Disclaimer: It's probably obvious, but I don't own any of the HSM characters or their related elements.
THIS FIC IS RATED M. THERE WILL BE SOME ADULT CONTENT IN THIS STORY.
A rating of M means this story is not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with possible strong but non-explicit adult themes, references to violence, and strong coarse language.
This is because there are sexy bits in this story, and that can make some people sad. If you are one of those people, please stop reading this story now.
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Chapter 10 – The Arrival
Standing at a window near the car rental place, I could see rain falling in San Francisco's evening sky. Amanda and John were behind me getting the car arranged and I wanted them to both hurry up and slow down. I felt tired from the flight, but they were supposed to drop me off at Troy's after we found dinner somewhere. And… I wasn't sure I was ready to see him. At least, not just yet.
Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. "About time," I said, letting out a yawn and grabbing my bag off the floor. "Where's the…"
But I choked as I saw Troy standing in front of me, a hesitant grin on his face. He wore a light grey jacket and jeans and looked just as good as ever.
I couldn't breathe. Somehow, I smiled. I felt awkward, like I wanted to touch him and didn't know how. The way he stood, it seemed like he felt the same way.
"Hey," he said, his hands jammed into his coat pockets.
"I didn't think you were going to pick me up," I blurted out lamely. "I thought…"
"Well…" He shrugged. "It turned out I had the time, and you gave me your flight number." He seemed to struggle with the rest of the words. "I also… haven't had dinner yet. I thought… you might want to come along."
"Well…" I looked over to Amanda and John, who were suddenly approaching. "We were all actually going to go out for dinner…"
But Amanda was shaking her head, yawning as she joined us. "No, don't worry about us. I think I just want to head to bed, and John's going to find something to eat in the area. Just keep your receipts and you can claim it back at the end of the trip. I'll see you tomorrow at the conference at 7."
Both she and John shook Troy's hand. "Nice to meet you, by the way," said Amanda, looking over at me and winking before they left. And then suddenly, we were alone there in the rental lounge together.
I twisted my hands around the strap of my bag, not looking at him. "So…"
"So…" he said, trailing off.
Then I heard him let out a breath, and I looked up. His blue eyes were warmly fixed on mine, and this time, I knew he was smiling at me for real. I felt instantly relieved, like the tension between us had been quietly cleared. Then we both laughed sheepishly and I grinned, suddenly feeling as happy to see him as I always did.
He reached out and took my bag from me, casually slinging it over his shoulder.
"Look, it's great to see you, Gabi," he said. "So how about we get out of here? My car's downstairs, and it's finally got heating again."
I laughed and gently stopped my hand from taking his as we walked out to the elevators. "Oh, Troy," I said. "You always knew how to treat a girl."
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We wound up at the grocery store.
"So this is dinner?" I said, raising my eyebrows.
Pushing the shopping cart beside me, Troy laughed. "No, this is actually grocery shopping. But there is a bit of dinner involved. I figured we'd eat in… since I know money can be kind of tight on trips." He coughed slightly, then grinned at me. "And this way, you get to come with me to pick out what you might want to eat. Even dessert."
"Wow, even dessert," I said, rolling my eyes and laughing. "I feel like a queen."
He laughed, stopping beside the soup section and grabbing a few cans. "You said it yourself. I know how to treat a girl."
We left the soup aisle and wandered a bit. He leaned over the cart's handle and looked at me sideways. He seemed careful not to break into my personal space. "So you're only here until Sunday then?" he asked.
"Sunday morning, really," I said. "Our flight leaves at 7am too. The price you pay for cheap tickets."
"Ahhh," he said. "So you're just missing out. My company's doing the keynote on Sunday at 9." He grinned over at me. "I made the slide show, so I'm kind of excited about it."
I laughed. "Sorry. I'd put that on TV if I was in charge, but you know how it is." Then we strolled by the freezer aisle, and suddenly I darted in and grabbed a package, grinning. "But this'll make it up to you. I've found our dessert."
He looked over and laughed. "Ahh… Fudgsicles." Taking the box from me, he put it in the cart and pushed on. "Well, a fine choice, Montez. You always had excellent taste."
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He lived in a low, Spanish-style brown brick building. We parked in front and ran back and forth through the rain to carry the groceries into his apartment on the first floor. I could see the place was spacious, with dark hardwood floors and a smattering of modern art and unusually designed furniture. The kitchen was right next to the front door, opening onto a living room to the left, and a bedroom with attached bathroom to the right.
It was pouring as we finally ran in with the last bags. Troy dumped his on the counter and turned around. "Those Fudgsicles better be rain-free or you're out of here, Montez," he said, going over to close the door and lock it.
"Oh, put a sock in it," I said, laughing and putting my bags down. "If anything's getting wet, it's all the PopTarts you bought. What are you, fourteen?"
"Hey, don't be so hard on the PopTarts," he said, grinning. "Otherwise you won't get any. And that's all I've got in the way of breakfast foods."
I rolled my eyes, taking my coat off and trying to squeeze the water out of my hair. "And next you'll be telling me there's no room service in this place."
He laughed, walking toward the bedroom. "No, Montez. You have come to the wrong establishment for room service." Coming back into the kitchen, he handed me a towel. "But I can get you dinner. You just take care of that hair."
He grinned and turned back to the kitchen, putting the groceries away and getting started on the fresh pasta we had chosen. I sat down at the table to dry my hair, and felt a strange sense of being wonderfully at home. His kitchen seemed to be in pristine order, and he cooked with a meticulous eye to detail, hemming and hawing over the firmness of the pasta and the taste of the sauce. Finishing with my hair, I got up to help, but he wouldn't let me do anything.
"Seriously, I've got it almost ready," he said. Then he paused and pointed to a cupboard. "I'm all for you setting the table though."
I opened it to reveal a stack of charmingly mismatched plates. And in the drawer, I found all the forks had yellow plastic handles, but none of the other cutlery did.
He brought the food over to the table and it was delicious. And surprisingly, the Fudgsicles were the perfect way to end it. We nibbled at them, laughing and joking easily as we relaxed around the table. And suddenly I thought that if this had been another time, if the reunion hadn't happened and we hadn't agreed to leave it at that… I would have leaned over and kissed him right now.
But we did have the reunion, and we had agreed. And judging from the wistful look on his face, I knew he was thinking about the same thing.
"Gabi," he said, smiling at me. "It really is great to see you."
I nodded, smiling back. "Same here. This is a lot of fun."
He finished his Fudgsicle and put the wooden stick down. "And… I'm sorry about the last time. Just leaving like that. I didn't really know what I was doing. I think I was just confused."
I felt my cheeks turn red and I looked away. "Ahhh… Troy. It's OK."
"Anyway," he said. "It's good I didn't ruin things forever. I'm happy you called. And I'm glad we can be friends and still have a good time together. Like this."
And smiling, he covered my hand with his on the table. It was meant to be friendly, but a jolt of electricity surged through me, triggering the memory of his body against mine. I smiled and tried to put it out of my mind… and then without warning, I yawned loudly.
"OK, so maybe we have an incredibly boring time together," he said, laughing and lifting his hand off. He looked up at the clock. "Wow, it must be one in the morning back in New York. I shouldn't have kept you up. And hey, I forgot to tell you, but I think you should take my room while you're here."
"No…"
He smiled and gave me a warning look. "Hey, don't argue. The couch is fine. And you need a better night's sleep than I do. I don't have to be up until at least ten. Come on, Gabi."
And before I could do anything, he stood up and took our dishes to the sink, grabbing my bag on the way and putting it in his room. "Well, OK," I said, following him over and yawning again. "But… thanks, Troy. For everything."
His blue eyes were warm. "Just give me a shout if you need anything." He paused, then smiled. "And… have a good night."
The rain beat a soft rhythm on the window as I changed and climbed into his bed, wrapping myself in his plaid bedsheets and snuggling into his pillows. I could hear the clink of dishes as he washed and put them away. Lying there, I felt the old safe and happy feeling flood through me with a new intensity. And as I drifted off, I realized I hadn't thought about CNXN once this evening. It felt good.
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Author's Note: Hey readers! Send me a review! I'm starting to think I'm writing into a vacuum here and I'd love to hear from all of you. Hope you liked this chapter, because I do. I really like writing these characters together. And I especially love the idea of Troy's cutlery, don't know about you!
Also, do keep letting me know where you found this story if you don't mind. Yep, I know that if you search for "all ratings" on the main HSM page, you'll find this one there, but I'm curious how many people actually do that. Cause I certainly never did before I started writing this story.