The Eternity that Follows (39 page)

Joey looked at Gabriella who was looking up at him from
his chest. Joey broke their eye contact, and Gabriella kept looking
at him. “And they were dancing on me and then they started
putting their hands up my shirt and pulling on my belt buckle, so I
shot up and pushed them off.” Joey concluded.

Gabriella was pleased, Joey wouldn’t allow other girls to
touch him.
“And them dancing on you upset you?” Gabriella asked, trying to
figure out what Joey was so sad about it.
“Yes.” Joey said, as tears wear filling in his eyes. “I feel so dirty
now.” Joey confessed.

Gabriella could tell there was something more.
“What else is there?” Gabriella asked, sitting up.
“Well, Kyle said before you I used to love the strip club, and I
never really told you about my going to a strip club.”
“So you used to like the strip club?”
“Not too much when I got older. Well before we meet, I’d go
every few months, just to watch the girls dance. I never touched
them though.”
“Oh.” Gabriella said, thinking it wasn’t so bad.
“But when I was twenty-one, when I wasn’t out in Mandala, I was
out at strip clubs a lot.” Joey said, recalling a number of nights
when he hadn’t found a girl to take home for the night, and him
and his friends decided to go a few towns over to the strip club.
“So how many strippers have you taken home?” Gabriella asked,
assuming.
“A few.”
“That’s gross.” Gabriella said, getting out of bed. Gabriella then
felt icky for ever having sex with Joey.

Joey knew he should have mentioned hooking up with
strippers earlier to Gabriella. He feared it would be a deal breaker,
considering her views on sex outside of marriage. As Gabriella left
to go downstairs, Joey stayed in bed thinking. He thought about
his reasons for getting the ring tattoo with Gabriella, as quickly as
he did. Joey was unsure if it was because he couldn’t wait to be
married to her, or if it was because she had shared with him, her
theories on how the earth was meant for man and woman, and how
she really didn’t believe two people should have sex together
unless they wanted to spend their lives together. Joey shrugged off
guilt being a reason for getting the tattoo as abruptly as he did.
Joey knew in his heart, he got the tattoo for all the right reasons.
Gabriella was his dream girl, and he fell in love at first sight.

Joey finally got out of bed after moments of thinking, to
find Gabriella in the big house. Joey went down the spiral stair
case first, figuring Gabriella went to lie on the couch in the family
room, but she wasn’t there. Joey then checked the couches in the
living room, but Gabriella wasn’t there either. Joey then checked
the kitchen, and the dinning room too, to see if she was sitting at
either table, but she wasn’t.

When Joey got up the main set of stairs, he figured out
immediately where Gabriella had gone, having a feeling she had
gone into the nursery. When Joey walked in, he found Gabriella
rocking in the rocking chair. Joey walked over to her immediately
and knelt down on one knee in front of her.
“I love you.” Joey said, it was the only thing he had to say.

Gabriella had been off thinking too, and she knew how
much Joey regretted sleeping around when he was twenty-one.
She realized, his friends had a huge influence over him after
hearing tonight how they were forcing shots down his throat, and
hired strippers against his will. Though, she wasn't too sure how
much he was forced to drink, over how willing he was to drink the
shots.

Gabriella wondered what it was like for Joey when he was
twenty-one, and his girlfriend had cheated on him with Mark.
Gabriella couldn’t be mad Joey took home a few strippers in his
time, though the thought still made her icky. The whole thought of
girls stripping for money wasn’t what upset her. Gabriella always
found exotic dancing to be an art, considering she loved to dance
herself. What Gabriella couldn’t stand was how many girls Joey
watched, dancing topless, giving her the icky feeling.

Gabriella also wondered what Joey looked like when he
was twenty-one. She was sure the strippers wouldn’t leave to sleep
with just any customers. Also, Joey had mentioned he never got
any girls numbers when he was twenty-one, and they were all one
night stands. Gabriella grew curious if Joey failed to mention
sleeping with strippers, did he also fall to mention that they
weren’t all one night stands?
“Did you ever sleep with the same stripper twice?” Gabriella said,
after a few moments while Joey was waiting for her to say
something, anything.
“No.” Joey answered, honestly.

Gabriella felt a little bit better.
“Did you ever go back for the same girl and she wasn’t there?”
“Gabriella, I wouldn’t have been able to point them out the next
day.” Joey said, and Gabriella squirmed.
“You’re gross.”
“I was young and drunk.”
“Whatever.” Gabriella said, taking a look around the room she
was in. She then took a look down at her ring finer, feeling sort of
stuck. She figured maybe it was a good thing because she loved
Joey, and just wanted to be in his arms.

Joey was scared to question what it was exactly that was
upsetting Gabriella. He figured it could be a few things. It could
be that he hadn’t told her he slept with strippers before, as Joey
remembered Gabriella didn’t want too many details of the women
he had taken home. Or It could be that Gabriella was mad Joey
used his good looks to hurt so many girls, or that she was simply
jealous. Joey figured it was a combination of all three as other
possibilities ran through his head. Joey just wanted to be in
Gabriella’s arms, where he felt safe and loved.

Joey didn’t reply back to Gabriella’s response of ‘whatever’
and instead put his hand out for her to take. Gabriella took Joey’s
hand, and let him lead her upstairs. Gabriella laid in bed with Joey,
he wanted to prove to Gabriella how much he loved her body, how
much he loved her. He knew asking for sex would make him out
to be the same person he was when he was twenty-one.

As Gabriella gestured for Joey to hold her tighter, he was
tempted to push for sex. He needed to assure Gabriella, he loved
her, and she was the best he ever had in bed. He wanted to assure
her, she meant more to him then the girls from his past
relationships. Joey also wanted to make sure, everything was all
right between them, and that Gabriella forgave him for not
mentioning he had slept with stripers

When Joey woke up, Gabriella was lying on her stomach
with her hands folded over Joey’s chest with her chin on top of her
folded hands. Gabriella noticed his eyes open.
“Do you use protection with the strippers?” Gabriella asked,
quickly after Joey opened his eyes.
“Yes.” Joey replied, again with honest.
“Okay.”
“You think I’m like that not to use protection with a stripper?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then why are you asking?”
“You said you didn’t even remember what the girls looked like the
next day, how are you suppose to remember using a condom or
not.” Gabriella said, moving away from Joey and off the bed.

Joey followed Gabriella to wherever it was that she was
going.
“I thought I asked you not to walk the steps without me?” Joey
asked, placing his hands around the frame of Gabriella’s body,
while she walked down the steps of the master bedroom to the
second floor.
“Joey, I’m not going to fall, lay off.”
Gabriella said, giving Joey
the sense, she was still mad at him.
“I know I used a condom with them because I remember the sex, I
remember the bodies. I just can’t recall the faces.” Joey spoke
honestly, not caring if his honesty would put him in a deeper hole.

Gabriella thought about the art of exotic dancing, and a
younger Joey out for a good fuck. Gabriella felt disgusted being
she was carrying his baby inside.
“Joey, can you please just leave me alone for the day.” Gabriella
eventually replied, as she was making her way down the home’s
main staircase.

Joey was tempted to throw her abortion in her face until he
remembered, Gabriella was a pretty innocent person. Joey left her
alone.

Gabriella sat down at the kitchen table, wanting to be alone
in her thoughts. Gabriella thought back to their first night together,
and how she had thrown away her vow to herself in one night for
him. Gabriella thought how Joey was the vision of her perfect
dream man she had, and how she had been charmed by his looks.
At the end of Gabriella’s thoughts, she concluded she was lucky to
have Joey, more importantly she was lucky to be the girl he was
coming home to every night. She figured if a younger Joey was
once out for a good fuck, the him now must want one too.

Joey went back to his bedroom after Gabriella asked to be
alone, letting a few tears stream down his face. He took one look
around the room, and asked himself, ‘where’s she going to go.’ He
then took a look down at his ring tattoo, and felt warm over the
reasons he thought about last night in regards to why he got the
tattoo. He was in love, Gabriella was in love, this; Joey was sure.

Joey was making the bed when Gabriella walked into the
bedroom, pushed him down onto the bed, undressed him, and then
lifted her night gown up over her head and sexily dropped it to the
floor. Joey was shocked Gabriella wanted to do this with him now,
he thought that it would take an hour long conversation for him to
regain Gabriella’s trust to have sex again. As Gabriella straddled
Joey, and started on him rough and heavy, Joey was into it.

When Joey realized she wasn’t making love, he tried to
slow her down, but she wouldn’t let up. Joey thought about
pushing her off, but remembered their baby inside. He then
thought about asking her to stop, but her stamina felt too good.

Gabriella was taking all of her feelings and emotions, and
placing them deep down behind her heart. She pretended to Joey,
she didn’t care who she was with, as she used him to hit her
pleasure spot. Gabriella let her feelings come back, realizing it
was Joey who had found her pleasure spot for her, but then pushed
her feelings away and continued on.

Gabriella, who was already pregnant, rode him hard and
fast, without thought of who she was with, until he moaned out in
pleasure. When she was done, she hopped off of him, put her night
gown back on, and went into the master bathroom.

Joey was shocked, thrilled but shocked. Joey thought for a
few moments, and then he became upset and angry. He felt in
Gabriella’s heart, she was moments away from cheating on him.
Joey had just witnessed how sex didn’t need a strong, intimate
interaction, filled with feelings for her to enjoy the act. Joey laid
in bed, feeling used, and pondering why Gabriella would come and
do that to him.

When Gabriella got out of the master bathroom, she walked
back into the master bedroom, notcing Joey pacing back and forth
by the sitting area. Gabriella called out, realizing he was upset
with her,
“I was jealous.”

Joey stopped pacing.
“Huh?”
“I’m wasn’t mad that you had sex with strippers. It’s the same as
you sleeping with the girls from Mandala. I was jealous because I
pictured you younger and out for a good fuck. I thought the girls
were lucky to have you. I don’t have a stereotype on strippers that
they’d sleep with just anyone. I was jealous that I couldn’t be
them” Gabriella said, shocked she was able to get her words out.

Joey didn’t know how to respond, he stood a few feet away
from her, just looking at her. Gabriella started walking toward the
steps to the master bathroom again, slipping off her night gown
just before she started up the steps. Joey stood and watched her,
turned on by her backside, and then Gabriella called out to him, “I
have to get ready for my bridal shower.” and then she went up the
steps.

Joey was tempted to hop in the shower after her, to ask how
she could be jealous of the girls who came before her, and also so
he could cop a feel of her butt. Mostly though, he wanted to show
her, he was hers, and no one in his past had ever mattered to him.
Joey sat on the bed, and began to think, concluding, Gabriella must
have realized in the kitchen, she was lucky she was the one to win
him, and tie him down. Joey thought back to the words she had
just said, realizing what drove her to leave him feeling used, he
fought back tears of happiness that their love was still strong and
growing.

Gabriella left for the bridal shower, after giving her mother
a quick tour of the house. Linda was shell shocked, after seeing
the house, when they left. Gabriella gave Joey a warm and loving
kiss goodbye, followed by a hug sealing their vow of eternity
together before leaving. Joey wouldn’t let go of her hug, he had so
many feelings inside of him, wanting to explore them while he
inside of Gabriella.

Gabriella left Joey with the address to the restaurant where
the bridal party was. She asked him politely to please meet her
when it was over, in his work truck, to bring home her presents.
Joey arrived at four o'clock, right on time like Gabriella had asked.
Joey was dying for another hug from Gabriella, he missed her
terribly. Joey came into the restaurant as the ladies in his family
were clearing out. They of course yelled at him that he wasn’t
suppose to be there, but he assured them, he was just helping to
bring the gifts home.

When Gabriella saw Joey, she leaped into his arms, and
gave him what felt like a hundred kisses all over his face.
Gabriella had been missing Joey all day too, but she kept well with
her guests, not letting Joey occupy her mind too much.

Joey loaded every thing into the truck, not letting Gabriella
touch a thing. When they arrived home, Joey wanted to leave
everything in the work truck, and get Gabriella inside. Gabriella
insisted, it may rain, and everything had to be brought inside right
away. Joey unloaded the truck, leaving everything in the foyer.
When Joey was done, he looked around and couldn’t find
Gabriella. The last he saw, she was there waiting for him. Joey
thought to look in the kitchen first, figuring she would be putting
her gifts away, but she wasn’t in there. Joey knew just where to
look next, the nursery.
“I knew I’d find you in here.” Joey said, opening out his arms for
another hug. Gabriella gave Joey a huge hug, squeezing around
his neck tightly, in return Joey squeezed around Gabriella’s waist
tightly.
“Hey be careful.” Gabriella said, wiggling away from Joey’s hug.
“Oh. Sorry little one.” Joey said, kissing Gabriella’s stomach.
“I like it in here.”
“I can tell.”
“I got the Mickey and Minnie Lennox today from Sara. She wrote
in the card. ‘I knew you were pregnant.’” Gabriella said, laughing.
“Remember how I told you she thought that’s why we we're
getting married?”
“Yeah, I remember. Come with me please?”
“Let’s go.” Gabriella said, while Joey hovered over Gabriella,
walking the stairs to their bedroom. “Let’s christen this bed
properly.” Gabriella told Joey, after he had undressed her with
gentle care.
“Oh no, we can’t take back the first one.”
“Hey, we never went to church nor confession.”
“And we’re still yet to say grace.” Joey said. “Thank you lord for
this women I’m about to make love to. Let her know how thankful
I am to have such a wonderful women in my life. Lord, thank you
for giving her a beautiful body that I am very, very attracted to.
Please bless this woman, and the baby she holds inside. Thank you
lord, amen.”
“Did you just say grace over my body?”
“I sure did. You have no clue how thankful I am to have you.”
Joey said, taking away all of Gabriella’s worries with his words,
she had over the women that had come before.