Chapter 1:
Once the shock of watching Mona sail through the night sky and land safely in the water wore off, both Angela and Tony went back to enjoying each other's company. Tony pulled her closer to his side as Angela snuggled even further into his shoulder.
"This place is absolutely magical… I could stay here all night…" she said as she looked out at the moon's reflection bouncing off the water.
"It really is beautiful, absolutely beautiful…" he said. She looked up to find his brown eyes staring back at her. Before they even realized it, they were lip locked once more, this time less ferociously. The kiss was deep and passionate, speaking the one word neither one was ready to speak out loud. Unlike their previous kisses, this one felt different. It felt like coming home, like the start of something neither one of them could pinpoint.
"It's getting cold out here. Maybe we should head back to the suite" she said as she pulled back and stood up. Tony never wanted to leave that bench, but he reluctantly took her offered hand and followed her back up the path. He wrapped his arm around her waist as they headed back towards the hotel rooms. When she was making the reservations, the company offered them three suites with three separate rooms. Mona and Samantha claimed one room, while Tony and Jonathan grabbed the other. They all agreed, minus Mona, that Angela should have the largest room. Once they reached Angela's suite, they both turned to talk at the same time.
"You first Angela" he said as he held onto her hand, slowly rubbing circles over her knuckles.
"This was wonderful Tony. I am glad we made up and talked… I missed you…" she said as she ran her hand through his hair.
"I missed you too. The best times of my life are with you too Angela…" he said as he cupped her face with his hand. That pull that they had been experiencing all night came flooding back as he leaned in and captured her lips with his own. This kiss was even more passionate than the bench one, sending them right into the door. Their hands were lost exploring each other's bodies. Angela was able to find the key to the room in her pocket and fumbled with the lock until it opened, sending them flying into the room. She tossed the key across the room as Tony kicked the door shut, their lips never parting.
"Tony… Tony… are you sure about this because I know where I want this to go…" she said breathlessly in between kisses.
"I know what I said and I still mean it but… but I want this right now. I don't want to wait anymore. I just want this night… I want you…" he said. That was enough of an answer for her as she began kissing him again, making work on the buttons of his shirt. Soon it was a heap on the floor as Tony walked them over to her bed. He untied her dress in the back and enjoyed pulling it down her body. He was pleasantly surprised to see she wasn't wearing a bra. His hands and mouth were at once all over her breasts as Angela moaned with pleasure.
She knew she had to keep her own hands busy as she pulled at the clasp of his belt, pulling it loose and discarding it somewhere near their other clothes. She unzipped his pants, allowing them to fall to the floor as he stepped out of them. They collapsed onto the bed as their kissing intensified. The English language ceased to exist for either of them as the last bits of clothing were removed. They both pulled back momentarily, knowing that once they crossed this final line in their relationship, there was no going back. No words were needed as they silently communicated their wanting to lose each other as friends. Their lovemaking was beyond what either of them ever imagined. Once they came back down to earth, they pulled each other into a tight embrace.
"That was more than I could have ever imagined Tony…" she said.
"It was well worth the wait, as I always knew it would be…" he said.
"I know you should probably head back to your room, but I just can't seem to let you go…" she said as she grabbed a tighter hold on his body.
"I don't want to go either. I'll stay a bit longer and then head out" he said with a yawn, the day's events finally catching up to him.
"So what does this mean for us Tony?" she asked as she too yawned.
"I don't know Angela but neither one of us is awake enough to make any decisions. Let's rest a bit and figure it out tomorrow…" he said. All Angela could do was nod her head slowly before falling asleep in his arms. He kissed the top of her head as he too drifted off to sleep.
They were up early the next morning as Tony overslept, quickly changing back into his clothes before heading back to his room to check on Jonathan, who was sleeping peacefully, unaware of Tony's absence for most of the night. He woke him up and quickly packed up their suitcases. They had to be at the airport in an hour and he still had to make sure Samantha and Mona were up and ready.
A half an hour later, the five of them were packing themselves into a taxi cab and heading to the airport. Mona called dibs on the front seat so she could flirt with the driver. The four of them were crammed into the backseat, Angela practically sitting on Tony's lap. They had no time to talk about last night and were becoming hyperaware of the closer than close proximity of their bodies.
"Move over dweeb! I'm about to fall out of this cab if he makes a sharp right turn!" yelled Samantha as she tried to push him over.
"There's no room! Can't you see! Hopefully it's an extra sharp curve!" shouted Jonathan.
"Enough you two! Here Angela come a bit closer" he said as as his hands found her waist, pulling her towards him. As the taxi hit a bump, Angela ended up in his lap.
"Oh I'm sorry Tony!" she said as she tried to adjust herself. She could feel what her presence was doing to him as her face began to flush.
"It's okay Angela… we are almost at the airport…" he managed to say as the blood was quickly leaving the other parts of his body, including his brain. His hand found her back as he started gently rubbing in small circles. She absentmindedly leaned back into his chest, needed more physical contact. Mona was the only one who noticed the interaction between the two as she took a quick glance over her shoulder into the backseat. She knew they had made up from their idiotic fighting all throughout the vacation but now she wondered just how in-depth their reconciliation truly went.
They arrived at the airport and headed through customs and security. Mona, Angela and Jonathan were sitting in a row, while Samantha and Tony were in another across from them. Both Tony and Angela sat on the aisle seats, hoping to steal a few stolen glances their way. By the time they got home, life picked right back up and neither had a moment to talk about their moment of passion.
The following month, the house was turned upside down with the arrival of Samantha's childhood friend Charlie Briscoe. Angela's campaign had her feeling rundown, burning the candle at both ends. Once Charlie was hired by Trish to become a model, the house seemed to calm down again. Still, Tony and Angela never had or took the time to talk about their relationship. They chose the familiar path they had perfected over the last six years; aimless flirting, stolen glances and the occasional snuggling on the sofa after falling asleep watching a movie.
The week of Mrs. Rossini's vacation, Angela still couldn't shake her fatigue. She was finding getting started in the morning was becoming more of a challenge than not. Her appetite seemed none existent too, often feeling bloated and nauseous throughout the day. She shook it off to getting older, needing more rest and exercise. When Tony headed into Brooklyn and she finished her intolerable conversation with her mother, Angela found herself excited for the first time since Jamaica. The excitement was short-lived when that rotten cat ruined her chance at some time with Tony and his friends.
Her fatigue came back as soon as they left and she figured it wouldn't hurt to rest on the sofa. When Tony came in and woke her up from one of the weirdest dreams she had in a long time, she was relieved to have him back alone. She was even more relieved when that rotten cat returned and Tony suggested that they head back inside after their talk.
"So you want some of the food I brought you back? Or do you want to open up the picnic basket you brought?" asked Tony.
"No I am okay for now. I'm not really all that hungry" she said, the nausea coming back slightly.
"Angela! You are practically wasting away! You've barely had an appetite since returning from Jamaica! You're working too hard!" he practically shouted at her.
"I'm fine Tony! I have been working too hard though and not taking good care of myself. I think that's why I fell asleep on the sofa and had that weird dream while you were gone! Now that some of my new clients are settled in, I should be able to take some time or at the very least be home regularly for dinner!" she said with a forced laugh, trying to lighten the mood again.
"Good! You've been working too hard! I've missed you…" he said as he scooted closer to her on the sofa, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"I've missed you too Tony. We haven't had any alone time since Jamaica. We also never did get a chance to talk after… you know…" she said.
"I know Angela. I don't know about you, but not a day has passed since then that I haven't thought about it. That was one of the most special nights of my life. I just want to fast forward to knowing more about myself and where I am going in life so that I can really be the man that you deserve" he said as he took a hold of her hand.
"Oh Tony… you are the man I deserve! Having a degree or a career isn't going to change who you are as a person! That's the man I… I have become best friends with- raising our kids together and who I also see in my future. I am willing to wait for you Tony, I really am…" she said as she squeezed his hand.
"So what was this weird dream you had, if you don't mind me asking" he said.
"Well… you and I were married and living in Brooklyn. Mother was living with us and Samantha and Jonathan were ours. We had young twins and one on the way. It was really quite nice until it wasn't…" she said sadly.
"Eh oh, oh eh! Why wasn't it good? Sounds good to me…" he said, the vision of Angela carrying his child warming his heart.
"Well right before I woke up, we started arguing about men and women's roles in the home. I said I wanted to go back to school and maybe get a job, but you were very much against it. You wanted me home with the kids, taking care of the house…" she said quietly.
"Oh I see… our conversation on the fire escape makes more sense now! Well that was just a dream Angela! You know how supportive I am about your career! There really is no reason a man can't stay home and take care of the house and kids, assuming that's what they both want. I think it only becomes a problem when a couple ain't on the same page" he said.
"You're right Tony! It was just a silly dream anyway…" she said as she leaned into his shoulder, just like she had done in Jamaica and a hundred times at home.
"It wasn't silly Angela! Maybe… maybe it was a sign or something. Maybe trying to tell you something…" he said, the thought of them having a baby together one day becoming more and more appealing by the second.
"Telling me what Tony? That I'm…" she started to say as the realization of the situation became crystal clear- the fatigue, the nausea, the bloating and now that she was in panic mode and doing the math, at least four weeks late. She couldn't believe it took her this long to put it all together. Her dream may not have been a dream at all, more like a premonition. She suddenly had to know and she had to know right then.
"I… I have to go!" she practically shouted as she grabbed her purse and ran out the door.
"Angela wait! Are you okay? What's wrong?" he shouted as panic that something was wrong took over. Angela was already down the stairs by the time Tony got to the door. He couldn't for the life of him think what just happened.