As always, thank you. Hope you like it…

CHAPTER 4

'Secret Rendezvous for Bolton and his dancing queen'

Karen put the paper in front of Gabi as she ate her microwave meal-for-one, Karen heading off to work at the club the following evening.

"You're on the front page again, no page six anymore" she joked

Gabi chewed thoughtfully, looking at the pictures of Troy and her leaving Joe's separately.

"How come he looks good and I'm in my sweat pants?" she huffed

"What did Danny say?" Karen asked

"Not a lot" Gabi shrugged "What could he say?"

"How about, how did you feel being faced with your ex, the one you are CLEARLY still in love with?" Karen suggested lightly

Gabi burst into tears then and Karen felt really bad for upsetting her. What she didn't know was that Danny had split up with her over the whole Troy incident. Gabi hadn't found the words yet to tell her.

A knock sounded at the door and Amy came in, flushed and breathless, carrying bags "Ta-da" she said merrily and then saw Gabi in tears.

"Oh my god what happened?" she asked, dropping everything and rushing over to hug her.

"Troy fucking Bolton happened" Karen muttered and Gabi just bawled harder

"What? He was here?" she asked, shocked

"No, at the diner. On a shoot." Karen explained

"Oh. Gabi, seriously, will you talk to him? You won't get closure until you've talked to him" she urged

Gabi shook her head "It's too late. I'm the one who walked out…"

"So be the one to walk back" Amy soothed

"I can't do it" she said flatly

Amy and Karen both gave her a look. Amy got up, spinning on her seat as she went and grabbed her bags "Get up, we are painting our nails, slapping on the war-paint and dressing in skimpy clothes and going out" she said

"No! I'll get papped" she said

"I don't care!" Amy said "do you?"

Gabi shook her head "No" she sulked

"Then go! Get in the shower." She instructed

Karen turned to Amy as Gabi slumped off "Thanks Amy- you are a god-send"

"How are we gonna get them back together?" she wondered

"I have no idea…but if you think of anything, let me know" she sighed, picking up her keys "I have to go to work. Call me if you need me"

Amy's ears pricked up. Call me if you need me. Troy had said the exact same thing. She had Troy's number. She had to think of a plan. She grabbed her bags and went into Gabi's room, pulling out her purchases and strewing them all over the bed and picking things out for them to wear.

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Gabi looked down at her attire. She was wearing black silk boxers, a matching camisole and a cropped long sleeved black bed cardigan, with a black feather boa.

She was roller-skating around with Amy, who was dressed in similar attire, but hers were cream and she had trousers and a cami instead with a white feather boa. She'd let Gabi have first choice but it was pretty obvious cream was not Gabi's colour.

She looked to Amy accusingly as they got funny looks skating around hand in hand, and god knows the paps outside had been flashing away when they'd come in.

"Stop frowning Gabi, it doesn't suit you" she chided

"Well I feel kinda like I should be back at the strip club!" she joked

"Oh rubbish. It's about time you let your hair down. Besides, this is my last night here. I have to go back in the morning.

"I know. I'm glad you did this for us, thank you" she squeezed her hand.

They giggled as they got tangled with some on-coming boys and Amy flirted with them a little as Gabi carried on skating around.

Suddenly she saw someone coming for her across the floor, he wasn't skating he was just heading straight for her.

"What..?" she asked confusedly as she felt the panic rise in her, the fear of the day of her kidnap coming back in full force as she put her arms up to shield herself and she screamed.

Amy turned quickly, saw Gabi in trouble and skated over, realizing the man in front of her was taking photo's "Get the hell away from her!" she screamed, pushing him the chest "Someone, please help!" she called and the boys she had been talking to came over and wrestled the guy off the roller floor, Gabi having sunk to the floor sobbing.

"Oh god, Gabi, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" Amy apologized, hugging her, pulling her up and away from the intrusive looks from the others there. She got her into the quiet cloakroom but she wouldn't speak and she was having another panic attack.

"It was just a pap" she soothed, rubbing her back "Oh my god I need a medic!" she panicked, but Gabi shouted "No!" as soon as she tried to leave the room

She looked at her phone. Could she? Should she?

When she was thinking of a reason to call Troy, this wasn't exactly what she had in mind. She dialed his number anyway.

"Yo" he answered casually

"Err, Troy?" she checked nervously, Gabi now curled on the floor in a ball

"Yeah, who's this?" he asked

"Amy. Gabi's friend" she added

"Oh, I forgot you had my number. How can I help you?" he asked, confused at her call

"It's Gabi…she's having a panic attack, I can't leave to get help…will you come?" she asked

"What about her boyfriend?" he asked softly

"You mean Danny? They split up yesterday" she recounted, not realizing Troy knew about that.

"Where are you?" he asked instantly

Amy sighed "At the roller rink just out of town" she instructed

"I'll be there in a flash" he promised and he lived up to his word, appearing less than ten minutes later.

"Hey" he said to Amy, rubbing her arm as she burst into tears at his arrival, panic setting in

"A pap got in and went for her while she was skating and she thought she was being attacked again" she said with a wobbly voice and he hugged her briefly.

"Okay, let me try. Will you get a paper bag?" he asked, to help Gabi's shallow breathing which was evident even from where he stood at the door.

He wasn't sure what she was wearing but she looked amazing, the whole expanse of her legs was visible.

"Gabi?" he said softly, crouching before he got too close and sitting on the floor "It's me, Troy" he said

She cried harder and he felt his heart constrict painfully.

"Can I sit next to you?" he asked, doing so when she didn't answer.

Shoulder to shoulder, he ached to hug her. "You're safe, Gabi, I promise, no-one will hurt you" he said, turning, laying an arm across her shoulders and she flinched a little, then looked at him, her make up running down her face, hair mussed.

"I'm here" he said, staring into her brown eyes and had forgotten how lost he got in them.

She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and sobbed against his shoulder, still struggling for breaths as he soothed her, rubbing her back, stroking her now-straight hair. It felt soft and shiny and so different from her curls but he liked it too.

He could hear her breathing relax, it wasn't as sharp or labored and Amy popped her head around the door, her face worried until she saw Gabi clinging to Troy.

"I think we should just get her home" he commented, scooping his hand under her bare knees and lifting her against his chest where she sniffled and curled into him.

Back at Karen's flat, he laid her gently on the sofa, stripping off his light jacket to lie across her bare legs and she stared at him in wonder.

"Thank you" she said as he stood back a little from the sofa, Amy disappearing to the kitchen to make a sugary drink for Gabi to help with the shock.

"I should go" he said in return and Gabi didn't want him to but she couldn't seem to find the right words so she just looked at him, begging him to understand.

When he reached the door she called his name.

He smiled softly "You've had a busy night. You know where to find me" he said and he let himself out.

"Troy, do you want a drink?" Amy called from the kitchen and came out when he didn't answer, finding the living room empty of his presence

"Where…?" she asked, confused, looking at Gabi

"He had to go" she said, leaning into the sofa for comfort, thinking how amazing he was to just drop everything and come and save her.

"Oh, okay…well here's your hot chocolate" she said, bringing in the drink

"Thank you, Amy" she said as her friend sat on the sofa.