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here is the next chapter for you all... hope that you enjoy!

Chapter 10

Gabriella couldn't help but smile as they had been having the most incredible date that evening. Sure, things seemed different, and Troy still couldn't remember anything about his life before he hit his head, but she still loved being around him, and she really enjoyed spending all this time with him tonight. Instead of going to a restaurant, she took him to the place that they had their first date at. On their first date they had shared a picnic by the lake. She took him to the same lake and they had another picnic by it. He didn't realize it like she hoped, but she had packed the exact same meal they had had on their first date. She told them they had their first date there, but didn't tell him they were eating the exact same meal they ate that night. She was a little disappointed he didn't remember, but she understood. It was still all so incredibly wonderful. After that she then started showing him around town, and she started taking him to all of their favorite spots that they shared in Albuquerque. He still couldn't remember any of their favorite spots, and while it did break her heart some that he couldn't, she was just so happy and thankful he was there, that she didn't care he still wasn't remembering.

They had now arrived at her house, and they were standing inside her bedroom.

Troy gazed around her room somewhat. He had been in there earlier but he still liked to study Gabriella's room to see if anything triggered his memory. Nothing was working, as usual. Nothing worked in Gabriella's room, and nothing seemed to work in his room either. He had gone through absolutely everything in his room several times, and nothing helped him. He let out a long sigh in frustration.

"What is it?" she asked him, in concern.

He sighed, "It's the usual. I'm just frustrated that absolutely nothing is helping me remember. I really don't get it. I'm back in Albuquerque and yet I still can't remember. I've met everyone and been everywhere that I used to go to before I hit my head and lost my memories. Nothing works. What is it going to take for me to remember?" He was trying really hard not to cry, for it was making him so mad and upset.

She walked over to him, and slowly put her arms around him, "It's okay. It just takes time. You've only been home a few days, Troy. I understand that these things take time. It will come back to you someday, I know it. I guess we've just got to be patient and wait for it to return. Just know that I will love you through it all." she told him, as she comforted him, somewhat.

He nodded. She held onto him for a while. He slowly pulled away after a while, and just looked at her.

"Oh!" she went suddenly, "Hang on! I just remembered that I had dessert downstairs! Chocolate covered strawberries. Let me go get them. You are going to love them to death!" She told him rather excitedly.

"Are those a favorite dessert of ours?" he couldn't help but guess. He couldn't help but smile.

She smiled, "You guessed it! I'm going to go get them. Oh you are going to love them!" she kissed him lightly on the cheek, and then went downstairs to get the strawberry's. A few moments later, she came back up, and she noticed he was standing in the same exact spot she left him.

"Here," she went excitedly, as she dipped the strawberry into the chocolate, "Try it. You're going to love it." she held up the strawberry, and he bit into it. He tasted it, then smiled after a moment.

"Wow," he smiled after he tasted them, "Those do taste really good."

He suddenly smiled, "You know what else I want to taste." he went slowly.

"What's that?" she asked, curiously.

"I want to taste the sweetness of your lips," he told her, before his lips found hers, and the two shared a sweet, loving kiss. She broke away from him, and smiled.

"Now that did taste better than the strawberry," she told him.

Troy couldn't help but grin at her as she said that, "I'll say that did," he told her.

Gabriella smiled. She gazed around her room, and her eyes suddenly fell on something. Her eyes fell on the purple box that she had looked at before she found out she was going to California. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Troy," she suddenly reached for the box, and held it up, "I'd really like to show you what's inside this box," She took a deep breath, he eyed her with interest, "After you went missing, I put a lot of things that reminded me of you in it- special photos, and old keepsakes that reminded me of you. I was just thinking, maybe if you looked at everything inside of this box, it might help you remember. Would you like to go through it?"

Troy gazed at the box for a moment, but then nodded. He had looked at hundreds of photos since he had arrived in Albuquerque, and none of them worked, but he thought maybe since these were special photos of the two of them, that they might help.

He sat on her bed, and she placed the box down next to him. Very slowly, he opened it, took a deep breath, and started to look through it. He slowly pulled out all the keepsakes one at a time. He felt disappointed as he realized none of them seemed to be working. After he pulled out a few keepsakes, he had found the stack of photos that Gabriella had said were in the box. He slowly started to go through them.

She watched as he did. So far, she could sense that nothing had been helping trigger his memories at all, and she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"Nothing in there is helping you remember?" She asked, she tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She wouldn't deny she was a little disappointed, but she didn't want him to know.

He gazed up at her and stared at her for a long time. Suddenly however, he stopped going through the photos, and placed them back in the box. He shut the box, clearly frustrated.

He looked at her for a long time, before he took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do all of a sudden, and he hated that he had to, but he knew he had to do it, "Gabriella," he whispered, as he gazed at her, "I think I have to leave."

"You have to leave?" she blankly stared at him, "You mean, you have to leave and go back to your house? I guess that's okay if you have to head back to your place," she glanced at her watch, "It is kind of late, I realize. I could walk you home if you want."

He shook his head, "No. I don't mean I have to leave to go back home. I have to leave," he took a deep breath, "I think I have to leave Albuquerque. I think it's time for me to go back to California," he took a breath, "Alone."

She stared at him in shock, "But why? Troy- you just got back here. Things are fine with us, aren't they? I know that you are not remembering right away, but that's okay. You don't have to remember right away- it'll come back someday..." her voice was shaking as she fought to keep the tears from falling down. It wasn't easy.

"But what if they don't come back someday, Gabriella?" he went quietly, "What if my memories never return and I'm stuck like this forever? That is a possibility here, Gabriella. I admit its one I've been very concerned of. Gabriella I've been in Albuquerque a few days and I've met everyone and seen everything. Nothing is helping me remember my life before I hit my head. Nothing! I was really hoping that once I would come here to Albuquerque, that my memories would start flooding back, and so far, not one memory has. You have no idea how frustrating that is for me. It's maddening, really! It's driving me beyond crazy as I want to remember so freaking much!" he took a breath, "And everyone keeps looking at me like they want me to remember right now. They all say Oh it's okay- you are going to remember someday. Everyone wants me to remember so bad. I do to. But I just... the pressure. It's hard for me to deal with everyone wanting me to remember. Back in California, no one cared if I didn't remember soon. If I didn't remember, that was okay back there. I miss that. I miss not feeling so pressured to remember. And in Albuquerque, everyone here wants me to remember so damn bad. What if I don't? I feel like I can't stay here if I don't, Gabriella. It's like I'm letting everyone all down if I don't ever remember, and I hate to do that to them. I hate to do that to you, to us."

"It's okay if you never remember, I'll still love you Troy," she tried to calmly tell him, though it was still hard to stay calm. "I'll love you no matter what. It'll still be the same."

"No it won't." Troy gazed at her, "It'll never be the same if I don't remember. It'll never be the way it was, and I hate to do that to you. I need to let you go. I need to go back to California. I need you to be free from me. I may never go back to being the Troy that you loved back then, and I hate having to put you through that. Gabriella, I think I need to let you go. I need to go back to California. Tonight."

She stared at him, for she just felt completely shocked. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe he was saying this to her. She couldn't believe it at all, "Troy. We can make it work. We already said things... they'll be different. That we'd have to get to know each other all over again. We've been doing that, and that's been fine. We can make it work. Please stay Troy and let's just try a little longer. Please."

He stared at her, "Gabriella, I can't stay anymore. I'm sorry. I tried. We tried. But I think I just really have to go back to California," he took a breath, as he hated seeing her crying as he looked at her, he especially hated that it was him making her cry, "Gabriella," He went softly, "You need to be free from me. If I ever remember, I promise you that I'll return, and we'll figure it out from there. But till then, I just... I can't do this Gabriella, I can't do this to you anymore, to us." he took a breath before he started towards the door, "Gabriella, I'm sorry, but I have to leave and I have to do it tonight," he took a breath, "I'm so sorry that I have to do this." he gazed at her one last time, before he started to turn around, and he started to walk towards the door. She gazed at him in shock as he opened the door, and before she knew it he had walked out, slamming the door behind him.

She stared at the shut door in shock. Troy was gone. He was leaving her. He was going back to California. He was leaving Albuquerque. Her head was spinning and tears were streaming down her face. She felt completely numb as she stood there in disbelief.

However she couldn't take it. She had to try to stop him from leaving, even if he had broken her heart somewhat. She started to race out into her hallway, however, as she did she heard a frantic cry coming from Troy, and she had gotten there just in time to see him flying through the air, and she cried out as she watched his head hit the railing, rather hard. She watched in horror as he fell to the floor and then he fell into unconsciousness.

"TROY!" She screamed as he went into unconsciousness. She raced frantically to his side, her heart was pounding wildly, "TROY!" She screamed. She was rather relieved to see he was still breathing, but she was so extremely worried. She tried to shake him a little, "TROY! Wake up! please wake up!" She gazed at him, she was desperately wishing he would wake up, she had tears now wildly streaming down her face. She felt herself panic, as she didn't know what to do. Her heart pounded as she started to grab her cell phone so she could call for help.

She looked up at him however one more time before she did start to call for help, and felt huge relief waves rush through her as she noticed he was starting to wake up. She was suddenly looking into his beautiful blue eyes, "Troy!" She cried. She was so incredibly thankful to see he had woken up. She gazed at him, for she desperately had to know if he was okay. He was looking up at her.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" she gasped, as she looked at him with so much worry in her eyes, "Please tell me you are!"

He stared at her for a long time. For some reason, she couldn't help but notice his expression change. There was something different in his expression as he looked at her. She watched nervously as he suddenly had the widest smile that she had ever seen appear on his face, and his eyes were suddenly shining with so much happiness. His eyes were shining brighter than ever before. His whole face just lit up like crazy at that moment as he looked at her.

He looked directly into her eyes, before he told her the words she had been dying to hear him say, "I remember you Brie."

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