"How many meetings do you have left?" Troy and I were sitting outside, eating at a local eatery. It was such a beautiful day outside. Though, this weather could be a few degrees cooler. We had two weeks in Vegas before flying out to our last few stops in California. I guess you can say I'm a bit relieved that we only had a few stops before heading back home to Albuquerque. Still, I was undecided about whether or not I should tell Troy about how I feel. I'm not sure about what I was most afraid of: his reaction or if he felt the same. "17." he replied. I sighed and took a sip of my coffee. I don't know how much more of this I could take.

"You don't have to go. I'm not making it mandatory, but I wouldn't mind if you joined me." A smirk spreads across his lips. I rolled my eyes at him. Although I enjoyed this and was having fun, it felt like forever since we've spent a day together like this just as friends. Despite that we have dated in the past, the bond of our friendship has never changed or fallen apart. Guess that's what I liked most about Troy. We finished our lunch and began the walk back to the hotel. The two of us were just joking around and laughing on the way back. "I haven't heard that laugh in a long time." Troy said as we entered the room together.

"Well, we both know that only a few people can make me laugh." I closed the door behind us after entering and took off my shoes. He turned around and placed his hands on my waist. What was he doing? He smiled, "Good knowing I'm one those few people." I watched as he leaned in slowly for a kiss, but I turned my head away. Why was he doing this? He let out a sigh and pulled his hands away from my waist.

"Sorry, force of habit. I can't seem to help myself around you." He said the second part quietly, but I heard him. I couldn't help myself around him either. I'm a bit surprised at the control I had from wanting to jump the gun right then and there. I decided to take a shower. I walked over to my suitcase and took out a set of underwear and entered the bathroom. I made sure the bathroom door was locked because I didn't want Troy to pull he same stunt as he had done in New York. I took my shower and let the warm water over my body. I could not get Troy's touches out of my head, let alone reminisce about what his smirks always do to me. When my shower was finished, I changed into my set of new underwear. I figured that he would most definitely like this one. "Is that new?" Troy emerged from the balcony when I walked out of the bathroom to put my clothes with the dirty pile. He gazed at me with those baby blues. I motioned to what I was wearing and smirked, "Oh this? I just bought this in New York. I'm going to get some rest." With that being said, I got into my side of the bed and closed my eyes.

. . .

Troy had gone off to another meeting, but he left a note on the bedside table. What was a girl to do in Caesar's Palace alone? I put on a dress and headed downstairs to eat. Again, I was eating alone but it wasn't the first time. Arriving at one of the eateries, someone had called out my name. I turned around to see that it was Brandon. I smiled as he approached me and gave me a hug. "Gabs, how've you been?" he asked me. Brandon Elliot and I had gone to school together before I had moved to Albuquerque. We had briefly dated around Freshman year in high school. "I've been good." I smiled as we pulled away. I was just now getting an even better look at him. He was a brunette with bright green eyes. He had nice tan skin that honestly I was jealous of. He was also around the same height as Troy. He asked me why I was in Vegas. I told him that I was on vacation to enjoy myself. "As am I." said he. "Do you want to join me for breakfast? It's my treat." Despite everything that has happened between us, he was still such a nice guy. He hasn't changed at all since Freshman year. I agreed to join him as we entered the food place. We were soon seated at a booth. The waiter took our drink orders. "You look good. I mean, it's been... god knows how long." I smiled after the waiter served us our food and drinks.

"You've gotten more beautiful since the last time I saw you." I blushed at his compliment. Before we dated, I used to have a small crush on Brandon. After I had moved, we lost contact. "Are you sure you're here alone? I heard you were with.. uh... what's his name... Troy, is it?" I may have mentioned Brandon at least once while Troy and I were dating. They hardly knew each other, but Troy immediately didn't like him. He shouldn't be judging someone he didn't even meet once. "Play nice." I reminded him.

"What? He's not even here Gabby. You're not together, are you?"

"He's married." Brandon took a bite of his food and drank from his glass. I knew what it meant when he did that. It reminded me of when we were dating that we only communicated with each other just by facial expressions. "I hope he's happy with his new wife. I'm sure he was interested in you or still is."

"Well, things have changed since then Brandon." I looked down and messed with my food thinking about a party our closest friends I was invited to. It had taken place two weeks after Troy and I had broken up.

"Yep, going solo... again." I muttered under my breath. I grabbed a glass of champagne and took a large gulp. I don't understand why I had to be here. I was sent an invitation that I was contemplating on whether or not I should go. "Why didn't you go with Troy?" Taylor asked me. There were so many answers I could tell her. I told her that he didn't ask me to go with him. We were celebrating our friend's birthday, Chad. He was friends with Troy as well. The two of us were having a nice time conversing with each other when the entire room became quiet. Troy was well-known for his grand entrances, but he was even more known for his dates. He and I broke up two weeks ago, so I acted like it was no big deal that he brought someone new. This someone knew made girls envious of her, well... it was none other than Sharpay Evans. I couldn't stand to be around the sight of the two of them. Everyone knew that I was trying to avoid Troy. "Gabriella, it's so good to see you." Sharpay smiled. She and I exactly weren't the best of friends, but I only met her a week ago when Troy brought her to our 5-year high school reunion. "You too Sharpay. Excuse me, I have to go congratulate Chad."

"Still holding a grudge against her?" Brandon asked me. He knew that Sharpay and I didn't like each other. I shook my head and continued eating.

"Not anymore. I'm a better person now." He nodded slowly; and of course, he didn't believe me. As we continued to eat, I couldn't stop thinking about the last time the two of us were on a date. I'm not saying that what we're doing at the moment is a date, but it felt a lot like one. "What's the real reason why you're here?" asked he.

"Troy joined me to join him on this two month business trip. He asked Sharpay, but she had other plans. I feel like he should've asked someone else. I don't know why he asked me. I didn't really want to go, but he insisted that I go. Guess he wanted someone to keep him company."

"Do you want to know what I think Gabs?" No, I don't want to know Brandon. Sometimes you're right, and I hate it when you're right. "I think he's still in love with you. I mean, there could've been lots of others. Maybe he could've asked his childhood best friend, if he has one. All I'm saying is that don't assume things." I rolled my eyes at him and took a sip of my drink.

"Don't roll your eyes at me. I'm right. Just go talk to him since he is the one who had chosen you to go with him. You never know, he might feel the same way." I didn't want to admit that Brandon was right, but he was. I sighed and told him that I will confront Troy about it tonight. A few hours later, I retreated back to the hotel room and saw him sat on the bed with his eyes looking downward at his phone. I sat down beside him on the bed and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Just got off the phone with Sharpay. I was looking for you. You weren't in the room."

"I was just having lunch with an old friend." He nodded, but I was more surprised when he didn't ask who. Something was definitely bothering him. I took his hand and caressed it gently. He held the phone in the other. "If you want to talk, I'm here for you." He let out a sigh that sounded like he had been holding it in for what seemed to be the longest time. He set his phone down on the bedside table and turned his head to look at me. "She's suspicious. She's thinking I'm seeing someone." said he.

"Are you?"

He chuckled lightly, "Wipe that smirk off your face."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I watched him stand and head over to the balcony. I did the same. He had his hands placed on the balcony when I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. The roles were now reversed. "Troy, I know something's up. You come out here to clear your mind, but it's clouded." He turned around and faced me. His hands placed on my waist.

"You do it too Gabs. Besides, Sharpay is right. I am seeing someone. You, but she doesn't know that yet. I think I'm dealing with something that I can't explain. I don't know who to talk about it with, except for you. You're the most understanding person I know. I think... I have things feeling in the back of my mind that I still might have feelings for you." He admitted it. Does this mean it's my turn? I puled away from him and walked back inside. He followed me inside and grabbed my arm. I turned and looked up at him. At that moment, I regretted looking into his eyes. "How does no one else know?"

"Chad knows. I'm telling the truth. It's been bothering me since the day we went to New York. I need to know if... if you still have feelings for me. If you don't, I understand but I think you know what the real answer is." I don't understand why he's saying all of these things. I wonder if Taylor told Chad told Troy. If she said a word, I would fly back home only to reprimand her. I didn't want to face my feelings now. I didn't want to tell him. I wasn't ready to confront him. I wasn't planning on opening up all of those old wounds, not anytime soon. The wounds that have been healed since the day we broke up. I was only going to get hurt in the process. "Troy..."

"Gabs, please. I need to know."

"But Shar-"

"Forget about her. Forget about what everyone else is going to say. Just think about us and think about what we had together because I still do. I'm not going to deny it because you and I did have something. We shared something together. I know I married Sharpay. I love her, but you... you're a complete different person. You and Sharpay are nothing alike. You know how to laugh and how to have fun. You dedicate your life to making people happy. You never think of yourself sometimes. Do something for yourself this time. Do what you've always wanted to do since the day we left for New York." Troy was just talking nonsense. I didn't exactly know what point he was trying to make. Yet, in some form, Troy was right. I couldn't hold it back any longer. I had to let my feelings out. "Screw it." I went up to him and kissed his lips. he wrapped his arms around my waist. He had always been such a passionate kisser. His hand found the zipper to my dress and unzipped it. The dress had fallen to the floor. I removed his jacket from his shoulders and began to unbutton his shirt.

He loosened his tie as I slipped off his shirt. I unbuttoned his pants and let it fall to the floor. I wrapped my arms around his neck. He grabbed a hold of my legs. He lifted me with both arms and carried me over to the bed. He laid me down and climbed on top. He kissed my lips and pulled away, looking down at me. "You're sure you want this?" he asked. I nodded as he kissed me again. A hand roamed down my body, feeling it near the line of my panties. His gesture only made me spread my legs open. He positioned himself between my legs and slid in.

The next morning I awoke with my head resting on Troy's chest. His arm was wrapped around me. The sun was casting a perfect light. The moment he opened his eyes, his eyes shone. "Hi." he smiled.

"Hi." I smiled back and felt his hand softly caress my head. I nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck as he did so. He showed me his famous smirk that made all the girls swoon, that made me swoon. "Promise what we did here never leaves the room." I nodded in reply and kisses his lips. Troy and I both took a shower. We got dressed to go grab some breakfast. A part of me was glad to have done what we did, but there was another part that regretted the decision the two of us have made. Whatever happens, it's Vegas right?