Freddie and Gloria decided to clear out of the living room after listening to the muffled shouts from the other side of Dante's door for far too long than was appropriate.
Freddie went outside to the covered porch and called Dante's mom to let her know they were home safe and that they'd found Naya. Mrs. Garcia informed him that she and his mother had taken shelter from the dangerous storm at her cousin's house and would most likely return in the morning.
Freddie didn't go into the details of the night. He had little doubt in his mind that if he told her, she would face the raging storm on foot, only to beat the living crap out of them, with his own mother following behind her. He told her Naya would just be spending the night on the couch and promptly hung up the phone before she could get another word in.
He then called Manny, who didn't answer. He called him again, and still the phone rang through. The third time Freddie called him, the phone didn't even ring, it just went straight to voicemail. Freddie turned around to tell Dante, but decided against it. Dante didn't need another thing to worry about.
Freddie sat down on the porch swing and looked out into the road that was being pelted by a heavy barrage of rain. The storm felt violent, as if it was intent on causing trouble and ruining lives. Freddie just hoped Manny was okay and at a friends house, that his phone was out of range and he would call him back as soon as he could.
Meanwhile, Gloria was inside, wandering around the small halls of Dante's house until she caught her reflection on a golden edged mirror in one of Dante's fluorescently lit bathroom. She hesitantly stepped into the mint green painted bathroom. Her eyes wandered down to her midsection. Gloria bit her lips nervously and looked behind her to make sure no one saw her and slowly pulled her black tank top out of her blue denim shorts, exposing her abdomen to the cold air conditioning of the house. She turned to the side and examined her profile in the mirror.
Gloria looked down and placed her trembling hand on her stomach, her cold fingers sending prickling sensations through her midsection. She still looked thin, but she knew that she was growing a whole other person in there, and that was enough to make her feel dizzy.
"Are you keeping it?" a deep, husky voice asked behind her.
Gloria's head shot up and saw Alex behind her in the mirror, leaning against the door post with his arms crossed as they usually were, but his normally hardened eyes were soft and had bags under them. His dirty blonde hair was disheveled., as if he had just gotten out of bed. Gloria had to stop herself from trying to pat it down.
She chuckled under her breath, "I almost didn't. I got an appointment and made it all the way to the waiting room when I had to ask myself why. Why don't I want this baby? I realized it was because I didn't want to bring another person into my… situation. I guess that's when I realized how bad it'd gotten. How bad I let it get. I lived my entire life scared of my dad, and then I grew up and chased after that kind of 'love'. That's why I went to Jamie's house today, to end it."
"Wait, you don't mean Jamie Menendez, do you?" Alex asked.
Gloria nodded her head. "Why? He owe you money too? Because you're not getting it back," she stated bluntly.
"No, not that," Alex said, contemplating the new information. "That's kinda weird. Back in high school, he was actually pretty quiet, but he was a freshie when I was on my way out, so maybe that's why. There was this one time I had to kick the shit out of him because he made a move on my girl, so I can take him if he shows up around town anytime soon."
Gloria looked down at her tan colored sandals and lowered her voice, asking, "Can you not? I know you're just kidding, but can you please not? That's just not what I want right now"
Alex looked down at Gloria, realizing he had upset her.
"Hey Gloria?"
Gloria looked up into Alex's deep blue eyes, suddenly becoming aware of how small the bathroom was.
"Do you have someone to go with you to checkups with?"
"Yeah, not really. I don't even really have a place to stay."
Alex turned a deep shade of red as he tried to explain his little idea, "Okay, so my mom did an amazing job raising me by herself, especially considering the little shit I used to be. But there were times when I thought she just felt kinda lost. And when she did, I used to hold her hand, and I guess she looked a little less lost." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, extended his hand, and sheepishly said, " So I guess what I'm asking is… if you maybe want me to hold your hand through it?" Alex rushed, "But only if you want to though!" He looked at Gloria's shell shocked expression "Ugh, you know what, just forget it."
Before Alex could pull his outstretched hand away, Gloria threw her hands under his arms, giving him a bear hug. Alex accidentally caught a whiff of her hair. The smell reminded him of the time his grandparents had taken him to beaches in Colombia when they were trying to show him "the better side of his family".
They heard a short knock behind them. Alex looked at the mirror ahead of him and saw it was Dante. He felt a little disappointed as Gloria unlatched her hands around his neck.
He tried to squeeze past Dante to let the two talk in private, but was jerked back beside Gloria. He looked down and saw his fingers interlocked with her own. Gloria talked to Dante as if nothing had happened.
"What's up Dante? Is she okay?" Gloria asked.
Dante rubbed his puffy eyes, "Yeah, for now. It's just really messed up what happened to her. I just… wasn't expecting that."
Gloria squeezed Dante's hand tightly for a second. "You really like her don't you?"
Dante laughed under his breath, "Yeah, maybe even more than you." Dante thought about what he'd just said and creased his eyebrows. "Actually, that's not true, at least, not anymore. Gloria, I don't think I've been in love with you for a long time, which means I haven't been mad at you for a long time. I don't know why I still act like a jerk though. I hate that you couldn't tell me."
"Dante, really, it's okay," Gloria reassured him. She stole a quick glance at Alex, "I actually think this could be the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."
"I know I'm not the kid's dad, but I need you to know that I will always be his Uncle Dante. That I can promise you."
Gloria could feel tears well up in her eyes, but she ignored them. She kissed Dante's hand and looked back at Dante, noticing his red, puffy eyes. "Wait, how long has it been since you slept?" Gloria asked, her angular brows furrowed with concern. "You look like you need some shut eye. Take Manny's bed for tonight. Just so you can be near Naya in case she needs anything."
"Okay," Dante groggily grumbled. "Wait, what about you?"
"Oh," Gloria said, realizing she had nowhere to sleep that night. "I'd ask to sleep here, but I know your mom hates me, so that's not a good idea."
"She can stay at my place," Alex said.
Dante finally noticed the two's linked hands and their sideways looks. "Are you… did I miss something," He asked, scratching his head.
Gloria and Alex turned a deep shade of red. "What, no! You need to sleep," Gloria prescribed. She pushed Dante to Manny's bed and tucked him in as if he was a restless seven year old who refused to sleep. Then, she and Alex stole the keys to Dante's pickup, because why not, and drove to Alex's house, thus ending one of the most eventful nights of all of their lives.
Except that Freddie was still trying to reach Manny.