Troy had been staying at Chad and Taylor's place for almost a month and Taylor was getting tired of having to feed for two men instead of one. "Troy, you promised that you'd be staying for only a few days. How much time do you need?" Taylor asked as the three of them sat down around the dining table. "Have you tried to talk Gabriella into allowing you to come home?" Chad asked. Troy told them that he went to the apartment the other day, but when he knocked on the door, no one was home. "I think she's staying at her dad's place." Taylor said.

"Is that what she told you?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, she called me one day and told me that she's going to be at her dad's house for a while. I haven't really seen her since." Taylor answered. Troy didn't think that it would come down to this. He let out a sigh, then began eating his meal. He didn't know whether or not that Chad was right about him proposing to Gabriella. The very next day, Troy decided to leave and go back home. He parked the car in front of the apartment, then realized that there was an extra key that was hidden. He had never felt so stupid in his life, but he had every reason to feel that way.

He entered the empty apartment, closing the door behind him as he set his bag down in the bedroom. The bed looked like it hadn't been slept in for weeks, which was true. Troy had gotten dressed for work and got in his car, driving to the company. He parked his car in the lot, got out, and entered the building. "Finally back from the grave." Chris smiled as Troy stepped out onto the floor. Troy wasn't in a joking mood for that day. Both Chris and Daniel could tell that something was wrong, but neither of them bothered to ask.

Loraine walked out of her office to see Troy walk to his cubicle and sit down. "Hey." she smiled. Troy didn't say anything to her as he looked over the files on his desk. Loraine knew that something was up and it definitely had something to do with Gabriella. "Look, I'm sorry about what-"

"It's not your fault Loraine." Troy interrupted, shuffling through the papers. Loraine couldn't understand how blunt Troy was being. She remembered that he was all smiles when they were talking, but then she realized that she seemed to have gotten in the way of his relationship. "It is my fault. I shouldn't have kissed you." she said. "If I had known-"

Troy faced her as he stood up. "Loraine, I know we're friends and I know you're trying to bring this upon yourself. It's not your entire fault. It's mine." he said. "I just- I just want to get Gabriella back." Loraine didn't say another word, but hugged him.

"I'll help you get her back Troy." she said. In many ways, Troy was grateful for having a friend like Loraine and was glad that they could still be friends after everything that has happened. "Thank you." Troy said after they pulled away and he resumed his work.

. . .

Gabriella was in her office that day. She had been crying herself to sleep all week and hardly got enough sleep. Ethan had let her off work early for a few of those days in the last month, but now she was ready to get back to work. Ethan had gotten off the phone with Loraine after a conversation about Troy. Loraine had told him that she was eagerly going to help Troy and Gabriella get back together. Ethan agreed that it would be a good idea and then said goodbye before hanging up the phone. He walked down the hallway, entering the room. He walked up to Gabriella with his hands in his pockets. "I have a proposal for you." he said.

"What do you need?" Gabriella asked him.

"We can talk about it over lunch." he said. Gabriella shook her head in reply, then continued on her work. Ethan rolled his eyes and sighed. There were times when Gabriella was a stubborn girl. "Don't be stubborn Gabriella. You are coming to lunch with me and that's an order." Ethan said, using his stern boss-like voice. He hardly used it around Gabriella because she wasn't a difficult person to work with. He noticed that she was always so cooperative and since the incident that happened with Troy, not so much. Eventually he got Gabriella to rise out of her seat and walked with him out to his car.

Ethan drove her to a local cafe where they could just chat about life's wonders, or just about her life. They sat down at a table outside and were served their meals. "Tell me, what's your life like?" he asked her. Gabriella was confused as to why Ethan was asking her about what her life was like. "Why do you need to know?" she asked.

"I'm just curious." he shrugged.

"My life isn't really all that special Ethan. My parents divorced when I was seven and I've always lived with my mom throughout high school. When I was old enough to travel, I'd go and visit my dad here in LA. I don't have any siblings. I like to sing, but I would get nervous. I remember in high school, I 'audition' for the musical and I didn't even know that I was auditioning. Troy-" She stopped at his name and then the tears came. Ethan pulled out his handkerchief and gave it to her. Gabriella thanked him as she wiped her tears away with it. "I know talking about him is a tough subject, but it helps. What's he like when he's not… you know, a player?" he asked.

"He's a wonderful guy. He's sweet, caring, and he knows how to have fun. He would take me on these romantic dates. He'd find so many ways to surprise me." Gabriella continued to reminisce about the good old days when she and Troy were dating. Ethan saw that every time a good memory was said, she would smile and her eyes would light up. He loved seeing that side of Gabriella. The two continued to talk about each other's past relationships. "Troy will realize that he needs you more than you need him." Ethan said.

Gabriella nodded and took a bite of her food, thankful for having Ethan around. She couldn't have been more grateful to have Ethan by her side for moral support. After lunch, Ethan drove back to the law firm and parked his car in the lot. "Ethan, I really appreciate for having you around." she smiled.

"That's what friends are for Gabs." Ethan smiled.

. . .

After work, Troy and Loraine walked into a jewelry store. "Loraine, hi!" A woman walked up to Loraine, giving her a hug. Loraine smiled, hugging the other woman. "Melanie, I want you to meet a friend of mine. Troy Bolton." Loraine introduced Melanie to Troy as the two shook hands. "Nice to meet you." she smiled.

Troy smiled, shaking her hand. "You too."

"So, what can I help you with?" Melanie saw that Troy was a fine young man, but she figured that he could be seeing someone. "Well, Troy here is looking for an engagement ring." Loraine answered for Troy.

"She must be one lucky girl." Melanie smiled.

"Yeah, she is." Troy smiled, but it wasn't genuine. Melanie could tell that something was wrong but she didn't want to impose. "I'll pick out a few selections and you can tell me which one you like." she said, then went behind the counter to pick out a few rings. She set the choice of rings on the counter to have Troy look at all of them. He liked ring with the three diamonds in the middle, and so he picked that as his choice for the engagement ring. "Great choice." Melanie smiled. Troy paid for the ring and got into his car with Loraine. "So, where are you planning to propose to her? The beach? A restaurant?" she asked.

"I know you're trying to help me, but I all ready have a place in mind Loraine." he smiled.

Loraine rolled her eyes and sighed, "Oh alright, if you don't want to tell me..."

"Okay, I'll tell you." Troy said as he laid out to her the details of how he was going to propose to Gabriella.