DISCLAIMER: Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, actors, plotlines, locations, props or anything else remotely related to High School Musical - apart from the DVDs and posters of Zac Efron. Nor do I lay claim to be in possession of the genius required for the creation of such things.
A/N:Firstly, to anybody that reads 'Falling into You': I'm afraid to say that it has been deleted. I will be continuing it at The Music in Me (the fanfiction archive of the VANASHBRENIQUE blog); however, it may be a few weeks before I update because I have awful writer's block. In the mean time, my muse has fallen in love with the idea of a Mr&Mrs Smith type idea (thanks to Jill…) and I'm going to see where it takes me!
Love happens when you least expect it; especially to those who want it the least.
Gabriella Montez was strong, independent and aloof. She avoided personal contact as far as possible and there were only a handful of people that she could loosely define as friends- the people with whom she came into contact through her business. Yet emotional detachment does not necessarily equate to a lack of feelings: she was not cold-hearted because of an innate callousness; it was rather that her personal circumstances had taught her to be that way. She was content to live her life through her job; the exhilaration of her everyday providing sufficient distraction from its true emptiness.
The day had begun like any other: she had woken up in a different city, gone over her task for the day, prepared herself and set off; aiming to return within two hours. Differently to usual, however, things had not gone to plan. As a result she found herself sprinting through the crowded streets of Cairo, discarding her jacket over her shoulder and throwing a handful of notes at a market-stall vendor as she grabbed a colourful dress and pulled it over her head. She paused momentarily to pull off her trousers; leaving them, along with her shoes, behind before continuing to run, now barefoot, towards her hotel. She didn't dare look behind her as she entered the lobby, indeed she was barely paying attention at all; desperate to get back to her room and regroup.
Suddenly she collided with something hard; something that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. Gabriella looked up from the wall of muscle that was blocking her path, only to be confronted with the startling blue orbs of the man opposite her; a sight that almost made her forget that she was in flight.
The bustling tranquillity of the hotel lobby was all of a sudden disturbed by the deep shouts of a group of men who were instructing the holiday-makers to get out of their way. Gabriella took a deep breath, knowing that any attempt to make a run for it would most definitely give her away. This was it. Or so she thought.
Staring into the man's eyes, she happened upon a solution. It was the only way.
Troy Bolton hurried down the stairs of the five-star hotel in which he was staying, having no time to wait for the elevator. He knew it had been a bad idea to try and combine holiday and business; having enjoyed himself a little bit too much the night before and consequently over-sleeping that morning. His research could luckily wait until later in the afternoon; but this meeting could not: his contact would not hang around. His feet carried him hurriedly through the hotel lobby, his eyes flickering to the over-sized clock on the far wall as he tried to calculate how long it would take him to travel across the city. Eyes drawn away from the path that he was following, Troy failed to notice the petite woman heading towards him; their bodies crashing into each other before either could move out of the way.
His hands automatically gripped onto the foreign body's arms, holding her upright as she stumbled from the force of the impact. Dazedly blinking as his gaze fell upon the angelic face below, Troy found himself strangely reluctant to release her from his grip. Luckily he didn't have to.
He was oblivious to the commotion unsettling the buzz of the hotel's over-eager tourists; becoming lost in the eyes of the woman in his arms. The cogs in his mind were turning all too slowly as he tried to think of something to say that would make the unknown woman stay with him. He opened his mouth to speak, the words tugging at the end of his tongue. He didn't get the chance to speak.
The crowded lobby dissolved in a flow of terrified gasps and screams; she had to act now. Smiling alluringly, Gabriella took a step back, bringing the man forcefully with her as she voiced an unexpected request: "Do me a favour? Kiss me."
The chilling change of atmosphere in the hotel passed Troy by; the request of the woman catching him off guard. He complied; leaning towards her to place a tentative kiss on her lips - who was he to deny this gorgeous girl such a request? Smiling, both out of relief and pleasure, Gabriella gripped his collar, pulling him closer to her – his body now shielding her from view. His lips hovered over hers for a moment before descending once again onto the soft, luscious skin. This time the kiss was no mere peck; Gabriella made sure of that, opening her mouth in invitation; an action that ignited something long-forgotten in Troy. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, pushing her back further into the wall as his plundering kisses continued.
Gabriella's eyes peeked open slightly to see the poor excuses for 'security' pass them by without a second thought. The danger had passed; she should have pulled away.
But she didn't.
What had begun as a necessary disguise for Gabriella had turned into a rare capitulation to her feelings. The kiss had only grown in intensity; the clawing of their hands against the other's clothing becoming almost painful as the couple submitted to their all-consuming desire. They desperately clung to their remaining breath, neither finding the possible separation of their mouths and bodies to be an acceptable possibility.
When the breathlessness could no longer be repressed, Troy allowed his head to drop down onto the gorgeous brunette's shoulder; surprised to note that even this contact made him more aware of his feelings, both sensual and emotional, than he ever had been.
Troy Bolton did not form relationships; not anymore at least.
Gabriella leaned her head back against the wall, smiling softly before speaking. "Thanks," she whispered breathlessly.
At the sound of her voice, Troy lifted his head back up to look at her; really look at her. She was beautiful; her sienna eyes unknowingly piercing through his painstakingly-constructed mask. With one look and the subsequent kiss she had reminded his soul of possibilities that he had refused to consider ever since the day that had changed his approach to life forever. He lifted his head a touch, his heart stilling when he saw the smile that teased her face as she panted lightly; she was infusing his body once again with life. Shaking his head – he could not bear to let himself fall back into old habits - he was caught by surprise when another kiss landed on his mouth.
"See you later," she winked, slithering her way out of his arms, her hips swaying from side to side as she walked away from him; the sensual action sending a prickling heat through his body and making him forget his promise to himself.
"That's it?" he yelled after her. "Not even a name?"
She turned around, still walking away, and smiled, "Gabriella."
As she sashayed her way across the lobby as quickly as possible, Gabriella shook her head in disbelief; berating herself for the extra sway distorting the movement of her hips: what was she playing at? Today was the closest she had ever come to being caught. The failure of her mission had admittedly been a technical hitch- she made a mental note to assign a new technical head when she arrived home- but the loss of concentration as she escaped had been something new; and something entirely unwanted. Distractions only meant two things: failure or death; neither of which was an acceptable result.
She had been lucky.
She scoffed: Gabriella Montez did not believe in luck - even if it did come in the form of possibly the finest specimen of the masculine gender that she had ever laid her eyes on. She almost slapped her head in frustration as she went to enter the elevator: she had told somebody her real name and was on the point of betraying where she was staying too.
She needed to get her game back.
A/N: I'm really anxious to hear what you thought about that; any constructive criticism is more than welcome. This is going to be my first real multi-chapter story so I'm going to need all of the help and encouragement that I can get!
