A pretty short chapter for you all before I jump on a plane for Adelaide after work tomorrow. Thanks so much for all the reviews! Hope you like this chapter! Sorry it's so short. I just wanted to end it where I did. And it's just been one of those days...a child died at work and urgh...but anyway, I'm looking forward to my trip and I'll be back in 5 days! (Miss you JESSAAAAA!!)
Kylie xox
Chapter Four: ...Two Steps Back
Gabriella initially froze when his lips brushed hers, but all of a sudden she wasn't in the front seat of his car, having only just found him again after six years – she was back in high school, melting into the kiss and sliding her arms up his chest and around his neck.
Troy could feel his heart pounding in his throat, adrenalin coursing through him as Gabriella responded to his kiss. His body took on a mind of its own, his tongue gliding across her mouth, her lips parting in response.
As she leaned in closer to Troy, Gabriella's arm bumped the gear stick and that was the trigger that snapped them both back to reality. Gabriella jumped back like she had been burnt and Troy suddenly felt as though he'd been punched in the gut.
"Fuck," Troy swore under his breath. "I...I'm...I'm so sorry, Ella, I...I don't...Shit."
Gabriella's eyes were filling with tears. "I'm...I've...I have to go," she grabbed her bag and climbed out of the car, closed the door and raced into her building in such a hurry she almost tripped over trying to get in the door.
Once inside, she tore through the lobby and over to the elevators, pressing the 'up' arrow. When it didn't light up she pressed it again...and again and again and again. Swallowing the urge to scream, she backed up and ran into the stairwell, tears blurring her vision as she ran up and up until she reached her floor. Standing in front of her door she tried to put the key in the lock but her hands were shaking so much she couldn't turn it. She jiggled and jerked the key around desperately, trying to get the door open until it became too much. Blinded by her tears, she hit the door in frustration before turning her back to it and sinking to the floor, sobbing into her hands.
Troy watched her in a daze until she disappeared inside, his hands shaking and his head spinning. Turning his eyes to the road, he put the car into gear and pulled out in the traffic.
Speeding down the highway, Troy's mind was buzzing and he felt sick to the stomach.
"I kissed her. I kissed Gabriella. I kissed another woman. I kissed someone who isn't Alexis. But I love Alexis. I love her. But Gabriella..." he rambled to himself like a crazy man. He didn't even notice his face was wet with tears. "I kissed her...I kissed another...Oh God."
With a lurch of the wheel, Troy pulled his car over to the curb, climbed out and threw up in the bushes.
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Taylor McKessie had never been one for spontaneity. Every single event in her life – from the mundane tasks of her daily routine, to vacations, to dinner dates, to shopping trips – was planned with meticulous attention to every single detail.
However, earlier that morning when she had awoken to her alarm and began to get ready for work, she realised - just as she was about to step in the car – that she had the entire week off. The research labs at Sloan were being renovated, and - rather than finding homes for the 50-odd displaced research scientists and assistants – her manager had closed the research wing completely, instructing them all to return to work the following Monday refreshed and ready to knuckle down to some serious life-changing investigations.
She was therefore left feeling rather unsettled – she had a whole seven days stretching ahead of her and absolutely nothing planned. Perturbed, Taylor changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and grabbed a bucket of cleaning supplies from under the kitchen sink, heading towards the bathroom. As she passed through her bedroom, she stumbled and bumped her dresser. A photo frame sitting atop the drawers fell off, tumbling to the floor where the glass shattered. Sighing, Taylor picked up the wooden frame and the picture. Turning it over she realised it was a photo of her and Gabriella taken the previous summer. The two had decided to abandon their tradition of visiting one another during the summer, and had instead vacationed together in Costa Rica. The picture showed the best friends smiling happily, skin sun-kissed and eyes bright, the ocean sparkling in the background. They had taken the picture themselves, so it was on a slight angle and a little off centre. Taylor loved it. She had given Gabriella an identical framed copy for Christmas.
Gabriella.
Struck by a bolt of impulsiveness for probably the first time since high school, Taylor opened her laptop, trawled Google until she found a website which could offer her a suitable flight at a decent price, entered her credit card details and confirmed, closed her laptop, dragged out her suitcase and threw in a few changes of clothes, and headed to the airport.
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Troy was pacing back and forth across the lounge room of his apartment. What the hell had come over him? One minute everything's great – he was in a fantastic relationship with a wonderful partner, working a job he loved (most of the time) which allowed him to instil his passion for basketball within the youngsters who were the future of the sport, the woman whose smiling face he had missed every day for the past six years had returned to his life, and they had agreed to try and rebuild their friendship. The next moment a stupid snap decision made in the heat of the moment had the potential to bring it all crashing down around him.
He had probably completely ruined things with Gabriella – he wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to lay eyes on – let alone speak to - him ever again. Hell, he couldn't even stand to look at himself right now.
Then there was Alexis. Troy didn't even want to begin to contemplate the overwhelming sense of guilt he was going to feel when he came face to face with her. He already felt sick to the stomach at the thought of his betrayal – the thought of having to look her in the eye and know that he had kissed someone else... He really hated himself right now. He couldn't remember another time where he had felt so completely disgusted in himself. And the worst part – the thing that sickened him the most – was that, despite everything, Troy desperately wanted – needed – to see Gabriella again.
"Troy?"
Troy ceased his pacing of the lounge room carpet, freezing on the spot as the familiar sweet voice rang through the apartment. He swallowed hard, running his hands through his hair and over his face and taking a deep breath as he prepared to greet his girlfriend.
"Hey," he smiled at her as Alexis poked her head around the corner.
"Oh, there you are!" she exclaimed, her face brightening.
"Yeah, sorry...I was a million miles away," he apologised lamely, moving to wrap her in a hug.
"It's ok," Alexis replied as she snuggled her head into the crook of his neck. "How was your day?"
"Yeah, it was ok. Long. Full of teenage attitude. Just the usual, really."
"Poor baby," Alexis joked, taking his hand and leading him over to the couch. She positioned herself slightly behind him, and began to massage his shoulders gently. "Wow, you are really tense," she commented. "Luckily I brought over your favourite Japanese take out, seems like you need a completely chilled out night in."
Troy felt like he might cry. Or throw up again. He didn't deserve her. Covering her hands with his, he removed them from his shoulders, turning and wrapping her in another tight hug. "I don't deserve you, Lex."
Alexis laughed. "Don't be stupid, of course you do."
"I love you," he told her, softly kissing the side of her head before pulling her back into him.
"I love you too."
Lucky for Troy, Alexis was quite content with her head resting on his shoulder. If she would have looked up, she would have noticed the single tear that slipped down his cheek, splashing onto his arm where it dried as quickly as it had fallen.
If only all of life's' problem's were that easily solved.
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Taylor huffed and puffed as she dragged her suitcase and hand luggage up the stairs of her best friend's apartment block, after a heated argument with the doorman over the broken down elevator.
"Jesus Gabriella, trust you to live on the eighth floor of an apartment block where the freaking elevator breaks down the day I arrive," she moaned to herself, hauling the luggage out through the heavy fire doors at the eighth floor exit of the stairwell and into the corridor.
Taylor was so busy grumbling under her breath that she didn't notice the trembling figure huddled – rocking back and forth - in the doorway to Gabriella's apartment until she almost tripped over her.
"What the fuck are...Gabriella?" she trailed off, bewildered.
Gabriella slowly raised her head at the sound of her best friend's voice until her tear filled, blood shot eyes met Taylor's chocolate brown ones. Taylor gasped at the sight of the black rivers of mascara that streaked down Gabriella's face, the stray curls that clung to her wet cheeks, the swollen rims of her eyes, but most of all at the look of sheer distress, anguish, misery and pain that haunted her usually exuberant features.
"Taylor?" Gabriella whispered hoarsely.
"Gabriella...oh, honey..." Taylor abandoned her luggage and immediately crouched down next to broken girl, pulling her into her embrace and rocking her back and forth as she began to cry again. "Honey, what's wrong? What's happened? Gabi, talk to me."
Gabriella was sobbing far too hard to even contemplate speaking right now. Her breath was coming in short, ragged gasps as her chest hitched between sobs. She was breaking her heart right there in the doorway, her legs splayed sideways, her body leaning into Taylor's.
"Gabi, you're starting to scare me...please talk to me," Taylor pleaded after a moment. Gabriella was crying so hard she was almost hyperventilating, and Taylor was worried she would pass out if she kept it up much longer. "Ok, come on – let's at least get you inside," Taylor suggested.
Not even waiting for Gabriella to reply, Taylor stood up and turned Gabriella's key – which was still dangling from the lock – to open her apartment door. Ignoring the luggage and Gabriella's bag, she hooked her arms through Gabriella's and pulled her too her feet. Gabriella could barely support her own weight she was shaking so much, but Taylor managed to get her from the doorway through to the couch, where she sat her down and then stood back observing her friend, who was perched on the edge of the couch, her arms wrapped around herself, body shaking to the point her teeth were chattering, her gaze fixed on the wall in front of her.
'Ok, I'm going to try this one more time,' Taylor thought to herself. "Gabriella...Gabi, I'm really worried about you now – can you please tell me what's wrong?"
Painstakingly slowly, Gabriella turned her head until she was looking directly at Taylor. Her lips moved, but the whisper was so soft, Taylor couldn't hear what she said even if she strained her ears. Moving to crouch in front of her, Taylor took both of Gabriella's hands in hers.
"Gabi..."
"He's back, Tay..." Gabriella's voice was scratchy and strangled. "He's here... He's...Troy..."
Ok so now I'm leavin' on a jetplaaaane, don't know when I'll be back agaaaain...well, actually...I'll be back late Monday night but anyhooo...
Hope you all liked this chapter, even though it was short and not a great deal happened!
UP NEXT: He mopes, she mopes, everyone mopes.
Don't forget to review! Mwah!
Kylie xox
