Isabella sat on her small couch with the television on and three empty pints of ice cream on her coffee table next to the eviction notice she tore off the door when she came back from the food market across the street. What was she going to do with herself? What could she do at this point? There as a knock on the door and she jerked as she looked back at it. Her apartment was very small. She could see everything from where she was on the couch. "Who is it?" she called nervous that it could be the landlord there to give her the boot. She wasn't ready.
"It's me,"
The sound of Gabriella's voice made her still. What was she doing here? Quickly getting up from her spot on the couch she walked over to the door and peeked through the tiny eye hole. Sure enough, there she was. Her older sister was standing in the hallway looking around in discomfort and disgust. Her family never visited, never came over to help her move in or came by just to have a pizza. Her mother had deemed the apartment building a trouble makers paradise.
"What are you doing here?" Isabella said through the door not entirely sure she wanted to open it yet. Her apartment was a mess and she hadn't showered in the last two days. The last thing she needed was her older sister around to rub it in.
"Izzy?" Gabriella said looking back up at the door, "I just want to talk."
"Then talk."
Gabriella looked down at the man who was sleeping in an upright position by the door. It annoyed her that her sister lived here; it annoyed her that she could be so careless with her own safety. "Preferably, I would like to talk about this in private." The man shifted and Gabriella jerked a little further to left. "Sorry. No offense," she murmured.
When there was no response Gabriella let out a sigh and held up her box so it was visible in the peep hole. "I have a triple fudge chocolate cake with almonds sprinkled on top from Sweet Momma Bee's?" she teased.
There was another pause and then there was the sound of the door being unlocked. When she pulled the door open Gabriella stilled from the sight of her sister. The circles under her eyes were darker, her cheeks sunk in and her hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun that had hair slipping from the band. For someone with child she looked skinny, fragile, nothing like the little sister she knew who had attitude and a taste for life.
"You look like shit," Isabella said leaning against the door as she looked Gabriella over as well.
"Yeah well, you look like dog shit," Gabriella titled her head with a small smile.
"Is that really a triple fudge cake or is that just a prop?"
Gabriella pulled the box open to display the cake, "I'm fine with eating it straight from the box if you are?"
"My apartment is mess."
"I don't care about that," Gabriella said with a sigh.
Isabella moved to the side and Gabriella stepped inside. There was a stale stench of life in the air as the busted radiator clinked and clanged about. It was also cold with a single candle burning on the table releasing a smell of cinnamon into the air that mixed with a faint smell of dirty clothes and trash. She didn't know what she'd been expecting to find. Looking around she felt the sadness wash over her, the feeling of disappointment not in her sister, but in herself for not realizing what was happening. On the table next two three open tubs of ice cream was a bright red eviction letter. "Isabella," Gabriella said with small frown.
Her sister came to stand by her side, "Welcome to my home."
Gabriella bit down on her bottom lip, not able to think of anything to say as she looked around the apartment. "Why didn't you come to me?"
"How could I?" Isabella said with shrug, "You're already giving up so much just for the restaurant and mom. What kind of person would I be if I added to that?"
"Someone living with heat, that's who." Gabriella answered. "My niece or nephew is not growing up here."Gabriella walked further into the apartment and let out a sigh as she dropped onto the couch. "You're pregnant Izzy, that requires care and maintenance."
"About that," Isabella said coming to stand next to the couch.
"Shut up, pull out two forks, and let's get to work on this cake," Gabriella said making herself comfortable on the couch.
Isabella didn't move, in fact she steeled her shoulders and let out a huff, "I already talked to Troy and to David about this and my mind is made up, I can't have this baby. I won't do it."
There was a pause as Gabriella watched her sister standing at the edge of the couch, she looked lost, scared and confused. "You don't deserve my kindness, but because you're stupid I'm going to have to give it to you."
"I'm not asking you to forgive me, you already made it plenty clear-"
Gabriella stood up, "You slept with my boyfriend, you continued to sleep with him and next thing I know you're pregnant with his child. Not only did you do this unforgiveable betrayal but you brought my husband into you mess and end up destroying that relationship as well. So get over yourself, because I'm the one who's having a crisis not you!"
Isabella bit her bottom lip as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes avoiding Gabriella's by all cost. "I'm sorry."
"Unfortunately that won't cut it," Gabriella said taking a seat again, "It's going to be a long time before I'm okay with what you did, but you're a grown ass woman who can make her own decisions. This baby is a human life, it is a responsibility and you do not get to carelessly throw that away because you think it will make me forgive you and we could forget this whole thing ever happened. It won't."
"Well it is my decision what happens to me."
"Then grow up and make a proper choice Isabella." The room was quiet as she looked at the cake in her lap. "Do you love him?" Gabriella said after taking a moment to think about it.
"Gabriella, what we did was-"
"Stupid, inconsiderate, repugnant, selfish and morally wrong?" Gabriella finished for her.
"I can't bring a child into this," Isabella said hanging her head a little in shame.
Gabriella was quiet as she looked around the room, "I asked you if you love him?"
"I don't want to."
Gabriella nodded slowly as she opened the box of cake, "Then we can talk about this. It's not going to be easy but we can work on it."
"Gabi,"
Gabriella held up a hand to stop her, "We're family. Part of being family is putting up with each other's stupid shit. David doesn't mean anything to me anymore, things between us are over and it's all water under the bridge. I've moved on and going forward I just want us to all be happy." Taking another breath Gabriella slowly looked around the apartment and placed the box of cake on the coffee table over the eviction notice. "You deserve more than this, and since I know David, he's probably offered to take care of you."
"He asked me to live with him," Isabella let out a shaky breathe as she uncrossed her arms.
"In the past 6 months I've learned that you can't help who you love," Gabriella looked down at her bare finger that had already developed a faint tan line, leaving behind a ghost of her marriage to haunt her. "I didn't love Troy, I didn't even like him." Gabriella shook her head as she looked over at the cake, "I just woke up one day and all these feelings I had no intention of feeling for him were there and I was so angry with myself for it."
"But he's your husband and he loves you," Isabella said cautiously, "Why are you trying to be unhappy on purpose? Who cares how it happened or what you thought about him when you first met. He's your husband and you love him."
"Having what I have now with Troy shows me that what I had before him was a joke." Gabriella looked up at Isabella with raised brow, "David and I were together because it was convenient at the time. We were both going to school for the same reasons, we had the same friends, I thought having everything in common made a relationship, I thought never fighting meant our relationship was solid, I thought that because I said I love you it meant something."
"What do you think now?"
"I still don't know," Gabriella shrugged, "What I do know is that you love David. I know that it's not the reason I'm upset with you. I know that having his baby is a little weird and seeing you two together as a couple is going to be awkward, but it's not what makes me feel angry." Gabriella paused as she looked back down at her finger, "I'm angry because you didn't care enough to tell me, I'm angry because you dragged my past into my future. I'm angry because I don't get to hate you both as much as I want to and rightfully deserve to. I just can't raise to that level of give a shit at the moment."
"Gabi,"
"My time to care about it passed. I have a new heartache that needs mending and my own problems I need to work out. So I'm making a decision to not give a fuck about something I have no control over. So I'm okay with you being with him now. He can be the man you love and the father to that child. As long as you're happy I don't care. We're a family. You're my sister. We can work on it and we can move past it."
"You mean that?" Isabella said slowly coming to sit on the couch beside her.
"Every word."
"Oh god," Isabella shoulders fell as she leaned forward crushing into Gabriella's open arms. "Oh my god I was so scared. I love him so much and I wanted this baby but I couldn't do that to you and I would never want to hurt you!"
Gabriella hand came up to gently rub her sister back, her lips parted as she rocked her back and forth.
"It's going to be alright. It's okay Izzy. Everything is going to be okay." Gabriella felt the prickle of her own tears threaten to fall. Her emotions had once again gotten the better of her and she was couldn't help the tears that spilled over her eyes.
"I really messed things up didn't I? What about you and Troy," Isabella pulled back, wiping the tears from her face. "It wasn't his fault, I begged him not to tell you, I didn't know what else to do and I panicked."
Gabriella wiped a tear from her eye as she sniffled and shrugged her shoulders. "Troy and I were never going to work."
"But you looked so happy."
Gabriella was quite as she stared off to the side her eyes fixed on the chocolate cake once again. "He won't say I love you."
"Of course he loves you."
"He might but he doesn't want that kind of relationship. He wants a partner not a wife." Gabriella shook her head, "I want to have love in my life, I need it in my life. I won't settle for anything less than that."
"Oh Gabi," Isabella held out her hands and it was Gabriella turn to free fall into her sisters arms.
"And that's not the worst part," Gabriella said into her sister shoulder as she took a deep breath and braced herself for what she was about to say, "I think I'm pregnant."
Both sisters were quiet for a long a while as the news lingered in the air between them. Isabella was the first one to speak, "Have you told mom?"
"No," Gabriella said almost embarrassed to admit it.
"When you tell mom, let her think you told her first," Isabella said with a hesitant tone, "She's not too happy about being the last to know things."
Gabriella let out a sigh snuggled into her sister's arms, "You know there's a hobo sleeping by your door?"
"His name is Frank," Isabella said with a small laugh, "I let him use my bathroom once."
Two weeks after a festive crying and triple fudge eating marathon Gabriella now stood in the kitchen going over the checklist for tonight, for a third time. In the past 3 weeks there had been one to many sleepless nights and now every side project she had, had been completed ahead of time. "Great," she said with frown as she looked around her stocked kitchen. What was she going to do now to chase off those unwelcomed thoughts? The quiet whispers filling her mind of his voice, his smile, his smell and even the feel of his skin beneath her finger tips.
Some days she would gave into them, lose herself in the memories. The pleasure she'd found in those memories were enough to get by on for minutes at a time. Other days, like today she fought them, not wanting the pain that came with the understanding of what she lost. Suddenly her checklist blurred. More tears. How long would it take before she cried her last? At the sharp ache in her heart she wondered if it would be ever.
"Gabriella," her mother's concerned voice filled the room and Gabriella took a strong deep breath as she cleared her head.
"I'm okay," she confirmed putting all the papers together for Taylor who would be out on the floor all night managing guest, food and staff.
"I don't believe you," Maria said coming closer as she looked over at Zeke who was walking through with a giant basket of peppers.
"I'm fine really," Gabriella smiled meekly, "nothing a bottle of Jack and straight razor won't fix," she finished with a big fake smile.
"You know you could go home," Maria said with raised brow, "you've done a wonderful job with everything here and I'm more than sure that Jack and Cathy will understand. Besides you shouldn't be working so hard the baby-"
"Mom," Gabriella said cutting her off and clipping all the paper to the clipboard, "You know as well as I do that I've come too far to run and hide now. I have to be here tonight because I have to tell him, I have to talk to him at some point."
"I guess you're right," Maria said with a sigh, "How sure are you that he is going to be here?"
"I just know," Gabriella said tucking another strand of hair back. She knew her husband, she knew he wouldn't stay away for long and she knew that he would come tonight. They had both worked too hard to not basket in the fruition of the last 6 months. Sharpay had texted her about Jack and his heart condition. They had gone out for coffee and tea to talk about it. She felt horrible about not being there for them, about not being there to hold Troy's hand.
There was no doubt with everything going on that he would be here tonight, hence, she'd chosen to wear her red dress with the open back. Her hair was down around her shoulders just the way she knew he liked it and her heels that pinched at her feet were enough to make her just tall enough that should he kiss her, he wouldn't have to go very far. If she was going to have to face him she at least wanted to look good while doing it. The only lingering question about Troy Bolton was when.
Suddenly the double door swung open as Taylor and Chad tumbled in, their lips mingled together in a quick kiss as he held bags of cilantro leaves in his hands. The giggles came to quick stop as they halted in Gabriella presence like to teenagers caught after hours.
"Try to not maul each other while the guests are here," Gabriella said with a quick smile.
Taylors cheeks flamed with red as she tried her best to straighten out her uniform, "Hey, do you have the seating charts?" she said shyly.
"Got everything right here," Gabriella said handing off the paper work.
"Thanks," Taylor raced back out of the kitchen leaving quickly.
Chad let out a chuckle as he brought the bags to the table and set them down, "Looking good Mrs. Montez," he said leaning over and placing a kiss on Maria's cheek.
"Not so bad yourself Mr. Danforth," she said with a raised brow, "you better not be up to no good with that girl, she runs this place almost as good as my daughter. We can't afford to lose her."
"No maim, I wouldn't dream of it," Chad said turning around to get a knife from the metal strip on the wall so he could start chopping the cilantro for tonight.
"Good," Maria said looking from him back to Gabriella, "You need to fix your hair, it's beginning to wilt."
"Mom," Gabriella groaned.
"Fine, I'll be out by the bar making sure our bar tender is prepared for tonight."
Once Maria was out of the kitchen Gabriella let out a sigh as she looked down at her fidgeting hands, she needed to stay busy. If she didn't she'd just end up thinking about him, about what he might say, about if he'd say anything at all. Shocked by turbulent emotions that kept on overwhelming her she blinked back tears and took in another steadying breath. Deciding to keep busy she left the kitchen making her way up to the office, they still needed to double check the valet parking and confirm security.
"Gabriella Montez?" a man called out catching her attention from the back of the room.
Hearing her name sent a cold chill up her spine as she stopped to turn towards the sound, "That's me," she said holding up a hand and looking at the man with an odd smile. She hadn't been called by her maiden name in a long time. It was almost as if that name belonged to an entirely different person.
"I'm the DJ for tonight," he said holding out his hand to greet her, "Where should I set up?"
Taking his hand in hers she smiled and looked over towards the dance floor at the clearing that they had already prepared for him, "You can set up over there, and I'll be in my office right up here, if you need me."
Gabriella turned around and stopped dead in her tracks. The lingering question had been answered. Troy in all his potent masculinity and sophistication glory wrapped up in his designer sleek suit. As always, he was the living, breathing definition of drop-dead gorgeous. Her heart started thumping.
"Montez?" he said softly, "I realize it's been a while since we spoke, but I'd have thought someone would have notified me if I'd gotten divorced?" Troy said in low voice as he smiled at her, his brilliant blue eyes hovered over her in a hungry, all encompassing appraisal, but there was a combative edge to his stance.
"I must have hired him before I got use to signing off as Bolton. Doesn't matter anyway, I'll get use to hearing it again," Gabriella said timidly as she stood up straight in an attempt to show that she was just fine without him.
"I'm not leaving this restaurant without you," his resolve firm, "but first you have to listen to what I have to say."
Her mood had taken wings at that first declaration; however she had too much pride to show the fact. "After three weeks of silence I think I've heard all you had to say."
"I thought I deserved it. I was ashamed. I didn't know what to say to you."
"But you do now?" Gabriella countered.
Troy paled and shifted from one foot to the other. "I never wanted anything as much as I wanted you… no woman, no deal; no prize ever exerted that much of a hold on me. You're in a class of your own."
"I'm not denying that for some weird reason, I found you very attractive too," Gabriella allowed, softening a little because he really did look miserable.
"But I didn't treat you properly. I was very stubborn. I couldn't understand why you couldn't be happy with what other women had accepted. But I didn't want you to be like them, in fact I wanted you because you were different."
Gabriella finally grasped why he had sought her out again and her heart sank like a stone. "You're here to tell me that you're sorry."
"But not sorry to have met you or known you. I can never regret that. I'm sorry that I screwed up. I'm sorry that I kept the truth from you. I'm sorry that I hurt you." he told her urgently. "But right from the start I wanted you to love me and want me the way you wanted David."
"I don't want David. I never did, at least not after meeting you."
Troy loosened an uncertain laugh, "Now she tells me. You know you put me through hell."
"I couldn't help it," Gabriella said in low voice with a smirk on her lips.
They were both quite as they looked around them at people hustling around in an effort to prepare for tonight. The restaurant was finally reopening and they were kicking it off with Jack and Cathy's anniversary party. "I quit my job."
Gabriella eyes widen, "How does it feel to be your own boss?"
"Pretty damn good actually," Troy said with a sigh, "Margret decided to come with me, so did a few of others." Troy's brow arched in surprise still shocked by the event, "My father was actually pleased."
It had been a long 3 weeks without him, looking at him now all she wanted was to feel his arms wrap around her in a familiar encompassing hug. Pushing the thought from her mind she thought about other things. Like David and Isabella who were currently moving in together. When she thought about what had happened between them all, she'd come to realize that while it still hurt to know what really happened all those years ago, it was in the past. There was nothing anyone of them could do about it. She meant what she said that night in the room. She was truly and deeply sick of all things her and David. "I talked to my sister, gave her my blessing, it's still going to be awkward for a while but," Gabriella shrugged as she fiddled with her hands, "you can't help who you love I guess."
"I guess so," Troy said raising a brow as he eyed her with a faint amusement. Quietly they stood there for a moment watching people around them hustling with setting tables and hanging the twinkle lights from the ceiling. "You changed the name after all. Amore?"'
"It means love."
Troy's lips pulled into a smile, "What brought you to that?"
Gabriella shrugged her shoulders, "This restaurant was the love of my father's life, it is the love of mine and during all of this I have learned so many things about love, my love has been tested, I have given love, lost love, and even redefined it a little bit." Gabriella let out a sigh as she looked around the room, "It just seemed to be fitting."
"That's a wonderful reason."
"What are you doing here?" she asked the words barely above a whisper, "The event doesn't start for another hour," she added turning back to see the clock on the wall before turning back to face him. He was closer to her now; she fought the urge to step forward.
He opened his mouth to answer, but then all he could do was stare. Soaking in the sight of her soft skin and gorgeous mouth he hadn't seen smile for too damn long. Her face seemed thinner and he didn't like the shadows beneath her eyes, and yet no one had ever been as beautiful as she was right then. Clearing his throat he looked down into the eyes that had been haunting him for weeks. "Gabriella, I never wanted love. All my adult life I avoided that kind of intimacy, holding myself at arm's length and making unbreakable boundaries a part of every relationship. It was easy. Until I met you. I married you and all the rules I lived by were a thing of the past. I swore up and down we'd have a controlled marriage where no one would get hurt, but I couldn't even control myself. Nothing halfway was enough for you and I made every excuse in the book but I couldn't admit what was going on."
"What was that?" Gabriella studied him carefully, to afraid that she might misinterpret what it was that he was trying to say.
Troy pulled a box from inside his breast pocket and held it up, "I know I made mess of our first proposal, but I'm hoping that this one makes up for it."
Gabriella quickly brought a hand up to her mouth as he dropped down to one knee right there in the middle of the restaurant. A flood of red flared in her cheeks as she looked around at everyone who was stopping to watch them. "Troy…"
"I'm asking you to let me give you a lifetime of what you've shown me matters most. Laughter, love, late-night conversations and even teaching me where all the dishes go after their washed." Laughter echoed around them and for the first time he noticed the audience, his heart was slamming as he looked up at her once more, "Gabriella, I love you. I'm asking you to be my wife in the most conventional, traditional and time-tested meaning of the word, for as long as we both shall live."
"You love me?" she whispered the sound of his proposal drifting as those three little words sent a tingling sensation through her blood.
"I love you," he said quietly, removing the ring from the box and taking her hand, "I love you a lot."
Dazzled by the enormous sapphire and diamond ring he'd placed on her finger as he confessed his love Gabriella lifted startled eyes to his lean darkly handsome face. "You don't have to say it if you don't mean it."
"I can't sleep without you, when you left I thought my life was over. I've been in love with you for long time without realizing it and I will do anything it takes for you to believe me. Please say you'll be mine."
Overwhelmed Gabriella nodded several times and squeezed his fingers while whispering fervently, "I love you too…"
Gloriously happy Troy raised to his feet bringing her to him he caught her with one hand beneath her hair. Silencing any denial she might have made with a kiss bursting with every bit of aching, unfulfilled longing, heartbreak, desire and need he'd suffered since the moment she left. He told her with his lips how he missed her, with his tongue the way of his want. Gentle bites hinted at the hold she had on him. Pulling away from him she placed her hand flat on his chest, "Say it again?"
Troy who was panting from lack of breath furrowed his brows lost as he looked down at her, "What?"
"Tell me you love me."
"I love you," he said coming into kiss her he stopped when she pulled back.
"Again."
Troy's laugh was deep as it was careless and light hearted, wrapping his arms around her he held her close, "I love you," he said reassuringly placing a kiss on her forehead. "Is there anything else that you need to hear?"
"Maybe," she said playfully, "but for now all I want is you."
"Yeah?" When Troy pulled her hand to bring her closer she hesitated.
"Troy, I have something I need to tell you?"
"Anything?" he said looking at her with concern.
Gabriella smiled as she glanced up everyone around them who was still watching, her nerves suddenly fled and she looked back at Troy with a small frown.
"What is it?" he said pulling her to him.
This time she came willingly fitting her body against his, "Well," she said biting her lip as she looked at him endearingly. "I'm kind of pregnant."
Troy stilled as he tilted his head to the right, his eye blazed with a bright blue she'd never really seen before and for a moment she didn't know what she expected from him.
"Have you gone to a doctor? We should find out for sure," he said pulling her in the direction of the front door.
"I'm sure," Gabriella said with a small laugh, "I'm actually seven positive pregnancy tests sure."
Troy gasp as he immediately placed his hand on her stomach as if he'd feel a response. She felt a slow burn building up from his touch on her body, this burn mixed with a bubbling happiness that made her want to laugh.
"We're pregnant!" he shouted looking around the room with a beaming joy.
Cheers went all around and Gabriella let out a laugh as she placed her hand over his on her stomach. "We're not pregnant, I'm pregnant."
"I don't care, we're going to have a baby" he said lifting her in a single swoop so that she was in his arms bridal style.
Gabriella smiled as he began to make his way towards the stairs up to her office, "Troy, I still have things I have to do."
"They can wait," he said taking the first two steps.
"No they can't," she said with a half smile, "this event is going to start in an hour."
"Good then you can spare 25 minutes," he said with a smirk. That half smile pushed hard at Troy's gorgeous lips until it spread, encompassing his whole mouth and then his face.
"People are watching," she protested, "They're going to know."
"Then we better give them a show." Before she could protest any further he gave her a kiss that was meant to be the first of its kind, but tasted so familiar. This kiss was a loving one. This one was delivered wholly, made without reservations or doubts. This kiss was a new promise, a promise of forever.