""You are the bravest person I know," Ryan said of Hayley. Hayley didn't feel that she was terribly brave at all. "What are we going to do?" Hayley asked referring to her decision about whether to tell Mateo about Adam's interference in their lives. "It looks like you're already doing it," Mateo growled from the doorway. He looked coldly at Ryan and demanded that he get away from Hayley. Mateo snarled that he'd been happy that Hayley had a "goof friend like Ryan." Now, however, he realized just how foolish he'd been. Hayley tried to convince Mateo that he was misinterpreting what he'd seen. Ryan stepped forward to offer an explanation, but Mateo didn't want to hear anything that he had to say. Without any kind of warning, Mateo hauled off and slugged Ryan. Ryan flew backwards and crashed into the wall. Hayley stepped between the two men and pleaded with Mateo to break off his attack. A small stream of blood trickled down Ryan's face from a gash on his lip. "I'm your friend no matter what you think," Ryan said softly. "What's gotten into you?" Hayley asked of her lover. Mateo referred to Ryan as a "user" who was taking advantage of his generous nature. He instructed Ryan to go the cash register and get what wages he was owed. Effectively immediately, he was no longer needed---or wanted---at Sounds of Salsa. Ryan bowed his head and walked away.
A sense of deja vu swept of Belinda. Except for a few minor differences, the dinner date was going exactly the way that Belinda had envisioned it in a daydream earlier in the day. Adrian smiled confidently and asked Belinda how she could be so sure that she knew what was in the black box. Hopes high, Belinda hinged open the box top. Instead of the exuberant smile displayed in her daydream, Belinda's face expressed a level of shock. Her sober response signaled that she'd incorrectly guessed what was in the box. Adrian waited patiently for a response to his gift. Belinda forced a smile and told Adrian that the jewelry---a gold chain with a small key on it---was beautiful. It wasn't as though Belinda was unhappy with the gift, but she had been expecting an engagement ring. With a half smile, Belinda asked Adrian if the key was the key to his heart. Adrian grinned and told Belinda that she already held the key to his heart. This key, he explained, was for something else---something that he promised would help her relax. That conjured up images of a small, rustic, romantic getaway in the mountains. Again, Belinda's expectations were dashed. After dinner, Adrian led Belinda to a nearby park and showed her what he'd gotten her for her birthday. A tall fence surrounded an empty batting cage. Adrian escorted Belinda inside and offered her pointers on how to hit a baseball. He stood behind her, his hands on hers. He gave her helpful tips on posture and proper swinging techniques. When it came time to fire off a few balls, Belinda stunned Adrian by hitting every ball pitched her way. As she continued to bop ball after ball, Belinda couldn't help but chuckle. She told Adrian that his plan to help her unwind and relieve stress was working wonderfully. What Adrian didn't know was that Belinda "the star of [her] high school softball team."
Gillian once again took to the phone in a frantic attempt to locate Ryan. After leaving another message for her former husband, Gillian plopped down on the sofa to dwell upon her problems. Jake observed Gillian hanging up the phone and correctly determined that she'd been trying to reach Ryan. Jake knew that something was wrong because Gillian looked "a little shook up." Gillian defended her decision to call Ryan, saying that she had something very important to tell him. Jake rolled his eyes and asked if Gillian's foul mood had anything to do with seeing him kissing another woman at the beach. Gillian was shocked that Jake knew about the kiss. She wondered if Jake had seen Ryan in the act, too. Jake explained that he'd found Ryan's wallet on the beach and learned about the kiss when he returned it to Ryan at SOS. Jake also told Gillian that he now knew why she'd acted so peculiarly when she'd returned from her trip to the truck. He advised Gillian to let Ryan move on with his life even if it hurt her to see him with another woman. "It's not just anyone," said Gillian of the woman Ryan had been kissing. "It's Hayley." Jake was floored by the news. Gillian apologized for continually drawing Jake into her problems. Jake told her not to feel badly because he liked being a part of her life. "I care about you no matter who you're in love with," Jake said softly. As much as he cared about the princess, Jake had a life of his own. The doorbell sounded and Karen, the fitness instructor from the gym, arrived for her date with Jake. Gillian didn't voice her pain at seeing that Jake was going out with someone else, but her eyes flashed her pain. Later, Gillian once again hit the phone to try to locate Ryan. For some reason, her eyes were drawn to the window. Just outside, Ryan leaned against the wall.
In the foyer of her house, Erica looked at her reflection in a full-size mirror. She gently brushed her once mangled cheek, smiling partially in disbelief. When the doorbell sounded, Erica took a deep breath before responding. Outside, David waited to whisk Erica off to dinner in Philadelphia---or at least that was what Erica had planned. David informed Erica that he'd canceled their reservations at a posh eatery in the city. Erica was miffed, but David explained that he wasn't sure that they'd be able to get the privacy they sought at the restaurant. Erica yielded to David's rationale and admitted that David was probably right. But that left the couple with a bit of a dilemma; what would they be having for dinner? David ducked out of sight for a moment and returned with a picnic basket. David told Erica that he'd taken the liberty of planning a truly private dinner for the two of them. After musing about how their last supposedly private dinner flopped, David said that he had another doctor on staff handling all of his pages. Erica told David that she felt sorry for his patients because they'd have to settle for second best. "But you don't have to," David smiled. As they sat down at the table to eat, David joked that this was his "first meal upstairs." He, of course, was referring to the meals he'd eaten previously in the basement while being held captive. Erica bowed her head in humiliation and asked David if they'd ever be able to put their rocky past behind them. David was sure that they could and hinted that he still wanted to get to know her better. "My life is an open book," Erica replied. "Three books, actually." David told Erica that he'd recently finished reading all three of her autobiographies. David noticed that Erica kept a picture of her mother by the dining room table. Erica explained that the pictures comforted her. She realized that the idea of getting comfort from one's mother was probably "a foreign idea" to David. Erica reflected briefly on the turmoil she'd caused her mother over the years. Briefly---just briefly---Erica seemed to wonder how her mother could ever have put up with her ways. David asked Erica if her father was still living. Erica nodded, but said that she didn't know much about his whereabouts. She told David that her father had left her mother when she was about nine years of age. He returned briefly, but her famous director father was never really a part of her life. David admitted that "King of the Desert," one of Erica's dad's biggest hits, was his favorite film of all time. David then continued on by confessing that as a child he used to wrap a towel around his head and pretend that he was the film's star. A minor argument ensued as Erica and David referred to one of the film's characters by different names. David saw only one way to solve the argument: they had to watch the film. The pair adjourned to the study to watch Eric Kane's masterpiece. They both later emerged wiping tears from their eyes. As it turned out, Erica had won the argument and David was left to jest that he'd have to get used to not being right at the time. David walked slowly to the door and thanked Erica for a lovely evening. They looked longingly at one another hinting that they wanted to kiss, but neither made a move. As David walked down the walkway, Erica asked him to stop. David did and returned to the porch. Erica told David that she had a wonderful time and asked if he'd call her again. David reached down for Erica's hand and gently kissed it. He looked tenderly at Erica and told her that she could count on it.
Back at SOS, Hayley told Mateo that Ryan had only been trying to comfort her when he'd walked in on them. "Is that what he was doing at the beach?" Mateo asked coldly. Obviously Hayley had no idea that Mateo was wise to the kiss. "It's not what you think," Hayley replied. "You're guilty! You're caught!" Mateo yelled. Hayley swore that she and Ryan were not lovers, but like Gillian, Mateo didn't believe it. Mateo reminded Hayley that she'd gone to jail for Ryan. He didn't understand why she'd do that then, but now he had a pretty good idea. "I should have left you then," he snarled. From there, he lashed out at Hayley for moving out of the condo. He blasted her decision as a sign that she really didn't care about him. "I had to leave.... for our sake," Hayley sobbed. Mateo angrily said that Hayley had moved out for her own sake because she doesn't know how to handle problems. "Have you slept with him yet?" he growled. "Shut up, Mateo," Hayley snapped. "The only person I've ever wanted is you. I love you." Mateo told Hayley that he doesn't believe anything that she says. As his anger swelled, Mateo touted his own self-control. He told Hayley that he had never once had any desire to kiss Raquel, the woman that he'd fallen in love with. "I would never do anything to humiliate you," he said. Mateo started to walk away. Hayley begged him not to leave until they could finish their discussion. She asked him to go home with her and talk. "Home? We don't have a home any more," Mateo replied. Hayley told Mateo that she left because she had to deal with her sobriety. Mateo, however, felt that Max and Raquel had nothing to do with the reason Hayley left. "You left me to be with Ryan," he said."
- Soap Central
