Escape to Love Chapter 10

SUMMARY: Gabriella Montez finds her unexpectedly single self traveling alone to Italy, a country known for its love and romance possibilities. Troy Bolton finds himself bamboozled by his mother and reluctantly leading one of her lengthy vacation tours. Neither is expecting to encounter any attractions not listed on the tour itinerary. M for adult situations/subject matter and sexual references/depictions.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these wonderful characters...I just love them like the rest of you.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So...Gabriella's starting to see Troy in a different light...and Troy's starting to notice. Hmm... (more comments at the end of the chapter)

Troy emerged from the bathroom wearing only a towel, his hair damp and several drops of water still glistening on his tanned torso.

Gabriella looked up instinctively, half wishing she hadn't. 'Look, don't touch, Gabriella,' she reminded herself. 'Actually, stop looking.'

Troy sent a smile her way and then paused, considering her expression, trying to figure out what was going on in her mind as she returned her attention to the magazine in front of her...at least partially anyway. As he moved toward his dresser, he was aware of her surreptitious glances.

'Okay, it's obviously been too long,' Gabriella thought, not being able to resist her curiosity in watching him move around in that towel.

"Interesting reading?" he asked, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.

Gabriella's eyes scanned the title of the article quickly so she at least remembered what it was about. "Yeah. I didn't know the saffron here was so pure," she answered, looking up and meeting his eyes.

Troy looked at her curiously. "Um...yeah?"

Gabriella scrambled, glancing down at the article again and picking up on a key sentence. "Yes...it's...produced naturally...without any chemicals."

Troy gave her a small, polite nod. "Oh."

'Ugh...could I have had it open to a more boring article?' Gabriella thought. "Well, it tasted really good at dinner, anyway," she finished, lamely in her estimation.

"They definitely serve some delicious food here. You still haven't learned though."

It was Gabriella's turn to look at Troy curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't stick around to have dessert."

"What is your obsession with dessert?"

"If you don't know, you haven't had the right kinds of desserts." Gabriella sensed the double entendre in the statement. "We should order some," Troy suggested.

"Fine," Gabriella agreed after a moment, surprising him.

"Fine," Troy responded, his lips curving slightly upward. He set the clothing down on the end of the bed and retrieved the binder with the room service menu from the dresser top. Opening it, he scanned it briefly and then walked over to Gabriella, placing it down on the desk in front of her. "What do you want?"

Gabriella forced her eyes downward from the abs and chest that were now next to her head to the menu in front of her. Why was he still just wearing the towel?

"Torta di mele sounds like it might be something good..."

"Good choice. It's like an apple flan," Troy explained. "Portions here are generous. We'll split one," he said, picking up the phone and dialing in the order, asking for some Caffe Hag as well, decaffeinated espresso with cream.

"How long until it gets here?"

"Oh, now you're eager?" Troy teased.

"I was just thinking that you might want to be wearing more than a towel when the room service attendant arrives."

Troy stared back at her, studying her as she said it. He wondered...

"Eh, they'll be fine."

Her mouth dropped open the slightest bit before she recomposed. "But it'd be more considerate of you to be more dressed than that."

"But maybe I'm being considerate to you by staying less dressed...you know, so you don't feel alone," he said, watching her slyly.

Gabriella self-consciously pulled the robe a bit tighter around her. "That's quite...thoughtful of you," she said, her tone letting him know that she thought it was anything but. "I'm fine though. And you already got your clothes out anyway," she said, eyeing the shirt and pajama bottoms on the bed.

Troy gave her a cocky smirk and grabbed the clothing from the bed, turning to retrieve a pair of boxer briefs from a drawer too...in case he should wish to...better conceal and contain anything later. She did make that plain white robe look rather sexy. Once inside the bathroom again, he changed quickly, using the brief amount of time to consider what he'd just observed. She was nervous. She seemed to like what she saw and she was nervous. He had thought he'd noticed some glances of approval before, specifically yesterday at the pool and today on the boat. But she was being even more obvious tonight. He had felt the electricity in her room...electricity that had nothing to do with a fuse. He suspected she'd felt it too. And he'd noticed her glances his way when he'd emerged from his shower. She didn't want him to notice...that was clear. But Troy had become pretty attuned to when women were attracted to him...and the woman sitting in his hotel room was...whether she wanted to be or not.

Of course, that was the kicker. He knew she didn't want to be. She'd gone out of her way to make sure he knew that she wasn't and that she wasn't going to be. So, where did they go from here?

As Troy exited his bathroom for the second time that night, Gabriella looked up with an inner sigh of relief. She didn't know what had come over her but she'd just felt strongly that he really needed to be more dressed. She was enjoying her looking far more than she wanted to tonight. And even more so than that, her brain kept conjuring up an image of that towel dropping to the floor. Yep, it had been far too long...but it was going to have to be longer. That's what the rational part of her brain piped up to remind her, anyway.

Watching Troy as he walked over and plopped down on the bed, bringing his legs up onto it and pushing a pillow up behind his back as he sat using the headboard as his support, she studied him curiously. Something was nagging at her.

"How is it that we're here right now?" she asked.

"What do you mean? You don't have blown fuse-induced amnesia, do you?"

"No. I just mean it's only 11. I would have expected you to be, er, otherwise occupied."

Troy raised an eyebrow at her, amused, but he didn't say anything.

"I mean, are you...taking a night off or something?"

"'Twould seem so," he answered smoothly.

Gabriella looked back at him skeptically. "Is the human amusement park ride malfunctioning?"

"Depends. Are you offering to service it?" he shot back, even more amused by the analogy. It was rather funny as well considering the ride, as she put it, hadn't been active for days.

Gabriella stared back at him for a moment and then shook her head. "Down boy...I'm not a friend with benefits."

Troy grinned. She didn't say she wasn't a friend. "Oh, I don't know. I think there are benefits."

Gabriella, not certain what he meant by that, glanced down. Her legs did emerge from the bottom of the robe she was wearing, but she was still decently covered. Troy followed her eyes, smiling appreciatively.

"That's not what I meant, but I have no complaints either."

Gabriella's eyes shot back up and she was just about to glare at him when a knock on the door interrupted the moment.

Troy's smile widened. "That's what I meant." He got up from the bed and went to the door, allowing the room service attendant to come in and deliver the tray of dessert and espressos. Minutes later, when the attendant had gone, Troy retrieved one of the espressos and the dish of torta di mele and took up his position on the bed again.

Gabriella tilted her head at him. "You don't actually intend to share?"

Troy's lips curved. "Of course I do. But I don't intend to stand next to the desk the whole time. Come sit next to me. It's more comfortable anyway."

Gabriella considered, wondering if his intentions were innocent.

"I'm on top of the covers. You can climb in under them if you like. I have my dessert," Troy finished, taking a bite to punctuate the point.

That sounded logical. She was probably just being overcautious. She and Troy had spent time alone together the past couple days and he had respected her then. And the desk chair wasn't particularly comfortable. She stood slowly, retrieving her espresso and sitting it down on the nightstand on her side of the bed. She lifted the covers and sat down, sliding her legs underneath them and pulling the blankets back up to her waist. Hmm. She had to admit this was a lot more comfortable and she felt even more covered too. She moved the pillow up behind her back as well, which made it even better. When she looked over, Troy was grinning at her.

"See?" he said knowingly.

"Oh, shut up and give me the dessert."

Troy laughed. "Say please."

"Please," she said in a clipped tone.

"In Italian."

"Per favore."

"Molto buona," Troy responded, handing the plate over to her.

"What does that mean?"

"Very good."

"Ah. Glad you approve."

"Are you?"

"Eh," Gabriella replied flippantly.

"Nice."

Gabriella noted that there was only one fork and saw that the tray did not hold an extra one either. Troy didn't seem to mind, so she went ahead and lifted it and sectioned off a piece of the dessert, bringing it to her mouth a second later. The mix of sweet with a tinge of sour was a pleasant taste. The dessert was delicious.

"Not a bad way to cap off a Friday night, is it?" Troy asked, watching her face relax further as she enjoyed the bite of dessert. Soon after, he watched her pull the fork back out between her pressed lips before retrieving another bite. 'She can finish the whole dessert if she wants to,' he thought, just enjoying watching the process.

"No. Not bad at all."

"So, what would you be doing on a typical Friday night back home?"

Gabriella finished the bite she was chewing and then handed the plate back to Troy, who proceeded to scoop up another piece for himself. "Depends. I might be completely boring, tired from the work week and sitting at home just reading or watching tv. Or, I might be out with friends grabbing dinner or drinks, maybe dancing or seeing a movie. What about you? Or is that a stupid question?"

Troy pursed his lips and shook his head at her. "My answer's pretty similar to yours."

"Except your friends come home with you."

"There you go again, assuming that you know me so well," Troy accused, narrowing his eyes at her playfully before having another bite of dessert.

Gabriella paused a moment. "Let's see. You go to a bar or a club with or without some friends. You make eye contact with at least one woman as soon as you walk in the door. You flirt with several, buying drinks, complimenting them, turning on the charm. You may or may not share anything real about yourself. You figure out fairly quickly which one...or maybe more...you wish to leave with. You hint around. You make it seem like it's their idea. You leave. You have a good time. You make sure either you or they are out of there before the sun comes up...because breakfast is not part of the deal."

Troy's chewing had slowed down as she'd spoken. She was not far off...not far off at all. He'd learned these past six months that he could play the game and he could play it well. It was fun and most importantly, it led absolutely nowhere. Silence filled the room for a minute before Troy spoke.

"But there are other nights when I'm content to sit back and watch tv or unwind playing video games, reading, or surfing the internet."

"I'm sure there are," Gabriella responded, noting that he hadn't denied anything she'd said.

There were another few moments of silence and then Troy handed the dessert back to her. "I have a question for you," he said, meeting her eyes. "Have you left with me?"

Gabriella scrunched up her face, confused.

"With someone like me, I mean."

Understanding dawned. "No," she answered after a thoughtful pause. "I like breakfast."

Troy's lips twitched. "I'll keep that in mind. Is that the real answer?"

Gabriella held his gaze for another moment, considering. "Yes and no. No, I'm not, nor have I ever been, a one night stand girl. And...yes, I've known someone with your kind of charm and your...desire for variety."

Troy nodded, mulling over this answer in his head. "And you don't desire variety?"

"No. I'm a one man kind of woman."

Troy stared into her dark eyes, wondering at the truthfulness of her statement. It would be...too fortuitous, too good to be true if she were actually everything she seemed to be. She was...well, she was just passing through. She'd be leaving Italy in three weeks. And he must have lost his mind to even be considering that they might have any more than that amount of time together. Besides, he didn't know that he had it in him to give her what she seemed to desire. He wasn't the same man he was a year ago.

"But that hasn't worked out well for you?" he asked, genuinely interested in learning more about this beautiful enigma.

Gabriella looked at him and he could see a flash of pain cross her eyes. She looked away, staring down at the torta and taking another slow bite. Swallowing a moment later, she answered quietly. "No, not exactly."

Troy took a sip of his espresso and allowed another moment before risking his next question. "Why?"

Gabriella looked back over at him, seeing the interest on his face. She wasn't quite sure why he wanted to know and she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to say much more. So, she kept her answer simple. "Because I apparently lack the ability to find a one woman kind of guy."

Troy looked rather thoughtful at that moment and she felt kind of exposed in a way that had nothing to do with only wearing a robe. "And...now, I sound like a country song," she said, attempting levity.

Troy could sense that she wasn't comfortable with where the questions were leading. He was torn. He wanted to know more, but he, of all people, understood keeping past pain to yourself. She did make him feel less certain about his own choices and his own actions with the opposite sex than he had felt since that first foggy weekend he had allowed his friends to drag him out to the bars. Since then, he had gotten comfortable with short-term, non-committal gratification. It had seen him through, met his needs. And no one had really given him cause to think twice about it, until now. Of course, his family had shared their concerns about what they could gather of his coping strategy. Friends seemed uncertain. On the one hand, they envied him. On the other, they wondered at what point he'd go back to being the Troy they'd known before. Troy had found that humorous; he'd had no intentions of being that schmuck again. But now, as he sat here, he wondered why this woman from Chicago that he'd only met at the beginning of this week was making him reconsider his current lifestyle.

"Maybe there should be a country song called 'Now, I sound like a country song.' Hmm. We should record that. Bet it would make millions," Troy said with a grin, letting her off the hook and taking himself out of his own serious thoughts.

A small smile grew on Gabriella's face. "Do you regularly record country songs?" she asked, handing the dessert back to Troy and reaching over to retrieve her espresso.

"No...but those three guitar lessons I took should be put to good use someday," he said, accepting the plate and taking another bite.

"Three, huh?"

"Yeah, teenage thing."

"Well, I'm sure my five piano lessons would make us an instant chart-topping success."

Troy raised his eyebrows, smiling back at her. "And when did you take those?"

"When I was ten."

Troy laughed. "Well, I think we've got a hit on our hands."

"As long as we include the dog and the truck."

"Of course," Troy said, handing the plate to her and motioning for her to go ahead and finish the remainder of the dessert. "Do you think you'll quit your day job?" he continued lightly.

"Do you?"

"Do you always throw questions back at the question asker?"

Gabriella looked back at him sheepishly. "No. You're just special."

"Why when you say 'special' in regard to me do I feel like it's not a compliment?" Troy asked with a chuckle.

"I dunno. Maybe you have a complex," Gabriella said, shrugging a shoulder playfully.

Troy narrowed his eyes slightly. "Maybe. And, no, I don't think I'll quit my day job."

"So, you enjoy it?" Gabriella asked, her tone serious once more as she placed the empty dessert plate down on the nightstand and took another sip of her espresso.

"Yeah. Photography keeps any work day interesting. It isn't tied down to one interpretation or one style. What you see might not be what I see, but that's the beauty of it...whether it's what we see in a finished product or what we see when framing the shot. Possibilities are endless."

Gabriella pondered this for a moment, liking his answer. She could see that he was passionate about photography. It wasn't just a job to him. "You're making me want to take one of your classes."

"Even though you think I sleep with my students?"

"But you assured me that you don't."

Troy shrugged. "I haven't...but there are alway exceptions."

"Knock it off," she said, backhanding his chest with her free hand.

"Such abuse from you tonight."

"What? You don't like it rough sometimes?"

Gabriella thought Troy's eyebrows might reach his scalp line. "Yes, I can throw the lines out there too. Don't look so surprised."

Troy grinned, pleasantly surprised that she had been playful in her reaction to what he'd said and that she'd thrown out the comeback as opposed to getting irritated with him. "Noted. For the record, you'd be welcome in my classes anytime."

"Well, thank you."

"But if you really want to learn anything about photography, I'd be happy to tell you more, whenever."

Gabriella smiled at this. "Okay, professor, I just might take you up on that."

"Okay," Troy responded smoothly. "So, what about you and that day job?"

"Oh, I don't think I'll quit it either. Heck, it brought me here!"

Troy smiled. "Very true."

They just smiled at each other for a moment and then Gabriella asked another question. "And what will you do with your share of the millions?"

"Hmm, I don't really know. Treat friends and family, travel more, more camera lenses, work on my car more, throw some kick ass parties, invest...what about you?"

"Help out family and friends, travel more, perhaps some grand shopping sprees, save and invest...oh, and maybe buy an island."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, my own private island, complete with palm trees and hammocks and a bartender to make me fruity drinks whenever."

"Nice...I can mix up a mean fruity drink, you know."

Gabriella laughed. "That sounds like an oxymoron if I've ever heard one."

Troy chuckled. "I'm just sayin'...you could let me on your island and I could make you drinks."

Gabriella tilted her head and looked back at him. "But you'd have your own millions. You could probably buy a bigger and better island and fill it with models."

For a moment, she thought she saw his jaw clench, but it was gone so quickly she wondered if she'd imagined it.

"But what if I'd rather just hang out with you on yours?"

"I'd doubt that, but...you could visit...as long as there were fruity drinks involved."

"Naturally," Troy drawled.

'And as long as you left your shirt at home,' her apparently incorrigible mind added.

'Did she just blush?' Troy thought, wondering if he had imagined the slight pinkening of her cheeks just then. As he stared back at her, he considered what some quality time alone on a private island might be like. He wondered if she was reading his mind.

A knock on the door broke the silence that had taken over for the last few moments. Troy reluctantly stood up to go answer it. He spoke with the man who had knocked, the hotel's repairman. After a few minutes, he closed the door and came back into the room.

"Your room's ready for whenever you want to return to it."

"Thanks," Gabriella replied, not quite as happy to hear that as she thought she'd be. She took another sip of her espresso and placed it down on the nightstand. "I guess I should head back then, get some sleep." Looking at the clock, she saw that it was now 12:30am.

"Okay, just, you don't have to leave yet if you don't want to."

Gabriella considered staying a while longer, but decided she probably ought to get back to her room, get her pjs on and get some sleep. Staying in Troy's room, in his bed...well, it wasn't somewhere she would have imagined herself at all. It had been fine, but she didn't feel like she should stay there now that her room was ready. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea...particularly since that idea alternated in her mind between wrong and perhaps not entirely wrong.

"Um, thanks. I probably should head back though."

Troy nodded his understanding.

Gabriella slid out from under the covers and stood up, looking down at the robe and then back at Troy questioningly.

"You can hang onto it," he said, answering her unspoken question.

She nodded and gave him a smile of thanks before moving in the direction of the balcony. Her room key was still sitting on the nightstand in her room and her door would still be locked from the hallway side. The repairman hadn't indicated he was leaving it propped open or anything. She did see though that he had left a light on in her room and that her balcony door was still cracked open, as they'd left it earlier.

Troy followed her onto the balcony, watching her stop at the railing and consider her ability to modestly step over it in the robe. "I can help again," he offered quietly.

Gabriella turned to look at him, considering for another moment before speaking. "If you wouldn't mind."

Troy's lips curved up at the corners. "Not at all." Saying this, he walked over so that he was standing next to her. He looked at her meaningfully and she gingerly lifted her arms and placed them around his neck. He placed one arm around her back for support and, after what seemed like a long moment, he bent down and slid his other arm underneath her knees, lifting her from the ground.

The first time he'd done this had been a surprise and it had seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. This time seemed...different. This time, she noticed the smell of him...a clean, musky scent...and the heat emanating from him, warming her even as the night had cooled the air around them. Her hands, though loosely crossed behind his neck, still felt some of the fine hairs there. His face was less than a foot away from hers and she looked for flaws. She didn't find any. And where his hands gripped her back and legs...well, it felt nice. Too nice. It had definitely been too long. She missed this...just the comfort of physical closeness.

"You're a bit heavier now than you were earlier," Troy joked huskily.

"Shut it, Bolton. You're the one who insisted I have dessert," she joked back, seeing Troy grin in response.

Troy set her down on the other side of the railing with gentleness. He pulled back more slowly than he needed to. Sure, he could have asked the repairman to leave her door propped open but he had hoped she might stay with him a while longer. Still, he wasn't surprised she decided not to. She didn't fully trust him and he suspected she didn't fully trust herself either. And practically, it was getting late. But they'd made progress, been comfortable with each other. In any event, he really didn't mind helping her over the railing. She felt good in his arms.

Now standing on opposite sides of the railing, they met each other's eyes. "If you need anything, I'm here."

Gabriella wondered what he imagined "anything" to be. "Thanks. I really appreciate tonight and I'm sorry for taking over your evening."

Troy waved off the apology. "It was fun hanging out, but, you know, if you want to do it again, you can just say so. You don't have to be so dramatic about it," he teased.

"Gee, I'll keep that in mind," Gabriella responded dryly.

"I mean I'm not complaining. It's good to keep the shining armor from getting rusty and all."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, a grin creeping up despite herself. "Okay, now you're just getting full of yourself. Good night, Troy."

Troy smiled...a genuine smile. "Good night, Gabriella. Sleep well."

He watched as she disappeared into her room, pulling her balcony door shut and pulling the curtain into place over it. Stepping back into his own room, he did the same. He moved the empty dish and cups back to the tray and set the tray in the hallway outside his door for removal. He went through the motions of getting ready for bed and then slipped under the covers, setting the alarm and then reaching over to turn out the light. As he lay there, he considered the body that had been under these covers just a little while back. He drifted to sleep imagining the warmth of that body still there next to him...but a lot closer and minus the robe.

Once back in her room and comfortably dressed in her pajamas, Gabriella finished her bedtime routine and crawled in under her covers, setting her alarm and then turning off her light. She lay there thinking back on the end of her evening and how pleasant it had been, despite feeling like an idiot for blowing the fuse. Troy was pretty easy to talk to and despite some of the looks and innuendos he couldn't resist, and despite some of the wanderings of her own mind, she did feel comfortable with him. He didn't take advantage of her situation. If anything, he kind of took her mind off it and she appreciated that. She thought about the attraction she'd felt to him tonight and wondered if it would be something fleeting or if it would be there the remainder of the trip. That could be troublesome. She didn't know where she stood. Coming to Italy, she'd had no intentions of exploring anything but the sights and culture of the country. Over the past several months, she'd grown accustomed to her life revolving around work, family, and friends. She hadn't allowed room for dating, other than that one date Sharpay had set her up on. She hadn't been interested in spending time with anyone new of the opposite sex...until now.

Now, there were three men she enjoyed spending time with. There was Ivan. They had clicked right from the first night when she'd met him. He was here on a similar mission. Both being writers, they could understand each other's passion and writing challenges. He was interesting to talk to and he seemed to care about her...her thoughts, her enjoyment of the trip so far, her well-being. But he also seemed to want to explore something more than friendship, and she didn't know how she felt about that.

There was John, but that was a more fatherly relationship. Still, she enjoyed his company as well.

And there was Troy. Against her better judgement, she had begun spending more time with him and she had enjoyed herself. He had been surprisingly great about just trying to become her friend, but she knew he'd likely be more than willing to be more than friendly with her if she were interested in that. But, she reasoned, Troy would be temporary fun, which she had never been about in the past, and she didn't know that it was what she was about now either. But the thought had crossed her mind tonight, surprising her.

She had emailed Taylor yesterday, telling her about her experiences thus far, particularly those with Ivan and Troy. Taylor had written back encouraging her to just let herself be open to whatever this trip brought. She understood Gabriella's hesitancy to trust any man and particularly Troy given what she'd seen of his behavior earlier on. But she pointed out that any man should be viewed only as themselves. It wasn't fair to automatically put men into the same category as Michael and then make them earn their distinction from him. And Gabriella should know that she completely deserved to explore something new, whether it was just friendship or more than friendship or just a fling. She just needed to approach whichever option knowingly and honestly.

Gabriella didn't have any answers, but she sensed that she would need to have some soon. Ivan seemed inclined to make a move if the opportunity presented itself. And, Troy...well, he was being respectful but the undercurrent was there. And, whether or not she wanted him to remain respectful was something she should definitely figure out. With much on her mind, she tossed and turned for a while. When she did finally fall asleep, Gabriella dreamed of being on an island...being served drinks by Troy...who wore only a towel.

Author's Note: Just call me Ms. Frustration. ;-) Okay, I know you want to know more about Michael and Katherine and I know you want to see Troy and Gabriella getting hot and heavy. (Me too!) Please hang tight. This is a month long tour for them and things are paced accordingly. That said, I can give you hope. I really can. :-) In the next few chapters, we'll learn some more about their unfortunate prior relationships, Gabriella will meet someone who will help shed a bit more light on Troy's true character, Troy will "meet" the girls back home, and, of course, they'll push the bounds of friendship...in a good way. ;-) Thanks for going on this journey with them, y'all!