The Eternity that Follows (2 page)

The lake was beautiful during the summertime. Gabriella
had passed it several hundred times throughout her life, and
thought it to be heaven for anyone that lived on it or where able to
recreate on it. Gabriella’s parents weren’t into boats, and Gabriella
wasn’t one to use someone for the amenities of the lake. So it was
a special night for her, as the water hit her toes jumping in, her face
and hair refreshed from her night of dancing, as her head bounced
up from the water.

Gabriella laughed and had fun knowing, the boys they were
with weren’t going to get much more then to see her in what they
could at the beach. She also secretly hoped that her friends would
behave themselves, and not get carried away with the passes the
boys were making. Gabriella classified them as decent looking
boys, but none well enough to have relations with any of her girl
friends. Since Gabriella started hanging around these girls again,
and after her incident last summer, Gabriella’s friends were much
more cautious when it came to boys. They hadn’t completely
changed their ways, but they saw in Gabriella, the appeal that went
along with a bit of innocence.

Gabriella and her friends exchanged numbers with the boys
they had just met. The boys had asked so they could call to hang
out again. It didn’t mean much to Gabriella, just another few
numbers collected in her phone book. The boat docked and the
girls all retired home at seven in the morning, after seeing the most
beautiful sunrise ever. That night a dream of Gabriella’s had
sparked, to make enough money to live on that beautiful lake.

The next couple of weeks of summer flew by for Gabriella,
going to the beach to tan her skin and golden her locks, sitting on
her back porch enjoying spiked ice tea, going out to the bars and
having crazy, fun after parties. However, Gabriella grew lonely in
those couple of weeks that had passed. Jemma and Sara had both
started new relationships. Gabriella had other friends to go out
with, and the girls still came out for ladies night, but Gabriella
couldn’t help but crave love. Gabriella swore to herself that after
Mark, she wouldn’t look for love till she was set in a career, and
able to care for herself. Though now, Gabriella was ready to try
dating or maybe even hooking up with some worthy fellows at the
bar. What Gabriella really wanted was a boyfriend, and some
romance in her life.

It was another Friday night, and Gabriella couldn't help but
think back to last summer, and her tale of six men. She wonder
what she had been thinking, sleeping with so many boys in such a
petite amount of time. She realized that she was simply exploring
her sexual side, and had taken romance and love out of the sexual
equation. Thinking back, she realized that she wasn’t even
interested in a boyfriend at the time. Sure some of the men had
made love to her, and she was able to get lost in the lust she had for
them to be able to make love back, but in the end, she had no
feelings left once the night was over. Gabriella had even spent the
night and fell asleep in the arms of a few of the men she had slept
with. Gabriella was even on speaking terms with some of the men
now, as friends. In the current moment, Gabriella was stuck on
finding someone to be with. Someone to hold her hand and caress
her face while he kissed her. She was stuck on romance and love
making, something that the people around her didn’t understand.
She wanted a love that would last forever, for a lifetime. She
wanted a relationship where there was always understanding and
forgiveness. She knew she wouldn’t find that out around the bar.
She also knew she wouldn’t consider any man that approached her
to be her mold of a dream husband. She wanted to wait to find the
right person, but her friends were pressuring her again, making
comments that she was always alone, having no one to spend
Friday nights with watching movies and eating popcorn. Gabriella
knew in her heart , one day her price charming would walk into her
life, and she was certain she would know he was the one right from
the start.

Gabriella knew not to expect much from another night out
in Mandala. She had plans for ladies night to go out with Sara and
Jemma, and also her close friend Josephine. Josephine was an
adorable girl. She had a cute button nose, small hazel eyes, and
short light brown hair. She was five foot four, the same height as
Gabriella, and also had a curvy figure. Her curves weren’t as
sought after as Gabriella’s came to be, but the men were still very
attracted. She had a smaller cup size then Gabriella, but she was
also fifteen pounds thinner. Her legs were bonier then Gabriella’s,
and in comparison, Gabriella often felt fat around her.

Gabriella decided to invite Danielle out for ladies night
too. Danielle was married right out of high school, and had one
child with her devoted husband. They were truly in love, and
Danielle was Gabriella’s main friend who understood her values
and morals. More or less because she shared them herself or
because she was madly in love with the man she married, and
would always be faithful. Gabriella couldn’t decide which one, but
it didn’t matter because Danielle had in a way what Gabriella
wanted, her dream husband. Gabriella thought with Danielle out
with her and her other friends, should would feel less pressure
regarding her love life.

Danielle was a tall sexy blonde. She had long model legs
and a slim figure. She had green eyes and came to a whopping
five foot eight. Danielle held a sturdy job as a receptionist at a
doctor’s office so Gabriella wasn’t sure if she would be able to
come out on a Wednesday night, but it was worth a shot. When
Gabriella heard she could make it out, she was pleased.

The girls had planned to go to Cascades for a night out on
the deck that overlooked Lake Mandala. All the girls gathered at
Danielle’s house for a drink before they went out. Danielle had
invited the girls over to put her husband at ease that she would be
out with close girl friends. She wouldn’t let that on to anyone
other then Gabriella though. The other girls simply thought she
was being hospitable. They all had an apple martini, made by
Danielle’s husband Shawn, a close friend of Gabriella’s.
“So who’s excited for our ladies night?” Sara asked, after they all
toasted to a fabulous night.
“Another night in this town what’s to be excited about?” Gabriella
said, wanting to open the door to all her friend comments on her
love life right away.
“Oh come on now, I never come out. That’s something to be
excited about.” Danielle said.
“I’m excited about that, I barely get to see you Mrs. Concord.”
Jemma noted.
“Yes being married is lovely, but a night with your ladies is what
it’s all about.” Danielle remarked.

The group was silent for a moment. Gabriella thought, ‘try
telling that to these girls’, but soon realized the rebuttal in that
remark, considering she was the one that said she wasn’t excited
for the night out.
“Well Gabriella isn’t excited for a ladies night out, but if she had a
man, she’d be dying to get away.” Josephine said.
“Oh come on now, I didn’t say I wasn’t excited for a night with my
girls. I merely meant I’m sick of going out in Mandala, that’s all.”
“Yeah but you need a night out with a boy. I mean isn’t that what
they’re on your case about? I on the other hand have just broken
up with my new boyfriend, and can tell you all that guys just
simply suck.” Sara said.
“Oh no you did? Why? You never even said anything.” Gabriella
said, not surprised while keeping the delight of ‘I knew it’ from her
tongue.
“He was mad about ladies night, but come on that’s ridiculous.”
“Oh.” Came from the clatter of girls.

Finished with their martinis, and better left with things
unsaid, the girls took their purses to head for Cascades. Gabriella
drove in the car with Sara, and pursued the issue further.
“So yeah, that was wrong of him to give you a problem about
going out with your girls. I’d want to dump him too.”
“Oh I wasn’t that into him anyway. I just can’t stand to be with a
guy that tells a girl what to do, where to go, blah, blah, blah. He
just wasn’t the one.”

With Sara singing along to the radio, not in the mood to
talk about her current break up, Gabriella had time to think. She
would have liked to say ‘well if he wasn’t the one, didn’t you
know that at first? Why would you want to be with him?’ But then
Gabriella knew the answer would be, ‘well you never know you
have to give boys a try’ conversation, which Gabriella had many
times before with many of her friends. To which Gabriella would
have been stuck in her endless hope of having someone to
understand, and still be left to wonder, ‘well why would you have
sex with him if you weren’t sure he was the one’. That was
something she just couldn’t possibly say to any of her friends! She
was the one with the outside view of pre material relationships, and
they weren’t.

When the girls arrived at Cascadess's they went straight to
an open spot at the bar on the deck. They were waiting for the
bartenders attention while Sarah told a funny joke, all the girls
were laughing, and having a good time. Watching the entrance or
rather the exit as she normally did, Gabriella’s heart started to
pound. A man had walked into the bar, catching Gabriella’s eye in
an instant as she gasped inside, “Oh my goodness I can’t believe he
exists.” In that same second her eye caught his, his eye caught
hers. He was in love at first sight, he doubted that even existed.

There she was his dream girl, a smirk caught his face as he
swore to himself he had dreamed of her before. He turned to his
friend, and for the first time in his life, joy took a hold of him. He
mouthed out,
“I think I’ve spent forever lives with that girl before.”
“Joey speak up. What are you mumbling about now? And why do
you look so.” And Joey’s friend Josh was stumped for his own
thought, “wow that girl is really hot.” Josh said, not allowing his
jaw to drop down. Gabriella’s eye caught Josh’s, and she smiled
politely. She then looked back to Joey uninterestedly as she turned
her head, brushing her hair behind her shoulders. Gabriella was
being her usual flirting, teasing self.

Joey caught her dismissal, and her teasing attitude. He
knew he was good looking, and had the desire of most girls. He
also knew what she had felt just moments before.
“Who her?” Joey asked, shrugging in her direction, “Yeah she’s
okay. Let’s get out of this place. It’s dead.”

And just like that Gabriella’s dream man walked out. She
was pretending not to notice him, and didn’t make any effort to
point out to her friends, she had just seen the most mysterious,
dreamy man ever. She’d even go as for as saying he was
handsome, and she only reserved that description for the men in
movies.

And a man he was, she didn’t think so cause he looked old
in age or anything remote to that, she thought so cause of his
mystique. He was tall, dark and handsome, a downfall to guards
that blocked Gabriella’s heart. He was dressed as though he just
got off working late on a Friday night, with timberland work boots,
a pair of old faded jeans, and a dirty worked in tee shirt. Gabriella
thought he was dressed as though he wanted people to pick up on
the fact that he was working ruggedly hard that day.

Gabriella figured he was out to find some women for the
night. A man like that was usually out for one thing, and one thing
only. She found out in her time playing at the bars, the hotter the
man was, the higher the sexual number he held. Though Gabriella
wasn’t into the random sexual scene anymore, a man like that
could run through her fantasies, bringing on her wild side, and
taming it at once. All would be well if a man like that stuck around
after the fantasy played its desire.

He was tall, about half an inch above six feet, he was dark,
probably mostly Italian, and he was handsome. His eyes that had
caught hers were mysterious, but with a warm, seductive and kind
look. Although he looked kind and gentle, he also looked like a
man with a hot temper, a man that would be territorial. He had a
cute nose, a chiseled jaw line, and a smile that lit up the room but
he also had a smirk, a smirk that said, ‘I could have any girl I’ve
ever wanted.’

Gabriella hoped he hadn’t caught her noticing him. He was
everything a woman could want in a man, Gabriella would think or
was he just the kind of man Gabriella noticed? Her friends hadn’t
seemed to swoon over the kid at all. Oh and his physique,
Gabriella caught herself day dreaming, why did she always fall for
the tall, lean muscle type when she herself was so curvy and
plump?

Reality brought Gabriella back down to life,
“Gab what do you think?” Sara asked, handing over her to drink to
her.

Oh why reality Gabriella complained to herself when
daydreaming had come to an abrupt halt.
“About what? I wasn’t paying attention at all the hottest boy just
walked in and right out”
“That’s just like you Gab” Jemma said, condescending Gabriella.
“What do you think about.” Sarah chimed in, noticing the hostility
that might erupt between the two.
“Going to the club next Saturday, you down or what?”
“Oh most definitely, sounds hot.”

Gabriella at most was shocked her friend wanted to get out
of the town. Unnoticed to her, Jemma had spotted the boy who
had Gabriella streaming wild with fantasy. Jemma knew him all to
well, and wanted to keep this boy far from Gabriella, as it was her
idea to go to the club.

“Why did we just leave that bar? The girls in there were on fire,
definitely girls worth hanging around, and spending a few bucks
on.” Josh said, angrily that Joey absentmindedly was only thinking
of himself, and his own needs again.
“I don’t have money to spend on any girls, and you do?”
“Well no, but” Josh said, while Joey smirked over getting what he
wanted, shutting Josh up quickly, he hated to argue. Why was his
heart still racing? And how was he going to get this girl?