A Beautiful Afternoon

by

Molly

Abby Devereaux let the soft folds of her light lavender cotton sundress fall gently over her legs. The early afternoon sunlight glinted off her golden hair. The shade of the dress brought out the beautiful blue of her eyes. She loved this dress and she knew she looked great. But as she climbed out of Faith Brady's car, she wondered again whether she should have worn it.

"Relax, girl, you look terrific," Faith tugged at her hair.

"I know..."

"Oh, so modest!" Faith laughed as they unpacked cakes and cookies they had baked for the hospital fund-raiser picnic.

"No, no, no, no," Abby said quickly. "What I mean is...with my current 'situation' maybe I should have worn a smelly old sweatshirt and a pair of coveralls."

"Oh, your 'situation'" Faith said sarcastically. "Having two very rich, very gorgeous men in love with you....tragic."

"Two very rich, very gorgeous BROTHERS in love with me, one of whom my best friend," Abby squeezed Faith's arm. "has some pretty serious feelings for."

"Yes, but-" Faith was interrupted by Xander Kiriakis approaching and asking if they needed help. He scooped a stack of boxes away from Abby.

"You look beautiful as usual, Abby," he said, trying to sound casual.

"Thanks," she said shyly.

"I'm fine, Xander, and you?" Faith said. She turned and bumped into Victor.

"Victor, um, hello."

"Hi, Faith," he said non-commitally. "Abby, can I get the rest of those for you?" Faith groaned, irritated and shoved the boxes she was carrying into Vic's arms. Abby watched forlornly and she stormed over to where Lyssa and Carrie Horton were standing. Carrie hugged Faith warmly.

"You look beautiful, sweetie," Carrie said.

"You're the first to notice," Faith said flatly.

"I know, I know, men are idiots." Lyssa said, trying to comfort her cousin. Carrie watched her daughter hug Faith. She loved that the girls had grown so close. They had developed this network of distantly related Brady cousins- Faith, Lyssa, Kay Kelly, Stephanie Johnson and Erica Brady. Despite the gap in some of their ages, the girls loved spending tome with each other and got together often as possible. "Hate to break it to you girls, but you'll find that they don't get smarter as they age," she said wryly. Mike crept up behind her and swept him into his arms. "But there are exceptions!" she cried.

"I want what your parents have," Faith smiled watching them.

"Your parents aren't too lacking in the romance department," Lyssa nodded towards a picnic table where Bo was nibble on Hope's neck as she fed him strawberries.

"I know, but it's always less disturbing when it's someone else's parents," Faith laughed.

Abby had finally freed herself from the Kiriakis boys long enough to greet her friends. She rushed over to them.

"Guys, you have to help me," she begged. Faith watched as Xander and Victor shoved each other back and forth apparently arguing over Abby.

"What's wrong, hon?" Lyssa asked.

"Well," Abby said helplessly. "First Xander asked me to the dance tonight, then Victor said the dance and a carriage ride afterwards, Xander upped the ante with the dance, a carriage ride and a moonlit stroll. They kept trying to top each other and somewhere along the line I think I agreed to go to Paris with somebody!"

"Poor baby," Lyssa rolled her eyes playfully.

"I'm serious!" Abby said. "They're both really nice guys, but I just don't-, well I just don't want to hurt their feelings."

"Wait, here comes Victor!" Lyssa pointed behind her.

"AHHH!" Abby scrambled towards her parents. Victor was no where in sight.

"That was unnecessarily cruel," Faith smiled.

The girls thought about it for a minute. "Nah!" they said.

++++++

"Abby, sweetie, what's wrong?" Jack asked, stroking his daughter's hair.

"I think I'd like to go now," Abby said.

"But Ab, you just got here," Tommy said. Kay was pulling at his arm gently, trying to get him alone.

"I know, but I really would rather leave." Abby said. "The problem is I came here with Faith and I don't want to spoil her fun."

Adam Caldwell-Brady, who had been talking to his Grandpa Roman at a near-by table, overheard the conversation and approached the group.

"Abby, I've been here a while and I'm about to head home," he said. "Would you like a ride?"

"That's very thoughtful of you, Adam," Jennifer said.

"Thank you Adam, that would be great," Abby nodded.

Adam and Abby hadn't really spent a lot of time together. They saw each other occasionally at school, but beyond that they weren't exactly friends. But she did think he was a really nice.

Abby kissed her parents good-bye as Adam excused himself for a minute. He came back with a little basket full of picnic goodies.

"For Erica," he said. "She was really upset that she couldn't make it, so I promised I'd bring back some of her favorites."

This guy is so sweet! Abby thought. He showed her where he parked his-

"Motorcycle!" she gasped.

"Yeah, I thought you knew I had a bike," Adam said as he strapped the basket to the back. "Oh, do you think you can manage in that skirt?"

She nodded apprehensively. "But I've never ridden one of these things before."

"There's no trick to it," he smiled as he buckled the strap of her helmet. He straddled the bike and held out his hand to her. "Come on, you trust me don't you?" his eyes seemed to pierce right through her. She had never noticed how blue they were.

"I guess," she hiked her skirt up and got on the back.

"You kind of have to... hold on," he said as he slowly wrapped her arms around his waist. He started up the bike and they were off.

+++++++++++

Jack watched as they pulled out of the park.

"Adam didn't mention he had a motorcycle," Jack said to Jen.

"Honey, relax," she laughed. "I seem to remember a time when you rode a motorcycle, had an earring and had long hair."

"Yes, but I was trying to seduce you at the time."

"Oh yeah," Jen grimaced.

+++++++++++

"Wait a minute," Victor whined slightly as he watched Abby and Adam ride away.

"Where's Abby going?"

"Aarrghh!" Faith smashed a cupcake into Victor's chest. "You know, if you are too blind to see what's right in front of you....arrgghh!"

He watched her stalk off.

"What'd I say?" he asked.

Xander shrugged. "Buy you a hot dog?" Xander asked.

"With mustard?" Victor said.

"Sure."

+++++++++

Abby closed her eyes and let the wind caress her face. She loved this! The wind, the speed, the excitement. Without realizing it, she was squeezing against Adam pretty tightly.

"So how do you like it?" Adam shouted back to her.

"It's wild!" she shouted.

"How'd you like to drive?" he asked.

"Are you serious!"

"Absolutely," he pulled over and switched places with her. He couldn't help but stare as she pulled her skirt even higher to negotiate the bike. He settled against her back and murmured instructions in her ear.

She sputtered and stalled at first, but eventually they were sailing along the highway.

"You're great!" he shouted.

She slowed at a fork in the road and turned around. "Mind if we make a detour?" she asked.

"You're the one who's driving," he grinned.

She drove him down a winding country road to a clearing. She'd been coming to this brook since she was able to ride her bike long distances. It wound through this amazing clearing in the Salem Woods. The leaves formed a green, lacy canopy overhead, but it still allowed plenty of sunlight to peek in.

"Wow," Adam said as he hopped off the bike. "This is amazing."

"Yeah, I thought you might like it."

"So, why were you so anxious to get out of there?" he asked. They were sitting on a big flat rock in the middle of the brook, sunning themselves in the warm afternoon light. Abby was stretched out on her back, staring at the sky. Her light gold hair fanned out towards him. Adam was sitting up, his shadow blocking the glare from her eyes.

"I wasn't ....ok, I was anxious," she grinned shyly. "Well, Victor and Xander are rather VOCAL about their feelings for me and it kind of hit critical mass today. I just couldn't handle it."

"What's wrong with Xander and Victor?" Adam asked. "They seem like nice guys. They're nice-looking, charming, they've got money."

"Sounds like you should be dating one of them." Abby grinned.

Adam laughed. He never realized she was so funny. Funny and sweet and kind.... he snapped back to attention.

"No seriously, Faith's my best friend and she's head over heels for Victor. I don't want to get involved with anyone she has feelings for. And Xander just isn't my type."

"So who is your type?" he asked hesitantly.

She sat up quickly. "It's getting sort of late," she said. "I'm kind of hungry. Are you hungry? Maybe we should go."

"Nice segway to a different subject," he grinned. "I'll be right back." He went back to the bike and came back with a two foil wrapped packages.

"I thought that was for Erica!" she exclaimed. "I don't want to take her goodies!"

"The lemon meringue pie, three cupcakes and HALF of a barbecued chicken are for Erica," he laughed.

"The girl's got an appetite!" Abby giggled.

"This is for us," he said, spreading a virtual cornucopia of corn on the cob, potato salad, barbecue and other yummies before her. "I noticed that you didn't eat at the picnic and I thought you might be hungry."

How did he notice all of these things? she wondered. Where did all this thoughtfulness come from?

"What?" he asked, a little paranoid. "Do I have corn-teeth?"

"No, no!" she cried. "I was just wondering how to clone you."

"Huh?" he said. "So this is what you want in a guy- barbecue. I'll have to remember that. Forget the roses, send this girl a dozen ribs!"

"No," she said, and after much consideration she continued. "I want what my parents have....friendship, but at the same time romance. I want to enjoy spending time together and be comfortable. I want someone who is so enamored of me that he'll throw pebbles at my window at 2 a.m. just to say he was thinking of me....Wow, that was out loud. Sorry."

"No, " he reached up and swept a strand of hair behind her ear. "It sounds great."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he could feel himself leaning towards her. He wanted to kiss her so badly. But A) he wasn't sure how she felt about him and B) he had barbecue breath. Better to wait.

"I'd better get you home," he smiled.

++++++++++

That night, Abby was almost too excited to sleep. She had never expected this. Not with Adam! He was so sweet and thoughtful- and cute! Before today, she had never noticed how blue his eyes were. How beautiful his profile.

She tossed and turned. She just couldn't get comfy. Then she heard the "plink" against her bedroom window. She sat up. She heard it again. "Plink"

She looked at her clock. 1:54 a.m.

"Plink"

She smiled and went to her window. Adam was standing on her lawn tossing small rocks at her second-story window. He grinned broadly when he saw her through the glass. She propped the window open.

Despite the hour, she was gorgeous. She was wearing these adorable blue-striped men's pajamas. Her hair was slightly rumpled.

"Adam!" she whispered loudly. "What are you doing?"

"I was thinking about you!" he whispered back.

"What?"

"He said he was thinking about you," Tommy hissed from his nearby bedroom window. "Hey Adam."

"Hey, Tommy." Adam waved, sort of embarrassed.

"Tommy! Go to bed!" Abby laughed. Tommy ducked his head back inside. "What were you saying?" Abby asked.

"Just a second." Adam grabbed the trellice that leaned against the Devereaux house. He climbed, never losing eye-contact with her. Joy welled up through Abby's soul. He got up to her eye-level. "I was thinking about you," he said, out of breath. "You said this was the hour to call."

She laughed and leaned closer, wrapping her hands around his neck. Pulling him closer. He brushed against her lips. Then again with more depth and persistence. She kissed him again and again.

"I really like you, Abby." he said. "I'd like to spend more time with you."

"I really like you, too."

She was about to kiss him again when a voice from the lawn interrupted them.

"Can I help you, Adam?" Jack asked.

"Daddy!"

"Hi, Mr. Devereaux," Adam waved. "I just came by to see Abby."

"Yes, well maybe you should come back another time. During the daylight hours perhaps."

"Yes, sir," Adam gave her another quick peck and shimmied down the trellice. He looked up at her again. "Bye"

"Bye" she waved.

"GOODNIGHT, Abby." Jack said sternly.

"Goodnight, Daddy."

"This one's going to be trouble," Jack groaned as he watched Adam drive away.