Took Me By Surprise

A/N: Hey HSM fans and readers! I know I said after With You, I wasn't going to post anymore oneshots until I posted Eyes of July and got ahead on it, but lo-and-behold, a plot bunny late on a Saturday! And the best of all is that it came to me while watching the Diamondbacks vs. Phillies. Maybe because it's the City of Brotherly Love? I don't know, all I know is that the Phils better win before I finish writing this. I promise I am still working on Eyes of July and it'll be up soon! But in the meantime, please enjoy and review this little oneshot! Oh, and the title and some of the story is also based on the bridge to Taylor Swift's song, Mine.

Warning: I really really don't like how this came out, so please don't hate me if it's awful, I'm working extra hard on other stories I know you guys will love.

I smiled widely as a single rose fell out of my locker after the last period of the day. I bent down to pick it up and smiled even wider as I caught sight of the note attached to it and breathed in the flower's scent. I quickly put the books I needed in my backpack and closed my locker before leaning against it and beginning to unfold my mystery note. Which was not really a mystery to me, but anyway.

"Whatcha got there?" my best friend Taylor McKessie spoke up as she tapped me on the arm. I jumped slightly, not seeing Taylor speed-walking down the hall towards me until she was close enough to touch me.

"I'm not sure, I was just about to open it. It was attached to this rose," I explained with a shrug as I looked at my dark-skinned friend. "I haven't see Troy all day. I was starting to think he forgot it was Valentine's Day."

"Girl, that boy wouldn't forget anything that involved both you and romance. Are you crazy? He's head over heels for you," Taylor grinned before she nudged me. "Read your note!" I laughed before complying with Taylor's request.

Hey beautiful. My parents are out of town, so I figured I could surprise you at my house. See you at 7? Happy Valentine's Day, love. I love you.

Love, Troy

"Gabs? Gabriella? Hello? Earth to Gabi?" Taylor called before I finally snapped out of my daydream and wiped off the goofy smile I knew was on my face.

"Yeah, Tay?" I answered with an innocent look, pretending I hadn't just been having a fantasy about Troy.

"Thought I lost you there for a second. But Gab, oh my gosh, do you know what this means?!" Taylor squealed, which was very uncharacteristic of her. I flinched with a smile on my face at how girly she was acting.

"Um, that Troy is surprising me with dinner or something at his house at seven?" I asked, really not sure where she was going with this. It was just Troy. And Valentine's Day. At his house. Alone. Nothing special, right?

"Think about it. This is the first Valentine's Day after your one-year. We're going shopping!" Taylor yelled, her voice echoing through the empty East High hallway as I tried to process what she meant. Before I could ask what she was talking about or even utter word, Taylor was dragging me toward the doors and rambling about only four hours to get me ready for something I had no idea about.

Once we had hit the mall, it dawned on me what Taylor had been implying. And to be honest, it scared me to death. As far as Taylor was concerned, Troy wanted to have sex with me. Me. As in Gabriella Montez. Tonight. And Troy was a boy and Taylor was usually right about…well, about everything.

I had still been in the dark when Taylor had pulled me into the dress store and we emerged an hour later with a dress that both of us had approved. I was still trying to figure it out while we spent another hour trying on shoes to match the dress. It had finally hit me when Taylor guided me towards Victoria's Secret. And it wasn't for perfume and pajamas.

So here we were in my room. I sat nervously chewing on my nails as Taylor ripped the tags off my first layer of clothing, if you could call it that, and explained how to put it on.

"Trust me, you will drive him crazy in this," Taylor finished before she tossed the red satin two-piece at me and I sighed. Drive him crazy? Did she knew who she was talking to? Red was Troy's favorite color, I'll give her that, and I knew he loved seeing me in it. But lingerie? This was a little much. I tried to calm my nerves as I struggled into the foreign clothing. In case you haven't guessed, I'm a virgin. But now that I think about it, I don't think I've mentioned telling Troy that myself. Oh God. No wonder he thought he would get some tonight. I had been the freaky math girl at my old school, no one had wanted anything to do with me. Troy had been my first kiss, for crying out loud. As much as I love him, am I truly ready for this yet? I mean, we've only been dating a little more than a year. But if he wanted it, shouldn't I be a good girlfriend? Would he leave me if he didn't get what he wanted from me?

I continued to battle back and forth with my morals as Taylor worked on my hair and makeup diligently once I had slipped the dress on. I glanced nervously at the clock as my best friend in the world swiped the final touches of glitter eye shadow across my lids and I swallowed thickly. 6:45. Fifteen minutes until Troy's surprise. I stood up, surprised that mt legs weren't at all jelly like I had expected as I stood there in my Louis Vuitton pumps. I turned quick to survey myself in the mirror.

The dress Taylor and I had picked out was a subtle but cheerful sky blue with spaghetti straps and faint, cartoonish red hearts all over. My hair was in its natural waves, but pinned to one side over my shoulder and Taylor had kept my makeup was natural except for the glitter and apple red lip gloss.

"Come on, you're going to be late," Taylor urged as she handed me a black clutch and ushered me down the stairs and out the front door.

"Thanks for driving me, Taylor," I said as we got in the car together and Taylor pulled away from the curb.

"Anytime. Besides, I figured you had enough on your mind with the evening's activities. And I also figured you wouldn't need to get home tonight," Taylor winked at me. I forced a smile as the butterflies rose in my stomach again and that uncertain feeling came back. I was absolutely terrified. I was so afraid he wouldn't want me anymore. I only hoped that she could hide it as well from Troy during dinner as I could from Taylor.

I waved to Taylor as she drove away from Troy's house before steeling my nerves and walking to the front porch. I was nervously wringing my hands and was about to ring the bell when the door flew open, revealing Troy looking as handsome as ever in a light blue button down shirt and black pants.

"How did you know I was wearing blue?" I asked with a smile as I looked him up and down shamelessly, momentarily forgetting my worries as Troy leaned down to capture my lips with his.

"Lucky guess?" Troy shrugged and smirked at me before taking my hand and leading me inside. As I stepped in front of him, I heard him kick the door shut behind him before I lost my vision. Troy had slipped his hands over my eyes.

"Troy, how am I supposed to find my way through your house like this?" I grinned, grabbing his wrists.

"No peeking, it's a surprise," I could hear Troy smirking at me and only shook my head as he started guiding me. A moment later, I heard him count to three in my ear before my vision was restored and I took in the sight before me.

Troy had transformed his dining room into the perfect dinner for two setup. Two chairs sat across from each other at a small table with candles floating in a dish of water with rose petals in the middle. A trail of roses beginning at my feet led to one of the chairs where a bouquet of the beautiful, red flower sat in wait. The walls were covered in rose petals and soft pink lights and romantic music played softly in the background.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Troy said from behind me after he gave me a moment to soak it all in. I turned to him, tears coming to my eyes.

"You did all this for me?" I whispered, reaching for his hands.

"With a little help from Chad and Zeke, yes," Troy answered, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Troy, this is amazing. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I can't even believe…" I trailed as Troy set his hand on me cheek.

"Anything for you. And I mean anything, Brie," Troy smiled at me, kissing my cheek softly before I noticed his gaze move downward. I started to grow nervous all over again, resisting the urge to pull my hands from him and cover myself. He'd do anything for me? That surely meant I had to do anything for him in return, right? I watched as Troy reached his hand out and…took the diamond T-necklace charm in his hand. I sighed in silent relief, berating myself for being so silly and worried. Troy wasn't that kind of guy. Maybe Taylor was completely wrong. Maybe Troy didn't want anything from me tonight.

"You know, it amazes me every day that you still wear this," Troy said softly, his gaze seemingly focused on the lone ruby stone in the corner. I smiled softly.

"I love you, Wildcat," I whispered before I stood on my tiptoes to reach his lips.

"I love you, too," Troy replied when we separated. "Come on! I made chicken marsala, your favorite!" Troy grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the table.

"And by "I," I'm sure you mean Zeke," I chuckled as he turned to me with a pout on his face as I set the roses aside and sat down, ready to enjoy a delicious dinner with my wonderful boyfriend.

As we sat making comfortable small talk over the chocolate baked Alaska Zeke prepared for dessert, I was pretty proud of myself. I had done a darn good job of making sure Troy didn't know a thing about my nerves or worries. And better yet, he hadn't said one thing that would allude to the reason I was wearing this stupid red lace under my dress. I set my fork a moment after Troy did and we both smiled at each other before Troy stood.

"Where are you going?" I asked him, staring up into the pools of blue he calls eyes. I smiled as he leaned back down to my level and kissed my cheek.

"Nowhere that you need to know about," he said with a wink and kissed the tip of nose before walking away.

"Tease," I pouted only loud enough for myself to hear. I knew what he was doing. He always did this when he wanted me to follow him somewhere. He would kiss my cheek, then tell me not to worry about, and then of course, he'd kiss my nose and walk away. But I wasn't giving in this time. This time, I'd make him work for whatever it was he wanted. I was staying right here and not budging until he decided to come back.

Curse my inner curiosity. I lasted a total three minutes before I found myself climbing the stairs in his front hall. I knew he went up, I had heard his footsteps. I reached the top landing and paused to look around before I noticed that the door to his room was ajar.

"Troy!" I yelled as I quickly walked toward the door. "Tr-" I cut myself off when I walked into an empty room that was lit only by candles and felt a lump starting to form in my throat. Taylor was right. Troy was going to try, I just knew it. I suddenly felt like the room I called a second home was a foreign place as I looked around. All I wanted to know at the moment was where Troy was. I just wanted to get this over with so we could sit and cuddle.

"Gab," Troy's voice drifted in from the hallway and I spun around quick. I looked like a deer caught in the headlights and I knew it.

"Hey Troy," I smiled up at him, silently willing my eyes not to give anything away.

"Happy Valentine's Day, love," Troy whispered as he slowly backed me over to the bed.

"You too," I whispered back, not trusting my voice anymore. My knees hit the edge of his bed and I sat both by choice and not by choice. Before I could react, Troy was behind him and trailing kisses down my neck. Something he knew drove me crazy. I let out a gasp when he bit down softly on my collarbone and turned to him, knowing that if I wanted to get this over with, I better get moving. I snaked my hands up under his shirt, unbuttoning it from the inside as I ran my fingers over the taut flesh underneath.

"Gabi…" Troy breathed out and I smiled despite my worries, knowing that I was turning him on. Obviously, Troy didn't like not being in control. He quickly flipped the situation by putting me underneath him and unzipping the back of my dress in mere seconds. This is what usually happened. He would be shirtless and I'd be in my underwear. Normal. Everything was normal right now. But I knew it wouldn't be for long. I let him tug my dress off of me and he began to kiss his way up my stomach as I took a deep breath and gathered up the courage to reach my hands to his belt buckle.

I felt him pause mid-kiss and I knew he was looking up at me curiously, but I didn't dare make eye contact. Not now. It would just make me chicken out. Troy didn't stop me, and I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. I finally succeeded in undoing his belt and returned the favor by pausing in his kisses to his pants all the way off, leaving both of us in our underwear. I swallowed again, not making eye contact with Troy even though I loved his hands and lips felt on me. I just couldn't I knew if I did, there was no way I would go through with this. I just wasn't ready. Wasn't ready. The words hit home with me. I couldn't do it. I couldn't go through with it. All I could do was pray that Troy wouldn't leave me.

I was shaken from my nervous thoughts by two things. One was the obvious bulge in Troy's boxers. The other was feeling his thumbs hook in the waistband of my underwear. I pushed him away and sat up.

"Troy, I can't do this. I'm sorry," I began as I stood up and walked a few paces away from him before turning around.

"Gab, what are you-" Troy began. But I cut him off quickly.

"I'm sorry. If you want to leave me because I'm not giving you what you want, it's okay, really. I understand. It's not like being alone is anything new to me anyway. I'm just sorry it had to end this way. I just can't. Thanks for one amazing year, Troy. I'm sorry," I realized I said sorry about a million and one times during my rant. And I felt the tears forming. I couldn't, wouldn't let him see me cry. I looked at him one last time before running into the hallway and shutting the door behind me. I ran down the stairs and I almost ran outside before mentally cursing myself when I remembered I left my dress and my shoes in his room. I shook my head repeatedly as the tears started to flow freely down my face. I stumbled back toward the Bolton kitchen and out the door. My intention was to climb into the treehouse, a place Troy probably wouldn't look, but when I reached the base of the tree, I knew I couldn't make the climb in this state. I let my legs give out and sunk down against the scratchy bark and buried my head in my knees.

I'm not really sure how long I sat there in the dark, but I must have been really out of it. I didn't even hear Troy's footsteps until I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"You look like you could use this," he said softly. I looked up briefly to see him holding out one of his oversize sweatshirts - well, oversize for me, anyway- with his name on the back. The ones I loved to wear. I smiled small as I took it from him and slid it over my almost naked figure. Then I wrapped my arms around my knees again and rested my cheek on them.

I heard Troy sigh above me, but I didn't bother to look up. I was too humiliated and afraid. Heck, I was surprised he even brought me a sweatshirt. But then he took me by surprise when I felt him slide down the tree to rest next to me.

"Brie," Troy began and I felt his hand move over one of mine. Brie. He only called me Brie when he was absolutely serious. I'll admit, as hurt as I was, it made me a little curious. "Brie, look at me." I refused to move, but I didn't have a choice for long. Troy's other hand came up to my face and gently cupped my chin before tugging my head toward him, forcing my brown eyes to meet his crystal blue ones.

"Troy…" I started but then I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"No, it's my turn to talk. And I want you to listen to me very carefully," Troy sighed to himself, looking straight ahead as he talked after he let go of my face. I angled my body away from him and wrapped my arms around myself, knowing the goodbye was coming. I just didn't want to hear it, but I wished he would get it over with.

"You'll never be alone. You'll always have me." I turned sharply to face Troy, not sure if I heard him right.

"What?" The question came out more sharply than I intended and Troy chuckled.

"Gabriella, I don't know why you thought you had to do that or who put that idea in your head, but I love you for you. You're beautiful, you're smart, you're talented, you're funny, you're easy to talk to. You're my everything. I don't need anything from you. You don't have to do anything. Just being with you is enough for me. I had the candles there because my dad is rerouting my power and the only things that worked were the little wall lights. I love you. And if I left you because you have morals and good head on your shoulders, then I would be absolutely crazy. But then again, I am crazy. Crazy for you," Troy rested his forehead against mine as he finished his little monologue and I felt tears pooling in my eyes once more. I really needed to stop crying tonight even if they were happy tears.

"I love you, too, Troy. More than you can even imagine," I said softly, looking into eyes for the comforting looks I've grown accustomed to. I snuggled closer to him as we lay back on the grass and smiled when he started pointing out constellations to me. Even with the little bump in the road, this was by far my favorite Valentine's Day ever.

A/N: Well, there it is. I'm still not too sure how I feel about it, but it's something for you guys to tide you over. Please review and tell me what you think, even if you have constructive criticism to offer because I know it wasn't great. Bigger and better things are coming! Xx