I'm back! I hope you enjoy, sorry for the delay (I know it's been years lol). I got an urge to write, and what better way to dive back in than to spend some good times with Gabriella and Troy.
Speechless Chapter 10 : Hallelujah
"Your faith was strong, but you needed proof."
-Leonard Cohen
Troy ran the fluffy white towel over his hair to dry the damps strands, it was late and his body was exhausted. Once they got back to his room after Gabriella had locked herself out, he decided to jump into the shower quickly to wash off the practice he had earlier. Opening the door to the bedroom, a wave of cold air washed over his exposed chest causing goose bumps to form on the tan skin. The heat left the steamy bathroom as Troy wiped the fog from the mirror in front of him. Looking out into the dark room, the corner of his thin lips rose into a smile. There she was, the brown-haired goddess peacefully asleep in his king sized bed. The loose hoodie wrapped around her body, and the skin tight leggings hugging her hips and legs perfectly. She was snuggled deeply into the comforter, pillows surrounding her. She reminded him of a little kid sleeping in their parent's bed, completely swallowed by its enormity.
He put some toothpaste on his toothbrush and quickly brushed his teeth before rinsing his mouth out, flicking the light off to the bathroom, and making his way over to the bed. He climbed into the opposite side of the bed and scooted closer to her. He knew that she had to be up early the next day because she had the second and final day of competition, but everything in him wanted to wake her up just to talk to her. He snaked his hand around her waist and pulled her body closer to his, his cold hand sliding under her hoodie to come in contact with the warm skin of her side and back. She moaned quietly in her sleep and readjusted her body to get comfortable. Why was she so adorable, he thought to himself and smiled yet again?
He removed his hand from her waist, and brushed the curls back from her cheek. He leaned over her and placed a soft kiss to her lips. Her hand moved to lightly grab his forearm of the hand still resting on the side of her neck. He kissed her again, and her eyes fluttered open, brown met blue. The glisten in her eye twinkled, her lips curved up into a smile and she leaned into him and kissed him, a soft sign of content left her lips. "Hi", she said softly.
"Hey beautiful", Troy responded. He moved his hand back down to rest lightly on her side. "I didn't want to wake you up because I know you have a big day tomorrow, but I couldn't help myself."
"It's okay, I've been asleep for a while." Gabriella responded no louder than a whisper, and slid her hand up to rest on his bicep. His naked torso was glowing in the dim light, and it took everything in her to resist from running her hands up his chest. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body, and the musty smell of his body wash was slowing intoxicating her. "What time is it?"
Troy lifted his head to study to dim green numbers on his bedside table. "Almost 1 am, what time do you have to be up and at the rink tomorrow?" His fingers danced over her soft skin partially underneath the sweatshirt, her eyes were glassy as she let out a small yawn.
"Eight, I have a morning run through of the performance with Jerry, we break for lunch, then press interviews around 1:30 and then it's a waiting game until the competition starts." Her eyes fluttered shut and she took a deep breath in and exhaled fully and slowly. He could tell her body was teetering on the edge of sleep, but he wanted to be selfish.
"What are you wearing tomorrow, babe?" he smirked and a soft smile graced her lips.
"You'll just have to wait and find out like everyone else does." His mind ran wild with the possibilities. She was in second place after the short program, her 73.82 just points behind the leader at 77.50 points. A Korean skater had taken the lead a few routines after she had performed. He could tell that she was a little nervous about the upcoming routine, but he knew that she was going to perform like a seasoned veteran.
"How does your body feel Gabs?" he whispered into her ear and ran his hand over her hip and onto her thigh. "Are you sore at all?" His thumb began making slow, deep and methodic circles on her upper thigh, making sure to give extra attention to the crease between her hip and her thigh.
Her eyes stayed shut, and a soft moan escaped her lips. "I'm not sore, but you can keep doing that." Her hips moved slightly at his touch, he had found a sensitive spot on her body and made special note for future encounters. He slid his hand back down and around her thigh and gripped her behind the knee. He pulled her leg up an across his waist, shifting to his back while her lower limb rested bent across his mid-section. She repositioned herself to lie on her side, her head resting on his shoulder and arm bent on his chest. "Will you drive me to the rink tomorrow morning?" she exhaled, peering up at his blue eyes through dark lashes from her position on his chest.
"Of course baby" he cupped her chin and brought her in for a sweet and slow kiss. "I have practice runs in the morning as well since the competition starts the next day. I'll drop you off on my way. I'm going to run back here and shower, pick up your parents, Shar and Chad and then head back to the rink to watch my girl perform tomorrow evening."
"Your girl?" she asked in a sly tone, her lips forming a soft smile.
His lips matched her own, and curved upward. "Well I mean if that's what you want, I won't object to it." He kept his stare locked on hers, blue meeting brown again in a heated connection. She propped herself up on her elbow, so she was staring down at him, the raven curls flowing hypnotically down over her shoulder as the loose hoodie hung to her curves. His free arm that wasn't underneath her settled on the curve of her legging clad bottom, holding her to him.
"You really want me?" she breathed out in a voice so small he nearly could not hear her.
How could she even question his desire to spend every minute with her, she clearly didn't know the effect that she had over him. She intrigued him with her intelligence and drive, her compassion, her overwhelming beauty. He had only known her for a few weeks, but he's felt like he's known her for years. "Yes Gabriella, I want you to be mine."
It was her turn to cup his chin, and lean down and initiate a kiss. Her lips were intoxicating, the way that she moved and bit his bottom lip. He tightened his grip on her ass and pulled her tighter to his body. She pulled back and lightly bit her own bottom lip, there was a light blush spread across her face. "I want you to be mine too." She smiled.
"Good." He smiled and kissed her neck softly.
"Can we keep it just between us for a little bit though, I don't want people to know just yet? It's hard enough trying to eat breakfast without someone following us, imagine how difficult it will be with everyone knowing we're together."
"Yeah babe, that's probably a good idea. Just know it's going to be difficult to keep my hands off of you in public." His lips trailed down to her shoulder that was uncovered from the sweatshirt. His warm tongue left a burning trail across her soft skin. He moved the hand from her backside up her spine and under the sweatshirt. He could feel the goose bumps rise as he gently ran his fingers down her back. "And by the feel of it, you'll have trouble stopping me if I don't keep my hands off of you." His deep whisper sent shivers down her spine, the tone dripping with desire. There was a sudden warmth growing in her stomach.
"Troy…" she trailed off, letting her forehead rest on his strong chest. Her heart was beating out of her chest.
"Brie, you're in complete control." He removed his hand from under her sweatshirt and laced his fingers through her dark hair. He kissed the top of her head, telling her that it was okay. "I won't do anything to hurt you, or anything you're not ready for." He tugged slightly on her neck and made her look at him. The truth in his stare was undeniable, the views he explained the night they went to the club were still holding true.
"You're amazing." Was all she said, and leaned down to kiss him one last time before resuming her place in the crook of his neck. His hand danced over the back of her hoodie as they both drifted into unconsciousness.
The practice went okay that morning, only a slight fumble here and there. Jerry assured her that is was just the nerves getting to her, and it was better to get the mistakes out during practice instead of during the final performance. She would skate second to last that evening, the last spot going to the Korean skater currently in first place. She needed to put on a near perfect performance since she was already behind by 3.68 points. This sport is a game of numbers; a deduction here, an extra point there. It could come down to a tenth or hundredth of a point. Since the skater placed above her would skate after her, she needed to give it everything that she had in order to have a chance at the gold medal.
Troy was at practice, and her parents were sight-seeing during the day since they have not had the opportunity to travel. That meant Gabriella was free to meet Sharpay for lunch and catch up. It felt like days since she had gotten the opportunity to talk with her.
"Babes!" the platinum blonde exclaimed as she entered the small café, smiling from ear to ear when she saw the USA sweat suit clad Brunette sitting in a booth at the other end of the building. Gabriella couldn't help but laugh. If someone would have told her that the bubbly and outspoken blonde would have become one of her best friends during the trip, she would have denied it. Their personalities and viewpoints clashed, but it's what makes their friendship work.
"Hi Shar," Gabriella said as she hugged the blonde. "How has practice been? I haven't talked to you in forever!"
"Oh the usual. Practice runs on the slopes in the morning, conditioning and weights after lunch, more slope runs in the evening to get practice in both lighting conditions. Then endurance training later when I get back to the hotel if you know what I mean…" she winked as the waitress came over to their table. The girls ordered, and jumped right back into conversation.
"So I guess that means things with Chad are going well?" Gabriella giggled and Sharpay sighed contently.
"Have I ever thanked you for bringing those boys to our table that first night, because if I haven't I need to." Sharpay took a long drink from her water and looked back up at Gabriella. "Seriously that boy knows what he is doing; I think I may be in love."
"Really?" Gabriella's eyes went wide in shock at what the blonde had just said.
"Well I mean we are nowhere near the connection you and Troy have. It is mostly a physical relationship at this point, but we have gone on a few dates and actually talk now about home and what we want to do after the games are over." Sharpay twirled the straw in her drink and lazily smiled at nothing, clearly day dreaming of the afro-clad man.
"I'm happy for you Shar!" Gabriella smiled.
"But enough about me and Chad, tell me about your hunk of man!" Gabriella knew that the topic would come up, and she needed to have an outlet to talk about it. There was no way that she would tell her mother and father yet, her father wouldn't be nearly as nice to Troy if he knew what was going on. Her friends from home had no idea she was involved with an American heart-throb, and she didn't want to tell them in fear of who they would tell.
"Well…" Gabriella bit her bottom lip and looked up at Sharpay, "We're kind of an official item."
"OMG! Girl!" Sharpay clapped excitedly and caused everyone in the small restaurant to look their direction. Gabriella blushed and tried to quiet the blonde.
"Shar, no one can know okay! We want to keep it on the down low until we figure things out." Gabriella giggled as Sharpay did a silent happy dance. "I told him not to say anything, so you can't even tell Chad. Do you hear me?"
Sharpay waved her hand at Gabriella acknowledging the statement about not telling Chad. "I so told you that he had and eye on you, I bet the sex is amazing! Spill the details Gabriella, the clock is ticking!"
"No details to tell Shar, we spent last night together, but nothing happened. He came to give me a good night kiss and I walked out of my room without my phone and key like an idiot. He wanted it, but I didn't want to move so quickly and he was amazing about the whole thing. I mean yesterday was out first kiss, and we made it official last night. It was a big day for us."
"Explain to me the 'wanting it' portion of your explanation.", she smiled and leaned forward to rest her chin in her open palms.
Gabriella blushed, and turned her fork over in her hand. "I don't know, he just got out of the shower…"
"I like where this is going" Sharpay interrupted, and then motioned for her to continue.
"I was asleep and he crawled into bed with me, and kissed me to wake me up. His hands were hot on my skin, and his mouth and scent…" She closed her eyes and smiled, "We talked for a little bit sleepily and then he said something about watching 'his girl' perform today and that's when it happened. He has this way of making me want things I shouldn't be thinking about."
"It won't be long until you give into him, the tension between you two has been electric since day one. At first it was playful, and then a little romantic, now his eyes are hungry girl. He has a little taste of you and he's going to want more." The thought excited Gabriella, but scared her at the same time. She knew he wouldn't do anything she didn't want him to do, but where was her limit and how long would he be willing to wait?
"He's a good guy Sharpay, he's different and I want to take it slow with him." She smiled again, the Troy she knew was an amazing human being.
"I'm just saying that after you win the gold medal tonight and you're adrenaline is pumping, you may say yes a lot sooner than you think." Sharpay smirked at Gabriella as the food came to their table. Would Troy be counting on that? Did he only ask her to be his girlfriend last night because he knows his best shot at getting with her was after the high of winning an Olympic medal?
"I'll have to win the medal first, and with that there are no guarantees." Sharpay dismissed the comment and dove into her food. The two girls ate over conversation about the results of all the other events that had kicked off that week, no more mention of Troy or Chad. Only time would tell with her and Troy, but for now the only thing she had to worry about was her Free Skate performance, four minutes would decide her Olympic fate. No pressure.
Her chest felt tight, she swore her stomach was in her throat and at any moment she could be sick. The nerves were getting the best of her and she needed someone to calm her down. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick note to Troy; he would know what to say. She locked her phone and set it on the table as Jerry walked into the locker room.
"Sweetie, it's almost time to get out there." Gabriella looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was in a tight bun, the strands braided and pulled back. Her dark blue leotard was snug on her body, the shear skirt brushing to tops of her legs. Anyway she moved the light caught the crystals and reflected, capturing the attention of any onlooker. Her lips were a dark plum, her eyes dark and lined with glitter. She took a deep breath and turned back around to look at her coach.
"Jerry, I don't know if I can do this." She said and took a seat on the wooden bench. Her coach kneeled down in front of her and took hold of both of her hands.
"Gabriella, I don't care if you even place on that podium. That is not what this is about. I want you to get out there and show the world what you have worked so hard for. Your parents are in the stands, your friends are watching from back home; you are going to do great, and everyone is rooting for you. I am so proud of you, and honored to be your coach." Gabriella smiled and took a deep breath.
"I can do this." She repeated to herself. As she exhaled again, he phone buzzed. Both Jerry and Gabriella looked at the illuminated screed and a smile appeared on the girl's face.
"I see there is someone else in the stands rooting for you, and I think he agrees that you can do this too." He winked at her and stood up. Gabriella opened the message and smiled to herself. She stood up and hugged Jerry before walking to the door and pausing a second to look back over her shoulder.
"Thank you Jerry, let's go kick some Olympic ass." They laughed and walked as a pair down the long hallway to the arena.
"Troy was sitting in the stands with Chad and Sharpay, nervously tapping his knee up and down. Gabriella's parents had seats down near the ice. If she was to win, they wanted to be able to join her in celebration. Troy would give anything to be with her at that time, but he figured it was a moment that they should share as a family. The two beside him were chatting away like nothing was on the line, didn't they understand that this was a close competition?
"Troy," Chad called out to pull him out of his trance. "I think you need to go get a beer." He laughed, "You're way too stressed out man."
Sharpay knew what was at stake for him, and the pressure that he must be feeling knowing how nervous Gabriella must be. He may have to deal with an upset Gabriella if things didn't go her way. She smiled to herself knowing what she did, that the two of them were a couple. By the looks of him, he was definitely on the way to being in love with her if he wasn't already.
"I know, I'm just nervous for her." His phone buzzed, he pulled it out of his pocket and read the name. Unlocking the phone and opening the message from a certain brunette, he shook his head and smiled.
I need to calm down. Tell me it's going to be okay. 3
He quickly typed back, knowing she was going to do fine.
You're going to kill it Shortie! When you win gold, we're going to spend the evening doing whatever you want to do. Relax Brie baby, you're going to do amazing xoxo –Troy
He closed his phone, and minutes later the lights dimmed and the last group of skaters entered the ice for warm-ups. There were five skaters left to compete. At the moment she would need a score of 131.88 to pull ahead of the first place skater. That was subject to change with the new skaters in this group, but it wasn't impossible. He saw her taking laps around the rink, and finally felt as if he could breathe. Somehow he knew she had read his message and was ready to compete.
Her curves were evident in the dark outfit, and he wasn't the only one to notice. The guys sitting in front of the three friends were commenting about Gabriella. "Gabriella's outfit doesn't leave much to the imagination." One said and fist bumped his friend. The other responded, "I bet she's flexible as hell." The guys laughed and Troy clenched his fist until he knuckles were white.
Sharpay heard the comments as well, and glared at Troy not to make a scene. His jaw was clenched, restraining from saying something to them. Chad threw some popcorn into his mouth and leaned over, "Dude, you have nothing to worry about. Those guys don't stand a chance with her. She's only got eyes for you." Chad was right. Only Troy knew that they were together, the rest of the world would have to wait. Chad was going to kill him for keeping the secret from him, but for Gabriella it was worth it.
The first three skaters performed, and the needed score remained the same. The girl currently in first was a Canadian skater, a home town favorite. Gabriella would need to nail her routine with minimal mistakes in order to podium. He saw her reach down and remove the guards from he skates as Jerry gave her a hug and she stepped out onto the ice. She looked so small on the big rink.
Sharpay, sitting between the two boys, grabbed each of their hands as Gabriella took position on the center of the ice. The entire building was silent; a pin drop could be heard as the anticipation grew in the domed building. Suddenly, the music began to play and Troy didn't dare take his eyes away from her. The Jeff Buckley version of Hallelujah began filling the arena with soft melody. She skillfully navigated the ice, changing direction with ease and skill. As she lead up to her first jump, the audience seemed to all inhale, and it wasn't until she landed safely that they erupted in applause and cheers.
He could see a momentary smile of her face, and he knew that she had gotten over the first hurdle. She continued to move and inspire. Following the highs and lows of the music, she captivated the judges and the on-lookers. She leapt off the ice further than any other competitor that Troy had seen all afternoon. She navigated gracefully, she moved with passion, and spun with a desire for gold.
The song was building; Troy was on the edge of his seat as she led up to the final jumps of her performance. The song took off and so did the brunette, she raced down the ice before shifting and floating backwards towards the end of the rink. As the final chords were booming through the open area, Gabriella dug her skate into the ice and leapt into the air. She tucked and spun, Troy swore it happened in slow motion. She landed the first only moments before taking off into a second, what seemed like higher jump. Her blade landed on the ice as the music died down, she extended her other leg backwards and glided towards the center of the ice.
The building was silent as she elegantly moved through the final chord progressions. She went into one last spin, squatting down and working her way back up as the music slowed. She was turning so fast her face couldn't be seen. She stood up, still spinning with her arms above her head and came to a stop with perfect timing as the last chord died off.
Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling quickly. Troy let out a breath he didn't know that he was holding, before standing up as the arena broke out in cheers and applause. The room boomed with excitement. She broke her pose and let out a smile that illuminated the whole arena. Turning each way and bowing, she waved to the fans as she headed toward the kiss and cry area. Jerry was waiting for her, a dozen red roses in his hands. Troy couldn't stop smiling, that was his girl.
"You did it Gabriella, you skated your heart out!" Jerry swept her up in a huge hug and set her back down. Gabriella didn't know how to react, she couldn't think because the audience was so loud, the whole performance seemed like a haze. She knew she did the best that she could. Her parents came out from behind the backdrop, and her mother let out a sob.
"Gabriella, Mija!" she exclaimed and kissed her daughter on the forehead. Her father wrapped his arms around both of them and the family held the embrace for a minute. Gabriella eventually backed up and sat next to Jerry awaiting her scores. She knew she needed above 130 points. It seemed like hours before the results finally appeared on the score board. The audience broke out in cheers louder than before, the numbers read 150.72 total for the free skate, which gave her a total of 224.54 points.
She jumped up and wrapped her arms around her coach's neck; he spun her around before placing her back on the ground. She was guaranteed a medal. With one more performer to go, she had to wait to see if it was the silver or the gold.
The next skater was on the ice, Gabriella couldn't watch. She hated that she wished the other skater would make a mistake. This was her chance and it was now out of her hands. The music started as the girl began her routine.
Gabriella couldn't take it, it was halfway through the final routine of the competition and the Korean skater had yet to miss a beat. She was just going to hope that the scores she posted were enough to keep her on top. Then it happened, the routine was supposed to have two jumps in a row, and the skater only performed one. The deduction for a missed jump may give her enough edge to stay on top. The audience didn't know, but Gabriella had seen her in warm-ups. She looked at the judges table and they all were writing something on their notebooks.
Gabriella closed her eyes and prayed; she couldn't watch the end of the routine. The audience once again broke out in applause as the skater exited the ice. Gabriella could see tears welling in the other skater's eyes, she knew that she had made a major mistake. Gabriella looked at Jerry; he knew the same thing that she had figured out.
They waited, the entire room was in silence. It seemed like hours had passed, she was pacing the small area. The Korean skater needed 147.05 points to win. He routine in its entirety has to potential to surpass that number. Gabriella turned to look at her mother, reached out to hold her hands, and closed her brown eyes. Her small body couldn't take the anxiety.
It happened in a blur, the audience burst out in cheers. Gabriella didn't want to open her eyes; she didn't want to know what the result was. Who were the fans cheering for, her or the other skater? She tensed as she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist as she was lifted off the ground and spun in circles. It wasn't until she stopped spinning, looked up at the scoreboard and heard the fans chanting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A!…" that she realized what had happened. The glowing numbers read 146.49, total of 223.99 for the Korean skater. She had won, she had done it; the gold medal was hers!
Her mother enveloped her is a hug, and she let out a few sobs of happiness and relief. Tears of joy escaped her dark eyes. All her years of hard work and dedication, early morning and weekend trips had finally come to mean something. She had done it; she was a gold medal winning Olympian.
Troy had promised her that they could do whatever she wanted if she had won the gold medal, and they did just that. Security has helped her and her parents fight through paparazzi and reporters to get to the familiar black pick-up truck. After the medal ceremony, the playing of the national anthem, and what seemed to be millions of photos; she had spent over an hour answering questions, signing documents and filling out paperwork. All she could think of now was a big hamburger and French fries. They all piled into the black vehicle; Sharpay and Gabriella shared the front seat, while the Montez parents and Chad sat in the back. Troy looked over at Gabriella with a sense of pride in his eyes, she blushed and looked away. All he wanted to do was kiss her, but no one in the car knew that the action was even a consideration between the two.
They stopped at a diner the group had come to love, ate and drank milkshakes until her heart was content, and then all got back into the car to head to the hotel. The lobby erupted in applause as the group walked in, the fellow team USA members present came over to congratulate her. Young girls stopped her and pleaded for pictures. She smiled, hugged, and thanked. Finally making it to the elevator, they rode up as a group. Her parents got off on floor 2, Sharpay and Chad exited on floor 3, which left Troy and Gabriella alone on the elevator.
The door shut and the lift began moving up to the next floor. Troy reached over and pushed the emergency stop button. "Troy!" she giggled as he stepped towards her and pushed her against the wall. "There are cameras in here." His forehead rested against hers.
"I just want a kiss. I spent all day watching you from the stands not being able to touch you. And when we were finally within a few feet of one another, I couldn't because no one knows about us." His eyes were a shade darker as he glanced down at her lips.
"I guess you can have one," she smiled and bit her lip.
He growled a little and slid his hand into her hair at the base of her neck, "Only one."
"Yeah," her hands rested on his hips, "Then I can go drop off my stuff and change before I come down to your room." She pushed her hands up his chest and ran a thumb over his lower lip. "That is if you want me to, I know your competition starts tomorrow and I don't want to mess up your focus."
"You're my only focus right now Gabriella, fuck snowboarding." He leaned down and captured her warm mouth with his. She tasted of vanilla milkshake, sweet and rich. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. She arched into him, and begged for more. Her slim and warm fingers ran into his hair and around the back of his neck. He pulled back, leaving her wanting more. He smiled a little before releasing the emergency brake and the lift began moving up again, her chest was rising and falling like it did at the end of her routine. The elevator stopped on floor number 4 and Troy pecked her lips one last time before backing out into the hallway. The doors closed behind him and the elevator continued up to floor number 7.
"What have I gotten myself into?" she whispered to herself as she lightly ran her fingers over her swollen lips.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed. I know it has been years since I updated. I don't know what it was but I got an urge to write, and here I am. I hope you all take the time to re-read and rebuild the relationship with the characters. I took some time to try and plan out the remaining chapters in this story, and am hoping for about 15 total.