After another morning of restless sleep, she was bleary-eyed and her head felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton, and she was undeniably grumpy.

And it was all Troy Bolton's fault. Not because he'd said some things that really pissed her off or because he struck a nerve about her feelings for Thomas. Both of those things she could have dealt with, and in the moment, she had. No, it was that unexpected, toe-curling kiss that he'd planted on her that kept replaying in her mind in life like detail whenever she closed her eyes that was responsible for her sleep deficiency.

Not to mention the pulsing ache between her thighs that he'd instigated with that kiss. God, she hadn't been so hot and bothered in a long time, and after a few hours of trying to ignore that persistent arousal thrumming through her body, she'd finally reached into her nightstand drawer and let her battery-operated boyfriend get her off. At least, he never disappointed.

But as she'd slid the vibrator through her wet slit and closed her eyes to summon Thomas's face, it was Troy's gorgeous features that she'd seen dipping between her spread legs and his hands gripping her inner thighs as she kept them pushed wide apart so he could slide his wicked mouth across her needy pussy. With his dark hot eyes looking up at her, he'd flicked his tongue along her clit until she'd come on a long, hard, shuddering orgasm.

As a fantasy, Troy was quickly replacing all of her go-to guys. She couldn't even picture Liam Hemsworth anymore. He was sex personified, with a body built for sin and mouth made for pleasure, and good God, she wanted more of him, even knowing what a huge mistake it would be to give in to the lust burning between them...which is why she'd run from his front door. It had been pure self-preservation on her part, because if he'd opened that door again she wasn't sure she'd be able to resist him, or where another kiss like that might lead.

Then again, the shameless part of her that was attracted to Troy was very curious to discover what might happen between them if she allowed his lips on hers again, the possibilities were endless.

She shook the stream of thoughts from her head as she slipped into a black dress that hit her knees. She stood in front of the mirror and attempted to see herself from every angle. Yes, it looked appropriate from the front, but what if she had to dip down and retrieve a pencil. Would the seam ride up tastefully, or will it scream out yee-haw?

"Ella, Coffee!" her mother called from downstairs.

"Be right down," she said deciding to replace the black dress with pants and a blouse. No danger with fitted wool trousers.

She raced down the stairs fully changed, ready for work and finally in a state of calm when she came to an abrupt stop at the kitchen doorway.

There he was. Like rodent, she couldn't get rid of. Troy's lower body was visible as he tinkered with something under the sink. The sight of him shocked her into a stunned silence.

"Morning honey," her mom held out a cup of coffee and Gabriella eyed her quizzically as she took the mug.

"The sink had a drip, Troy said he could take care of it for me." Her mother side with a smile.

Gabriella looked back at the man on the floor and for a moment, funny how her mother saw Troy the way everyone else did— tall, handsome, innocent guy next door with thick brown hair and a perfect smile— but it was a mirage, a fictional oasis that disappoints as she got closer and remembered that the image of this man belonged to a dangerous, whiskey drinking, kissing bandit.

"Having a case of the Mondays?" he asked, his tone suspicious of her inspection.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She muttered before urging her legs to propel her into the safety of the Livingroom.

Her mother follows with her own cup of coffee, her eyes still on the man in the kitchen as she leans forward to whisper to Gabriella. "Do you think he has any skin left that's not tattooed?"

Gabriella almost chokes on her coffee. "Mom!"

"What?" her mother asked innocently. "You would know better than I would?"

At that, Gabriella's eyes widen, "Why would I know that?" she hadn't seen him naked or anything.

Her mother shrugged, "You've seen up close without a shirt on."

Gabriella forced herself to breathe. "That doesn't mean I know." She downed the rest of her coffee as quickly as she could manage. While her mother went on about the plumbing problems she was having in the upstairs bathroom.

"If you need someone to take a look, Thomas knows a plumber."

"Oh no," her mother waved a hand. "I wouldn't want to brother Thomas, I know he's busy. Besides Troy doesn't mind helping out and I can repay him with homecooked meals. Isn't that right, Troy?"

"I love your cooking," he responded from the kitchen.

Of course he does. "Right," Gabriella nodded. "Well, I need to go to work. I'll see you when I get home later, love you, mom."

"Have a good day dear."

The sound of the front door closing made him relax a little. He wasn't sure what to expect from his favorite little brunette. She was so fucking hot when she was all fired up. And that made him think of all that blazing energy erupting between them in the bedroom. He was certain the push-pull friction they'd been engaging in for years now would coalesce into the wildest, steamiest, tear-each-other's-clothes-off frenemy sex in the history of fucking. Or at least in his history of fucking.

Too bad it would be nothing more than a fantasy for his spank bank.

"I wish she would just take the car," Maria mumbled as she comes back into the kitchen. "She drives me insane on that bike of hers."

"You know Ella, she's a tough girl." He shifted on his back as he reattached the pipe he'd cleaned out. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"I'm a mother, there's always something to worry about."

At that, he laughed. "I can only imagine what that's like."

The room went quiet and for a moment he thought she might have left. He shifted from his position to look up and find Maria frowning at him. Confusion followed by a sense of guilt washed over him just as he thought about his response.

Well. Shit.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly giving the pipe one last turn before getting up. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"I know," she said placing a hand over her heart. A look of concern etched in her forced smile. "They would be so proud of you."

"Yeah," Troy wiped his hands on his jeans. "I'm sure they would."

Maria handed him a rag from the countertop and he took it, doing a better job at wiping his hands clean. A familiar sadness shifted inside him for the loss of his mother. Then followed a stream of memories. Of all the nights when she sat at the living room table putting puzzles together while she waited for Kelsi or him to come home from a night out.

She always looked so small in her pink robe, sitting at the table with a cup of tea. At the time, he'd been irritated by her constant snooping and questions. Now he'd give just about anything to walk through his front door and hear her ask how his night was.

He swallowed hard. Pushing the memories down deep inside. "The sink shouldn't drip anymore."

"Oh, you're good! Can I make you something to eat?" Maria asked as she opened her refrigerator.

He smiled as he turned on the faucet and watched the pipes below for any dripping. "You know I love your cooking Ms. Montez."

"Words every woman yearns to hear," she took out some ingredients from the fridge and he shut off the faucet.

"Anything else you want me to look at while I'm here?"

Maria sighed. "What would I do without you?"

"Well, there's always the guy Thomas knows." He said placing the rag over his shoulder with a smirk.

Maria rolled her eyes, "That boy has someone to call for everything. Heaven forbid he do anything to get one of those suits of his dirty."

"Be nice," Troy said with a smile. "Just because I spoil you doesn't mean everyone else will," he teased.

"You shouldn't travel so much," she said pointedly as she laid out all the ingredients on the kitchen counter. "You sure you don't wanna stick around, get married and have a few little ones that I can spoil rotten?"

He laughed making his way over to the fridge to retrieve the jug of orange juice. "Only if you agree to marry me."

With a laugh, she blushed. "Troy Bolton, you behave yourself."

His phone chimed and he placed the orange juice on the table so he could pull out his phone. Kelsi's name flashed on his screen. He tapped the message attached.

Open mic night at Trix's. Bring your guitar.

Gabriella let out a shaky breath as she walked through the entrance of Trix's. Thomas had sent her a text message about meeting up for drinks after work. Which was probably a blessing in disguise since they needed to talk. She'd been back and forth about telling him the truth about the other night. About the kiss.

Or maybe she shouldn't. Maybe that kiss meant nothing at all. Just a random occurrence between two adults.

You taste every bit as sweet as I remember.

"Jack and coke please," she said as soon as she gotten to the bar. Resting her blazer and bag on the back of the stool. She needed liquid courage to get her through this conversation with Thomas. She'd been avoiding him all weekend and he'd just assumed she was upset about the dinner he'd missed.

If only he knew.

"Hey there beautiful," Thomas's voice was soft as he placed a kiss on her cheek and came to sit on the barstool next to hers. "How was your day?"

"Alright," Gabriella said nervously. "I mean there was this one patient who I couldn't make happy to save my life but, Dr. Rhett keeps telling me people will come around." Eventually.

"And they will, you'll see." Thomas gave her knee a gentle squeeze then motioned for a beer from the bartender. "I happy you decided to meet up," he said a little quietly. "Wasn't sure how long the cold shoulder was going to last this time."

This time. A frown pulled at her lips and she twisted the ring on her finger. "Listen," she paused for a moment, not sure how to bring up what she was feeling. "We have to talk about this."

"That doesn't sound good," he laughed as he took his drink from the bartender. "Geez Ella, I know you're pissed about the other night but we talked about this already. What else is there to say?"

"No, we didn't talk about it. You talked about it."

"Really?" he said a little annoyed. "Because it sounded it a lot like you on the phone."

"I already told you I don't want a big wedding. I don't want to plan a wedding like that. It's too much work and you keep saying you're going to help—"

"I am helping. I gave you a list of venues, I've responded to all your text messages about the wedding planner and I even arranged for Troy to help you with the music."

"Who you then just ditched me with," Gabriella said exasperatedly. A small part of her was still seething over Troy's comments about priorities. Possibly because the way he said it reminded her of Kelsi, or maybe it was the disappointment in his eyes when he said it, but it bothered the hell out of her.

Troy didn't know how her and Thomas's relationship functioned- yet he'd made a split-second judgment about Thomas's priorities, her moral compass and then he went and kissed her.

"It's embarrassing," Gabriella said quietly. "My own fiancé let me go to dinner with another man."

"What?" he questioned, a little shocked.

"Yeah… you invited him to come out with us and then you just ditched us. It felt like I was on an awkward first date. Especially after your reaction to my outfit?"

"Is that what your so upset about?" he squinted. "Because of an outfit?"

"Well, I did wear it for you."

"I never asked you too."

"I know that," she said a little louder than necessary, earning a few looks from others around them.

"Ella, what the hell?" he asked, clenching his jaw a little. "You're being weird."

Gabriella sighed, "I just thought, that maybe we would spend the evening together. Maybe drive out to that old spot where the kids used to park or something."

Thomas made a face. "Why on earth would we drive up there? That spots for teenagers."

Feeling a twinge of embarrassment, she shrugged. "I don't know, don't you just want to do things?" she said with an emphasis on the last word. "You seem to act like living apart doesn't bother you."

"Is this about sex?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Kill me now. Gabriella glanced around before glancing back at Thomas. "No. It's not about sex, I just want to spend time with you. I don't want to get all dressed up and then get dumped on some other guy." Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Did it even bother you that we went out without you?"

A sudden confusion came over Thomas's features. "You're upset with me because I let you go have fun with your friends and didn't ask you twenty questions?"

"No," she let out a frustrated sigh, "You just don't understand how it makes me feel. You hardly know Troy at all … yet you had no problem leaving us alone all night."

He hesitated a moment, as though contemplating the situation. "Are you a big girl, Gabriella?"

She picked at her fingernail, then scrunched her shoulders nervously. "Yes."

"You shouldn't be worried about being alone with Troy. The man has enough problems of his own to even be thinking about those kinds of things."

"Excuse me?" Gabriella brow quirked up.

"Don't be like that. You know what I meant."

Gabriella frowned. "Clearly I don't."

"Honey," Thomas said placing his beer on the bar. "The bottom line is that I trust you. You've never given me any reason not to. You make your decisions, and I make mine. That's what I love about us. I don't want to be one of those couples that can't make decisions without the other. I'm secure enough in my manhood to trust the woman I love."

Gabriella closed her eyes, trying to get a hold of her feelings. Tell him about the kiss. She opened her eyes to find Thomas watching her intently.

"Are we good?"

"I need to tel— "

"Guys!" Kelsi squealed as she came up from behind Thomas, "Oh my God, I can't believe you're here tonight!"

"Kelsi?" Gabriella's eyes widen in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Open mic night," she said motioning up to the small stage across the bar where a bunch of tables were already set up. Groups of people lounged around, enjoying an evening cocktail. "I'm so excited to see you guys."

Gabriella nodded still a little shocked and leaned forward to give Kelsi a hug.

"Are you performing?" Thomas asked.

"No, but I forced Troy to go up. I think it would be good for him you know, being on stage solo, without the band."

"Troy's here?" Gabriella said nervously, her eyes darting to Thomas who looked nonchalant by the news.

"Yeah, he's in back messing around with his guitar." Kelsi smiled. "I'm so happy you guys are here, I've already been approached by one bimbo who was fishing about Troy. Amazing how some things never change."

Guilt twisted in her gut. "You didn't kill her, did you?" She asked half jokingly.

"Worst, I told her he had a situation," Kelsi said cheekily as she gestured down below. "Probably won't be cleared up for another week or two."

Gabriella couldn't help but laugh. "You're horrible."

Kelsi shook her head. "It's like being back in high school all over again."

"Well," Thomas smiled, "We better not leave you alone then." He pushed off the bar stool and nudged Gabriella, "Come on, let's go get a table so we can watch the show."

Great. This was exactly how she'd rehearsed the conversation going tonight. Way to really lay it all out there. She lifted her drink and took a long sip, drowning out the buzz of the bar as she followed Kelsi and Thomas to a small table closer to the stage.

"How's the house coming along?" Thomas asked as soon as they settled at a table.

"I think he's reaching out to a realtor soon." Kelsi shrugged. "It's going to be so weird when it sells. I can't imagine never being there again."

"Maybe you won't have too?" Thomas offers with a smile. "We're thinking of putting in an offer."

"We are?" Gabriella's brows rose in surprise.

"Why not," Thomas shrugged. "You love that house."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Gabriella said carefully as she looked over at Kelsi. "Wouldn't it be weird?"

Kelsi shrugged, "I'd be okay with it, at least it would stay in the family."

Thomas nodded, "See, not weird at all."

The three of them were quiet for a while. She glanced up at Thomas catching his eyes as he watched her carefully. As if trying to read her. Afraid of what was in her eyes she shifted and glanced towards the stage. She took a sip of her drink, watching the man on stage singing "The Man Who Wants You" by Amos Lee at the top of his voice.

The few people in the bar erupted in applause as the man on stage finished up. Kelsi took a breath and sat up straighter in her chair. "Troy should be next."

Gabriella leaned back in her chair as she watched the man on stage pack up. For a while, the small crowd murmured to themselves and Kelsi and Thomas discussed his job at Cross and Associates. She nodded a few times along with Thomas as he spoke about their plans for their careers. The laid-out map of their lives and how much he was looking forward to the wedding.

He said all the right things, all the things you would want the man you're in love with to say about your future together. About how he had plans to take care of you and provide for his family. Only… she didn't want to be taken care of, didn't need to be provided with anything. She wanted something else.

A noise from the stage caught her attention and she looked up and saw Troy in his usual black t-shirt and jeans. He shifted on the stool getting comfortable as he settled the guitar on his lap.

"Hey everyone," he said into the microphone. The audience hushed into a dull murmur, the sounds of glasses hitting against tables and clinking against each other were all that could be heard. "My sister made me come in tonight." He smirked then shrugged his shoulder. "Well, she didn't try all that hard, just told me where and when to bring my guitar."

"You're welcome!" Kelsi hollered out.

Troy's eyes shifted towards their table and for a moment he seemed a little surprised to see them, but as soon as the discomfort appeared, it was gone.

"She's bossy but I love her." He said into the microphone sending Kelsi a wink. "My mom, God bless her soul, always told me that rock in roll was going to get me into trouble. And boy, was she right about that."

People in the crowd chuckled.

"She also told me that as long I checked in every so often with the man upstairs it wouldn't be so bad. Turns out she was right about that too." He shifted once more and strummed a few notes on the guitar. "So, this is me, checking in."

He strummed a few more cords, nodding along to the music.

"God, I'm down here on my knees, Cause it's the last place left to fall, Beggin' for another chance, If there's any chance at all, That you might still be listenin', Lovin' and forgivin' guys like me."

He really was magic.

The precision of his fingers and the dance of muscles in his arms made him a visual work of art. The strum of his guitar filled the bar, and his voice caressed everyone with a gentleness that caught her so off guard, she had to physically remember to take a breath.

She swallowed hard. It was just a song. A cover of an old Chris Young song she'd heard playing on the radio when she was studying for her exams. But the way he made the song his own, the way he slowed the song down and took his time with melody. The way he asked for forgiveness as if he really was talking to God.

He was so passionate about his music. The song washed over her, sad and hopeful in equal measures.

When the song was over everyone clapped and cheered. The noise of it all snapped her from her panicked thoughts. Her eyes shifted towards the man on stage who was graciously accepting the attention, his eyes flickered through the crowd, and for a brief moment, his blue eyes met hers and the spark she felt in her body was undeniable.

Later that night Troy and Kelsi sat in his kitchen with a large meat lover's pizza. When he'd gotten off stage he'd met up with her at her table and after a few rounds of drinks Gabriella and Thomas had wandered off on their own. Which was probably for the best.

Kelsi let out a sigh as she picked up another slice. "Didn't that feel amazing. You were incredible."

"Thanks, it did feel amazing," Troy said before taking another bite. It wasn't a lie. He had enjoyed himself tonight. If he was honest with himself, it had felt incredible to play for a small crowd. The intimacy, and conversations, to have it all mean something again.

But he wasn't about to share that bit with Kelsi. Not yet anyway. He didn't want to get her hopes up. Not when he, himself had no idea what he was going to do. Kissing Gabriella had been a mistake. It hadn't made any of the longing or memories go away. It seemed to only make them stronger. And the way she was clinging on to Thomas all night had only cemented the fact that he needed to keep his distance.

"Thomas asked about the house," Kelsi said quietly, her eyes glanced around their old kitchen. An odd expression on her face he couldn't read. "Think he'll actually buy it?"

Troy hoped not, but there wasn't really an argument against it if it happened. "Would it bother you if he did?"

Kelsi picked at her pizza a little. "I always imagined we'd raise a family here. I guess I've spent so much time thinking about it, it's just hard to picture someone else doing it."

"Gabriella isn't just someone else." He said quietly.

"Sometimes…I don't know what that girl is thinking." Kelsi let out a sigh. "I don't know. Them being back here, and having to spend time with them as a couple again." Kelsi shook her head. "She could do better."

At that, his ears perked up. "Why? Something about the prince, not so charming?"

Kelsi rolled her eyes, "He's an okay guy, just not the best fit for her. Gabriella's already a smart independent person. She doesn't need a man to take care of her, she just needs a man who's going to be there for her. Thomas isn't the wrong guy for her he's just…safe."

"Everyone needs someone to take care of them, Kelsi," he said before taking another bite.

"You don't," she countered with a raised brow.

He chewed carefully as he lowered his slice. He swallowed, "that's different. I have handlers and managers." Despite having to let them go recently due to lack of funding.

"Is it?" Kelsi argued.

Troy let out a sigh, "I don't want to fight with you tonight."

"Who says I want to fight?" she said defensively.

He turned away from her and grabbed two paper towels from the roll. "I always thought they'd be here. That I'd come back for the holidays and shit, and nothing would change. Dad would still be screwing up the Christmas lights and mom would be going berserk over the pumpkins each Halloween. Hell, even I thought you and Ryan would have a kid by now."

"Sounds nice," she said taking one of the paper towels from him.

"Mm." He paused. "After I was over touring and had made some money, I was going to buy one of those places on the lake. Settle down."

"Here? Not out in California?"

"Nah," Troy shook his head. "It was always going to be here." He let out a low sigh. "I had everything figured out."

"You know," Kelsi said quietly. "I've heard that most people have three different careers over their lifetime."

"Do they?"

"Maybe playing in the band was just your first one."

"Are you serious? You want me to just give it up?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even. "Hock the guitars and what, get a job at Burger King making fries?"

"I don't want—"

"Because I can really see that working out just fucking great for me, Kelsi. Then I'd always be here, just around for everyone else's convenience." He chucked the crumbled-up paper towel off to the side.

"Troy." The muscles in Kelsi jaw tighten.

"Want to know the difference between me and you, Kelsi?"

She didn't say a word.

"Your dream is living a life just like mom and dad. You idolize them so much that you don't even know what that life was, just this rose-colored image you have of it in your head."

"That so?"

"Christ. You know it is." He couldn't keep the laugh from his voice.

She looked away from him her lips pressed in a tight smile.

"But my dream…mine." With this, he tapped himself squarely in the center of his chest. "It was a little bigger."

Silence followed. For a good minute, he just stared at the pizza on the table, amazed by his own outburst.

"Okay. I'm sorry for saying something that upset you." she paused, taking a deep breath. "That was obviously insensitive of me, given everything you're going through."

He remained quiet.

"What I meant to say was that there might be other jobs in music that would work for you that you might love just as much."

Well, shit.

Kelsi leaned forward. "I am not your enemy, Troy. I care a hell of a lot about you." She shook her head. "the way you just spoke to me is not okay. How dare you say that my hopes for the future are less important than yours. That I'm some kind of naïve little girl playing make-believe."

"Kelsi—"

"I'm not finished, you asshat."

Troy's eyes widen and he crossed his arms forcing himself to remain silent. She was quiet for a moment as if thinking about her next words carefully. Then she sighed.

"Actually, I am finished."

"Okay."

"I'm going home," she said looking down at the half-eaten pizza. "I think it's for the best."

She hopped down from her stool and grabbed her bag from the counter.

"I'm sorry."

She stopped cold. Her lips still pressed in that angry thin line. It reminded him of their mother's scowl, the one she wore when she was annoyed with something but wouldn't say what.

"Is that it?"

His shoulders rose and fell. "Does there need to be more?"

"I'm not sure."

He let out a sigh and came around the island to stand in front of her. "You're right. I was an asshat."

"Yeah, you were." A small smiled pulled at her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Troy shook his head. "Am I ever going to not piss you off?"

"Probably not," Kelsi said with a laugh. "Honestly, it's probably the one thing other than music you're really good at."

"They were right you know," Troy said with a sigh, "Mom and Dad, about us needing each other."

Kelsi nodded slowly. "We're all each other has."

He nodded as well. Then without warning, she lunched forward and wrapped her arms around him. He hesitated for a moment and then relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her and held on to her as tight as he could. No matter how annoying or unsolicited her advice and nagging was, she was his family and he loved her.

Later that night after Kelsi had gone home he took the pizza box out back to the trash. Then spent some time cleaning out the pantry, stopping only to check his phone to see if Chad had contacted him about the deal with Hamilton. There'd been no word for a few days, and Troy's shoulders fell.

Staying here another week would only be trouble. His thoughts turned to Gabriella, she was an interesting woman. An admirable woman. He glanced outside the kitchen window at the house next door. He wondered what she was doing.

Backing away from the window he tried to shake the thought from his head. He made his way into the living room and reached for his guitar.

Gabriella made him laugh, and she made him think, and she got him out of his own head. She also made him want things he probably shouldn't be wanting if he ever planned on getting out of this town. He was in no state to start a relationship with someone.

She's getting married, you idiot.

He picked at the guitar, fiddling with a harmony that had been sitting in the back of his head for a few days now. Just for fun, he dropped down a key, and suddenly a couple other ideas he had fell into place. He played until the notes ran out, then went over it again, listening and feeling his way through the music.

Just as he picked up a pen and made some notes on a nearby napkin the lights flickered. Once, twice and then they were out. The hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen stopped and silence filled the room. "Son of a bitch," he murmured.

He put the guitar to the side and made his way back to the kitchen where he'd left his phone. He used his phone's flashlight to make his way down into the basement. After a few tries with the breakers, nothing happened.

"Shit," Troy grumbled as he made his way back up the stairs. He looked out the kitchen window and seen his neighbor's house unusually dark as well. He better go and check on the girls.

He hesitated for a moment. They weren't really his responsibility. He shouldn't be the one coming to check on them. It should be Thomas. And who knows, maybe Thomas was already there. Maybe he'd already gone down to the basement and checked on things.

The thought of it made him grunt. Then before he knew what he was doing, he made his way out the back door and hopped the small fence between their properties. He went up to the side of the house holding a hand up to see into the kitchen. No one. He went around the house and retrieved the small key from its hiding place above the door and let himself inside.

"Maria?" he called out. "Ms. Montez, you home?" he turned on his phone and used the flashlight feature shedding light on the empty living room.

"Troy?" Gabriella's voice greeted him in the darkness from the stairs. His eyes, against his better judgment, shifted so he could get his fill of her body. She was wearing a t-shirt that hung on her until about mid-thigh. That wild mane of hers braided and off to the side.

"How did you get in here?" she held up a hand to block the light from his phone.

He mumbled an apology and lowered his phone. "You and your mom alright?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"The power went out," she said after a moment, "And mom's asleep upstairs."

"Oh." He nodded turning off his phone's flashlight and sending the Livingroom into darkness. She watched as he made his way to the window and glanced at the darkened houses across the street. "Looks like the whole block is out."

"Great." Her tone was flat. So much for her twilight marathon. She came over to where he was standing to look out the window as well. He smelled like pizza and light remnants of the bar from earlier this evening.

"My sentiments exactly." He looked away from the window taken aback for a moment when he noticed she'd moved.

The thought that she could startle him at all made a smile pull at her lips. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I should light some candles or something."

"And I should probably be going."

Neither one them moved.

"Troy?" She whispered looking up at his eyes and noticing that he was keeping his eyes trained on the window. As if the image of their neighbors darkened houses where the most fascinating subject matter on earth.

"Troy?" she said again a little louder.

His eyes met hers in the dark. The shift of his attention made her inhale sharply. Honestly, it was hard to meet his eyes. The expression on his face and the way he held his body, the emotion in his eyes. Her world was so colored when it came to him. Even in the dark every detail so was vivid and real. He shouldn't have that power. It would have been so much easier to leave him otherwise.

And to think at one point, she genuinely believed she loved Thomas. What an idiot. She didn't have a fucking clue about love. She understood like and lust, things along those lines. But the rest, it was all an abyss, a big black hole, and she couldn't see the bottom. Couldn't even begin to fathom the depths of it. What she did know as that inside of her, there lived a big ball of emotion to do with her neighbor Troy.

"We should talk."

Troy huffed. "That sentence never ends well for the guy,"

"Do you want a drink?"

His brow rose, "Where's Thomas?"

She shrugged, "Probably at home, maybe at the office."

He thought about it for a moment, his eyes glancing around the darkened living room. "Sure, if we do this, a drink sounds like a good idea."

She let out a relieved sigh and she made her way over to the cabinet to retrieve the whiskey and two glasses.

"Do you remember the first time you got drunk?" he said sitting down on the couch.

She thought for a moment. Remembering the night, she and Kelsi had gone to one of Sharpay's end of the year summer celebrations. "I vaguely remember being drunk for the first time. I remember waking up and thinking I was going to die."

"You fell asleep thinking you were going to die," he shook his head. "You both got so hammered that night, Kelsi called me because you guys were locked in the bathroom."

Gabriella huffed. "Sounds like us."

Troy laughed, "I ended up taking my date home early that night just so I could go get you guys." He smiled at the memory. "You were both sloppy drunk and convinced you were going to die. I had to sneak you guys inside and up into Kelsi's room without anyone finding out."

Gabriella handed him a glass with three fingers of whiskey then poured her own. "I'm sorry about that."

Troy shrugged. "Big Brother duties. Besides I couldn't just let you guys get caught."

Gabriella leaned back on the couch bringing her feet up and tucking them underneath her. She thought about it for a moment. "I think the first time I had whiskey I was at one of your parties."

Troy smirked, "Against my better judgment probably, Kelsi always begged me to let you girls stay for those."

"How kind of you," she murmured.

"I know." Troy's lips pulled into a smile as he watched her in the dark. His eyes shifted lower and rested on her bare thigh. He probably couldn't see the boy shorts she was wearing underneath and the idea of him wondering if she had anything on underneath made her shift from the tingles of awareness.

I wish he would kiss me again. The thought sprung up out of nowhere and she tried to shove it back in the box. But there's no use in trying to deny it.

"I really liked the song you sang tonight."

"I take it, you own a few of my CD's?"

"You might want to say that, not like Kelsi gave me much of choice." She smiled warmly. "She's proud of you, you know."

"I know."

"If I was being honest, so am I."

"Is that right?" he said quietly, his eyes focused on hers, then momentarily dropping to her lips.

Their bodies naturally seemed to gravitate toward each other. The pull of one messed-up heart to another. She watched him warily, unsure of what to do about the way he was staring at her. "Yeah," she whispered.

"What did you want to talk about?"

She lifted her glass for liquid courage, welcoming the warm burn. After a moment she finally said, "You kissed me."

"I did. In fact, if I recall you kissed me back."

"I did not."

"You did."

Gabriella shook her head, "Fine whatever," she paused for a moment. "Why did you do it?"

The corner of his lips pulled up in a smirk and she almost hated how smug he looked about her question. "Because I wanted to."

"So, what?" she said a little caught off guard. "That was just a spur of the moment thing for you?" Of course, it was. She'd been stupid to think otherwise. Troy Bolton was Troy freaking Bolton. He didn't need reasons to do things, he just did them. Life, consequences or others be damned.

"Wanting to kiss you?" he asked staring at her intently. "No, that's always been there. Like any good melody in a song, you just sort of get used to it. Can't ever imagine what the words were like without it."

Her skin broke out into goosebumps. "What does that mean?"

"It just means I like kissing you."

"Or that you just like kissing in general."

"No."

He reached for her drink and set it down on the coffee table with his own. Before she could protest he leaned forward into her personal space. An intimate approach, one with intent, and when she realizes she was backed against the other side of the couch, her heart rate attempted a Guinness world record.

Hummingbirds had nothing on her.

She looked up to see his face and even then, she didn't see much. His features were indecipherable. Was he annoyed? Turned on? She nearly laughed at the second option, but then his gaze flicked to her lips and the thought of laughter died on the spot.

He bent low and her stomach flipped. For some incomprehensible reason, she wondered if he would, in fact, kiss her again. Had he read her thoughts? Had she said it out loud?

"What are you doing?" she asked, regretting it instantly. Her voice shaky and raspy with a sudden want.

He loomed over her as he raised a hand to her throat. For a horrible second, she wondered if he would strangle her, but his fingers brush across her collarbone instead. Gently. Painfully.

"If you come any closer, I'll scream," she warned.

"I don't think you will."

They were quiet for a moment, both of them staring at each other in the dark. Their breathing quick. "I'm going to kiss you," he whispers.

"Okay," she whispers back to him. Because for life of her she can't come up with a good reason not to let him kiss her.

His lips brushed against her. Such a soft touch. Up and down in the tiniest of motions, he grazed his mouth against hers. It was sweet, lovely, and a little weird. She'd never been kissed like this. Every part of her wanted to press forward, to push for more. But at the same time, what he was giving her was so good. To rush him and his artistry would have been wrong.

His breath warmed her face and his fingers reached for her hands, intertwining with hers. She held herself perfectly still while he gently rubbed his lips against hers, doing what he wanted. The tip of his nose nudged her cheek, time and again and her chest leaned against his. His kisses were hypnotizing.

When his lips opened a little, just enough to softly kiss her bottom lip, she swore she swooned. Over and over he kissed her lips, first the top then the bottom, the sides and the corner from where her smile started. No part was left untouched. Her smile grew wider, her nipples hard and her insides tingled with a want for him.

He drew back slightly, a small frown on his lips. "We have a problem."

She didn't say a word for a moment, she just looked down at his chest feeling an urge pull him to her again. "Did I do something wrong?"

He smiled, "Hardly," he tone was soft and warm as his hand came up to push a stray hair back. "Cheating isn't my thing. I promised myself I would never knowingly do that to anyone."

Her eyes darted up to his. "I've never cheated before. In fact, the last time I kissed anyone who wasn't Thomas, it was you."

At that, he smiled. His thumb gently rubbing her bottom lip. "He's the better man for you, Ella."

"So that's it?"

"You picked him, sweetheart." His voice was a whisper but she could sense the hurt in his voice. The thought that she hurt him, even a little bit was so outrageous when he was the one who had stomped on her heart so long ago.

"You didn't give me much of a choice," her voice broke on the last word and she closed her eyes for a moment. "You made me look like a damn fool."

"How have I ever made you look like a fool?" He wasn't angry, and he wasn't emotional, but there was something in his voice that was somewhere in the middle.

She pulled in a breath, then looked down at her hands and shook her head. "Seriously, Troy."

He lifted her face up with his index finger under her chin, his eyes narrowed. "Talk to me."

"After our kiss," she said quietly, suddenly feeling all the emotions of a broken eighteen-year-old girl crashing onto her shoulders. "I saw you with a girl, out in front, I thought you saw me, but—"

He suddenly closed his eyes, then made a noise deep in the back of his throat, cutting her off. His head fell back to his shoulders, and he made a sound that could have been a laugh or a cough. "That," he whispered. "That." But this time it was with a hint of amusement. He was quiet for a moment, then he lifted his head to look at her, his blue eyes brilliant even in the faint light of night, as he stared straight into her soul. "I'm a jealous man, Gabriella," he finally stated, as though that simple sentence was all that was needed.

She searched his face, trying to understand what he meant, but he continued.

"I wanted to make you jealous too."

She shook her head, not comprehending why he would do that, but then she replayed the afternoon over in her head and she remembered. She covered her mouth with a hand and her throat when dry. "You saw Thomas kiss me, didn't you?"

He didn't respond, but the look in his eyes told her that was exactly what happened. "Oh, my God."

"Gabriella…" but he said it in a way that dismissed their past. He said it in a way that said it didn't matter.

But it did. "When he kissed me, I was shocked, but I let it happen. Partially because I was young and didn't know how to push him away. He was my friend. One of my best friends and I didn't want to hurt him. And partially because I wanted to know if kissing him felt even half as good as it felt kissing you. It didn't. It never did—"

He shifted on the couch putting some space between them. "If he didn't kiss you like I did, if you didn't feel with him the way you did with me, why were you still with him when you came back? Why are you still with him nine years later?"

She shifted uncomfortably because he was asking the hard questions. Asking the questions, she'd asked a thousand times but never let herself answer.

"I don't know…"

He shook his head, as though saying her answer wasn't good enough.

"Because…" she continued. "He's good to me and he's my friend. I didn't want to hurt him. He's just… I mean everything was easier, comfortable, and I didn't want our relationship to end…" her words trailed off, and she looked up at him through tear-laced lashes. "It wasn't until being back here, with you that I really had any doubts."

He cupped the side of her face, sending her pulse racing. Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. The world stood still. Her heart stuttered in her chest. She forgot to breathe. Then his mouth moved against hers and heat exploded in her belly and breast and between her thighs. In that fraction of a second, she knew how it would be between them—hot and wild and desperate.

It was too much. Too fast, too real, too confronting. She barely had a moment to think before his hands gathered her up pulling her on top of him so she was now straddling him. Her hands on his shoulders. He was so warm, she felt his touch everywhere on her body. His hand on her bare skin ignited a fire inside her and she shifted her hips. Her lips parted on a surprised gasp when she found him hard beneath her, and he didn't hesitate to sweep his tongue inside her so he could thoroughly taste her. he was hotter and sweeter than she could have imagined, and as the kiss intensified, even more, she gripped his shoulders and a small moan escaped the back of her throat.

Suddenly there was audible pop and the house came alive with beeps and clicks as appliances were awoken from slumber. Gabriella jerked away from his lips, her eyes focused at the stairs, listening for her mother. Knowing that if she were to come downstairs there was no way she'd be able to explain what was happening.

"Ella," Troy gently shift his hips beneath her and she felt his erection press against her again. Her eyes shifted and she looked down at Troy who was looking up at her curiously.

"You should go," she said moving to get up.

"You sure?"

"Yes." She said once on her feet and moving away from him. "You need to go."

"Alright," Troy held his hands up in surrender. "I'm leaving."

Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest as she let out a long breath trying to get a hold of herself and the guilt overturning in her gut. She turned away from him so he couldn't read the insecurities on her face. Right now, they were out there for everyone to see, and she couldn't put them away, because, for the first time in nine years, she began to question what she was doing with her life. With Thomas. If she could feel so much for a man she hadn't seen in half a decade, how could she even think about a future with Thomas?

Thomas. She couldn't help but cringe at the thought of him. He was honest, hardworking and didn't deserve this. This needed to stop. Whatever this was, whether curiosity or an unfulfilled girlhood fantasy. It would end here. She wouldn't risk their relationship. She wouldn't risk her heart.

Closing her eyes, she tried to force all the emotions from her body. But the fact was, a simple touch from Troy caused lightning bolts to shoot through her limbs. A simple touch from Troy made her ache for more. A touch from Troy wasn't easily forgotten.

"Oh my God," she murmured, struggling to keep the air in her lungs. "I really need you to leave, right now."

"Yeah," he said in a low murmur. "I got that."

She watched as he made his way towards the door. Her heart racing, beating so wildly she thought he might be able to hear it. But if he did, he didn't acknowledge it. He didn't even turn around for one last look. He just opened the front door and walked out. Leaving her in silence.