CHAPTER 29

Gabriella read the letter she just received from Troy. He wrote that he couldn't bear the separation any longer and he had to see her. He said that he was flying to Vegas and that he would drive to California. All he wanted was her permission.

She held the letter in her hand and just stared at his handwriting. She knew the consequences if she said yes and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. Troy would go to jail and his life would be ruined.

Suddenly the pros were outweighing the cons. She desperately wanted to feel his arms around her and taste of his lips. The sound of his voice and his sweet scent. She wanted his deep blue eyes to stare into hers. She so badly wanted to be with him.

Gabriella knew what she had to do, for Troy's sake. She sat down at her desk and began writing.

Troy,

As much as I want to see you, you can't come. We both know the consequences if we see each other. My father has me constantly watched here even though he thinks I have no idea. I love you. I always will and that is why I need to protect you from me. If you love me, then you will stay away. We both need to move on. I'm not saying that we forget the time we had together. I never will. But I would never forgive myself if your life was ruined because of me. I know that you will understand. Please don't be mad because this will be the last letter you receive from me. Just remember that a major part of me will always love you.

Love Always,

Gabriella

Troy read the letter maybe a hundred times. He was reading it again but this time he had a glass of scotch in his hands. He had already drank half the bottle and there was still an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels in the kitchen. He had not left the apartment since he got the letter.

Troy even blew a game because he could not focus but Wilson Chandler was able to help the Knicks barely win the game. Troy practically told the truth by saying he just wasn't feeling like himself.

Gabriella's crucifix was on the coffee table and he just kept staring at it. He was about to drink another drink but he stopped before the glass reached his lips. He put the glass down onto the coffee table and picked up the crucifix. He knew what he had to do.

He got onto his laptop and brought a roundtrip ticket for Palo Alto, California under the name Alex Bolton. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. He also had not shaved since he got the letter but he could work it towards his advantage. It would be hard to recognize him with the stubble.

He woke up with a hangover so he took two Aleve. He packed a week's worth of clothes in a duffel bag and he told his coach that he was heading home to Albuquerque for a week, which he knew would be leaked to the press so they would be over a thousand miles away.

His flight was booked late that afternoon. To blend in, Troy threw on plain blue jeans, a white buttoned down shirt, tennis shoes, and a Knicks cap with aviator sunglasses. The visible stubble made him look like a completely different person.

He threw on the crucifix and he called a cab because the press knew what his truck looked like.

Troy arrived an hour before his flight. He tried reading The Runaway Jury but he was so nervous. He was constantly tapping his foot until they announced they were boarding. He was so relieved that no one recognized him in coach because he would have probably been recognized in first class.

The plane was descending and Troy then realized how nervous he was. He had not seen her in two years. Had she changed in some way or would she be the Gabriella he remembered?

Troy rented a Ford Focus because that would not cause too much attention. He checked in to the Hotel Keen under the same alias of Alex Bolton.

After settling into his comfortable hotel room, he took a cab to the campus. He walked around for hours wondering where she could be but he knew where she would most likely be.

Troy had been waiting outside the library for hours until finally a little after six o'clock, she came out. She was waving good-bye to a friend. Troy tried to call out her name but nothing came out so he started following her.

Gabriella must of heard him because when they were approaching some pillars, she dropped her book bag and grabbed him. She twisted his arm around his back and pushed him against the pillar. "You picked the wrong chick to mess with." She said as she applied more pressure to him arm.

"Ow! Gabriella, it's me!" He exclaimed in pain.

"Troy?" She said and loosened her grip on his arm. He turned around and they faced one another. She pulled him into the shadows of the pillars. "What the hell are you doing here? Didn't you get my letter?"

"Yes. I had to see you." He rubbed his shoulder. "When did you learn how to do that?"

"I have been taking Judo classes for the last year. Don't change the subject. I am being watched, Troy. You shouldn't be here." Gabriella said.

"I don't care." He cupped her face in her hands. "Gabriella, I love you and I don't want to lose you." Gabriella closed her eyes enjoying the feel of his touch as he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. She wanted to tell him to stop but she didn't.

Then he leaned in and their lips met. They had both waited two years for this and it was tender, passionate, just perfect. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Troy removed his hands from her face and wrapped his arms around her waist.

They both soon needed air so they broke the kiss. Gabriella took a good look around. She then took his hand and quickly hailed a cab.

The cab soon pulled up in front of Troy's hotel. They took the side entrance so they would not be spotted by the cameras. They went up to his room and lay in each other's arms for hours. As much as they were tempted to make love, this was more intimate.