Chapter 1: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...The Meeting

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
Oh, I believe in yesterday"

'Yesterday' by the Beatles

January 13, 2013

Gabriella sat on the couch, watching a Nicholas Sparks movie and making her way through a box of Thin Mint cookies. It was nearly seven-thirty and she had just changed into Troy's Air Force sweatshirt. It wasn't the same as having him with her, but it was as close as she could get since he'd volunteered to work in hospitals in Afghanistan to help with children who'd gotten stuck in the middle of gunfire. Just as the couple in the movie were sharing their first kiss, the sound of the doorbell filled the downstairs level of her home. Ever since she had moved into Troy's place, she'd hated for the doorbell to ring unexpectedly. She walked toward the door, peeking through the peep-hole. Her worst fears were confirmed, outside of her home were two men in dress blues.

She yanked the door open, needing for them to tell her they'd gotten the addresses mixed up, that they were looking for another MSO. "Ms. Montez?" the shorter of the two men questioned, taking his hat off in the process.

She pulled at the sleeves of the sweatshirt, wishing that it would swallow her whole. Words escaped her. She simply nodded her head.

"Ma'am, we regret to inform you that there was an accident. About three days ago, the hospital where Master Sergeant Bolton was working was bombed." Three days? Why was she just finding out about this? "Ms. Montez, he is in critical condition. Doctors say that they can't guarantee that he'll make a full recovery or even regain consciousness. We're sorry, Miss."

Her heartbeat sped up as she tried to process the words. Her hand instinctively cupped her stomach. "Where is he?" her voice came out, without her even recognizing it.

"He was treated overseas and he's been airlifted to the hospital on Naval Station Norfolk."

Gabriella's body started moving strictly on instinct. She closed the door, walking to put on a pair of yoga pants instead of the pajama shorts she currently had on. Making her way to the car, she was working on autopilot. She didn't want to think too much or she'd stress and that wasn't good for her health. She couldn't think too much or she'd think of all of the possible outcomes of this situation. Troy could wake up and be fine. He could wake up with brain damage or paralyzation. No matter the outcome, there would be PTSD involved, she feared that she had lost her Troy forever.

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She was maneuvering her way through the maze of hallways. She'd finally arrived at the hospital and was being directed to Intensive Care. "Ms. Montez," the nurse started, breaking her out thoughts. "he's hooked up to a lot of machines. He's on a high dosage of medicine, so please don't expect too much. We're not expecting him to wake up and you shouldn't get your hopes high either."

Gabriella had been sitting beside Troy's bed for hours, now. She hadn't dared move. He looked so fragile, so pale. her strong Airmen was now a ghostly white, injury-covered, man. She scooted the chair closer to him, taking his hand- cautious of the wires and the IV. "Troy, I don't know who you think you are, but you're gonna wake up. I put way too much into this- I'm too invested, now. I'm carrying your baby. Your little boy, your son, Troy. If you think you can leave now, you have another thing coming." she joked, hoping to see his blue orbs crinkle at the corner with a smile.

They didn't.

"Do you remember the night we met, Troy?" Her tears were falling freely. "I do. And I've loved you since then. That night was perfect..."

December 31, 2011

God, is this what people did around here on New Year's Eve? Gabriella's eyes skimmed the packed bar and grille, hoping that there would be an empty spot somewhere for her. She didn't require much room after, she was alone. She stepped forward, moving her brown gaze towards the hostess. The redhead had obviously had a long day, she directed her vibrant blue eyes toward Gabriella before letting her her high pitched voice fall from her mouth.

"Hey, I'm Misti!" Her southern drawl, which was common of this particular Virginia town, coated each syllable of her greeting. "How many in your party, ma'am?"

"Oh, just one. Just me." Gabriella replied, quickly.

"That's no way to spend New Year's!" she nearly shouted, obviously taken aback. "I don't mean to pry, but you don't have anybody to spend the night with? No boyfriend? Gal pals?"

"Uh, n-no. I'm new to the area, haven't really met anyone yet." she countered, in a sheepish voice.

"No need to worry, we're friendly round these parts. A pretty girl like you won't be friendless for long. And your wait won't be long either, long as the bar is okay." Misti told her.

Gabriella looked up scanning the bar, seeing one seat open. It was smack dab in the center of the counter and stuck between two men, chatting with their respective friends. She knew she should have just gotten some takeout and rung in the new year at home with her dog, Fitz. "It'll be fine." Gabriella blurted, letting her growling stomach get the best of her. She clutched her purse to her side, making her way through the packed space of the restaurant's foyer. She slipped into the seat, immediately ordering a Shirley Temple. Apparently catching the attention of the man next to her.

He turned, eyeing her up. She took him in, in his entirety, now. His bed-head type hair, cerulean eyes, and bulging biceps screamed male model. The camo fleece strewn on the back of his chair, combined with the battered baseball cap sitting next to his beer screamed typical country hick. He opened his mouth to talk, smiling first, and showing off his pearly white teeth. "I couldn't help to overhear your drink order miss, but did you just get a virgin Shirley Temple?" he asked, his southern twang failing to cover the chuckle in the back of his throat.

"I did." Gabriella told the stranger, rather indignantly.

"Pardon my heathen ways, miss. I suppose I shoulda introduced myself first, huh?" he questioned. "I guess I was just distracted by you. I don't know if you noticed but we don't exactly have women like you around here."

"Women like me? " she asked, picking up the drink that had been sat in front of her and taking a sip, looking back at the man questioningly. He nodded toward the bartender, indicating that he was waiting on her Gabriella.

"Oh, sorry to keep you waiting. Um, I'll just have the grilled chicken sandwich with tomato and lettuce. Steamed broccoli, instead of fries for my side." she told him, with a smile. She handed the menu back over the counter.

"We really don't have women like you around here." He told her, reiterating his point. Gabriella's quizzical look returned as she turned her head back toward him, seeing that he had abandoned the conversation with the man sitting next to him and had turned on his barstool to completely face her.

"Well first off, you don't have blonde straight hair." he started, eyeing her curly near-black locks, "Those eyes and your tan, that isn't orange, mean you're from someplace besides little ole Virginia or the Carolina's. You're not wearing a plaid shirt and you talk like you're from up north. To top it all off, I brought plenty girls here on dates, and none of 'em ever ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. They get chicken tenders." he listed off, smirking at her. "The name's Troy." he told her, flashing that bright smile and extending his hand.

Gabriella took it, giving him a weak shake. Quickly, Gabriella turned toward the plate that had been sat in front of her. She picked up her fork, taking a quick bite of the broccoli and trying to ignore the feeling of the eyes burning a hole into the side of her head. She took half of the sandwich in her hands, bit into it and turned to look back at him. He was smirking as he watched her eat.

Gabriella swallowed the bite, "Yes?"

"Aren't you gonna tell me your name?" he questioned, taking a sip out of a second bottle of beer.

She took another bite of the sandwich, watching him intently, as she chewed carefully. "Gabriella."

"And you're from Massachusetts, Gabriella?" he asked, commenting on the sweatshirt she was wearing, which proudly displayed her college.

"That's where I went to school. I'm a jersey girl." she commented, looking down at her leopard print Vans sneakers, a little hint into love of animal print.

"Well, Miss Gabriella, my mama always wanted me to marry a southern belle, but I think she'd make an exception for someone as beautiful as you."

Gabriella looked to him, boys at home were forward but not about marriage. They just wanted sex. She looked at him, his bright blue eyes still shining as he stared intently back.

"I'd like to get to know you more, Miss." he whispered, leaning in closer to the brown eyed girl.

"Then get to know me." she responded, giving into the southern charm of the boy, earning a smile in response

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my original question. Why are you drinkin' a virgin drink, alone on New Year's Eve?"

"Simple: I'm a lightweight with no friends." she replied, finishing off the food on her plate, leaving the crust from her bun in a ring. Gabriella looked back to him ready for his next question.

"What brought down here, Ms. New Jersey?" he inquired, ordering her a second drink.

"I got a job at the dance studio as head choreographer. The pay was better than any of my other offers, so I packed it all up and drove my Prius down here." she answered honestly. "What about you, Troy? What is it that you do?"

"If I tell you, you won't believe me." he tested out, taking a swig of the glass of water that had been placed in front of him; he had to drive tonight.

"Try me."

"Don't laugh." he warned."I'm one of the dancers in the company at the studio." he let out, suppressing a smile.

"Bullshit. I don't believe you for a second. How many basic positions are there in ballet?" she quizzed him.

He looked around, searching for a way out. "Enough to let me off the hook for lyin' to you this early in the friendship?"

"Who said I even want to be your friend, liar?" she asked him, returning the smirk he'd been sending her all night.

"What are you doin' tonight? You got any plans?"

"Not with you, you won't even tell me what your job is!" she exclaimed, turning to face him fully.

"I'm a pediatrician in the Air Force. I'm stationed at Langley. It's a ways away." he let out, sighing. Around here men usually went on to work at the factories or in construction. Troy, a pretty boy as he was often dubbed, was commonly looked down upon for not doing man's work like the boys he'd grown up with. He didn't like divulging that to prospective girlfriends right away It's not that being in the Air Force made him a 'sissy', it was just that around here when guys went into service it was almost always the Army. .

"I would have never guess that." she mumbled before answering his prior question, "And I'm going home to watch the ball drop on television with my dog. I'll call my mom and be in bed before 12:15." she answered, collecting her bag and preparing to stand up and leave the inquisitive boy sitting at the bar.

He stood up, reaching out for her to stop her from leaving. "You're comin' out with me, tonight." he told her. "Did you drive here?"

"I walked and I'm about to walk to home."

"No, I'm driving. You can't spend New Year's Eve alone. This might not be the city, but us country folk do know how to throw a party." He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door, stopping at Misti. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Don't burn yourself out."

"I won't, Tripp." She told him, with a warm smile, before she saw Gabriella standing next to him. "See! I told you that you wouldn't be alone for long..." she trailed off, realizing she had never gotten the name of the shorter girl.

"Gabriella." she filled in the ginger haired girl.

"Take care of her, Tripp." she said, pushing the two out of the door.

"Tripp? Is that another lie?" Gabriella questioned as he guided her in the direction of his Chevy pick-up truck. He opened the door, helping her in the lifted truck as he rubbed the back of his neck at the question.

"It's an-uh a childhood nickname. Misti's my little sister. She's called me that since she could talk. Then my whole family started calling me it, then it kinda spread to my friends and everyone else."

"Did she just make it up?"

"No, I was a little rambunctious and my mom always called me by my full name, Troy Phillip, she put the beginning of Troy with the ending of Phillip and I haven't been able to drop the name since then." he said, smirking as he pulled up to a red light and looking to her. "That and I was the worst kid on my baseball team and tripped every time I ran bases..." he said quietly, trailing off.

"That's cute." She told him with a genuine smile, before she realized what she had said. Gabriella turned away from him, moving to turn up the volume on his radio. The sound of Josh Turner's "Time is Love" filled the cab of the Troy's truck.

Troy turned as he noticed the scrunch of Gabriella's nose at the start of the country song. "If it's not your cup of tea, you can find something else."

"This is fine..." Gabriella told him, blatantly lying and hoping that Troy was too focused on the road to pick up on it.

He opened his mouth to reply and then quickly closed it again, deciding to let it slip. It was obvious that Gabriella was an open book when it came to her opinions. Her face gave it all away.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea, Troy. I'm not gonna know anyone there, I'm not even dressed for a party- Troy, I barely even know you." She said, her nerves picked up as she noticed Troy put his blinkers on, indicating he was going to turn into an upcoming neighborhood.

"It's not that kinda party. It's gonna be a buncha guys and girls in jeans and t-shirts. You look fine. And you can get to know me more. That's why I'm bringin' you here, to get to know you." He told her, as he came to a full stop in front of a two story tan brick house. The windows in the bottom of the house were illuminated and there was a glowing light from the backyard, a bonfire.

"Come on." He said, hopping down from the truck and walking around to help her down.

"Could this thing be any higher off the ground?" she mumbled, grasping his hand as she balanced on the truck's side step before reaching the ground.

"I can always lift it higher." Troy joked. "Let's get inside."

It was now 11:52. Troy and Gabriella had talked all night, he'd even gotten her to partake in a few drinks. The two were now sitting in very close proximity, still talking. The effect of the previous wine coolers and the cup of beer she was currently nursing had set in.

"Damn Tripp, you hogged that pretty little lady all night. Maybe somebody else wanted to talk to her." Cooper, a blonde with grey eyes called from the opposite couch.

"Coop, if she wanted to talk to you, she would have. She knows a snake when she sees one."

Gabriella took a sip of her beer and stood up making her way to the other boy. "I'm Gabriella." she said, extending her hands toward Cooper.

"I had to beg that name out of you!" Troy exclaimed, watching the interaction between the two.

"Cooper Ashby." he said, shaking her hand back. "Now tell me how Troy got a beautiful girl like you to come with him tonight."

She turned to look at Troy, who was keeping a close eye on the two. "He kidnapped me- forced me to come here with him." She smirked. "But I can't say I regret coming. "

"Well he's lucky he got to you first, but if you're willing to jump ship on him before you start sailing, I'll be in the kitchen." Cooper told her, standing from the couch and giving Troy a playful glare as he left to new friends alone with each other in the living room.

Troy got up and moved to sit next to her. Her eyes fell to the green numbers of the clock: 11:57.

"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" Troy asked her, keeping watch of the time out of the corner of his eye.

"I did." She told him, receiving his raised brows in response. "I'm surprised, too. Believe me."

11:59.

"You know you're supposed to kiss somebody at midnight..." he hinted.

"I'm aware of this, yes."

18 seconds. The countdown in the bottom corner of the television was ticking.

"You gonna let me be that person?"

12 seconds.

"I was actually going to go find Coope-" Troy cut her off, quickly attaching his lips to hers just as the sound of the others in attendance at the small party filled the house, " 3...2...1...Happy New Year!"

He pulled back, staring into her eyes. "If this year is as good as these last couple of hours were, I can't wait for the next 365 days."

Gabriella smiled at him, if there was ever a time to let your guard down and fall for someone, what better time than at the start of a New Year. After all, it was a time for new beginnings.

"Will you take me home?" she questioned as she ran her fingers through his mess of hair, in an attempt to tame it a little, despite the fact that she really did like the easy look of it.

"Yeah, let's get outta here." He told her, grabbing her hand and intertwining his fingers with hers. He led her toward the door, stopping in the other rooms and out back to bid farewell to the others at the party.

"It's the apartment complex on the left."

Troy made the turn and pulled into a parking spot where she directed him. "Now I know where to come when I have to stalk you to see you again." he joked

Gabriella let out a small laugh, rolling her eyes at herself. "I'm gonna end up on a news show. They say not to get in a car with a man you just met, not to leave your drink with strangers, and you're definitely not supposed to show them where you live. I struck out."

"I have that effect on women."

"Whatever. Bye, Mr. Cocky. "

Gabriella opened the door, stepping down from the cab. She closed it and began walking toward her first floor apartment. She heard a car door open and close behind her and rolled her eyes, knowing it was Troy. "You're just gonna walk away?"

"Yep, what were you expecting?"

"A goodnight kiss?" He was testing the waters.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Troy's cheek. "Goodnight."

"Could I at least have your number?"

He pulled out his cell phone, holding it toward her. Troy pulled his best puppy dog face, trying to break the petite brunette. "Please?"

She took the phone and typed her number in quickly, handing him back the sleek black touch screen.

"For the last time, goodnight Troy." She smiled at him before she turned and made her way to the door of her apartment. Gabriella heard Troy's voice call out "One last thing." She turned and the blue eyed boy was already standing face to face with her. He leaned down, capturing her lips in his for the second time that night.

"Now it's a good night." Troy ran his thumb under Gabriella's bottom lip and smirked at her, before turning and walking back to his Chevy.

A/N: Hey! Sorry for such the long gap in my stories. Life's been hectic. I've written this story in advance, so updates SHOULD (no promises) be way more regular. If any of you guys read "Class A", let me know if you want me to continue it. I will if you guys are still into it, but if you've lost interest I completely understand, seeing as it's been soooo long since I updated. Thanks for your continued support of my stories. All of you guys who read and those who review really make this worth it.

Love as always,

dev.(: