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Chapter 7

Gabi had changed into soft pajama bottoms and an oversize shirt. The nightshirt had snoopy on it and the bottoms featured Woodstock. She was sipping red wine while Troy half-laid in her chair, his shirt unbuttoned to reveal his white vest under it and he had abandoned his shoes and socks as he got comfortable.

Sam was firmly in his possession, cutely mewing and curling up on his belly where he had her. Gabi noted the scene with a fond and wistful smile.

She wanted to curl up on his tummy, godammit! Why should her kitten get all the fun?

She really didn't know why it was sexy watching him laying there, all sloth-like with her cat for company, but something tingled between her thighs as she observed them.

"I should go," Troy near-mumbled, his eyes half-closed as he blinked tiredly.

"Sam's adopted you," she smiled.

He smiled, too, tiredly. "Yeah, she's really something…cat-napping is not out of the question."

"You live next door," she reminded him. "I would find out."

He squinted. "Hm." Seems his plan needed work.

Gabi twisted her lips.

"I have a spare room you know," she offered of his drowsy state.

"I might just sleep here," Troy closed his eyes decidedly, now he had permission to stay.

"Your back will hurt," she warned, getting up. Her head span a little but it settled as she walked toward him, scooping up her pet from his stomach.

"No…" He complained with a pout.

"She needs to sleep, so do you," Gabi put her kitten down in her bed and came back for the man. "Come on, lazy-butt…"

She reached out both her hands to help him up, but was surprised at how heavy he was. He resisted her attempts to pull him up.

"Don't make me…" He whined childishly.

Gabi let go of his hands. "Fine."

He opened one eye, finding her standing before him with crossed arms.

"Are you gonna kick my butt?" He wondered.

"I'm thinking about it," she admitted.

He sighed, rolling up, standing with the same momentary dizziness she'd experienced.

"Okay, show me to this bed," he mused. "I don't trust myself to get across my lawn without falling asleep under the sprinklers."

She pushed open the door to her spare room, which she luckily kept perfectly made-up for visitors. He lifted his brows and rubbed a hand down his face.

"It's a little flowery," he observed of her décor.

"You're man enough to own it," she mused, following him in to make sure he got into bed. If he later fell out of it, she couldn't be responsible, but for now, she wouldn't leave until she knew he was safely horizontal.

"Hm," he rolled into the roomy double and quickly curled up with the comforter.

"Okay?" She checked.

"No," he husked.

"Why, what's wrong?" She worried.

"Lonely," he said, surprising her.

She didn't imagine he was someone who knew what loneliness felt like. Surely he had women queuing to share his bed?

"Go to sleep," she commanded.

He reached out an arm and stroked the space next to him.

"Come stay," he murmured, inviting her in with him. In under the covers, in the same bed, in a small space while they both slept.

She widened her eyes, not liking how much she actually wanted to do as he asked. She wanted to be his bed buddy more than she liked to admit.

She smiled softly at him, pulling up the covers before she left his room quietly, closing the door behind her.

/

"Hey, you're up," Gabi smiled at her house-guest as he groggily ran a hand through his hair and made his way across her kitchen in his grey slacks and white vest.

"I have a feeling I drank too much," Troy mused.

Gabi held up a glass of orange juice and two aspirin. "I'm making breakfast- eggs and hash browns?" She checked.

He took the drink with a little smile down at her.

"You're amazing, you know that?" He swallowed the pills thankfully while she busied herself at the stove.

She smirked. "And you're a charmer," she replied.

He took respite in a chair.

"After breakfast I'll go shower and change," he explained.

She smiled at him over her shoulder.

"You can go back to sleep if you feel like it," she assured. "Don't feel obliged to come back…"

He gave her one of those smiles.

"Nice try," he teased.

She brought over a plate and set it down in front of him.

"You not eating?" He frowned in concern.

She pulled out a can from the cupboard and showed it to him.

"Just feeding Sam first." She explained and he nodded, tucking into his food.

"This is great, I owe you breakfast now, too," he smirked.

"You know what?" She came over once she had given Sam a small measure of food. "We should just give up on owing each other," she posed. "We're neighbours, right?"

He looked up with those thick-lashed eyes and allowed a little smile to curve his lips.

"Right."

She shrugged. "So, let's stop counting."

He turned his lips down with a nod. "Alright," he agreed easily, impressed by her suggestion.

"Although…" He said a moment later.

She looked up. "Although what?"

"Well…would you still come to dinner with me if I didn't owe you?" He wondered lightly.

She remembered their last dinner, their last kiss. Only last night, but still it seemed so long ago now. It was weird having to pretend he didn't make her knees melt whilst she tried to instigate some formality between them.

She looked into his honest blue eyes. "Yes," she replied with that vulnerability he was coming to love about her.

He smiled. "Alright," he agreed. "I'm gonna go shower up," he stood. "Breakfast was amazing, I'll be back before you know it…"

Gabi twisted to watch him exit her house with all the energy an excited little boy might have and she shook her head in affection.

He really was something.

/

Troy didn't come back within an hour, nor two hours. When it got to lunchtime, Gabi made extra sandwiches in the hope he might turn up late and hungry, but they went in the fridge untouched.

She sat out on her lawn with her bounty, selling things here and there to neighbours who passed by. She had a stack of small paintings there for $15 each, old ones she hadn't felt were good enough for the shop and she felt bad that she was selling them without Troy there to commandeer them, how she imagined he might.

She got up to stretch her legs and flipped through them, finding one of seagulls that might go in his small downstairs toilet so she put it by, planning to bill him to make him happy.

The afternoon sun made her drowsy, she drifted off between customers, enjoying the lazy day doing nothing.

Next weekend she was starting the mural, she planned to tell Troy about it because she needed his help doing the base colour but he still hadn't appeared. She almost went round there at one point to make sure he hadn't knocked himself out somehow; or had a random fit that left him lying helplessly on his floor.

But she knew he was probably just busy. Something must have come up; he was an actor after-all. Even if he was hiding out here, he still had responsibilities.

Still, she couldn't help but worry.

As the sun went down and she packed up her left-over's, she climbed across the hydrangea bush to quickly dash next door and knock on Troy's back door just to check if he was home. There was no answer, no lights on. She turned back and almost got stuck in the bush on the way through, deciding to cut back some of the dividing overgrowth to allow a thru-path for them both to use.

There didn't seem much sense in walking all the way around anymore.

Gabi went back inside after her impromptu gardening session and soaked in a long bath. She had kind of missed him today. She missed his smile, his confidence, the way he made her feel. She missed the buzz he gave her when he looked at her that way he did. She missed the opportunity to trust him a little bit more, to let him under her guard.

When she turned out her lights to sleep, she thought about him and she sent a prayer upward. She prayed that Troy was okay.

/

It was three, long quiet days without Troy when Gabi sat down with macaroni cheese for one at her wooden table.

The ceramic tray she'd baked it in was still over half-full and she chided herself for cooking for her ever-hungry neighbour when it was clear he wasn't coming back any time soon.

She kind of wished they had exchanged numbers, or at least that he'd called her at the shop. She knew he had her card.

But then she berated herself for thinking constantly about the handsome actor when she had far more important things to do. Like taking out the trash.

She sighed, giving up on her meal as her hunger waned. She grabbed her trash bag and trudged down the drive to her bin, wheeling it out onto the sidewalk ready for collection the following morning.

A few die-hard photographers greeted her and wished her a good night as she went back to the house. She frowned as she passed her porch swing seat.

"Nice night for a swing," Troy looked over at her and smiled.

She turned and looked at him bemusedly, not sure if he was real.

"Or not," he added, standing with a concerned look on his face.

"Hi," she smiled, letting out a relieved breath. He was ok! He was really ok!

Troy swallowed and pocketed his hands, not sure if she would be mad at him.

"Hi," he replied, with a little lip curl and a lift of his brows.

She hesitated, one moment, and then she walked and walked until she had her arms wrapped tight around his middle and her cheek pressed into his chest.

For a few seconds she thought she'd made the biggest, most embarrassing mistake of her life, but then his arms went around her in return and he squeezed her back.

"Hi," he murmured, running one hand up her back and she felt the weight of his cheek against the top of her head.

She pulled away, a little awkwardly as she tried to figure out what to do. Should she kiss him? Invite him in? She swallowed, venturing a look at him.

"Are you hungry?"

He smirked. "Ravenous."

"I made macaroni," she broached, dropping her gaze. "I have leftovers."

He nodded. "Then if that's an invite, I'd love to come in and help prevent any waste."

She smiled. "Follow me, Hollywood…"

/

Troy ate the large section of pasta Gabi had left. She heated it in the microwave and even began to eat her portion after he persuaded her to.

She curled up in her comfy chair while Troy sat on the sofa.

"Don't think you're getting away lightly," she arched as he wolfed down his meal.

He looked at her.

"I know. I'm sorry," he added genuinely.

She softened at his evident guilt.

"Is everything okay?" She checked.

He smirked. "Well, my father had a heart attack, but I'm okay," he assured.

"He what?" She gaped. "Oh god, I'm so sorry! You should have said, there's me being stupid and you had to-" She paused from her babbling. "Is he ok?"

Troy looked up. "Yeah, kinda. I stayed with him till they discharged him but I had to get back so I didn't miss too many classes."

"Oh, Troy," she sympathized, rising to come and sit by him.

She reached for his hand and squeezed it.

"Leaving was the hardest thing I've done," he husked.

"Can't you just go back?" She wondered. "I know you're studying but surely you can get extra tuition to make up what you miss?"

He looked to her, a touched smile on his lips. He turned his hand so their fingers would mesh together.

"He's okay. He told me to quit hovering over him. I will go back, but for now, I have to pretend like I can actually concentrate on my diploma."

"Is there anything I can do?" She asked.

"You're already doing it," he assured, meeting her gaze.

She was surprised she was having any effect at all from the very little she was actually doing. She broke their hand hold and leaned forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured.

He gently hugged her back.

"How's my girl been?" He asked of Sam.

Gabi pulled away and smiled. "She's been mewing a lot. I think she missed you."

"Really?" He lifted a brow. "Anyone else miss me while I was gone?"

She smirked. "Not that I know of."

Troy pursed his lips. Well, it had been worth a try.

"Hm, okay then…"

She cleared her throat as she stood.

"I missed you," she admitted, not meeting his gaze. "I was worried."

Troy smiled and stood, too.

"I missed you, too," he replied, reaching out to cup her cheek. It brought her towards him, turning and stepping as though she was hypnotized.

He looked into her face, marveled over her beauty; let his thumb brush the softness of her cheek.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, leaning down.

She met him half way; quickly put her palms to his chest to feel that strength she loved so much and she let the kiss happen that she had been yearning for since he'd gone. A small part of her had feared he wouldn't come back, that this would never happen again, but it was and oh god, it was just as amazing, just as epic, if not more so.

She whimpered and ran her hands up to his neck, letting his arms wrap her close. She remembered him saying he liked to wrap a woman up in his arms and she was so glad to be that girl, so happy that they fit this way; against each other.

She mussed his hair; he sucked her lower lip; but just as kissing threatened to turn into foreplay, he pulled back.

She blinked at him. Had she gone too far? His dad was sick after all, he probably didn't care much for making out right now.

"It's good to be back," he gave her a slow smile.

She had to agree with that.

/

Gabi sent Troy home with his bird painting which he was over the moon about and he hadn't been too mad about her selling other prints. She had told him about the mural painting on Sunday, but that she understood he would need to go home to see his father and that she could manage alone.

She was surprised to see him on her porch the next morning, knocking on her door after his ascent up her steps.

"Great idea with the short cut by the way," he greeted.

"Are you looking to be fed?" She wondered, dressed for the day in a cotton cropped top and harem pants with thong sandals.

"You look amazing," he bypassed her question with a compliment.

She arched a brow.

"Come in…" She turned while he followed her through to the kitchen.

"I was wondering if you could give me a ride into town," he explained of his presence. "I guessed you'd be going to open your shop…"

She gave him some fruit and croissants from her supply.

"Sure," she agreed. "How will you get to college?"

"Walk," he shrugged.

"Troy, it's two miles," she mused.

"Well, I usually walk from here."

"It's only two blocks from here that's why," she argued.

"I'll be fine."

"I'll drop you after," she insisted.

He looked at her. "Thank you."

He couldn't help noticing the way the structured top cupped her small breasts; or how it cut off to reveal a very curvy middle. He couldn't miss her pierced belly-button or the tiny gemmed apple dangling from her chosen belly-ring. In fact, he didn't miss anything about her seductive picture at all, he just wished they weren't obliged to carry out tasks today or he might enjoy this morning another way.

"Why are you staring at me?" She frowned and behind her frames, he saw her brown eyes squint.

"I told you, you look amazing."

She rolled her eyes. "Guys are so predictable."

"Hey," he scoffed, offended.

"I put a crop top on and suddenly I'm worth staring at?" She accused knowingly.

He met her gaze and held it.

"You're always worth staring at," he said very softly, very persuasively.

She dropped her eyes to her plate, feeling a swirl in the pit of her stomach. She sort of wanted to kiss him now. A belated hello, good morning kiss that might extend a little beyond the average lip-smack.

When she lifted her eyes back to his, she cleared her throat.

"We should set sail."

Troy scraped back his chair and walked to the end of the table to meet her where she came around to leave. His presence there blocked her exit somewhat. She darted her eyes to his.

"You are always worth staring at, Gabriella," he said, leaning down to kiss her on the mouth.

She allowed the soft, short kiss to happen and looked at him with bewildered eyes. If she kissed him back now, they might never leave this house. For her own safety, she decided to resist the urge to jump him.

"Stop being charming and let's go," she instructed softly.

He gave her a lop-sided smile and let her lead the way.