We Love Pretending
Chapter 27 - Goodbye For Now.
Gabriella felt her legs turn to jelly at the sight of the person in her front door. A million and one question filtered through her brain like bolts of lightning. Why was she here? How did she find where I lived? were just a few to count. She forgot about the shards of glass that were at her feet from the fallen wine glass, even though the noise still vibrated off the walls. Resting a shaky hand on the door to steady herself, she let her eyes wander over her unwanted guest.
She didn't look much different. She still had the straggly blonde hair, currently hanging loose with the hat on her head. Her piercing green eyes bore into Gabriella's brown ones, like they were fighting against one another, to see who would crack first. Charlie glared. Gabriella eyes flickered down over the long black coat, skinny black jeans and black heels. She looked like she had been hiding all day. Making her way back to Charlie's face, she remembered what some of the paparazzi had said. Something about a meeting she had organised. She was utterly confused.
The smash of the glass seemed to warn Troy there was some type of danger and his loud thumping footsteps warned both Gabriella and Charlie of his quick arrival. Charlie smirked in Gabriella's direction. This was exactly what she wanted.
"Gabriella! What the --"
Troy eyes scanned the red and glass mess on the floor, then connected with Charlie's feet, going gradually up her body until they reached her face, and his jaw hardened. His blue eyes turned a dangerous shade of navy, and they glared intensely at her.
He seemed to growl. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
Charlie shifted her weight with ease, an easy smirking smile playing on her thin lips. She rolled her eyes pathetically at Troy before answering. "Troy, that's no way to greet a guest."
Troy's arm snaked around Gabriella's waist for comfort, bringing her closer to his side like Charlie was going to pounce on her. He snarled at Charlie. "It is how you greet an unwanted one!"
Charlie faked shock. Gabriella's eyes wandered out into the night. It was almost midnight. She looked past the gate, which was wide open since Charlie's arrival, to see some flashlights. She groaned. Paparazzi catching this moment on camera was not what she needed right now.
She grabbed Troy's hand, then signalled to Charlie, pointing in the flashlights direction. "Look, paparazzi are coming. We don't need pictures of this in the morning, so please, if you're planning on staying then step inside, if not, well… Goodbye."
Charlie chuckled at Gabriella's sarcastic remark. She narrowed her eyes a little. "Lead the way, Gabriella."
Gabriella closed her eyes and sighed. She'd really have rathered that Charlie stayed away. She didn't want her in her house, looking around, especially at Troy. Troy stiffened beside her at Charlie's request. She stroked soothing circles on his hand, trying to calm him down. She turned to Charlie and smiled in a fake way. "This way."
She sidestepped, pushing Troy backwards a little, to let Charlie through. Charlie's heels hit off the wooden floors of the hall, so even if it was dark you know she was coming. Slipping her coat off and walking around like she owned the place, she put her coat on a peg and turned round. "Where's the living room?"
Troy reluctantly pointed down the hall. "Just there."
Charlie reached up and pressed her lips to Troy's cheeks, lingering a little too long. "Thank you. You're a doll."
Gabriella rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the jealousy that fought it's way up Gabriella's body. She turned rigid, just looking at the way Charlie's bright red lipstick settled on Troy's warm cheek. How dare she?
Gabriella coughed loudly.
Charlie smirked.
Troy glowered.
"Don't ever lay a finger on me again Charlie,' Troy glared at her, pushing her body away from his and stepping out to Gabriella. 'I'm not yours anymore. And I'm not going to be."
Charlie nodded her head, as if to say 'yeah, yeah whatever.' She shrugged. "Okay then,' she moved towards the living room, but turned once she was at the door. 'But I think you might just change your mind in a little while."
And she flounced into the other room.
Troy pulled Gabriella into a hug, still standing in shock in the hall. He pressed his lips into her hair, muttering 'sorry' every few seconds. Gabriella pulled away. She placed her hands on the sides of Troy's face, a sudden realization approaching. She cared for Troy more than she thought. It was no longer about the pretending thing that she was acting this way towards him. The hugs. The snuggling. The incredible kisses. It was about her and him, wanting to be together, but have been thrown together anyway. As she looked into his eyes, she knew that nothing in the world would break the bond they had made, so special and pure. They needed each other, desperately, like one couldn't function without the other. Like red and yellow in the rainbow song. Like a and b in the alphabet. Like peas and carrots. Never one without the other. She cared for Troy; like Troy; loved Troy. But maybe only in a friendly way. No, it was more than friendship. She couldn't make it out, but it was more. And Charlie wasn't going to take him away from her without a fight.
Her thumb moved from it's position on his cheek, their gaze still holding. Her thumb traced his lips carefully, loving the feeling on the smooth skin. She in took a deep breath and filled her senses with Troy's smell. Manly, but gorgeous none the less. And when she opened her eyes, she moved in just a few millimetres, connecting their lips together in a shot, sweet kiss. Breaking away, she rested their foreheads together.
"I need you." She whispered. Nobody but Troy could hear her words. "I need you to help me be strong, through everything tonight, and everything tomorrow. Help me."
He nodded, their connected foreheads bumping together. "We'll help each other."
He reached down, feeling more connected with Gabriella than ever, and entwined their hands. A small smile stretched across Gabriella lips, hanging on, but then falling when we broke apart, knowing where we were going next. She sighed.
And then together, they walked into the living room.
Charlie was sitting at Gabriella's piano stool, looking down at the keys, as if she was waiting, considering what she would say. She smiled mockingly at the pair, zoning in on their fastened hands while they walked. She raised her hand, about to place them on the keys.
"Please don't!" Gabriella gasped, outstretching her hand to try and save her piano from Charlie's filthy fingers.
Charlie's hands went up in surrender. "Ooops, sorry."
She got up from the stool and wandered over to the sofa, sitting down. Looking up at them, she told them to sit down. Reluctantly, they moved to the opposite couch, sitting down together, with Troy's arm around her shoulders, her head nestled into the crook of his neck.
Then Charlie snapped.
She threw her hands into the air with such force that it made Troy and Gabriela jump. She slammed them down onto the interior of the couch again, her palms slapping off the leather.
"You can drop the act now! I know you're game. I know everything, so you can stop prancing around like a honeymoon couple!"
Gabriella's stomach tightened into knots. Her hands clenched, knowing what was coming. Someone knew, someone, namely Charlie, knew about their pretending act. She knew this would happen. Something would go wrong, then their whole world would go to pieces. She just hadn't expected to feel so close to the person she was pretending to be with. She looked hesitantly up at Troy, who seemed to be wither using his acting skills really well, or completely oblivious to what she knew. His eyebrow arched when he looked back to Charlie.
He put his head to the side. "Excuse me?"
Charlie rolled her eyes. "The whole thing. You're pretending. You and Gabriella, and that Frank Letino. You're a scam. You're pretending to be a couple, when you're really not. I'm not fooled. It's all a big jokes, and I don't even wanna hear about the money you're getting paid for this." She shook head, the glared at Gabriella. "You know I know, don't you. And you're scared. You didn't want to be found out, but, guess what you have. So, if you don't mind, I'd really like my boyfriend back thanks."
Troy's grip on Gabriella tightened. It hurt at little, but Gabriella didn't mind - she wasn't moving from the safety of Troy arms. She decided to play dumb. "Sorry, I'm really confused. You think our relationship is fake?' Gabriella faked a carefree laugh, running her hands through Troy's hair while she didn't so. She didn't miss the sad look in Charlie's eyes when she realised what Gabriella's hand was doing. Jealousy, she knew it was. 'You're quite mistaken."
Charlie shook her head vehemently. The whole calm façade she had produced to come tonight threatening to fall. She held back the tears she felt when she saw the intimate way Gabriella stroked his hair. She knew it was all a game. And she was going to win.
"You think you're so smart, getting Troy like this. But you've not really got him. Have you, Gabriella? Tell me the truth, because I know I'm right. You're not together, really? You did this to try and bond for the movie you're making. You're lying to everyone. And I know that because I followed you to one of you're meetings."
Gabriella gaped and knew at once that her cover had been blown. Charlie rose from the sofa triumphantly, clapping her hands and pointing in Gabriella's direction. "See? I knew it. I knew it!"
Gabriella cringed, damn her stupid reflexes. She felt the Troy's hold weaken, and when she looked up into his eyes, she found something. Regret? She didn't now, but she was taken off his lap anyway. She sighed, burying her head into her hands, no longer caring about what reactions Charlie saw.
Charlie smiled maliciously. "I was right. I knew it. So, Gabriella it will be okay to get Troy back because he wasn't yours in the first place. Oh, this is such sweet revenge. He's not yours - He's mine."
"I'M NOT ANYONES!"
Troy shouts startled everyone, including himself. He stalked up to Charlie, leaving a shaking Gabriella behind on the edges of the couch.
He pointed in his face. "I'm not yours. And I'm not hers. But I'm more hers than I will ever be yours. I meant every single word I said that evening with the lasagne. Every single word. She is so much better than you, you wouldn't believe. So, I'm not anyone's, but if I had to be, I'd be hers because I think she is the most beautiful soul on this planet, not only physically, but emotionally." He felt all the emotion he had draining quickly after the words he had uttered.
Charlie cringed, shaking with fear that what he had just said might be true. "Take them back." She pathetically mumbled.
He shook his head. "No I won't. You said you knew what was true. I also know what's true. And the truth I know if that she is so much better than you."
Charlie was shaking with emotion now, tears threatening to fall. She shook her head, her eyes stuck to the floor, in between her and Troy's shoes. "You are coming back with me, because that's where belong. You don't belong in Britain, you are supposed to be in America. You don't belong with her because you belong to me! So, you'll be catching my flight with me in the next few hours, or else!"
Troy stared her in the face. "Or what?" His tone was dangerously low.
She smirked for the first time since she had been right. "Or I tell everyone, the whole world, about your little game. I tell the world. I already went along to a meeting, ready to confess what I knew. But I wanted you back first. So I waited, took my time, and came here instead, to get you. But, if you don't come with me, then all the pretending you've done over the past month is for nothing. I'll just tell the papers everything. And you know I can do that because I work with them!"
Gabriella watched this exchange with her head buried in between her legs. She had never felt so sick. She wanted this whole situation to go way. But it wasn't going no matter now much she wished. When she heard her words, he breathing stopped, and you could hear a pin drop in the room.
Troy felt his heart go into his stomach, and all his emotions that were flowing through his veins a few seconds ago had abruptly stopped. He smiled, shaking his head. "You wouldn't do that."
She tentatively touched his shoulder. Almost possessively. "Correction: I'd do anything to get you away from her."
She slid her way back to the couch. "Troy. These past few months have been torture. I know, I know, I gave you up, but only because I wanted to see how much you loved me. I felt like you didn't show me. I am broken, broken without you. We complete each other, Troy. We need each other. I… really like you. No, I love you,' She stammered, almost like she was lying. 'So I'll go to any length to have you mine again, Troy. And if it means this, I'll do it."
She stood again, putting her gaze at Gabriella. She looked slightly sorry. She shrugged. "I'm sorry I had to come here and ruin the atmosphere in your house to do this. I actually am. But he's mine, and only mine.' She walked towards Troy.
She tapped his shoulder. "I'm leaving now. My flight is at 5am. If I don't see you at the airport, ready to fly with me at 2am, then expect your story to be al over the papers tomorrow evening."
She gabbed her coat and opened the door, letting herself out. The wind from outside blew through the house, but they remained still. It was like they were hoping that if they didn't move, they would wake up and find it was al a dream. A nightmare.
The door slammed shut, and Troy turned around.
He sighed, taking his hands through his hair. Walking towards Gabriella he bent down and pressed at kiss onto her cheek, gripping her head in his hands like she had done to him a half hour ago. He sighed. "Well, I guess I know what I have to do."
She nodded, not able to speak unless she cried.
He kissed her again, littering her face with the pressure of his lips. "But I'm coming back. I'm not leaving. I'll go and try and reason with her. For us. But, who knows, we might just have to go through with the torture of being found out."
She nodded again.
She watched his figure take to the stairs. She must have sat like that for at least an hour, not moving, afraid that the pain which her body held would split her at the seems if she moved even an inch. She needed him. To be there. Suddenly life seemed a lot duller, knowing she'd be alone for more than a day. It had been comforting know that Troy would be there when she got home. No, she knew nothing could comfort her.
She found time to move and clear up the glass and wine mess. But before she knew it, she was saying goodbye to Troy.
He kissed her with all the strength he had left, before putting his bag onto his shoulder, hoisting it up, and walking out to the car that had arrived to take him to the airport. She waved with no happiness at all.
And as she saw the back lights off the car drive away from the house, she said goodbye to Troy.
And her heart, which he was holding.
A/N; Really sorry for any mistakes I've made. That was one fo the hardest chapters to write, but I made it, and I know some of you will be hating me for it, but remember he will come back. Soon.
I'm away for a couple of days, so I might not update for a while, but it won't be more than five days, or something, so don't fret.
I loved all the reviews, you got me well over 600 so thank you so much. Maybe hit over 650? It's a hard one, but anywhere close would be lovely. Thanks Guys!
