CHAPTER 9

"Jared?" Troy turned as the loud bang of the garage door closing startled his sensitive ears.

"Jared?" Gabi called right after, hearing the padlocking activity outside.

She gasped and quickened over to the door and began pounding on it.

"Jared Horatio Montez you open this door right now!" She yelled. "This is not funny!"

Troy meanwhile, tucked his hands in his pockets and winced at the loudness of Gabi's voice while he tried to find his bearings in the grey light cast from the small, flat, high windows.

"¡Es enserio, Jared! ¡Espera a que tu papá se entere de esto!"

* I mean it Jared! Wait until your father hears about this!*

She sighed. She sounded like she was talking to a five year old not her fully grown adult son.

Troy peered over at her use of Spanish but refrained from asking her about it.

"Unlock this door right now!" Gabi yelled.

"I think he's gone," Troy offered although this much was obvious.

Gabi looked over to him, almost only then acknowledging his presence. She swallowed.

"If this is another one of his ridiculous stunts…"

Troy looked up; across the dirty, dark room.

"He won't let us out until he's decided he's ready," Troy pointed out.

"It's not funny," Gabi huffed. "One of us could fall or be hurt or…"

"I'm not going to do anything, if that's what you're worried about," Troy mused of her irate tone- as though insinuating being alone with him was dangerous for her health.

"I'm not…" She stuttered. "That's not what I…"

He sighed. "Yeah, you did," he argued, picking his way across the room to find an abandoned office chair which he firstly slumped in, then span around.

"I really didn't," she assured. "Besides, I know that whatever we had is well and truly over," she arched.

"Because you chose it," he arched right back, looking up with a frown. He really did not want to be facing this conversation right now. Not while he was struggling with his hangover and his broken heart besides.

"Well, I'm glad I did considering what happened last night," she huffed.

Troy shook his head and leaned forward, putting his head into his hands.

"Are you okay?" She checked, for a moment concerned by his move.

"Not really, I have a hangover from hell and that last thing I need is this right now."

"This being?" She questioned.

He looked up.

"You talking in riddles." He explained. "I have no idea what you're on about."

Gabi sucked her lower lip. Maybe he didn't remember? Maybe Isabella wasn't a good bed-partner. Maybe the pair of them had drunkenly passed out on his bed and never taken things further than making out? Pfft, she mentally ridiculed that option.

She couldn't imagine anyone laying in the same bed as Troy-drunk or not- and being able to stop at foreplay. So, then, what did happen? Should she ask? They were trapped, after all. It could be some while before Jared came back and if they got past this subject they might be able to move onto other things to while away the time.

But even talking about it made her angry and mad and he looked so…broken.

He was staring at her. She only realized because she was looking at him and his head shifted up where he was leaning on his knees for support.

God he looked amazing; she mused. Sex-ruffled hair; stubble. It irked her that his hair was ruffled by another girl's hands, but she could hardly blame him when she had invited her son to take him out after rejecting his advances at the park. Well, not even his advances, but his proclamation of his feelings. That was pretty horrific, she considered.

"Gabi, what do you think happened last night?" Troy's genuinely confused tone put her in even more doubt now. She was sure she had come to the right conclusion. Isabella had looked…well…thoroughly ruffled and Troy had…well surely he had been out with her and they'd…

Nothing made any damn sense!

"You spent the night with Isabella," she finally stated, but her voice was soft; almost questioning.

"I did, huh?" His brows rose indignantly.

"Yes…" She frowned, then swallowed. "Yes, I saw her leave this morning…" She said more certainly.

"You saw her leave?" He repeated again, a devilled smile playing about his lips.

Why was he looking at her like that? Like he was mad at her? She was the one who should be mad! He'd gone and had sex with some meaningless girl after giving her the best night of her life. She didn't want to share him! She didn't want to think of him with anyone else, touching them, kissing them the way he kissed and touched her! She didn't want to admit it to anyone; but she wanted him all to herself! Every last hard, unrelenting muscle; every touch of those soft, full lips; every caress from his large, gentle hands and every…

She darted her eyes to his. No, it couldn't be….it couldn't be possible.

Every ounce of love.

Her inner conscience finished her sentence.

She looked back to Troy who had now stood, awaiting her next evidence that he'd slept with Isabella. His hands were on his hips, his eyes glowing even in the semi-dark.

"She was…she had…" She cursed her damn stuttering and moved toward him, away from the door. This would be easier if she could look him right in the eyes, she decided.

Or maybe not.

"She had clearly been to bed," Gabi offered weakly.

"To bed, huh? Fancy that…" He remarked, clenching his teeth together at her accusation.

"Fine, sex then," she spat. "She looked as though she had had sex."

"Right," he nodded. "And you think I'm the one who had sex with her?"

"Well that was the intention wasn't it?" She cast. "To go and find her, your perfect woman and…"

"And what Gabi?" He challenged.

"And sleep with her!" She finished angrily at his goading.

"Sure, because that's the kind of guy I am right? I just go out and find girls to have sex with them…"

"You did with me!" She accused sharply, gasping as she realized the weight of her words and how she couldn't take them back.

She closed her eyes and swallowed shamefully.

"Is that what you think?" His voice dragged out of his throat with scratchy disgust and he came towards her, something she wasn't aware of until she opened her eyes and found him right there in front of her. "You really think that little of me?"

"No…no, I don't know why I said that," she took a breath and closed her eyes for a minute as she winced.

"You do," he argued, half incredulous, half hurt. "You really do think that we were just about sex…"

"I know that's not-"

"But it's not me who made love with you with no intention of seeing you again," he pointedly said the words 'made love' to emphasise his point. "It was you, Gabi. You're the one who said it wouldn't work…"

"It would never have been an issue if we hadn't met again!" She argued. "We agreed! One night!"

His lips curled, only a little and she didn't like how close he was; or how angry. He trailed his eyes down her face as if memorizing everything about her; something she found very hard to stand still at, when in reality she just wanted to press her lips to his and kiss him already. Hot and hard; for as long as they could manage it.

"If that's the case, why do you care who I slept with last night?" He wondered out of interest.

"Because-" she hitched a breath, fighting down her urges- the urge to cry and the urge to kiss him. "Because I still care. I don't want to see you do something you'll regret…"

"Like fall in love with you?" He spat, his eyes staring into hers intently, the glittering a mix of anger and attraction and she found her lungs breathless out of her control.

"What? You don't mean that…" She denied.

"Oh, I do regret it," he mused. "And I did fall."

Did? Did? She beseeched his face with her eyes. Oh god, he couldn't have gotten over her already, could he? Why was she even upset about this? It was her choice to end things, he was right. She'd made him regret ever getting involved.

"You've moved on then," she ventured, trying to keep the hurt from her voice. "With Isabella…"

She cast her eyes down, images of the pair of them together haunting her.

He turned away from her to perch against the desk-edge, gaining space from their intense encounter moments before.

"I didn't sleep with Isabella," he ground out.

"What?" She darted her eyes up; seeing his resignation in the way he folded himself there.

"I didn't have sex with Isabella; nor sleep with her. Yes, we had a drink and she sat on my lap but it wasn't my bed she spent the night in…" He admitted.

"Jared?" She whispered fearfully.

"So all that crap about how I pray on women only to take them to bed?" He arched. "I think you should take that back…"

"Oh god," she gasped, tears springing to her eyes. "I'm so sorry! I was just…I didn't think…I just…thought because…you were upset with me and she was perfect in every way and…I knew I couldn't ever be like her…like any of those girls…"

Troy rose and grasped her wrists lightly, moving her hands away from her face where tears tumbled down her cheeks.

"Don't you get it?" He husked. "You are perfect. In every way. To me, Gabi. You're perfect to me…"

She shook her head as her sobs became uncontrollable and she fought it, she fought his confession and its meaning and she fought his presence for a matter of seconds before she finally gave up fighting.

She pitched into his chest and curled up there; under his strong, wrapping arms as she cried out every emotion she had been struggling with the past few days.

"I was jealous," she tried to convey her reasons for accusing him. "I'm so sorry…"

"Shh," he soothed, using his large hands to comfort her as he stroked down her arm; her hair and her back. "It's okay…"

"It's not okay! I accused you of-" another sob blocked her throat.

"I know," he acknowledged with a soft voice, rocking her a little. "It's okay…shh…"

Gabi let his husked tones soothe her; let his soap smell relax her and enjoyed every minute of being in his arms more than was probably right to.

When he pulled back, she didn't know where to look. He handed her some tissues, such a sweet gesture that almost started her off again. She looked up, unsure what to expect.

He took her chin between his thumb and finger.

"I don't sleep around, Gabi," he told her, anyway, even if she knew that now. "You're the only woman I've made love with."

She nodded, venturing her eyes up. "Is it…is it wrong for me to want it to stay that way?"

He puzzled, looking into her face.

"I…well," she took a breath for courage. "I'm in love with you Troy…and I know you said that you did love me and maybe it's too late now, maybe I took too long to realize how I feel and that actually; its not such a bad thing; its just scary…but what isn't scary, right? And…is it too late?" She wondered pausing only briefly. "If it is; I'll understand, completely, I just need to know if-"

Firm lips pressed down on hers; halting her erratic speech. She relaxed into the kiss and gazed at him as he pulled away.

"I may have lied before," he offered with a little lop-sided curl of his lips. "It's not too late…"

Her relieved smile lit up her face and she tiptoed to reconnect their lips; kissing him deeply with every emotion she felt in that moment, bubbling up inside her. She loved him! Yes, it was true; her heart was capable of new love after all! And yes, she was afraid, but he'd said she was perfect, just for him, she was perfect. And it made her want to shout from the rooftops that they were together instead of trying to hide their love from everyone around them. She had been an idiot, she mused.

But as his arms tightened around her and drew her up against his hard body; she considered she had time to make up for it. More than enough time. She might start right now by taking him to bed…that is if they weren't stranded.

Damn, that really did put paid to any ideas of a reunion.

Neither of them heard the squeak of the garage door opening, nor registered the influx of light upon them. Jared stood and crossed his arms, a knowing smirk on his mouth as he did so.

"I take it you made up, then?" He enquired loudly, breaking them apart.

Gabi blushed and pushed gently at Troy's chest and he stepped back; surprised to find her fingers tangling through his.

"Are you sure this isn't too weird?" Gabi asked honestly.

Jared shrugged. "It's better than the stairs, mom. Way better…"

She rolled her eyes and gently led Troy over to where she faced her son.

"I'm not happy about what you did, though…"

"It worked, didn't it?" He arched a brow.

Gabi looked to Troy; he was smiling back at his friend. She bit her lower lip.

"Still, one of us could have been hurt…" She chided.

"Even better- quicker reunion," Jared cheeked.

"Don't do that again, it's dangerous," she finally reprimanded.

"Okay," he nodded, and then flicked his eyes between them both. "Can we find my baseball glove now?"

/

The three of them spent the rest of the morning tidying out the storage space of the garage. Gabi felt way too weird to show her affection for Troy whilst Jared was present; so they shared the odd smile and longing look while they worked, then snuck off to 'make lunch' together to gain some time apart from Jared. He even let them go without commenting on their obvious retreat.

"I think he's actually okay with it…" Troy commented as he looked down at Gabi; opening the patio door for her, to allow her through first.

She went over to the sink to wash her hands.

"I still find it weird," she admitted. "Do you?"

He smiled, cleaning up after she had finished and as she pulled things out of the fridge; he worked by buttering bread then adding fillings to his sandwiches.

"It is a little weird…"

"Maybe…can we just try and save it for when we're alone?" She asked.

"Try?" He looked up with a grin. "We've been trying haven't we?"

"He came home to spend time with his mother…I should really concentrate on that and not what we have going on…" She mused.

"What do we have going on?" He twinkled.

She looked up. "When we're given the chance, I hope dinner and staying over…"

"I like the sound of that," his smile curved deeper.

She shook her head. "Can this really work?"

He nodded, crunching a pickled onion as he reached over the counter to touch her hand.

"If we want it to," he offered.

"Then, maybe when he goes back to University…you could stay an extra day? Give us a little time to…you know…" She smiled felinely.

"Re-acquaint ourselves?" He was also smiling at this prospect.

"Really, you're okay with everything now? No regrets?" She checked, slicing the sandwiches and putting them on a plate.

"No regrets," he promised huskily, eyeing her. "How about you?"

Gabi looked up, finding herself lost in his blue eyes for a moment.

"Only that I ever hurt you…"

"Hey," he took the plate from her hand and hugged her. "It's okay."

"I promise I'll make it up to you."

He pulled back and grinned. "Awesome."

She pursed her lips. "Let's get these to Jared before he finds us again…"