Gabriella walked into the diner spotted Troy in a back booth, no wheel chair. Martha had helped her get ready for tonight, both of them shorting through her closet attempting to find something that wasn't stained or gender bias. They finally found a summer dress Gabriella had stuffed in the back of her closet. It was one of the dresses Kelsi made her by and she was suddenly overjoyed that kelsi was so annoying when it came to shopping.
"It's 7:15, I almost thought you were going to stand me up again." He said looking at his watch. He was wearing a short sleeve button up shirt open and revealing his white shirt underneath. His arms looked so shaped and defined Gabriella bit her lip as she sat down in the booth bench across from him.
"I had to drop Jake off at Martha's." like hell she was going to confess that they searched like hell for shoes to go with this dress. "So, the most amazing thing happened today?"
"Really," Troy said lifting his cup of coffee.
"Someone brought my entire Yard sale for 30 thousand dollars." Gabriella said raising a brow.
Troy choked a little on his coffee and Gabriella leaned back please with herself as she watch him squirm. "What?" Troy said taking a breath.
"Why did you buy my yard sale?" Gabriella said leaning forward when the lady came around with the coffee pot. She watched the coffee fill up and could smell the fumes. Gabriella closed her eyes for a moment taking in the action. When the lady was gone she opened her eyes to see Troy staring at her his hand under his chin, muscles flexed unknowingly.
"Should I leave you and coffee alone?" he asked with a smirk on his lips.
Ignoring him Gabriella reached for the creams and began to open the packets. "Why did you buy my yard sale?"
Troy sat up straight, "Because you shouldn't be having a yard sale, your father just died your over worked and stressed you shouldn't be selling anything in this state of mind. If you need money, I don't mind sharing."
"Well thanks but no thanks, I will not be cashing the ten thousand dollar check Taylor gave me," Gabriella said then began to blow on her coffee.
Troy let out a sigh of small relief over the price difference and lifted a finger to point at her but didn't say anything.
"I've been doing a lot of things on my own for a long time, I'll figure things out." Gabriella said lifting the cup to her lips.
"I can see that," Troy said looking down at his menu. "You were always a tough little cookie."
"I'm not a cookie," Gabriella said grabbing her own menu.
"I beg to differ on that one, you're sweet, warm, gooey on the inside, and I love the way you smell." Troy said looking down at his menu.
Gabriella looked over her menu at him from across the table her inside roaring to life her hands getting sweaty in her palms and she pushed her legs together more for need than comfort. "How's Sharpay?" she said needing the conversation to change.
"Bitter, annoying and a pain in my ass." He said closing his menu, "What are you having?"
"Shame I always thought you both deserved each other." Gabriella said rereading the same menu item for a third time and still unable to process the information.
"Brie, Your guards up," he said in a sing song tone. Leaning over the table he hooked his finger on the center fold of her menu and brought it down so they were face to face. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Gabriella looked at him and bit her lip. Now would be a good time to tell him he was a father. Now would also be a good time to make a run for the door. Now might also be a good time to ask him to take her back to her house and rip her clothes off because it's been so long since a man's been inside her and she was almost forgetting what it felt like. "Nothing,"
Troy narrowed his eyes and then let the menu go, "Fine, do you know what you want to eat, don't worry about cost I'll buy." Troy looked down at his menu and then back up at her and her eyes quickly darted back down. She going nuts, Gabriella let out a sigh in an effort to release tension. It didn't work.
"Do you and Sharpay have any children?" she asked curious if her son had any siblings.
Troy chuckled. "Nope, no kids, I consider it a blessing," he shrugged as he looked down at the menu.
Gabriella titled her head to the side, "What do you mean a blessing, don't you want kids?"
Troy looked up at her and arched a brow. "Of course I do, it's just that we couldn't have any, we tried but it just wouldn't take," he said a little uncomfortable.
Figures she be the lucky one, Gabriella felt an annoyance inside by the knowledge that they had tried, and satisfaction that they had failed. "Is that why you guys broke up?"
"Nope," Troy closed his menu. "I'm going to have a club sandwich."
"Me too," Gabriella said closing her menu.
"Copy cat," he said with a smirk. They were silent for a moment and Troy leaned back to take in the woman sitting in front of him. She was everything he remembered and yet his memories didn't do her justice. Her hair was darker, richer, and longer, it was the kind of hair he wanted to wrap his fingers in and just feel the silky strands. "So what's going on between you and Jake's dad?" he asked with a smile.
Her eyes widen and she sat up straighter, touchy topic maybe? Troy felt a small pinch of satisfaction, so far he hadn't seen heads or tails of Jake's father and he was sure he wasn't going to make an appearance anytime soon.
"He left town," Gabriella said reaching for her water and lifting it to her lips.
"Well some men can be assholes that way?" he said with a small frown. Troy looked around the diner and let out a sigh. "How did you met him? I mean did you like him?" did she love him, was she pining away hoping he would come back? was he bigger than Troy, was he more successful ?
"He went to East High," Gabriella paused as she looked at him. "You know this isn't important." She said looking up at the waitress who was coming their way with a pen and pad.
Troy raised a brow, the father of her child wasn't important? "Two club sandwiches pickles on the side please. One sprite no ice and a coke with ice."
The woman nodded and retreated to the counter while Troy looked back at Gabriella who looked at waitress. "You remembered I drink sprite with no ice and my pickles on the side."
Troy chuckled as he looked down at his napkin. "I remember things about you I don't remember about my own ex-wife." Her features softened and Troy felt a moment of wavier in her defense she'd had up for the past 7 weeks. "I remember that you like using scented color markers because you liked to commit smell to the memory. I always used it in college, it helped."
Gabriella smiled a little and shrugged her shoulders, "Nothing wrong with a little study guide help."
"I remember the Cherry flavored chapstick," he said reaching his hand across the table and letting his finger gently caress hers.
Gabriella pulled back and Troy watched as an imaginary Berlin wall went up between them. Damn it.
"So what happened between you and Sharpay anyway?" she said clearing her throat and looking down at the glass on the table.
Troy took a deep breath and leaned to the side, "Sharpay cheated, I cheated, we didn't like each other, she liked money I liked being with Barbie, but the Barbie thing got old. We didn't even love each other; I never loved her to begin with." He said holding his hands out. "I do know that I missed you, that I like seeing you again and that I know I was idiot for leaving. I know if I could do it all over again I'd do things differently."
Gabriella leaned back in her chair eyes wide as she looked at him with blank expression. "No,"
"No?" Troy said arching a brow, "Which part is the no for?" he said crossing his arms.
"Jake is yours,"
"What?" Troy looked at her his own eyes wide his own heart falling into his stomach.
Gabriella hands flew up to her lips and she looked at Troy who was looking at her. The lady came back with the sandwiches placing them on the table and walking away leaving Troy and Gabriella at a standstill.
"Brie,"
"Troy,"
The silence continued.
"What the hell do you mean Jake is mine?" Troy said with surprise.
"I have to go." Gabriella went to get up but Troy was quicker his crutch coming out in front of her and blocking her exit.
"Not this time," he said looking at her sternly. "I'm out of that chair I have a limp still but if I need to chase you out that door I will and not give it a second thought that I'd be putting myself right back in that damn chair."
Gabriella looked at the crutch blocking her exit. Gabriella looked back at Troy who was looking at her. "Keep your voice down,"
He nodded then looked at her and cracked his neck with a sharp twist to the side. "Talk,"
"That night, in back of your car…" Gabriella's voice drifted. "When we-"
"I remember the night that's not the question," Troy said cutting her off. "When did you find out you were pregnant?" he said placing the crutch to the side and looking at everyone else in the restaurant make sure no one was on to them. His heart races as emotion flood through him, Jake was his, he had a son, and he had a son with Gabriella. Gabriella was the mother of his child. Troy looked up to find her almost near tears as she avoided eye contact.
"I wanted to tell you," Gabriella said, "I really did want to tell you."
"But when did you know." Troy asked again this time lightly placing his finger on the table. She wouldn't look at him and she would stop her eyes from tearing up. Gabriella was a strong woman, she was a confident woman to think that this was the same woman in front of him was so foreign.
"That day in the hallway when the voices told you to turn around," Gabriella said not meeting his eyes.
It was silent again Troy picked up his coke and took a long sip placing it back down on the table as Gabriella looked off to the side anywhere but in his direction, she could bare to look at him. He didn't blame her, He felt the walls of the diner throb with his shame and he took a deep breath as he did the math in his head. "Gabriella when I left for LA you were 4 months pregnant with my son and you didn't say anything," Troy rubbed his head.
"What, and spoil your wonderful career?" Gabriella said with a sharp tone.
"The fuck with my career, don't you think I deserved to know?" Troy said placing both hands on the table.
"Troy, don't pretend you would have dropped everything and stood. Don't pretend you wouldn't have resented me for it, don't pretend like it's been easy for me to give up everything I saw for myself to take care of my son."
"Our son," Troy corrected.
Gabriella took a deep breath, "We we're two different people in different circles, neither one of us was ready to settle down and raise a child."
"So naturally you made the decision for the both of us?" Troy said in annoyance.
"You were dating someone else, you practically dumped me and you were going away to LA." Gabriella said a little fed up. "You were already done with me you made that pretty clear, I'm not stupid, don't get me wrong your really good at being charming and sounding sincere but at least be honest you only liked me because you wanted sex, once you got it you were gone."
Troy flinched a bit. "Is that really what you think about our relationship?"
Gabriella looked at him directly in the eyes, blue against brown both scared to admit they'd fallen in love both trying to hold on to their pride or whatever fiber of it they had left. "We never had a relationship, the idea that I let you do what you did makes me sick, I was young and stupid."
" Brie, I didn't-"
Gabriella looked away from him abruptly cutting him off. "You did, at least be a man about it. If you think I'm going to let you do it again, turn me into some conquest of a fling, your wrong, I might have fell for those blue eyes when I was 17 but I'm 26 years old you'd have to drug me before I let you touch me like that again." Gabriella crossed her arms and leaned back in her booth and looked down at the sandwich in front of her.
Troy was quite as he sat there looking at Gabriella, pain in his heart and regret in his mind. He hurt her bad, much worse than he ever imagined. What was there to say other than sorry, not that she'd take that at face value or think he was sincere. They both sat there for a moment which seemed to stretch out into years, instead of minutes. She refuse to look at him, he didn't know what to say to her.
"Is the food okay?" the waitress said with a small frown when she saw the food untouched.
"It's fine," Troy said in a soft voice giving the woman his best smile so she would leave. Once she had he looked back at Gabriella who was staring off to the side in her own world. "How is this possible," he said in a low voice bring a hand up to his face. "The doctor said I wasn't capable of-"
"You're fertile." Gabriella said sharply, "Jake has blue eyes to prove it."
Troy placed his hand on the table and Gabriella looked up at him her eyes red but no tears. He almost felt like he himself stepped back in time back to high school, when he was sitting across from her not sure what to say afraid he'd hurt her feelings. "This is my fault," Troy said brining his hand to his lips.
Gabriella felt the cold sweat under her skin begin to get a little warmer. "It's not your fault I didn't tell you."
"It's not like I made any easier for you to tell me," he said looking down at his sandwich.
"Jake's a healthy kid, he has your eyes, your hair, he loves sports."Gabriella said trying to think of something that might link the two of them or comfort him the most. She didn't know why but she felt the need to comfort him.
"Who else knows?"
Gabriella froze as she looked at him in panic. She should have left when she had the chance. She should have never come to this diner and she should have stayed far away from him.
"Brie?"
His voice was softer and Gabriella closed her eyes, she was so humiliated by this whole thing that she could just crawl under a rock. "Martha and Kelsi," she said in a low voice.
"That's it?" Troy said leaning back in his seat.
"And your mother?" Gabriella said with a shrug.
"Wonderful." Troy said reaching for his wallet and pull out forty dollars. "Well I think we're done here, I've lost my appetite, I'm sure the same goes for you." He said place the money on the table. "Take the food home, maybe Jake will eat it." he said his eyes suddenly glassy as he stared at the table.
Gabriella felt a pinch in her heart as he stared at the table his eyes about blink back tears. She felt horrible, but she nodded and watched as he got up and picked up his crutches adjusting them under his arms and then making his way out of the diner.
"You going to need a box?" the waitress called over from the counter.
"Yes please," Gabriella said looking back at the two untouched meals. She felt like a fool, like idiot for making such a fuss about what to wear, about feeling that thump in her chest when he said he missed her. Gabriella felt her inside clamp shut. She needed to be strong, she needed to be cold and untouchable if that's what it took to get through this.