Troy stood from the couch where himself and Gabriella were sat, having just finished dinner, he took their plates into the kitchen to put next to the sink ready to wash later or tomorrow.
"Wine?" He called into the living room.
"Just a little," Gabriella replied and stood from the couch to move over to the huge window wall which curved onto the two adjacent sides. She looked out at the dark night and the sea that had now come further up the beach.
"Here," A husky voice said from behind her.
Gabriella felt a slight shiver run down her spine and as she turned to take the glass she noticed how close he was to her, "Thank you," She muttered as his hand lay just above her hip and gave it a gentle rub.
"Do you like the view?" He asked.
Gabriella nodded, "Yeah, it's beautiful," She murmured, tilting her body to rest against his side.
Troy simply nodded, more than enjoying the company of this woman.
/
Gabriella ran both of her petite hands through her naturally curly, very thick hair, "Oh my god," She sighed and complained as she stood in her garage with the door up to let in some fresh air and warm weather, "Stupid, stupid, stupid drawing," She groaned, slamming down her thin tipped pen.
"Hey Gabriellor," Sharpay said in a specifically sassy tone.
Gabriella pouted and looked towards the entrance of her garage. Not saying a single thing, she stomped out into the sun and met her best friend on her front lawn where she took a seat.
"Alrighty then," Sharpay frowned and sat next to her, her long legs out straight, "Are you ok?" She asked.
Gabriella lay back, "No, my drawings are dumb today and I'm tired and Xavier really didn't want to get up today so this morning was fun and ugh, it's only 11am," She whined.
Sharpay looked down and let out a small laugh, "Oh babe, just relax for an hour and try again."
Gabriella nodded with her eyes closed, pushing up the sleeves of her oversized loose dress shirt, "How are you? Haven't spoken to you since Tuesday morning."
"No," She agreed, "That's why I'm here and I'm good but I want all the gossip since Zeke has it from a primary source and I don't," Sharpay smirked.
Gabriella rolled her head to the side, "Ask Zeke."
"Gab!" Sharpay huffed, "No, you tell me," She begged.
Gabriella shrugged and moved her head to face the sun again, "What do you wanna know?"
"Why I got a text at 9pm asking me if it was ok if Xavier and Noah stayed the night and you'd pick them up first thing in the morning," Sharpay started with an amused smirk on her face.
Gabriella stuck out her bottom lip, "I spent the night at Troy's," She shrugged.
"And…" She trailed off.
"And I stayed the night," Gabriella repeated.
"Seriously girl, just tell me," Sharpay groaned.
Gabriella couldn't help but let out a small laugh at her friend, "It's not like it matters anyway, I haven't spoken to him since Tuesday morning if you could even call a sentence talking," She said.
"Has he not been in contact since?" Sharpay asked, sounding surprised.
Gabriella licked her lips, "He has but I haven't."
"Stop talking in riddles and tell me," Sharpay snapped playfully.
"He's tried calling and texting but I've not replied or answered or called back," Gabriella admitted.
"Why?" Sharpay asked.
"I don't know," Gabriella muttered.
"What sort of stuff has he been saying?" Sharpay questioned, "Good or bad stuff?"
Gabriella lifted her hips up and pulled out her cell phone that she had put into her back pocket, "Here," She threw her phone over to Sharpay who caught it, "Well done," Gabriella grinned.
"Shut up," Sharpay laughed while she unlocked the phone and went straight to the Troy conversation and began to read the most recent which had been sent at 8am this morning.
'Good morning, I don't know if I've done something wrong or hurt you in some way for you to not talk to me but I didn't mean to if I have. I've missed your company this week. I hope to talk to you soon. Have a good day x'
"Gabs, he thinks he's done something wrong," Sharpay frowned sadly.
Gabriella remained silent.
'Listen, I've tried to call you and I've text. I can't exactly just call round and demand to talk to you, you have two kids. I don't get it, I thought we had an amazing time Monday, you were amazing. Please don't let your initial doubts ruin this.'
Sharpay continued to frown as she went to the first text of four he had sent her which was from Tuesday mid-day, 'I hope you're having a good morning even if we didn't get much sleep ;) I just wanted to say I had an incredible time and I hope you did too. I'd like to take you out on another date soon if Xavier and Noah let me of course. I'll call you tonight xxx'
"Why are you not talking to him?" Sharpay questioned.
Gabriella shrugged, sitting upright then leaning back on her hands, "Man, I need to cut this lawn," She mumbled.
"Gabriella," Sharpay said in a tone of voice that immediately grabbed her attention.
"Because I can't be anything more than a friend to him, ok? I can't," She snapped.
"Then you shouldn't have slept with him and don't bother trying to tell me you haven't because Troy came round with Chad and they spoke about it yesterday. He genuinely has no idea why you won't talk to him, can you not at least let him know?" She asked.
Gabriella shook her head and wet her bottom lip, "I need to get back to work," She said, standing up and walking back into her garage.
"Gab, you can't push away every guy who shows an interest in you. Troy is actually a good guy, he wants to make you happy and Xavier and Noah. He told me he was going to take you Disney instead but he thought Xavier and Noah might like to go so he'd save that for then. What more do you want? He's handsome, he's kind, he thinks about your kids and you've known him for nearly two weeks!" She exclaimed.
Gabriella bit down on her bottom lip, "I can't," She breathed, "I…just can't."
"Why?" Sharpay asked, folding her arms as she walked into the garage.
"One of the reasons is because Jake and his new girlfriend are flying in tonight to visit Xavier and Noah ok? We're all going out to dinner and if he knows that I like Troy and I've slept with him, he'll flip and I don't need any more drama in my life," Gabriella almost shouted.
"So you won't speak to Troy because you're ex is coming to town? Gabriella that can't be it, what are the other reasons?" Sharpay pressed.
Gabriella ran her hands through her hand and gripped it at the roots, "I can't be with him, in any way other than a friend. You can tell him that."
Sharpay shook her head, "You're making a big mistake."
Gabriella swallowed and deep within she whispered 'I know' but she stayed silent and felt tears come to her eyes as she turned away from her best friend to pick up the pen and start to draw.
"Ok, if that's how you want it. I'll let him know. Call me tonight or tomorrow or I'll call you, I want to make sure you're ok after this dinner," Sharpay said.
"Ok," Gabriella whispered, her voice cracking which gave the indication to Sharpay that Gabriella really couldn't cope with all of this right now but she would never ask for help so Sharpay would wait until she was needed.
"Alright, I'll see you later," Sharpay said.
"Bye Shar," Gabriella said, not making a line on the page until she heard Sharpay walk away.
/
Gabriella was quiet the entire afternoon from when she picked up Xavier and Noah from school. However, her boys were in a talkative mood even though neither Xavier or Noah were extremely excited to see their dad and his new girlfriend which Gabriella had to explain to them about, as it had been since April that the two had seen their dad when it was Noah's third birthday.
Gabriella was knelt down in front of Xavier and she buttoned up his light blue shirt that matched dark blue almost black pants.
"Mom?" Xavier asked with a hesitance about it.
Gabriella met his eyes with a smile.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
Gabriella smile widened at how sensitive and attentive her eldest son was at the age of six and a half, "Yeah baby, I'm fine. Are you ok?"
Xavier nodded, "You look pretty," He told her partly to make her smile and because it was the truth.
Gabriella bit down on her lip, "Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself," She grinned.
Xavier grinned back, "Dad's not gonna take us to New York is he?" He asked, moving closer to hug his mother tightly.
Gabriella shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes, "No, you're staying right here with me," She said firmly.
"Good because I'd only go if you were coming too," He said although it was a little muffled as his head was dug into her hair.
Gabriella cuddled her son closer and kissed his head firmly, "You're not going anywhere without me."
"Good," Xavier repeated, laying his head on her shoulder.
Gabriella sat hugging him for a minute more before she rubbed his sides, "Come on bud, let's go see how much mess your little brother has made," She smiled.
Xavier laughed and made his way down the stairs checking behind him that his mother was following. Gabriella had noticed that all day both Xavier and Noah have been looking for her if she wasn't in direct sight and they hadn't strayed far away from her side all afternoon.
/
Gabriella took a deep breath as she placed Noah on the ground after unbuckling him from the car seat. She took a hold of Noah's hand while Xavier stayed closer to her as they walked to the restaurant and she froze for a moment as she saw Sharpay, Zeke, Troy and Chad sat at a table by the window. Obviously, Troy and Chad had come straight from work as they wore t-shirts with the name of their business on and messy hair whereas Zeke and Sharpay were dressed a little nicer. It wasn't a fancy restaurant but it wasn't one where typically you'd wear day time clothes.
"Oh my gosh," Gabriella mumbled, feeling an eruption of butterflies but she continued to walk, glad that neither of her boys had noticed. However, Gabriella felt Noah stop and she looked down and saw him hold his arms up towards her.
"Up," He pouted.
"Come on then lazy," She teased with a smile and picking him up under his arms and placing him on her hip and she was glad for that comfort holding her children close bought.
Xavier attempted to push open the heavy door but looked up at Gabriella with a blush and Gabriella winked at him with a giggle as she opened the door and Xavier shook his head as if he was twenty years old than he was.
"Cutie," Gabriella said, ruffling his hair gently then watching him push back his hair and softly bump his head against her leg.
"Hi, can I help you?" A voice said.
Gabriella looked up and gave the waiter a smile, "Yeah, erm a reservation under Montez," She said.
The waiter began to tap on the screen and then gave her a smile, "Yes, the other two are already at the table."
Gabriella gave the best smile she could, "Great," She said in a fake cheerful voice.
The waiter guided the three towards a large table and Gabriella soon saw Jake who was turned towards a glamourous woman chatting and laughing, she felt her stomach turn and not in a good way.
"Here you go," The waiter said as they arrived which caused Jake and his new girlfriend to look up.
"Boys!" Jake exclaimed and stood up before he bent over to hug Xavier who tentatively hugged him back. Jake stood straight, "Noah, can't you walk?" Jake said with a forced chuckle.
"He's three, Jake," Gabriella said testily.
Jake's eyes shot to Gabriella's, "Still fiery I see," He commented, "Keep your voice down," He spat.
Gabriella rolled her eyes while Jake took Noah away from her arms, "Sit down Xav," Gabriella said as she sat at one side of the table, "Can you sit next your dad for me? So I can help Noah with his food?" She asked.
Xavier pulled a face, "No, I wanna sit by you," He whined.
"Xavier, please," She asked, begging him to just go along with it for now.
"Mom," He practically shouted, "No, I wanna sit by you," He groaned, causing a few tables around them to look over.
"Xavier, you're attracting attention just sit next to me," Jake said firmly, lifting him on the chair opposite his mother.
Xavier frowned and folded his arms, looking away from everybody. Gabriella lifted Noah into the seat next to her and pulled the chair a little closer so she could hold onto him.
"Xavier," Gabriella said, reaching across the table to gently tug at him arms, "Hey, look at me," She said softly and he did, "Come here," She gave him a small smile.
Xavier looked down and slid off his chair before walking to his mother who wrapped him up in a hug so she could whisper in his ear.
"Please, please, please just be good tonight. Tomorrow we can do whatever you and Noah feel like ok? Just please be nice," Gabriella whispered, rubbing his back.
"Gabriella, you can't baby them forever," Jake snapped at her, "He needs to grow up and do as he's told."
Gabriella's head snapped up, "He's tired, he's been to school today and normally he would have had his dinner and would now be relaxing, give him a break. This isn't exactly normal for them," She said as calmly as she could.
"Ok mommy," Xavier whispered as she gave him a kiss on the head and he went back to his seat.
Jake shook his head and looked over at his girlfriend, "I think I need to introduce someone, Danielle this is Gabriella, the mother of my children and this is Xavier my eldest and that is Noah my youngest and guys this is Dani, my girlfriend."
"Hi, it's nice that you want to meet your boyfriend's kids so soon," Gabriella said with the nicest smile she could muster.
"Oh no, Jake was very adamant that he wanted to make sure we were serious before I met them. It's taken three and a half years. We met when Noah would have been a few months old, he's 4 right?" Danielle said innocently.
Gabriella's eyes quickly moved to Jake's whose narrowed at her as if that if she dared to say no then bad things were to happen. Gabriella could have leant over and threw up right at that moment. Her head started to spin as she realised that the two in front of her had gotten together just a couple of months before she found out she was pregnant with Noah. He had been sleeping with someone else while he had been sleeping with her and knocked her up.
Gabriella tried to show no emotion in her face when deep down her stomach, brain and heart felt as if they were whipping around her body but she knew her face was white, she could feel it, "Yeah," She whispered, moving her eyes away from Jake.
"No, he's-" Xavier started.
Gabriella looked at Xavier and cut him off, "Would go ask the waiter for the kids menu please bud?" She asked.
Xavier frowned but smiled at his mother, "Sure," He jumped down off the seat.
Gabriella didn't speak for a few minutes while she pretended to scan the menu when the only thoughts that whipped around in her brain were now the realisation that the reason Jake was so hostile to Noah was because he was already with another girl before she even revealed she was pregnant with their second child, if it were up to him, he may have been long gone.
/
"Oh shit, what's happened?" Sharpay whispered. She had noticed Gabriella and the two boys walk in and just as she was about to shout over to them to say hi, she saw them getting walked to a table and when the view was better she saw that it was Jake and his new girlfriend. Sharpay hadn't told anyone on the table about the sighting but she kept an eye on her best friend in case she needed her and when she saw Gabriella's head snapped up and all colour drain from her normally tan face she knew something was wrong. The vision of them was so good due to Sharpay and Zeke facing the direction of the rest of the tables and Gabriella was sitting in the direction of Sharpay.
This comment from Sharpay caught the attention of her fiancé Zeke, "You ok, babe?" He asked, placing his hand on her back as her whole body went ridged.
Sharpay straightened her spine and tried to relax, taking her eyes away from Gabriella so neither of the three boys caught on, "Yeah," She said, putting on a fake smile.
"Hey Sharpie!" A small boys voice said as he walked towards a waiter that was hanging around their table.
Sharpay's eyes now shot to the little boys, Xavier, who stood at the end of their booth, his head just popping over the table.
"Hey Xav, you good?" Sharpay asked.
Xavier nodded but looked down sadly, "Can I stay over here with you?" He asked.
"Why?" Sharpay asked with a frown.
Xavier pouted and shrugged, "I need to get a menu."
Troy leant across the table, from behind Chad so he could see Xavier better, noting Sharpay's lack of response to Xavier's sad question, he knew something was off, "Hey bud," Troy said with a grin.
Xavier's eyes shot up, "Troy," He grinned, "Can I come sit with you? Can we go to your beach again soon? Can I go on the boat this time? Me, you, mom and Noah?" He rambled questions off.
Troy chuckled at the amount and at the fact that he had called the beach Troy's beach, "Of course you can go to the beach anytime and we'll get that red boat out again, ok?"
"Yeah. Mom said that if I behave and I'm nice tonight, me and Noah can do whatever you want tomorrow," Xavier said with a grin, "So I'm gonna say the beach," He said with an enthusiastic nod.
Troy chuckled, "That sounds good to me," He smiled at him genuinely, "Why have you gotta be nice and behave tonight though, buddy? I thought you were the nicest guy around," Troy winked.
Xavier shrugged, his smile falling, "Mom wanted Noah to sit by her so I had to sit next to dad but its ok mom is in front of me," He shrugged, looking down at the floor and missing the three males surprised expressions, "But that girl said Noah was four but he's three and that girl has been with dad for three and a half years. Is Noah four?" He asked, looking up with a slight head tilt.
All four of the adult's stomach's dropped and Sharpay now realised that was the reason behind why Gabriella's face turned so white.
"Hey babe, will you go take Xavier to get a menu and then back to Gabriella," Sharpay said to Zeke.
"Yeah," He muttered and stood up.
"Bye Xav, I'll see you soon," Troy said, bumping fists with Xavier who nodded with a grin, glad to put a smile back onto the little boy's face.
Sharpay let out a large breath, "Holy shit, he's been seeing that girl since Gabriella has been pregnant with Noah," She breathed, "That's why she looked so pale," She muttered.
Troy and Chad were kind of understanding what was happening but not one hundred percent certain.
"Gabriella's ex husband is here?" Troy asked with a frown.
"Yeah and he's just dropped the bombshell that he's been fucking some girl since Noah wasn't even born. This morning she looked so worried about tonight when we were talking about it and oh my god," Sharpay breathed as she spoke quickly and clenched her jaw.
"What an asshole," Chad spat.
"Oh my god, Gabriella," Sharpay whispered, shaking her head and she picked up her head to see Gabriella look up at Zeke who stopped by their table and then Gabriella's and Sharpay's eyes met.
/
"Thanks," Gabriella muttered as Zeke handed her the menu and Xavier sat back down.
"We'll see you later, Gabs," Zeke said, looking down at her meaningfully and squeezing her bare shoulder comfortingly.
Gabriella smiled up at Zeke in thanks and he walked away.
"Everything ok?" Danielle asked.
Gabriella faked a smile, "Everything's fine. So tell me more about you, I'd love to know," She said, looking over at Jake with disgust evident in her eyes but Danielle was too busy giggling and squeezing Jake's thigh at the opportunity to rave about the man Gabriella so badly despised.
/
Sharpay had just finished explain the whole thing she had put together just from looks over at the table and what Xavier said and the whole table felt extremely bad for Gabriella's position right now and all had a strong sense of hate towards Jake.
"He's the biggest piece of scum on this planet," Troy spat as his jaw tightened and he looked over his shoulder for the first time and immediately met Gabriella's eyes. She looked away quickly, looking down rather than at the people in front of her.
"I don't know how much more she can take from him," Sharpay admitted.
Troy shook his head, "Let's face it, he's the reason why she's been ignoring me this week," He said bitterly.
Sharpay nodded, "She told me this morning to tell you that she's can't be with you than any other way than just a friend," She shrugged.
"And it's because of that jackass," Troy hissed, his temper raising, "And on Monday, she was singing a whole different tune," He shook his head.
"What did she say?" Sharpay asked, intrigued.
Troy sniffed and shook his head, "Just that everything she said to me the first night I went round hers was still true and if not more so now. That her feelings for me were growing really fast. That she wanted me in more ways than a friend she hangs out with occasionally, she wants to go on dates with me and have me touch her like I do. Even Tuesday morning she said that she wished she could just stay and lay in bed with me and put off reality for a little longer," When he started to talk, the words just fell from his mouth.
"Wow," Sharpay whispered.
Troy let out a deep sigh and shook his head, "And it's because of that dick over there that it makes my life that much harder when he comes to getting her to be with me. Fuck, I hate him, he makes her feel like shit even when he's not with her."
/
Gabriella let out a huge shaky breath as she watched Jake and Danielle drive out of the parking lot in Jake's fancy hired car. She was glad that pretty much straight away when she ensured that her children were fastened in her car safely they had fallen asleep. She slumped and lay back against her car, covering her face with her hands as her silent tears poured down her face while her body shook violently because of the tears and the shock she had endured during the whole dinner.
Her body doubled over as her fingers dug into her scalp all the while the silent tears hurt deep within her body as they spilled down her cheeks, "Ow," She whispered as she cried into her hands.
"Come here," A very familiar woman's voice said from in front of her bent over body, "Sweetie," Sharpay's voice sounding again, this time a little more worried than sad. She guided her upper body straight again slowly and then immediately wrapped her arms around the shaking woman whose hands had not moved from her face, "Oh, babe," Sharpay whispered, gently swaying her from side to side, "It's ok," She soothed, holding her tightly to her, her hand stroking the back of her hair softly.
"What did I do so bad to deserve this?" Gabriella gasped, her chest violently raising and falling.
"Nothing, that's what makes this all so awful. But I promise, it's all going to be ok, I promise," Sharpay said, feeling Gabriella gasp for air, "Shhh," She said softly.
Gabriella abruptly pushing Sharpay away from her, her hands moving from her face for the first time. Her chest was falling and raising quicker and her gasps of air were becoming shallow and short, Sharpay knew that Gabriella was having some sort of anxiety or panic attack, "I can't," She cried, her hand trying to grip onto her skin over her heart.
"Gab, just breathe nice and deep with me," Sharpay said, walking forward again trying to force the worried expression from her face while taking hold of her hands, "Look at me, breathe," Sharpay started to taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly, trying to calm Gabriella down.
"No," Gabriella yelled, her head falling forward as more tears fell down her face and her breathing was still erratic and her heart was beating quickly, trying to take in as much oxygen as she could.
Troy stepped forward after watching with sadness and concern as Sharpay tried to calm her down, "Hey," Troy said softly, placing gentle hands on each side of her head and tilting it to look at him, being carefully not to cover her ears as it may make her feel more closed in, "You're ok," He said comfortingly, "You're with me, nothing can get to you now, not when I've got you," He whispered, "You know that. Now just start taking some deep breaths for me, focus on only that," He instructed her as he felt her small hands grip on his wrists, "Breathe in slowly," He did it and then let out the breath, "You're doing it with me? Yeah? Breathe in now," He said and watched her eyes fix on his lips, watching as he breathed in the air and then slowly let it out. She started to copy his actions to Troy's relief.
"There you go," Troy smiled softly at her, feeling her grip on his wrists loosen.
Gabriella continued to take deep and slow breaths as her heart rate began to slow down from its erratic pace. Her hands dropped from him and she relaxed back against her car and her head fell forward.
Troy picked up her hands and pressed kisses to each of them, "Better?" He asked.
Gabriella nodded silently, not looking up at him as she now felt extremely embarrassed. She moved away from him and walked around the car away from everybody and slid into the driver's seat, locking her car so nobody could sit in her passenger seat. She didn't look at any of her friends who were standing by her car.
"Mommy?" A sleepy voice sounded from the back.
Gabriella quickly wiped her face using her finger tips and sniffed, trying to look as if she hadn't just broken down right next to her sons, "Yeah baby?" She questioned, turning to face Noah who had his head tilted to the side and a pout on his lips.
"Cuddle," He asked, looking down.
Gabriella couldn't help but smile and she leant in between the seats to unbuckle him and then pick him up which was easy as he was only little. Noah wanted a cuddle and right now, there was nothing more she wanted than to cuddle her son.
"I love you so much," Gabriella said, letting him get comfort in the crook of her neck as she held him up so he could rest there as he wasn't big enough yet to sit on her lap and his head to fall there. She rested her cheek against his warm head and closed her eyes.
"Love you," He replied sleepily.
/
The next morning Gabriella woke up although extremely tired and drained from the night before, she woke with a smile on her face as she had let Xavier and Noah sleep in her bed with her and they were both snuggled together and then snuggled into her. They were still sound asleep even at 8:30am on a Saturday. She had put her cell phone on the do not disturb setting the night before, she rolled over carefully to retrieve it and check if anybody had text her. Her eyebrows had shot up when she saw two text messages from Sharpay and three missed calls from her, one text and one call from Troy, a call last night and a text this morning. They both said things along the line of that they hope she's ok and call when she can. Gabriella lay her cell phone back down and sighed, trying to push the thoughts of the night before out of her head.
A loud knock on her front door a few minutes later made her shoot up and dash down the stairs so the noise wouldn't wake up Xavier and Noah.
"Shhh," Gabriella hissed as she opened the door quickly and came face to face with Sharpay, Zeke, Troy and Chad, "Come in, they're still asleep so please be quiet," She said as she shut the door behind them and followed them into her living room.
"What are you guys doing here so early?" She asked, rubbing her eyes and glancing down to make sure she looked presentable after dashing out of bed. She adjusted her slightly large t-shirt so it wasn't falling off her shoulder anymore and moved her small shorted so they weren't twisted around her.
"We wanted to see if you were ok," Sharpay explained, "You went last night without saying anything and I tried to call to make sure you were ok and we came over but you didn't answer the door but your car was in so we thought we'd just call this morning."
"We fell asleep pretty quick last night," Gabriella explained.
"Are you ok?" Sharpay asked with a concern expression on her face.
"I'm fine. Actually you guys will have to go soon, I promised Xavier and Noah a day of whatever they wanted so I should get them up," Gabriella said awkwardly as she stood in her living room by the fireplace as they sat on the couches.
"As long as Xavier behaved and was nice right?" Troy spoked with a slightly strained voice.
Gabriella didn't fully meet his eyes but she nodded, "Something like that."
"You can't just keep pushing the hurt away," Sharpay blurted out, "It's ok to feel hurt and show it, Gab. Nobody is that strong all the time."
Gabriella looked up at the ceiling, "When you have two kids who know when something is up, then yeah you have to be strong all the time," She answered, "You can't go around being upset because then they get upset."
Sharpay had a deep frown across her forehead, "But after last night, its ok to be hurt and show that you're hurt in front of us."
"I did, that's embarrassing enough so please can you drop it," Gabriella said testily.
Sharpay was getting frustrated but in a sad way, "No!" She exclaimed, "You found out that Jake was seeing that girl when you were pregnant with Noah, that's not ok and you need to deal with those feelings and not push them away!"
Gabriella let out a dark laugh, "You know what? Fine. I thought about it last night, he was with her before I got pregnant with Noah so while he was fucking me, his wife, he was fucking some nineteen year old and I got pregnant which wasn't part of his plan so no wonder he was pissy with me and Noah when he was born, I stopped his plan of fucking off with her and probably to him, I did that on purpose. But you know what makes everything so much better, she wasn't even the one I caught him with on New Years," She laughed again, "You know what? That really did help," She said sarcastically, "I love thinking about it and reliving it, I should think about my feelings more," She nodded, obviously pissed off.
"Gab-" Sharpay sighed.
Gabriella let out a large breath and laughed again, "No, wait there. I need to think some more. So let me just clarify; while I was carrying my cheating ex-husbands baby which was the most difficult pregnancy ever, he was off fucking some other girl. I am lucky."
"Gabriella," Sharpay closed her eyes, "I'm sorry."
Gabriella's shoulder slumped before she shrugged, the fake amusement and sarcastic behaviour seeped out of her to be replaced by hurt. She looked at Troy, "And that is exactly why I can't be with you."
Troy shook his head, "Well I'm not him," He said simply.
Gabriella looked away, "Isn't that how it goes though? You get tied down, you get the girl knocked up, you want someone who can wrap her legs around your neck when you fuck her, you don't want to have to do certain positions because the pregnant girl can't do the ones you normally do so you stray and you hide it and then you get caught and you happily sign the divorce papers and run off to New York, leaving the one you cheated on to bring up two kids while she questions if she ever meant anything to you or whether she had wasted her time and effort on somebody who was only ever with her for a bit of fun," She said calmly.
Troy licked his lower lip, "That was with him, not me," He clenched his jaw, hating the vulgar words falling from her mouth, "And you know what? The other night, I thought it was great, we didn't do any crazy shit but I still had a good time," He practically spat at her.
Gabriella held back a wince, "Troy, we-"
"Yes, I know; we did some stuff you probably couldn't do if you were pregnant but who fucking cares. If I was Jake I'd been fucking ecstatic if you were carrying my second kid. You don't know how lucky you were to have two amazing children who think the world of you. Yes, a jackass helped create them but they are nothing like him, they are all you so stop basing your assumptions of me on him," Troy exclaimed.
"Troy, I had my-" Gabriella shook her head, what she was about to say wasn't appropriate. "Isn't that what always happens though Troy? You'd get bored and leave," Gabriella said almost tiredly with a shrug of her shoulder, restoring back to her previous statement, "Can you guys please go?" She asked.
"I said to Xavier I'd take him on that boat again soon with you and Noah," Troy said abruptly.
Gabriella sighed slightly aggravated, "What?"
"When he came to our table last night, he asked if I would take you, him and Noah on the boat again and he wanted to go to the beach again," Troy explained.
Gabriella's eyes flickered to Sharpay.
"He did," Sharpay confirmed.
"Mom?" Xavier called.
"Living room!" Gabriella shouted back as a couple of minutes later she saw a sleepy Xavier and Noah turn the corner to the living room still in their pyjamas and messy hair. She couldn't help but to smile at them both.
Noah stopped and looked around at all of the people as Xavier walked over to his mother as she sat down and he sat in his lap, laying against her while she asked if he helped Noah down the stairs which he nodded to.
Noah caught sight of Troy and his face brightened up and he began to walk over to him. He leant against Troy's leg, not wanting to ask to be picked up but Troy got the message and lifted the little boy onto his lap. During the evenings Troy spent at this house, sometimes Noah or Xavier would make an appearance or would still be up when he got there so he would talk to them or watch the end of a movie or TV programme with them.
"Missed you," Noah mumbled quietly as he wiggled around in Troy's lap to get comfortable.
Troy didn't look at anyone other than Noah when he spoke but he felt everyone's eyes on him, "Missed you too bud. I miss watching cartoons with you," He mumbled back.
Noah nodded silently.
"Do you wanna go to the beach today?" Troy heard Gabriella murmured to Xavier who instantly picked up and looked over at Troy.
"Can we go on your boat?" Xavier asked.
"You'll have to ask your mom," Troy answered, looking at Gabriella.
Gabriella seemed to soften when she saw Troy slightly hunched over with Noah sat on one of his thighs and his little feet on the other while resting against his chest. She probably shouldn't have let Xavier and Noah get as attached as they were becoming to Troy but her heart couldn't bear the thought of their sad faces if they stopped seeing him.
"Yeah, we can," She answered Xavier, her arms around his waist, "Who's there now?" She asked referring to their business.
"We hired two people so were wouldn't have to bust our asses working six long days a week and one of us on our own for a day because we're open 7 days," Chad shrugged.
Gabriella nodded, "When did this happen?" She asked.
Chad looked at Troy who was in a quiet conversation with the little boy on his lap who was examining one of Troy's large hands.
"Just after you two met," Chad answered, looking back at Gabriella.
"Look how small your hands are," Troy whispered, his head hanging low so it was closer to Noah's, his cheek almost pressed against Noah's forehead.
Noah nodded and stretched out his small hands to try to make them appear bigger which Troy chuckled at and made Noah look up with bright eyes and a smile on his lips.
"Bigger," Noah said simply.
Troy nodded, "Huge now, almost as big as mine," He said quietly, comparing the two.
Noah nodded, "Yeah," He said quietly, looking down at their hands.
Troy smiled softly and let Noah slap his hand to his own repeatedly.
"Cartoon?" Noah asked Troy who had lifted his head a little bit.
Troy raised his eyes to look at Gabriella, "Can he watch a cartoon?" He asked.
Gabriella nodded, "Sure," She said, stroking Xavier's back who was slowly falling back to sleep, "The controls are on the coffee table," She told him and he carefully leant over while keeping hold of Noah to grab them.
"Whoa," Troy joked, pretending to drop him.
Noah squealed and held onto Troy's arm while laughing.
Troy grinned at his reaction, "What do you wanna watch No-Po?" He asked.
Noah shrugged as Troy flicked through the channels, starting to read off some programmes until he agreed on one.
"No-Po?" Chad questioned, raising an eyebrow toward Gabriella who seemed to have relaxed since Noah had wanted to sit in Troy's lap.
Gabriella giggled, "Mhm," She nodded, "Just a nickname he randomly came out with one night," She shrugged, "Noah likes it."
Troy stopped on a channel and put on the programme before he shuffled back against the couch and placed himself more against the corner so Noah could sit straighter and on his lap in the same position Troy was but instead on sitting on the couch, he was sitting in Troy's lap. Troy's hands were on each of his legs, gently patting in time with the music as Noah swayed.
"He loves Troy," Sharpay whispered to Gabriella.
Gabriella looked up and smiled at her blonde friend, "He does. I think it's because he got next to no attention from Jake so when Troy shows him a bit of male attention solely on him, he loves it."
"That's adorable," Sharpay cooed.
"Who's that then?" Troy asked earning a shrug from Noah and he looked down as if he was embarrassed, "We'll have to learn it together then, won't we?" He asked, turning his head to see the side of his face which brightened with a smile and a nod, "Good," He chuckled, holding his hands out palms up as Noah started to place his hands on Troy in a gentle clap which he had started to do the more he saw Troy which Gabriella seemed to think was because he wanted to make sure Troy was still there.
"I can't hear because of your clapping, how will we ever find out his name?" Troy teased, nuzzling just above his ear carefully.
Noah let out a large laugh, titling his head back into Troy's chest where Troy blew on his forehead making a funny noise therefore Noah laughed louder, "Now we've missed his name, Noah, what are we going to do with you?" He tickled his sides making him wriggle and twist until he was hanging over Troy's thigh, his head close to Chad's legs who was grinning at the pair.
"No! Troy!" Noah squealed loudly, reaching up.
Troy pretended to nibble at his hands making him squeal some more and pull his small arms into his chest.
"Noah," Xavier groaned from his place in his mother's lap.
Troy faked a gasp and quickly pulled Noah up and held him around his waist, "Oh no, we've woken your brother up, what do we say?"
"Sorry," Noah answered with a big smile.
"Good," Troy held out his hand for a high five which Noah tried to give him as hard as he could, "Ow," He faked, shaking off his hand.
Noah's eyes widened and leant over in Troy's grasp to kiss his hand, "Sorry."
Troy smiled tenderly at him, "I was only joking but thank you."
Noah simply smiled back before settling back calmly in Troy's lap to continue to watch his cartoon.
"Noah, who do you love more mommy or Troy?" Sharpay asked.
Noah shrugged looking from his mother to Troy, "Mommy?" She questioned, as if he wasn't sure how to answer the question.
"You can love us both, No," Gabriella encouraged which seemed to easy Noah as he relaxed more.
Noah nodded, "Both," He changed his mind with a grin.
Troy kissed the back of Noah's head softly, "Gosh, you sure do chatter a lot over my cartoon," He teased.
"Mine!" Noah exclaimed.
"Ours?" Troy asked.
"Mine!" Noah frowned.
Troy pouted as Noah turned around, kneeling in his lap making Troy let out an 'ompf', "Careful," he choked out.
Chad and Zeke burst out laughing at Troy's pained face as they guessed that Noah had knelt on Troy's crotch. Troy gave them a pained look, gritting his teeth as Noah innocently nodded.
"Do you all want to come to the beach with us today?" Gabriella asked which returned a positive response.
"Guys lets go get Xavier and Noah ready," Sharpay suggested so that Troy and Gabriella could talk before they spent the day together.
"You come?" Noah asked, looking up at Troy.
"Sharpie, Zeke and Chad will help 'cause dude, you're gonna have to spend all day with me," Troy joked.
Noah shook his head, "No," He mumbled, leaning against Troy's chest and gripping his t-shirt.
Troy looked over at Gabriella and shrugged, "Is it ok if I get him ready?" He asked.
Gabriella bit down on her lower lip, "Yeah," She said with a small smile.
Troy nodded and stood up, keeping Noah close to him and he walked away and up to his room which he knew well. Chad and Zeke went to take Xavier to get ready after Sharpay said she needed to talk to Gabriella.
"How have you not fallen for him already?" Sharpay asked with her mouth agape.
Gabriella actually let out a laugh, "I guess I'm a little resilient."
"He's an angel with Noah," Sharpay sighed dreamily.
Gabriella nodded, "He's amazing in a lot of ways."
"In the bedroom?" Sharpay asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
Gabriella blushed, tucking her hair behind her ears, staying quiet.
"That's a yes," Sharpay squealed.
"Maybe it's just because it's been a while, anything might feel good," Gabriella smirked with a little laugh.
Sharpay shrugged, "Maybe. You'll have to try it again," She smirked, "I don't think Troy will mind."
Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Shut up. I'm going to get ready," She headed for the stairs.
"I'm coming with you. You better where that sexy bikini I made you buy," Sharpay rambled.
"It's tiny!" Gabriella exclaimed.
"Oh please, it's a little Brazilian cut. Stop being dramatic," She scoffed.
"Oh wow. The drama queen tells me I'm dramatic," Gabriella said in disbelief before Sharpay hit the back of her head as they reached her room.
/
Gabriella crouched down on the beach where the water would wash up against her ankles as she and Noah placed sand in a bucket; Gabriella with her hands and Noah with a small spade. They were collecting sand for the castle she, Noah, Xavier, Troy and Chad were building while Zeke and Sharpay made out in the sea.
"Noah, baby," Gabriella laughed, "Hold the spade like this instead, it'll be easier," She said, adjusting it in his grip which earned her a huge smile from her little boy.
"Well, well, well, didn't think I'd see that ass for a while," A voice from behind Gabriella said.
Gabriella tensed and she stood up, turning slowly to face her ex-husband who stood there eyeing up her body from bottom-up, "A while?" She scoffed, "Never again. What are you doing here?"
"I've come to spend some time with my kids before I go back tomorrow," Jake smirked, "Plus it doesn't hurt to see you in a bikini again, you been working out?" He moved his hand to sweep over her backside and her thigh.
"Get your hands off me," Gabriella growled, forcefully moving his arm away from her.
"Just brushing the sand off and it's not like you didn't enjoy it before," He said with a smirk and folded his arms.
Gabriella looked down at Noah who was still concentrating on packing sand into the bucket, "No, you've got a lot of sand there, why don't you take it up to your brother?"
Noah looked up and nodded, lifting the bucket with his little arms.
Gabriella never let him out of her sight as she stood in front of Jake, "Where's your precious girlfriend?" She asked, looking at Noah.
Jake smirked, "Jealous?"
Gabriella's eyes snapped to Jake's amused ones, "No."
"I wanted to spend some alone time with my family, she understood," Jake raised his eyebrows momentarily, "But you look good, pretty girl," He said, running his hand down her arm and gently pulling her to him.
Gabriella shook her head, looking towards the sea as she stood close to him, "How could you?" She whispered.
"What?" Jake asked, frowning.
"How could you be with that girl since before I told you I was pregnant with Noah?" She asked, looking at the horizon.
Jake looked down at her face and for once he actually frowned sadly at the situation they were in, "I'm sorry," He whispered, "The pressure of everything, it was too much for me."
Gabriella looked back at him, her eyes darting from each of his, "Do you not think it was too much for me? But we had a child and one on the way, you don't get to decide if you're ready, you just have to do it because we had two children relying on us to keep them alive."
"I know," Jake croaked out.
Gabriella shook her head, "You don't. You've barely seen them since we split."
"I love you and seeing you just made everything so complicated and hard and confusing," Jake husked, his tanned hands resting on her biceps, "I couldn't see you because all I would want to do is kiss and hold you."
Gabriella looked up, "You talk shit and you wouldn't see your children because you didn't want to see me? If they lived with you, nothing would stop me seeing them and if you tried, I'd take you to court. How does that settle in your stomach and not make you feel sick? The idea of not seeing them?"
Jake shook his head, "I guess I'm good at denying things," He looked up at her, "Like I've been denying that I love you for the past few years. How can I not? You're the mother of my children."
Gabriella pressed her full lips together, "It doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters. You gave birth to my kids, Gab. Of course I love you, how can I not? You're strong, feisty, beautiful, sexy, you've had my kids in you. You'll always hold a special place in my heart," Jake told her, rubbing her arms with his thumbs.
Gabriella rubbed her forehead causing his hands to drop onto her waist. It was a strange feeling, it was familiar yet uncomfortable, "Jake, please just go."
"No, I need you to hear me out, ok? You know I can be a first class jerk. I've been an asshole to you and I understand that you want me to leave but Gab, I love you and I always have, for the past ten years you've had me. I just lost my way and I couldn't deal and yes that makes me weak and really stupid but I'm sorry," Jake said with a frown as he stroked her sides.
Gabriella looked up into his deep brown eyes and felt tears build up in her eyes.
"Don't cry. I hate when you cry," Jake said in a pained voice, bringing her closer to him in a hug.
Gabriella didn't return the hug but let him hug her as silent tears slipped from her eyes, "You make me cry all the time."
Jake pulled back, frowning as he rubbed her cheeks, wiping away the tears, "I don't mean to, I don't like it. I love you, why wouldn't I want to see you anything other than happy."
Gabriella shrugged, closing her eyes, "You don't love me."
"Yes I do," He said firmly, "You're beautiful Gab," He tilted his forehead to rest against hers.
Gabriella kept her eyes closing, feeling him bringing her closer so she was pressed up against him, his arms around her waist and his hands laying low on her back. She felt his nose bump against her cheek; one hand leave her back and tip her chin up. The next thing she knew, his lips were close to hers.
"No," Gabriella flinched back.
/
Troy had been watching the exchange between the former couple, only the 'former' part no longer seemed to be relevant. He sat in the soft sand with Noah in his lap building sand castles and his mom was down the beach making out with her ex-husband, he thought bitterly.
Troy looked away as his eyes nor could his heart take seeing another woman he liked kiss another guy. This time was especially hurtful as he sat babysitting her children while she kissed her ex-husband who treated her horribly.
"Toy?" Noah said quietly.
"Yeah?" Troy asked, shaking his head to clear the thoughts out of his mind to focus on the little boy in front of him who seemed to have grown very attached to him.
"Move hand," Noah said, nudging his large hand out of the way which was blocking his path of making a dip in the sand around the area where the castles would be.
Troy chuckled, "Sorry buddy." He sat up and took off his tee-shirt and realised it had been a while since he had been shirtless at the beach.
"Alright man?" Chad asked, frowning at his friends quietness especially around Noah who he most definitely had a soft spot for.
Troy nodded, "Yeah," He sighed heavily.
"Troy!" Xavier shouted, running up to them with football in his hands.
"Hey dude," Troy replied.
"Can we play?" Xavier asked with a grin.
Troy chuckled at the excited look on his face, "Sure. Put a little more sun lotion on your shoulders and face though; they look a bit red."
"Ok."
Troy looked over at Chad who had a smirk on his face, "Daddy Bolton."
Troy glared at him and flipped him off quickly.
"Noah, you wanna play?" Xavier asked, "Chad?"
"Yeah," Noah grinned, standing up.
"Sure, its on. Teams?" Chad questioned.
"Me and Troy against you and Noah?" Xavier said.
"Sure, lets go," Troy grinned, bumping fists with Xavier as they walked to where there was a fairly large flat area of unoccupied sand.
Troy and Xavier stood one side of the pitch they had drawn out and Chad and Noah stood the other. Troy threw the ball to Xavier who attempted to run but was quickly grabbed with Chad and swung around until the ball came free due to Xavier's laughing. Noah ran to the ball but struggled to pick it up and Sharpay came running out of nowhere and helped him pick up the ball and run down the sand. Troy 'quickly' ran and swooped Noah up and ran to the other end with him while Xavier plucked the ball from his brother's grasp and ran to the other end with a cheer.
"Yeah!" Troy shouted, ruffling Noah's hair before placing him down and jogging over to Xavier and they high fived.
"Cheat!" Sharpay exclaimed.
Troy let out a large laugh, "Hell no! Three against two isn't fair, you're the cheat."
"You're not cheating are you Mr Bolton?" A sultry voice came from behind him, placing their small hand on his hand.
Troy shrugged her off, "Fuck off," He murmured to her and walked away, "Come on then Shar, if you think you can beat me and Xavier with three people on your team."
"Let's go!" Chad roared playfully.
"Actually I'm gonna let you boys play. Too much testosterone," She shuddered jokingly and walked over to where Gabriella stood with her lips pressed together.
/
"What was all that about?" Sharpay asked with a frown, "Did Troy tell you to fuck off?" She asked as they sat in the sand, enjoying the sun.
Gabriella nodded, "Things are so complicated. I'm so confused," She sighed.
"Why?" Sharpay asked simply.
Gabriella ran both of her hands through her hair, "Jake was here for like a few minutes but he's left. He kept going on about how he still loves me and how he made a mistake and he's sorry and he was calling me beautiful and… he kissed me."
"What?" Sharpay exclaimed, "Gabriella, please tell me you didn't kiss him back."
Gabriella shook her head, "It was over within a second, I moved away and told him I didn't love him anymore but I think Troy saw."
"Oh."
"But I'm 90% sure that Jake won't see the kids unless we're together. Do I see him and may be try again with him or do I let my kids not have their dad in their lives?" Gabriella questioned out loud.
"You can't get back with him!"
"Why? If it means that they'd have their dad then I'd do it."
"What about Troy?"
"What about him?" Gabriella sighed, "He's not a factor in whether they see Jake or not."
"If you're thinking of the possiblity of getting back with Jake then of course he's a factor," Sharpay said in surprise, "Has he messed your head up that much that you don't care about Troy's position in this?" She asked.
"Troy has no position in this!" Gabriella exclaimed, "None. If it meant Xavier and Noah would see Jake then I'd stop seeing Troy in a heartbeat."
Sharpay pressed her lips together, "But they love him, you see that, right?"
Gabriella slumped, "Yes. I would never stop them seeing him."
"Then you'd have to see him."
"It wouldn't matter."
Sharpay tilted her head to the side and looked over at where Chad, Troy, Xavier, Noah and now Zeke were playing, "If I were you. That alone," She nodded her head over to the boys, "Would make me throw away all ideas of getting back together with Jake."
"You wouldn't care if they didn't see their dad consistently?" Gabriella asked.
"No. Being someone's partner and being a dad are two different things and they can be done separately and if Jake doesn't want to parent two of the most amazing boys I've met then that's his problem not yours," Sharpay shrugged, "My opinion."
Gabriella let out a huge breath, "My head," She complained.
"Xavier and Noah have amazing people around them, if I do say so myself," Sharpay grinned. Gabriella laughed, "They do and as long as you don't stop Jake from seeing them and keep that door open then your relationship with them will be good. They have so many people who love them."
Gabriella finally looked up at the male figures in her life and her eyes fixed on Troy who, with the help of Chad, had Xavier by his legs and Chad had him by his arms and they were swinging him in punishment of their loss but Xavier didn't seem to mind as he laughed loudly.
Noah was cheering next to him and Troy said something to him to make him taking a step backwards and turn around running before Troy, Xavier and Chad ran after him while Zeke walked up the beach toward the two girls.
"Hello ladies," Zeke greeted.
"Hello gorgeous," Sharpay smiled brightly.
Gabriella looked over and smiled, "Hey."
"Are you ok?" Zeke asked with a frown.
Gabriella smiled wider in an attempt to convince him, "Yeah, I'm great."
"She's thinking of getting back with Jake," Sharpay said as Zeke settled behind her to rest against his chest.
"What?" Zeke said in surprise, "Why?"
Gabriella shrugged, looking out at the sea, "I'm gonna take a walk, think about some things. Will you watch Xavier and Noah please?"
"Sure," Sharpay nodded with a small smile.
Gabriella stood up and picked up her strappy mid-thigh dress before putting it on and walking away down to the water which she started to walk along in hope it would help her figure out her thoughts and emotions and her huge situation.
/
"Where's mom?" Xavier asked as they went back to base after playing around a little more.
"She's taking a walk," Sharpay answered which seemed to ease Xavier curiousness but enhance Troy's however he stayed quiet.
"Go find her please Troy," Sharpay said.
"No," Came the blunt answer from the bulky man.
"Now," Sharpay said firmly.
"No," Troy laughed coldly.
"Whoa," Zeke said with raised brows.
Troy shrugged.
/
"I'll see you soon," Troy said as he hugged Xavier and Noah together before he stood back with Chad.
Xavier and Noah climbed into Zeke's car where Zeke was in the driver's seat and Sharpay was outside, leaning against the passenger seat door.
"See you soon," Gabriella said to Chad hugging him.
"Definitely," Chad grinned, returning her hug.
"Troy?" Gabriella questioned softly when he had moved away from Chad.
"I don't want to talk to you," Troy said bluntly, folding his arms, "I don't want to see you. So don't try to hug me or anything of that shit," He said quietly.
"You don't know it all," Gabriella protested, "You have no idea how hard this is."
Troy shrugged, "I don't but I'm not making it any harder for you. Go back to your cheating ex but you're not fucking better. You fed me a bunch of bullshit and then kissed him. The guy who also treats his kids like shit," He said angrily.
Gabriella brought her hand up to whip it around his face but Troy caught her hand and pushed it off to the side.
"Don't you dare slap me," Troy hissed.
Gabriella frowned at him, "You're making it out like I'm the worst person for wanting a family."
"There's nothing wrong with that but how you've dealt with this whole situation is disgusting, you've treated me like shit," Troy scoffed, shaking his head.
"Guys, come on. Don't fight in front of them," Sharpay said, placing her hand on Gabriella's arm.
Gabriella looked up into Troy's eyes, "I never meant to hurt you," She whispered.
Troy lifted one shoulder, "I don't know Gab, I don't understand."
"I want a family," She said simply, only slightly recognising the fact that Sharpay and Chad had each gone to their own cars to give the two some space.
"Family doesn't have to be blood related, Gabriella," Troy told her.
Gabriella jittered a little on the spot but quickly bringing her hands to her face, "I don't know what to do Troy," She whispered.
Troy closed his eyes for a moment, taking a hold of her wrists and bringing her hands away from her face. He silently brought her into his embrace, holding her firmly to his chest, "Its ok," He muttered.
"I'm hurting someone whatever I do," Gabriella complained, looking up at him.
Troy looked down at her and brushed her hair away with his fingers, "You do whatever is best from Xavier and Noah, forget anyone else," He husked, "They're your number one priority."
Gabriella nodded, "How do you know so much about being a parent, you're better at it than me."
Troy smiled and let out a breath of laughter, "I don't think so. I never told you but my girlfriend in high school, the one I was with in the first bit of college?" Gabriella nodded to confirm she knew who he was talking about, "We-she was pregnant for a few months so my mom and dad kinda told me somethings."
Gabriella stood there quietly.
"She… We lost the baby when she was pretty far along… a miscarriage. Erm…" Troy licked his lips and nodded, "Yeah."
"Maybe that's why you are so good with Xavier and Noah," Gabriella stated quietly.
Troy shrugged, "I just know that I'd do anything for that little boy. I have a lot of guilt over me for that time in my life," He nodded.
"A boy?"
"Mhm."
"I'm so sorry," Gabriella whispered.
Troy smiled softly, "Its fine. Earlier today when Shar asked Noah who he loved more me or you, fuck," He said, looking up feeling tears springing to his eyes.
Gabriella touched the side of his torso gently, "Its ok, you don't need to explain," She said, leaning forward to kiss between his collarbones.
Troy pressed the heel of his hands against his eyes, "You should go," He muttered, "I'll see you around," He breathed shakily, turning around and walking away. Her hands falling from his body.
/
"Goodnight, I love you," Gabriella said, kissing Xavier's head as tucking him into bed, turning out the light and walking downstairs to where Sharpay was.
"So how did your walk help things?" Sharpay asked.
Gabriella shrugged, "Troy helped more I think."
Sharpay frowned, "Hmmm?" She asked.
Gabriella nodded, tucking her legs up to her chest, "Yeah. He said some things that made me realise that people do anything to have kids and some can't and that's not ok because those people would treat their kids amazingly and it must be so frustrating for those who struggle to have children or can't have them to see people messing their kids around, you know?"
"And Troy made you realise this?"
"Yeah," Gabriella breathed a smile occupied her face, "I don't want Jake as my boyfriend or anything like that. He can see his children but I'm not getting back with him."
"Yay!" Sharpay cheered.
Gabriella laughed, "Troy means to much to me to ever get back with Jake. He treats me so well and…" Gabriella bit down on her lower lip, sighing happily, "I don't know what I'd do without him anymore."
Sharpay had a wide smile on her face, "Wow."
Gabriella giggled, holding a cushion to her chest, "Oh god, Shar," She groaned happily, "He's so amazing."
Sharpay smirked, "Someone sounds like she wants Troy Bolton in her bed right now."
"Just thinking about him…" Gabriella trailed off, "He's perfect."
Sharpay smiled genuinely this time, "I'm glad you have found someone who makes you happy."
Gabriella sighed, "I don't know how happy he is with me though."
Sharpay shook her head, "Troy Bolton has a soft spot for the Montez family, it'll be ok."
Gabriella pressed her lips together, "Seriously though Shar," She smiled, "He's incredible in every way."
"The sex?" Sharpay asked.
Gabriella sighed with a slight groan to her voice, "There are no words," She smiled, covering her face as a blush tinted her cheeks.
"I think someone might be falling for the hot beach boy," Sharpay said with a small smile.
Gabriella swallowed, "Me too," She whispered.
"Then go get your man, Montez," Sharpay encouraged.
"Shar, it's like 8:30pm, I can't just go now!" Gabriella exclaimed.
"Well in non-baby world, 8:30pm isn't late at all," Sharpay teased, "Go! I'll get Zeke to come over and we'll watch Xav and Noah."
Gabriella bit down on her lower lip, "Are you sure?" She asked.
"Yes! He needs to know you like him," Sharpay pushed her off the couch, "Now go!"
"In this?" Gabriella looked down at her yoga pants and sweatshirt.
"Yes!" Sharpay repeated.
"Ok," Gabriella said nervously, standing up and pulling down her sweatshirt.
"Go!"
"I'm going! Geez," She said, walking toward the small table in her hall way to pick up her keys, "Thank you! I'll be back! Bye!"
"You better not be back until tomorrow morning!" Sharpay shouted back.
/
Gabriella hesitantly got out of her car, pushing away the idea of turning away and going home. She walked toward Troy's front door and knocked. She stood nervously playing with the end of her sweatshirt while her heart beat pumped quickly and vigorously.
"Gabriella?" The husky voice asked.
Gabriella looked up quickly. Her nervousness had distracted her that much that she never realised the door opening and an extremely handsome figure stood smirking in front of her.
"Troy," Gabriella gasped.
Troy smirked even more, "Yeah, don't sound so surprised. This is my house."
"Right. I'm at your house," Gabriella said as if just remembering where she was, "Yeah, I've gotta get going," She gestured behind her towards her car, "See ya," She turned to walk away.
Troy grinned at her, "Gab, come here," He chuckled, taking her by the arm to gently pulling her to his chest with a soft thud.
That contact was all Gabriella seemed to need to take her away from being like an awkward teenager and stand on her tip toes to press her lips firmly to Troy's. Troy immediately responded, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and kissing her back equally as passionately.
"I was talking about you to Shar and it made me want you… so bad," Gabriella admitted as she pulled away from his lips to kiss his ear lobe, jaw and neck.
Troy's jaw clenched, revelling in the feel of her lips, teeth and tongue on his skin, "Hmmm," He moaned quietly, "I don't even have to talk about you to want you," He whispered, quickly claiming her lips again as his hands grasped at her back while hers ran through his styled hair.
Troy introduced his tongue into the kiss while one of his hands travelled down to squeeze her behind. They continued to kiss passionately and hungrily for the next ten minutes, their hands becoming more blunt in their actions, grasping and clawing at areas of each other.
"Troy?" A male voice said from behind him.
Troy paused in the kiss, his tongue firmly planted in Gabriella's mouth retreated, his hand that held the material of her sweatshirt in his fist loosened and his other hand that held the back of her head fell to his side.
Troy pressed her lips together, wiping over them. He cleared his throat, "Right, family. Erm," He looked back at Gabriella who had slightly red and swollen lips and her eyes were wide looking up at him. He couldn't help but smile as her seemingly innocent, deer-caught-in-headlights kind of look, "This is my brother Dylan and Dyl, this is Gabriella."
Gabriella opened her mouth to speak but bit down on her lower lip before answering, "Hi, its nice to meet you," She said quite croakily causing her to cough lightly.
"Hey, you too. Troy's told me a little about you," Dylan informed.
"Oh really?" Gabriella said, nervously biting her lip and looking up at Troy.
Troy smirked, "Good things," He winked, kissing her forehead before turning back to Dylan, "Gives us a minute?" He asked and Dylan nodded before walking away back into Troy's houses.
Gabriella now heard male voices talking and laughing. She looked at Troy's attire; black pants with an off-white shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, "Oh," She said, "You're going out."
Troy smiled and nodded, "Yeah, erm, my family is inside. We're going to a late dinner."
"Oh," She said.
"They surprised me with a visit, they were waiting here when I got back," Troy explained.
Gabriella nodded.
Troy curled the sides of his mouth, "Do you want to come with us?" He asked.
Gabriella shook her head, "I can't like this," She said, flapping her arms at her sides so her palms hit her thighs.
Troy bit down on his lower lip, "I don't want you to leave," He whispered, running his thumb over her cheek, "Not now."
Gabriella looked away, knowing that was due to her changing her mind all the time, "It'll still be the same another night."
Troy gave her a look.
"Have a good night, ok?" Gabriella said as she backed away.
"Gabriella," Troy sighed, stepping outside and walked down the steps to her, "Can I come over tomorrow?"
Gabriella pressed her lips together, "Maybe," She shrugged.
"I'm sorry," Troy whispered, running his thumb across her cheek before curling his fingers around her head.
"Don't be," She smiled, "Have a good time with your family."
Troy smiled gently, "Thanks, I'll try, " He leaned down to kiss her softly before she licked her lips, looked down and turned away; without another look back at him she got into her car and drove away.
"So that was the girl, huh?" Dylan said from behind him as Troy leant against the doorway.
"Yep," He said shortly, "I don't know when she'll be in one of those… moods again," He shrugged.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
Troy licked his lips, "When she remembers that she's still a woman with needs and puts herself close to first and she actually shows me that she likes me and doesn't feel like she shouldn't just because she has two children."
Dylan nodded slowly, "Right."
Troy shrugged, "Are mom and dad ready?" He asked.
"I think so," Dylan said.
/
I'd really like it if you came mine tonight, maybe for a drink? X
Troy typed away on his cell phone before slipping it back into his pocket and finishing up his dessert.
"Ok, I can't hold back any longer. Troy, Gabriella was at your house tonight?" Lucille Bolton asked with a kind smile on her face.
Troy narrowed his eyes at his brother for blabbing the information to his parents. He looked over at his mom, "Yeah, she was."
"Did you invite her?" She asked.
Troy ran his hand threw his hair, "Not before she showed up but I asked if she wanted to join us but," He shrugged, his cell phone vibrating.
Will your parents and brother be there? X
Yeah, they're staying the night but they'd like to meet you… no pressure x
Troy looked up from his cell phone, "I've only known her for about three weeks so I'm not exactly sure that she wants to meet you guys yet," He said, honestly.
"Why wouldn't you want your friend to meet us yet?" Jack Bolton asked.
Troy shrugged at his dad, "Well we've been on a date and I really want to take her out again so… maybe the friend bit is… temporary. I hope."
I think I'd like to come over but promise you won't leave me? X
Troy smirked at this: Alright, you little teen ;) see you later xxx
I've started to write the next chapter so hopefully it won't be too long for the next chapter. Thank you for reading. I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me your thoughts :)