The Eternity that Follows (5 page)

Now for the time being, he would willing keep everything
about himself saved for Gabriella. His mind, his heart, his sexual
urges, they would all be saved for her. He wouldn’t allow himself
to open up to his close girlfriends anymore, or dine with them on
nights he felt lonely. He was looking forward to a serious love
with Gabriella, one he never experienced before in his lifetime. A
love he didn’t even know he wanted. He knew it was going to be
wrong of him to give her the chase he planned on. He wanted to
be able to assure her the first time he made love to her, she was on
his sights from the start, and he had saved himself for her.

Joey got up from his bar stool, and walked through the
crowd of people mingling on the empty section of the floor. He
wanted to get him and Tie another drink, but he had another motive
in mind. The bar was so filled with people, he wasn’t sure how to
get Gabriella to spot him. He was unstoppable though, pushing a
man out of the way in his frustration as the area was just too
packed to get up to the bar.
“Oh just move it will ya.” Joey snapped.
“Yo man what’s your problem.”
“Nothing, just trying to buy a drink.”
“Well try going through another path asshole.”
“Yeah or you could just move.” Joey said, and then he pushed the
man again.
“Listen buddy that’s it I’ve had enough with you.”

The man then punched Joey in the face. Joey wasn’t hit
hard by the drunken man, with slurred words, but his temper got
the best of him. Joey right hooked the man straight in the jaw. The
man feel to the ground, and Joey feared he knocked him out.

The girls had caught the commotion. Gabriella had gotten
right up from her seat to a front row view of the fight. She was
well known for jumping into fights at the bar, even ones between
two guys. She felt she was a peacemaker, being as beautiful as she
thought she was, a sight to see, a good enough reason to spot petty
arguing. She was often pulled out of the fights she had tried to
enter by different men who thought she was too pretty to risk
herself getting hurt, usually receiving a compliment in the mist of
it.

This fight was different. The fight was already over. The
man Joey had punched was out cold on the floor. The bouncers
weren’t able to get over to the commotion right away. They had to
pull and push through the crowd of people.

Gabriella took one look at the man standing over the
drunken fool on the floor, and her heart skipped four beats. She
caught her breath in just enough time for Joey not to notice, as his
eyes met hers. He smiled at her politely. His smile was so cute,
she couldn’t help but blush and smile right back. Gabriella’s smile
was innocent and sweet, and Joey’s smile hadn’t left his face when
she smiled back. The sight of her smile made his eye’s light up.
To that response, Gabriella smiled again, allowing her eyes to light
up as well. She then turned and walked away, wanting to give him
the impression he had no chance with her. Joey noticed the sparkle
in her eyes as she turned though, she hadn't fooled him. He was
then he hauled away by the bouncers.
“What did you do that for?” One bouncer said, once they had him
outside. Joey was pushed to the wall.
“Watch it man. He punched me first.” Joey said.
“Don’t come back to this bar again for a few months, you’re
officially kicked out.”
“Whatever.” Joey mumbled.
“Man that just sucks.” Joey said, when they reached Tie’s jeep. Tie
came running to Joey’s side when he saw he being hauled out by
the bouncers.
“Who cares? So what you’re kicked out for a few months you
don’t even like going out in Mandala anyway.”
“Yeah, but there was this hot girl in there. You don’t know how
gorgeous she is.”
“What? Wait, who?”
“Oh, one of Jemma’s friends. Josh and I saw her out last night.”
“Oh that’s why you wanted to come out to Mandala, now I get it.”
“Yeah you got me.” Joey said.

He was now calm at the mere mention of Gabriella's name.
His thoughts were wondering off on how beautiful her smile was.
He remembered the shimmer in her eyes, and felt he had
completed his task. “She probably thinks I’m such a jerk for
punching a guy in the face.” Joey said, worry himself.
“I doubt that. Girls like tough guys. I’m sure she’s impressed.” .
“I hope so”

Joey and Tie decided to go over to Cascades. Joey thought
it best in his mind to leave Mandala, and go back to Candlewood,
to have a drink at one of his hometown bars, but instead he decided
to go to Cascades because he wanted to see Gabriella again, badly.
He hoped Cascades was the next spot for her and her friends.

Back inside Mackenzie’s, Gabriella went back to her
friends who were standing a few feet away from her. She was still
stunned by Joey’s smile and his eyes. She couldn’t believe how
handsome he was. She was disappointed though, she didn’t get the
chance to meet him, like she had hoped, but she was content she at
least got to see him.
“Gabby come one lets go dance” Sara said, after the bar had settled
back down. The girls had lost their table when they had all gone
over to the fight.
“I have to go to the bathroom. Will you come to the bathroom
with me?” Gabriella asked, while the blood running through vein’s
had not yet cooled down from her encounter with Joey.
“Of course. Girls you coming?” Sara asked Jemma and
Josephine.
“Yup.” The girls replied in unison.

The girls went to the bathroom, and Gabriella went into one
of the stalls while the other girls fixed their makeup. She didn’t
really have to use the bathroom badly, she just wanted a few
minutes to collect her thoughts. She was star struck by her
mysterious dream man. She wanted to know deeply who he was.
She recollected herself, and came out of the stall to check on her
own makeup.
“Did you guys see the guy that punched that man in the face?”
Gabriella asked her girl friends, with excitement.
“Who Joey?” Jemma said.

Jemma didn’t want to keep from her friend she knew who
Joey was. Owning up to knowing him would give her a chance to
bad mouth him, and keep Gabriella from wanting him any more
then she already did. “He’s such a tool bag. He’s a girl user, not a
guy for you. Please don’t be interested in him. I’ve heard
countless amount of stories about him. He’s dirty in bed, he only
goes after girls with money, and all he cares about is his stupid
car.”
“Oh.” Was all Gabriella replied.

Gabriella didn’t know if she could believe Jemma or not.
She had a tendency of white lying to her friends, she was caught
many times. Gabriella didn’t want to believe her for she was
already in love with a man she didn’t even know. She spoke up,
“how do you know so much about him?”
“He’s a friend of Gavin’s.”
“Oh, I never met Gavin.” Gabriella said, recalling she was with
Mark when Jemma had been dating Gavin.
“Your not still interested in him, are you?” Jemma asked.
“Yeah a little.”
“Oh no Gab, I’m telling you he’s bad news.” Jemma said,
pretending to be looking out for her friend.
“Who cares he was so fly.” Josephine said.
“Yeah, he was pretty hot.” Sara added.

Happy that she had a little approval from her other friends,
and feeling better about what Jemma had just said, Gabriella
walked out of the bathroom first.
“Okay lets go dance but I need another drink first.”
“Me too.” Sara said.

The girls got acquired another drink and headed to the
dance floor. They danced a few songs through, and then Gabriella
wanted to leave.
“Let’s go to Cascades now. We’re supposed to meet those boys in
ten minutes.” Gabriella said to Jemma.
“Oh the boys called me and said they couldn’t come out tonight.
The kid’s dad is using the boat tonight, and they have no ride over
to Cascades.” Jemma said, with a lie. “Let’s just stay here.”

Jemma then walked away over to a group of people all the
girls knew. ‘That was that,’ Gabriella thought, now stuck at
Mackenzie’s. She knew better then to call one of the boys
numbers she had gotten the night they went swimming. She
wanted to check out her friend’s story, but she didn’t want to give
an open invitation for the boys to start calling her.

Joey and Tie spent the next hour and a half sitting at the bar
at Cascades before Joey decided it was time to leave. The bar
would be open for at least another hour, but he felt he had sat long
enough. He didn’t want Gabriella to find him there after all that
time, just sitting with his friend, watching a Yankee’s sport classic
game. He wanted her to know he was interested, but he didn’t
want to come off as desperate. Tie dropped him off at two fifteen
in the morning, and Joey had trouble falling asleep. He couldn’t
shake the thought of Gabriella off his mind.

The girls stayed at Mackenzie’s till close. Both Sara and
Gabriella had tried to get Jemma and Josephine over to Cascades,
like they had planned, but they both insisted on staying. They had
a lot of acquaintances there, and they were having too much fun to
leave. Gabriella didn’t think much of them not wanting to leave.
She didn’t even lead onto her friends that she wanted to see if Joey
was at Cascades. She hadn’t even had the chance to see what he
was wearing. Gabriella concluded, Jemma’s wanting to stay at
Mackenzie’s had nothing to do with trying to keep her and Joey
apart.

When Gabriella got home, she couldn’t help but think of
Joey. She had a feeling in her heart, but little did she know, he
couldn’t stop thinking about her too. Joey knew what he saw in
her smile, in her eyes. She was interested in him, he just knew it.
He couldn’t wait to see her again, and continue on with his chase.
He had a strong physical attraction for her, and was pleased with
himself, he had it in her heart to wait for her. Gabriella had a
warm feeling left from Joey and his smile, she too couldn’t wait to
see him again. Before Gabriella fell into a deep, peaceful sleep,
she wondered if a guy like Joey would be willing to wait around
until she was ready for sex. She highly doubted he was the type.
She decided instead, Joey was the type of man who could bring
down her sexual guard. Gabriella began to desire to have him in
bed, even if she could only have one night with him. Gabriella
didn’t know what had overcome her as she had done such a good
job of keeping her vow to herself till now, until she saw the ever
handsome Joey.

When Gabriella awoke, she couldn’t help but contemplate
her thoughts before falling asleep. She surveyed if she really was
willing to give up her vow of celibacy for Joey. She thought about
how special her virginity was to her, and the night she lost it. Mark
was patient, and she teased him to no end before giving her
virginity to him, on their one year anniversary, she felt ready, and
was sure he was the one she wanted to marry. He made the night
special for her, giving her roses, and setting up candles, to ‘only
make out,’ she recalled him saying. Something gave way in the
passion she had for him as she allowed him to get her completely
naked for the first time. She lost her will power suddenly, as he
touched her private area for the first time. That made Gabriella
want him to be inside of her. It all happened so quick as she
admitted to him ‘I’m ready.’ He didn’t think twice or question her
readiness before he entered inside of her.

Gabriella then thought back to her tale of six men, and the
feelings she had for one. His name was Vinny, and he was seven
years older. He himself was tall, dark and handsome. He was her
neighbor growing up, and all her friends use to talk about him
constantly when she were little, and they were over at her house.
When Gabriella saw him out at the bar, and had a chance to sleep
with him, she couldn’t refuse. He was even better looking then
Mark had been. Gabriella admitted to herself, she had caught
feelings toward him. Feelings that weren’t washed away even after
she heard Jemma slept with him the next night. Gabriella turned
him down the night Jemma went home with him, hoping he wanted
more then to just sleep with her. She wished he would ask her on a
date, and though she wanted to leave with him again, she saw him
for what he was, a womanizer. She thought about him most of the
summer when she had her binge of sexual intercourse, and would
always hope to see him out around the bars. When she did see him
out, he was always surrounded by a flock of girls, and he made no
advances toward her. He would just stare her down, expecting her
to come over to him, but she wasn’t falling for his gorgeous good
looks again. As much as she loved tall, dark and handsome, the
reality was he was too old for her, and she had felt taken advantage
of when she found out she was pregnant. Though she couldn’t
conclude it was him who had gotten her pregnant, as she had used
protection with all the men, she still felt like it was his fault. She
knew how he was with women, how he used them for sex. She
could only hope Joey wasn’t as bad as Vinny was when it came to
the feelings of girls. Gabriella’s thoughts were catching up to her,
thinking how ironic it was she always fell for the bad boys, even
though she herself was so innocent. Vinny had changed
Gabriella’s feelings on sex before marriage, and after him she was
more open to sleeping with guys. The night Vinny went home with
Jemma, she went home with a guy friend, thinking, ‘everyone’s
doing it, I mind as well too‘. She continued on with that behavior
for four more nights, going home different man, just like her
friends had. The next week, when her and her friends went down
to the Jersey Shore, Gabriella had a change of heart on sleeping
with men she didn’t know, and stopped the behavior. When she
found out she was pregnant, she vowed to herself never to sleep
with a man again if she wasn’t in love with him. Though she felt
she had fallen in love at first sight, she concluded, she wanted to
get to know Joey before she slept with him.

When Joey woke up, his thoughts too ran to his sexual past.
He had heard from his brother, Gabriella had an acting out period,
but she was now celibate. He wondered if he would be good
enough for her or if she would be turned off by his own sexual
outburst. Joey had been a virgin till he was seventeen. He lost his
virginity to a Mandala cheerleader, who’s name was Stephanie.
They started dating at the beginning of the summer before his
senior year. He was aware she had slept around with boys from the
Candlewood football team that Joey played for, but that didn’t
bother him much. She had pressured him into sex the first night
they started going out. Seeing how Joey responded, she backed off
from trying to sleep with him for a few months. She claimed, she
had regretted her decision to sleep with the amount of boys she
did, and Joey saw innocence in her, and he continued to date her.
Joey himself wanted to be a virgin, and save himself for his wife,
like his older brother had done. It was the night of his
homecoming dance, him and Stephanie had only been been dating
for four months. Joey was intoxicated at the time, and it all
happened so suddenly for him as she undressed him, and then
herself in an upstairs bedroom at the party after the dance. Joey’s
sexual urge got the best of him, and he gave into her seduction. He
wasn’t sure if what he felt for her was love or not. He also wasn’t
sure if she was the girl he would want to spend the rest of his life
with, but he enjoyed having sex with her. Joey soon broke up with
her, realizing she wasn’t the right girl for him. They broke up the
night after Joey and his football team played Mandala. A jealous
player of the Mandala’s, a die hard rival, pushed Joey on the field
after he scored a point from the flawless kick in the game wining
touchdown. There were only minutes left in the forth quarter. Not
wanting to start a fight about the push, Joey walked off instead.
He dumped Stephanie that night, after dating for six months, and
never looked back on the sport. He even stopped talking to all of
his football buddies, and instead kept to Gavin and Josh. He
became close to Tie in the few shorts weeks he stayed in school,
before he dropped out to get his GED.