The Eternity that Follows

by Diane Marie

  “I think our souls just made love.” She said .

  “I think so too. Soul mate.” Joey said, kissing Gabriella on the lips. “Come on I don’t want to be late for work.”

  Once in Joey’s work truck, Gabriella noticed, Joey didn’t have any presets set on his work truck radio.

  “Well do it up darling.” Joey said, giving Gabriella permission to set the radio stations in his truck.

  Gabriella selected her stations as Joey got lost in thought. Joey wasn’t thinking ‘what have I got myself into’ for he was deeply in love with Gabriella. Joey wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Joey filled his thoughts with worry over money, his business, and the amount of time he had to offer to their relationship. Joey then thought about how he wanted to buy Gabriella an engagement ring to wear over her tattoo, considering how traditional she was. Once on Gabriella’s street, Joey pulled the truck over. Gabriella felt her heart slid into her stomach as she worried herself why Joey had pulled over.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t pack your things today.” Joey said, a bit apprehensive.

  Gabriella’s heart stopped until her blood pressure sky rocketed.

  “What?” Gabriella said, calmly, looking down at her ring finger, almost in tears.

  “Oh no. No baby, I didn’t mean that.” Joey said, then mad at himself after realizing his words set her up for a downfall. Gabriella gasped for air.

  “Why not Joey?”

  “Well, I was just thinking about how we planned to move your furniture into my apartment. I think that’s kind of a silly thing to do. Maybe we should live at your parent’s house and save money like you suggested.”

  “That would be okay with me.” Gabriella said, relieved. “It’s just that I have a good amount of money saved away. I’m able to care for you Gabriella, really. I am.” Joey said, sensing Gabriella had grown uncomfortable over the thought of him having to care for her financially. “But until I’m done with this house I’m currently building, I’m not going to be taking home any money.” Joey finished, comfortable enough explaining his financial situation to Gabriella. He knew his business was going to take off once he got the house he was working on finished, and ready for a walk through. This blueprint was better then the blueprint Tie’s father was now building all over the United States.

  “Okay, so we’ll live with my parents for now.”

  “Would that be okay with you? I know we were both excited to call my apartment your home.”

  “Yesssss.” Gabriella said, excitedly to comfort Joey. She wanted to let him know, she would love to live at her parent’s house with him. Actually she preferred it for the time being. “We can call it our room.”

  “Our room?”

  “Yes and our bathroom.”

  “I can’t wait to have you in that hot pink hot tub.”

  “No sex till we’re married if we’re living under my parent’s roof.” Gabriella said, and then she waited to see Joey’s response.

  Joey started to change his mind about them living at her parent’s house. “I’m just kidding Joey. Did you believe me?” “Well yeah, I kind of did.”

  “We did say our room. It’s not like we talked about moving you into the guest room.” .

  “Just how far away from your room is your parent’s room?” “On the other side of the stairs, way across the hall.”

  “Oh really, and your sisters?”

  “Oh she lives in the apartment in the basement.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Oh yes Joey. Come on get me home, to our home. I don’t want you to be late for work.”

  Joey drove Gabriella home with nothing but sex on his mind. Gabriella went to give Joey a kiss goodbye, but he wanted more. He wouldn’t let her out of the car for five whole minutes as they sat there play fighting. Every time Gabriella tried to get out of the car, Joey would pull her back in ‘for one more kiss,’ he said time and time again. Gabriella finally pushed him off of her, and told him ‘go make me some money kid.’

  Gabriella looked back after she got out of Joey’s work truck and blew a kiss goodbye, with a seductive wink. Joey sat there for a minute, checking Gabriella out thinking, ‘I’m the luckiest man alive.’

  When Gabriella got inside of her house, all she wanted to do was run upstairs to avoid her parents. She planned not to come out of her room until they left for work. Even though Gabriella had told Joey that she wanted to tell her parents alone that they were engaged, she now had second thoughts. Gabriella was lucky to reach her bedroom without her parents noticing her. Gabriella decided it would be unfair to Joey if she laid in bed to take a nap. Joey was after all at work, bringing his blueprint he had sketched in vision of her to life. Gabriella decided to go onto Facebook. She sent Joey an engaged relationship request, and then went to his page. When she first got to his page, she realized she was his only friend on Facebook. In fact Joey’s page was completely empty. There were no pictures, no information and he hadn’t yet made his first status. Gabriella decided to leave him a comment. ‘See you when you get home from work hunnie <3 ;).’ Gabriella made a mental note to herself that she would have to have Joey check his Facebook after dinner. She also made a mental note, she would need to take some pictures of him for his profile. That got Gabriella thinking why she and her friends hadn’t brought a camera out to the club with them. They were so accustomed to taking pictures. Gabriella remembered back to the night before the club, she started smiling about how she intended to bring her camera along, but Joey had made her run late.

  Joey was in an awfully good mood when he got to work. Though Gabriella had made him crave her before he left her, he was still satisfied from their morning shower. Joey arrived to work a little later than his workers. When Joey walked into the almost built house, he noticed, his workers had picked up where they had left off at the end of the shift on Friday. The second floor of the house was almost done being built. The ceilings above the second floor were in the process of being constructed as was the attic floor. The walls on the second floor were being plastered, still yet to be painted, and there was still carpet left to be laid. After that, would come the roof, and then the house would be completed. Joey had all phases of construction going at once, and was in a bit of the rush to have the home finished. Joey had plans of taking pictures of both the inside floor plan, and the exterior of the home to hand out to realtors selling land. Joey didn’t want to just sell his blueprint to a company. He knew he would make more money if his company was the one to build the houses. Joey knew that would involve traveling and management on his part. Joey smirked to himself, looking down at his ring tattoo, that his almost wife was about to start school in fewer then two months, in the field of Business Management. Joey found that ironic and noted he had just found another reason why Gabriella was perfect for him.

  Recalling Gabriella had told Joey she wished to live on Lake Mandala, he wondered how she would feel to live on Lake Romantica instead. Joey had a wish at that moment, to keep this house for him and Gabriella to live in. He knew it would be possible being the funding for the next projects would come from the investments of those building their own dream home. All that it meant was he wouldn’t be able to put his next blueprint to life as quickly, but that was something he was willing to wait on.

  At lunch time, Joey decided to give Gabriella a call. He was sure he would grow accustomed to doing so. He missed her already, and couldn’t wait to eat what she was cooking for him. Joey laughed to himself, remembering Gabriella walking out of his room yesterday to tell her mom the ingredients she needed from the store. She returned back into his room announcing to him that it was a surprise, after Joey told her he didn’t want to keep secrets.

  Gabriella was in the middle of working out when Joey called. Gabriella worked out in the spare bedroom across from her room. She kept her phone with her in the room with the ringer on loud, calling it once to make sure she could hear it over the music. Joey’s call had perfect timing, Gabriella had just finished up her ab exe
rcises, and was getting up to grab her weights when she heard the phone ring.

  “Hello there sexy.” Gabriella answered, delighted Joey had called. “Right back at ya.”

  “How’s work going babe?”

  “It’s good. It’s going by quick thinking of you. What are you up to?”

  “Just my workout routine.”

  “Oh, you’re at home?” Joey asked, not liking the idea of Gabriella working out in a gym with men watching.

  “Yes silly.” Gabriella said, picking up on Joey’s jealousy. “I have a treadmill, a mat, and weights set up in the spare bedroom.” “Oh.” Joey said, feeling he didn’t need all the details, just to know that she was at home. “I go to the gym at the shopping center in Candlewood after work Monday thru Thursday.” Joey said, realizing they were still getting to know each other.

  Gabriella grew disappointed realizing if he went to the gym at night, he would be coming home to her even later. Joey soon realized Gabriella might feel that way and offered, “I guess I’ll start going in the morning. I can’t wait to see you later Gabriella.” Gabriella felt turned on by Joey’s words.

  “Oh Joey, you’re so romantic.”

  “Gabriella, not when I’m at work, you know what your words do to me.” Joey said, feeling like he was being seduced into bed. “Joey, your words do that too.” Gabriella said, causing him a slight erection. “Did you eat anything this morning?” Gabriella asked, to change the subject. She didn't want to make Joey hunger for her while at work..

  “No.” Joey admitted honestly. “I don’t get the chance to eat breakfast much.”

  “Well you’re having lunch right?”

  “I was planning to work through lunch. I want to get home early to you.”

  “Joey, you have to eat or you’ll be too weak to work, and I’m going to be home all day worrying about you.”

  “Okay, I’ll grab something to eat. I’m sure one of the guys brought me in a sandwich, they usually do.”

  “Well that’s going to be my job from now on.” Gabriella said, liking the idea of playing homemaker with her almost husband. Gabriella had reminded Joey of how new everything was. “Have you talked to your parents yet?” He asked.

  “No, I didn’t want to tell them before they left for work.” “Are you scared?”

  “A little.”

  “Well don’t be! Just wait for me.”

  “Okay hunnie. I’ll try to. Go eat something and get back to work. I can’t wait to see you.”

  “All right darling, miss you.”

  “I miss you more.”

  “Lets not debate this.” Joey said, as his heart was longing to see Gabriella. He could stay on the phone all day with her arguing who missed the other more. “I’ll see you tonight my little lady.” “Almost little lady.”

  “I love you.” .

  “Love you too” Gabriella said, hanging up the phone.

  Joey wanted to say goodbye, but figured ‘I love you’ sufficed.

  When Joey hung up the phone, he joined his workers who were outside on their lunch break. Joey had instructed, food was only allowed in the house on rainy days, and only in the kitchen. He didn’t need crumbs and garbage around his prize creation. One of his workers offered him the sandwich his wife had made him. Joey was unable to hide his feelings, as Gabriella had done it to him again.

  “You know, I’m going to have a little lady to be making me lunch for me from now on so you can tell your wife thank you, but I won’t be needing the sandwich anymore.” Joey said, when he took the sandwich showing his workers his new tattoo. They were all shocked. Joey was congratulated, but told everyone it wasn’t time for congratulations just yet. They weren’t officially married but they would be living together. His workers instead congratulated him on his engagement. Joey was feeling good about himself, as the rest of the day flew on by. Joey let the workers off at six thirty instead of the usual time of seven. Joey had calculated in his funding, money paid for over time, so he offered anyone that would like to stay later may, but if not to clock out and go home. He called Gabriella up, and told her he was going to be stopping by his apartment for some of his clothes as he didn’t feel it was time to pack up just yet, because he still had two weeks left on his paid rent. He had decided, hopefully tomorrow he would be informing his landlord, he wouldn’t be paying next months rent and was moving out. First he had to see how things went with Gabriella’s parents.

  Gabriella had occupied the rest of her day on the phone with her friends. Being filled in on what they all did after the club. Gabriella couldn’t wait to share with Joey the tales that had been told to her. It was a wild night for everyone, not just she and Joey. Gabriella waited to hear all their nights before she told Sara, Josephine and Jemma the story of how she had agreed to get a tattoo with Joey. Going on to say how they went to the dinner drinking coffee in the city until the tattoo parlor opened. She went on, telling them how he had just gotten the tattoo and proposed to her, as simple as that. They all thought he was insane, and had insisted at first that she felt obligated to get the tattoo. Gabriella informed them that it wasn’t like that at all. She told them how many proposals and comment’s Joey had made about them getting married before hand. They all had different takes on the situation.

  Josephine yelled at her for not being invited to the wedding. Gabriella corrected her and told her they weren’t yet married, and she would indeed be invited to the wedding.

  Sara was delighted and asked if she could be the god mother of their baby she insisted Gabriella was pregnant with. Gabriella laughed off her comment, seeing the humor in Sara thinking they were getting married because she was pregnant.

  Jemma on the other hand was mad at Gabriella. ‘I can’t believe your marrying such a creep, let alone got a ring tattoo with him.’ She told Gabriella. Gabriella was offended, Jemma would call Joey a creep to her face and hung the phone up on her. Jemma called back apologizing, admitting she was having a bad day and then congratulated her. Gabriella didn’t believe a word she had said, but accepted the apology anyway.

  Lastly, Gabriella called Danielle to inform her of the joyous news. Danielle’s reaction was different then all her other friends. Gabriella and Danielle were on the phone for a long time. Gabriella told the whole story, starting from the night of the party. she didn’t leave out any details, gushing to her friend of how many times Joey had remarked of them being married, and having babies. Danielle replied at the end of the tattoo story, ‘so he just did it just like that?’ Gabriella was cheerful her friend found the sweetness in his gesture as she herself had. Danielle also remarked, ‘well one knows true love when you find it,’ putting Gabriella’s mind at ease, she had some support from one of her friends toward her engagement.

  Danielle said she absolutely must meet Joey, and the two made plans to go to Hamlets Crossing for dinner the upcoming Friday night. Danielle went a step further, suggesting they make a night of it, considering Frank and her weren't able to get out very much together without the baby. Gabriella adored idea and liked the thought of it very much. Gabriella was in a good mood after she got off the phone with Danielle, mostly because she was excited for Joey to meet her less wilder, married friend and her husband.

  Gabriella’s mother had called her at five thirty just around the time her parents usually arrived home, to inform her, she and her father would be going out for diner with their friends, and then out for drinks. She wished Gabriella a good dinner with her boyfriend, and apologized she didn’t see the need to be there. Gabriella was relived, when her parents went out for dinner and drinks with their friends during the week, they usually didn’t get home till ten. That gave her and Joey the house to themselves, and hopefully also put off her secret another night.

  After Gabriella got off the phone with Joey, telling her he would be home around seven fifteen, she pre heated the oven for her lasagna she made earlier in the day. She figured

  mathematically in her head, Joey called with perfect timing. Her lasagna wo
uld be done just around the time Joey would be getting home to her. Gabriella then tossed up a salad, cutting up tomatoes and cucumbers, wondering if Joey even like tomatoes and cucumbers. She covered her salad and put it in the fridge. She waited until the oven was preheated to put her lasagna in, before she went upstairs to doll up for her almost husband.

  Gabriella was all dressed and ready by the time Joey had arrived. He rang the bell, and Gabriella ecstatically opened the door.

  “Oh we got to get you a key my darling.” She said, holding out her hand for him to come in.

  Joey gave Gabriella a kiss on the lips as he walked into his new home.

  “So you talked to your parents?”

  “Well no. Actually my parents went out for dinner and drinks with some of their friends. They probably won’t be home till ten and Mary is at her boyfriend house.” Gabriella said, and then ruffled Joey’s hair, she was so glad to see him.

  “Mary? That’s your sister’s name?”

  “Yes. Come, come sit down.” Gabriella said, grabbing Joey’s hand and leading him into the kitchen. “How was work?” “Smells good in here.” Joey noted. “Work was fine, missed you though.”