The Sacred Rays
Family: Part Two
May 4th, 2016.
Wednesday.

"Good morning Sharpay," Tiara greets her favorite co worker in her sweet English accent as she slowly lowers into her swiveling office chair, cautious not to let the full coffee cup in her hand splash.

Sharpay replies, "Good morning, Tiara." She lets out a pent up sigh while pushing her pens into a perfect line up on her desk. "Well, I suppose this is it. The end of the firm as we know it. It's not going to be the same without him, will it?"

"I'm afraid not," Tiara sulks, leaning onto her desk with her lips stuck in a crooked tilt.

Sharpay whines, "Why does my brother always run away from me?"

"Have you heard anything about why he's leaving?"

"Well," Sharpay lowers her voice and pushes herself away from the desk and towards Tiara. "Nothing confirmed, but last I heard, he fell in love with Gabriella and was jealous of Troy getting with her. It's become too unbearable to see them together, so that's why he's leaving."

Tiara shakes her head, "That's not it."

"Do you have another idea?"

Tiara leans back in her chair and thoughtfully peers between the cubicles and down the hallway to their offices. "I've had an idea, a suspicion, for awhile. I believe there's something between him and Chad. Something that's been going on secretly for awhile."

Sharpay asks, "Something romantic?"

"Yes."

"Wow. That is quite the conspiracy."

"I have no proof of course, and I think Troy and Jason are even more clueless than I am."

Sharpay says, "Wait, doesn't Chad have a baby on the way?"

"So maybe Chad is bisexual, or maybe she's a cover. Either way, he and Ryan had a romance at one point. I can just feel it."

Troy hovers his hand over the door handle into his father's office and takes in a deep breath in preparation. He finally pushes the door open and walks inside, taking a seat in one of the chairs as he waits for his father to get off the phone.

Jack speaks into the device, "Yes…Well those columns will cost an additional twelve thousand each. Can they budget it? … Alright, well, get back to me on that…Talk to you soon, bye." He hangs up the phone and approaches Troy in the seats. "Is there a problem?"

Troy smiles, "No problem, dad. Just wanted to say hi to you this morning."

Jack eyes him suspiciously, "Alright. Good morning then."

"Umm, how's the union pacific account going?"

"It's going well, Troy. What sparks your sudden interest in it?"

"Just curious is all," Troy casually glances up and around the fireplace.

"You never ask me about my accounts, and you haven't cared about trains since you were a little kid. If there's something else you'd like to discuss, I'd rather you just spit it out."

Troy folds his hands over his lap, "I think you know why I'm in here."

Jack rolls his eyes, "This again?" He drops his head into his hands in defeat and frustration, "As I've told you every day since you first asked me a week ago, you haven't known each other long enough."

"Dad – I love her."

"Then keep loving her until you reach a year together, and then we can talk."

"I want to have a baby with her by then, and we'd like to get married before that."

"What is with the rush? You should be going far slower than that. You might not understand why, but you'll thank me for this someday."

"I don't need you to decide these things for me, dad. I'm a grown man who can make his own decisions and who doesn't need your permission to get married."

"No, but you do want grandma's ring, and that I can keep from you as long as I'd like. Now please, I pay you to work. Go back to your office and show me some progress."

Troy quickly stands and approaches the door, then says over his shoulder, "I can only ask for your support so much before I forget about it and do it anyways, but I would prefer for you to support me. That's what family should do, boss."

Gabriella uses the side of her hand to smudge some of the color on her canvas before leaning back and looking at the full picture again. She jumps at the sudden knock on her door.

"Hey," Troy says, leaning in the doorway.

"Hey!" Gabriella stands and crosses over to him, placing her hands on his chest and reaching up onto her toes to peck him on the lips.

Deciding the quick kiss wasn't enough; Troy puts his arms around her and raises her up to his lips again for a deeper kiss.

Gabriella giggles, "HR would not approve of this."

"I'm not going to tell them," Troy winks at her.

Gabriella teases, "I might have to file a complaint if you keep interrupting me."

"Bye, then," Troy turns to leave, but is pulled back by Gabriella.

"Come in here," Gabriella leads him in and shuts the door behind him.

"Oh man, is this going to be what I hope it is?" Troy wiggles his eyebrows towards him.

"Troy!" Gabriella gasps, playfully hitting Troy on the arm, "We are absolutely not doing anything like that at work!"

Troy jokes, "C'mon, I'm the boss's son, I can't get fired."

"You might be the CEO's son, but I think even that might get us fired."

"Not if we're quiet enough," Troy says.

"I can't tell if you're actually being serious now or not."

"I'm joking. What did you want to show me?"

Gabriella gestures towards her canvas, "What do you think?"

Troy scans over the piece, the triangular shaped building and the blue sky behind it. "It's good."

"You're right. It's not my best."

"Honey," Troy laughs. "I just said it was good."

"Yeah, only good. You usually call them beautiful, magnificent, gorgeous, or other such praises."

"It's not your work, honey. I promise. I'm just…distracted is all."

"By what?"

"I can't tell you."

"Hey, no secrets, remember?"

"This one you wouldn't want to know about. It'd ruin the surprise."

"The surpr-" Gabriella suddenly falls silent as a look of realization crossed her features. "Oh my god," she brings her hands up over her mouth. "It's about a ring, isn't it?"

Troy says, "Well I certainly couldn't confirm nor deny that."

"Oh my god!" Gabriella squeals, her eyes filling with tears.

Troy strokes the side of her face with his palm and says, "I should really get back to work. I'll see you later. I love you." He presses a kiss to her forehead and departs the room.

Everyone in the office all piles around the cubicles and listen to Jack while he says goodbye to Ryan on his last day. "Well, farewells are always difficult, but I will try. Ryan…it has been a pleasure watching you grow and develop from a shaky handed undergrad to the legitimate architect I see before me today. I hope that you will take what you learned from us into your next job and make us proud."

While everyone applauds, Jason turns to Ryan and says, "Wait, you're actually leaving?"

Ryan responds, "Yes, Jason."

"I thought you were joking. Why are you leaving?"

Ryan accidently glances away to Chad before responding, "It's just time."

"That's dumb," Jason shakes his head disapprovingly.

Jack speaks up, "Would anyone else like to say anything?"

Troy says, "You already know how much we'll miss you."

Ryan quips back, "About half as much as I'll miss you?"

Troy smiles and approaches his friend for a hug.

Ryan looks to Chad next and they have a stiff final embrace, and then he gives the others in the office their final goodbyes and leaves the building.

Troy sits in his office, sending the few last emails of the day when he notices his father standing in his doorway.

Jack says, "If you want the ring, follow me."

Troy slowly stands from his desk and follows his father back to his office.

"I keep it in the vault here because it's safer than my place," Jack explains while entering the secret combination.

"I see…" Troy stands behind him.

"Here it is," Jack reaches in and takes out a little old box. He keeps it held tightly in his hand and turns around to face Troy. "Are you sure about what you're doing?"

"Yes," Troy says.

"No, really think about it before you answer."

"I've been thinking about it for awhile. I am one hundred percent certain."

"Alright, now don't say that I don't support you," Jack hands him the box.

Troy immediately opens it and is confronted with a delicate, vintage engagement ring. "Thank you, dad."

The ending credits roll across the screen as the couple lounges in the long leather couch.

Troy asks, "What did you think?"

Gabriella wipes away a few tears that had silently fallen and sniffles, "Why do they always have to kill off the dog at the end?"

Troy chuckles, "To make you cry, I guess."

"It's not fair. I cry so easily."

"Did you still like it?" Troy asks her.

"Yeah, it was a good movie."

Troy roughly rubs his hand over Gabriella's leg. "Good."

"Are you okay?" She asks.

"Of course!" Troy smiles reassuringly. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm spending time with the love of my life, after all."

Gabriella weakly smiles, but then frowns, her sad eyes gazing out.

"Are you okay?"

Gabriella swallows and says, "How do you know we're going to be different, Troy?"

"What do you mean?"

"If we get married – how do you know we won't fall apart like half the marriages and your last one?"

"This is so astronomically different, Gabriella. I couldn't even begin to explain it. The way I feel with you is…" Troy glances down as tears pool in his eyes. "I feel joy. I feel safe. I feel like I've found my true home. I never tire of being with you. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I can't wait to start a family with you."

"Don't forget to become my husband first."

"I won't." Troy smiles, his hand secretly snaking down to his jeans and feeling for the outline of the box.

"You promise?" Gabriella asks.

Troy moves to kneel in front of Gabriella and says, "Here's my promise," while removing the little box from his pocket and exposing the ring to her.

She gasps and cups her hands over her mouth as tears pool in her eyes.

"Gabriella Montez, will you marry me?"

"Yes!"