Look who's back again! Haha. I'm getting pretty quick with my updates (compared to my past stories), so I consider this a huge accomplishment! Lol. Thanks to everybody who's reviewed and put me on your lists, I appreciate it so much! Regarding the last chapter, I just have to say that it's Gabriella that says, "But I didn't think saying no then meant I'd be saying no forever," not Troy. I realized it could get kind of confusing, so I just thought I'd clarify. =)

Anyway, in the last chapter, we saw that Gabriella and Troy lost the baby. At that point, she hasn't told Troy anything and as for the timing of the proposal...well, it'll all come together soon, I promise!

This chapter's sort of a filler chapter, but it's kind of needed. It's also formatted a little differently, mostly because I had this little movie scene going on in my head while I was writing this...=P Bear with me, I'm just trying something new! Enjoy the chapter! =)

Chapter 11: The Cosmic Pull

Sunday Morning ; The Montez-Evans house.

The sun trickled in through the flimsy curtains, bathing her in comfortable warmth, as she snuggled further into her pillows, squeezing her eyes shut in hopes of catching a few more seconds of sleep. But when she heard the faint buzz of her phone, her eyes snapped open, reaching towards her bedside table and pulling up a text message.

Been trying to reach you since this morning. Text me back, ASAP.
-Tay.

Frowning, Gabriella stole a quick look at the clock and gasped when she saw it was almost noon. Flinging back her blankets, she jumped off the bed and searched for a hair tie, before coming to a standstill, as she noticed a white, men's dress shirt, tossed carelessly onto the window seat. Taking a deep breath, she took a tentative step and picked it up, only to be immediately overwhelmed with the familiar cologne Troy wore. Little by little, remnants of the previous night filtered through her thoughts and she swallowed nervously, before shaking her head and deciding to head downstairs. Throwing her hair into a messy ponytail and reaching the kitchen, Gabriella smelled the coffee and grinned, happy that somebody had taken the time to brew some. She stopped dead in her tracks, when she realized just who that person was.

Troy was leaning against the kitchen counter, holding a mug of coffee in one hand and perusing the day's newspaper with the other. His hair was pushed off his face and his jeans hung low on his hips, revealing the top band of his boxers. Gabriella exhaled slowly, letting her eyes involuntarily drink in his six-pack, before shuffling into the kitchen.

"Um. Morning," she managed, opening the fridge, telling herself she wanted the yogurt, not just because the cold air was a stark contrast to her rising temperature.

"Hey," he nodded, pouring her coffee. "Here, I made some. Hope that's okay," he slid the steaming mug across the kitchen island towards her. Gabriella returned his nod politely and averted her eyes from him. 'Why doesn't he have a shirt on? He had a shirt on last night, right? We didn't do anything last night…at least, I don't think so. I mean, there wasn't any booze involved. Oh, god, I just really wish he'd put on a damn shirt!' her thoughts screamed. He was oblivious, she could tell. Gabriella looked around the kitchen and remained silent, before realizing that Sharpay wasn't in the house. Racking her brain, she tried to remember if her roommate had plans with Zeke the night before or if she had made it home. It hit her that if Sharpay did make it home, there was a possibility – no, try absolute certainty – that she saw Troy and Gabriella.

"Um, is that for me?" Gabriella noticed a piece of pink paper folded up, propped against the fruit bowl. Troy nodded and she grabbed the note, unsure of what Sharpay could've possibly said.

Stayed at Zeke's last night, didn't even come home to grab a change of clothes until this morning. Have auditions lined up, so I couldn't stay and chat. Saw Troy's car parked down the road – get it, girl! We'll talk soon! Love you! Kisses, Shar.

"Oh, great," Gabriella muttered, crumpling the note. She rubbed her fingers against her forehead, trying to sort through her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked. She looked up at him and immediately chastised herself internally. Those blue eyes were killer.

"It's…Sharpay. She wants to talk about something, I guess it's pretty important," Gabriella said, looking away. "Did you run into her this morning?"

"Nah, the note was there when I came downstairs," he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and she bit her lip anxiously.

"Okay. Well. I think I'm going to take a shower," she announced lamely, setting her mug down.

"Gabriella," Troy started. She was halfway off the kitchen stool and halfway to walking, when his voice calling her name made her whip her head around, subsequently causing her to trip over her own feet. She felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist, pulling her up. "Whoa! When did you get so clumsy, Montez?" he chuckled.

"Um…" she stammered, her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Gabriella turned around in his arms to push herself away, but found his face mere inches away from her own. "I don't…I don't know,"

"You're acting really strange," he pointed out.

"Well, you're…" she started, and then realized her hands were on his bare chest. She pulled them away and crossed her arms. 'Get it together, Gabriella!' she cried in her head. "Troy?" her voice came out in a squeak.

"Yeah?" he tightened his hold on her and Gabriella let out a small sigh. She considered her options in her next words carefully, before realizing the easiest way to avoid questions about her wandering eyes and clumsiness was pure humor.

"Could you put a shirt on?" she looked up at him, a smirk playing across her lips. Troy looked confused for a minute, before his eyes widened and they both burst into laughter.

Sunday Afternoon ; The Danforth house.

"Hey, Tay. I'm on my way over, okay? I called Sharpay, she should be at your place now, and then we can head to lunch? I've got some sorting out to do and I need you guys to listen. Oh, and sorry for missing your million calls and texts, I didn't wake up until noon today. Oh, I'm here!" Gabriella rattled off, clicking the End Call button on her phone and putting her car in park, before jumping out and sprinting to the front door of the Danforth house.

Sunday Afternoon ; Game.

"Hey, Chad? I'm with Zeke right now; get your ass over to Game fast. Seriously, man," Troy ended the phone call and spun the small device in his hands nervously. He had reached the restaurant an hour after holding Gabriella in his arms and his patience, nerves, and hormones were all over the place. Tapping his foot anxiously, Troy took another sip of water and ran a hand through his hair, hoping Chad would walk through the door any minute and they could figure it all out.

"You okay, man?" Zeke slapped a comforting hand on his shoulder, pulling up a chair next to him and placing a plate of cookies on the table.

"Just freaking out,"

"Let me guess…Gabi?"

"Right on the nose, man," Troy breathed out.

"I can't catch a break!" a voice interrupted the boys and they turned to see Chad throw his arms up in frustration, before plopping down in an empty seat. "Tay's freaking out over the wedding, Sharpay's ready to claw my eyes out for god knows what reason, and Gabriella practically kicked me out of my own house! Fucking women," he mumbled, snatching a cookie and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Gabriella's at your house?" Troy swallowed nervously.

"Yeah, why?" Chad raised his eyebrows skeptically. "What did you do?" he asked, his voice rising.

"I didn't do anything, I swear! Things just…took a turn last night," Troy said sheepishly, running a hand over the back of his neck. He knew that look in Chad's eyes too well – that overprotective, big brother, ready-to-kick-your-ass, look.

"What happened?" Zeke asked, nibbling on a chocolate chip cookie.

"Hold up, are we really going to do this? The whole…girlie chat thing? I mean, seriously, guys," Chad commented. A beat of silence followed, before Zeke and Troy raised their eyebrows at their afro-haired friend. "Alright, never mind. Hit me. What happened?" he gave in, grabbing another cookie and leaning forward to hear the story.

The Danforth house.

"So, I told him that when I said no, I didn't mean no forever. He told me he loved me, that a part of him always will, but we both sort of agreed we couldn't go back to the way it was before – too much has happened," Gabriella took a sip from her glass of water, brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes, before continuing. "Between losing the baby…and then the proposal…it was too much to just sweep under the rug,"

"Let me see if I get this straight. You both said you still loved each other?" Sharpay thought aloud, her fingers twirling her blonde hair. The girls had planned to head out for lunch, but once Gabriella uttered Troy's name, Chad had been kicked out of the house and they broke out the ice cream.

"Well, not explicitly, but we got the gist of it,"

"But you couldn't go back to the way it was before…right?"

"Correct. Which, I guess, is pretty much a given. We're both different people, in different places in our lives. The thought that a relationship between us could work again is kind of insane," Gabriella mused.

"Except that it's kind of not," Taylor piped up. Her friends raised their eyebrows quizzically at her. "Well, I get that you're both different people in different places and all that…but you and Troy have this connection, this cosmic pull towards each other, you know? Please tell me you've realized that,"

"Tay, I think that's true of any two people that used to date. I mean, Jason and Kelsi dated in high school," Gabriella pointed out, licking her spoon thoughtfully.

"Totally different cases, Montez. Jason and Kelsi hooked up in high school; you and Troy had an actual relationship. Taylor's right," Sharpay tilted her head slightly. "You two have some sort of cosmic pull,"

"I…shut up," Gabriella pouted, resting her chin in the palm of her hand.

Game.

"So, getting back together with Gabi is not an option?" Zeke asked.

"It's not an option right now," Troy emphasized his last two words, biting forcefully into a cookie. He was thankful Zeke and Chad had agreed to close up the restaurant for the lunch crowd – plus, it meant free food.

"So, you think it could be an option in the future?" Chad asked.

"I don't…dude, I don't know!" the basketball player ran his hands over his face exasperatedly. "I just think we've got this weird relationship, you know? We talk like we're friends, we flirt, we joke around…"

"You sleep with each other," Chad finished, causing Troy to smack him upside the head. "What? It's true!"

"I told you, we just passed out!"

"Yeah, and when you woke up, you freaked out because the two of you were cuddling!" Chad exclaimed. There was a moment of silence, before he added, "Alright fine. You've got a weird relationship with your ex-girlfriend,"

"Who doesn't?" Zeke chuckled.

"So…what do I do?" Troy asked helplessly. Two pairs of eyes stared back at him blankly, causing him to groan and drop his head onto the table feebly.

The Danforth house.

"You guys have a weird relationship," Sharpay announced.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Gabriella rolled her eyes. They had moved from the kitchen into the living room and she was seated on the floor, her elbows resting on the coffee table and her fingers playing with the ends of her hair. Taylor was curled up on the armchair and Sharpay laid down the length of the couch.

"You talk, you flirt, you sleep with each other…"

"I told you! I woke up and he was downstairs making coffee!" Gabriella cried indignantly. "And we were both fully clothed. Sort of," she added meekly.

"Oh, Gabi," Taylor shook her head sadly at her best friend, who just puffed out her lower lip in desperation. "We all know the power of Troy Bolton shirtless – he's got the body of a Greek god,"

"It's true. The man is ripped," Sharpay let out a low whistle and burst into a fit of giggles, causing a smile to spread across Gabriella's lips, before a sigh escaped her mouth.

"Yeah, but now what? What do I do?" she asked, her voice small. Two pairs of eyes stared back at her blankly, causing her to groan and drop her head onto the table feebly.

Sunday Evening ; Caraway Health Clinic.

Brian paced his office anxiously, his fingers rubbing the back of his head and his eyes darting back and forth across the spacious room. Less than a week from now, his new practice would open and while his assistant has promised him a full house, Brian needed some celebrity power to get people interested. He wasn't stupid; he lived in Los Angeles, after all – the city crawling with stars. And he wanted his practice to be the only practice celebrities would visit. His father had reminded him that media coverage and public interest was crucial to a start-up business, and Brian had taken the advice to heart. After all, George Caraway was the founder and CEO of Caraway Industries and his advice was pure gold.

So, when Brian ran into Gabriella Montez on a movie set and sparks flew, things had fallen into place. It was an easy relationship; uncalculated and unintentional, but then his father had pointed out a simple plan – date Gabriella and get all her friends to attend the opening ceremony, making as many connections as he could along the way. Gabriella herself wasn't Hollywood royalty, but she ran in some impressive circles. Sharpay Evans, the most promising actress of her generation, would bring star power to Brian's practice. Zeke Baylor, who owned a popular restaurant, could provide a venue for future events. Taylor McKessie, a fellow doctor, could be a potential employee. And most importantly, Chad Danforth, a sports coordinator on big films, could bring in the majority of Brian's clients. It had started off as an innocent relationship, but after his father's plan came into play, it started becoming more complicated.

At around the same time he was trying to use Gabriella's friends, Troy Bolton came into town and suddenly, Brian felt her slipping away. They started getting into bigger fights, mostly about her not telling him about Troy being back in town. But he had been the bigger person, hadn't he? He had swept it under the rug and even agreed to go to Troy's housewarming barbecue, which of course, ended in what were now two ridiculously huge bruises on his jaw. Brian shook his head and sat down on his comfortable leather chair, cradling his head in his hands. Gabriella was his ticket to stardom for his practice. Okay, so maybe cheating on her with Ashley was a bad idea – she had been a one night stand that had gotten far too needy – but Brian was fairly certain Gabriella had run straight into the arms of Troy after things had blown up in their faces. Brian clenched his fists, remembering how close Troy and Gabriella were, the night he interrupted them outside Zeke's restaurant. It wasn't just that he wanted to keep Gabriella to himself and that he was jealous. It was that without Gabriella, Brian had no star buzz with his practice opening. Somewhere along the way, his business became more important than his relationship. But catching Troy and Gabriella in an almost-kiss had twisted his heart and his head. Hadn't everything been going perfectly before Troy Bolton came into town?

Brian was partly at fault, he knew that. There was the cheating, the neglecting, and the careless way he had treated Gabriella. But Brian's business-minded brain knew that if he wanted to succeed, he'd have to win her back.

Fighting Troy Bolton to get her back?

Well, that was just a bonus.

There it is! I'm not totally over the moon with this chapter (then again, when am I ever? Lol), but it had to be written. I wanted to show the close relationships Gabi has with Sharpay and Taylor, likewise with Troy and Zeke and Chad. Again, there's no definitive label on Troy and Gabriella's relationship, but there's an attraction there, obviously.

I hope I gave some good insight to Brian's character. I know, I said I absolutely hated him in the earlier chapters (he is the antagonist, after all), but I think showing him and how he thinks is kind of integral. Hopefully I did it right and you guys understand what I'm trying to portray...any questions, shoot them my way! =) I'm already working on the next chapter, which will be more eventful than this, I promise!

Until then, why don't you do me a big, big favor and press that little Review button below this A/N? Pretty please? =)