TWO – Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
Gabriella Montez moaned into her boyfriend's mouth as his lips covered hers once again. She was absolutely amazed at the feelings that Troy was able to invoke in her – the simplest touch sent shivers down her spine and caused her stomach to spiral out of control. Gabriella focused on the way Troy's lips moved softly, slowly against her own; how he worshipped her lips, face and neck and drew invisible patterns with his fingertips up and down her arms. She loved nothing more than to lie in his arms, taking in his scent and warmth as he held her close.
She moaned again as her arms circled his neck in an attempt to pull him closer; if that action was even possible to achieve. The sun had already began to set over Albuquerque, but as the couple were lying in a dark, secluded part of the park surrounded by trees and bushes, it seemed a lot later than it actually was. When Troy finally pulled away from the heated kiss for air, Gabriella ran her fingers through his hair and began to drown in those brilliant blue eyes.
"Did you ever bring any of your ex-girlfriends here?" she suddenly enquired which made Troy cock his eyebrows into an expression that told her he was not particularly thrilled with her random topic of conversation.
"Way to ruin the romance, Gabi," he answered; his fingers becoming tangled in her ebony curls that had settled against her flushed cheeks.
Gabriella curled her hand around Troy's neck and slowly guided him back for another brief kiss. "Well? Did you?"
Troy sighed aloud and placed his forehead against her shoulder. "No. Not once."
"Why?"
"Why do you want to talk about my exes during a date?" He feigned hurt. "Especially after I went to all this trouble to organize it."
"And what trouble did you go to exactly, Mr. Bolton?" Gabriella's fingers began to run slowly down Troy's back, making him suck in air through his teeth.
"Well for a start I made you those fantastic, infamous peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you love so much…"
"Troy, all you ever make are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So I have no choice but to love them." Gabriella giggled as Troy pouted. She tenderly ran her fingertips down the side of his face and chuckled.
"Okay," he took her hand and placed a kiss on her palm. "But you're the only one who knows my secret hideout at school and you're the only one who knows about this top-secret place in the park. And besides, you have to admit that no-one could make such excellent sandwiches like I do. Am I right?"
"It doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!"
"Hey, those sandwiches are art, Miss Montez, and you know it! They're my natural talent; my signature dish! You can't teach perfection – even Zeke would kill for these sandwich-making skills!" At that comment, Gabriella scrunched up her nose and bit back a laugh as Troy's face suddenly went from cheery to serious in a split second. He then stood up and Gabriella suddenly felt the early evening's chilly breeze sweep over her as his warmth left. "I cannot believe you've just hit me right were it hurts!" He started to walk away from her as she stood up and began to walk after his retreating back.
"Nonsense!" Gabriella chuckled. "If I had hit you were it hurts, I would have poked fun and insulted you about your basketball skills."
Troy turned around and looked back at his girlfriend, making sure there was still some distance between them. "Such as?"
Gabriella shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Probably along the lines of you being way too overrated."
Troy's eyebrows shot up his forehead and his palms pressed to his chest dramatically. "My heart, Gabriella Montez. You've just broken it in two."
"Oh, no," Gabriella started to giggle as she bounded towards her boyfriend who then proceeded in running from her, shouting back the complete and utter hurt she had just mercilessly inflicted on him. "You know I didn't mean it!" she shouted as she ran after him barefoot; their mini picnic and shoes forgotten by the trees.
Gabriella could hear her boyfriend trying to keep his laughter to a minimum, which instantly set aside any brief worries she had that she had indeed hurt his feelings. Troy continued to jog away from her, but as he turned his upper body around to check on her progress, Gabriella stretched out her hands clung to his shoulders as she attempted to jump onto his back.
"Hey, no piggy-back ride today, meanie," Troy laughed as Gabriella attempted to jump again and let out an annoyed groan as Troy refused to grasp a hold of her legs that were trying to wind around his waist.
"But you know I didn't mean it," she moaned, trying another tactic as she tried to grasp his fingers in hers. Troy pulled away from her grasp, knowing that she was deliberately trying to weaken him with her caresses; a weapon she used quite frequently when she wanted something from him. Troy barely complained; he loved to soak in her kisses and feel her arms wind around him, latching onto him as though he were a lifeline. He began to back away from her again, holding his arms out to keep Gabriella at a safe distance from him. The mischief danced in her deep brown eyes as she tried to bat away his arms to get closer to him. "Troy Bolton, come here!"
Troy began to slow jog backwards, turning his head back every now and then to make sure he wasn't going to embarrass himself by walking into a tree or bush. "No, no," he laughed once more before turning his face serious. "You've ripped out my heart and trampled on it with no mercy what-so-ever. There's nothing you can do to make it up to me."
"Troooyyy…" Gabriella wined as she continued her attempts to bat his arms away. He could tell now that she was slowly getting tired of this game. "You know I was only joking so come here."
"Nope; not a chance." With that last comment, Gabriella suddenly lunged her body forward and leapt towards Troy's chest. As her hands made contact with his shoulders, Troy's legs gave out from underneath him as he struggled to balance himself with Gabriella abruptly attached to his body. In a split second, the loved-up couple were back on the grass and Troy landed on his back with an "Oaf!" whilst Gabriella giggled uncontrollably as she landed comfortably beside him. Troy watched her laugh with an amused glint in his eyes and he folded his arms over his chest as he watched her lean over him. "That hurt," he stated, watching her intently to see what she would do next.
A hand ran through his hair, brushing the tendrils from his forehead and Gabriella stared deep into those beautiful pools of blue. Troy swallowed hard, noticing the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him – he was sure he'd never felt the feelings that were suddenly engulfing him. "You're crazy, Wildcat," she whispered before attaching her lips to his.
Troy was adamant that this game was not going to be over any time soon. As Gabriella pressed her lips to his, he continued to keep his arms folded and did not respond to the kiss which was already driving him out of control. Gabriella pulled back and scanned his face. Upon seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes, she cocked her eyebrows, unamused, and tried to kiss him again. Her tongue began to work at his lips, attempting to pry them apart, but Troy used every fibre of his being to keep his lips firmly together. Gabriella pulled back once again and sighed as she looked down at her boyfriend, who was now smirking at her.
"So, you're not going to surrender?" she enquired, to which Troy slowly shook his head. "You're punishing me by not kissing me?" Troy nodded his head with a muffled laugh. "Fine, be that way." Gabriella sat up, acting as though she didn't care. "Jock."
"Hey, now, I thought I was the overrated basketball star who made crap peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"
Gabriella let out a small snigger. "Yeah. That too."
There was a pause. "Freaky math girl." Troy was grinning when Gabriella snapped her head back. She smiled softly, sarcastically as she leaned back over her boyfriend.
"Freaky call-back boy."
Troy tried to maintain a serious expression. "Nerd."
"Arrogant."
"Geek."
"Pig-headed."
Troy raised an eyebrow; maybe he was starting to get bored of this game. He could tell Gabriella was already bored of it by the way she was looking at him as though she was going to hit him with the next mock-insult. But, being a member of the male species, he decided to try his luck anyway. "Weakling."
"I'm weak?" Gabriella asked before suddenly swinging her leg over his hips, straddling him. As Gabriella stared down at him, her hands placed flat on the grass on either side of his head, Troy swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. This was new… They'd shared many cuddles; many make-out sessions… but the way Gabriella was sat on top of him, glaring down at him with domineering lust in her eyes, Troy suddenly felt very turned on. He gazed up at her, almost bashfully, and suddenly remembered what Chad had told him earlier that day. Move on to the next level? Troy wasn't entirely sure that Gabriella was ready for that step yet. They hadn't even said 'I love you' to each other yet although Troy knew he already felt those feelings towards her. The fact that he wasn't sure of her own true feelings had held him back from actually telling her how he felt for fear he'd scare her away. As for the subject of sex… well, that would have just added more complications to the matter. Was it too soon? They'd been together nine months – excluding, of course, their very brief break-up during the summer.
But looking up at his girlfriend now and seeing the look in her eyes, Troy's mind had suddenly forgotten the teasing game he had chosen to play. And when Gabriella lowered her mouth to his, he responded with a passion; his hands coming up and cupping her jawline, his fingertips slowly grazing over her skin causing her to moan into his mouth. Their tongues danced; her fingers sliding along his cheek and through his hair as the kiss became more heated and their passions mounted. Troy began to run his hands slowly up her leg - her skirt had hitched further up as she straddled him – and he felt her shiver as his hand reached her upper thigh and caressed her there.
When Gabriella pulled back slightly, Troy's frustrated groan breathed over her kiss-swollen lips. "I'm weak?" she asked again in a husky whisper. "I think you've just surrendered, Troy Bolton."
Troy breathed. "Well, when you kiss me like that…" he drifted off as he found his mouth otherwise, and pleasantly occupied by her own. In a swift movement, Troy rolled her over onto her back, his body covering hers. Gabriella let out a small squeak of surprise at this sudden change of position, and then wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as they continued with their passionate open-mouthed kiss.
The young couple stayed in that position for what seemed like days, until they slowly and reluctantly parted. "So," Gabriella rasped as Troy began to place feather-like kisses along her jawline and neck. "You didn't used to bring your ex-girlfriends here."
"You really know how to take the spark out of these romantic moments, Montez."
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"It's a no," Troy smiled as he laced his fingers through her curls. "I've never been with anyone long enough to trust them with my secret hideouts. And I've never really cared about anyone enough to let them see the real me. Well, until now."
"You charmer." Gabriella smiled as she pecked his lips.
"Why do you ask?"
Gabriella shrugged. "Well, it just surprises me that the Wildcats basketball team captain hasn't been in a long-term relationship before."
"Have you?"
"No, but I'm a nerd remember?" she chuckled as Troy blushed, remembering those mocking comments.
"I was only joking, Gabi…"
"I know," she laughed. "I was joking too when I was saying that you were overrated. You're not. You know you're a star." Another kiss took place before Gabriella continued. "The reason I was asking about your exes was because I actually found out today about your last girlfriend… Jess McLean…also known as the head cheerleader of the Wildcats."
Troy groaned and shut his eyes as he prepared for the questioning. "Why? What's been said now?"
"I kinda got the impression she doesn't like me."
"How'd you know?"
"Because she told me." Gabriella laughed at Troy's expression. "She told me today after she explained to me exactly why me and you would never work because we just don't make sense. And apparently, you and her do. So I should prepare for the inevitable dumping you'll be doing to me quite soon so you can live happily ever after with her."
Troy laughed out loud and shook his head in disbelief. "Please tell me you're joking."
Gabriella shook her head, joining in on his laughter. "No, not joking. And so far, you're not doing very well with dumping me, are you? I mean, look at us!"
Troy's laughter subsided. "Seriously, Gabi, she never meant anything to me. Being with her was just…convenient, I guess. Chad was dating another cheerleader at the time and Zeke was dating this girl from another school and I was being pressurized into 'joining the gang'. Jess was all over me like a rash and she was just…there. We lasted two weeks – not even that! She was scarier than Sharpay! She didn't take the break-up all that well after she decided to steal my training jersey and rip it into shreds before telling the entire student body that I had broken her heart – as though we'd been together for years and I'd promised her my heart or something!"
"I guess she's not over this 'heartbreak'." Gabriella smirked as Troy continued to look at her in disbelief.
"Promise me you won't listen to her, Gabi. She's just jealous and thinks she can scheme her way into breaking us up." His fingers started to caress her face again, his gaze sincere.
"Don't you worry, Wildcat – I don't speak 'cheerleader'. She can say anything she likes and I'll never take it in."
The couple smiled to one another and hands and fingers continued to caress as they leaned in, once again, for another long, loving kiss.
