Everyone always says that a girl's wedding day is supposed to be day of beauty and a day of magic. Gabriella was feeling neither beautiful or magical as she stood on the front porch of her house, twisting the silver engagement ring around on her finger.
The sun was bright and the weather warm but Gabriella hardly noticed the beauty of the day, too wrapped up in her own worries and uncertainties to notice anything else.
"Hey, beautiful, you're not trying to make a break for it, are you?" Teased a voice from behind her.
Gabriella opened her eyes and smiled a bit, knowing who was speaking without turning around.
"Not without you." She replied, turning to reveal her smile to Troy. "Just thinking, is all."
"About?" Troy probed, stepping closer to her.
"About everything." Gabriella murmured. She planted a hand on her hip. "Hey, you're not supposed to see me with my dress on – it's bad luck."
Troy rolled his eyes and leaned against the rail of the porch beside her.
"I don't believe in that stuff, and I know you don't either. So we've got nothing to worry about."
Gabriella had to smile.
"I guess you're right." She whispered, shaking her head in amusement.
Gabriella let Troy lead her over to the porch swing that sat in the corner and drew her feet under her as she sat down on it. Troy let the chair sway and slowly to and fro and wrapped an arm around her, kissing her just above her left temple.
"What's wrong Ella?" He murmured, able to read Gabriella's expressions as easily as she could read a physics text book.
"I don't know." She replied truthfully. "I'm just nervous is all, I guess."
Troy nodded and began to brush her hair with his fingers.
"That makes two of us." He admitted, smiling down at her.
It was quiet for a moment as the two of them watching two children run down the street, laughing and screaming at each other while their parents followed behind, watching their children with smiles on their faces.
"Chad's going to have your head when he realizes you're here with me." Gabriella reminded Troy, knowing that Chad was supposed to be 'babysitting' Troy today as Taylor was with Gabriella.
"Psh, he's too busy raiding the fridge to realize that I'm not where I'm supposed to be. Where's Tay anyway?"
"She ran out to get some last minute items." Gabriella replied. "She trusts me not to make a fool of myself."
"And just what are you implying miss Gabi? I am not a fool."
Gabriella laughed.
"Says you. You're always breaking the rules."
Troy chuckled.
"I guess I am, aren't I?"
_______Flashback_______
Gabriella stood in her room, looking into the mirror as she brushed her hair. The radio played softly from beside her bed and she hummed along to the song on it, swaying back and forth in time. Pulling her dark curls into a hair elastic, Gabriella danced over to her desk and sat down in the padded chair, physics book on her lap. The song changed and Gabriella turned it off then, knowing she had to focus on what she was doing. They had a Physics midterm the next day and even though everyone assured her she was ready, Gabriella was taking no chances.
Gabriella wrote a series of equations down and then took off, starting the questions that went along with them. Formula after formula was scribbled onto the page and Gabriella smiled as she pushed her brain to do the large equations and sums in her head, neglecting the calculator that sat beside her.
Gabriella was so into what she was doing that she didn't hear her balcony doors open or the figure creeping towards her. Gabriella was completely oblivious to the ambush so that when her intruder clapped both hands down on her shoulders, Gabriella jumped to her feet and whirled around, physics book and notebook sprawling out on the floor.
Troy beamed at her and released his hold on her, allowing Gabriella to pick up her books and place them carefully back on her desk, then chuckled as she glared at him.
"Troy, don't do that. You're lucky I didn't scream!"
"Ah, relax Gabi. You knew it was me!"
"Actually, no I didn't." Gabriella replied, placing a hand over her racing heart.
"Oh. Well in that case, I'm sorry."
Gabriella's glared darkened even more. He didn't look sorry. Troy grinned despite her expression and pulled her into a hug.
"Come with me, you have to see something." He said, beginning to tug Gabriella towards her balcony and the tree that he had used to get onto it.
"Go where? Troy! It's almost midnight, mom would kill me if she knew you were here, and she'd kill you too if I went anywhere right now."
"Then we'll have to make sure that we don't get caught, right?"
Gabriella groaned and then grabbed her cell phone from her bed as Troy pulled her out and helped her onto the tree branch.
"Where are you taking me anyway?" She asked as the two of them raced out of her backyard and pas the lit up window of her mother's room.
"You'll see." Troy replied, holding the door to his truck open to Gabriella, before hopping over to the drivers seat.
Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest as they pulled away from the house and double checked to make sure that her cell phone was on. At least now if her mother noticed she was gone she just had to call Gabriella and she could tell her mother where she was…when she knew exactly where she was that is.
They pulled onto the highway and Gabriella looked questioningly over at Troy but he kept his gaze trained on the road in front of him, a smile on his lips. Gabriella fiddled with the cell phone in her hands until Troy reached over and took it from her, squeezing her fingers instead.
"Troy, I don't know if this is such a good idea." She said, butterflies churning in her stomach.
"Relax Brie, we're almost there." Troy soothed, squeezing her hand again.
Gabriella just nodded and kept her gaze on the passing scenery, trying to get her bearings. Troy turned the radio on and Gabriella had smile as he squeezed her hand for the third time. He always knew how to make her feel more at home.
"Alright, here we are Gabi."
Troy nosed his truck into a gravel driveway and Gabriela gasped as she caught sight of the farmhouse in front of them. The shape loomed in the darkness and Gabriella wrapped her sweater tighter around her as Troy hopped out of the truck and ran over to opened her door for her.
Without a word Troy led her to the front door and rang the doorbell, smiling reassuringly when Gabriella grabbed his hand again.
The door opened to reveal a teenager not much older than the two of them, and from the expression on his face, he seemed to have been expecting the two of them.
"Hey Troy, I see you were serious! Come on in you two."
The boy stepped back and allowed Troy and Gabriella to slip into the house, shutting the door beside them.
"Mom's got her in the pantry." The boy commented, leading the two of them through the house. "Just remember to let her sniff you before you touch any of the little ones. She's defensive."
Now Gabriella was terrified. She clung to Troy's hand and looked up at him once more, fear evident in her expression.
"Relax Gabi, its okay. Trust me. This is my cousin, Earl."
Earl stopped walking and gave a wave to Gabriella. Gabriella raised her hand in a timid wave and offered a shy smile.
"Hey now, you didn't tell her where you were bringing her? Does she even know why you're here?"
"Nope." Troy replied, winking at Gabriella. "It's a surprise."
Gabriella relaxed a bit and blushed as they continued on through the house. It seemed so strange to be here, especially at this time of night but neither Troy or Earl seemed to be uncomfortable with the situation so therefore Gabriella tried to put her worries aside, knowing that Troy wouldn't take her anywhere that wasn't safe or anywhere they weren't welcome.
"Be real gentle now." Earl said, allowing them to step past him into a small, warm room.
Gabriella followed Troy into the room and then gasped in delight. In front of them lay a golden retriever, surrounded by six or seven little bundles of fur that Gabriella realized were puppies.
"Oh my gosh, they're so cute!" She gushed, kneeling down beside Troy to let the mother sniff her fingers.
"Her name's Millie." Earl supplied from the doorway, amused at Gabriella's reaction.
"Hi Millie." Gabriella said quietly, scratching the dog behind the ears. "You're just a cutie aren't you?"
Millie wagged her tail and Gabriella moved aside so that Troy had a chance to greet the older dog, leaving Gabriella to look at the puppies that were now blinking sleepily at her.
Troy appeared beside her and smiled at her elated expression.
"Glad you came?" He asked, tapping his fingers on the floor to attract the puppies.
They got up and waddled over to Troy and Gabriella, curious as to what could be making the sound on the floor.
"Yes!" Gabriella breathed, tangling her fingers in the soft fur of the puppies.
One of them climbed onto her lap and made a noise at her; similar to a bark and a whimper mixed together.
Troy laughed at Gabriella's expression.
"Looks like you've got a fan, Brie."
Gabriella beamed and gently lifted the puppy into her arms, cradling it close to her face as it sniffed her with its tiny nose. The puppy began to lick her and Gabriella giggled, shaking her hair so that the puppy was attracted to that too.
"What's this one's name?" Gabriella asked Earl, gesturing to the puppy that was currently tangled within her ponytail, emitting quiet snarls of enjoyment.
"The owners get to name them whatever they wish to." Earl replied, settling down beside Millie.
Gabriella nodded and stroked the tiny puppy as it continued to battle against her hair.
"What do you want to name it Brie?" Troy asked appearing beside her with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Gabriella asked, although she was beginning to get an inkling as to what Troy was referring to.
"I mean just that. One of these little cuties – I'm assuming the one that's eating your hair is the winner—is coming home with you."
_______End Of Flashback_______
"You're definitely a rule breaker." Gabriella laughed, after sharing the memory with Troy. "I can't believe that you got mom in on it too. You're such a little sneak! I was the only one that didn't know I was getting a puppy. How cruel is that?"
"That's life, Brie." Troy laughed.
It was quiet for another moment and Gabriella let her head rest on Troy's shoulder, remembering all the years that had passed since then.
"You know what Troy?"
"Mmm?"
"I'm not nervous anymore. I don't even know why I was in the first place. Why in the world would I be nervous to be getting married to the boy of my dreams?"
"Don't feel too bad, Ella. I was nervous too. It's a big change, that's all. A change that neither of us can predict until we're living it. Of course we're going to be nervous."
Gabriella nodded and smiled.
"We'll be fine."
Troy planted a kiss in her hair.
"That we will be."
There was a cacophony of sound as the screen door slammed open and two people hurtled through it.
"There they are! I told you they'd be together!"
Troy laughed as Chad pointed at them, frustration evident in his voice. Gabriella just smiled and shrugged at an amused looking Taylor.
"Oh relax Chad." Taylor sighed. "They've always been lovebirds.
* * *
Gabriella stood in front of the mirror one last time, perfecting the position of the veil that was pulled over her face. Taylor stood just behind her and smiled at her best friend.
"Are you ready for this?" Taylor asked, grinning widely as they stepped into the hallway when the music started playing.
Gabriella thought hard back to the brief conversation that she and Troy had shared on the porch. Sure she was nervous again, but those few minutes with Troy had shown her that she had nothing to be worried about.
"Yes, I'm ready. Let's do this."
AN: Okay so that was just a cute little one shot for you! I hope you liked it! Just something that I came up with randomly. Thanks for reading! Feel free to review!