I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate!)! I got extremely spoilt and ate way too much awesome food hehe. You can blame Christmas for this not being up sooner, the last fortnight has been manic – you know how it is!
So, I now present to you...chapter 12, which comes with my heartfelt declaration of love to the wonderful Dani for her five-star betaing skills, and a huge shout-out to Michaela for all her ideas, and inspiration for different parts of this chapter! Thanks for all your reviews!
Without further ado...
Kylie xox
Chapter 12: Always Makes It Easy
"Troy," Gabriella groaned, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead. "Have you never heard the rule about blue and green?"
"Uh...evidently not..." Troy replied as he held a 'Medium Dark Blue' and a 'Forest Green' colour swatch side by side.
Gabriella giggled and rolled her eyes, plucking the green swatch from his hand and replacing it with one labelled 'Sky Blue'. "Blue and green should never be seen, unless there's a contrast in between"she recited. "Besides, if you're going with a feature wall like we discussed, you'll need a darker shade and a lighter shade of the same colour. Or something completely different that at least complement each other," she scanned the wall in the hardware store covered with tiny coloured cardboard rectangles before plucking two from their holders, and showing him. "Like..."
"Brown and...Puce?" Troy cut her off, raising an eyebrow.
"Ochre and Cream," Gabriella corrected, thumping him on the arm.
"Fine, but we're not painting my living room Brown and Puce anyway. How about..." he scanned the wall for a moment before pulling out another 'Medium Dark Blue' and another 'Sky Blue' swatch. "Oh, I know! Medium Dark Blue, and Sky Blue! Great colours. Perfect match for a feature wall too."
Gabriella rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Oh wow! Wish I'd thought of that," she commented sarcastically, before grabbing him by the arm and dragging him towards the paint mixing station. Troy handed the colour swatches over to the sales assistant – a pimply pubescent male whose nametag read 'Kelvin' – before turning to Gabriella.
"You know, I still think blue and green go perfectly well together. I'm pretty sure I even have a blue and green striped shirt somewhere..."
"Troy!" Gabriella laughed. "No blue and green together on the walls! End of story!"
"She's right, man," Kelvin chipped in, setting two cans of paint on the counter in front of them with a big grin on his face. "Sometimes you just have to admit defeat to the missus."
Gabriella almost choked and Troy turned a brilliant shade of red, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
"Ahh, yeah so uh...we're just gonna take the paint and uh...go..." he muttered, grabbing the paint tins and the basket of other various items they had collected for his apartment and took off in the direction of the registers, Gabriella close behind - uncontrollable giggles beginning to replace her initial shock – leaving Kelvin looking completely and utterly bewildered.
When they made it through the registers and out to the car, Troy glanced at Gabriella who was still trying to control her giggles. He couldn't help but smile – the awkward feeling melting away as he watched her bite her lip, trying to suppress the laughter.
"So, missus hey?" he teased, nudging her gently in the side as he loaded the bags of paint and other items into the trunk of his car.
Gabriella felt a fresh wave of laughter rush over her, climbing into the passenger seat and buckling her seatbelt as he climbed in beside her. "Well you have to admit, Troy – we kinda did sound like an old married couple. Like you said yesterday – you'd never know we haven't seen each other for six years," she commented as she opened his glove box, pulling out his CD holder and riffling through for something to listen to.
"Poor Kelvin, he was so confused," Troy laughed, the movement of her flicking through the CD's catching his attention as he glanced sideways. "And what is wrong with Paramore, may I ask?"
"Nothing," Gabriella replied. "Just felt like a...Jonas Brothers?" she suddenly said in disbelief, pulling a CD from the sleeve. "And Backstreet Boys? AND S CLUB 7??? I know I haven't seen you for six years, Troy, but I never would have picked you for a Jo Bro's fan," she teased.
"Ah, yeah, they're uh...they're Alexis'," Troy explained, the awkward air settling once more as Gabriella mouthed a soft 'ooh' and slipped the CD back in the case, quickly pulling out his Kings of Leon album and popping it in the player.
The two fell into silence through the rest of the drive home, partly lost in their own thoughts and partly lost for words. Gabriella quietly helped Troy to unload the trunk of his car when they reached his apartment, the silence lingering between them until they reached the lobby and Troy proceeded to walk smack into the automatic glass doors which – for some reason – didn't open as the two approached.
Gabriella bit her lip as Troy stumbled back, staring dazedly at the closed doors in front of him. Her self-control lasted approximately three seconds before she burst out laughing. Troy rubbed his forehead before turning to Gabriella, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm...I'm sorry," she gasped between giggles, clutching her stomach. "But you...but you...oh god, that was...so...funny..."
"Oh really, Montez," Troy said with a smirk, taking a step towards her as she took a step back, the movement causing the doors to open finally.
"Yes, you just...oh I can't breathe...so funny..."
"You know what's funny?" Troy asked, taking another step closer, Gabriella taking another step back as he raised his bag-filled hands and wiggled the tips of his fingers.
"Uh huh...oh...I'm...uh..." she suddenly sensed 'danger' and turned on her heel, darting through the doors and sprinting towards the open elevator, diving in and slamming her hand down on the button to close the doors, which shut just as Troy was about to jump in. Gabriella waved cheekily as the last crack closed, giggling to herself as she rode up to Troy's level.
Five minutes later she was standing outside his door - leaning against the wall coolly - when the fire door housing the stairwell swung open and a breathless Troy emerged.
"Right, Montez," he said, bending over slightly as he attempted to catch his breath. "Right. You're going down. As soon as I can breathe again, you're history."
Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "I might just go home now," she said casually, moving to brush past him. "Have fun figuring out your blues from your greens."
"Uh, I don't think so," Troy stated, straightening up and extending an arm, trapping her against the wall as he leaned right in to whisper in her ear. "You owe me now."
"Oh really?" Gabriella said in an amused tone.
"Uh huh. You laughed at my misfortune and then made me trek all the way up the stairs with these heavy cans of paint," he explained as he turned her and pulled her against him, her back against his front as he unlocked his door, ensuring she couldn't escape. "So therefore, I sentence you to an entire afternoon of DIY renovation torture."
Gabriella rolled her eyes. "How will I ever cope?" she asked dramatically as the door swung open and they walked inside, Troy setting down the bags in the entrance before raising his hands above his head, stretching with a yawn.
"Tired, Wildcat?" Gabriella teased, setting her purse down on the coffee table. "Heeey!" she exclaimed suddenly, her face lighting up as she spotted the framed photo on his mantle, picking it up and turning to smile at Troy. "I have this exact same picture! It's on my ni...It's...in my...apartment," she finished lamely.
Her slip of the tongue did not go un-noticed, but Troy decided to let it go, smiling at her, taking the frame from her hands and looking at the picture. "Look at us. So young," he commented wistfully. "So happy."
"I didn't notice it on the mantle before," Gabriella commented.
Troy shook his head. "It wasn't. But once I cleared out all of Al...all the junk, it looked so bare. I found this in a box and it just...fit..." he concluded softly.
Gabriella's stomach fluttered at his words and she found she was unable to control herself. She stood on tip-toe and pressed a quick, soft kiss against his lips.
Gabriella's eyes widened, shocked at her own brazenness. She watched him trail two fingers over his lips. "I...I'm sorry," she stammered, blushing furiously.
Troy's lips curled into a smile. In that brief moment when Gabriella's lips had met his – it felt right. He didn't exactly understand why, but he knew that it felt right and that he was more than ok with it. "Don't be," he said resolutely, reaching out to cup her cheek in his hand, lowering his head and brushing his lips against hers before pulling away. "There, we're even."
HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM
Six hours, two paint fights, one bruised knee (courtesy of Gabriella tripping over a paint roller) and a dinner of Japanese take out later, an undercoat and one layer of paint had been applied to all four walls of Troy's living room.
He had driven her home and as he switched off the ignition and unbuckled his seatbelt, Troy shifted in his seat so he could look at Gabriella.
"Thanks so much for all your help today. Seriously, if it was left up to me I would have gotten absolutely nothing done. Nothing productive, anyway."
Gabriella shot him a warm smile. "It was my pleasure. I had a fun day. And thanks for dinner, too. I'd still feel better if you'd let me give you half the money, though."
Troy shook his head. "Uh uh – my shout, I insist. Call it payment for your redecorating expertise."
"Fine, if you insist," Gabriella relented, unbuckling her seatbelt.
"Want me to walk you up?" Troy asked, but Gabriella shook her head.
"It's ok, I'm just going to go jump straight in the shower and wash out the paint that someone got in my hair," she replied.
"Wasn't me, I swear!" Troy laughed. "Alright then, I'll call you tomorrow yeah?"
Gabriella nodded. "Ok..." a silence settled between them for a moment as they remained where they were, avoiding each other's gaze. "Well, goodnight Troy," Gabriella said finally.
Troy leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead, right above her temple. "Night Ella."
Gabriella slipped her bag over her shoulder and crawled out of his car, Troy watching her until she reached the door of her building. She turned back and gave one last smile, raising her hand in a small wave which he returned before she disappeared through the glass doors, leaving him to drive home with a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM
"Mom!" Gabriella answered her cell brightly as she read the caller ID flashing on the screen. "Hi!"
"Hi Gabi," came her mother's reply. "Finally, we're home at the same time! How many days now have we been missing each other's calls?"
"I know!" Gabriella replied. "It's been ridiculous! How are things, anyway? How's your ankle?"
In the midst of Alexis leaving Troy and the whole tug of war Gabriella had put herself through over that, she had received a call from her mother who had slipped on a freshly mopped floor at work and broken her ankle. As much as she had tried to reassure Gabriella that she was fine – and it was first thought that she would be - the break was not healing well, and it had now become apparent that she would require surgery to insert pins into the shattered bones – surgery which was scheduled to fall the same week as Gabriella's graduation. Despite much pleading to the Orthopaedic Surgeon on Maria's part, if the surgery was not performed the week it had been booked, there was not an available slot for another four months – a wait which was not an option in the interest of her health.
Maria was devastated that she would not be able to fly to Boston to see her only child officially announced as 'Doctor Montez' - Gabriella was disappointed too – but both of them knew that it couldn't be helped, and there was no point in getting upset over it. Gabriella had instead pointed out that they would just have to celebrate twice as hard when they eventually did see each other again.
Maria sighed. "It's ok. I'm going a little stir crazy around the house though."
"I wish I could fly over to be with you," Gabriella said miserably. "I hate knowing that you are going to be having surgery and I can't be there to hold your hand!"
"I hate knowing my baby is graduating from Harvard and I can't be there to cheer her on," Maria replied.
"I know, Mom, but you'll be there in spirit and I know how proud you are of me – that makes all the difference, it really does. And I promise – as soon as the graduation ball and ceremony, and orientation at Boston Children's are done with, I'm flying to Albuquerque to visit for a couple of weeks before my residency starts."
"I'll hold you to that," Maria said with a smile. "Speaking of the graduation ball, have you managed to snag yourself a hot date yet?" she asked cheekily.
"Mom!" Gabriella laughed.
"What? Aren't I allowed to dig for details about my daughter's love life?"
"Or lack thereof," Gabriella shot back.
"Oh, give it time my girl – someone is out there waiting for you. Maybe the perfect man is right under your nose and you don't even know it yet."
Oh I know it, Gabriella smiled to herself as her mind drifted back to the previous weekend with Troy, and the way his lips had felt against hers as they –albeit briefly – kissed.
"Maybe..." Gabriella mused, an idea starting to form in her mind.
By the time she hung up from her mother over an hour later, Gabriella knew she needed to speak to Taylor right away. Punching the number into her cell, she switched her phone to her other ear and waited for her best friend to answer.
"Hey girl," Taylor greeted.
"Taylor! I need your advice, big time..."
"I'm fine, thanks Gabriella. How nice of you to ask," came Taylor's drawled reply.
HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM
Friday night found Gabriella standing in front of her full length mirror, studying her reflection carefully and trying to figure out why she even cared. She had almost kidded herself into believing "it's just Troy – he's your friend. Of course he'll say yes – as a favour. As friends. Of course he will."
But then she had realised how desperately she wished she could be approaching this situation from a date date point of view – as opposed to a friend's date – and her nerves had returned full force.
The next weekend was the annual Harvard Medical School Graduation Ball, to be followed 6 days later by the actual graduation ceremony. When Gabriella had casually run the idea of asking Troy to accompany her to her graduation ball by Taylor, her friend had agreed immediately, making Gabriella promise she would follow through with it, and leaving her with hundreds – literally – of 'helpful tips' for how exactly to go about asking Troy.
That afternoon, Gabriella had completed her final day at MassGeneral Children's Hospital. It had been a bittersweet occasion – Gabriella would really miss her mentors there and some of the more long term patients she had been given the opportunity to work with, but at the same time she was relieved that her studies were finally done and she could focus on starting her medical career.
The previous evening, Troy had called Gabriella to wish her luck for her last day and something had possessed her to invite Troy along to the 'end-of-rotation' party she was planning on attending with some of her fellow med students at the conclusion of their final day. He had agreed before Gabriella even realised what she had asked him, so there she was – checking herself over in the mirror whilst waiting for Troy to pick her up.
"Stupid big mouth," she grumbled to herself. "God, Gabriella, you've gone to every single Med School event the past few years single and alone. You've survived. What the hell made you think it was necessary to ask Troy Bolton if he wanted to come along to this one in particular?" she sighed, pulling her hair over one shoulder before tossing it back behind her. "For god's sake stop being so stupid – it's Troy! We're good friends. And at least it's practice for the Grad Ball...if he happens to say yes..."
A knock at the door caused her to jump slightly, before taking a deep breath as she smoothed down her baby blue cocktail dress. The shimmering fabric hugged her figure and was held up by thin spaghetti straps, the scalloped hem falling just above her knee. She had left her hair in its naturally curly state and it tumbled down over her shoulders, framing her face in a mass of ebony. Slipping on a pair of strappy silver heels, Gabriella tossed her cell, keys, ID, some money and lip gloss into a matching silver clutch, and went to answer the door.
"Hey," she greeted Troy with a smile.
"Hi," he grinned back. "You ready?"
"Uh huh," Gabriella nodded, grabbing her coat and locking her apartment door.
As she fumbled with the lock, Troy allowed himself to take in her appearance properly. "You look really beautiful, Ella," he told her sincerely.
Gabriella felt her cheeks redden as the butterflies in her stomach reminded her they were still there.
"Thank you," she replied. "You don't scrub up too bad yourself," she told him, her eyes sparkling as they swept over his dark jeans, white V-neck t-shirt and black dress blazer.
The corner of Troy's lips curled up slightly. "Shall we?" he asked, offering her his arm. Gabriella giggled and looped her arm through his, neither blind to the bolt of electricity that struck the both of them as their bodies touched.
The drive across town to the party took around fifteen minutes, although it seemed more like fifteen seconds to Gabriella and Troy who chatted effortlessly the entire ride. The party was being held at a popular restaurant and bar called Wyton's, which boasted a VIP function room upstairs that had been booked for the occasion.
Troy placed a hand in the small of Gabriella's back as they entered Wyton's and ascended a spiral staircase to the room where the party was being held. A high pitched squeal pierced Troy's ears as soon as he opened the door and followed Gabriella into the VIP room, which was decorated with silver, purple and blue balloons, streamers and fairy lights.
"GABRIELLA!!!!" Troy blinked as a flurry of turquoise satin and light brown curls flew at them, pulling Gabriella from his side. "WE'RE DONE, WE'RE DONE, WE'RE FINALLY DONE!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??"
Gabriella's melodious laughter rang through the room. "I know, Nik! It's crazy! I'm so happy!"
The two hugged tightly, jumping up and down. Troy felt a smile on his lips as he watched Gabriella laugh with her friend Nikita. These past few weeks with her...they had been incredible. Despite the pain of his break up with Alexis and the confusion he had had about his feelings for Gabriella, he knew there was no way he could deny that he was falling for her all over again – harder and harder with every moment they spent together. He loved her dearly as a friend, and felt so incredibly blessed to have been given this chance to get to know her for a second time...but with every touch and every glance they shared, Troy was feeling the ache of desire. He knew he wanted something more.
Nikita leaned over and whispered in Gabriella's ear. "So who's the hunk?" she asked, a glint in her eye.
"Nik!" Gabriella hissed, slapping her friend playfully on the arm. "Troy?" Troy snapped to attention at the sound of his name. "This is my friend Nikita. Nik, this is my good friend Troy Bolton," Gabriella said pointedly.
"Nice to meet you," Nikita said with a smile, shaking Troy's hand. "My boyfriend Andrew is hanging over by the nibbles. I'll have to introduce you later, I think he's feeling a little left out," she shook her head. "Speaking of, I'd better go keep him company. You two crazy kids have fun!"
Gabriella giggled as Nikita breezed off. "It's hard to believe she has an IQ of 130 sometimes. She's very clever academically, and she's a lovely girl...but she can be a bit of a fruit loop," she laughed, suddenly grabbing Troy's hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some of my other friends!"
An hour and a half into the party, Gabriella and Troy were sitting around a table with a group of Gabriella's friends. Besides Nikita and Andrew, there was Kiralee and her boyfriend Matt, Mya – who Gabriella had roomed with in her junior and senior year of college – and her boyfriend Josh, Riley and his girlfriend Julia, as well as her friends AJ, Lilly, Thomas and Will. As far as Troy could tell they all seemed like really lovely people but as much as the conversation taking place around the table was both intriguing and entertaining, Troy found himself entranced by Gabriella as she interacted with her friends.
He was mesmerised by the little things – things he once knew about her but was now re-discovering. The way her shoulders shook when she giggled. The way she scrunched her nose up a little when she was concentrating really hard. The animated expressions that danced across her face as she listened to her friends. The way she used her hands when speaking. The way she would glance sideways every now and then and give him a little smile before quickly averting her eyes, her cheeks flushing a little.
Testing – just testing - he moved his hand to where Gabriella's was resting in her lap, picking it up in his and bringing both their hands to rest on his leg.
Gabriella froze for a moment when she felt his hand on hers. She glanced sideways at Troy, but his expression was unchanged and he seemed to be watching Riley with interest as he told a story about a cardiac patient he had worked with on his rotation. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat as she glanced down at their interlinked hands resting on Troy's jeans-covered thigh and she felt slightly lightheaded. Refraining from passing out, however, she took a nervous breath before looping her fingers through Troy's, feeling him give her hand a gentle squeeze as she did so.
A little while later, Nikita, Mya, Kiralee and Julia dragged their partners off to the dance floor as the song suddenly changed. Lilly grinned.
"I LOVE this song! Who else is up for a dance?"
The others in the group quickly agreed, leaving Troy and Gabriella alone at the table, still holding onto the other's hand. Troy leaned over until he was so close that his cheek brushed against hers and his lips ghosted across her ear as he whispered to her.
"Come dance with me?"
Gabriella's legs turned to jelly as he stood, maintaining his hold on her hand as he pulled her with him. Completely incapable of speech, she opted for nodding dumbly as he led her onto the dance floor. Amidst the squash of bodies moving to the rhythm of the beat, Troy snaked his hand around Gabriella's waist, linking them together in the small of her back. As Gabriella devoted one hundred percent of her concentration to reminding herself to breathe – in, out, in, out, iiiin, oooouuut – her hands wound themselves around Troy's neck, settling where hair met skin.
Stomach to stomach, chest to chest, Troy and Gabriella could feel each other's hearts beating as the music pulsed through the room. Their eyes locked as they began to move, slightly hesitantly at first – starting out with a modest bop to the beat.
Nikita and Andrew twirled past them after a minute, and Nikita scoffed. "Come on Gabi, I know you can do better than that! Show us that wild side of yours!"
Gabriella glowed scarlet and Troy did is best to swallow his smirk as he lowered his head to her ear. "Wild side, huh Ella?" he whispered huskily. "This I have to see. Don't tell me you've shown your Harvard friends a repeat of that time you got tipsy at Chad's eighteenth and you and I were dancing to Chris Brown on top of the..."
"Troy!" Gabriella hissed, finding herself suddenly frozen as Troy grinned, purposely allowing his lips to brush the side of her neck – right below her ear – before he pulled back, testing...just testing. "Right, Bolton," she suddenly said decisively. He had been teasing her with his flirtatious moves all night. She wasn't sure what he was doing or where he was going with it, but she could play that game too. "You're on."
Troy's breath hitched in his chest as she pressed herself against him, rolling her hips – a little shyly at first, but gaining more confidence as Troy responded to her – holding her tighter, and moving against her. The song changed, and Troy turned Gabriella in his arms, pulling her back into him. She swayed her hips to the beat of the music, her backside grinding against Troy's pelvis.
As Gabriella felt Troy's arms encircle her waist - his hands clasped over her stomach - she leaned backwards into him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he brought his head forward to brush a soft kiss against her cheek as they continued to move together.
"Woohoooo, go you two!" Nikita teased as she danced back past. "Steamin' up the dance floor, Gabs!"
Gabriella suddenly realised just how provocatively she and Troy were dancing, and blushed as she pulled away slightly, turning back to face him.
"I, uh...I think I need some water, want to sit?" she yelled over the music.
Troy just nodded and guided her off the dance floor and back to the table, picking up to glasses of water from the bar on their way past. No sooner had they sat down, Lilly, Mya, Josh, Kiralee, Matt and Thomas appeared, gathering up their bags and coats.
"We're going to call it a night," Mya said. "I'll give you a call over the weekend about the Ball, Gabi," she said, hugging her friend.
"Ok, I'll speak to you then. We should probably head off too, I guess," Gabriella commented, turning to Troy who nodded.
Goodbyes were exchanged between the remainder of the young adults before they headed down the stairs and out the main doors of Wyton's, going their separate ways with one final farewell wave. Gabriella shivered a little as the night air hit her, pulling her coat tighter across her chest.
"Are you cold?" Troy asked, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.
"A little," Gabriella admitted, now unsure whether her shivers were from the weather, or from Troy's touch.
"Here," Troy pulled off his blazer, leaving him in just his t-shirt and jeans as he wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Troy, I don't want you to get sick..." Gabriella told him, biting her bottom lip.
Troy smiled at her concern. "I'd rather catch a cold than have you sick," he replied. Gabriella fell silent, the two walking in step, side by side. "Hey..." Troy began hesitantly. "Are you...You're not in a hurry to get home are you?" he asked.
"No, I...I guess not. Why?" Gabriella asked inquisitively.
"I just...There's something I want to show you," he replied.
"Oh...ok. Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you as well."
"Yeah? Well, that's settled then," he smiled at her as she looked up at him curiously, before reaching down and taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as he lead her in the direction of his car. "Come on."
So, another chapter draws to a close. Please let me know what you thought!
UP NEXT: Troy shows Gabi what he wanted to show her, and Gabi asks Troy what she wanted to ask him!
Until then, hope you all continue to enjoy the festive season! Remember – calories don't count this time of year ;)
Kylie xox