CHAPTER 9

The ride to the hotel was quiet; the only thing heard was the whirling snow around them as they swished over it. Troy drove fast, like a guy should drive, but it was something about the way he held on to the scooter, how his body curved in the exact right places as he made a turn or jumped a bit over something that made Gabriella's insides to go against her and make her legs feel like Jell-O.

As the snowmobile came to a stop, Gabriella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. That had been one of the best things she'd done in her entire life. Not only because Troy was… well Troy, being the perfectly gorgeous and sexy figure he was, but because the feeling she'd got when they swished over land was something she'd want to do every day for the rest of her life.

Gabriella slowly climbed off the snowmobile, making sure she didn't touch Troy even though she was about to fall. Her legs were a bit shaky after the ride and the snow was deep when she stepped her foot down, leaving her to wobble before a strong arm took a hold of her and stopped her from falling headlong.

"Whoa, take it easy there, will you, Montez? Or I might think that you've fallen for me," Troy said, finishing his last statement with a smirk.

Gabriella cast him a death glare before tugging her arm away from his grip forcefully, not even bothering to say 'thank you'. "Keep dreaming, Bolton," she responded in a cold voice, determined to not let him get to her this time.

Gathering her strength and focusing on not falling again, Gabriella turned around and was about to walk away when a hand once again pulled her back and she was only inches from Troy's face. His azure eyes were glistening and famous smirk that never seemed to leave his face grew wider with every second. "Oh, I will, Montez." His lips were so close now that if Gabriella only shifted slightly, they would brush against each other.

Something not only the brown-eyed Goddess wanted, but something the blue-eyed God craved, too.

"Goodnight, Gabriella," he whispered, his hot breath landing on her lips, spreading through her entire body.

Gabriella smiled, bending down and whispered in his ear, "Night, Troy, sweet dreams." And with that, she turned on her heals once again, leaving after a hot and bothered Troy looking after her as she swayed her hips and made her way inside the hotel. He let out a sigh when she disappeared from his vision.

"Darn it."

_____________________________

It was as if they'd never happened, as if the feelings that had evoked inside Snow Flake 1882 a few days prior. Like that soft voice Gabriella had heard from Troy the next night was something she'd imagined, something that hadn't really been there. Sometimes, she found herself wishing she could go back, start over. What would it be like if they were those joking and teasing friends instead of… this?

For Troy, it was the same thing. He wanted to turn back and have that soft Gabriella again, even just for a moment. Get to know her, see the real her and not the one that always had a perfect comment back at him when he teased her.

"God, Troy, I could just slap you!"

Troy snapped out of his daydream. Sharpay was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace in his living room, and she was not in the best mood. She'd stormed into his house that morning, exclaiming how she was too irritated to even think of riding the hills and then went on with how he could be such a bastard.

"Actually, I could slap both of you. You two are seriously so out of your fucking minds, it's making me laugh!"

"Okay, Sharpay, I get it, you want to yell. But please, let me in on what you're talking about so I at least know that it's something about me, and not some weird bastard you-."

"Don't you dare fucking open your mouth right now, Troy Bolton," Sharpay hissed. "I am so fucking through with you right now, I swear, if we weren't in the middle of the top of the world, where a stylist is impossible to find, I'd rip the extensions out of my hair. Get my wink?" she threatened.

Troy's eyes widened and he looked more confused than ever before but decided that it could only mean well to go with her advice and let her ventilate a little more before he decided to step in and actually try to understand what she was going about. He put his hands up in front of him in surrender, making a frustrated Sharpay groan (sounding more like a scream) and pace faster in front of him. Boy, she was really on something.

"I mean. What. The. Flying. Fuck. Of. Lord. In. Heaven, Troy Bolton. What the fuck do you have inside your head?" She let out an aggravated sigh and continued, "I came here, offering to ski and snowboard on my own will. I go away from my home and life in Hollywood for an unknown amount of time, and I get this? What the fuck?!"

Okay, she was angry, that was one thing of which he was certain. He knew Sharpay Evans could go a bit over the limit with her words, but this? Whoa.

"Well, I-," he began, but was immediately shut up by a perfectly manicured finger from his blonde friend.

"Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up?" Troy could only thank God for not taking any offence, which most people probably would have done, but he knew Sharpay too well to even bother. He knew she was just upset and in a passionate need to ventilate. But for Christ's sake, this was a one in a million.

"I'm sorry, Troy," she sighed, flopping down on the big brown couch with her hands over her face. "I don't mean anything that I'm saying; it's just that…" she paused. "HOW CAN YOU TWO NOT JUST FUCKING SEE IT?!"

Troy jumped out of the couch at the sudden outburst; Sharpay was standing up, her eyes flashing fire and her whole body shaking. It was strange to see because Sharpay had always been the calm one, no harm done and the only time she actually screamed was when she was happy or excited. He'd never seen her like this, irritation and frustration floating around her like a personal aura.

The night was beautiful, the air still and the stars shone with a perfect vision. Troy slowly made his way up the hillside. His mind was overworked with thoughts about his life right now. Suddenly, not everything seemed to revolve around this place, his home, his love. It seemed that one certain person was slowly taking over his thoughts, shoving the thought and need to go snowboarding twenty-four-seven, and that person was as sure as hell not his mother.

He liked the 'game' him and Gabriella were playing, liked the teasing comments, the winks and hints. He liked how he could make her blush from something she'd said, leaving him to turn the words into something sexual, and the next second she would have him with a hard-on from a small whisper in his ear. It was how they were working right now, and he liked it, without a doubt. There was no need denying that he was attracted to Gabriella, she was unbelievable gorgeous, hot and sexy. Her female body curved in the perfect places, worked out just fine and her skin toned with the slightest hint of tan, leaving it looking like it was glowing.

And those eyes. Her eyes tended to change colour from which mood she was in. From the first time he had met her, they'd been a middle dark, diamond gold looking shade. But from the night a few days ago, he'd learned that they could be a colour of dark mocha too. And from that moment, that was the only colour he'd seen when they'd looked into each others' eyes again. And he only knew that it was from passion. But whether it was a passion of annoyance, or something she felt for him, he didn't know. And he didn't even think it was anything like that. Maybe for a while. At some moments. But no, that couldn't be possible.

"I should have known that you would be here," a voice stated behind him, and Troy didn't need to turn around to know who the newly arrived person was. He smirked; he would have known that she would come too.

She came and stood beside him in silence, of course, she held her distance with a good one and a half meters.

Gabriella would have thought that after spending almost four weeks at the resort, she would have gotten used to the beautiful views everywhere. From the top of the hills, from her hotel windows, and from this place. But as her eyes roamed over the place before her, she knew that she never would. It was a passion of hers now, and she could never leave this behind without a second look again.

"Did Sharpay feel the need to reveal her lungs at you, too, today?" Troy suddenly spoke up, curiosity taking over the better of him. He'd been thinking about discussing it with Gabriella for the entire night now, since it was slowly starting to brighten up for him that Sharpay was talking about Gabriella and him, though he didn't really understand the rest of her statements.

Gabriella turned slightly so she could se him. She looked at him suspiciously. Was this just something for him to have her confused and then take advantage of it? "What do you mean?"

"I take it as she didn't," he muttered, before sighing and going to sit down. "She's been at my house all evening, yelling about… yeah," he explained, leaving the part of why she was yelling in hope that Gabriella wouldn't ask, though he was proved wrong immediately.

"What did she yell about?" She had come to sit down with him now, looking at him curiously.

Troy frowned and rubbed his neck with his right hand, avoiding meeting Gabriella's gaze. Part of him didn't like this seriousness between them right now, and that part was slowly becoming bigger. "Well, you know, she's probably just upset that the guy she saw the other night wasn't Ryan Kwanten, or whatever that guy's name is." He shrugged, he knew she wouldn't buy it, but he really wasn't up for this right now. Or ever.

"Yeah, right, and my mother just called and told me she was deaf. Come on, Troy, what did she really say?" Gabriella said, sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Oh, really? That sounds cool. Could she hear when you laughed?" He smirked when her expression grew into anger. Her mind was thinking so fast for a comeback that he could almost see the heat coming out of her ears. He laughed, "Chill, Gabriella, I'm sure it was nothing. Probably just her period or something like that. You know, girl stuff."

Gabriella snorted. "Yeah, and I'm sure she would come to you for that, Bolton. Now come on, just tell me already."

"She was rambling about how she thought 'we' were blind, stupid and totally out of our minds." He quickly continued when he saw the confused look on her face, "And I think 'we', is you and me. Though I have no idea why she's so frustrated and why she actually thinks this."

A frown crossed the brown-haired woman's face. Her best friend had seemed to go nuts, but why? It couldn't be about the fact that she wanted her to hook up with Troy, because she'd done better, hadn't she? Especially after that one night… Though she hadn't told any of her friends yet, afraid of what they would say.

Troy leaned in closer to Gabriella. "But who cares, we both know each other pretty well, don't we?" It took all her strength to not let the shiver run down her spine and flow out through her core, and she couldn't help but hear the double meaning in his words.

Her lips were, once again, just mere inches from his. Her eyes were narrowed deep in his, blue and brown dark with passion, both minds determined to not let the other one win the battle. This was a game that neither wanted to lose, because both knew what the price to pay would be in the end.

"I think we do, Bolton."


So here it goes, the next chapter. And I'm proud to say that I've found the most perfect song to go with for the storyline, and now I have something to lean on and know where I have to head to get to that part, so I'm not giving up! Your reviews really gave me hope and new strenght people, special thanks to those people who I replied to in their reviews. I-Fizzy, your review gave me everything back, thank you! wickedd cool, told ya you gave me an idea; Sharpay goes nuts, lmao! And Noelle82, the best fo the best, always!

So, I'm heading back to read my beloved immortal-series, though Blue Moon is kind of a disappointment in my point of view after Evermore, but I guess I'll get over it, sometime... So I'm going away for a few days, so chapters will be up after next week, and I hope that I have found the strenght to update this more often now, but that still needs your reviews, so please do! You all rock.