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Hot Tub Re-Write

The steamy water sloshed against Antonio's skin, caressing weary muscles and forcing a relaxed hiss of breath from between clenched teeth. Periods of relaxation were few and far between for him now, with the weight of unrequited love and the guilt of betrayal weighing heavily on his mind, but a leisurely dip in the newly installed hot tub seemed to be a great way to kill a few hours.

With his eyes shutting out the bright morning sun, he let his mind drift off to another place... until a sweetly chirping voice jolted him back into reality. "Antonio? Mind some company?"

His knuckled turned white as he gripped the plastic edge and turned his gaze to her scantily clad body. The combination of tantalizing strips of red cloth, flushed, tanned skin, and the utter innocence in her big black eyes were at the same time alluring and endearing.

Gabi settled herself into the water, taking his lack of response as affirmation to her request. "Oh..." She moaned in delight, oblivious to Antonio's growing discomfort. "Oh, is this heaven or what?"

Heaven... heaven. Antonio tried not to stare as he darted out his tongue to dampen his lips and let out a shaky laugh. "I don't know... feels a little... hot... to me."

"What, are you kidding? No, this is perfect. I can't believe we finally got one of these." Gabi flashed him a sparkling smile.

Antonio started to respond, but the words froze in his throat when he felt something nudging his thigh. A soft, feathery light sensation tickled down his calf. A shock of electricity caused him to stiffen when he realized what it was. "Uh... Gabi.... that's me you're touching there." He alerted her.

Gabi's eyes widened and she cautiously pushed her foot into his leg, testing to see if he was right. When skin met skin she let out a soft gasp and laughed. "Oh! I'm sorry, you can't see... there's so many bubbles..."

She obviously did not see this minor contact as an indiscretion, and brushed any discomfort away with a laugh. Antonio tried to do the same. "And steam... lot's oh steam, huh?" Antonio said. Gabi murmured her agreement and leaned back, enjoying the warmth of the water and the clear skies overhead.

"Can you imagine during those chilly winter night, listening to the ocean sounds and just looking out at all of those beautiful stars..." Gabi pondered the thought, a secret smile dashing across her face as if she knew something of the hidden meanings behind those distant constellations hidden by the sun's flowing light.

As Gabi studied whatever it was lingering in the back of her mind, Antonio took the time to study his companion. He watched as her eyes flicked out of view, her lips full and soft, a bright color that was not completely natural but enhanced in such a way that it was visible that she needed no such alterations, even if she chose to make herself up.

The object of his admiration's chose then to look over at him, waiting for an answer. Nervous, Antonio knew he had to make a hasty exit or else fall victim to his lustful desires. "I'm afraid I'll be living at the mission by then, so you'll have to tell me all about it." He saw the vulnerable expression flash across her face, but she hid it well. "Speaking of which," he continued, "I have mass to say pretty soon, so I'd better get going."

He reached over to pull himself up and was caught off guard when his shoulder shrieked in silent pain. Grimacing, he clutched the abused area.

"Oh! Whoa, what's wrong?" Gabi reached for him, worried at the pain contorting his face.

"My shoulder." He scowled, rubbing it with his free hand. "I just... pulled it at the gym." He braced himself and started to stand again.

"Hey, not 'till I've cured you, okay?" She pulled him back down in the water, fingers poised over his skin. "Which one?" She asked. Antonio knew he should insist on leaving, but his shoulder did hurt... and if Gabi could help... well, there wasn't anything wrong with taking his best friend up on an offer that was purely innocent, right?

"Uh... it's the right one." He replied. Gabi started her patient massage, fingers moving artfully over his tensed muscles.

"Great. Now, doesn't that help?"

"Yeah..." Antonio sighed, resolving in his mind not to let this go too far. But it did feel good.

"You are tense." Gabi remarked after a few moments of silence. "No wonder you hurt yourself at the gym." She worked on the knots of tension diligently, allowing nothing to deter her from her self-imposed duty.

Antonio sighed once more and nodded drowsily, letting himself drift off, imagining far more pleasant circumstances...

"Feel better?" Gabi purred, fingers gliding over slickened, moist skin to probe the aching underneath. A voice composed of silk and velvet and satin - tempting, seducing, alluring. "How does this feel?"

Lips like ripe cherries, painted scarlet, moist. They slid over the places her hands had so recently vacated and now replaced, the skin she had so lovingly stroked, curing him of the protestations of his body and the ache in his heart as she sank her mouth down onto his shoulder.

Trailing a path, she made her way around to where he was eagerly waiting to delve into her embrace. Their lips met with a variation of sensations - warm, wet, soft, tender, passionate. Thoughts raced through his mind, too impatient to linger for more than a few seconds, pushed out of the way by another realization, another discovery, another surge of need to explore every part of the pliant creature in his arms.

Gabi bit her lip, wrist aching but unwilling to stop until Antonio was completely. 100% back to his normal state of physical near-perfection. She tucked a smile away at the dreamy expression on his face. She was glad Antonio was finally allowing himself a few moments of peace. Lately, he seemed so harassed, so in demand, that she didn't know how he managed to find time to sleep.

Under her hands, Antonio suddenly jumped. Gabi backed away like she had been shocked, afraid she was doing something wrong, as always. "Did I hurt you? Antonio, what's wrong?" Her eyes were clouded with worry and confusion.

"I can't lie about this, Gabi. Not anymore." He didn't allow his gaze meet hers, cold and unfocused, resting somewhere above her head. He knew what he would see inside of her, and he didn't want to face it right now. His voice was as detached as he could make it.

"Lie about what?" Gabi paused, giving him a chance to answer before adding. "Antonio?"

"This is jut wrong." He looked at her now. "You - me - it's just wrong."

"I'm confused." Gabi stared at him, trying to read his mind but the windows to his soul were shut to her ministrations.

"A priest and a beautiful young woman-"

"Are friends!" Gabi interjected.

Antonio smiled at her obvious frustration at the situation and finished. "Should not be in a hot tub together."

"Why not?!" Gabi groaned, openly angry with his reasoning. "You're not allowed to have fun?"

"Of course I am, and I do. You know that. It's just that-"

"Wait a second." Gabi interrupted. "I know what's going on here."

Antonio froze, suddenly feeling very transparent. "You do?"

"You're afraid that Ricardo is going to think something's going on between us."

Antonio almost sighed out loud in relief. Gabi had no idea what was really going on in his mind. And, she had just provided him with the perfect excuse. "No offense, but I don't want anyone to think anything's going on between us, especially Ricardo."

"I know that Ricardo's the jealous type, but he would never think that his own brother was making the moves on me." Gabi defended her boyfriend loyally, but at the same time saw why Antonio would think that.

Oh Gabi, Antonio smirked inwardly, if only you knew. But on the outside, his unreadable expression remained steadfast. "Any number of people could be walking by, and somehow laughing and joking with a woman in a bathing suit just doesn't feel right."

Gabi watched as he climbed out of the hot tub, grabbing a gray robe to cover the wet body that she couldn't help but admire. Ricardo was certainly well built, but nothing could rival Antonio's perfectly proportioned form. "I'm sorry." She brought her mind back to the subject at hand." Following in his example, she stood and grabbed a pink fuzzy robe as she left the soothing waters to join him. "You and me, we come from different worlds. I - I do understand that, and I also know that you have a different standard of morals that you have to live by than I do."

"Yeah." Antonio agreed, his dark eyes following her. "And sometimes it's difficult to resist the temptations to indulge in what other people find come naturally." He almost flinched at what sounded like innuendo, but he knew Gabi would never pick up on double edged phrases like that. Just like she would never suspect that he harbored romantic feelings for her.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I have to resist a lot of temptations, too." Gabi offered.

"I know. I know you do, we all do."

"But you set a good example." She continued. "And your goodness has helped me rediscover my own morality."

Antonio smiled, touched. Gabi was such a sweet person, almost naive in her blind trust that he always knew the right thing and did it. She would never believe that he could be so willingly disloyal to his brother. He couldn't break her trust in him... no, it was better for everyone to keep this to himself. His burden to bear, his weight to carry.

But Antonio couldn't help but protest, guiltily reminded of his dangerous fantasy earlier. "Gabi-"

"It's true. Antonio, you always do the right thing, the good thing. You're a great role model, and I'm sorry I didn't respect your boundaries." Gabi stated, looking down. She was ashamed at her behavior and that only made Antonio cringe more.

"Gabi, don't put me on a pedestal. We're all trying to do what's right in the eyes of God."

"Well," Gabi continued unerringly. Antonio held back a sigh. "Well, I wouldn't be able to do that without your help. Do you realize how important you are to me?" She smiled and Antonio felt his heart breaking, his guard falling.

Tension crackled in the air as Gabi looked into his eyes, seeing something she had never seen before. The alien emotion was there, so close to the surface she was amazing that she hadn't seen it before. There was a vulnerability to him, like he was giving her a part of him and hoping that she wouldn't stomp it into the ground. "I have to go..." He muttered, moving to step around her.

"Antonio, wait!" Gabi called out with just a hint of desperation in her voice. She didn't want him to go. "I have a confession to make. About you. This has been bugging me for a while." Antonio gazed at her nervously. "I thought you were avoiding me because you thought I wasn't good enough for Ricardo."

"Gabi, that's not true at all." Antonio responded without a second's hesitation.

"That's what Ricardo said." Gabi smiled, embarrassed. "I guess I just needed to hear it from you. Sometimes it's nice to get reassurance from a friend."

Friend. The word rang in his mind, the purity of it, the goodness. He was neither pure nor good and he didn't deserve that title, not from Gabi. "You can always come to me for that." He assured her nonetheless.

"Thank you. I-I think I've come a long way, but I'm still-still kind of insecure. Nobody really gave a damn about me when I was little. I was surrounded by mean people - especially Poppi." She looked away, uncomfortable and a little self-conscious about speaking of such a personal subject even though Antonio was the one person she did confide in. "I didn't have that... uh, that sense of right and wrong you can when you were growing up. All I had to work from was my anger and my fear and that got me into a lot of trouble. That's how I ended up here, to destroy my sister and Ricardo. I couldn't control myself."

"That must have been hard for you." Antonio commented.

"Yeah... I felt... I don't know. I guess I felt like a slave to my feelings, I was always giving in to them without knowing or caring who I was hurting." Gabi paused. She still had a hard time talking about it, even though her therapist said it was good to not keep things bottled up.

"Well, that's not the case anymore. You said it yourself, you've come a long way."

"Sometimes I feel like I'm going to fall back... I still have those bad thought and I don't want to give in to them. And then I look at you, you're so in control and so at peace." Admiration was clear in Gabi's dark eyes. "How do you do it?"

"I'm not perfect, Gabi." Antonio shifted uneasily from side to side.

"I know you're not perfect. But I want to be strong, I want my heart to be pure. I want to be more like you." Her smile was so beautiful... how could she think he was strong, couldn't she see the war constantly waging inside of him, couldn't she see that he wasn't worthy of this praise?

""Gabi, stop!" He exploded. "Stop making me into someone I'm not!"

Gabi coiled back, eyes wide in surprise. Antonio had never lost it like that before, and it scared her. "Antonio, I'm sorry. I was just trying to give you a compliment, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to raise my voice." He said, voice almost trembling with a mixture of emotions, shame, embarrassment, and guilt among the strongest.

"Well, I'm- I didn't meant o embarrass you. But you are a wonderful person." She was unshakable in her faith in him and it frustrated Antonio to no end.

"I'm not."

"Yes - you are! Whether you want to admit it or not."

"Gabi, you don't understand...." He groaned.

Something was wrong and Gabi knew it had to be big for Antonio to be this upset. "Understand what?"

His voice was as grim as the look in his eyes. "Gabi, I have lost my way and I don't know how to get it back."

This is where my tape ends - I have no idea what Gabi's reply was, so from here on it's just my story ;-)

"Antonio?" Gabi moved forward, reaching out for him. A hand rested gently on his forearm as she tried to read his expression. "Antonio, what do you mean, you've lost your way?"

"I mean exactly what I said." His eyes closed in misery. "I've lost my way... I'm not... Gabi, I don't know what happened, it's like I woke up one morning and all I could think about was how it would feel, what it would be like to-" He looked down at her puzzled expression and froze. "I can't do this, I'm sorry. Good-bye, Gabi."

He tried to break away, but Gabi grabbed his hand. "No, I'm not going to let you leave like this. Antonio, tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help you."

"You can't help me, Gabi. No one can."

That was his dim reply, vague and very unsettling. "You said- you said all you could think about was how it would feel, how what would feel, Antonio? Please." Her voice was a soft whisper, encouraging.

"No." Antonio protested but his voice held the same muted quality that hers did. "I can't..."

"Yes, you can." She smiled, the way you would at a child reluctantly to open up to his teacher. "I'll understand, Antonio, you know I will. What was it you wanted to... experience? What was it that has made you lose your way?"

"Gabi... I-I can't..." He sighed through pursed lips. Gabi moved closer still to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him into a hug.

"I know this must be something big," She whispered into his shoulder. His arms tightened around her, drawing strength in this moment of weakness. "But it can't be so big that we can't get through it together."

"It is." He replied long moments later, savoring the embrace. "It's bad, Gabi... you... you won't..."

"I won't what?" She raised her head to look at him. "I won't understand? Try me." She smiled a teasing smile. "What is it that has you so lost?"

He saw her warmth, the understanding, the loyalty she felt and he knew he couldn't lie. But... if this was how it would end, then he was going to make it worth it. He had already mentioned a transfer in passing to a close confidante of his, the Archbishop, and even though it usually took a few months he knew he could pull a few strings and be out of Sunset Beach soon enough.

With these thoughts racing through his mind, he reached up a hand to her face, cupping her chin in his palm. Her eyes met his, entranced by what she found there as his fingers stroked her skin, reveling in the softness. "Gabi... Gabi." He whispered her name, for once not lost in a fantasy but perplexed by the irony of reality. "You. You are what has me lost."

With his confession came a kiss. His lips on hers, the former just slightly aggressive and set on making this a memory worth brooding over for years to come, the latter too shocked by the words to reply for a moment. But her body reacted on instinct, and before she knew it she was gone to the power of emotions she, for the most part, hadn't known she possessed.

Antonio pulled back and stared at her with pained eyes… then he turned and fled as fast as he could.

Part Two

Gabi stood there, stunned by the events that had taken place just a few moments before. In a haze of confusion, she raised her fingers to her lips, still swollen from Antonio's kiss.

Then she snapped out of it and jolted forward, hoping to catch Antonio. She was too late. The growling of a car engine reached her ears the moment she stepped into the house. Antonio was gone.

"Dammit!" She swore, fist hitting the arm of the couch in an impotent gesture of anger. "Antonio..." She whimpered, collapsing onto the couch. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about what had just happened.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice, barely more than a whisper, was choked with frustrated helplessness. He loved her... he was in love with her. Why hadn't be come to her? Had he really thought she would... would hate him? That she would just turn him away? Had he really thought she didn't care?

She needed to find him... she had to make him understand that she-

She what? Gabi paused to think about that. Was it possible that Antonio's emotions weren't as one sided as he thought they were? Over the time that they had known each other, the time that they had grown so close, she had often harbored thoughts she feared were sinful, but never had she... she hadn't one imagined that maybe Antonio thought about her the same way. How did she feel about that?

She felt satisfied. The first word that came into her mind was satisfied. She let herself think, picture in her mind, what it would be like for Antonio to hold her and whisper that he loved her like Ricardo did.

Ricardo. Another variable to consider. Of course Antonio had wanted to hide this, what would Ricardo think if he knew Antonio felt this way? He would be angry, Gabi knew. Earlier - just a few minutes before, in fact (it seemed so long ago, Gabi thought to herself) she had asked him if that was why he didn't want to be seen in the hot tub with her. She recalled the expression on his face. Somewhere between unimaginable guilt and shock and then a form of relief. Except earlier, she hadn't been able to give name to these feelings.

She had to find Antonio. Even though she wasn't half sure what she would say when she did find him, she knew she had to at least talk things out. She needed to hear him say those words... she needed to hear him say that he loved her.

Antonio drove along the beachfront, foot smashed hard against the gas pedal as the wind blew through his hair from the open window to his left. His eyes were glaring, harsh against the tense brows above. His lips were set in a straight line, pursed.

Gabi didn't love him. Once and for all, it was clear. He had known it already, of course, but her lack of response to his kiss - her unbreakable silence afterwards - had only proved it. The realization, knowing for sure, was almost more than he could take. Pain seared through him like a red hot poker that had been jabbed into his heart.

He was leaving Sunset Beach, it was his only choice now. Archbishop Damien would probably send him anywhere he requested. Back to Mexico, maybe... not Rosario, of course, but another little town in the middle of nowhere.

Or maybe somewhere farther away. Where he wouldn't be tempted to come back for visits often. Guatemala, perhaps. Yes... the more he thought about it, the more it sounded good. Surely they were in need of priests somewhere in Guatemala.

Gabi... he could see her, standing there. That look in her eyes...the one that made Antonio want to pull her into his arms and hold her until she forgot everything that made her hurt. How many times had he been about to do that when Ricardo intervened? He always pulled away, giving Ricardo the precedence deserved of a man in his position. He was her boyfriend, it was his place to comfort Gabi. Not Antonio's. He was just the friend, always the friend.

But he wasn't the friend anymore. He was the liar, the dishonest, betraying brother, the lousy priest, the horrible friend. He had taken Gabi's trust and exploited it. He didn't deserve her friendship... and he wouldn't blame her for hating him.

The phone was ringing as Gabi slammed the door to Surf Central three hours later. She had been everywhere looking for Antonio, and hadn't found even a slightest hint of his whereabouts. He seemed to have disappeared. Worry gnawed at her insides as she forced back more tears. She had cried too much already today, she didn't need to waste any more time.

Snatching the phone up, Gabi answered it briskly. "Surf Central."

"Gabs?" Ricardo's voice, normally soothing, now seemed to break her down even more.

"Have you seen Antonio?" She asked immediately. She had only returned to Surf Central to start calling around - Carmen, Ricardo, the mission - to see if anyone had been Antonio in the past few hours.

"No, but T isn't why I called - Gab-" Ricardo brushed the subject of his missing brother away without a second thought, but Gabi wasn't easily swayed.

"Ricardo, I can't find him anywhere. I'm worried." She sat down on the couch, phone in hand.

"How long has he been gone?"

"A... a few hours." Glancing at her watch, Gabi added. "Three and a half hours."

"Hours?" Ricardo laughed. "C'mon, Gab, he's probably with a parishoner or something', you know how T gets. Stop worrying."

"Ricardo, you don't understand-"

"What, you two have a fight or something? It's no big deal. I've gotta get back to work soon, but I want you to meet me at Grenadine's tonight, 7 sharp. Be there, okay?"

"Ricardo..." She was reluctant, understandably so. "I don't think-"

"I won't take no for an answer. Just be there, babe. Love you."

Click.

Gabi sighed as she hung up the phone. Why was he so damn stubborn? One trait the Torres brother's shared, stubbornness. Picking up the phone, Gabi dialed Ricardo's number. He called at least twice a day from the SBPD to check his messages, so she knew he would get this soon enough.

"Hey, Ricardo Torres here. You know the drill, I'm not home, leave a message." She waited for the beep and then spoke. "Ricardo, I'm really sorry but I can't meet you for dinner tonight. Don't call back to try and convince me because it won't work. I'll talk to you soon. Bye."

Gabi set the phone back down, only to pick it up again after a moment. She needed to find Antonio. Her nimble fingers danced across the buttons eagerly and soon a thickly accented voice picked up the phone. "Aye?"

"Carmen?" Gabi pushed the flutter of anxiety aside. "It's... this is Gabi."

"Si?" Carmen's voice hardened. "What is it, what do you want?"

"I'm trying to find Antonio. Is he with you?" Gabi asked, knuckles white from gripping the reciever. Carmen Torres was one of the few people that had the ability to turn her into a nervous wreck from a one word reply.

"No, he is not. Why are you looking for my Antonio?"

"I just... I need to talk to him about something. About the mission." Gabi stumbled over the words.

"No." Carmen replied, almost before Gabi had finished. "That is not why you are searching for Antonio. Your voice betrays you, Gabi." She flinched at the way her name was pronounced, an icy "o", the last syllable drawn out.

"What-what do you mean?" Gabi closed her eyes and concentrated. Carmen was not a mind reader, she couldn't know anything.

"You and Antonio... you had a fight, si? And you wish to apoligize before m'ijo Antonio turns to Ricardo. Yes, si, that is why your voice shakes with fear. It will not work, Gobi. You will not seduce my son." Carmen glowered over the phone.

"Carmen, you're wrong... I-I have to go." Gabi's hand was trembling as she poised her finger over the OFF button.

"Adios, Gabi. You will not find my son." Carmen managed to spit out before Gabi hung up.

Gabi moaned and shrank back into the cushions, resting her head. "He'll be home soon," she murmured to herself. "He has to come back. He can't avoid me forever."

It was almost dusk outside and the events of the day weighed heavily on her mind. She still didn't know what she would say when she found Antonio, but she knew no matter what that her relationship with Ricardo was irreversibly damaged.

Antonio loved her. The thought was still as much a shock no matter how many times it passed through her mind. How it must have killed him to see her growing closer and closer to his brother... Gabi ached for the pain she had so unknowingly put him through. Why hadn't he come to her? Because he was afraid of hurting Ricardo. Because he always kept the best interests of his family, his parishoners, first in his heart. Because he was afraid of rejection and what it would mean to their friendship.

All solid reasons, but Gabi still couldn't stand that he had kept this secret from her. And for how long had he harbored these forbidden longings?

There were so many unanswered questions... she had to have some resolution. Grabbing her purse, Gabi stood up and headed for the door. She would drive herself crazy sitting here alone, thinking. She had to go look for him again.

Mere moments after Gabi had left Surf Central, Antonio arrived. As he had want, he found it completely empty. Or at least, he told himself that was what he wanted. In all hoenst, he had been hoping to see Gabi one more time. But this was undoubtedly for the best. With a pang of regret, he headed up the stairs.

He would not be spending another night here. There were a few hotels near the mission that would have plenty of vacant rooms, and he was sure that Casey wouldn't mind him leaving the rest of his belongings at the house until his transfer came through. It was much safer this way, with little to no chance of seeing Gabi again.

A door slammed downstairs, and Antonio turned, a grim expression on his face. It would have to be Casey or Michael, Antonio knew Ricardo had plans of taking Gabi out and it was almost seven.

"Casey?" He heard the inquiring voice and froze, halfway down the stairs. It was Gabi.

Gabi heard the footsteps still and she dropped her purse. What if it was-

Antonio. A smile lit up her face as her eyes met his, but the smile was short lived. The look in his eyes told her that he had not planned on running into her. And as soon as she saw the suitcase in his hand, she knew why.

"You can't leave!" The words flew from her mouth, horrified and urgent. "Antonio, no, you can't leave Sunset Beach!"

"I'm not." Antonio said brusquely. "Not yet, anyway. I'm just leaving Surf Central. I'm sure you'll agree that it's best for everyone if we're not under the same roof."

"Antonio-" Tears filled her eyes in pain. "No..." But the word was a whisper, and he brushed aside her as if she hadn't said anything. Only when his hand touched the doorknob did she raise her voice again. "Please! Don't leave, Antonio."

He paused, not facing her but not leaving either. "Why not? I don't think there's anything left to be said."

"But there is." Moisture trailed down her face as she walked down the stairs, towards him. He had traded in his swimming trunks for dark jeans and a T-shirt - very unpriestly garb. She took it as a good sign.

"Gabi, please don't-"

"I have to, Antonio. You have to talk to me. Tell me what this is all about." She was very near him, he could feel her presence but he would not turn around. To look into her eyes would be to undo all of the defenses he had built up.

"Why do you have to know? Why are you going to make me say it, we both know that won't change anything." His voice was low and steady, but with an undercurrent of urgency, the deep rooted impulse to avoid confrontation at all costs.

"Please, Antonio." He could hear the tears in her voice, the words pleaded with him, wound their way into his heart and latched on.

"What do you want me to say?" He whispered, voice tortured. "That I love you?"
The words said, he turned. It was too late to go back, so all he could do was charge forward. "It's true. I am in love with you, Gabriella Martinez, heart and soul, with all that I am, and it's not going to change. What I feel for you... it's forever, Gabi. You- you are inside me, in my heart, you're a piece of me. It's killing me to have you so near and not be able to keep you in my arms and I can't live like this."

His eyes were, for once, completely open. She could read his emotions like words on the page of book, clearly. He wasn't hiding anything, he wasn't tried to avoid her or distract her. Antonio let her digest this, let her soak up the intense passion.

"Antonio..." Tears coursed down her face as she moved closer, her destination unknown to either of them. The seconds ticked by slowly, as if the hand on the clock were made of lead. The pounding of his heart thrummed in Antonio's ears, even cell in his body on edge, anticipating. And for those brief seconds, as Gabi stared into his eyes and he stared into hers, there was hope. There was-

Ricardo.

"Gab? T?" Ricardo shut the door behind them, breaking the spell that had them captivated. "What's going on here?"

"R-Ricardo!" Gabi exclaimed, surprised. "What-what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you... what was that message on my machine about?" He asked, eyes narrowed as his gaze flickered back and forth between his brother and Gabi.

"Look, I'll... uh, I better leave you two alone." Antonio backed away, eyes still on Gabi, but the hope in them had diminished, soon to be completely gone unless Gabi could find some way to prolong it.

"Yeah, I need to talk to Gab." Ricardo said, dismissing his brother without a second's thought.

"Right." Antonio's voice was colder, more angry as he responded. Gabi's eyes begged him to stay, but he wouldn't look at her long enough to see that. Had he, then maybe things wouldn't have gone so wrong from that point on.

"Antonio, wait-"

"Gab, c'mon, you can talk to Antonio later. We need to discuss something, now." Ricardo demanded, unrelenting.

"No! This is Antonio's business, too." Gabi insisted, but Antonio was already edging towards the door again.

"It's not, Gabi." Antonio glared, despondent due to the abrupt interruption of their discussion, at the most crucial of moments. Gabi turned to him, desperate to keep him in the room. If he left, then chances were she wouldn't have another chance to tell him how she felt.

And she did know how she felt. Now, now it was clear. She had to do this... she had to make it right for everyone. Maybe... maybe though this was something she needed to do privately. Her expression changing as quickly as her frame of mind, she spoke again. "You're right, Antonio. This is between Ricardo and me now."

Antonio was surprised, to say the least. Gabi had gone from wanting him to stay to insisting that he leave in a moment's time. It hit him, what that meant, and he almost lost it right there. "Fine." He growled, turning on his heels and slamming the door behind him. Gabi felt a pang of guilt, but she knew she had done the right thing.

"Ricardo..." She smiled a small half smile and took his hand. "Sit down." He could read the saddness in her eyes and a cold dread washed over him. "Ricardo, there's something I need to tell you."

Gabi took a deep breath, and began...

Three hours later, Antonio felt the grainy sand sifting through his fingers as the waves crashed on the short, a frothy green bathed in moonlight from above as it showered him with tiny droplets.

Things were coming to an end... one way or another. Antonio knew which way it would end, too. As it was supposed to be, as it had been before he ruined everything. The look in Gabi's eyes when she asked him to leave had been set in stone. Just as his heart would be after the pain froze up, unpeircable even by Cupid's strongest arrow. He had loved once in his life and he would not love again.

She stood in the shadows, watching him as he thought. How much time had passed since her arrival was undeterminable, but it didn't really matter. They would have the rest of their lives. Her footsteps were undetectable against the sand as she approached him, but he realized soon anyway. Frozen to the stop, Antonio let out a shallow breath and stood. Her hand touched his shoulder with the slightest of pressure and he turned. The look in her eyes said all that needed to be said.

With a gentle smile of reassurance, the love of his life stepped into his arms and he knew he would never let her go again.