Author's Note: Terribly sorry for the wait. My brother is okay; though most of you want to know what happened to him. Last Thursday, he was hit by a drunk driver. He's okay and well, and he's out of the hospital. I should be updating for often now. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical.

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Early next morning, Gabriella's eyes slowly flickered open. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes get used to the sunlight that was pouring in her apartment through the windows. When she finally opened them all the way, her brow furrowed in confusion. She realized she was not in her bed, but on the couch; and not only was she on top of the couch; she was on top of the body of someone else. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. Then as she thought back to the previous night, all the memories came flooding back to her; seeing Jake, drinking, stumbling in the doorway…she remembered it all. She and Troy had shifted somewhat during the night; Gabriella's face was buried in his neck, while one arm was rested on his chest and the other around his neck. One of his hands was around her back, holding her close to his body, while the other was resting peacefully on his abdomen. Their legs were tangled together; one of her legs was on top of his, while the other was underneath them. Gabriella's breathing started to hitch; she hasn't been this close to Troy since high school. She knew she should probably get up, and start to get ready for work, but her body didn't want to oblige; she wanted to stay in the position for as long as she could.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, sniffing in his scent. She smiled; he smelt the same as he did in high school. She then looked up at his sleeping face; he looked so calm and peaceful. She then lowered her gaze to his chest, which was moving up and down as he took long, thorough breaths. Her finger then found its way tracing his stomach, weaving in and out of the lines his abs had formed. Gabriella then looked at his left hand, which was still resting on part of his stomach. She continued to sketch his abdomen, but gazed at his ring finger. A sudden feeling of sadness came upon her; she knew soon that finger would have a ring on it, promising him to another person. Her thoughts were then interrupted by a voice.

"Gabriella, what are you doing?" a hoarse voice asked.

She quickly looked at Troy, his eyes were now open, and kept looking down at her hand on his stomach. Gabriella swiftly stopped outlining his abdomen and tore her fingers away and behind her back as she felt the heat rise upon her cheeks.

"Oh, um, nothing. Do you want some breakfast?" Gabriella asked quickly, trying to get up out of the position they seemed to be caught in. She then tried to sit up, but their legs were too interwoven together and with the couch to really move. Troy had also been trying to shift around, because now he was sitting up with the right side of his body squishing Gabriella up against the couch. Both of them froze, trying to think what the best way was to get off the couch without hurting themselves. When they tried to move again, they both ended up clocking each other in the head. Gabriella chuckled nervously.

"Okay, well, um, how about you slide to the left and then I'll somehow crawl off behind you?" Gabriella suggested.

Troy looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Somehow crawl behind me? Gabi, why don't we just do this," he said as he took hold of Gabriella's waist. He then picked her up and moved her over a bit, as her hands grasped his shoulders for balance, not wanting to fall. This only helped for a minute or two though, because once one of her legs was about to touch the floor, she lost balance and tumbled to the ground, bringing Troy with her. Gabriella screamed as she fell, while Troy yelped in surprise when he was pulled down with her. Looking at each other, they realized they were in even a more awkward position. Gabriella had her back to the ground, while Troy was on top of her; their faces now closer than ever.

Troy's breath caught his throat as he looked into Gabriella's russet brown eyes. He swallowed; his hands felt like they were glued to her waist. He saw her bite her bottom lip nervously, as he did the same. He knew it was wrong to be thinking what he was, but he couldn't help how his feelings seemed to have some control over his brain; making him think and do things he normally wouldn't. Troy could feel her breaths become short paced, as they were so close he felt it on his neck. It sent unpleasant chills down his spine; but at the same time he liked it. Just as he was about to do something, Gabriella's house phone rang, snapping them back to reality.

Troy immediately rolled off Gabriella, leaving her to be able to get up and get the phone. She did so, blushing deeply while picking it up off the receiver.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"Gabi? Is Troy there?" Chad asked nervously.

Gabriella turned and looked at Troy. "Yes, he's right here…" she trailed off.

"Can I talk to him for a moment?" he asked, chuckling nervously.

"Sure," she said uncertainly, handing Troy the phone. He took it softly out of Gabriella's hands, sending a peculiar sensation through her body.

"Chad?" Troy asked into the phone. "How did you find me here?"

"Well, I have your phone and you're not answering the hotel phone, so where else would you be? And Taylor tipped me off that you were with Gabriella last night. But anyway, on to important matters; you need to get to your hotel room now." He said urgently into the phone.

Troy started to put on his sneakers. "Why?" he asked confused.

"Melanie is coming back today, in about fifteen minutes to be exact. I'll explain every thing later. But I don't think she'd want to know that you spent the night at your wedding planner's," Chad replied.

Troy's eyes widened in shock and fear. "Yeah, man, I got it. Thanks," he muttered into the phone before hanging it up.

"Everything okay?" a quiet voice asked from behind.

Troy spun around, looking at Gabriella. She was standing by her window; the sun's rays hitting her brunette hair, making about twenty different shades of brown glisten upon her head.

"What? Oh, yeah, I just need to get back to the hotel. But I will see you later?" he asked, after he got back to his senses.

Gabriella nodded before walking closer to where he was standing. "Yeah, you'll see me later. Thank you, for everything you did last night, Troy. It was really kind of you," she said softly.

He gave a small smile before putting the phone down. "It was no problem, really," he replied, slowly walking close to her; suddenly forgetting where he had to go and why. He continued to walk until he was right in front of her, where he stopped when their bodies were only centimeters apart. Gabriella looked up at him with an indifferent expression. Troy smiled slightly as he put his hand on her neck, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

Gabriella felt chills go down her spine when his hand made contact with her skin, but she ignored them as she took in a deep breath. She then placed her hand on top of his and held it for a second, before taking it off her face softly.

"You have to go," she said delicately, letting her hand slip off of his. Gabriella then looked down, and walked into her room shutting the door quietly.

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"Troy!" Melanie screeched as he opened the hotel room door. She quickly threw herself onto him, causing him to stagger and back far into the room.

"I missed you so much!" she whispered as she pulled away from the hug. Her things were still in the hallway, as she forgot them when she saw Troy.

Troy smiled. "I missed you too," he replied.

Melanie beamed, but then excitement filled her face. "So, how did you and Gabriella plan?" she asked anxiously.

"Great," Troy replied, taking a seat on the bed.

Melanie raised her eyebrows. "Great? That's it?" she asked.

Troy looked up at his fiancée. "Yeah, it went great," he repeated, shrugging his shoulders.

Melanie shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Okay…oh! I have a surprise," she said excitedly.

"What is it?" he asked cautiously; last time she had said that, it had turned out to be a disaster.

Melanie smiled wider. "Trust me, it's a good one," she replied before walking back out into the hallway.

Troy rolled his eyes as he leaned back on his hands on the bed. He then heard Melanie screech something in the hallway, followed by the door closing shut; unable to hear what was going on in the corridor. Troy's mind wandered back to what had happened at Gabriella's apartment. Was he really doing the right thing by marrying Melanie? Did he really love her like he said he did? Troy shook the thoughts from his head; dismissing them all.

"Now I know what my dad meant by 'cold feet'," Troy mumbled to himself. Seconds later the door burst open with Melanie, and an older couple walking in the room. Troy put on a smile, but inwardly groaned when he saw the older couple. He stood up and went to go greet the guests.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Dashsend," Troy said warmly as he hugged them both.

Mrs. Dashsend grinned at Troy. "How many times have I told you to call me mom?" she asked as they pulled away from the hug.

Troy smiled widely as Mr. Dashsend began to speak. "So, where is this wedding planner that Melanie speaks so highly about? I must meet this young woman who is spending all my money," he said, laughing slightly on the last part.

Troy looked down and chuckled nervously as Melanie interjected. "I called her before I came in. We're meeting her at noon," she said checking her watch. "We should get going."

Melanie then started to walk out of the hotel room, grabbing her purse and leading the way.

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"Miss Montez?" Mr. Dashsend inquired at the non-moving figure leaning over a pile of papers.

Gabriella's head snapped up, and saw the four figures in her doorway. She immediately stood up and walked over to shake hands with the bride's parents.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Montez," Mrs. Dashsend greeted as she shook her hand.

Gabriella smiled warmly. "My pleasure. Oh, and please, call me Gabriella," she said kindly.

Mr. Dashsend shook her hand firmly. "Gabriella, now, I hope you're giving what ever my darling wants. I don't care about the cost," he said, standing up straight.

"Okay, sir. I'll keep that in mind," Gabriella responded, chuckling slightly.

Melanie then turned to Gabriella with excitement written on her face. "So, tell me and my parents what you and Troy here have planned so far!" she said with thrill in her voice.

Troy and Gabriella locked eye contact, and Gabriella led her clients into seats in her office. She then opened her mouth to speak. "Well, we picked out flowers-" Gabriella attempted but was interrupted by Melanie.

"Oh, yes, I heard that you guys picked out lilies and daises? I understand the lilies, but Troy, what in the world made you pick out daises?" she inquired.

Gabriella shifted uncomfortably in her seat. When she saw Troy stumbled for words, she answered. "I encouraged it. I thought they went perfectly with your theme and lilies. And daises are rumored to be good luck for a wedding," Gabriella lied.

Melanie's face lit up. "Really? Oh, well in that case, I understand," she said smiling.

Gabriella's eyes shifted to Troy, where he mouthed 'thank you'. Gabriella gave a slight nod before proceeding. "We have photography planned out, and I got it a great price, so you don't have to worry about the cost there," Gabriella explained, "and we don't have the invitations published yet, but we should have them soon," she said, casting a slight smile in Troy's direction.

"Sounds like you guys are doing great! Now we just need the dress and tuxedo fittings, and reservations for the church and reception hall," Melanie clapped smiling.

Gabriella faked a smile. "Yeah, among other little things, like the cake and champagne," she added.

Mr. Dashsend stood up from his seat, as Mrs. Dashsend. "Well, it was my pleasure meeting you, you sound like you know what you're doing," he said as he shook her hand again.

"Thank you," Gabriella grinned. Mr. and Mrs. Dashsend smiled and then turned around and started to walk. Melanie and Troy then stood up, and began to follow as Gabriella walked around her desk to lead them out of the building.

"Thanks for meeting my parents, I told them so much about you, and they wanted to meet you personally themselves before the wedding," Melanie muttered as they walked out of the office, fishing in her bag for her cell phone.

Gabriella smiled. "No problem."

Melanie finally pulled out her phone, but groaned when she glanced at the screen. "Why is it whenever I want this to work, it never has reception?" she asked to no one in particular, but Gabriella took her own out from her pocket.

"Use mine. It has service," she offered, holding it out. Melanie grinned and took it out of her hand.

"Thanks," she said as she began to punch in numbers on the phone.

"So Gabriella, how long have you been working here?" Mrs. Dashsend asked as they waited for the elevator.

"I've worked here for about a year and a half," Gabriella replied kindly.

Mr. and Mrs. Dashsend sent each other looks of surprise. "A year and a half? Well, you certainly made a name for yourself in that short amount of time," Mr. Dashsend proclaimed with a smile.

Gabriella grinned and nodded. She was about to say something when a voice rang out in the hallway.

"Gabriella!" Jamie screeched, marching down the hallway.

"Yes?" Gabriella asked through clenched teeth, along with a fake smile.

The blonde stopped abruptly in front of Gabriella. "We need to talk," she muttered at Gabriella, while smiling at the Dashsends' and Troy. She then grabbed Gabriella's arm and started to walk off with her.

"I'm going to borrow Gabriella for a moment. She'll be in touch," Jamie called over her shoulder while dragging Gabriella off down the hallway.

Once they rounded a corner, Jamie opened a random door and pushed herself and Gabriella inside. Gabriella stumbled in the room, recognizing it as Cindy's office. She then turned around fiercely at Jamie.

"What was so important that you just had to drag me off like I was a dog for?" Gabriella asked angrily.

Jamie smirked. "Well, someone told me that instead of working yesterday, you were off at a bar coughing down shots like a crazy person?" she inquired, looking expectantly at Gabriella.

Gabriella looked down. "It's a long story-"

Jamie chuckled coldly. "So you were off drinking shots at a bar? Anything else you want to add to that? Oh, yes, how about you were with the groom of the hugest wedding account in the company? When I head this, I dismissed the idea immediately, knowing that it couldn't possibly be true. But when I overheard you retelling the same story on the phone to one of your friends, I wanted to bust you right then. But luckily for you, the Dashsends' entered the office before I could. But now that I have you now, I have only one thing to say to you Gabriella: Get your act together," she said nastily, before walking out of the office.

Gabriella sighed and leaned back on the desk as she watched the door close. "What am I doing?" she groaned, leaning her head back. She then stood fully up and walked out of the office, only to find that her clients were gone. She let out a breath and then decided to go for a walk to clear her thoughts.

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"Mhmm, yes, that's great. Okay, well, I'll talk to you later," Melanie said as she pressed the 'end' button on the cell phone.

Troy furrowed his brow as he looked at the phone. "Isn't that Gabriella's?" he asked.

Melanie's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah it is, she was whisked off before I had a chance to give it to her," she proclaimed.

Troy nodded as he took the phone from her. "I'll give it back," he said, walking back into the building. He made his way back up onto the eleventh floor, where her office was located. Once he reached her door, he saw the lights were off and the door was locked. He turned around and started to look down hallways, seeing if he could spot her out.

"She's at the park," a voice suddenly said.

Troy snapped his head around in the direction of the voice. He turned around to find Cindy.

"What?" he asked.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "She's at the park on 5th street. Probably sitting by the lake," she repeated.

"Thanks," he said as he dashed towards the elevator.

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Gabriella sat down on the grass, looking out at the water's surface. She sat up, hugging her knees to her chest, thinking about what Jamie had said. She knew Jamie was right; she needed to get her act together. Troy was getting married; there was no way around it, or any loop holes. She just needed to learn how to accept that fact. She sighed as she started to pull blades of grass up from the ground. She came to the park every now and then, whenever she needed to take a break from reality, or just to enjoy the quiet.

"Gabriella?" a voice asked.

She snapped her head behind her, to find Troy standing there looking at her. "What are you doing here?" she asked, putting her hand over her eyes to block them from the sun.

Troy smiled. "Melanie still had your phone," he replied as he held it up. He then walked over to her and sat next to her.

"How did you find me here?" she asked as she took the phone from him.

He looked up at the sky. "Cindy tipped me off," he responded.

Gabriella nodded, and then looked back at the lake. A leaf had fallen in; disturbing the surface of the water, sending ripples in every direction. Gabriella thought about how that sort of resembled her life; how she was so content with her life, but then how one thing came and shifted it all around.

"It's really quiet here," Troy said, now leaning back on his hands. "You come here often?"

"Sometimes. I usually come here to think, or to get away from things," Gabriella replied meekly.

Troy nodded in understanding. "Sort of like my secret spot in high school?" he asked smiling.

Gabriella smiled slightly. "Yes. Exactly like high school," she replied. She knew in her heart, however, that it would never be like high school without Troy by her side.

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Author's Note: I know this wasn't the best chapter, in fact I'm not real proud of it. But I am so sorry it took so long. I'll update soon! Please review! They keep me going! Thanks!