by Diane Marie
Both Joey and Gabrielle spent their days thinking about each other and their sexual past. They both felt regret on their decisions of sleeping around, and both wished for a romance to spark between each other. They both wanted the same thing, a love that would last forever.
Chapter Five
Gabriella was surprised, Danielle had called to make plans for that Sunday night, being it was unlike Danielle to go out on Sunday night. Danielle mentioned, her boss was off on vacation, and she didn’t have to go in till late to answer phones. Gabriella was pleased they would be going out together. She couldn’t help but wish to see Joey out, and was thankful she didn’t have to be with all her other friends for the night. She didn’t like how Jemma disapproved of Joey so quick, and both Sara and Josephine had a tendency of taking sides in matters like this. Gabriella hadn’t even spoken to her friends all day, avoding their phone calls. Gabriella and Danielle decided to go to Cascades’s since it was a clear, beautiful, and warm summer night.
Gabriella decided to check her facebook before going out. When she saw Josh’s friend request, she recognized him as being Joey‘ friend, she then grew intriguingly excited. When she went to his page, she saw that he was from Candlewood. She grew even more excited as she clicked on his profile picture to see the rest of the album. In the second picture of the album, was a picture of Josh and Joey.
“Wow Joey! You’re so dreaming.” She said, aloud as she saw the picture. She went through the rest Josh’s profile album, but there were no more pictures of Joey. There were many pictures of Josh and some girl with a tag name of Anna Banana. Anna was a beautiful girl, she thought, and Josh wasn’t bad looking himself. Gabriella found her self back to Josh’s second picture, dreamily starting at Joey. She right clicked the picture, saving it to her computer. She then heard Danielle’s beep outside, and quickly ran out, smitten, realizing she had spent a good ten minutes looking at a picture of her dream man.
Joey heard from Josh, Gabriella accepted his friend request, and that she was single. Joey then coursed Gavin into going out to the bar with him when Gabriella updated her face book status saying she would be at Cascades for the night. He was happy she was single, and he was glad to have the chance to see her again.
Gabriella and Danielle had been sitting down at one of the tableson the deck for twenty minutes, sipping their amaretto sour drinks. Gabriella had just finished telling Danielle all about her encounters with Joey. She also filled her in on the things Jemma had said, and how his friend had requested her on Facebook. Danielle could tell how excited Joey made Gabriella as she was bubbly and smiling throughout her stories.
When Joey walked in, he walked down to the bar that aligned the deck. Gabriella spotted him right away, after all she was on the lookout for him. She pointed him out to Danielle simply saying,
“there he is,” before he would notice her sitting there. She didn’t want to get caught pointing him out.
Danielle looked over while Gabriella got a good long, hard look. He had his back turned to her, as him and Gavin were waiting to purchase a drink. She hadn’t recognized his friend at all, and had never seen him around Mandala before. She noted that Joey had a cute butt, and although he was tall and lean, he was filled with muscle. She started fantasying over what his back looked like naked. She had a thing for muscular backs, often fantasying about touching her dream mans back while he made love to her.
“I can’t see his face” Danielle squealed.
“Shh.” Gabriella protested. “I don’t want him hearing you, just don’t look any more.”
Danielle burst out into laughter causing people to turn in their direction.
“You’re so cute, Gabriella.”
Gabriella wasn’t laughing, but Danielle’s comment had made her giggle along with her friends loud laughter. Joey heard the laughter, and turned his head over, spotting Gabriella. He proceeded to turn his whole body, and Gavin followed as he felt Joey turning, being their shoulders were touching at the crowded bar. Joey then back handed Gavin’s chest and announced, “there she is.”
Gabriella was now looking at him, and noticed how he excitedly grabbed his friends’ attention, and she was sure he was pointing her out.
“Wow she is gorgeous.” Gavin replied. Even though he had already gathered that from her profile picture on Facebook. “Woah he is hot.” Danielle said to Gabriella.
“I know shh.”
“Shh for what? It’s not like he can hear me. Why is he just standing there looking at you?”
Joey’s back was now leaned against the bar and he was looking at Gabriella. She wished she were standing too as she started to blush from his stare. Joey was unsure what to do. He turned his body back to the bar, and took a sip of the drink Gavin had ordered him while he was staring at Gabriella. She 'so damn beautiful', he thought, as her beauty made his sexual drive race. He took a sip of his drink, and proceeded to face forward. “Go talk to him” Danielle said to Gabriella, with a giggle knowing she would never do such a thing.
“I can’t go up and talk to him. I don’t know him.” Gabriella said, frustrated. She would have hoped he would have come over and talk to her.
Joey plainly stood at the bar sipping his beer. He was scared to turn back around. He wanted to get out of there fast. He couldn’t help himself before, but stand and stare at her for a few minutes. Gabriella had looked right back at him. At times, turning back from his stare to chat with her friend, but his eyes kept drawing hers back to his. He realized he couldn’t wait to meet this girl anymore, he would begin to drive himself crazy all week thinking about her. He had to do something, but he wasn’t sure how to approach her.
Joey still stood there, drinking his beer, not paying much attention to Gavin. He started to think about his business. He decided, a girl in his life wouldn’t hold back his career goals. If she felt deep enough about him, she would be patient he had to work late every night, and wouldn’t be able to take her out during the week. Joey then grabbed a quick draw slip from the stand in front of him, and a pencil too. He jotted down Gavin’s address. He downed the rest of his beer, and then ordered Gavin to do the same. He walked over to where Gabriella was sitting. He was confident, he was feeling secure, he had noticed how she had started at him with the same intentions he had. He reached the table and placed the quick draw slip with Gavin’s address down on the table. And simply said,
“me and my friend are throwing a party Friday night. You should come.” And then he walked away, grabbing his friend first, and was then right out of the bar.
Joey realized after, he had put her on the spot, and that his behavior was rude of him. He hoped she would find the thoughtfulness to his gesture. He wasn’t much for small talk, and he wasn’t one to introduce himself to a girl unless he wanted to take them home. Gabriella was different to him though. He wanted to treat her better than the way he had treated women in the past.
Joey and Gavin had just reached Gavin’s Camaro. Gavin held off a moment before unlocking the doors with his remote. “Dude why did you write my address down and give it to her?” “You’re having a party Friday night.” Joey said, with a wide smirk. Gavin started laughing hard.
“Are you kidding me?” He said, not being mad at all. “I didn’t know what else to do.” Joey said, seeing the humor in his hosting a party at Gavin’s house without his permission. He started laughing too.
“Does she even know your name?” Gavin asked, bringing Joey down with his question.
Joey started to wonder if she did. He had hoped she asked her friends about him last night at Mackenzie’s. He was sure they all saw him standing over the man he knocked out. He knew Jemma was familiar with him. That thought led to what Jemma must have said about him. He started to panic, knowing girls didn’t portray him in good light, especially when they were jealous.
“I hope she did her research about me.” Joey finally said. “So you just assume that she’s into you?”
“Oh she’s interested.” Joey smirked again, reca
lling the way she had looked at him.
“Well how do you know?”
“The way she looks at me.”
“Got it.” Gavin said, not wanting to press his friend on the issue.
After Joey had left the bar Gabriella was smitten. “Aww.” She said after Joey was out of ear shot.
“Was he inviting you or me?” Danielle joked.
“Well I guess both.”
“No, I was just kidding” Danielle said, feeling bad for taking away from Gabriella’s moment.
“Well I know he was talking to me, but he wouldn’t expect me to come alone.”
“You’re so funny sometimes. Are you excited or what?” “Yes, but I’m scared. We haven’t even met yet. I feel awkward just walking into a party.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a party you bring a few friends with you, and you may even know a few people there. Plus if he invited you to go, he’s going to have to talk to you.”
“Okay, but you have to come.”
“I don’t know if I can. Shawn has plans to go out with his boys from work and I don’t know if I can get a sitter.” Danielle said, unsure if she wanted to go to some random guys party anyway. “Well try. I can’t bring Jemma, she doesn’t like him, and I can’t ask Josephine or Sara and expect them not to tell her.” “Don’t worry, I’ll try my hardest to come with you.”
The girls finished up their drinks, mingled a little at the bar and then retired home. Gabriella placed the quick draw slip by her bedside and fell asleep smiling. Joey too, was at home in bed, kept up from a smile, and then falling into a sound sleep.
Chapter Six
It was a long week for both Joey and Gabriella. Joey spent the week working hard at work, while also planning the party. He contemplated over and over in his head if he had approached Gabriella the right way. He was scared all week that she wouldn’t even bother showing up to the party. He feared that to become the case, and wondered how he would approach her again, if she stood him up. He found confidence in himself though, when he thought back to the way she looked at him. ‘She was sure to come,’ he thought, he just knew she would.
Gabrielle spent the week with her cousin, Becky, down in the Jersey Shore at her Aunt Vanessa‘s beach house in Point Pleasant. She wanted something to occupy her time waiting for Friday night to come along. She felt peaceful the whole week, and had a fun time knowing there was something so wonderful ahead of her in her future. She couldn’t help herself from the smile that was permanently washed across her face the whole week.
Danielle couldn’t make it to the party with Gabriella, so she invited her cousin, Becky, and her boyfriend, Charlie with her instead. Becky was only nineteen, with long blonde curly hair, and green eyes. Her boyfriend was twenty-one, short, with dirty blonde hair, and dark green eyes. Gabriella thought bringing a couple along, would fathom Joey she saw the night as a date. Beisdes, she a couldn’t ask any of her other friends to come, and she even concealed from them, Joey even invited her to the party.
When Joey got off from work on Friday, he went home and took a long, hot shower to relax his nerves. When he got out, he proeceed to styling his hair. His hairstyle was cut short in the back, and longer up on top. He gelled the longer pieces forward, tipping up the ends. He smiled at himself in the mirror, in a way he hadn’t smiled before, he felt the same joy in his heart he felt, when he saw Gabriella for the first time.
He then put on the outfit he had laid out on his bed. He decided to wear a pair of dark demin jeans, and a plain black button down shirt. He chose to wear his pair of black timberland low top boots right along with it. He wanted to look exceptional for Gabriella, to match the way she made him feel. He put one his signature scent of cologne, and then headed for Gavin’s house.
Gabriella had Becky come over at eight to get ready for the party. She figured they’d leave around eleven, and arrive to the party around eleven fifteen. She figured it started sometime around ten, but didn’t want to walk in too early looking eager. Besides, she thought when she chose the time to arrive, ‘I want him to sweat it out a bit.’
While getting ready, Becky curled Gabriella’s hair with a large curling iron, and the result, like Gabriella had worn it several times before, thick, large, shiny, beautiful, ringlet curls. Gabrielle loved how her hair came out. She put in just the right amount of hair spray to hold the curls without stiffening her hair. She did her make-up, simply putting black eye liner on the tops of her lids, extending the line past her eye lids, and then up in a curl. She then penciled eyeliner on the inside of her bottom eye lid as well. She strategically brushed purple eye shadow on her eyelids because she read somewhere, purple was the best eye shadow color to bring out brown eyes. She then applied her mascara, using the outside of her index finger to curl her lashes, and took a good look at herself. She was smitten by herself, and as usual, was thankful for her good looks.
She then put on her outfit she shopped for down at the Jersey shore; black jean short shorts, with a white glossy shirt, that had slits to show off her cleavage, but not reveal too much. She put on her new pair of black flip flops with a heart charm, that had a slight heal. When she looked in the long mirror in her room, she thought she was wearing the perfect outfit for a house party in the summertime. She was also a knockout and she knew it. Gabriella was pleased with how she came out. Becky had admitted to her, she looked even better than usual, and she knew it herself, Becky was telling the truth.
Joey arrived to Gavin’s house early to pass the time. He wasn’t sure what else to do with himself. Joey and Gavin road to the liquor store to pick up a few bottles of liquor. They then went to the convince store to get beer, and stuff to mix with the liquor they had just bought. Joey wasn’t sure what Gabriella liked to drink, and he wanted to make sure he had a good selection for her to choose from. His intentions were definitely not to get her drunk, but drinking at a party is just something you did.
Gabriella was nervous by the time Charlie had gotten to her house. The girls were all ready by ten, and Charlie had arrived by ten fifteen. It was way too early for them to leave. Gabriella offered them drinks while she made one for herself to settle down. As she took her first sip, her stomach was all twisted in knots. . “What’s wrong?” Becky asked her.
“I’m so nervous. I don’t know what to do, do I knock on the door, just walk in? I can’t just walk in that would be weird of me. Do you think the parties at his house or his friends house?” “Calm down. Charlie and I will be right along with you. Don’t worry yourself about it! Of course we’re going to knock on the door.” Becky said.
“But who’s going to answer?”
“Relax” Charlie said. “Probably just some random kids at the party. Everything is going to be fine, haven’t you ever been to a party before? Most of the parties I’m invited to are through mutual friends, and I don’t know the person hosting it. I never worry about who’s going to answer the door.”
“You’re right same here.” Gabriella said, glancing at the time and realizing it wasn’t almost eleven. “All right I’m going to bathroom, and then we can leave.” She said, walking toward the bathroom.
When Gabriella walked into the bathroom, she took a look in the mirror, and saw that her makeup still looked flawless.
Back over at Gavin’s house, Joey was nervous as well. He wasn’t the type to be nervous over a girl, but he was worrying himself with how he was going to introduce himself. He kept calm by mingling with his and Gavin’s party guests, and well Sadie’s too, considering it was her home. There were a few more than twenty people already at the party. Josh and Anna, who had gotten back together, had come along with a few of Anna’s girl friends. Joey’s crew of teammates from high school were there too. A few of them had their girlfriends with them to occupany them. Then there was Joey, waiting for his dream girl. He looked at his watch and it was eleven o’clock. He wasn’t yet worried she wouldn’t show, figuring she’d be there by eleven thirty.
The car ride over to Gavin's couldn�
��t go any slower for Gabriella. She was starting to feel anxious rather then nervous. She complained mentally in her head over how slow a driver Charlie was, even though he was going five miles over the sped limit. They arrived at Gavin’s house at exactly eleven fifteen.
Gabriella got out of the car quickly as her anxiousness left her, and she wasn’t feeling nervous at all. It was just a party after all, and she had already felt a connection with Joey. Also, it wasn’t as if she was meeting Joey alone for the first time all by herself. That she didn’t know if she would be able to manage. She was feeling lucky her cousin and her boyfriend agreed to accomapny her, rather then her friends.
Becky rang the door bell, standing alongside Gabriella, with Charlie standing behind them. Gavin opened the door to his guests, and smiled at Becky whom he saw first then his eyes turned on Gabriella.
“Ah you must be Gabriella.” Gavin said, opening the door and trying to make Gabriella feel comfortable. He and Joey had talked earlier on their ride to the liquor store in reagards to how Gabriella might feel awkwardily showing up to a party where she knew no one, especially considering Joey had not introduced himself prior. Joey was confident though in the way he decided to approach his dream girl, and assured Gavin she’d do just fine.
“Why yes I am.” Gabriella replied, putting her hand out palm facing down to acquaint herself with Gavin. She recognized him from Sunday night at Cascades. Gavin thought her giving her hand was very ladylike of her, took it for a brief second, held it up slightly, and then let go.
“Well nice to meet you. Come on in Joey’s right inside.” Gavin said, and then he aquatinted himself with Becky and Charlie all on his own, he didn’t find it fair for Gabriella to have to introduce them, being they had just met themselves.
