“Gabi…?” Antonio’s eyes swept over her, taking in every detail he had spent hours fixating over in the past five years that she had been out of his life.

“Antonio.” Her heart was somewhere in her throat, but she managed to croak out the word. Nick’s perceptive gaze flew between his new wife and his new friend.

“You two know each other?” He broke the tension filled pause in conversation, sensing the awkwardness. “Wow, small world. Well, c’mon, have a seat, Tony.”

“I- uh, I can’t…” Antonio stumbled for an excuse, but none came to mind. The image of Gabi blocked every rational thought as his heart pounded so loudly that he thought surely his companions could hear it.

“It’s all right, Antonio. Sit down.” She commanded in a gentle whisper, then turned to Nick, who was patiently waiting for an explanation. “Antonio and I were… friends once. It was a long time ago.”

“Oh?” Nick smiled knowingly. They must have been lovers once. Maybe a high school flame? He wondered as they all seated themselves at the table. “Well…” He began. “What brings you to Bermuda, Tony? I don’t think you ever got around to saying yesterday.”

“A vacation.” He answered, forcing a smile.

“You? On a vacation?” Gabi was genuinely surprised, enough so that for a moment she faltered and let her eyes meet his. She quickly glanced down at her plate full of food.

“Forced vacation. Family, y’know…” He corrected himself and Gabi let out a small laugh, nodding.

“Of course. That makes more sense.” She smirked, feeling Nick’s warm hand on the small of her back. He was beginning to feel like an outsider in the conversation and it made him uncomfortable. “So…” She began to start anew on a fresh subject, but Antonio was reluctant.

“You two having… uh.. a nice… honeymoon?” He gulped down orange juice, using the glass to hide his pained expression from Gabi, who for all he knew could still read him like an open book.

The moment he said it, he regretted the question.

“We certainly are.” Nick smiled widely and gave Gabi a tender look that almost made Antonio throw up. “So, how do you two know each other?” He looked back and forth between them again.

“Old friends-“ Gabi began at the same time Antonio hastily tossed out “My brother-“

“You’re old friends with his brother?” Nick put on a playfully confused expression as he teased Gabi.

“No… no, Antonio means… I was- I used to date his brother. And Antonio and I were very clo-…  very good friends.” Gabi explained before Antonio could say anything else. He looked at her with a puzzled expression that Nick didn’t miss. Gabi simply smiled lightly.

“How long ago?” Nick asked, directing his question to Antonio. He didn’t want to irritate Gabi, but he was curious. There were so many things she kept hidden from him and he was anxious to find out anything he could.

Antonio glanced at Gabi cautiously before answering. “About four years ago.” He answered.

“Four and a half.” Gabi almost whispered, looking down at her plate. “I left four and a half years ago.”

“Right before I met you?” Nick sounded surprised, and Gabi didn’t blame him. He knew nothing about her marriage to Ricardo Torres or the disastrous events that took place in Sunset Beach, California. Gabi had planned on keeping it that way.

“Yes.” The tone she used was clearly one of distaste, warning him not to pursue the subject any further. He glanced at Antonio, who refused to meet his eyes, and then back at Gabi, just a hint of a frown on his face.

“Well… how does the surf look today, Tony?” Nick changed the subject, much to Gabi and Antonio’s simultaneous relief.

“Pretty good, how about noon for those lessons?” Antonio said, and Nick confirmed it with a nod. “Great… well,” He looked back at Gabi. “I should… uh, get going. Busy day planned, y’know?” He forced a smile, knowing his day was all but full.

“Great. I’ll see you at noon then, we can meet by the entrance.” Nick shrugged towards the double doors leading out of the hotel.

“Sure. Nice seeing you again, Nick… Gabi.” He smiled, feeling an ancient aching in his heart as she glanced up at him with a distant smile. The remorse in his heart was overwhelming as he, walking away, pondered the fact that Gabi – the woman he still loved with everything he was – did not want to see him. She was happily married to another man and she had no interest at all in rehashing the past.
 
 
 
 

Nick and Gabi sat at their table in silence for a few minutes before Nick took her hand. “You wanna tell me what that was about, sweetie?” He asked gently and Gabi finally raised her head. Nick was shocked to see tears lingering in her eyes and he immediately pulled her against him. “Hey, baby, it’s okay. Why don’t we go back to our room and you can explain everything.” He pulled her up beside him and they stepped into the elevator nearby. Gabi felt an unavoidable dread knotting in her stomach as she realized that now there was no way she could get around telling him the whole truth about her past in Sunset Beach.
 
 

Once they were inside the room, Nick locked the door and Gabi sat down on the neatly made bed. When he was finished securing their privacy, he turned to Gabi with an expectant look on his face.

She took a deep breath and began her story.

“Antonio is a priest.” She started by letting him in on that little bit of information that had until now gone unmentioned. “Or at least he was, I guess he still is.”

“A priest, huh?” Nick found that hard to believe.

“And I… I dated his brother for a while.” Gabi continued hesitantly.

“Yeah, you’ve already said that. C’mon, sweetie, spill. I wanna hear it all.” He sat down beside her and spoke not unkindly. “This is what you’ve been keeping from me all along, right? So now is the perfect time to tell me everything, in the first few days of our marriage. I love you, Gabi, and I doubt you could tell me anything that would change that.”

“Don’t bet on that.” Gabi laughed wryly and leaned against him. “I was married to Antonio’s brother.” She whispered. Nick started to say something, but she cut him off. “No, let me finish. I was married to Ricardo Torres, and I loved him… but I loved his brother, too.” She looked up at Nick, who was shocked. “I was in love with both brothers. Antonio and I… we slept together… just once, before I was married. I knew he was a priest and I knew he belonged to the church, but I still loved him so much. He was my best friend, Nick… and Ricardo… he saved me. I was so awful to him in the beginning, but he helped me… things about my father… I can’t…” Gabi wiped away a tear. “I didn’t love Ricardo enough. And I loved Antonio too much. So I left.”

“What about your father?”

“I’ll tell you about that later… I promise I will, but right now… I just… I have to get this out of the way. Antonio and I slept together, and Ricardo found out… a lot of things happened… most of them bad. I left Sunset Beach, so they could be brothers again. And… well, I guess it worked. I don’t know, I never went back to visit…”

“Nick?” She said after a moment of unbearable silence between them. “Nick, say something, please.”

“Do you still love him?” Nick asked in a quiet, tense voice.

“I love you, Nick. I’m your wife, and I love you.” Gabi said forcefully and he swept her into a tight bear hug. She smiled into his shoulder and hugged him back, a great weight lifted from her heart.
 

NOON, the same day

“Tony?”

Antonio turned around, spotting Nick as he made his way down the long corridor. “Hey… you, uh, ready for the surfing lessons?”

“I think those will have to wait.” There was graveness in the light haired man’s cerulean eyes.

“She told you everything, huh?” Antonio flashed his trademark half grin, half smirk. “I figured she would.”

“Yeah, she did. So, you’re a priest?” Nick relaxed a little, leaning against the wall.

“Father Antonio Torres, at your service.”

“Well, Father Torres, there’s just one thing I want to know.” Nick walked outside the hotel and leaned against the outer wall, breathing in clear, rich air.

“Do I still love her?” Antonio guessed, reasonable sure that was the question he would have to answer, but Nick shook his head.

“That doesn’t really matter. What I want to know is, are you ever gonna want her back?”

“Back?” Antonio laughed humorlessly. “She was never mine in the first place, Nick. How could I want her back?” He turned, shielding his expression.

Nick nodded with understanding and placed his hand on Antonio’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. “I don’t think we could ever be friends, but for what it counts, you must be one hell of a guy if Gabi loved you.”

“I could say the same to you.” Antonio returned. Nick nodded, and started to walk away. “Hey,” Antonio called back.

Nick turned around, looking back at Antonio who smiled softly and said, “Take care of her, okay?”

Nick simply nodded and walked away with a smile on his face, knowing that his wife was waiting for him.