Chapter 2 –
More Dreams
The sun was
shining brightly through the window when Fox Crane woke up that day. He blinked
a few times and looked around; it was moments before he remembered where he
was. Beside him lay a blonde woman, still sleeping, whose name he had
forgotten, but had spent a wild time with just hours before. Quietly getting
out of bed, he quickly dressed and left her apartment, ready to start the day.
Fox Crane had
always been labeled a playboy. Growing up in the public eye, Fox learned long
ago not to let the media bother him. He was charming, sexy and the life of the
party. And he knew it. Stories of him always made the front page, whether he
had been kicked out of another boarding school, or if he had another female
'buddy'. Either way, the stories always got back to his parents, infuriating
them with the bad publicity. In fact, Ivy and Julian were probably the most to
blame for his rebellious side. When he was young, the attention he had wanted
from his mother and father all went to Ethan, and the only loving attention Fox
received was from the head housekeeper, Pilar.
When the news
of Ethan's paternity came out, Fox couldn't have been more thrilled. Of all
things Fox had expected of the 'golden boy', Ethan being Sam Bennett's son
wasn't one of them. Now he was the Crane heir. And pretty soon he would
be heading back to Harmony to claim what he rightfully deserved.
xxx
"Theresa?
Theresa! Hello... Are you in there? THERESA!"
Hands were
waving in front of her face and Theresa's head snapped up. "Huh?" She
looked around in confusion only to see Whitney and
"You
alright, T.Lo?" Chad asked.
"Yeah,
we've been trying to get your attention for the last 5 minutes," Whitney
chimed in, "Are you feeling okay, Theresa?"
Theresa
laughed. "Of course I'm okay. Stop worrying, you worrywarts."
The three
friends were sitting at the Book Café, enjoying each other's company. Whitney
had been in the middle of telling her best friend and boyfriend about her
latest tennis match, when she had noticed Theresa not paying attention. And
indeed, Theresa's thoughts were on the certain dreams she'd been having lately.
What did they mean? Theresa just couldn't figure it out.
"What
were you thinking about?" The African girl asked. But Theresa didn't reply
as her attention had turned to the people that had just entered through the
Book Café doors. Whitney and Chad turned to see what had captured Theresa's
attention.
Gwen and
Ethan.
"Maybe we
should get out of here," Chad muttered to Whitney under his breath,
"let's try to avoid another scene."
Whitney
agreed, nodding her head. "Good idea."
But as luck
would have it, just as they were heading towards the door, Theresa tripped and
to Gwen's displeasure, Ethan caught her.
xxx
Theresa's heart
was beating a mile per minute as she looked up into Ethan's eyes. The moment
had only lasted a split second, but to Theresa it seemed a lifetime. It was cut
short and after 20 seconds, Theresa returned to reality.
There was an
uncomfortable moment between the five people. Finally Ethan cleared this
throat. "You alright Theresa?"
Flustered,
Theresa replied back, "Y-yeah. Thanks."
Gwen suddenly
cut in, grabbing Ethan's arm, "Well, we have to be going now. You know,
places to go, people to meet. Nice seeing you again Whitney, you too
Chad." And with that she proceeded to drag Ethan towards the door, not
even sparing Theresa a glance.
Uncomfortable
silence followed as the door swung closed. "Well, at least there wasn't a
big scene," Chad commented, trying to break the tension. But for Theresa,
the day was now spoiled. Damn Gwen.
She always
ruined everything.
xxx
They were
at the beach this time. The sun was shinning brightly and the ocean air smelled
of salts and waves crashed onto the land, spraying water everywhere. Theresa
ran across the sand, aware that someone was chasing her. Strong arms suddenly
grabbed her and she shrieked. Before she could say a word, she was half
carried/half dragged and was dumped into the cold ocean water. The Latin beauty
came up sputtering, bits of seaweed tangled in her long hair, but laughter and
happiness was apparent on her pretty face.
"You're
so mean!" Theresa laughed as she playfully punched his muscular arm,
"Don't you know how to treat a lady?"
"Of
course I do," came the reply.
Theresa
scoffed. "Yeah right," she teased, "You wouldn't know how
to-"
She was cut
off as she felt a pair of lips on hers and instantly she lost all sense of the
world around her. This man was one hell of a kisser.
He slowly
pulled away, kissing her face till he reached her left ear. "How was that
for treating a lady?" he whispered in her ear, send shivers down her
spine.
"Hmm,"
she pretended to ponder, "I give you a 13/10."
"Good,"
he replied as he began to pull back. Theresa looked up into the man's face and-
Beep! Beep!
Beep!
Theresa sat
up, panic and fear seized through her as the noise continued. But soon her
anxiety faded when she realized it was only her alarm clock. Reaching over and
pressing the button to stop the noise, Theresa stretched and then flopped back
under the covers. She looked at her clock. 8:04am. Why had she set her alarm
clock so early? It was moments before she remembered. Oh yeah, I was
supposed to go over and visit mama today.
Stretching
once more, Theresa got up and headed over to her closet. After deciding what to
wear, she skipped off towards the bathroom.
Under the warm
spray of her shower, Theresa's thoughts turned over to her dreams. Why do I
keep dreaming about the same person every night? It doesn't make sense. In the
dreams it seems like I'm in love with that guy. Theresa snorted. In love?
With someone, whom she had never met? It was totally ridiculous! The man is
just a figment of my imagination. That’s all. I’m dreaming about him because
I’m lonely and I want someone. Turning off the water, Theresa stepped out
and proceeded to get ready.
xxx
Luis
Lopez-Fitzgerald was busy setting the plates on the tables when he heard a
knock on the door. Setting the plates down, he went and answered it. A smile
formed on his face, when he saw whom it was.
"Hey
Theresa!" he exclaimed, giving his younger sibling a hug.
"Hey
Luis," Theresa responded, returning the hug, hugging her older brother
tight. Once she had stepped inside the house, all of her thoughts had just
melted away. It felt so good to be around her family and be in a place that was
warm and loving! Not at all like it was at the mansion, which was cold and
filled of hatred.
"Theresita!"
Theresa turned
to see her mother rushing towards her and enveloping her in a hug.
"Hi
mama!"
"Come in,
we're just about ready to eat. We're just waiting for Antonio now."
After everyone
finished eating, the family all gathered in the living to talk. Theresa sat
back on the couch and observed her family. Sheridan was sitting on the floor with
Kay and Pilar, all three women were cooing over little baby Martin and little
Maria. While Beth was sitting on Antonio's lap, both of them were engaged in a
conversation with Luis. Luis was trying to get Antonio a job on the police
force.
Theresa felt someone
sit down next to her and turned to see Miguel. "Don't you wish Paloma was
here?" he asked.
Theresa nodded
and sighed. "Yeah, I miss her. She should be here."
"Don't
worry, we almost have enough money to send her a plane ticket home," Luis
commented, upon hearing what Miguel and Theresa were talking about.
Suddenly Kay
squealed. "Miguel! Maria just said her first word!"
Theresa just
sat back and smiled, watching everyone squeal over Maria. Suddenly, she
realized that everyone had someone to love and care for. Luis had Sheridan and
little Martin. Miguel had Maria and she was pretty sure that her little brother
was developing feelings for Kay. Both Beth and Antonio were devastated when the
persons they loved left them, but they found happiness with each other. But
Theresa? She used to have Ethan, but now she knew that everything was over
between them.
As she watched
her family, Theresa suddenly found herself feeling very tired. Maybe I'll
just take a quick nap, she thought, closing her eyes. She was asleep in an
instant.
Sounds of
soft music played softly in the background. Theresa smiled at the man across
the table. Damn, he was so handsome tonight. How did she ever get so lucky?
She saw him
stare at her. "What?" she asked "Is there something stuck in my teeth?"
She moved her hand towards her mouth.
"No,
no," the man across the table quickly cut in, "I was just admiring
your beauty, that's all."
Theresa
blushed. "You're such a charmer."
"But
it's true. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
This time,
Theresa grinned. "Well, naturally. I must say, you're looking very
handsome yourself!"
The blonde
man turned and observed the dancing couples for a moment. "Would you like
to dance milady?" He offered out a hand.
"Of
course kind sir." She accepted his hand and he guided her towards the
dance floor.
"I
love you Theresa."
Her heart
soared upon hearing those words as they always did. "I love you too."
"That's
nice Theresa; we love you too, but wake up!"
Theresa opened
her eyes to see Luis and Antonio looking down at her with amused glances. She
sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Sorry,
did I sleep long?"
"Nah, you
were only out for a half hour. Who were you dreaming about?" Antonio
asked.
Luis's eyes
narrowed. "Don't tell me it's Ethan. That damn bastard isn't going to get
away with hurting you."
"Now
Luis," Antonio cut in before Luis could lose his temper. "Theresa is
a big girl and she can take care of herself. If things get any worse in that
mansion, we'll go over there and take care of that bastard ourselves."
Theresa just
sighed. No, I wasn't dreaming about Ethan at all.
xxx