A/N: Well, I liked writing this chapter. Especially the ending :)
Don't own HSM x
Taylor handed some papers to Gabriella who in turn filed them neatly into the metal cabinet behind her desk. "When can I go for lunch?"
Gabriella pushed her glasses back onto her nose and turned in her office chair to her desk where various papers were stacked neatly. "I don't mind. I'm going at one thirty."
"That's Troy's lunch, too," Taylor said slowly.
Gabriella lifted her eyes and then lowered them again. "Is it?" She sifted through the papers and then removed a couple, stapled together in the top left hand corner.
Taylor nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. Chad's taking our cat in for a check up today."
Gabriella nodded as she filed the papers. "Cool, I guess. I wanted to get a cat but things happen that change your mind." She got to her feet and walked over to the window. She looked out over the quiet street and sighed. "I was going to move in with this guy, you know. I wanted a cat. It sounds like such a small thing to ask for. I mean, in comparison to a house and a mortgage and whatever." She turned to Taylor. "Was raising Naomi hard?"
Taylor thought about her answer as she sat down on the chair which clients used. "I didn't find it a chore. More of a blessing. I'm not saying it was a walk in the park. You know, sleepless nights, things getting broken, having to get a new carpet…But, I wouldn't change it for anything. And Chad was beside me everyday which was a relief. It was amazing."
Gabriella smiled softly. "Wow. I'd love to be a mom." She smiled slightly.
"You will be. But, word of advice: enjoy your freedom while you have it. No more late night parties," she said seriously.
"That's okay," Gabriella said softly, "I don't really like parties all that much. I don't drink and the extent of my parties is the shindig the other week."
Taylor laughed and nodded. "Well, get used to it if you want children."
Gabriella walked back over to her chair and sighed, eyeing up the papers between her and Taylor. "I'm a lawyer. That's all I've ever wanted. Having children would be amazing."
"Well, you could always ask Troy for some advice. He'd be happy to help," Taylor offered. "And I would, too, of course."
Gabriella nodded and breathed out deeply. "I'm sure he would. He's a good guy. After New York it's good to know that it's possible for guys to be genuinely nice and straight."
Taylor grinned. "Well, Troy's rare. There aren't many guys like him left in Albuquerque."
"What do you mean?" she asked, scrunching her brow up.
"He's single, young and a good guy. All of the guys our age in Albuquerque are already taken." Taylor tugged at the sleeve of her blouse.
"No, I didn't mean," Gabriella started hurriedly.
Taylor nodded. "I know. But, it's true."
A silence fell over the two women until Gabriella broke it. "I'm so tired. I couldn't sleep last night."
"Why?" Taylor sat up straighter.
Gabriella yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "I don't know."
"Well, make sure you have a good lunch and eat something," Taylor advised. "And if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
"Thanks Tay but speed dial number one is already filled," she said softly.
"Kels?"
Gabriella shook her head. "Number two. Shar is number three, Ry is number four and Jack is number five. My parents are number six, too."
Taylor frowned. "Huh? Then, who is it?"
Gabriella flushed a light pink and took her glasses off. "It's Troy. He made me promise that he's the first person I go to if I have a problem."
"Really?" Taylor quirked an eyebrow.
She nodded. "Yeah. He's a great guy. He fixed my car yesterday."
"So, where is he taking you for lunch?" Taylor asked.
"Well, I honestly don't know. He said that- Hey! How'd you know he's taking me to lunch?" Gabriella asked indignantly.
Taylor rolled her eyes. "Please. Ever since you said you were going for lunch at half one, it was so obvious."
The Latino woman sighed. "It's not a date, we're just having lunch together."
"Yeah?"
"Don't give me that look. Sharpay gave me that look before Austin asked me out!" she exclaimed.
"Austin?" Taylor asked in confusion.
"Complications," she answered simply. "But, the point is its just lunch. He helped me a lot yesterday and I asked if he'd have lunch with me."
"Very nice," she teased.
Gabriella reached for a pencil and threw it at her. "Stop it!"
Taylor laughed. "He'll look after you, you know. He wouldn't hurt a fly."
Gabriella sighed, folding her arms. "I sure hope not."
* * *
Troy continued to add notes to the computer about the rabbit he was currently examining. He was getting so annoyed with himself. He was nervous about this stupid lunch with Gabriella. He wondered if she was feeling like he was. Feeling like he was on a rollercoaster. The other day, he was feeling depressed because it had been ten years exactly since he'd first asked Ellie out. A couple of days later, he'd been worried sick about his father because of the divorce. Yesterday, he'd ended up being happy in the presence of Gabriella and teasing her. And today…he was nervous beyond belief.
He turned back to the examination table and reached for his stethoscope. He plugged it into his ears and placed the end on the rabbit's chest. He heard the steady heartbeat and remembered being in the tree house with Gabriella. Her steady breaths, the aroma of her violet shampoo, and his hand wrapped safely around hers as they watched the slow sunset. Fireflies had started flying around them but they'd both been at peace with each other. They'd simply enjoyed the other's presence.
Troy took the stethoscope out of his ears and then hooked it around his neck. "Well, everything seems fine. The temperature's normal, good weight and good fur. The only thing that might be the cause for concern in a couple of months is the length of the claws. They'll probably have to be trimmed soon."
The owner, a young woman who was attending the University of Albuquerque, nodded obediently. "Okay. What about the amount he's eating. He doesn't eat all of his food."
Troy held back a groan of annoyance. He knew the real reason she was here and it wasn't concern for her rabbit. She was what? Seven years younger than him. Either a freshman or sophomore in college. She was at the surgery for Troy not for her precious rabbit. If she knew that he was thinking about Gabriella instead of her or her precious rabbit, she'd probably throw a tantrum. "Well, his weight is good. Um, when do you feed him?"
"I feed him pellets in the morning and vegetables in the evening. There's always hay for him, too," she explained, twirling a lock of bleached blonde hair around her finger.
"That's probably it. There's too much to eat. Two meals. Take the hay out. I mean, give him variety. But, you probably don't notice him eating because he's eating. Just stick to the pellets and the vegetables. By all means, change it around. Give him hay one day, vegetables the next. But, not all three in the same day," Troy replied. "That's all I can suggest."
The owner nodded and picked the rabbit up, setting him back into the carrier. "So, I'll come back if I have another problem."
Troy nodded as he turned back to the computer. "Okay. See you later." He heard the door to the consultation room shut with a certain amount of anger and he released a chuckle to himself. "Like she even cared about that rabbit. She probably doesn't even know what he eats." He looked at his next appointment and grinned as he opened the window for the history of Chad and Taylor's cat, Oscar. He left the consultation room and wandered into the waiting room where he saw Chad and Naomi knelt on the floor despite the plastic chairs lining the walls. They were knelt in front of the metal carrier where a black and white cat was rubbing itself against Naomi's fingers.
Chad looked up and grinned at his best friend dressed in jeans and a plain button up shirt with a white lab coat over the top. "We're next?"
Naomi turned her attention away from Oscar and scrambled over to Troy. "Uncle Troy!"
"Hey, Naomi. How's my favourite goddaughter?" he asked as he gripped her hand and led Chad, who was carrying Oscar's cage, through to his consultation room. As soon as the door was closed, Troy lifted Naomi up and slung her over his shoulder, causing her to giggle wildly.
"Uncle Troy!"
"Troy, put my daughter down," Chad joked.
Troy bent down, setting Naomi on the floor. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Am I going to see Kaden today?"
Troy pulled the chair out from under his desk and set it by the examination table, next to where he was standing, and allowed Naomi to climb onto it so she could see Oscar. "I honestly don't know. Maybe I'll drop him round for dinner. Is that okay, Chad?"
Chad reached across the table to ruffle Naomi's dark hair. "I'm sure it's fine, honey."
"So," Troy said as he looked at Oscar's cage, "how is he doing?"
Chad opened the cage and picked Oscar up, setting him on the table and Naomi started fussing him immediately. "Check up. Nothing major."
Troy ran his fingers through Oscar's fur. "So, you haven't noticed any sudden changes?"
Chad shook his head. "Not that I noticed. Tay did mention a couple of weeks ago how he was limping on his front right leg. I think it only happened once but, Tay did mention it."
Troy pulled Oscar towards him and gripped his front right leg, bending it forwards and backwards. "Has he had any trouble jumping? I mean, he's seven years old. He's not a kitten anymore."
"I know. But, no. I've seen him jump onto the fence in the yard and onto the beds and the back of the couch without any trouble," Chad replied.
"He jumped onto the top of my play house the other day," Naomi put in.
Troy smiled at her as he released Oscar to just run his hands through his fur. "Wow. Well, I suspect he might develop some arthritis in a couple of years but if he only limped once and he can still jump, don't worry about it."
Chad nodded. "Okay. Thanks, man."
Troy continued to check out Oscar's ears, eyes, temperature, weight et cetera. Oscar was now lying on his shoulders as he added details to Oscar's patient page. He turned back to the table and eventually managed to get Oscar back down. "Well, everything seems to be shipshape."
Chad grinned. "Thank you. That's great. Tay'll be happy. We got him when we first moved in together."
"I know you did." Troy rolled his eyes.
"You want to have lunch with us? We can meet you in the park if you want," Chad offered.
Troy shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"Why? Don't tell me you're going out to the field again? Why don't you eat with humans instead of horses?" Chad asked.
Troy smiled slightly, scratching Oscar behind his ear. "Horses are amazing creatures and Misty's mine. She's awesome. We love to eat lunch together."
"I swear you were a horse in a past life," the African-American grumbled.
Troy laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe."
Chad stared at his best friend and suddenly grinned. "It's not just Misty, is it?"
"What are you talking about?" Troy frowned.
"That look in your eyes. Who are you having lunch with? Do I know her?" he asked hurriedly.
Troy sighed. "Okay, I'm having lunch with someone else. It's Gabriella."
"Your dad's lawyer? A lawyer? When did you like a lawyer?" Chad exclaimed.
"I don't like her like that. It's just lunch." Troy folded his arms, leaning back against his desk whilst Naomi continued to fuss Oscar.
"Yeah, but, you work on a ranch when you're not here. A lawyer?" Chad gasped.
"She doesn't act like a lawyer around me," he mumbled.
"Yeah, but you don't know what it's like to live with one," Chad exclaimed.
"I'll tell Tay you said that," Troy mumbled. "I'm serious. She's a normal woman. And Dad says she's a good lawyer. Besides, it's just lunch."
"Ah, just lunch. I've got it. So, Naomi, do you think we should get home?" Chad asked.
Naomi nodded. "Okay."
* * *
Troy found Gabriella's law practice relatively easy and pulled up in his pick-up next Gabriella's car. He knew instantly that Taylor had already gone to lunch because her car was nowhere to be seen. That meant that Gabriella was alone inside. As he cut the engine and climbed out, he hoped that she had some sort of security system. He locked his truck and headed over to the front door. As he walked through the door and down corridors filled with prints of different pieces of art, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw cameras looking down on him.
"Gabi?" he called out as he climbed a set of stairs two at a time. He heard music playing faintly in the background and smiled to himself. He saw a door open at the end of the corridor which had Gabriella Montez painted on the window. He peeked around the doorframe and smiled lazily as he saw her standing at her desk, her back to him, singing softly. She was dressed in a pair of pale blue jeans which ended just below her knees and a white tank top. Her voice was beautiful. Like nothing he'd heard before.
He crept into the room and wrapped his arms around her from behind and picked her up, twirling her around. "Montez!"
"Troy!" she shrieked, a few papers falling to the ground as she clutched onto his arms for security. "Put me down."
Troy laughed as he set her feet onto the floor and he bent down for the papers. "Sorry, Gabi." He straightened back up as she turned around to face him. "You wear glasses," he commented.
She took the papers back and nodded. "Too much reading during school. The doctors told me to take it easy and not put a strain on my eyes because I have astigmatism. But, I ignored them and read too much, resulting in these." She gestured to the glasses before she turned to her desk and put the papers down.
"They're not too bad. In fact, they're very pretty," he said sincerely.
She turned to him. "I'm trying to be pretty. I only wear them when I work. Which I was doing before you walked through the door." She took her glasses off and set them onto her desk. "Besides, I don't wear them all of the time, so I don't care if they make me look ugly or not."
Troy held his hands up. "Sorry. I was offering my opinion."
She smiled softly. "I know. And thank you. I've just got to put some forms away, make yourself at home."
Troy nodded and walked around to sit in Gabriella's desk chair. "Wow. This chair is really comfy."
Gabriella gathered a pile of forms and walked over to the cabinet, pulling open a drawer. Before she filed them, she hit Troy over the head with them. "I know. It's mine." She slipped them into the drawer and then shut it. "So, how was your morning?" She stood beside him, looking down into his eyes.
"Okay, I guess. I had this girl come that was practically begging for a date. She was only eighteen or nineteen. It's so annoying." He groaned, throwing his head back.
"It's a good thing that I'm twenty four and not totally obsessed with you, then," she said softly as she walked over to the door and reached into her bag for her cell phone. She checked it for messages and then stuffed it into her pocket.
Troy furrowed his brow. "Yeah. I guess so. Are you ready?"
Gabriella nodded. "I am."
Troy followed her back downstairs and allowed her to lock the front door before they both climbed into Troy's truck. He drove through the quiet streets of Albuquerque back towards the ranch. "Quick question: have you ridden a horse before?"
Gabriella frowned as she turned to him. "What has that got to do with anything?"
"You'd be surprised," he mumbled as he drove down the long, dusty lane leading to the ranch.
"Well, yeah, I have. I had a couple of horse riding lessons when I was about thirteen but I didn't continue with it because I wanted to concentrate on my studies," she admitted.
"There's a surprise," he teased. He pulled the car to a stop and they both climbed out.
She followed him towards the smaller of the two houses which she assumed was his. "We're having lunch here?"
"Not exactly," he replied as he opened the front door and allowed her to step in first. He followed and shut the door. "We're not getting comfortable here. I just need to grab something before we leave."
"Leave?" she asked as she followed him to the kitchen.
"Yes, leave. It means we go away from here," he replied sarcastically. He opened the fridge and pulled out a wicker picnic basket, covered with a red and white chequered blanket.
"Is that a picnic?" she asked.
He nodded as he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the back door. "Yes, it is. Now, come on."
She followed him over to a field that held a couple of horses. On three sides of the field was a wooden fence and on the fourth side was a small wooden building where she could see piles of hay. She assumed that was where the horses slept and ate. "Troy, do you plan on telling me where we're going?"
He leaned over the fence and placed the basket down before he turned to here. "Do you always like to know what's happening?"
She nodded. "Pretty much."
"Why don't you take a chance and just enjoy it?" he asked softly. He stepped towards her and took her hand in his. "You don't always have to be certain about the future. You can't always plan it."
She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. But, next time, I'm taking us to lunch." She let go of his hand and walked over to the fence to climb over it. She landed on the other side next to the basket and turned to him. "We are coming in here, right? I mean, you mentioned horses…"
Troy chuckled and followed her lead, swinging one long leg over and then the other one. "You're right. Can you pick the basket up, please? The horses will eat it if we just leave it. Come on." He wandered over to the wooden building, patting a black horse's nose on the way.
Gabriella hurried after him and noticed that the horse followed him on its own accord, no need for a command or anything. She followed the horse into the building and found Troy getting two cowboy hats from two hooks on the wall. "What are they?"
He placed one onto her head and winked. "A hat. What else could it be?" He put the other one onto his own head and grinned. "Time to saddle up." He bent down and picked up to saddles.
"Saddle what?" she exclaimed.
"We're going riding. I'm going to show you what you've been missing while living in the city." He turned around and walked over to the black horse. "Hey, Misty. How are you, girl?" Misty neighed and trotted closer to him. He placed one saddle on the floor and walked around the horse with the other one. He quickly strapped it to the body and walked back around to pat Misty's nose. "We're going riding today. That okay with you?"
Gabriella frowned, suddenly unsure of something. "Were you talking to me or her?"
"Her is called Misty. And I was talking to you," he said softly. "She always loves to go riding with me. What about you?"
"I haven't ridden a horse in years, though!" she exclaimed.
He shrugged, picking the second saddle up. He began leading Misty and Gabriella back into the field and he walked over to a brown horse. He began strapping the saddle onto the horse and smiled across at Gabriella. "You'll be fine, I promise. This is Spencer. He's Mike's horse but he won't mind you borrowing him."
Gabriella sighed. "Fine. I trust you."
"Thank you." He took the basket from her and began tying it to the back of Misty. "Listen, I wouldn't be taking you riding if I thought you'd get hurt. Both Misty and Spencer are experienced with riders and they love people."
Gabriella stepped closer and stroked Spencer's nose. "Wow. He's so sweet."
"He was a bugger to break in though. You'd never think that now." Troy patted Spencer's back and smiled at Gabriella. "So, are you ready to live like a cowgirl?"
"Is this part of the deal with you? You know, no horses, no Troy?" Gabriella asked as she walked over to Troy.
He nodded as he helped her onto the horse. "Pretty much. Hey, I grew up practically as a cowboy. It's part of the territory." He quickly opened a gate and then led Spencer and Misty out of the field before he shut the gate behind them. He expertly climbed onto Misty's back and clicked his tongue. Both horses began to trot forward and Gabriella looked over at him, clearly impressed.
"Wow. You know, this is really cool," she commented.
He nodded. "I know." He continued to command the two horses through many fields and down lanes and after about ten minutes, the two horses stopped and Troy climbed down. He helped Gabriella down and smiled down at her. "You okay?"
She nodded, adjusting her hat. "Yeah. That was amazing. Wow."
Troy chuckled as he began to untie the picnic basket. "Are you ready for lunch? It's not much. Mostly salad, sandwiches and there's some cold pizza, too."
She laughed. "That sounds really good. But, what about Spencer and Misty?"
He shrugged and set the blanket on the grass. "They can do their own thing for a while. They won't go too far. They'll be fine. Come and sit down."
They both sat down and Gabriella helped Troy to unpack the basket. "This food looks great."
"Well, I don't mean to brag but I make one mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich." He handed a sandwich on a plastic plate to her. "Try it."
She took a bite and grinned. "Wow. This is amazing."
"So," he started as began eating a slice of cold pizza, "tell me about yourself."
"Well, there's not much to me. What do you want to know?" she asked softly, smiling over at him.
He shrugged. "You want to play twenty questions?"
"Like I said: there's not much to me. How about ten?"
He took another bite of pizza and nodded in agreement. "I'll take what I can get. What's your full name?"
"Gabriella Anna Maria Elizabeth Costa-Brava Montez," she replied with a slight Spanish accent.
Troy simply stared at her. "I pity the guy who marries you. Okay, um, what's your favourite movie?"
"A Walk to Remember," she answered instantly.
"Band?" he picked a grape off of a bunch and popped it into his mouth.
"Rascal Flatts." She reached for a slice of pizza and took a tiny bite.
"Favourite song?"
"Every Day by Rascal Flatts. It only recently became my favourite. But, Kels and Shar, and now you, have all helped me so much and the song means a lot to me," she whispered, setting her plate down.
Troy set his plate onto the blanket and moved closer to her. "I sing that song to Kaden every night. He's one of the few reasons I'm still here. I honestly thought I couldn't live without Ellie and, only Kels and Tay know this but, I once considered suicide. But, I knew how fragile and vulnerable Kaden was and I didn't." He looked into her eyes and released a deep breath. "And I'm glad I didn't."
She bit her lip and blushed. "I'm glad you didn't, too."
A silence fell over them as Troy gripped her hand. It wasn't awkward. Far from it. They were simply enjoying each other's company. The only sounds were birds chirping and Spencer and Misty eating grass nearby. Troy suddenly leaned forward and grabbed a grape. He turned to Gabriella and threw it at her. He grinned proudly.
Gabriella laughed and let go of his hand. "What was that for?"
He shrugged. "I wanted to throw a grape."
"Really?" she asked, reaching for the bunch of grapes. "You wanted to throw a grape?"
Troy reached for another bunch and nodded confidently. "I did."
"Oh, game on, Bolton!" she exclaimed as they both clambered to their feet. Gabriella chased Troy around the field, throwing grapes at him.
He turned around briefly to throw a grape at her but didn't realise how close to him Gabriella was and she ran into him. The collision caught him off guard and made him fall backwards, taking Gabriella with him. They burst out laughing and Gabriella lifted her head from his torso to look at him. "You okay?" he asked.
She lifted a hand and placed it over her heart. "I'll tell you in a minute. I haven't run like that since gym in high school. It wasn't my strongest subject."
Troy laughed softly as he looked at her. "That was fun. So, how do you like it out here?"
Gabriella nodded in approval. "It's really great. I love it. There aren't places like this in New York or in Silicon Valley."
A thought occurred to Troy. "Do you think you'll ever go back?"
"Back where?" Gabriella asked as they both sat up.
"New York or silicon Valley. I mean, are you planning to stay in Albuquerque?" he asked softly.
Gabriella looked down at her lap. "I didn't plan to, if I'm honest. I mean, I'm a city girl. The only reason I came down here is because of Shar, Ry and Kels. I needed to be with my friends and then I was going to go to Silicon Valley once everything had calmed down." She lifted her head to look at him. "Kels warned me how Albuquerque is really small and no one has any secrets and everyone knows everything about everyone else. That's the last thing I wanted for obvious reasons."
"But?" Troy whispered.
She reached for his hand and smiled softly across at him. "I think I've found a reason to stay."
