The ride was awfully silencious as they drove through San Francisco. They were both lost in their thoughts as they were crossing the Golden Gate bridge, exchanging glances between beautiful sights. Dr Banning looked at her, hypnotized by her beauty. She wasn't like any other girls he had dated so far. She seemed in her own world and he could easily get lost in her eyes. They were exquisite, like a pool of cappucino (he should really get a coffee on his way home...) but behind their brightness was something that he couldn't put his finger on. She seemed sad and he was concerned by her pain. He shook his head at that thought: wasn't he a playboy after all? Theresa had been right: he was handsome, loaded with cash, talented, surrounded by the finest women on earth, great job, great friends. He should have been happy yet, he felt empty and lonely. There wasn't a day passing by without a new girl between his sheets. There wasn't a day passing by without students trying to seduce him. But there wasn't a day passing by that he wished his life was different. He had always been a player: some type of hypocrite that was charming everything possible just to have something that most men didn't have. He played with their hearts as if he was playing God. There were times that he was disgusted with his way of life, but then, there were times that he reminded himself that no woman should worth the effort. But as he was glancing toward her, he could feel something different. She wasn't looking at him as if he was a prize, she wasn't even looking at him at all...
-Next street on your left, fifth house on your right.
Her voice was soft yet she was commanding. She wasn't as sweet as most girls were with him. She wasn't giving in to his charm, the Banning gift as he called it. He felt disappointed but wasn't giving up so easily. She was something and he was definitely eager to find out. As he was pulling into the drive way, she opened her door without a word. As she was looking into her purse for her keys, she heard the front door opened in a burst, revealing a frantic Greg.
-Theresa, you're here. Oh... and you're not alone!
She shrugged it off, as if Dr Banning's presence wasn't worth the comment. As he looked at her, he could see that this hadn't been what she'd expected earlier. He looked in the way of the driver and thanked him for giving her a ride home.
-That was a pleasure, sir, added Dr Bannin as charming as ever. Theresa couldn't help herself as she rolled her eyes.
Greg immediately recognized that voice: the charming tone of its owner reminded him of college...
-Dylan? Is that you?
Dylan instantly turned to see who was talking to him in such a friendly way.
-Gregory Spencer? Oh my God...
As Greg nodded in agreement, both young men hugged each other, visibly happy to see each other after such a long time.
-I don't believe you're here in San Francisco. I thought you would stay in LA forever: you almost wore the city. Please, come in. We have a lot to catch on.
Dylan seemed hesitant as he added
-I'm not sure your girlfriend will be thrilled to see me in her house no?
-Theresa is not my girlfriend. She's my fiancée's best friend. Come in, I'm sure she won't mind! After all, you gave her a ride home. You sure don't waste any time, do you!
-No, it's not like that, Dylan added as he was going in. It was the best I could do since I humiliated her in front of the entire class today.
Greg couldn't contain his laughter as he figured out Theresa blushing in front of 350 students.
-Why did you do that; man, it's like jumping in front of a train! It's suicide!
Dylan couldn't help but smile as Greg was telling him stories about Theresa. He was glad that she had gone to her room, she sure would have blushed more than before...
-I'm her new teacher. And she was late. Plus, she spilled her coffee on my new Gucci shirt.
-Sounds like Theresa to me! You're teaching? I thought that you would stay in cardiology after they gave you that promotion.
-There's a lot of things that changed when you've gone to San Francisco. I thought that it would be great being head of the departmen but without you it was different. Plus, some shit happened between Fox and me, I couldn't stay any longer.
-Yeah Fox.. said Greg, lost in his thoughts.
Seeing that the name made Greg's blood boiled, Dylan couldn't help but wondered what happened to make Greg reacted that way. After all, Greg was the most earth to earth person that he knew, someone that didn't judge...
-What happened between you two? asked Dylan.
-I'm not sure it's the best place to tell you that... We'll have to speak really low cause I don't want Theresa to hear.
-Why?
-She doesn't know that we've been friends in the past and... well... Fox kinda screwed things up.
-What's new with that? Everything that he touches turn to ashes... added a bitter Dylan.
-Well, he really fucked things up. He went back to Harmony 4 years ago to ask for money: he had gambled a lot of cash and he couldn't pay the money he earned. Anyways, he met Theresa, started a relationship with her and when she started to really fall in love with him, he went behind her back with her ex best friend.
-Woa... he really fucked things up.
-There's a lot of this story that you don't know and I'm not the best person to tell you this so I won't but to cut short, she was devastated so she decided to come in San Francisco to start a new life. Gwen, my fiancée...
-As in Gwen Hotchkiss? said Dylan, cutting Greg.
-Yeah.
-Wasn't she with Prince Ethan?
-It's a long story. It's best to wait before telling you everything. So, back to the story, she came here with Gwen to start a new life...
-Does Fox know that she's here?
-No. He's been looking for her for the past three years and she doesn't know. Gwen and I have been covering her tracks all this time.We asked Alistair to cover her too. I don't know why he agreeded to do it but he did. That's why everytime Fox has a lead, Alistair messes things so he won't find her. Please, don't tell her that he's been looking for her, she's starting to move on with her life and she's been through too much to bear another disapointment.
-Does Gwen know that you and Fox had been great friends in the past?
-Yes she does but we agreeded not to tell Theresa. Not until she find someone else.
-So, Fox is really looking for her?
-Yeah, he ended things with his wore the second he found out that Theresa was gone. Alistair and Julian told me that he was devastated and he had been searching for her all of this time. He's still really depressed as they told me, always talking about her. He realized too late that he really loved her... And he still does.
Dylan looked at Greg, a plan forming in his mind. Theresa was the key of all his plans, of all his want of revenge. Fox, the most player of all, had been devastated by Theresa's departure? It was time to return the same favor he'd done all of those years ago with him. If Fox wanted Theresa so badly, Dylan would give him what he wanted so much... After all, payback was a bitch....