A/N: THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK AND REVIEWS! You have no idea how happy they made me!
Disclaimer: Same as always!
August 26th, 2008 6:00 pm
I threw open the box that was sitting on my bed and gasped at the dress. It was a tea length dress with a bow that rested on my waist. I quickly put it on and looked deeper inside the box. There was a velvet box sitting there with an envelope. I picked the box up and tore open the envelope.
Gabi,
This bracelet and earring were my grandmother's. I asked my mom if you could wear them tonight. She said yes. If you look deeper in the box, you will find a necklace that matches the bracelet and earrings. I'll see you in a little while.
Love,
Your adorable hunk!
I giggled as I read what he signed the note as. I quickly put the bracelet and earring in. Then I looked deeper into the box and found the necklace Troy was talking about. I put that on, my eyes drifting over to the clock. I was right on schedule. I heard a knock on the door as I slid into my heels.
"Hey Gabi, Troy's downstairs waiting for you. Oh my! Don't you look beautiful?" Dana told me poking her head into the room.
"Thanks Dana. Your son really knows how to pick out a dress for his date." I said grinning.
"Well he knows what dress will look good on you. Now don't keep the man waiting any longer." Dana told me as I grinned.
"How about you go down and I'll be down in a minute. I've got to throw some things in my purse." I told her shutting the door.
I walked over to the box making sure I didn't forget anything. I saw a note lying in the bottom with the words "Save for later" written on the front. I gently placed the envelope in my purse before walking downstairs.
I walked downstairs to see everyone sitting in the living room. I giggled at Troy's shocked face as he stood up and walked over to the stairs.
"You look absolutely beautiful, Gabi. Are you ready to go?" Troy asked me slipping a red rose corsage on my left wrist.
"You look really good yourself and yes I am ready to go." I said as I accepting his out reached arm.
"Mom, dad we'll be back later. Don't wait up for us." Troy told his parents as we walked out of the door.
"So where are we going?" I asked quietly as we Troy opened his truck door for me.
"It's kind of a surprise tonight. I'm not going to spoil it for you." Troy told me grinning.
"I guess I can be patient and wait until you want me to know where we are going." I said looking out the window.
It seemed like we were in the car forever yet we were only in there for a few minutes. I sighed happily as Troy pulled up to the familiar house.
"So are you going to tell me why we keep coming back to this house?" I asked opening my door and climbing out.
"I thought you liked this old house." Troy told me as he walked over to where I was standing.
"I love this old house but you never told me the history behind it." I said walking up to the door.
"This is my grandparents' old house. My dad didn't have the heart to sell it so now we keep it up." Troy told me as I smiled.
"That's cool. So are we going to go in or stay out here all night long?" I asked him grinning.
"We are going to go in and have some dinner before we have to move onto other places." Troy told me opening the door and allowing me to go in first.
"Which way am I going?" I asked Troy as he came up beside me and took my hand in his.
"We are going this way." Troy told me leading me to the biggest kitchen I've ever seen.
"I've never been in here before." I said looking around the kitchen with amazement.
"Well there's a first time for everything. Right this way, darlin'." Troy told me grinning.
Troy pulled out my chair and pushed it in as I sat down. He sat down as we looked at our salads. I grinned at him and took his outstretch hand as we started to eat.
"So what does this special night hold for the two of us?" I asked him finishing my salad.
"You will have to wait and see, babe. I'm not giving away all the secrets in one night." Troy told me grinning.
"So let me try this, what's on the menu for tonight?" I asked him smiling.
"Well we've got a little of this and a little of that. We're not having a huge dinner tonight." Troy told me putting the salad plates in the sink and grabbing some more plates from the oven.
"Watch out, they're hot." Troy told me setting the plate down gently.
I looked on the plate and saw a little bit of pasta, some chicken, and green beans, my favorite. I grinned up at Troy when I noticed all of my favorites.
"You remembered all of my favorites." I told him grinning.
"I try my best. You like?" Troy asked me as I looked at him.
"I love it. Thank you so much." I told him leaning over and giving him a kiss.
"Well the night is young, my love. Eat up and we'll head over to our second destination." Troy told me as I started to eat.
The rest of the meal was quiet but Troy and I kept grinning at each other.
"Are you ready to go?" Troy asked me for the second time that night.
"Yeah I am. Are you sure you don't want to give up any hint to where we are going?" I asked him.
"I'm positive I don't want to give any hints. Time will tell and you'll be surprised." Troy told me.
"All right. I guess I can be patient for a while." I told him smiling my sweet smile.
We walked hand in hand out of the old house and walked back to the truck. Troy opened my door for me before jogging over to his side. He jumped in and we were off to a destination unknown to me.
"Don't try to analyze anything. Just go with the flow, Gabi." Troy told me as he started to drive.
He turned down some streets that I had never heard of before. I just laid my head against the cold window and just sighed to myself. Troy picked up my hand and gave it a squeeze. I just grinned at him.
"We're here." Troy announced a few seconds later. He got out and came around to open my door. He offered me his hand as I got out of the truck.
"What are we doing here?" I asked him walking among the rows of grave markers.
"We'll I've been coming here a lot lately and I promised your mom that we would stop by tonight so she could see your dress. I told her that I picked it out all by myself." Troy told me proudly as we stopped at my mom's grave.
"Hey mom. I'm sorry I didn't bring you any flowers. Troy forgot to mention that we were coming here. School started yesterday and classes went great, for the most part. I've got a 70 year old professor who looks like Alan Greenspan. It's going to be a great year with him." I told her standing next to Troy.
"Hey Anna. I told you she would look wonderful in her dress. The dress is a knee length. I know you approve of that because it's long enough." Troy told her as I laughed.
"Tina and Lucas are doing fine mom. I'm giving them another year before they start to really ask questions. Tina has become a little diva and likes to throw her weight around. Lucas is a heart breaker and all ready knows how to turn on the charm. He's going to be a ladies man when he grows up. I'm going to have to warn the teachers' when he enters kindergarten. I'm doing fine, for the most part. Lucas, Tina, and the Bolton family are keeping me busy. We're all right mom. Just keep watching over us and we'll be even better." I told her as Troy wrapped his arms around me.
"Anna we have to go now but we'll be back in the next couple of days. We love you girl!" Troy said as I threw back my head and laughed.
"I can't believe you just told my mother that." I told him shaking my head.
"Well I just did so you're going to have to get over it." Troy told me sticking his tongue out.
"You are so mature. We love you mom and I'll be back in a couple of days." I told her smiling and walking away from the grave.
Troy and I walked back to the truck, hand in hand and not saying a word. Troy opened my door without a word and quickly got in on his side. As Troy turned on the truck, I glanced at the clock. The clock read 8:30 pm.
"Thank you for bringing me here." I told him quietly as Troy started to drive again.
"You my princess are most welcome." Troy told me taking his eyes off the road for a moment.
I just relaxed into the seat and put my head back. Troy grabbed my hand and held it until I felt the truck come to a stop. I picked my head up and my eyes went wide when I noticed where we were.
"Don't ask questions, just come along." Troy told me as he opened my door for me.
I grabbed his outstretched hand and walked along with him. My heels gently clicked as we walked up to the huge building. Troy threw open the door as we went inside.
"Why are we at East High at 8:30 at night?" I asked quietly as we walked the halls of our old high school.
"I said no questions. You can't even follow simple directions, can you Gabi?" Troy asked shaking his head.
"I can when I want to but it was just a general question." I told him in my defense.
"Ok but you have to be blind folded from this point on." Troy told me coming up behind me.
"Do I really have to?" I asked him stomping my foot on the ground.
"Do you trust me?" Troy asked me as I grinned at him.
"With my life." I replied as he slipped the blind fold over my eyes.
"Then you'll be ok. I promise." Troy told me as I heard a door open and then Troy grabbing my hands.
"Don't make me fall." I told him as I heard a giggle.
"I won't make you fall. You are going to feel like you're going downhill. It's going to be ok." Troy coaxed me as I started to walk.
"I don't like this at all Troy Douglas." I said grinning at the words I had just said.
"Well it's almost over. I'm going to pick you up now so you don't fall." Troy told me as he put his arm under my neck and legs and picked me up.
He held me for a moment as I bounced up and down. I giggled as he put me back down on my feet.
"Can the blindfold come off yet?" I asked him as he steadied me so I wouldn't fall.
"I guess I could take it off. But you must keep your eyes shut until I tell you to open them." Troy told me as I felt him untie the blind fold.
"Ok you can open your eyes now." Troy told me as my eyes adjusted to the black room.
"Ok there's a black room. I could get used to this." I told him as I heard someone flick on some lights.
It took me a minute to realize where we were. I grinned as I looked over at Troy.
"Are we in the East High theatre?" I asked him as I turned and looked at him.
"You are right my dear. Why don't you look around a little bit?" Troy asked me as I grinned.
My eyes went immediately to the ground where there were red, pink, coral, and white roses scattered around. My eyes then went over to where there was a piano and the 'sacred bench' sitting across from the piano. Troy came up behind me and led me over to the bench. We sat down before Troy started to talk.
"Three years ago, you came to my little town and you changed my life. I never thought one person could do that to another but you did. From the moment I that met you and every moment after that, somehow everything that happened to me kept coming back to you." Troy told me as I grinned at him.
"Well you changed my life too." I told him as he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
"I remember every little moment we've shared. From the singing at the ski lodge to our first day of school to our first date and even to present day, I've never forgotten anything we've done together. Every memory from the past three years I have thought about, they all have one common theme. You are in all of my memories." Troy told me as I smiled.
"I love you. I know it now and I'll know it always. You're it, Gabi. You're my one." Troy told me.
"I am?" I asked him as tears came to my eyes and started to drip down my cheek.
"You always have been." Troy told me as he wiped my tears away with his thumb.
"Now I sit here, grinning at you like a mad man, and I have one simple question to ask you. Will you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife? Will you marry me, Gabriella?" Troy asked me while getting down on his knee.
"Yes I will make you the happiest man alive and marry you." I told him as he pulled me up and gave me the most passionate kiss ever.
"I love you. I really do." Troy told me as he picked me up and spun me around.
"I love you too." Troy told me as he noticed something.
"Oh I do have a ring for you." Troy told me as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box.
"Here's your ring." Troy told me slipping on a 1/4 karat princess cut ring.
"I love it. I really do." I told him pressing my lips to his and loosing myself in his kiss.
We pulled back when we heard people start to clap. I looked at Troy with a strange look on my face.
"Who is all here?" I whispered to Troy as the lights came up.
"I kind of invited our friends and family so we wouldn't have to explain what happened a million times." Troy told me as his parents and our friends rushed to the stage.
"Good thinking buddy." I told him giving him a kiss.
"You're engaged girl! I can't believe it!" Taylor and Sharpay told me rushing over to me and looking at the ring.
I grinned at them, my hand being tugged in all directions. I laughed at the girls and how they wish they were engaged like me.
"My baby's getting married." Dana told us coming over to hug Troy and I.
"Mom we're not getting married for a while. We probably won't get married until we're done with college." Troy told his mom.
"I know but you're engaged. And that's good enough for me." Dana told us.
"Hey Gabi can I talk to you for a minute?" Jack asked me as we walked away from our group of friends.
"I just wanted to welcome you officially to our family. You've always been a part of the family but now you're going to become Dana and mine daughter-in-law." Jack told me as I looked at him.
"Thank you. I'm starting to feel a part of your family." I told him.
"Well now you are. I just wanted to tell you that." Jack told me as he gave me a hug.
"Thank you very much." I told him as we walked back over to our little group.
We stayed there for ever just talking and everyone came to Troy and I to congratulate us. I smiled when I saw Troy and Chad talking by themselves I walked over to them and wrapped my arms around Troy's waist.
"Hey you two. What are you two talking about?" I asked them grinning.
"I'm just telling Troy that's he's going to be a married man pretty soon." Chad told me as I grinned.
"Chad we're not getting married for a couple of years. He can still go out with the guys for a couple of years before we're married." I told him.
"Watch it man, when they marry, they get worse than they are now as a girlfriend." Chad told him as I laughed.
"You better make sure Taylor isn't listening." I told him walking off.
We stayed there and just hung out before going back to the house. Troy and I slow danced on the porch for an hour before going into the house and going up to bed. I feel asleep happily to be an engaged woman to the man that I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
Ok guys. I'm going to start a new story but I need your help. Should I skip a few years right to the wedding or should I just skip a year and show the process of them planning the wedding? It'll be up to you guys. REVIEWS AND FEEDBACK are appreciated and wanted!
