A/N: I've had a few comments about making the chapters longer. I really just cut them off where I think is the most natural. I hope my frequent updates can make up for the lengths though. :-/ This is the longest chapter so far and I'm very pleased with it. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10

To say that the ride in the limo was awkward would be a drastic understatement. Five minutes had passed in silence, neither quite sure how to bring up the shift in their relationship.

Troy turned to the gorgeous woman beside him. She was staring out the window and he took the moment to admire her again. Her silky hair was shining in the soft light from the street and her dress had slid up to reveal more of the sexiest legs he had ever seen. He had always known that Gabriella was beautiful, but he had never truly appreciated how utterly desirable she was. 'That's it! I can't take this anymore,' he thought to himself, ready to do anything to break the silence.

"Gabriella…" he said softly.

At the sounds of his voice, Gabriella turned and was immediately drawn into the depths of her best friend's gorgeous blue eyes. She had known him for 12 years, yet she had never seen this look directed at her at that moment. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what his eyes were saying to her… I need you. The tension in the air became so thick that neither could breathe.

And this time, it was Gabriella who made the first move.

In the blink of an eye, Gabriella's hands were tangled in Troy's hair, pulling him towards her, needing to feel his lips again. Their lips met furiously and Troy licked her bottom lip that was desperate to tangle with hers. Gabriella immediately responded by pulling his tongue in deeper, needing so much more than they had time for. One of Troy's hands moved up to cup her breast while the other moved to her thigh, rubbing circles, inching closer to the spot Gabriella needed to feel him. Finally, Troy's hand reached the apex of her thighs, only to discover that there was nothing there.

"Fuck, Brie. Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?" Troy gasped. Gabriella responded by pulling his lips back to hers, kissing him with everything she had in her. Her hand slipped down to his crotch, tracing the impressive bulge that showed Gabriella exactly what she was doing to him. Troy groaned and suddenly slipped his fingers into Gabriella, shocked at how wet he had made her.

"God, Troy," Gabriella groaned, moving against his fingers. Troy immediately started pumping harder, needing to feel her release around his fingers. Neither noticed that the car was coming to a stop until they heard the driver's car slam closed. They sprang apart, incredibly frustrated with the bad timing. The driver knocked on the window, indicating that he was ready to open the door. "One second," she yelled while digging through her purse for some tissues. She quickly cleaned herself up, while Troy thought about every disgusting thing he could imagine to calm himself down. When everything was taken care of, the two turned to each other unsure of what to say next.

Troy broke the silence, "Are you sure we can't skip this thing?"

Gabriella was speechless for a second and then she laughed out loud. Troy immediately realized how much he had missed the sound. He hadn't heard that laugh since before they filmed The Scene and he thought it was the sweetest sound he would ever hear. He joined her, chuckling softly. Both were grinning stupidly at each other, so Troy took the moment to lean in and place a soft kiss on her lips. "We're definitely continuing this later, I hope you know," Troy said, smirking at the brunette.

"Promises, promises, Bolton," Gabriella replied huskily and Troy immediately began to harden at the sound. She gave him one last wink and opened the door, sliding out of the car carefully not wanting to have a Paris Hilton moment.

Troy sat for a moment, completely dazed at what had just happened and let himself soften before stepping out of the car. Immediately after exiting, flashes blinded him and he looked to his right to see his best friend of 12 years smiling at the dozens of cameras in front of them. Troy took a deep breath and prepared himself for the onslaught. 'Here we go.'

After making their way down the red carpet, Troy and Gabriella walked around the large auditorium where the show would be taking place. They greeted friends and talked to those whose worked they admired. Troy couldn't help but notice the many stares Gabriella was getting from the men in the room. A sudden surge of jealousy ran through him and he instinctively stepped closer to Gabriella, subconsciously indicating to the other men that she was his. Gabriella looked up at him as a smile lit up her face. Troy grinned back and winked, just as she had done while exiting the limo. Gabriella blushed and looked away just as the lights flashed, signaling that the ceremony would be starting.

Troy and Gabriella found their seats among Gabriella's co-stars from the film she had starred in and for which she had received this nomination. They sat down and Troy boldly shifted his chair closer, needing to be as close to her as possible. Gabriella smiled up at him, loving this new side of Troy. 'He's almost acting like a boyfriend,' Gabriella thought and she blushed at the thought. 'Is that what I want?'

As the show started and a comedian delivered his opening monologue, Troy completely blocked out everything but the woman sitting next to him. He smirked slightly and slipped his hand under the table, only to rest it on her thigh. Gabriella jumped and her knee hit the table, causing the others at the table to look at her strangely. She shot Troy a look that clearly said, 'You're so going to get it later."

Troy's smirk only grew as he wiggled his eyebrows at her and slipped his hand higher. Gabriella's eyes closed briefly at the sensations his simple touch was causing. Gabriella reached down and slipped her fingers through his, giving his hand a squeeze. Their eyes met and Troy tried to convey just how touched he was at the small gesture. Gabriella nodded slightly and turned back to the ceremony.

An hour and a half later, the show was almost over and Gabriella and Troy still hadn't untangled their hands. The next award would be Best Actress, but Gabriella didn't care. Troy Bolton was holding her hand and it felt amazing. It was so simple and such a couple-like thing to do. And Gabriella would be lying if she said that didn't appeal to her. She felt Troy's fingers squeeze hers before letting go and Gabriella's face dropped as she looked up at him. He nodded his head towards the stage, and she turned to see one of her more dramatic scenes from the film playing on the large screen. The screen turned black and retracted into the ceiling, the lights turning back on.

"And the winner is… Gabriella Montez!"

Gabriella stood up, genuinely shocked, and turned to face Troy. A huge smile was on his face and he reached out to pull her in his arms. "Congratulations, Brie," he whispered in her ear. Gabriella smiled up at him and walked around the table, hugging her co-stars along the way. Gabriella made her way up to the stage and accepted the award. She approached the microphone and looked out into the audience to meet Troy's eyes. He was standing up, applauding her and she giggled under her breath at how enthusiastic he was.

She lowered the microphone, beginning an improvised acceptance speech. "Wow, I'm just so… shocked. This award means so much to me, because it was voted by the fans. And honestly, I would be nowhere without you guys. I have so many people to thank," Gabriella said, listing as many of the people involved in the film as she could remember. She met Troy's eyes and continued, "And of course, I have to thank my best friend. You've been by my side through all of this and you've always supported me completely. So for that, I am eternally grateful," Gabriella stopped and held up the award, "This is dedicated to my Aunt Isabelle. She taught me that every single thing I do in life should come from the heart. And I will always be thankful for everything she inspired in me," Gabriella stopped to wipe a tear from her eye and finished, "Again, to my fans, thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Gabriella left the auditorium, vaguely hearing the rush of applause in the background. She walked into the pressroom and did her best to answer the questions, trying to stay composed when the inevitable questions of her relationship with Troy came up. It was nothing new, but now everything was different. She just hoped she was convincing with her answers. After countless more pictures, Gabriella returned to the auditorium accepting the congratulations from her co-stars and those from the neighboring tables.

Troy stood up and held out her chair so Gabriella could slip in. She smiled at the gesture and whispered a quick thank you.

After the show finally ended, Troy leaned close to Gabriella putting his lips to her ear and whispered with a smirk, "So I guess it's time for me to live up to my promise, huh?"

Gabriella returned his smirk and slipped her hand back underneath the table to rest on his crotch. Troy's eyes closed and he took a deep breath as she slowly rubbed her hand up and down. When he opened his eyes, Gabriella was leaning so close to him he thought she was going to place her lips on his. Her smirk widened as she said, "Sorry, there's still the after-party." And with those words Gabriella removed her hand from his hard member and stood up. She began to walk away and Troy watched the sway of her hips, wanting so badly to throw her on the nearest table to do everything in his power to make her scream.

"Coming, Bolton?" Gabriella called back.

Troy dutifully stood up to follow. 'God, I wish I was,' he thought, 'That woman is definitely going to be the death of me.'