Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Troy was really excited for his date tonight. He had to look perfect for his girl. Gabriella was the most important person in his life and he always made sure to let her know that. Tonight was going to be a very special night because he had a little something special planned for the love of his life. Twelve roses lay in a vase on his desk. He had picked them up from the flower shop just moments before he came home to get dressed for his date. He loved Gabriella more than anything and just wanted to show her how much. He smiled as he looked in the mirror. He made sure to look exactly how Gabriella liked him to be. He was wearing a button up shirt with khakis and his hair was styled neatly. Troy shaved so that his stubble wouldn't look messy or scratch her. The butterflies were starting to appear as he picked up everything he needed and headed for the door. Troy set the roses gently on the passenger seat of his car and started it up putting it in drive. He felt like the happiest man on earth driving down the road to Gabriella's house. He was a lucky man. He had a good life and he wanted to spend every minute of it with the girl who put a smile on his face. Once he was finally in Gabriella's driveway, Troy turned off the car and took in a deep breath. He got out, walked up to Gabriella's front door and knocked. He anticipated Gabriella's reaction as he held the roses in his hand. When the door open, Troy's jaw dropped to the floor as he checked out Gabriella standing in front of him. Each day he thought Gabriella grew more and more beautiful. She was a vision of beauty and perfection, there was no doubt about that. He would do absolutely anything for her and Gabriella knew that. He wanted to make her feel better since she had been a little down lately. Whenever Troy was with Gabriella, his attention was focused solely on her. When Troy's eyes connected with Gabriella's, he smiled lovingly at her.
"You are so beautiful Baby, like beyond gorgeous." Troy said softly.
"I know." Gabriella smirked teasingly. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."
Troy leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Gabriella's lips. "You take my breath away every time I look at you. Have I told you how much I love you?"
Gabriella nodded. "All the time but a girl can never hear it too much. Did you bring me roses?" She asked looking down at the roses in Troy's hand.
He nodded and smiled. "These roses have a very special meaning which you will find out soon enough."
"Is that so? What makes these roses special?"
"If I told you then it would ruin the surprise. I'm so excited for our date tonight."
"So where are you taking me tonight then?"
"I have a nice spot set up on the beach for us. I always love the setting there and how the cool breeze gently runs through your hair. I love gazing at you." Troy smiled adoringly at Daisy.
"I suppose I can put up with you for another night but you know how I don't like surprises." Gabriella raised her eyebrows at Troy.
When Troy and Gabriella got to the beach, Troy guided Gabriella over to the spot he had set up earlier in the day. There was huge blanket laying across the sand and on top of the blanket was a picnic basket full of their favorite foods. There were rose petals strewn all around and it looked perfectly set up to be romantic in nature.
"Wow, you really went all out, didn't you?" Gabriella asked, her eyes widening as she looked around at the set up Troy had created.
"Only the best for you, My Love." Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's cheek. "I want you to know how special you are and you deserve to be treated as such."
Gabriella smiled warmly as she turned to look at Troy. "Thank you. You do so much for me and of course you make me feel special. You treat me like I'm the only one that matters to you."
"You are." Troy nodded and smiled. "Shall we feast?"
Troy and Gabriella sat down and dug into their picnic dinner. Troy's focus was solely on Gabriella and making sure she was having an amazing time. When it was time for dessert, Troy brought out some chocolate covered strawberries and proceeded to feed Gabriella. The giggles escaping her mouth were the most heavenly sound he had ever heard. It warmed his heart to know that she was so happy being around him. He loved having her to care for and spoil, even if she didn't want to be spoiled. As the sunset was low and fading quickly, Troy packed up all the belongings and headed back to his truck with Gabriella.
"You are carrying around that bouquet of roses as if your life depended on it. What is up with you?" Gabriella asked as she eyed the roses once more in the seat next to her.
"This is the final surprise that I have planned for you once we get back to your house. I'm going to reveal the meaning behind each one of these roses." Troy smiled and started his truck, beginning to drive back to Gabriella's house.
"You are so weird sometimes. I never know what you are going to do next." Gabriella shook her head with a raised eyebrow.
"You'll love it, I promise. It will be worth your wait."
Once they got to Gabriella's house, Troy walked inside with Gabriella, holding the roses. The both of them said hello to Gabriella's parents and then went upstairs together. Once inside Gabriella's bedroom, Troy handed the bouquet of roses to Gabriella.
"Now I get the flowers?" Gabriella asked looking strangely at Troy.
"I wanted to save the best for last. Stand in front of your mirror holding the roses." Troy asked.
Gabriella did as she was told, taking the roses from Troy's hand and standing in front of her full length mirror with the roses in her hands. "The point of this being?"
Troy came and stood directly behind Gabriella looking at her through the mirror. He then leaned his head to the side slightly and began speaking softly into her ear.
"The first rose represents your eyes. Every time I look into your eyes, I fall in love with you all over again. The chocolate brown color melts my heart and I am yours in every way. The way you look into my soul tells me you want me just as much as I want you. One look from you means you can get me to do anything you desire no matter the task. I would do absolutely anything for you."
"The second rose represents your ears." Troy reached up and softly ran his fingers along Gabriella's earlobes. "Your perfectly shaped ears are always ready to listen to someone in need. You always know what is going on around you. Your careful attention to detail makes you truly special and one of a kind."
"The third rose represents your mouth and those luscious lips of yours." Troy smiled as he ran one of his fingers along Gabriella's bottom lip. "Your words are like sweet honey. They way you speak reminds me of an angel singing. Your lips, oh my goodness your lips, send me to heaven with the way you kiss you me. The love you put into your kisses to me make me forget all of my troubles and happy to be your man. Everything is perfect when your lips are on mine. Your kisses are my absolute favorite part of every day. I am the happiest man in the world to get to kiss you every day."
"The fourth rose represents your hands. You have the most perfectly shaped hands I have ever seen. I know we are supposed to be together by the way your hands fit into mine. When you lace your fingers in mine, all is right in the world. I can count on that feeling with the knowledge that you and I are comfortable with each other. When our hands are connected, I am the happiest guy knowing that you are right by my side. It's the greatest feeling I could ever comprehend."
"The fifth rose represents your heart. You have the biggest heart I have ever seen in anyone. You are always willing and open to love. You do so with your whole entire heart, willingly. You never cease to amaze me at how much love you hold in that heart of yours, especially for me. I know you would do anything to help the ones that you love. The energy that you put into loving me gives me the greatest pleasure I will ever know."
"The sixth rose represents your brain. You hold so much knowledge in your brain that I am infinitely impressed by you. You are so intelligent and wise from the little things all the way up to the big things. You make me a better person just by knowing you." Troy said as he placed a soft kiss to the side of Gabriella's head.
Troy smiled brightly as he assessed Gabriella's reaction so far to his long winded speech of roses. She was standing there motionless trying to take it all in. The words and sentiments Troy was relaying to her were blowing Gabriella's mind. Troy was so sweet, thoughtful, and detailed in all that he was saying and he was only half way through. Gabriella finally looked up into Troy's eyes again, scanning his face and making sure this was all for real. This was a lot to take in and she was so lucky to have a man like Troy in her life to treat her with so much respect. Gabriella would now have to do something special for Troy later to let her know how thankful she was. This gesture of adoration was so unexpected and much needed considering the week she had just completed. She wasn't sure how long it would be before she became a blubbering mess of emotions but she would try to remain composed.
"The seventh rose represents your beauty. Where do I even start on your beauty? Have I ever mentioned that you are the most beautiful woman in this world, inside and out? Every day that I wake up and see your smiling face, takes my breath away. You are beyond gorgeous. I could stare at you all day and never get bored. Not only are you the most stunningly radiant woman physically, but you are the most beautiful on the inside as well. You are the kindest, nicest, most loving woman I have ever or will ever meet. Beauty comes from within and radiates on the outward. You have by far mastered both of those so flawlessly."
"The eighth rose represents your courage. You are the strongest woman I know. You are very independent and self sufficient but I feel on top of the world when you let me care for you. I love seeing how you take on challenges and conquer the world. You do it with such class that the world is yours to mold. Even when life gets rough and people put you down, you still have the strength to stand tall. You don't let anything or anyone get in the way of what you want. You are mature beyond words and don't let stupid stuff get in the way of your dreams. You go for what you want. I am grateful to be on this ride with you. I admire you so much."
"The ninth rose represents love. I won't ever understand how much love you have for me or anything else in this world. The magnitude in which you love astounds me. You love deeply and you love hard. Once you set your mind on something or someone to love, there is no going back. You are all in, especially with the consequences that may come with the decision to love. You have the capacity to love me with all of my faults and still choose to stand beside me. That kind of love does not always come easy and I hope I never stop thanking you for loving me in that way. You encourage me in ways I will always cherish."
"The tenth rose represents forgiveness. The forgiveness you show everyone who has wronged you is incredible. I wish I could come up with a better way to describe it but you are always the better person. You don't put others down. You are compassionate and realize that everyone makes mistakes. Although people have wronged you, you believe in giving second chances to those who are truly repentant for their actions. I know I personally mess up all the time. I feel so stupid and selfish for not always being the perfect man for you that I should be. You always take the offenses in stride and set me straight right away. You give me second, third, fourth chances even when I don't deserve it. I would never want to truly hurt you and I don't want you to feel that I don't try. I do try to please you every day in all that I do. You have made me a better man for correcting all my wrongs. Thank you for always forgiving me when I come to you with regrets."
Troy rested his chin on Gabriella's shoulder as he hugged her from behind, running his hands up and down Daisy's arms softly. He loved being close to her as well as lavishing her with lots of praise and compliments. Gabriella was truly the best gift life could bestow upon him. He loved her more than anything in the world.
"The eleventh rose represents care. You are the most caring person on the planet. You care about everything from the littlest things to the biggest things. The way you care for everything in life makes this world a better place. Your personality is warm and inviting. You are deeply concerned for anyone who comes to you in need. This world needs more people like you who care about the environment and making a difference in other's lives."
"The twelfth rose represents our future. You and I are destined to be together. This I know to be the absolute truth. I love you so much. I love you more than I could put into words and I hope to always remind you of that. I want to be in your life every single day. You are the air I breathe and the oxygen in my lungs. I will never let you go. You couldn't get rid of me even if you tried. I imagine my life with you all the time. You are my future. I want to mean just as much to you as you do to me. I can't see myself with anyone else but you. You are my life, my future, my soul mate, my one and only, my everything. You light up my life like no one else."
Troy looked straight at Gabriella in the mirror one last time before he reached into his pocket and then got down on one knee. He pulled out the ring box he had been holding onto closely, opened the lid, and lifted it up for Gabriella to see. Gabriella, suddenly becoming curious about what Troy was doing behind her, turned around and immediately saw the ring in Troy's hand. Her hand instantly flew up to cover her now open mouth. A surprised gasp escaped from Gabriella's lips as she began to tear up. She couldn't believe what was happening right now. Was this for real? Was Troy really proposing to her? Gabriella was at a loss for words as she was trying to comprehend all the emotions running through her.
"I love you, Gabriella and I can't wait any longer. Will you marry me?" Troy asked in anticipation as he looked up into Gabriella's eyes and smiled eagerly.
Gabriella nodded furiously as she looked down at Troy. "Yes, a million times yes. In every language, yes." She squealed lightly as she held out her left hand.
Troy chuckled giddily as he slid the elegant engagement ring on Gabriella's ring finger and then stood up to promptly crash his lips onto Gabriella's lips. He kissed her with so much passion, love, excitement, and contentment that he could muster. They were engaged to be married now and he couldn't have been happier. Gabriella kissed Troy back with just as much passion, love, and excitement. The sparks were definitely flying between the two and the romantic tension was undoubtedly soaring sky high. Troy and Gabriella were wrapped up in each other's arms, showing each other how much they loved each other. Their kisses were electrifying and each of them craved the other so much more now that they were finally official. This was now the beginning of the rest of their lives together in perfect union.