I'm getting rather good at this updating business aren't I? So here is what I take from the reviews as a rather anticipated chapter and I hope it lives up to your expectations! Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review!
"Shit, are you okay?" Troy stammered as he felt someone collide with his chest.
But the person didn't answer, instead she looked up at him, their eyes locking immediately, as they had done each other time they'd seen each other, and both instantly knew who the other was.
"Ella!" Troy cried out, sweeping her into his arms and spinning her around. "I can't believe it!"
Gabriella was still in shock as her body molded against Troy's, her body fitting perfectly against his.
Troy finally settled her back on the ground, his hands still firmly on her hips as if he never wanted to let go again.
Gabriella finally found her voice as the bright blue eyes pierced into her own.
"Troy?" She whispered, reaching one hand up to caress his cheek.
Troy leaned into her touch, closing his eyes in contentment as he relished in her touch.
"God, Ella," Troy said softly as he rested her hand on his cheek and he opened his eyes. "Have you been crying?" He asked worriedly, his own hands flying to cup her face, his eyes filling with worry.
"I got upset when I realised where Shar and Tay had brought me," Gabriella confessed. "It's nothing."
"Are you sure?" Troy asked, his voice laced with sincerity as he tried to read her eyes, wanting to make sure that she really was okay.
Gabriella merely nodded in reply, once again losing her voice as her emotions overcame her and made the tears well up in her eyes.
"Hey, hey, don't cry," Troy coaxed, dipping his head to kiss away the tears that fell down her cheeks, staining her skin. "Come on, baby, don't cry."
"GABRIELLA?" Came the worried cry from Sharpay exiting the restaurant, her brown eyes darting around until they came to rest on Troy and Gabriella. "Lover boy? No fucking way!"
"Shar…" Gabriella said in a warning tone, dropping her hand from Troy's cheek as his own dropped from her face, their hands meeting and lacing together instinctively as Sharpay kept her gaze on the pair, a huge smile spreading across her face.
"Oh I was right, Gabs, he's definitely sexy," Sharpay approved as she approached the pair.
"Sharpay Evans. I'm warning you," Gabriella said, stepping towards her friend, a frown on her face.
"I'm kidding, Gabs," Sharpay said, flashing Troy a smile. "Plus, he fingered you, not me, that makes him automatically yours."
Gabriella flashed a deep red colour and she avoided Troy's gaze as he shuffled consciously on the spot.
"Shar, Gabs?" Taylor called out as she exited the restaurant that Sharpay had come out of a few minutes earlier. "Lover boy. Oh my god!"
"Lover boy?" Troy whispered to Gabriella and she flashed him an apologetic smile.
"What brings you here, Troy boy?" Sharpay asked, breaking the silence that had settled over the group since Taylor emerged.
"Uh, my friend, Zeke. He um, called me and said that Ella was here," Troy confessed, turning to look at Gabriella once more. "I've been looking for you everywhere."
"So have we!" Sharpay interrupted and both Taylor and Gabriella rolled their eyes at their friend's bluntness.
"Uh, Ella? Can we go for a walk?" Troy asked nervously, glancing at Sharpay out the corner of his eye, and Gabriella could sense than her friend's boldness was scaring the boy.
"Sure, Troy," Gabriella answered, tearing her gaze away from Troy to look at Taylor, silently pleading with her to keep Sharpay from ruining her walk with Troy.
"Come on, Shar, let's go back inside and get lunch," Taylor said, linking her arm through Sharpay's and gently tugging the blonde in the direction of the restaurant.
"But Taylor!" Sharpay whined, looking between Troy and Gabriella who were standing awkwardly next to one another.
"Sharpay!" Taylor scolds, managing to pull the blonde back into the restaurant, leaving Troy and Gabriella standing, alone, watching one another with soft smiles covering their faces.
"Uh, shall we?" Troy asked nervously, his left hand rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced down the street.
"Yeah, okay," Gabriella answered softly, feeling the tension that hung in the air as the pair turned and started walking down the street, neither wanting to make a decision as to where they were going, both just letting their feet do the walking.
--
"Are you ladies ready to order?" The waiter asked and Taylor looked over at Sharpay who was still looking at her menu, her brow wrinkled as she sat deep in thought.
Taylor knew her friend wasn't thinking about what to eat for lunch, but more how she could get herself closer to Gabriella and Troy and to witness their reunion, but Taylor was adamant that the blonde would be leaving the two alone to talk, or whatever it was they wanted to do.
"I'll have the soup of the day, please," Taylor said to the waiter, watching as he scribbled it down on his notepad. "Shar?"
Sharpay startled at the sound of her friend's louder than normal voice.
"Sorry, what?" Sharpay asked, looking between Taylor and the waiter.
"What would you like to order, Miss?" The waiter replied politely and Sharpay flushed, her eyes quickly skimming over the menu.
"Maybe we should skip lunch, Tay?" Sharpay said carefully, avoiding her friend's gaze.
"Sharpay. No. Don't you even think that we're going to go after Gabriella. Not on my watch," Taylor scolded, glaring at the girl across from her.
Sharpay rolled her eyes and then looked up at the waiter, clearing her throat before placing her order.
"Uh, the chicken and the salad, thanks. Hold the dressing," Sharpay said quickly, folding her menu and handing it to the waiter as he finished jotting down her order.
"Thanks," He said with a smile that neither girl noticed.
"Sharpay, how can you even think of going after Gabriella, do you really not understand privacy?" Taylor practically yelled once the waiter left.
"What if… but… we can…. Sorry," Sharpay rambled, casting her eyes downward as she saw the anger in the dark eyes of her friend.
"Now we're going to have lunch, then we'll go home, and when Gabriella comes home I will kill you if you start to grill her, comprehend?" Taylor asked, her tone dripping with seriousness.
"Okay Tay, I'm sorry," Sharpay said sincerely.
"It's okay, and I'm sure Troy and Gabriella have their tongues down each others throats as we speak," Taylor giggled, relieved when a smile spread across Sharpay's face, and she too laughed.
--
Unlike her friend's predictions, Gabriella's tongue was still in her own mouth, her mouth that had been closed since her and Troy had started their walk, both too nervous to speak.
They had walked been walking down the street for a short while before Gabriella had finally got the courage to look over at Troy, a blush casting over both their cheeks as they noticed the other's gaze on them.
"I didn't think I was going to find you again, Ella," Troy said softly, the smile that had been on his face faltering slightly as he thought of how he'd felt since leaving the club a week ago.
"I'd given up hope," Gabriella confessed sadly, lacing her fingers together in nervousness as she averted her eyes from Troy's piercing blue ones.
Troy suddenly stopped walking at the confession, his hands reaching out to find Gabriella's hips, pulling her body to his, her soft curves molding against his hard sculpted form.
Both were unaware that they were in the middle of the sidewalk in a busy street with people pushing past them, the only thing that existed in that moment were the two of them and the feel of being close to one another again.
"I was never going to give up," Troy whispered into Gabriella's ear, sending shivers down her spine.
"Why not?" Gabriella asked, her voice muffled slightly by Troy's chest.
"That night in the club with you, I felt something I'd never felt before, I needed to feel it again," Troy pulled away slightly from Gabriella so he could connect their eyes.
"I felt it too," Gabriella smiled, her brown eyes sparkling as she looked into Troy's bright blues.
"Ella, will you go out with me?" Troy asked suddenly, surprising both himself and Gabriella with his question.
Gabriella took a few seconds to realise what he'd asked, but when she finally did her smile grew and she reached up slightly to kiss Troy on the cheek.
"Of course I will. Name the time and the place and I promise I'll be there," She replied as she settled back down on her feet, giggling softly as Troy's cheeks turned a shade of pink.
"Tonight, 5 o'clock, I'll pick you up from your apartment, we'll go to dinner and a movie?" Troy asked, not knowing where he got this burst of confidence from.
"And ice cream afterwards?" Gabriella's eyes lit up at the plan for the night.
"If you want ice cream, my Ella, you can have ice cream," Troy laughed. "But we should stop standing in the middle of the sidewalk before we get mauled by a businessman on his way to get coffee."
Gabriella giggled again, feeling at ease with Troy, more than she had done with any other man before, an ease she only felt with Taylor and Sharpay, her two friends from her childhood.
Troy dropped his hands from Gabriella's waist as she unwrapped her own from around his middle. Their hands automatically joined again, their fingers lacing together, sending sparks through their bodies as they started the walk back the way they had come.
Somehow, without either speaking they each knew they were heading to Gabriella's apartment so she could prepare for their date.
When they arrived outside Gabriella's apartment they both stopped, nervousness filling the air once more as they stood, silently smiling at the other, neither wanting to be the first to leave, even though they'd be seeing each other in a few short hours.
"So, 5 o'clock?" Troy finally asked, taking a step closer to Gabriella.
"5 o'clock," Gabriella confirmed with a smile, looking up at Troy.
"What apartment number?" Troy asked breathlessly, his mouth inching towards Gabriella's, their eyes fluttering closed.
"5th floor,' Gabriella whispered, her breathing tickling Troy's lips.
Gabriella felt her breath hitch as Troy's lips finally pressed softly against her own, slowly moving against hers, the kiss slow but filled of passion none the less.
After what seemed like a few seconds, but was in reality a few minutes the pair broke apart, breathless and flushed.
Gabriella's hand came up to touch her lips that Troy's had covered a mere few seconds ago and Troy watched her amazement, a goofy smile playing on his lips as he realised he'd just kissed Ella, the girl he'd been searching for, needing, for the past eight days.
"So, I'll see you at 5?" Troy asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he realised their conversation was going in circles in a bid to not end.
"I'll be waiting," Gabriella said softly, stepping away from him and closer to her apartment.
"See you then, Ella," Troy said, taking a few steps away from her, increasing their distance.
Gabriella smiled and turned away from the blue eyed boy, knowing that she would see him again soon making it easier for her to tear herself away from his presence.
"Ella, wait!" Troy called out just as Gabriella was to step through the front doors of the building.
Gabriella stopped and turned around, a huge smile playing on her lips at the sound of his voice calling her name.
"Can I have your phone number? Just in case," He stammered, wondering when a girl had last turned him into a gibbering mess, just because of her smile.
"Of course," Ella said with a soft giggle, handing him her phone and he too handed her his, each punching in their name and number for the other.
"There you go," Troy said, handing the small gadget back to Gabriella, shuddering inwardly as a shiver went up his spine as their hands connected.
"Thanks, Troy," Gabriella said, turning away from him once more.
"You're welcome, Ella," Troy replied, heading away from her apartment building once she'd entered. A few more steps down the street and Troy jumped up and down a few times, pumping him fists as he cheered inwardly, not caring that he looked like an idiot to all the other people around him.
Gabriella lent against her apartment door, her mind racing as well as her heart as she thought to the fact that she had a date with the blue eyed Troy.
Now she just had to face Sharpay and her numerous questions.
Okay! So they've met, they've kissed, they're going on a date! I was planning on putting the date in, but that can have it's very own chapter because it's rather special! So don't forget to review, cause you guys have been AMAZING with reviews, and it helps me to write faster! Let me know what you think!