Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Chapter 11

GABRIELLA'S POV

"We need to talk."

I sat up on the bed. "Troy, I don't think there's much left that can be said. You want me gone and you have Sharpay now. I'll be by tomorrow to get my stuff and I'll be out of your life." I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts as I stared at my lap. I looked back up at Troy and saw him frowning and about to start talking. "No, Troy…" I interrupted, holding my hand up. "Don't say anything, please. You don't have to explain. I've had time to think about all this and I completely understand. I've never been good enough for anyone, so why would I be now? I don't know why I thought by moving out here things would be fine for us and that my track record with men would change. But I think I've just been so happy being with you that I overlooked the fact that you might not have been happy, too. I'm so sorry, Troy. Please know that I never meant to cause any problems for you. I love you so much and all that I want is for you to be happy. So if being with Sharpay is what is going to make you happy, then that's what I want for you. I'll be out of the picture tomorrow and you'll never have to worry about seeing me again. There's actually a position available at a different hospital that I can transfer to so that I'll be out of the area. I want you happy, but I don't think I can watch it happen." I looked down and tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill.

"Gabriella, that's not why I'm here; I hate that you feel like this. Up until 45 minutes ago I thought everything was fine between us as well, but it seems like everything has been going downhill since then. I love you, Gabriella, and I don't want you to break up with me or move out or push me in Sharpay's direction because the only thing that will ever make me happy is being with you. I know what it looked like today, but I promise if you'll just hear me out I'll explain everything. I don't want anyone but you."

I took a deep breath and nodded, seeing nothing but sincerity in his eyes and features. "Okay, I'll listen."

"Baby, I was so excited to know I was going to see you today. I know that in our relationship we've spent lots of time apart, but this week has been difficult being away from you for even a week. I did have lunch with Sharpay today. I promise I was going to tell you. I didn't realize she was in town this time. She just showed up. So we ordered some piazza and caught up. You know I've refused to see her every other time she's been in town in the past few months and I was apprehensive about today, still concerned about that night three months ago. But I decided to give her a chance. She helped me get things cleaned up after lunch. After she was done she went to use the bathroom, so I told her I was going to lie down. Her obnoxious behavior was grating on my last nerve and gave me a headache, and I wanted it gone before I had to pick you up. I told her to let herself out and to lock the door behind her. I thought I could trust her that much. So I laid down, setting my alarm on my phone so I could make it in time to pick you up. But I figured out that while I was asleep Sharpay turned off my phone so I didn't get any of the text messages or calls from you and I didn't have an alarm. Needless to say, as you figured out, Sharpay didn't leave at all and was still there when you came home. I was still asleep and by the time I woke up, I realized I'd slept for a few hours and had completely missed you."

"So…you did still plan on picking me up today?" I asked quietly, making sure I understood him correctly and searching for truth in his eyes.

"Absolutely. You have no idea how much I've missed you this week and I wanted to see you as soon as was possible when you got back into Albuquerque." He scooted himself closer on the bed to me and grabbed my hands, rubbing the back of them with his thumbs.

I saw nothing but truth in his eyes but continued asking questions. "And things between you and Sharpay…" I trailed off, not knowing how to finish that question.

"There's absolutely nothing between me and Sharpay, friendship or otherwise. I told her I didn't want to see her anymore and told her to get out of our apartment…and I meant every word. I'm tired of her trying to come between us. I'm tired of being worried she's going to run you off. I don't want to lose you, Gabriella. I love you too much to ever let you go. What she did today was her being the manipulative liar that she is. I didn't actually allow Sharpay to stay long enough for her to explain the entire situation, but what little I got from your mom downstairs when she let me in was enough to connect all the dots. I'm sorry Sharpay treated you the way she did. But I promise I don't want Sharpay. I want you in my life forever, if I have any say in the matter."

I smirked as I realized what he was saying. I wanted the same thing. But I still had a few doubts in my mind. Troy just seemed too good to be true.

"Please say you believe me, even a little bit," Troy pleaded, pain evident in his eyes.

This seemed to be hurting him just as much as it was me. "I'm so sorry, Troy. But the signs were all there today. You didn't show up at the airport. I couldn't get ahold of you. Sharpay was in our apartment when I got there and said that you guys had been getting closer. And then she told me you were going to break up with me but since you were asleep, she would just do it for you. I shouldn't have doubted you. I shouldn't have listened to her knowing how she felt about you. I should have just went and talked to you right then, but I just kept thinking that all the happiness I felt with you was finally being stripped away, just like I always knew it would be."

"So where does this leave us?" he asked quietly.

I took a deep breath and looked down at our hands that were still joined in my lap. I gave his hands a squeeze. "I love you so much, Troy. But honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you just dropped out of this relationship. I know I've hurt you today by doubting you and not trusting you. I've done nothing to deserve you, Troy. That's the second time I've almost let Sharpay come between us and it's because of that trust issue. In the time we've been together, you've done nothing to make me not trust you. But I really just can't see, especially now that I know what she looks like, why you would choose me over her or how you would still want to be with me after what I've put you through."

Troy's eyes bugged out. "Are you being serious right now? You can't see why I would choose you over her? Gabriella, baby, there are millions of reasons. First off…I love you. I love everything about you. I love the way you make me feel. I love how passionate you are about your job. I love how beautiful of a person you are, inside and out. Whether you see it this way or not, you are gorgeous. I love how you moved all the way across the country in order to be with me. Gabriella, no one has ever done anything like that for me before. If I didn't love you before that, that would have sealed the deal for me. You're it for me Gabriella, whether you like it or not. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I don't want out of this relationship. I want you to be my wife. I want to make babies with you and watch them grow up and become just like you."

Troy continued his speech as I sat there tearing up because of the beautiful words he was speaking. He never failed to make me feel like the most special person in the world.

"Gabriella, I know that you've been hurt in the past and you have a difficult time trusting men. But, baby, you just said that I've never given you any reason not to trust me. Right now it seems like all you're doing is letting all those old insecurities get in the way of the truth. We've talked about this before. You're allowing all those negative thoughts to consume you. So, please trust me right now. If anyone doesn't deserve the other, it's me. I feel like you've done nothing but sacrifice things for me and I haven't done anything for you. I feel like all I'm doing is letting you down and hurting you without even really trying."

I frantically shook my head at him. "No, Troy. You've never done anything to hurt me…not intentionally at least. And you're not letting me down. I moved because I wanted to. I wanted to be closer to you. I wanted out of New York. All I want is to be with you. You are seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me. I couldn't ask for a more perfect person to spend the rest of my life with. I want those same things that you do. I want to be your wife and I want to have your babies."

Troy's smile spread across his entire face and lit up his eyes. "So are you saying you want to marry me?"

I tilted my head at him, studying his face as tears continued to roll down my own. "Are you proposing?" I asked as I heard my voice crack, overcome with emotion. This man really wanted to marry me?

Troy grinned and slipped down to the floor on one knee. "Gabriella, I know we have some problems that we need to work through, but if I've learned anything about our relationship, it's that we are really good at communicating. I think we've had great communication skills since the start and a lot of that comes from the fact that we had to learn to read each other just by our voices, but we also had nothing to rely on but communication to get our relationship started. So I know we're going to be just fine, as long as you're willing to keep this up. And I hope you are, because I can't possibly live another day without you in my life. I love you so much. So please make me completely happy and agree to marry me and become my wife?"

I wiped away the tears that were still streaming down my face, a smile slowly appearing, and nodded at him. "I would love to be your wife, Troy. I love you too."

Troy grabbed me and hugged me to him, burying his nose in my hair before pulling back and kissing me softly. He was the first to break the kiss as he pulled back and looked into my eyes, keeping his arms wrapped around my waist. "Just one more question."

I looked at him curiously, wondering what he would ask. "What?"

"Please come home?"

Just one more chapter…it will be the epilogue. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!