Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own it

Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own High School Musical. Call back in a few weeks and I'll let you know if anything has changed on that front.

Author's Note: Wow, lots of reviews! I've gotten more reviews for that first chapter, than I have for a couple of my one-shots! So thank you to all that left a review, especially those who reviewed one of my stories for the first time. And sorry for the long delay. Whenever I went to sit down and write, I kept getting ideas for future chapters, rather than this one. Hopefully that means that I won't take so long with these next chapters.

Hope you all enjoy the next chapter!

Setting down his tray, Troy took a seat opposite Gabriella, who had already started eating her salad, and began to eat his own lunch. "Hm, so tell me, any interesting cases today?" Gabriella questioned.

Troy finished chewing what he had in his mouth before answering, "Not particularly, unless you count this one kid who came in with his leg all bent out of shape? Seriously, his leg was in a position, it should not be able to do," he replied, as if it was nothing.

Gabriella visibly cringed, "Ew. How you see that stuff every day and not be bothered by it is beyond me."

Troy laughed at her, "Hey, you're the one that asked. And may I remind you, that you're a doctor; you should be fine with all that nitty gritty stuff."

"Yeah, may be, but some of the stuff you see is just nasty," she shuddered at the thought of some of Troy's previous cases he had told her about.

Troy just grinned back in response, "Well then maybe you should stop asking about them everyday."

Gabriella scoffed at him, "Fine, I won't take an interest in my friend's life then," she shot back, taking one of his French fries and throwing it at him. Unfortunately for Gabriella, Troy caught the chip before it could hit him, and then proceeded to eat it.

"Ha, like you would ever be able to do that. It would kill you not to know how my date went last night," he added, knowing that she could never resist that. "And don't go wasting perfectly good crappy hospital food," he said playfully, whilst picking up a fry and waving it around in her general direction.

Gabriella's eyes lit up, having only just remembered that he'd had another date last night. "Oh! How'd it go?" she said excitedly, having already forgotten what he'd said only moments ago.

"See, told you," Troy replied smugly. This only led to Gabriella leaning across the table to hit him across the shoulder. "Ow! Was that really necessary? Violence is never the answer Dr Montez. You of all people should know that," he smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah. Just tell me how the date went!" she repeated again, with just as much excitement.

Troy couldn't help but laugh at her; she was just far too cute when she got all excited; the way her eyes lit up, smile shone broadly, and the how she gripped her hands together, in an attempt to hide her excitement from those looking on. "Well, you know, same old, same old," he said dismissively, and went back to eating his lunch, deciding it would be a bit of fun to tease her for a little bit.

"Troy," she said, drawing his name out so that it sounded slightly whiney, and pouted her lips hoping that it would dissolve his resistance.

Troy watched on as she expertly attempted to convince him to spill the goss. He sighed already knowing that she would end up winning this round much faster than he would have liked. Holding his ground, he tried to look anywhere else but at Gabriella and those lips of hers. "Troy," she repeated, this time silently pleading to him with her eyes, knowing that he would never be able to resist the look. He snuck a glance at her, and all determination he had to beat her disappeared.

"Fine!" he pouted giving into those eyes.

Gabriella gave a triumphant, "Yay!"

"You're evil, you know that? You and those eyes of yours," he said grudgingly, a pout still evident on his face.

"Oh you love me," she smirked at him, grinning widely, "Now tell me, how was your date!"

"Same old, same old," he repeated again.

Gabriella looked at him, suddenly all the excitement she had felt before was gone, "Seriously?" He gave a small shrug. "Troy!"

"Gabriella!" he said in the same tone, playfully mocking her.

She ignored him and continued on, "That was the third date! What was wrong with this one? Too blonde? Talked too much? No manners? Didn't have a sense of humor?" Gabriella said, holding up her hand, whilst she listed off all the reasons why he had dumped most of his previous dates on her fingers. She sighed, "It cannot be this hard for you to find a great girl! You're hot, smart, funny, successful; women should be throwing themselves at you!"

"Aw, you think I'm hot," he cooed at her. She simply shot him a look that said that she was not impressed; he put his hands up defensively. "Don't look at me. It's not as if I'm not trying. You've set me up on a ton of dates since I moved out here. And I've gone along to every single one of them. It's not my fault you've got bad match making skills."

"I do not have bad match making skills," she said defiantly, pointing at him, "You're just too damn picky."

"I'm not picky… selective." Gabriella looked at him pointedly. "They're just not what I'm looking for. And there's no use stringing on these women when I know I'm not interested."

She sighed giving up, knowing he was right, "You know you really had me going this time; I really thought you might have hit it off," she pouted, "Way to get me all excited for nothing Bolton."

He laughed at her, "Aw, better luck next time," he said, winking at her.

"You just need someone that's all."

"Pssh, I do not need anyone."

"Oh yes you do. Everyone needs someone," she said simply. Even if things with that person are going to hell, she mentally added, as the conversation she had with Taylor earlier came rushing back into her mind. Sighing, she turned back to her salad, but found herself not feeling particularly hungry anymore, and ended up just pushing pieces of lettuce around with her fork.

Looking up from his own lunch, Troy noticed her sudden change in demeanor. "Hey, come on, I bought you lunch, the least you could do is eat it," he joked good naturedly. Gabriella gave him a weak smile in return. "What's up? You've gotten quiet all of a sudden," he prompted.

Gabriella sighed and stole a few of his French fries, "Oh that would be right," he said playfully rolling his eyes at her. "I buy you lunch and you eat mine instead. I should have known," he smirked at her.

She giggled slightly, and stole some more fries, "It's just Taylor."

He nodding knowingly, "Ah," already understanding where this was going, "She up to her old tricks again?"

"You got it," she replied, letting out a sigh. "I just wish she would quit already," she added, her shoulders slumping, as she slid down into her chair.

Troy looked at Gabriella once again, his heart slowly breaking at the sight of the beautiful woman that sat before him, sadness clearly etched on the features of her face. For the millionth time in the last three months we wished once again that he could be the one to cheer her up, and take away all her pain. Realistically, he knew that as one of her best friends he had the power to do that, but he wanted more; needed to be more to her than just a friend.

Some of his male colleagues had mentioned to him on countless occasions that now would be the perfect chance to make his move. To be her knight in shiny armor; and rescue her from the evil clutches of her broken marriage. But Troy being Troy, knew that he could never do that to her. He could never knowingly turn her against Noah, so that she would fall for him instead. If they were ever going to be together again, she needed to figure it out on her own. She was the one who needed to make the decision of whether they were better off as friends or if they were something more. And even if it pained him to watch on as Gabriella continued to pursue a marriage that clearly was not meant to be, he would still be the ever loyal friend always there to give her comfort, in whatever form she needed.

Slowly he moved his hand across the table, so that it covered hers, and gently moved his thumb in a comforting motion across the knuckles of her hand. "She's just worried about you, that's all," he said softly.

"Yeah, I know," she replied, her voice just as soft, "I just wish she knew when to stop," she sighed once again, not noticing his hand on hers.

Not too sure on what to say next, he continued the movements on his hand, leaving her to her thoughts. "It'll be okay. It'll all work out in the end, you know that right?" he paused, "It may not seem like it now, but it will," he said to her softly, in hopes that it would keep her mind at ease for the time being. She gave him a small smile, nodding, believing in what he had said. Casting her eyes down, she noticed for the first time where his hand was, and stared intently at it. Troy followed her gaze to their hands, then gingerly removed his hand from hers, and clapped his hands together, trying to change the mood.

"Now what was it that you were going to tell me whilst you were on the phone to Taylor?" he said quickly, a grin on his face, trying to bypass any awkwardness that might have occurred.

Gabriella, picking up on this, went along with him, "Oh right! You know my old college roommate? Maddie?" She received nothing but a blank look in return, "You know… the one you said was too perky for her own good?"

A light bulb went off in Troy's head, "Her! Wow, you're still friends with her? Did she end up as a doctor too?"

She nodded, "Yep, and she asked me if we finally wanted to open our own practice together last night."

He grinned broadly at her, "That's great! I'm really happy for you Gabi."

"Thanks," she gave him a genuine smile, "But I haven't decided if I want to take it yet."

"Well why not? This could be a great move for you! Your own practice!" he said excited for her, "Think about it! No more white walls, or that horrible stench, you could make your own hours. And lets not forget, an end to this horrible concoction they call food," he said indicating to the remains of their lunch. "And the best bit? You wouldn't have to complain about me stealing all your candy!"

She laughed at him. "Well now that you mention the candy, maybe I should go ring Maddie now and tell her the great news," she replied grinning, the sadness on her face no longer apparent. "Thanks Troy," she added after a moment.

"Anytime Montez. Anytime," he replied winking at her.

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Opening the front door, Gabriella walked into the hallway, noticing the wonderful aroma that was wafting throughout the house from the kitchen. Placing her keys in the dish by the door, and putting down her bag, she walked towards the kitchen, to find Noah humming away as he prepared the dinner.

Leaning against the kitchen door, Gabriella took a moment just to watch him, as he smoothly moved about the kitchen. Noah was a natural in the kitchen; he could prepare the most difficult dishes effortlessly. He had once told Gabriella, that if he hadn't followed in the footsteps of his father, and every Reed male before him, and become a lawyer, he would have been a chief. The fact that he could cook, and so wonderfully was one of his talents that she had once found so attractive.

She continued to watch on noticing at how normal this felt. Before things all went to hell, whenever Noah would come home from a business trip, she'd always come home to him cooking her a fabulous dinner for her return. She sighed as she reminisced at what they once had, before walking into the kitchen. "Welcome back," she said, her voice not expressing much excitement.

"Hey!" he replied back excitedly, obviously having missed her lack of excitement, and leaned towards her to give her a kiss on the lips as she walked passed.

She slowed down her pace as she noticed him leaning in, and paused for a quick moment, before giving him her cheek, rather than her lips, then quickly moved towards the stove to see what he was cooking, before he could get another try. If Noah had noticed, he didn't let on that he did, and continued to prepare dinner. "Mmm, smells good," she said as she looked into the pot, "What is it?"

"It's a surprise," he said grinning as he shooed her out of the kitchen, "but I assure you, it's one that you'll like. So if you just go upstairs and change into something comfy, dinner will be ready in about ten." She looked at him quizzically, but brushed it aside, and went upstairs anyway.

She came down minutes later, in a pair of tracksuit pants and a random tee, to find Noah placing the plates on the table. "Just in time!" She stood before the table, realizing how much effort Noah had really put into this. "Recognize it?" he questioned, she nodded back faintly, he grinned, "I had hoped you would. Now dig in!"

She took a seat, "I can't believe you remembered."

He chuckled, "How could I forget? This was the first thing I ever cooked for you. I was so nervous."

She gave a small smile before taking a bite, "So how was your trip?"

"Really great actually, we won the case," he grinned happily, "The defense didn't stand a chance. I mean, it looked like they weren't even trying, they must have realized how much of a loss cause it was," he continued, not noticing how quiet Gabriella had been. "So how was your last few days?"

"Yeah, alright, nothing exciting really," she said, continuing to eat.

The two continued to eat in silence for a while, until Noah spoke up, "Oh! I forgot, when I did a quick pop in at the office, I ran into Taylor, she said that she might not be able to call tonight, something about a boob job, but said for you to think about what you talked about?" he said, slightly confused. "Taylor's getting a boob job?"

Gabriella let out a quick giggle at the thought of Taylor getting a boob job, "No, just a new case she's working on. But um, now that you mention it, something interesting did happen yesterday." Noah stopped eating, and turned to her, "You know my friend Maddie?" he nodded, "Well she asked me if I wanted to open a new practice with her."

"Gabi! That's great news!" he said, getting up from his seat, and giving her a hug. Gabriella became rigid as his arms went around her body, but awkwardly returned the hug nonetheless, quickly pulling back.

"Yeah, it is," she said softly as Noah returned to his seat, "Only thing the practice would be in Albuquerque," she added.

Noah's excitement seemed to drain away, "Oh. Right." There was an awkward pause, both trying to mentally calculate what this would mean for them. "So, have you decided on anything?" Noah spoke up.

"Well not really. I was talking about it with Troy and Taylor before; they both think it would be a really great opportunity. But that's about it," she said, going back to eating her meal, not noticing as Noah's fist began to clench a little.

"Oh, so you've already talked about this with Troy and Taylor huh?" he said, trying his best to keep his voice calm and cheerful.

"Well yeah, why wouldn't I have? They are my best friends," she responded, not really understanding where he was going with this.

"When did this all happen?" he asked, his voice remaining calm.

"Um, Maddie called last night, and I spoke to Troy and Taylor about it this morning," she shrugged, passing it off as if it were nothing, and continued to eat.

Something inside of Noah snapped, "And you couldn't ring me because?" he said, his voice rose, not being able to keep his cool any longer. He waited for her to answer, and when she didn't he continued on, "Gabriella, remember me? You're husband remember?" he said, yelling now as he stood up at the table. "Last I heard, husbands and wives share things like this with each other, or have things changed since then?"

Gabriella put her fork down and just looked at him, her face remaining expressionless, "You know what? I'm not feeling hungry anymore; I think I might just make it a night." And with that she got up from her seat and walked upstairs, leaving a riled up Noah standing alone.

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Gabriella lay silently in their bed, her mind reeling. It really hadn't even occurred to her that she should call him before talking about it with Taylor and Troy; didn't even cross her mind. She sighed, knowing that Noah was right. If the opportunity had come up a few months ago, Noah would have been the first person she called, yet this time she hadn't even bothered to tell him until Taylor indirectly forced her to.

The bedroom door opened, and Noah wordlessly came in, walking around to his side of the bed he sat down and faced her back. "Look, Gabi, I'm sorry," he said quietly, hoping that she was listening to him. "I don't know what happened down there, I just snapped, and I shouldn't have." Gabriella remained still. So he continued, "I know things haven't been okay between us lately, but I want you to know that I'm trying okay? I'm really trying to make an effort." Still, Gabriella gave him no indication that she was listening. Sighing, he began to get up, when she finally spoke.

"I know," she said quietly, before slowly turning towards him, his green eyes came into contact with her brown ones and she gave him a weak smile, which he gladly returned. They sat there for a moment before Noah slowly leaned towards her, moving his hand to gently caress her cheek. This time Gabriella didn't turn her head, or move away as he came into contact with her, and just let him stroke her cheek. Gradually he moved to kiss her on the lips. When there was only a small gap between them, he paused, and looked into her eyes, before closing the gap. The kiss only lasted for a short moment before Gabriella pulled away, quietly whispered, "Good night," before turning around and settling back into her pillow.

Noah gave a sad smile, whispered back "Good night" and then walked out of the room to clean the mess downstairs.

Once he was gone, Gabriella breathed out a deep sigh. It wasn't that she wanted her marriage to fail. She really didn't. It was just... hard. It had been four months, four painful months, and every time they had begun to get even remotely intimate with each other, she'd get these flashes. Flashes of the pain she had felt when she found out. Images of his hands touching another woman, in places where he only he had touched her in over the last four years.

Sometimes she could almost imagine the sound of another woman crying out her husbands name in those moments of ecstasy. And that's what had always stopped her. The knowledge that during their marriage, she wasn't the only woman he had made feel that way. The very thought of it still sickened her.

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...

Gabriella sat in the living room, moving about excitedly, wearing a slightly revealing, yet tasteful dress, in hopes that she could surprise Noah when he came home. She walked around the room, candles flickering slightly as the air around them stirred; she stopped at the fireplace, gazing in happiness of a photo of the two. The turning of a key behind her, alerted her to Noah's presence as she quickly ran to the door.

Before he could even put his suitcase down, Gabriella's lips were on his, passionately kissing him. He kissed back, letting himself enjoy the feeling of her body and lips pressed against his own, knowing that it wouldn't last too long. When they pulled away, Gabriella let out a happy sigh, before mumbling, "Hey you," against his lips. "I missed you. Two weeks is far too long." She leaned into his lips again, but noticing Noah wasn't responding, pulled back. "What's wrong?" she said, looking into his eyes.

He sighed and avoided her gaze, "There's something I've got to tell you," he said slowly.

"Okay, but can it wait? I've got a little bit of a surprise for you," she replied seductively, her eyes twinkling.

He pulled from her grasp, knowing that if he didn't, he might not be able to say what he needed to. "Actually, it really can't," he said walking into the living room, "You may want to sit down for this one."

"Okay…" she said following him into the room and sitting in a nearby chair, clearly confused by his actions.

He sat down on the coffee table opposite her, leaned towards her and took his hands into hers, sighing. He took a deep breath, and looked into her eyes. "Whilst I was away… something happened," he said slowly, watching for her reaction.

Her eyes flashed with worry, "Oh God, no one's hurt are they?"

Continuing to hold her hands he went on, "Um, no, but," he paused and took in a deep breath, "Something did happen between Theresa and I." As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Gabriella froze, feeling as if she had just gotten stabbed in the chest with a scalpel. She remained still, sitting motionless as her world came crashing down around her.

The sound of Noah's voice brought her back down to reality, "Gabi, I want you to know, that it was a huge mistake, and I regret every minute of it," he said sincerely, his thumbs rubbing hers, as he held her hands.

Ripping her hands out of his, she stood up and walked to the other side of the room turning away from him. "Gabi, I'm sorry, God, so sorry!" Noah cried out, "I don't know how it happened, one minute we were celebrating our case and the next…" he voice died down, unable to speak the words. "Gabi, speak to me. Say something," he said quietly, as he walked towards her, reaching out for her hand.

"Don't!" she said firmly, her voice concealing her pain, as she twirling around to face him. Her eyes were no longer twinkling, but filled with tears, which she refused to let fall. "How could you?" she said in distress, her voice trembling, as she looked into his eyes. "How could you," she repeated again.

Noah saw the pain in her eyes, hating that he had been the one to cause it. "I don't know," he said regretfully, hanging his head. "It was a huge mistake!"

"Yes it was," she said sorrowfully, as she walked past him, not looking in his direction and over to the front door, and opened it, wordlessly asking him to leave.

Noah sighed, slowly walking to the door. He paused just as he was about to walk out, trying with no avail to catch her gaze, dejectedly, he whispered, "I'm sorry," before she closed the door on him.

She closed her eyes; as a single tear fell from her eyes on onto her cheek. With all her energy suddenly drained, she leaned again the door, slowly sliding down towards the floor as she finally let it all out, her shoulders racking as she silently sobbed to herself.

...

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...

Every time he came home from one of his business trips she would always wonder if it had happened again.

She wanted to trust him. She really did. But it wasn't just as simple as saying, "I trust you." Her head was telling her one thing; that she had invested four long years into this relationship, this marriage, and it would be stupid of her to let it just fall apart now. But, at the same time, her heart was telling her that it was just too soon. That she was still broken from the initial blow, and that it needed more time to heal itself.

When all her thoughts became too much for her, she willed herself to sleep, knowing tomorrow would be a hell of a day.

Author's Note: And there's another chapter, a long chapter. So there was more insight into her relationships with Troy and Noah. Hopefully the difference between the two was obvious.

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