Troy sat in his kitchen eating the last of his pasta as thought about the possibility of voice he'd heard on the radio being the voice of his neighbors. When the thought first him he denied it on the spot. She didn't seem like that kind of person, but as the show went on he was becoming more and more positive that the voice on the radio was the same voice that came out the petite brunette that had him intrigued with her list making abilities.

Troy heard a car door shut out side and got up to looked out the window to see Gabriella walking towards her house with a clump of things in her hands. Surely it wasn't a coincidence that when the show was over she was home from work. Not risking missing another chance to talk to her he reached for the box on the table and walked towards the door.

Gabriella let out a sigh as she shifted the items in her arms to relieve her hand with the keys in them. It was almost one in the morning and she was beyond beat. The show was good even down to the last caller who called in about panty sniffing. Trying not to drop her folders she bent her knee up to help hold on to the box she was caring as well with fan mail inside. It was a shitty job having to open each letter but sometimes it helped her think of new ideas for the show.

The porch was dark and she struggled as she made her fifth attempt to put the key in the lock, "Oh my god," she murmured as she stop and shifted the folders again. She needed a porch light. She'd been meaning to call someone about having one put in for the last three weeks but the task kept slipping her mind.

"Need some help?"

"Oh god," she yelped almost dropping her things and turning around to face a male figure in the dark. Her heart was pounding in her chest as he reached for the keys in her hand.

"You might want to invest in a light here," He said pointing around at the darkness. She let out a sigh as she recognized the voice as her neighbors.

"Right," she said quietly as she looked at him, "Why are you still up?" she asked looking back at his house. It was dark over there as well except for the kitchen light that was on.

"Waiting for you really," he said opening her front door.

"Is that so?" maybe she should have been scared.

"Your sister came by earlier she gave me this box to give to you," he pointed at the box tucked under his arm as he held the door open for her. "She said you owe her for the shoes."

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she walked into her living room and set her things down on the coffee table. Troy followed her into an open plan kitchen/living room. The kitchen was white and modern and pristine, the furniture in the living area a mixture of creams and whites and raw wood. Only the stacks of magazines on the coffee table next to the box and paperwork she'd just placed there.

"So you met my sister?" she said turning around and watching as Troy held up the keys from the door and let it close behind him.

"She sort of looks like you too," he said with a smile, "It wasn't hard to figure out the family resemblance especially when I caught looking in through my windows like she was casing the joint."

"Really," Gabriella said crossing her arms she came to stand in front of him. "Because I don't see it?" she said tilting her head to the side. Bringing a hand up she rubbed the sore spot of her next, she had to make a note to remember to get this looked at.

"Sisters hardly ever do," he said holding out the box to her.

"Thank you," she said taking the box from him and opening the lid to reveal a pair of light blue heels with flowers on the toe area. "uhhh," the groan escaped her lips as she leaned back a little un able to hide her annoyance. "I told her no flowers."

"They look nice," he said shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you have any idea what it feels like to be a maid of honor in a blue dress with blue shoes and flowers on them?"

"I'm guessing not like Cinderella?" he said with a smirk.

Gabriella paused and looked at him with a slight interest, why was she talking to him about shoes? Here he was a perfectly good looking man standing in her house and she talking to him about shoes. "So do you make it a habit to go around scaring women at night?" she said placing the shoes down on the couch as she made her way to the kitchen. "Scotch or brandy?"

He didn't drink either, but if ever an occasion called for the lubricating effects of alcohol this was it. It had been a long time since he was alone with a woman. He could sense an urge to run inside him. He watched her open the cupboards and pulled out two tumblers.

"Scotch thanks," He said with a slight guilt. "I'm sorry about before, I didn't want to scare you."

"Right," Gabriella poured a generous amount into each glass then handed one to him.

Troy nodded a thank you as he took the glass and continued to stand there silently as he debated staying. He did want to stay; he liked talking to her, and he was finding that the more time he spent with her he felt like close to his old self again.

"Thanks for my shoes, and for getting the door. I appreciate it," she said lifting her glass to him in an informal toast. "Above and beyond the call of duty, especially, since we hardly know each other."

And didn't exactly get off on the right foot. She didn't say it and neither did he, but he knew without a doubt that they were both thinking it.

"No problem." He took a swallow and scotch burned its way down his throat to his belly. Troy looked to his side and saw the organized mail slots and all the categories. "You're very organized."

"Occupational hazard," she said leaning on the table. She nodded, then looked into her drink. He wondered if she was as uncomfortable as he was, and if she was finding this conversation as stilted and yawn inducing as he was.

"Right," Troy came up to the other side of the table and smiled. "So your sister is getting married?"

"Yup," She said with a shrug. "I tried to talk her out of it but she has decided to take the big plunge in three weeks," she said with a smile.

"Bitter?" he asked raising a brow.

"No, I'm a big girl," she said raising a brow in his direction.

"So who's the date?" he asked pulling out a chair and sitting in it deciding he feel more at ease if he relaxed a little.

"Date?" she asked pulling out her chair and sitting down as well.

"The shopping list? Have you found the guy you're bringing," he said with smirk as he leaned forward.

"I haven't decided yet," she said with sigh. "I was thinking maybe I would just flip out the little black book," she said only half joking.

"Ouch," he winced. "That's bad form."

"Excuse me?"

"Bringing an Ex to a wedding is calling for trouble," he said with frown.

Gabriella thought for a moment and rubbed the back of her neck. "I Guess your right about that. Men tend to think booty call when they heard from an ex-girlfriend." With her luck most of them would be married anyway, but she kept that to herself. She didn't really want him to know that her last relationship with a man was over two years ago.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Date I guess," she shrugged as she lifted her glass for a sip, "I can't go alone to my younger sister's wedding that would just be asking for the sympathy to come pouring in."

Troy laughed as he watched her stare off for a moment. "I don't think it'll be a problem," He said with a smile, "You're cute enough."

"Cute enough?" she said darting her eyes his way, "Gee thanks."

"Modest are we?" he teased.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, "you just watch, I'm going to have a date for this wedding and he is going to be mouth wateringly hot," She said placing her glass on the table in front of her.

"Right," he said lifting his own glass, "With or without the huge cock?"

Mouth gapping open she tossed her head back in a laugh that filled the room. He couldn't help himself from laughing a little as well. "You're funny," she said once she settled down and wiped a tear from her eye, "So what do you do Troy?" she said crossing her arms as she toed off her shoes underneath the table. "You have a job right?" she said resting back on the chair.

"Yes I do. I teach," he said with a smile, "High school English literature."

"Don't tell me you're teaching at East High?"

"I start tomorrow in fact," he said with a smile.

"Oh man," she said leaning forward and placing her palms down on the table, "I remember when I went there, I was on the scholastic decathlon with Taylor. We had so much fun, Sharpay and I did one of the school musicals. We had a tap dancing routine and everything!"

Troy enjoyed her enthusiasm on the topic her eyes glazed over a bit as she seemed to be back in time with those memories. "So tell me," he decided to bring the topic of her career to the table, since she had brought up his. "How does one get themselves into the radio business?" he asked lifting his glass.

Gabriella's cheeks began to blush faintly as she looked down into her cup. "So you listen?"

"Just twice," he admitted.

"I bet you think a lot less of me huh?" she said looking up at him slowly. Most men did not like it when they heard her on the radio. It was all hot and sexy but when she started using her life experience as material, It suddenly became a problem. Her dates would quickly realized it wasn't so fun to hear about their relationship or their girlfriends past relationships on the air. Not only that but it was as if men put her on this sexy platter where everything had to revolve around it. Truth was she grown to resent sex over the years, it was a lot work put together just for the off chance that she might orgasm.

"No I think it's great," he said honestly, "I mean not only is it entertaining but it seems to be an outlet that's helpful to many people."

"I bet it is," she sighed and looked at the bottom of her glass.

"You don't like what you do?" Troy said looking at her curiously.

"I love what I do it's the men I date who hate what I do," she said looking at him with a small smile. "Go figure."

"Well for what it's worth your show is great and I don't see why it's a problem for the men you date."

"Keep listening honey, just keep listening," she said as she chuckled to herself.

"I will," he said looking over at the clock, "and I am going to get going because I have a class to teach in the morning."

Gabriella watched as Troy got up from his chair, she almost disappointed to see him go. "Yeah, we wouldn't want you falling asleep in class," she said with smirk, "trust me I hear it's frowned upon."

Troy made his way to the door letting himself out as she watched him go from her place at the kitchen table. With a final wave he was gone and she was alone again in the fortress of solitude she had unknowingly become queen of.