life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
This story is based around this one quote, documenting little moments of Troy and Gabriella's relationship. They're completely unconnected, but will each describe an instant in the golden couple's budding romance, be it tragic, beautiful, scary or wonderful.
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jump jump jump
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The jumping castle looked almost forlorn without the colourful splashes of children bouncing up and down. The inflatable monstrosity had been abandoned in favour of birthday cake; gathered around the picnic table with wide eyes, the kids watched impatiently as the cake was brought out. The six candles were flickering in the light breeze. Madeline's latest obsession was kittens, and the rich chocolate cake was shaped as a cat, the icing thick and orange, with liquorice whiskers, Smarties for eyes, and Jaffas for the necklace.
Why a cat would wear a necklace was beyond Troy, but his eyes, unlike the children, were not on the cake that Penny obviously spent hours working on. His gaze instead rested on the girl standing on the opposite side of the table, her hair glinting in the afternoon sunlight. She was singing along with the rest of the party-goers surrounding him, but he could only hear her voice, light and beautiful.
Happy birthday dear Madeline
Happy birthday to you!
His eyes remained on her as he watched her laugh at the birthday girl, trying her hardest to blow out the pink candles. The brunette's cheeks were flushed with delight as she gazed at her younger cousin, although it could have also been from having played tag with the twelve six year olds for the last half hour.
She looked up to catch his eye; her brown eyes were sparkling with warmth. He loved the way her nose crinkled a little when she smiled at him, the way her dark hair curled around her face in careless perfection, the way her cheeks turned a shade darker when she noticed he was watching her, and only her.
Penny brought out her knife and began to cut, the children hollering to her which piece they wanted.
'I want the necklace, Mommy!'
'Okay, darling.'
'But I wanted the necklace!'
'You're not the birthday girl. I am.'
'Madeline's pretty pushy for a six year old,' Troy noted to Gabriella, who had since sidled up to him, a happy grin plastered to her face. 'Kinda like someone I know.'
Gabriella mock-gasped, clutching her heart. 'You wound me!'
Troy brought his hand up to touch her cheek, smiling as she nuzzled into his palm. 'You know I wouldn't have you any other way.'
She planted a soft kiss to his lips, unable to stop her smile as he continued to kiss a path to her ear, whispering huskily, 'I love you.'
She hooked her arms around his neck, rubbing his nose with hers. 'I love you too, Wildcat, but we better keep this kid-friendly, okay?'
Troy looked pointedly to the table, where all eyes were either still on the cat being cut up carefully, or on their own piece held precariously in their small hands, mouths full with the crumbly cake.
'See? No one's watching.'
Gabriella shook her head. 'Nice try, Wildcat, but I really don't want my aunts and uncles and cousins and mother to see anything more than strictly necessary. Okay?'
Troy tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, biting his lip thoughtfully. 'What if we were out of sight?' She followed his gaze to the lonesome jumping castle, partly obscured by the large willow in the backyard.
She giggled. 'I haven't been on one of those since I was younger than Madeline.'
Troy pulled out of her embrace, taking her hand. 'Then we have to do it. Come on!' He led her over to the castle, slipping off his shoes and waiting for her to remove her gold flats before clambering onto the bouncy fortress.
Gabriella held her arms out, trying to keep her balance over the rollicking floor. Experimentally, she gave a little jump, lost her balance and fell with a shriek onto her side, bouncing back up into the air and onto her back.
Troy laughed at her. 'You're too cute, Montez.'
She stuck her tongue out at him, getting back up and giggling helplessly as Troy started to jump, making her fly through the air and land with soft thumps on the inflatable plastic. He gave an extra big jump, and she fell onto the side of the castle, bouncing back off it immediately.
'You're such a boy,' she called to him as he began to bounce higher, squealing as his jumps caused her to be thrown higher into the air even more precariously.
'You'll pay for that, Gabriella!' He bounced over to her, his face full of mischievous glee, and, squealing, she tried to run away from him, almost falling over again as their footsteps turned the floor into an undulating wave of plastic.
'Get away from me, Wildcat!' Gabriella cried as she ran in circles around the castle, darting away from Troy's waving hands. They were both laughing hysterically as the petite girl twisted and turned away from her boyfriend, crashing into the soft walls with abandon.
Shrieking dramatically, Gabriella wriggled as Troy's arms encircled her waist, causing them both to hit the floor and then bounce back up again. Gabriella's hair flew up around her face, and she couldn't stop giggling, despite the fact she was struggling to breathe from the exertion. Beside her, his arms still around her waist, Troy was laughing, his eyes closed in contentment.
She moved so she was straddling his waist, watching him carefully. He blinked his eyes open, and she wondered if she could just gaze into their deep blue depths forever. He brushed back the hair that had fallen into her face, and, carefully, she leant down to press her lips against his.
She pulled away but he brought her mouth down to his again in a more passionate kiss, his tongue gently swiping her lips, tasting the sweet strawberry gloss she always wore. His hands moved to thread through her hair, eliciting a moan from the brunette. She didn't complain as he flipped her over so he was straddling her, his hands moving down her sides, while his mouth continued to work wonders on hers, sucking her bottom lip tenderly.
He slid his hands up her thighs, up underneath her pink dress. She shivered in delight, her mouth moving harder against his, pressing her body against his to make him continue. His fingers were stroking further and further up her thigh, while she tangled her fingers in his short hair almost painfully, when there was a thrilled squeal from too near.
Troy removed his hands immediately and moved away from his girlfriend, blinking in the bright sunlight as he saw a group of children pushing each other in their haste to get onto the jumping castle.
He looked back over to Gabriella, unable to resist smirking proudly. Her hair was mussed and her lips were cherry-red and raw. She caught his gaze and smiled at his wink, moving back to get off the jumping castle as the six year olds scrambled up, screaming excitedly as they bounced.
'So, I guess it wasn't as private as you would have hoped.' She smiled up at him, struggling to keep in her laughter.
He shook his head sadly. 'I guess not.' He grinned. 'Although we might be able to get to the cake now.' He frowned a little. 'Gabi?'
She looked up at him, smiling. 'Yeah?'
'Why was the cat wearing a necklace?'
Gabriella stared at him, and then burst out laughing. 'You're hopeless, Wildcat.' Troy just slung his arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head.
'Maybe, but you love me anyway.'
She giggled. 'So, so true.'