Disclaimer: I do not own 'High School Musical' or any related characters.
A/N: Just for a quick review, Gabriella's twenty-two in this story and Troy's twenty-eight. There's a six year age difference between them. Also, there's a little delving into Chad and Sharpay's relationship in this chapter and it may or may not be a turning point for our two main characters. Just don't get excited, I know a lot of you got a little…enthused when you read that they'd kissed last chapter and I'm warning you right now, there's still a long way to go before the story ends, which means that there's still a lot more to the characters and their relationships. So please, enjoy this chapter!
Memories that Last for Moments
Chapter Seven: So Much More
Wish I had concentrated, And it was over-rated
They said love was complicated,
But it's something i just fell into,
But just look what i've created
I came out alive but i'm black and blue-ue
I Heart ? - Taylor Swift
Chad folded his arms and stared across the counter at his girlfriend, who had gone an interesting shade of red when he informed her of what had happened last night between Troy and Gabriella. If he didn't know any better, Chad would have assumed Sharpay was furious. Fortunately, he knew better.
Sharpay Evans in complete shock was something that was a rare sight and instead of commenting on it, Chad chose to treasure the moment.
"Troy did what?" And just like that, Chad thought wryly, the moment was ruined. Now, she was angry and because he knew better, Chad chose not to acknowledge her tone or the potential for disaster if she was provoked. Instead he spoke calmly, not really wanting to become messenger boy between Sharpay and Troy but sensing that it may be inevitable.
"Gabriella was sleepwalking last night and came looking for Troy. Who took her back up to her room when she asked why he wasn't in bed." Chad said patiently, knowing that it wasn't what Sharpay was asking about. He watched as Sharpay waved her hand impatiently, as if hurrying along the words that had been spoken.
"Yeah. I got that part. Now tell me about the other part." She commanded and Chad's eyebrows rose as he was suddenly reminded of the brash, demanding nineteen year old who'd managed to capture his attention and, later, his heart after an accidental meeting where coffee had been spilt and her shirt had become see through.
"And here I thought you were getting better with the demands, guess not." Sharpay narrowed her eyes at the man that she'd been seeing for three years and couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to strangle him or kiss him for telling her the truth when she'd asked why Troy had seemed so hurried to get out of the house as she'd walked in.
"Don't you dare do that to me Chad Danforth! I want to know the rest. As in, what you and Troy were discussing when I walked into this kitchen this morning!" Again with the demanding, Chad thought. Studying the blonde carefully, Chad suddenly realized how worried she was about Gabriella and how the brunette was dealing with Troy.
"Come here," he opened his arms and, after a moments hesitation that irritated him, Sharpay stepped into his embrace, wrapping her own arms around his middle. "What Troy and I were talking about when you got here was the fact that last night, Gabriella woke up when Troy put her back to bed." He said quietly in her ear and Sharpay, who was known for being strong, snuggled closer to the man that was holding her, knowing that, somehow, he would make her feel okay and make the situation better.
"Okay. What else?" She asked as his hand rubbed up and down her back. Chad planted a kiss on the side of her head before he spoke.
"He was getting to that part when you walked in. From what he told me, he spent some time with her that he didn't know how to handle this morning. I'm guessing Gabriella's going to feel the same way when she gets out here." Sharpay found that she didn't even have the energy to get mad at him for not knowing anything but that. She knew that she would get the story from Gabriella when she woke up. Instead, she snuggled deeper into Chad's firm chest and closed her eyes, enjoying the quiet and the warm arms wrapped around her. Reassuring her that he did care, he did love her.
"I was thinking," Chad's soft rumble broke through the quiet and for a moment Sharpay resented him for breaking the quiet and then became curious.
"About?" She prompted when she realized that he wasn't going to continue talking. Chad took a deep breath and Sharpay couldn't help but wonder what, exactly, was going to come out of his mouth.
"Well, I was thinking that you could bring Gabriella and Anna over to the office and we could all go out to lunch." Chad said it gently and Sharpay tensed slightly, suddenly knowing that Chad had hesitated because of what he was going to suggest.
"You, me, Gabriella, Anna and…Troy?" She asked suspiciously, pulling away from Chad enough to look into his face in disbelief. "Like that's not a recipe for disaster!" She exclaimed when she saw that he was serious.
"Sharpay, you and I both know that whatever's going on between Troy and Gabriella probably won't affect us sitting at a table for an hour." He pointed out, and Sharpay couldn't help but huff slightly as she realized that he was right. She hadn't seen Troy and Gabriella together yet, but from what Chad had told her, neither of them acted out when pushed together. But that wasn't her only worry.
"Okay. But that's not who I'm talking about. Chad, your sister hates me! And I'm not too fond of her either." Sharpay said, trying not to whine and not sure what to make of the look on Chad's face.
Chad looked down at his girlfriends half defiant face and knew that he should have foreseen the problem between her and Anna. They were headstrong, stubborn and independent and as much as he'd hoped that they would get along he'd had a bad feeling from the beginning that they weren't going to hit it off. Especially now that Gabriella and Troy's problems had resurfaced, causing a violent surge of tension between the two.
"I know. But I need you to at least be civil towards her, babe; she's not going to be too happy when she finds out you're going to become part of the family." Chad said and Sharpay took in a deep breath as her eyes slipped to her ring-less hand. She hadn't said yes, yet, and he already knew her answer. She wasn't sure whether it delighted her or annoyed her that he already knew.
"I haven't said yes, yet." The smirk that tugged at Chad's lips was enough to make Sharpay want to slap him, as his eyes told her that she'd already said yes in a thousand different ways.
Before Sharpay could comment on the smirk, Chad leaned down and caught her in a leisurely kiss. One that left no room for the argument Sharpay vaguely remembered she wanted to start. Instead she pressed herself against him and gave into his kiss, not realizing that her brunette friend was standing in the kitchen doorway, watching them with a wistful smile and dark espresso eyes.
She hadn't woken up alone. It had been the first time in four years that she had woken up curled up against a warm, solid body and feeling safe, secure, loved. It had been the first time she'd rolled over and there had been something to cuddle into, something that responded. He had too, Gabriella closed her eyes suddenly as she remembered, he'd wrapped his arm tighter around her and sleepily placed a kiss on the top of her head.
It was that kiss that shook her. She could push away the memories of the way he had made her feel as his lips had traveled over hers, down her neck, his hands arousing her the way he had when she was seventeen and unable to refuse him. She could repress them; make them go away until she figured out why she had let him. Why she had let him…just let him. But she couldn't make the memory of the morning, of not waking up alone, of that kiss, go away. She couldn't force that into a corner and lock it away, because it was too sweet, too wonderful and much, much to close to filling the hole he had left behind. The hole that she didn't want him to fill because…Gabriella shook her head, her eyes snapping open as she blocked the road the thought wanted to go down.
Instead, with an enormous amount of strength that she knew would tire her, Gabriella pushed away the thoughts and instead focused on the two people in front of her. God, she couldn't help but feel jealous of Sharpay. She wanted that! She wanted someone to hold onto just because she could. But she didn't want that with just anyone, she wanted that with someone who loved her as much as…Gabriella stubbornly pushed away the voice that whispered Troy and promised herself that she wouldn't think about him at all for the rest of the day. Then she remembered that he'd asked her to have lunch with him. Alone.
Oh God, she didn't even want to know why her pulse was fluttering at the thought of being alone with him again.
"Gabi, I didn't see you there!" Gabriella jumped at Sharpay's sheepish words. Blinking rapidly as she tried to push away her thoughts of Troy, Gabriella looked at Sharpay and couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at her lips. Sharpay looked flushed, happy and very much in love. Something that Gabriella was sure was never going to happen in her lifetime at least.
"Of course you didn't. You were otherwise occupied." Gabriella pointed out smugly and the flush on Sharpay's face darkened slightly and Gabriella couldn't help but wonder if the 'Great Sharpay Evans' was actually blushing.
"Aww, are you blushing, babe?" Gabriella's smirk turned into a grin as Chad beat her to the punch and Sharpay's color darkened further. Glancing at Chad, Gabriella was surprised to realize that his hair was tied back and he was in black dress pants and a crisp white shirt. She vaguely remembered Troy mentioning a meeting between mergers today. Right after he'd asked her to lunch. Stay away from there, Gabriella, she told herself firmly.
"Big meeting today, Chad?" Gabriella asked instead, abandoning torturing Sharpay in case the blonde exacted some of her infamous revenge plans on her. Chad looked at her, questions in his eyes that told Gabriella that Troy had told him what had happened last night, before shrugging.
"Nah. Not really. Troy knows that we've got the company, he just wants me there so that we can put up a 'united front'." Gabriella couldn't help but laugh at his phrase and could tell that Chad wasn't exactly pleased to be going into the offices. From what she had gathered from Anna, who was still only half-talking to her, Troy sat in an office all day and Chad did most of the field work.
"Anyway," Sharpay announced loudly. "Sleep well Gabs?" She asked and Gabriella knew she wasn't imagining the double meaning in Sharpay's words. Trying not to flush red, Gabriella shrugged nonchalantly.
"If by sleep you mean hot sex. Then yeah, I slept heaps well." The sarcasm was drowned out by wistfulness as Gabriella remembered the hot kisses that Troy had placed down her stomach, stopping just before he hit her core. That's when he'd stopped it. He'd moved back up to her mouth, catching her in a kiss that soothed her moan of protest and made her beg him to stay with her.
"You guys fucked?" Sharpay's incredulity shot straight through Gabriella's haze of remembrance and she suddenly realized that the blonde hadn't picked up on any sarcasm in her voice.
"No! No. No." Gabriella shook her head violently, suddenly feeling embarrassed as she realized that Chad was studying with a curious look in his dark brown eyes.
"Rea-" Sharpay was cut off by a snort that came from behind Gabriella.
"Blondie, when she says no, she obviously means no." Anna stalked into the kitchen, her mood, Gabriella could decipher, wasn't too pleasant and probably brought on by the blonde who was still cuddled securely against her brothers chest.
"Good morning to you to Annabel." The warning in Chad's voice was enough to send chills down Gabriella's spine and she suddenly realized that there was much more to Chad and Sharpay's relationship than she'd originally thought. There was something there that gave Gabriella the impression that Chad wasn't going to tolerate Anna being insolent towards Sharpay and if push came to shove, Chad was going to side with the blonde.
Anna huffed dramatically before replying. "Good morning Chad, Sharpay. Hey Gabs." Gabriella blinked slightly at the warm greeting and then smiled tentatively at her friend.
"Morning An. Sleep well?" She asked and Anna shrugged, grabbing a mug from the cupboard and beginning to search for the coffee hidden somewhere in the shelves of the pantry.
"Yeah. There were no loud noises." She said, shooting a nasty glance at Sharpay that made Gabriella's stomach sink slightly as Chad's expression went from gentle to stony in a matter of seconds.
"Really? Maybe you should proposition Troy again, and then you can make all the loud noises." Chad snapped back and Anna flushed red. Gabriella winced at the thought of Anna and Troy together. Before Anna could snap back, Sharpay spoke up.
"Don't you need to get into the office?" She looked up imploringly at her boyfriend and Chad sighed, glancing at the clock before nodding. He shot Anna another warning look before kissing Sharpay again.
"Don't forget about lunch. One o'clock. Meet me at the office." He said, just loud enough for Gabriella and Anna to hear. Anna rolled her eyes and Gabriella's heart jumped into her throat. There was no doubt that Chad meant for all of them to come and that meant that Troy would be there.
"I won't. We'll go shopping first." Sharpay kissed him again and Gabriella looked away, suddenly feeling like she was intruding on some private morning routine that she had no part of. There was something about the way they were doing this that gave her the goosebumps. Something about it that was familiar.
"Love you." Gabriella's breath caught in her chest as she suddenly realized what it was. Their morning ritual was so similar, so close, to hers and Troy's morning ritual that it was scary. Except maybe they'd be up against a car in the East High parking lot or outside his building in Albuquerque, not in the kitchen.
"Love you too. I'll see you at the office." Chad slowly untangled himself from Sharpay and then grinned across at Gabriella. "See you there too Gabs. Anna." The sudden coldness of his voice perturbed Gabriella slightly; Anna, on the other hand, just glared at her brother before sipping her newly made coffee.
"Right! Shopping, you guys in?" Sharpay announced when they heard Chad's car start. Gabriella smiled at Sharpay as Anna took another sip, giving Gabriella the impression that she was ignoring Sharpay.
"Sure. Shopping then lunch with Chad, right?" Gabriella asked tentatively, not sure if she really wanted the answer when Sharpay's face turned innocent, giving Gabriella the impression that Chad had already made it clear who would be in attendance of the lunch.
"Sure. Lunch with Chad. You in Anna?" Sharpay abruptly turning her attention to Chad's sister, who shrugged, apparently contemplating the pros and cons of being alone in the house against going shopping with Gabriella and Sharpay.
Gabriella glanced between Anna and Sharpay and suddenly had a bad feeling about going shopping with the two of them when Anna slowly nodded her assent. It had nothing to do with the fact that Anna didn't like Sharpay or that they probably were going to argue about Chad and who knew him better. But one of them, at any particular time, would bring up and Troy and honestly, Gabriella was pretty sure she couldn't hear his name without blurting out that she spent last night with his mouth on hers and that everything she had been feeling for him in the past week had changed the moment she had woken up last night and discovered him only inches from her, his fingers tracing her cheek. Her world beginning to spin from the first gentle touch of his mouth.
Gabriella sat in the back of Sharpay's Lexus and couldn't help but look back and forth in astonishment at the two people who sat in the front seats. One gripping the steering wheel so tightly Gabriella was afraid that it would leave an indent and the other sulking like a spoiled child. She honestly couldn't believe that she had just spent four hours trailing behind them and watching them argue about absolutely nothing. It was incomprehensible and yet, Gabriella found that it was entirely believable. Anna resented Sharpay for reasons that Gabriella suspected she didn't even know and Sharpay resented Anna because Anna resented her. Not to mention the whole issue of Chad siding with Sharpay that morning had only been touched on in the grand scale of arguments that had erupted that morning.
Gabriella was just grateful that both of them had been too intent on winning an argument that they didn't notice how distant she was from them and everything else.
She couldn't get Troy out of her mind. But it wasn't just what had happened the night before. She wasn't just thinking about the hot kisses and the excitement his touch had brought or the way she had woken up snuggled next to him that morning. She was remembering little things, like how when he was nervous he wouldn't sit still, how when he came home late without warning he'd have a bouquet of frangipanis for her or when she was upset about something he wouldn't let her go until he was sure that she was okay.
Gabriella couldn't help but smile at the thought. She could still remember so many occasions when she'd been on the edge of breaking and he would be there, silently holding out his arms in an invitation she could never refuse. Even when they'd been fighting, he had never refused her when she was crying and needed him.
God, she had always needed him in some way or another and Gabriella knew that her need for him didn't just apply when they had been together.
She'd needed him at so many different times after he'd left. At first, it had always been when she was sitting in their kitchen trying to do her work and she would hear someone in the hallway, greeting whoever else was out there and she would just assume that it was Troy coming home from work. Maybe he'd be carrying some take-away and a movie so they could curl up on the lounge together to eat and watch. Every night at seven it happened and every night at seven after he'd left her, their apartment would be pregnant with an expectant silence that was never fulfilled. She'd needed him then, especially when the silence had become too much for her to handle. She could remember crying and vowing that she didn't care why he had left as long as he walked back through their door and wrapped her up in a hug that promised he would never let her go.
As the years had worn on though, it she had learnt to hide the fact that she needed him from the people that knew her the best. Her mother, her father, Marla, even the friends that had known at him until, eventually, she had managed to hide the fact that she needed him from herself.
But this morning had reminded her of that need. It scared her to realize that just having him there, snuggling into him the way she always had, had evoked that need she'd had when she was younger. The need to tell him everything. What terrified her even more was that there were so many things a part of her wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him that she'd graduated, that she had her journalistic degree and could get a job. She wanted to tell him of all the things she had gone through after he left how she had nearly lost complete touch with her parents and then found herself much closer to her stepmother.
She wanted to tell him that there had been nobody else since he had left her and that she didn't know if that made her scared of a relationship or that some part of her had hoped he would come back into her life.
"Gabriella! Are you coming?" Sharpay's sharp voice broke her out of her thoughts and Gabriella jerked, before nodding, not willing to say anything in case Sharpay decided to jump down her throat as well.
Quickly, Gabriella slid out of the back seat, shouldering her bag and gazing at the modern building she knew was the Los Angeles offices of Bolton Enterprises. Biting her lip, Gabriella meekly followed Sharpay as she led the way into the building, nodding at the sleek blonde secretary in the marble lobby before she stepped into the elevator and waited impatiently for the other two. Gabriella stepped into the elevator and tried to avoid looking in any of the mirrors that surrounded them as Sharpay pressed the button for the top floor, muttering something under breath about 'insolent, stupid brunettes who just had to be related to her boyfriend.'
As the elevator climbed, Gabriella's stomach started jumping around as she suddenly realized she had to see Troy again. How the hell was she meant to do that? She was coherent now; she was able to decipher what she was feeling now. She couldn't see him again and be alone with him. That would be bad. She might do something like kiss him or tell him how much she'd missed him in the past four years.
Gabriella paled at the thought. Suddenly too aware of how much had changed since he had left her bed that morning. It was too much, too soon. How could she suddenly want to tell him how she had missed him when only two days ago she hadn't wanted anything to do with him? How could she willingly pull him to her bed last night when she had sworn to herself she was never going to let him get that close to her again? How could she feel so much for him after four years of saying she felt nothing?
"Gabriella? Are you going to get off the elevator or just ride it between floors?" Anna was looking at her strangely and Gabriella suddenly realized that Anna was holding the doors, waiting for her to realize that they'd stopped and she needed to get out.
"Oh, right, sorry." Gabriella stepped out of the elevator and felt like she'd been hit with a blunt object as she looked around and found herself thrust back into the past.
Sixteen year old Gabriella tapped her foot impatiently as she watched her father laugh with Jack Bolton. He'd promised her father-daughter time and Gabriella had envisioned them walking around the mall together or going to see a movie or even having lunch. She had not expected to be stuck in the Albuquerque office of Bolton Enterprises watching her father talk to his new found best friend Jack. To say she wasn't impressed was to put it mildly. Huffing slightly, Gabriella suddenly stood up from her position on the lounge that Jack had in his office.
"I'm going for a walk." She announced, not expecting a reply and, satisfied that she was right, stalking out of the Jack's office. Muttering something about 'irritating old men' that she was sure Jack Bolton's secretary had caught as she'd walked past her.
Not quite sure where she was going or where her path would lead to for that matter, Gabriella cautiously walked down the hallway, suddenly realizing that nobody would know who she was if she was seen and not quite sure how any of the office workers would receive a sixteen year old girl walking around.
As she walked, Gabriella couldn't help but wonder which floor Troy worked on. She knew it was probably not a wise idea to ask, let alone try and find his office but still…it fascinated her that someone as energetic as Troy would willingly want to be trapped behind a desk. She hadn't had a chance to ask the last time she'd seen him, which, admittedly, had been for a brief five minutes where they'd only just managed to get the pleasantries out of the way before her father had swept her off to meet his latest date and Troy had pulled over to meet some business men. She wasn't even going to deny that she had spent that entire night watching him, sometimes out of the corner of her eye other times blatantly.
To say she had a crush on the much older Troy Bolton was an understatement. She'd been declared hopelessly infatuated by her best friend, Sharpay Evans and she knew that Sharpay wasn't the only that had noticed. Ever since that Christmas party when she'd met him, her father had commented on how eager she was to go to the business functions that she'd always hated. She shrugged it off, not willing to admit that it was the only contact she had with Troy. Sure, she had his phone number but she was much to shy to use it.
"Excuse me? Can I help you?" Gabriella blinked in surprise at the snooty voice of the very beautiful blonde secretary. Blushing slightly, Gabriella suddenly realized she'd been standing in front of an office for more than a few minutes.
"I-I'm sorry. It's alright." She blushed and couldn't help but feel small as the secretary raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at the teenager's words.
"Well, why are you still standing here? I'm sure that you can't be too lost." Gabriella wanted to shrink at the blonde's very obvious attempt at belittling her and began wishing that she had never left the safety of Jack Bolton's office. At least the secretary there wasn't mean. Before she could reply however, the office door swung open.
"Gabriella! What are you doing here?" Gabriella and the secretary both jumped in surprise at twenty-three year old Troy Bolton's sudden entrance. Gabriella blushed as she turned to face him, finding him more attractive than before as she took in the rolled up sleeves, loose tie and mussed hair.
The secretary was the first to recover from his appearance. "Troy? Do you know her?" She asked, in a voice that Gabriella couldn't help but wince at. It sounded so…so fake. Troy ignored her as Gabriella suddenly smiled at him.
"Hey. I didn't realize that this was your office." She gestured towards the door he'd just come out of and Troy shrugged at her comment, before a boyish grin toyed with his features and he opened his arms slightly.
"Do I get a hug or what?" He asked and Gabriella couldn't stop the tingle of pleasure she felt at his words before she stepped forward and was enveloped in his strong arms. Gabriella wrapped her arms around his middle and couldn't help but snuggle into the warmth of his chest. She chose to ignore the blonde secretary, who was glaring at her, as Troy squeezed her tightly, both of them holding on for a little bit too long.
"So, in answer to your original question, I am here because dad's here. Talking to your father to be precise." Gabriella said, feeling slightly disappointed when Troy's arms dropped and he nodded seemingly absently.
"There goes having lunch with dad then." Troy muttered before he continued. "Nicole, I sent you an email which has the new contract for the hospital on it. I need you to print it out and make copies of it." Gabriella felt a flash of disappointment when she realized that he wasn't even paying attention to her but to the beautiful blonde, who nodded, apparently enraptured with what he was saying.
"Sure Troy. Anything else?" The sugary sweet tone made Gabriella cringe and, as she looked up at Troy, she thought she caught a pained expression pass through his blue eyes before he shook his head and turned his attention back to Gabriella.
"So, tell me, how did you end up here of all places?" Gabriella found herself being steered into his office and couldn't help but smile slightly when she realized that his arm had been around her shoulders the entire time.
"Well, there was some teachers conference interstate that everyone had to go too, so we all got the day off and then dad said he'd take the day off and we could have some father-daughter time." Gabriella explained, tryin to not react to tug of sadness she felt when she realized that the father-daughter time wasn't going to happen at all.
"Ah. I'm guessing that the father-daughter time isn't going to happen?" Troy's voice was gentle as he asked the question and Gabriella shook her head, sitting down on the lounge in Troy's office.
"Guess not. He promised that he would only be ten minutes and I honestly thought he was telling the truth. I mean, he promised." Gabriella said, the frustration she felt with her father seeping into her voice as she answered Troy's question. She was vaguely aware of Troy's hand rubbing up and down her arms as she stared at the floor, willing away tears as she realized just how disappointed she was in her father.
A tear had just begun to slide down her cheek when she felt Troy's hand on her cheek, his thumb sliding cross her cheek and catching the stray tear that had fallen. Shocked, Gabriella lifted her head to look at him.
"It's been hard on you, hasn't it?" He asked gently and Gabriella stared at him, unsure what he was talking about.
"What has?" She asked, looking at him and not realizing that he was leaning into her, studying her with an intent expression that Gabriella wasn't sure what to make of.
"Their divorce." He spoke quietly and Gabriella's breath caught in her throat as she gazed at him, wondering how he could see how much her parents separation had hurt her when not even her closest friends could see how it was tearing her up.
Unwillingly, she shrugged, not willing to burden him with what she was feeling in case she was making too much of the understanding she could see in his eyes. Gabriella turned her eyes away from his carefully before she answered.
"I guess. Is it that obvious?" She couldn't help but be curious about how he knew it was hard for her to accept that the people who she had always thought would last forever didn't want anything to do with each other.
Troy was silent for a long time and Gabriella couldn't help but begin to fidget. His stare was making it hard for her to forget that she was all alone with him. Despite spending most of her time with him at all the parties she'd attended with her father, she had never been alone with him. There was always someone lurking just at the edge of the seat they were sitting on or the quiet corner where they were standing. So she had never been truly alone with Troy. Ever. Until right now.
At the realization, Gabriella felt her stomach knot and she suddenly wished her would talk. About anything really. Whether it was to answer her question or randomly tell her something, she didn't care. She felt to shy to dispel the tension and she wanted him too.
"No. It's not obvious." The breath that broke through her mouth was loud enough for Troy to hear and Gabriella blushed at his quizzical look. "Anyway, away from the serious stuff. Seeing as you have nothing to do, how about I take you out for lunch?" It was a casually posed question but Gabriella couldn't stop a blush from creeping across her cheeks as she looked away.
"That'd be nice. You don't have to though." She muttered, suddenly feeling nervous as she glanced up and saw something shift in Troy's eyes. It was almost like a flash of relief and Gabriella quickly discounted that thought. He was six years older than her; gorgeous beyond belief and always seemed so casually confident that the idea that he would be nervous about asking her something seemed so alien, Gabriella chose to ignore it completely.
Troy chuckled at her words. "Gabriella I wouldn't have offered if I thought I had to. I want to. There's a difference." He said, standing up and offering her his hand.
Gabriella looked up at him, her heart jumping into her throat as she stared at the picture he made. Her eyes traced over his mussed hair, which spiked in different directions, the twinkling blue eyes, easy grin and down over the loose tie, the top button undone, and rolled up sleeves.
Gabriella looked back up and, as she met his eyes, fell head first in love with Troy Bolton.
Gabriella fought tears as she remembered how easy it had been for her to fall for him. How simple it was. An offer of lunch and the picture he'd made hadn't been the reason she'd fallen in love with him. No, it had been those things coupled with the fact that he'd understood her at a time in her life where she was still trying to understand herself. He'd understood from a few words and a long look. At twenty-two Troy Bolton had been everything she'd never thought of looking for and she'd never looked for anything after he had caught her that first time.
"Gabriella, can we move? People are beginning to stare." Anna asked tentatively, not quite sure what to make of the wounded look in Gabriella's face or the unnatural shine in her eyes that only a fool wouldn't see.
"Uh…yeah. Sorry. Where are we going?" Gabriella tried not to sniffle as Anna gave her another look. Before taking a step in the direction Sharpay had stalked off to.
Gabriella followed her, trying not to look around too much or compare it to the Albuquerque offices she had spent a good deal of time in since she was sixteen. The offices were maybe a little edgier and the people were perhaps a little younger than the ones she was used to, but they still had the same look about them. The stressed look only a nine to five job could cause. Gabriella could imagine that they were all worrying about deadlines and what would happen if their report didn't reach the level of perfection that was required to be a part of Bolton Enterprises. Gabriella couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought, she could remember nights when Troy had stayed up, fretting over a report he hadn't thought was good enough.
Slowly, the cubicles were the employees worked began to lessen and doors began to appear. Office, Gabriella guessed, for the more powerful members of the company. It had become quieter too, the buzz of voices and keyboards left behind as the walked. They rounded a corner and Gabriella found herself confront with something that was much too familiar.
A beautiful blonde sat at a desk, tapping at her keyboard and managing to look like a poster girl for secretaries as she did so. As they approached, she looked up and, unlike the last time Gabriella had come across a blonde secretary, she smiled pleasantly at them.
"How can I help you?" She asked, in a nasally, sweet voice. Gabriella wanted to smile at her but couldn't when the door to the office she was working outside of swung open and Troy Bolton appeared.
Gabriella's breath caught in her throat as she looked at him. He hadn't seen them yet, instead he spoke directly to his secretary. Gabriella caught the name Rebecca and couldn't help but feel relief when she simply nodded and didn't try and offer any other services to him.
Troy looked up and Gabriella's whole world stopped spinning as she looked at him. As she took in the mussed hair, loose tie and rolled sleeves. Before meeting his dark eyes.
At twenty-two Troy Bolton had been a man she had fallen in love with. He had been gorgeous, sweet and understanding. He had been everything she had never looked for in a guy. He had been someone she could snuggle up on a lounge with.
At twenty-eight, Troy Bolton was the most dangerous thing she had ever encountered. He had an hard edge, he had learnt to demand instead of ask pulling of both without a hitch and he was sexier than she'd ever imagined someone could ever be. He had become everything she'd ever tried to avoid in a man. He had become someone she couldn't help but surrender to completely when his mouth found every part of her that responded fervently. He was someone that she should avoid at all costs, he was only likely to hurt her again.
So why was her heart pounding and her pulse fluttering? Why was a voice reminding her that somewhere within the dangerous man he'd become was the man who had been sweet and understanding?
Why the hell was this Troy Bolton so much more attractive, more perfect than the one she had fallen in love with as a teenager?
A/N: Done! I had this out much sooner than expected too! Anyway, please feel free to ask questions about the story (Just not how it ends) or anything else. I'll try and answer in the authors note. Anyway, I hope that it was already because I think this chapter is kind of a pivotal point in the story and we find out how serious Chad and Sharpay are! Sorry, I had that planned for a while. However, fear not, this is not the end, it still has a long way to go and I hope that it wasn't too boring!
