"Troy," Gabriella's smile quivered slightly before returning to the previous level of confidence. Her eyes looked at his lazily, taking in every fleck of blue in his nostalgic glaze.
Troy's breath caught. Gabriella had grown, mentally for sure, but physically as well. Her small form had disappeared and she stood at regular height, her predominantly hourglass shape outlined perfectly in her simple blue scoop – neck tee. One of her delicate, French manicured hands rested elegantly against the off white doorframe and her weight gradually eased onto one leg more than the other. She wore black slacks that were loose fitting and straight, but still clung in all the right places. Her long flowing hair was in gently, style – free waves. Troy found himself most drawn to her when she dressed natural; the dark tint of her face matched the idea so well.
And oh, how he'd missed hearing her talk. Her sweet, melodic tone wrapping around the simple syllable of his name was entirely effortless, but to him, it was as beautiful as the grandest symphony playing in a large hall. He remembered the days when they were younger, how their child – like, high pitched voices singing ballads in perfect harmony, blending so well with the simple yet majestic notes of Kelsi's piano. He had never much cared for his singing voice back then, but every time he heard hers his heart stopped and he felt the rest of the world melt away, leaving only them, standing there, expressing lyrics like no one could.
Troy swallowed instinctively, broke eye contact and replied simply. "Hi. Gabriella." He looked at her oval face once more and was lost again, but with more of himself able to function normally.
Gabriella let out a quiet sigh as she examined this situation. She hadn't seen troy in ten years, and so much had happened since their high school days. She had moved to Boston, gotten married, acquired a find job, and bought a house with her husband of two years. Once upon a time she thought that Troy Bolton would be the one to spend her life with her, but gradually those dreams faded away, and she was strong in her decision to forget all the tears spilled over their lack of contact and move on. That was how she met Roberto, her big muscled stud of a man that had everyone gaping as they passed him in the street. But there was something about him that lacked, a trait he was missing, and as soon as Gabriella had seen Troy's figure in the doorway, she'd understood what.
Troy took a deep breath and began. "I don't know if you'd gotten my letter, but my mom moved back here to Albuquerque and I came along to -"
"I got your letter" Gabriella assured him. She's gotten it and been so confused she'd read it once hastily before stuffing it in the trash, then had taken it out and read it again, tears welling into her eyes.
Troy felt relieved. "Yeah, well, I just wanted to stop by and say hi." He smiled and held his hands up to signify that he too was feeling particularly awkward in this situation as well. "So," he started again, "How've you been?"
"Um, pretty good," Gabriella smiled shyly and continued. "I actually, um, got married."
Troy's eyes widened part mock surprise and part disappointment. He didn't know what to feel about her. After high school they'd simply moved on, and though he still though of her very often, he doubted that she still remembered his face. Back then he had wondered about his future with her, and then it all fell apart. He'd managed to forget the shallow hole in his mind that could only be filled by her being with him by finding other things to do, including teach basketball camp at his old high school. "That's… great, congratulations!" He considered giving her a hug to prove his point more, but she'd looked away from him and he decided against it.
Gabriella didn't know if troy was relieved or hurt by her news, but by his appearance she could assume he was handling it well. Then again, she thought, appearances can be kept up while someone's dying inside. She remembered marching through the halls to her college classes, putting on a stern, focused face just hours after Troy had broken up with her over a cup of coffee. She immediately felt regretful for telling him the news and looked away, ashamed. She shook her head after a second and returned to the conversation. "Thanks. So, what about you? Are you a big basketball guy now?" She joked. He laughed forcefully.
"No, no, I lost interest in that a long time ago. I'm mostly doing odd jobs and trying to figure out what career I should pursue." And after Troy's especially odd job last week, he was very much decided against anything to do with plumbing. He shuddered at the memory, but mostly the smell.
"Are you cold?" Gabriella questioned. It was a breezy fall night, but Troy had worn a denim jacket over his dark blue v – neck tee. She considered inviting him in, but she was in the middle of her long – overdue full house cleaning.
"Nah, I'm fine," Troy answered quickly to get over any confusion. "So what are you doing lately? I heard from your mom that you got a big contract…"
"Yeah," Gabriella spoke up. Her interior decorating business had been doing wonderfully ever since she'd married Roberto, who was an architect with tons of connections. "Yeah, it's a really big one, I'm excited." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled big into Troy's eyes to show her enthusiasm.
Troy laughed a little before meaningfully checking his wristwatch. "Well I've gotta go pick up dinner for my mom and I, so, see you around, I guess."
Gabriella, slightly disappointed, put on a farced smile and answered, "Yeah, see you around." Both parties looked down at the ground for a short while, neither moving from the doorway, before Gabriella mustered up enough nerve to walk forward and give him a loose hug. Troy was surprised, but hugged back tightly.
The embrace only lasted a few seconds, and when it ended, Troy found himself sad and wishing for more time. Gabriella turned back to the door, stepped inside her small home, and peeked around the door at Troy. The both smiled from the bottom of their hearts for the first time since they'd dated, and all too quickly they felt the pangs of hurt over their separation. Gabriella closed the door quickly, a little too quickly and shuddered as she took in a much needed deep breath. She closed her eyes once more before putting on the same façade se had used in her school years before walking back to her couch.
Troy shook himself a little after a minute or two of dawdling on her front porch; part of him was reluctant to leave, but then his stomach growled impatiently and he remembered the late hour. He walked briskly back to his Jeep. Well, he thought, that didn't go quite as I expected it to. But then, what did I expect it to be? A loving reunion? An hour spent laughing and reminiscing? A confession of unrequited love? Troy blew out a breath from his puffed cheeks and started the vehicle. The sharp smell of the motor mixed with the stale, empty scent of the air around him helped him to forget about Gabriella enough to drive out of her neighborhood. He didn't know what he'd wanted form seeing her again, but his subconscious was pleased – he'd managed to fill that emotional hole again, the one that belong to his Gabi, if only for a moment.