stood up and extended his hand to Gabi. "Dance with me, beautiful," he commanded her with a smile. Gabi slipped her fingers into his palm and he led her to the floor. She pressed herself against his torso and his arm slid around her waist. The song was soft and slow as they moved together on the dance floor. Ashley glanced away from the couple and her eyes moved to Antonio. He gave her a smile and stood up. "Would you like to dance?" As he offered her his hand, a sweet smile crossed her lips and she accepted his invitation. They moved onto the floor and hesitantly stepped into position. Antonio rested his hand gently against her back as she placed her palm across his firm shoulder. They swayed and turned slowly to the music. Across the floor, Ricardo had turned so that Gabi was facing Antonio and Ashley. Ashley’s back was to them and Antonio was gazing over her shoulder. Why couldn’t he control his feelings for Gabi? She was going to marry Ricardo and he had a beautiful woman in his arms; a woman he knew well and had once loved very much. Gabi had moved on, why shouldn’t he? He deserved to be happy; he deserved to be loved. He wanted someone to hold; he wanted…. "Antonio?" Ashley’s voice broke through. She had pulled herself slightly back from their embrace and found him deep in thought and again, staring at Gabi. "Is everything alright?" "Yes, I’m sorry," he said quietly. "I was just thinking. I have a lot on my mind." "I can imagine," Ashley commented knowingly. Antonio raised his eyes to meet hers and she was searching for something. "Why didn’t you tell me?" Had he been so obvious? Could she see it in his eyes? How would he explain? "How did you know?" he questioned her carefully. "Gabi." "Gabi?" he said quickly. "Gabi told you?’ "I think she thought I already knew," Ashley smiled. "Why didn’t you tell me?" Antonio was confused at how calm she was; she had to be talking about something else. "What exactly did Gabi tell you?" "That you were a priest, Antonio. Why didn’t you tell me?" A flood of relief washed over him; he had been foolish to think Gabi would have told Ashley about their feelings for one another. "A priest? I can’t imagine. What made you do it in the first place and what made you decide to leave?" Antonio lowered his eyes as Ashley playfully jabbed his arm. "Hey, do you want to get out of here? Go somewhere more quiet, where we can talk?" Ashley smiled and took his hand. "Yeah, I’d like that." Antonio led her off the floor and over to the table. Gabi and Ricardo were seated and finishing their drinks. "I think we’re gonna take off now," Antonio reported without looking at Gabi. "I’ll talk to you later, okay?" "Sure thing, T." Ricardo smiled at Ashley and winked at his brother. "Have a good time." "Goodnight Gabi," Antonio said flatly as they walked past the table. "Goodnight Gabi," Ashley offered. "Goodnight Ricardo." Gabi and Ricardo watched as Antonio and Ashley made their way through the crowd and out of the club. Ricardo was chuckling under his breath and shaking his head; Gabi was becoming irritated. "What? What are you laughing at?" she demanded. "Oh nothing," he replied with a Cheshire grin. "I just think my little brother’s got a lot of catching up to do, that’s all. Almost six year’s worth." Gabi’s heart sank as Ricardo laughed heartily and finished his beer.
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