Synopsis: Gabriella Montez has always held the belief that love never changes. People change. Circumstances change. But love – it's the only thing that she's always known to be constant, unyielding and steadfast.
AN: This, like the recently posted Barely Breathing, was started several years ago. Real life always intruded and therefore, like BB, was put in the back burner and it was not until the auction in wildcatsgivebac over in LJ that eventually prompted me to finish this. Also, this is very much straight up AU, although there are some subtle hints or aspects of the HSM universe that are used.
This may get confusing (when are my stories not confusing?) since I've intermixed flashbacks and present scenes – maybe even flash forwards. Italics will indicate a shift a timeline, most likely in the past. I know, I know. I'm just hoping that I leave enough clues – and actually write them well, that you'll figure out if it is in the past or in the future. So as always, apologies in advance if I confuse you – and I most likely will. I'm trying to use the conventional narrative but alas, this just seems more fun (for me).
Lastly, a big thank you to Holden for 'buying' this story. I hope you like it and sorry for the delay. Spotty internet, midterms and Coachella (sadly, no sighting of Vanessa) happened. Also, once I started writing this, the whole plan for it totally changed so essentially, it's a new story than what was planned before. Updates should be every two weeks.
I apologize for any grammatical mistakes or changes in tenses.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
She let out a giggle the moment the driver closed the door. Ensconced in their limo, she couldn't help but laugh. She was married. Married. Just the mere word made her feel so giddy, so utterly and explicably happy.
"What are you so happy about?" he asked.
Glancing at her husband, her smile just widened and she shook her head. Her husband. He sat at the adjacent seat, shifting earnestly while he tugged his tie every now and then. Dressed in a tux, he looked impeccable. Scratch that – he looked flawless, that to her, it seemed so surreal that she's married to him. His hair was gelled back in a very James Dean-esque hairstyle. He looked so dapper in his suit that she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach. She motioned for him to come closer. And when he was near enough, she pulled at the lapels of his jacket and fixed the bothersome tie. He sent her a grateful smile.
"We're married." She suddenly announced.
"Oh, so that's what the ceremony was about?"
She rolled her eyes. "We're actually married. As in truly married. Husband and wife. Ol' ball and chain…"
It was his turn to roll his eyes. "You make it sound so pleasant. Freaking ball and chain, really?"
"You know what I mean." She says as she leaned down to give him a peck.
"Ball and chain, huh? So that means we're bound to each other. As I am to you?" His voice was deep and low.
Her lips curved. "As you are to me."
He glanced at her, met her hazel brown eyes. A long moment passed between, absorbing the gravity of their words. She sensed him draw near, not long after, his arms came around her, surprising her as she was lifted and placed on his lap, uncaring of the tulle and silk of her wedding dress and veil.
Then he spoke. "You are the only woman in the entire world that I would gladly – willingly, be chained to." He then took her left hand, softy tracing the rings nestled in her finger and raised them to his lips, giving her delicate fingers a soft kiss. "Nothing – and I mean nothing will ever tear us apart. Forever and always, that's my promise."
She shook her head, her smile deepening as she remembered him uttering those very same words during the ceremony. She smiled gloriously, and twined her arms around his neck. "Forever and always," she softly whispered, before her lips met his in a gentle kiss. But as always, as she arched her body and touched his, the kiss grew fervent, passionate.
It was a long time before they left the limousine and met their guests at the reception. And when they did make it out of the car and into the hotel ballroom where their family and friends gathered, hands tangled together, her cheeks flushed and his smile feral, it did not take much for the guests to figure out what the newlyweds were doing.
Overhead, the MC announced as he spotted them at the entrance, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce to you for the first time in public as man and wife, Gabriella Elizabeth and Troy Zachary Bolton…"
~.~.~
Maybe, Someday Soon
~.~.~
She tugged the television remote from between the champagne-colored sofa cushions. The quiet inside the house – a small two bedroom Spanish-style villa in the outskirts of San Francisco, seemed to echo against her eardrums. Turning, she stared at the television and contemplated turning it on just to chase the silence away.
It had been a long time since she found herself alone in the house. As a resident physician going on her third year, her time never really was her own, especially now that she had started her fellowship at UCSF in pediatrics. She could easily describe her life as of late as a series of 36-hour work shifts separated by a much needed 12-hour rest, which she just usually spent sleeping in one of the many rooms in the hospital. For two months straight, she hadn't had a second to call her own. Today was the first time, in a very long while, that she actually left the hospital to relax in her own house. She thought of taking advantage of her downtime by reading a book or maybe a long and much needed soak in her bathtub, but as she stood there, in the middle of her living room, she couldn't help but feel lost. Claustrophobic, as if all this empty space was slowly stifling her. It was then she remembered that she hated those days that she got the day off. She never knew what to do with her time. Never knew how to occupy herself.
The quiet steadily hummed.
Placing the remote on the coffee table, she turned to the entertainment center and turned the stereo on. She cranked up the volume, hoping the sweet melodies could slowly erase the overwhelming feeling of panic that has settled in her. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the song playing. Her hand automatically reached for her necklace, about to squeeze the ring that hung on the simple silver chain when she remembered that she finally took it out and kept it hidden in her jewelry box, underneath all her earrings and bracelets.
'I need to be bold
Need to jump in the cold water
Need to grow older with a girl like you'
She was sixteen then, sitting outside her balcony on a warm July night, reading when the first strings of this song drifted. She placed her book down and leaned against the railing, smiling when she saw him, standing there with Ryan playing the guitar and Kelsi in her portable piano. She had always known he could sing but she's never had the pleasure of hearing him sing in person.
'Yeah, I'd rather be with you
Say you want the same thing too
Say you feel the way I do'
She couldn't remember the feeling he gave her as he stood there singing. She must have been overjoyed. Ecstatic that East High's most popular boy was outside serenading. All she remembered of that night was, at that time, it was the most valuable feeling in the world. She debated switching radio stations, but stopped herself the last minute. It's been three long years. She was surely over him by now.
Maybe a long soak in the tub was in her order, she said to herself. Continuing in her bedroom, she willed herself to forget as more images flashed through her mind. Now, it was of two teenagers, older, sitting on the hammock in her mother's backyard, discussing their future and what they were going to do for college if they ended up in different coasts. He made her a promise then.
"If I could stay in one moment forever," she remembered him saying to her, "it would be that night on the rooftop, while we danced and kissed at prom, and for the first time, you actually cursed at Chad for hollering. That is how I know you're it."
A younger version of her smiled. "You know I'm the one because I told Chad to shut it?"
His eighteen year old self pushed a strand of her hair out of her face. He smirked. "No. I knew you were the one, because at that moment, I realized that I was ready for you to be my last – and my only."
She snapped back to reality by the ringing of her home phone. She sighed, and shook her head. It was in the past. Long forgotten. She grimaced at that thought. Okay, definitely not forgotten, she admonished herself. But she was trying.
She grabbed the phone and pressed the TALK button.
"Hello," she said, trying to sound upbeat.
The cheerful voice of her friend greeted her. "I'm bored out of my mind. This is why I hate getting days off. I'd prefer to be working non-stop at the hospital rather than sitting at home doing absolutely nothing. Please tell me I can come crash at your place this afternoon. We can be two miserable souls being miserable together."
She smiled, "Breathe, Tay."
In the background, Robert Downey Jr. belted out the lyrics to 'Broken'.
'In love with a broken heart
You feel in love with a broken heart'
Gabriella gripped the phone tighter, hoping to stop the memories of the two of them. She closed her eyes and breathed. "Come over, Tay. Let's be miserable together."
~.~.~
When you thought I wasn't looking, I was.
"Gabriella?" Taylor McKessie called out as she rummaged through with box she found, tracing the words on the note she just found. "Gabs?"
"Yeah, what's up, Ta -" Gabriella halted upon seeing her friend holding the timeworn box. She took a deep breath, "Where'd you find that?"
Taylor looked up. "It was under the bed. My lipstick rolled down underneath and while I was grabbing it, I stumbled upon this."
"I totally forgot it was there."
"Ex-boyfriend box?"
"Husband," she found herself saying. It had been years – three, to be exact, since she had looked at the box. It wasn't anything ornate. Just a small brown box. Simple. It wasn't anything special, Gabriella said to herself as she eyed the contents. Nothing special.
"I didn't know you were married," Taylor softly said, wary of friend. She had met Gabriella three years prior. They were both first year interns then at University of California San Francisco Medical Center. She was running late, running through the hospital hobby unaware of her surroundings. It was not until she bumped into someone – Gabriella, that she realized how careless she was. Or stupid. Had it been anyone else, a resident or a patient, she would have definitely been kicked out of the program. Thankful, Gabriella had been nice about it, helping her up and they were best friends ever since. It wasn't hard seeing as they spend practically every waking moment in the hospital, running haggard and just trying to keep up with the hard, long hours. It was during those long hours were the two of them bonded, talking about their lives, their dreams and wants as they waited for their pagers to go off, and their next shift would begin again. Not once, in the three years they've know each other, did Gabriella mention a husband.
"We were high school sweethearts," Taylor heard her quietly say. "Got married during our senior year, right around the time I was sending out my applications to medical school. It was the most hectic and insane year of my life."
Gabriella reached up and tried to bat discreetly at her eyes, willing the tears to go away. "But it was the most amazing year too."
At seeing her tears, Taylor said quietly, "Hey, don't cry. I can put this back and we can totally forget about this."
She smiled, and shook her head. "It's fine." She drew a deep shuddering breath, "I hadn't thought of him in days. And that box, I totally forgot about that box. It's full of post-its. He had this thing of writing notes. Mostly stupid things. Reminding me to buy him something from the grocery store. Then there are others…."
She ducked her head in embarrassment, hating herself for feeling this way. It has been three years. Three long years of no contact. She should have moved on by now. Gabriella continued, "He would leave them everywhere. Some were easily found. Taped to the fridge. Or the bathroom mirror. Others were more hidden, taking me days – even weeks, to find."
"Do you mind?" Taylor asked, holding up one of the post-its. Remember when you pretended you couldn't swim just so I could hold you?
She smiled. Or at least tried to. "No, go for it," she found herself saying, watching as her friend carefully delved into the contents of the box, digging deeper.
"That's kind of sweet," Taylor said as she read one of the post-its she found amusing. I love you so much its stupid.
Gabriella laughed – albeit dolefully, "I found that taped to the television screen. The night before we were watching a comedy, I forget what it was."
I liked it when you made me late for work today.
Taylor laughed at that. And laughed even more when she saw the blush staining her friend's cheeks.
"That wasn't the only one," Gabriella revealed, surprising both herself and Taylor by her candidness. Her statement was further echoed by the next few notes Taylor read.
…you naughty minx you.
I did some of my best work last night *wink wink*
"This is definitely getting juicy," Taylor said, clearly amused. She picked up the next one in the pile and blushed herself before handing it over to Gabriella.
Do you remember? It was the best night of my life. Hands down.
Gabriella couldn't help but genuinely smile at that. And she did remember, vividly as if it was yesterday that night he was referring to. She could still remember that kiss and the promise that lay within it – the promise of forever, as he knelt in one knee and proposed. She broke out of her musings when she heard a gasp.
Looking up, Taylor gaped and stared at the last note in the box. "He proposed with a post-it?"
Her lips twitched. "Yeah. It was actually very sweet. Very Troy."
"Troy?" she asked. "That was his name?"
Gabriella nodded. Her chest suddenly felt tight as she saw the questions in her friend's eye. It was difficult to breathe, difficult for her to explain her story. "Troy Bolton. We both went to school here, he in Berkeley and me, you obviously know in Stanford. We built a life here in San Francisco. We were married for close to two years before it…," she gulped, "before it all broke down. He lives in Albuquerque now."
Placing the post-it inside the box, Gabriella continued, "Right after he left, I was going to throw all the boxes out," she shrugged, looking helpless and at that moment, Taylor realized she really did not know much about her friend, "but I couldn't bring myself to throw them in the trash." She stood up and with such intensity, stared at Taylor. "My life was in those post-its. No matter how painful it was, how messy it ended, he was a huge part of my life."
With barely a nod to her friend, Gabriella walked past, exiting the bedroom and leaving Taylor, alone with the box full of memories she was never privy and alone with her conflicting thoughts.
Off to the side of the bed, laid a single post-it, forgotten.
Forever and always. That's my promise.
~.~.~
Gabriella was running late.
It was supposed to be their anniversary dinner tonight. Late anniversary dinner. The actual date had already passed. With their hectic and often conflicting schedule, they could not properly celebrate their anniversary on the day of. They made plans. Said plans got cancelled when she got called in for an extra shift at the hospital. They rescheduled. Only to have to reschedule again when Troy, at the last minute, had to stay late to iron out the remaining details of the merger he was working on.
But tonight was supposed to be their night. The one night, in all of this month, that they were luckily both free. But a patient of hers coded and the next thing she knew, an hour had passed by. It took another hour to get home because of some accident on the freeway. By the time she got home, fumbling with her house keys and running up the stairs to their apartment, she was already almost three hours late for the dinner he had cooked himself.
"I'm so, so sorry. My phone died and a patient of mine was rushed into surgery," she began immediately explaining upon opening the front door. "I'm so sor -"
She halted and looked around the apartment.
Post-its. Hundreds – maybe, even thousands, of post-its.
Every space and corner of their living room wall and even their dining room, were covered with post-its. Every single one of a different pastel shade.
"I called the hospital when I realized you were running late," a voice to her right said. She turned around, seeing Troy standing by the fireplace. "So I knew about your patient. And while I waited, I saw about the accident at the freeway on the news, so I knew you were going to be even more late."
Momentarily forgetting about the post-its (and its purpose), she grimaced. "I know this was supposed to be our anniversary dinner so I'm really, really sorry for being so late."
He smiled. "It's fine. It gave me the time to do all this," he answered with a hand waving to the post-it covered walls.
Gabriella shifted her gaze away from Troy and started looking closely at what was written in the post-its, walking around the living room. Her brows furrowed when she realized that all weren't written in English.
'Veux-tum'épouser?' one post-it said.
She stepped around him, trying to find a post-it she could actually understand. 'Mivuoi sposarmi?', another post-it held. She knew those words were in Italian, and she cursed herself for not immediately remembering what it meant.
A few moments later, her eyes widened, returning to face him again, her gaze straying once more to the post-it.
Troy knew the moment she realized what the post-it meant. He shifted closer to her, smiled as she inched closer too. Reaching up, he slid her fingers into her hair and watched as her eyes closed at the caress. She opened her eyes and fell into his lucent blue eyes.
"So?" he prompted.
Deciding to play coy, she responded in kind and tried to hold back on the giddiness she felt. "So?"
His brow rose. "Do I get an answer?"
"To what?" Gabriella playfully replied. "Technically, you haven't asked me anything."
Troy smiled, blue eyes wide in mischief and he decided to play along. "All right, I think we should get married," he announced with a smirk.
"That was a statement," she said, beaming. "I still haven't heard the question."
Tugging her closer until no space separated their bodies, he murmured. "Okay, here's a question for you." He paused, and Gabriella's breath hitched as she waited. A long moment passed. In the back of her head, she wondered if he was purposely tormenting her as the seconds ticked by and he still didn't utter a word. Gently stroking her lower lip, he finally asked, "Do you, Gabriella Elizabeth Montez, agree… with the statement or not?"
Her grin transformed into giggle. It was so like him to do that, and he wouldn't be the man she fell in love with if he did not constantly kept her guessing, kept her on her toes. Her hands touched his cheeks, framing his face as she held it steady. "Yes," as her lips neared her, she then whispered reverently once her giggles died down. "Of course I'll marry you."
At her answer, his lips closed over hers, firm, knowing, ardent. His hands locked about her waist, drawing her closer and closer.
And then she was tumbling, falling….
She wanted more. More of him. More of his touch. More of his kisses. Her skin was heated and her breathing grew fractured with every touch he made, his grip tightening as she held onto him.
He broke the kiss, only to ask her again if she was sure. She smiled, before tackling him and landing them both into the couch cushions. Her lids fluttered, her long wavy hair creating a curtain of sorts that shielded their faces against the rest of the world. In that moment, it was just him and her, basking in the moment. He drew back so he could touch her cheek, watched as pure and unbridled passion flashed across her hazel eyes.
"Forever and always," he murmured, repeating the words he wrote in one of the post-its taped to the Tiffany's box. "That's my promise."
Gabriella caught her breath, enchanted by his promise, the vision of a life together Troy weaved in her mind with his words. "I'll marry you a thousand times over, if you wished."
He looked down, trailing his fingertips from her lips, down her throat, over her collarbone and gently, to the skin just above her shirt's neckline. She followed the trail of his hand, her breath hitching as she felt his touch at the tip of her breast as he slowly unbuttoned her blouse. "Once is more than enough," he said before capturing her lips again. Gabriella's hands moved up to his hair to clutch him to her, a small sob escaping as the full gravity of the situation hit her, euphoria at his proposal crashing through her all at once.
Without a word, Troy lifter her in his arms, striding towards their bedroom, his lips still locked to hers.
They passed by the fireplace mantle, a jewelry box sat atop the mahogany, a single post-it taped to it, and this time the words written were in English.
Marry me?
~.~.~
'When we were young I really believed
Love would never leave us
But time has a knack of pulling the rug out
From underneath us'
Your Love, Keane
This is very much a TG story. So don't fret. And Troy makes his appearance next chapter.
Yes, I realize that the wedding scene appeared before the proposal but I thought it flowed better with the events happening in present time. As for the proposal, funny enough, it was actually a scene in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead that inspired that little banter between the two. I actually really, really enjoyed writing that proposal scene.
I hope you enjoyed this, especially Holden since this is written for you, haha.
Reviews are always appreciated.
Playlist: Essentially a mishmash of songs that I've listened to while writing this. Some totally relate to the story. Others, not so much. But the general feeling of the songs totally lent itself to the writing process of this short story. I've provided a link to the playlist. It has the majority of the songs, except for two or three songs that I couldn't find.
Link: playlist .com/playlist/21667154699
I'd Rather Be With You, Joshua Radin
I need to be bold
Need to jump in the cold water
Need to grow older with a girl like you
Paperweight, Joshua Radin
Been up all night
Staring at you
Wondering what's on your mind
Girls, Broken Dreams Club
I know you feel like I do too
And even though I'm close to you
I can't be what you need
Because you're just as lost as me
Run, Leona Lewis
Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess
Where is My Mind, Yoav feat Emily Browning
Your head will collapse
But there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind
Trust Me, The Fray
Looking for something I've never seen
Alone and I'm in between
The place that I'm from and the place that I'm in
Will You Be There, Richard Harris
When I'm scared and tired
Will you breathe in some life
If this world breaks me
Would you make me whole again please
Someone Like You, Adele
I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited.
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I'd hoped you'd see my face & that you'd be reminded,
That for me, it isn't over.
Broken, Robert Downey Jr.
In love with a broken heart
You fell in love with a broken heart
Ships, Umbrellas
Just like ships, we float through each other's lives
Through the waters of beauty and grace
We will one day dock at the same port
Save You, Matthew Perryman Jones
I'm looking back again
Tracing back the threads
You said it was a mess
Or was it just in my head?
Asleep, The Smiths
There is another world
There is a better world
Well, there must be
Last Request, Paolo Nutini
Oh, I've found, that I'm bound
To wander down that one way road.
And I realise all about your lies
But I'm no wiser than the fool I was before.
Please Don't Go, Barcelona
Oh, please don't go
I want you so
I can't let go
For I lose control
England, The National
Put an ocean and a river
Between everybody else,
Between everything, yourself, and home
Still, Matt Nathanson
I remember honey lips and words so true
I remember nonstop earthquake dreams of you
You're coming on fast like good dreams do
All night long
Come On Get Higher, Matt Nathanson
I miss the sound of your voice
And I miss the rush of your skin
And I miss the still of the silence
As you breathe out and I breathe in
All Will Be, Leona Lewis
I know I let you down
But it's not like that now
This time I'll never let you go
A Thousand Lights, Leona Lewis
There's a line, there's a road that we're walking
Different path to the point where they're crossing
But each step is one step closer to you
Don't Let Me Fall, Lenka
You're just the one that I've been waiting for
I'll give you all that I have to give and more
But don't let me fall, don't let me fall
Falling Slowly, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now
A Little Too Much, Natasha Bedingfield
Everybody hurts just a little too much
Everybody hurts but it's never enough
It's wonderful to fall
It's worth of risking all
I'd rather love just a little too much