DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.
CHAPTER FOURTY-SEVENThe atmosphere at Taylor and Chad's house was completely full of energy. There were pizza boxes opened on the table, paper plates beside them, and every where I looked there was someone else to say hello to, give a hug to, share the latest story with. It was almost like old times, minus Taylor's expanding waistline and Sharpay having an actual boyfriend. Oh, and me. I was most definitely different.
"Easy? Seriously?" Ryan was asking Troy as I passed by.
"Oh, come on, you're so not talking about that now," I said.
"But…it's funny!" Troy replied since Ryan couldn't due to being doubled over with laughter.
"It's not that funny," I muttered, my smile giving my lighthearted mood away. Ryan caught me with one arm as I tried walking away from them and gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Easy there, little man," Troy said, pulling me close. "Go grab Kelsi for some action, Gabi's off limits."
"Okay, get me out of the middle of this testosterone field here," I said with a laugh, kissing Troy softly before stepping back. "Did you see where Taylor went to?"
"Basement, I think," Ryan replied.
"Are you doing okay?" I asked him, and he smiled.
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Aunt Gabi," Moira said, poking her head through the door that led to the basement. "We're watching the tape."
"The tape? What…oh, the tape?" I asked, grinning as I followed her down.
"What tape is this you speak of?" Troy's voice was soon filling the finished basement as he took the steps two at a time. "Oh…God, no, turn this off." We laughed as he realized we were watching the compilation tape that Moira had made of Troy's career.
"See this?" I pointed at the screen, during his infamous 'Yes' answer. "That's how I knew it was you on the phone."
"Oh, is that why you dumped your purse?" Sharpay asked with a giggle, and I nodded.
"She didn't even tell us it was you." Taylor was sitting in her big black rocker/recliner chair rubbing her slightly bulging tummy.
"Why the hell not?" he asked, turning towards me.
"To keep you all to myself, duh," I quipped, one swat on his butt as I passed him. He grabbed my arms and pulled me to him, and as he pressed himself up against my back I could feel my body start to sway.
"As soon as we're home," he whispered just as Taylor was saying something else that I completely missed.
"Promise?" I whispered back, feeling him smile against my neck.
"Helloooooo, are you two still with us?" Taylor asked.
"Hmmm?" was all I could say.
"Mom was talking about all I had to hear was, like, two seconds of him talking to know who it was," Moira caught us up.
"Oh, that," I said with a smile. "Yeah, that's another one they wont let me live down."
"And yet you're standing there with a smile on your face." It was Kelsi who made the comment from her place on the couch that Ryan was walking towards. I shrugged.
"I'm… happy."
Wow, what an admission. What a lift off my shoulders that I so didn't know was there. I was absolutely, unequivocally happy. Although I missed my parents sometimes more than words could explain, the rest of my life had piece-by-piece fallen into place. I was mending fences with at least Lisa so my family ties were no longer severed; my friends were healthy, happy, thriving; the man I had dreamed of, longed for, cried over, had his arms around me, and I was full of love for him.
Troy and I stayed longer there than either of us had intended on, or even anticipated. Night had settled in, along with the steady rain that tapped against the windows, its sound hypnotizing as we all gathered in the living room. At this point I couldn't tell you why we were all up there rather than in the basement, but there we all were. Troy and I were sitting next to each other on the floor, positioned so that I was in his arms, his back leaning up against one of the speakers. He reached over with one hand, his long fingers entwining with mine, his eyes watching our hands, a smile softening his features. He glanced over and caught me watching him, my whole body reacting as he bit his bottom lip just before he kissed me.
"I love you," I whispered as he kissed the tip of my nose.
"Are you ready?" he whispered back.
"I'm always ready for you." His eyes slid shut at my admission, and when he opened them again the sheer heat from his gaze was nearly tangible. "Are you ready?" I asked. I couldn't quite comprehend where this sweet smile came from that crossed his face right at that moment.
"Yes," he said. "Yes…yes, I'm ready. Let's get the hell out of here."
I hugged each of my friends just a little tighter that night as we said goodbye; my appreciation for life, and those precious to me, had grown in leaps and bounds over the past few months. "Taylor, are you sure you're okay?" I asked her. She was the last one I was saying goodbye to, and we were standing by the front door.
"I'm wonderful," she replied. "And it looks like you are, too."
"Pretty damn close." I hugged her tight.
"No matter what, you better promise you'll be here when this baby's born."
"I haven't missed any of them," I said, pulling back. "Why would you say that?"
"Just call it a… hunch."
"You and your damn hunches." Her eyebrow raised slightly, and I recalled how each of her hunches had come true. "Hunch about what, anyhow?"
"Ryan said he'll give us a shout tomorrow, we'll 'do lunch' or whatever before he goes back," Troy said as he walked up to us. "And you, gorgeous," He gave Taylor a kiss on the cheek. "If you need anything you let us know."
"Absolutely," she agreed, smiling at him. "Right now I need you to take care of her."
"Consider it done." He put his arm around me and pulled me close as he opened the door. "We'll see each other soon."
"Yeah, we'll… 'do lunch', or whatever," I said with a smile, walking out into the soft drizzle listening to Taylor's laughter as she shut the door behind us. Troy stepped slightly ahead of me, taking me by the hand and guiding me around the parked cars and puddles of water to where we'd parked on the street. "Do you want me to drive?"
"Nah, I got this." He opened my door for me, waiting until I was comfortably seated before shutting it.
"You're spoiling me, you know," I said as he settled into the driver's seat. "What am I going to do when you go back?" He glanced over at me, his face serious, silent. Instead of answering he drove us back to my apartment complex with only the soft music playing. I kept my eyes on him, my body reacting to every slight movement he made. What was it that was so damn sexy about how he drove? His hands, those long fingers lightly pressed against the leather, relaxing occasionally, his wrists visible from under his leather jacket. Oh… my what those hands did to me, literally as well as figuratively. I bit my lip in anticipation, watching his silhouette as he drove.
He pulled into the parking lot of my apartment, easing the car into my spot by the stone steps that led up to my front door. As if on cue, the skies opened up and the rain cascaded down the windshield. "Well… you afraid of melting?" he asked me, a smirk on his handsome face.
"Not in the least," I replied. One look from him and my breath caught in my throat. "Shall we?"
We opened our doors and stepped out into the downpour, my clothes and hair instantly sticking to my skin. I couldn't remember a time I'd felt more alive as I stretched my arms out and laid my head back, the rain washing down my face.
"What are you doing, Woman?" he asked, walking around to my side of the car, his hair clinging to his face, already soaked from the rain.
"Dance with me!" I held my hand out to him and he took it willingly, gathering me in his arms and twirling me around in the rain. I was laughing, carefree, blissful as we swayed there, oblivious to the cold, the heat from our bodies more intensified with the wet clothing between us. We had danced our way across the parking lot to under the light, laughing and spinning, his hand holding mine as he twirled me around, when he suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes, blinking through the raindrops to see what was wrong, the look on his face making my heart stop.
You know those moments? Those ones I told you about earlier? You know what I'm talking about; one of those moments, good or bad, that you know will stay with you throughout eternity, where you know your life is forever changed. This…this was one of those moments.
He stood there in front of me, his face sobering, rain-streaked, his hair dripping with the rain that was still pouring down all around us. His breathing was becoming more labored, his hands shaky. He opened his mouth and shut it quickly, closing his eyes tight for a brief moment before opening them again.
"Troy…what's…"
"I love you."
Oh. God.
"I love you, Gabi," he said, gently cupping my face with his hands. "I love…everything about you…your eyes, those curls, God…those lips…" I felt them start to tremble as he continued.
"I love how…unpredictable you are, I love how you call me on all my bullshit, I love that… I love that you understood me, that you waited for me…"
"Troy…"
"Gabriella, I love you…above all others." I felt my tears mix with the rain. "I love you as if there was no tomorrow. Gabriella…Christine… I love you…like it's never…" He took a deep breath, his fingers caressing my face. "I love you like it's never going to hurt."
He sealed his confession with the sweetest kiss I'd ever known, our lips parting, the softness, the emotion unmatched. My fingers were buried in his soaking wet hair, the kiss tasted of rain, mint gum, and promise. He stepped back slightly, his breathing ragged, his eyes searing into me.
"Troy…"
"I want to make love to you," he whispered against my lips as he kissed me again softly, then began kissing down my throat.
"Yes…yes. Yes."
"Now."
"Yes…" I moaned, holding him to me as he latched onto that spot where my pulse was hammering. He stepped back then, his hands steadying me slightly before he took my hand and led me up the steps to my front door. His hands were shaking as he used the key, unlocking the door and pushing it forward roughly, dragging me in and pushing me against the wall as he kicked it closed behind us, his mouth on mine before that door clicked shut.
"God, Gabi," he moaned between kisses as we moved, peeling each others clothes off as we went. "I…love you…"
"I love you," my reply was half-whimpered as I was making my way backwards up the stairs, his hands all over my near naked body.
"Even with…" He kissed my neck as we approached the bed, "…every time… these past three weeks… that I've watched you fly…" He moaned as I pushed him on the bed, yanking his soaking jeans off, then reached for me, pulling me down beside him on the bed. "All the times… I tasted you…" It was my turn to moan. He had all of my clothes off and was crawling up the bed, between my legs that he had parted easily. "Gabi, I just wanted… to make love…to you…" He was pressed up against me then and we laid there for a moment, both of us knowing our lives would never be the same.
Silently he moved, our eyes and fingers locked as he pressed himself into me slowly, my body adjusting to him, our labored breathing in unison. He let out a soft sigh when he had filled me completely, his smile bright enough to light the darkened room. He leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss as he began to move, slowly at first as we savored each moment, his pace quickening as we lost ourselves in each other. As I felt my release closing in on me, I arched my back, crying out against his lips.
"Open…your eyes." I heard his words and struggled to do so. Oh, it was so…so hard to… "Gabi… baby, please." I opened my eyes just as he reached his own release, the ecstasy etched in his features just before he buried his face in the side of my neck… the moans that tore from his throat as he pushed hard, holding me to him as he stayed there… it was the most intense experience I had ever been a part of. And as he whispered in my ear how much he loved me, over and over as we drifted to blissful slumber, I knew I'd never have to wonder, never have to go a day without hearing those words again.
