Besar

By Jeune Ecrivain

Rating: T

Summary: Former one-shot extended due to good reviews. On the cusp of a relationship, Troy and Gabriela find something unexpected that they have in common and use it to further their fledgling singing careers.

WARNING: Major fluff!

The first thing Troy noticed as he woke up the next morning was that the ceiling he was staring at wasn't his. He then noticed something tickling his chin. Tilting his head slightly, he found that it was Gabriela's hair. She was lying on top of him with her head resting on his chest and her right arm still draped loosely around his shoulders. He smiled warmly, silently wishing he had a camera to capture the serenity of Gabriela's sleeping form. A small but contented smile was plastered on her face, and she was curled up quite snugly against him in way that seemed so natural. He rubbed her back gently, taking comfort in her proximity. He felt no need to panic, since both his tactile and visual senses testified that both of them were still fully clothed. It crossed his mind that his parents might be concerned about his whereabouts or that Mrs. Montez could pop in and completely misinterpret the situation, but he couldn't bring himself to ruin the moment. He wanted it to linger as long as it could.

It didn't linger long, though. Gabriela stirred slightly and made the smallest of moans that somehow reminded Troy of a waking infant. He grinned, doing his best not to chuckle as Gabriela stirred once more and moved her hand slightly. Then, her eyes fluttered open. She furrowed her brow for a moment, puzzled by her position. Then, Troy could almost see the realization build within her as her brown eyes shifted upwards and met his own. She smiled gently. "Hey," she said softly.

"Morning," greeted Troy with a grin of his own.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of waking up with you right beside me?" asked Gabriela playfully.

"A late-night make-out session that turned into cuddling and then morphed into sleep," Troy answered matter-of-factly. "That's my diagnosis, anyway."

Gabriela pulled herself up to kiss him softly on the lips before placing her hand firmly on his chest and raising herself into a sitting position. "Falling asleep with a boy in my bed. Now there's something I didn't anticipate doing when I moved here."

Troy chuckled and propped himself up on his elbows. "Any regrets?"

She responded with a small smile and warmth dancing in her eyes. "None whatsoever."

"Me neither," Troy nodded. "Although, technically, there's not much to regret. We didn't exactly do anything that our parents would freak out about."

"Would you have regretted it if something like that had happened?" asked Gabriela, only half-serious.

Troy paused, feeling somewhat cornered by the question. It was a girl he was talking to, after all, and he wasn't sure how to respond. If he said yes, he might risk hurting her feelings. If he said no, he might risk sounding presumptuous. "Well, I certainly wouldn't have regretted my choice of partner," he said slowly, "but the timing would've been way off." He smiled, satisfied with his answer. "Someday, though, when we're both ready…" he trailed off, letting the rest go unspoken.

To his relief, Gabriela smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. "I like how you think, Bolton." She beamed at him, but her smile quickly faded. "Oh, my gosh! My mom!" She crawled quickly off the bed. "You and I both know nothing happened last night beyond some pretty serious kissing, but I don't know how easy it'll be to convince my mom of that if she catches you here!"

"Right," Troy realized, jumping out of Gabriela's bed. "Not just your mom," he added. "I should probably get home before my parents notice I'm not there."

"What time is it?" asked Gabriela, growing slightly worried.

Troy looked at his watch. "About 10."

Gabriela opened her door slightly to make sure her mother wasn't nearby. "Are you usually up by ten on the weekends?" she asked.

"Yeah, right!" Troy replied with a chortle.

"I'll take that as a no," said Gabriela as she took Troy's hand and opened her door again. "Anyway, the coast is clear. Let's go."

As silently as she could, Gabriela led Troy through the hallway and down the stairs, watching for signs of her mother all along. Just when she thought they were almost safe, her mother emerged from the kitchen just in time to spot the two teens. Troy and Gabriela froze.

"Mom!" said Gabriela like a deer in headlights.

"Mrs. Montez!" Troy said simultaneously and with a similar tone.

"Ah, you're up!" observed Mrs. Montez without a hint of shock, anger, or suspicion in her voice. "Good. I'd hate to eat the breakfast I made all by myself."

"Mom…" Gabriela said nervously as if asking her mother if she even saw Troy.

"Troy, I called your parents," said Gabriela's mother, unknowingly answering that question. "I told them you'd be spending the night. They expect you home by noon."

"Uh…thanks," said Troy cautiously, still as perplexed as Gabriela was.

"Wait, Mom…" Gabriela queried, "how did you know Troy was still here?"

Mrs. Montez smiled at them. "I came home and found the two of you cuddled up on your bed, sound asleep." She looked at Gabriela's face knowingly, amused at what her teenage daughter was obviously afraid of. "Seeing that you weren't at all undressed or anything, I actually just stood there stunned at the innocence of the whole thing. I couldn't bring myself to wake you both up and send Troy home, so I turned off the light, closed the door, and gave the Boltons a call." Her smile turned mischievous. "In fact, you two gave me the cutest way to test out my new digital camera I could've ever hoped for!"

"Mom, you didn't!" Gabriela exclaimed.

Mrs. Montez nodded. "This one's going in the scrapbook I've been keeping since you were a baby."

"You're still adding stuff to that thing!" said Gabriela incredulously.

"Of course!" replied Mrs. Montez.

Troy, who had been quite nervous just a few moments ago, now let out a soft chuckle. Gabriela turned around and slapped him playfully on the arm. "¿De qué estás riéndote?" ("What are you laughing at?") she challenged.

Troy shrugged. "Tengo hambre," ("I'm hungry.") he said with a grin as he hopped off the last step and joined Mrs. Montez in the kitchen.