Thanks, as always!
For those of you who are too young to remember, MacGyver (TV Show) was a hero who made a bomb out of chewing gum once :)
CHAPTER 9
Having decided there was no way on earth I could possibly get any sleep while I'm in a different room to Troy, I relocate with my duvet into the large easy chair in the lounge, curling up and sleeping fitfully with nightmarish images of the brick attack waking me at short intervals.
Finally, I see sunlight and stretch, looking over for Troy and seeing his cocoon empty and I immediately wonder where he is.
"Troy?"
"Here." He's right behind me and I jump in fright.
"Are you trying to scare me?" I accuse. "Because it worked."
"I was just coming back in to check on you," he frowns, coming around. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay…" I sulk sleepily, then sit up.
"Did you get hold of your dad?" He checks.
"No, he's out of town still," I muse. "Why?"
"Because I know right now you must wonder who you can trust and I want you to know you can trust me."
"I do." I frown.
"You shouldn't." He smiles a little. "You should be wary of anyone until you know for sure."
"You rescued me and brought me out of harms way," I argue. "That's good enough for me."
He nods and puts his hands on his hips. "I made breakfast."
"You can cook?" I goggle.
"A little," he shrugs.
"Well bring it on then," I stand eagerly, kicking away my duvet. "I'm starving."
/
"I saw your Playboy."
It was later, much later, breakfast was over and there was nothing to do so I just decided to curl up in my long line jumper on the couch, pull on my house socks and feel sorry for myself.
Troy's admission makes me look up to him where he sits opposite me in the huge chair, filling it well. He is reading again, something so calm in the wake of the harassing night before.
"You did?"
"Yeah. I looked it up," he smiles slowly.
"Thanks," I mumble sulkily.
"I can see why people got jealous," he offers with a hooded look, something I've not seen before and that flips my tummy.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"But you look great in it-more than great-" he adds with an eyebrow jig. "You should be proud."
I keep his gaze and swallow. "I am."
"Then why say all that about your figure back at the beach?" He puzzles.
I shrug. "It's Playboy. They want you to look hot- to look fuckable, it's what they're about…"
"But you're still that person- without the ears," he teases and I blush.
"I was seventeen I hadn't grown these hips and this ass…"
"But you're still amazingly beautiful." He states and this time I really am lost for words. When he said he saw me as a beautiful woman, something in me had yearned to believe it, but I never quite did. I never quite got what people saw when they said things like that.
"Are you just being nice to me because you know some psycho is stalking my ass?"
"No. I'm being nice to you because I should have a long time ago."
"So what changed, Troy Bolton? Why did you decide it's ok to be nice to me now?"
"A few things." He shrugs. "I got to know you," he adds.
"I thought you'd already made up your mind about me?"
"Well maybe I was wrong." He admits.
"How?"
"When you played Frisbee with me and Sal, I saw another side to you." He described. "And seeing you so scared back there- it's made me realise a few things."
"Like what?"
"Like, I saw you for who you are. Not the all-singing, all dancing Gabriella Montez. Just Gabi, the girl from Boston who likes playing on the beach. Gabi who has a chink in her armour."
"You really thought I was bullet proof?" I ask, surprised. I thought I wore my vulnerability with ease.
"I thought a lot of things that have been proved wrong."
"How long do we have to stay here?" I wonder, worrying again. I'm going insane with boredom already.
"Until they catch him."
"They?"
"The cops."
"That could take a while."
"Just a few days. You think you can cope with me for that long?" He smiles.
"I think so."
/
"I know! Let's go on a nature walk!" I dash into the living room after napping after lunch and I find Troy focusing on some kind of creation that is made up of wires and circuit boards. "What's that?" I ask fearfully.
He looks up, his hair fluffy and messed, his body relaxed in our new environment away from most of the previous stresses.
"It's a trigger. If anyone crosses the trip wire, it'll set an alarm inside the house."
"Well, MacGyver's in the building," I smart, placing my hands to my hips. "But won't you come out for a bit?"
"My job never stops, Gabi," he warns me in a low voice and I realise he has changed again. He flips from sensitive, caring Troy to professional, protective Troy in a matter of hours and I'm spinning to keep up.
"Fine, I'll go on my own." I decide and stomp back into the bedroom.
"Oh no you don't…" he laughs, rising to follow me in, caging me into the room as he lays his hands on either side of the door jamb. "You don't go anywhere alone."
I walk up with a sassy smile on my face and stand before him. "Nowhere?"
He blinks, his face inches from mine and I see something cross his eyes, only I can't tell what.
"I mean it." He states in barely a husk. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."
"Well that could be hard considering I have to pee sometimes."
"Don't even joke about this," he frowns crossly. "Promise me right now you won't go out alone."
"Fine." I arch a brow.
"Say the words, Gabi," he tips his chin down just like a father would to his child.
"I promise….dad." I add sarcastically, sighing as I throw myself on the bed. "I'm bored!"
"What do you usually do when you have free time?" He asks, trying to help.
I look up. "Free time? What's that?"
"I have internet on my phone. Do you want to look stuff up?" He offers.
"No…" I pout, rolling up and going to my case. "I'm going to unpack."
"Right, okay," he nods and leaves the doorway now that he thinks I'm safe. What he doesn't know is that I crossed my fingers behind my back when he made me promise, because I have no intention of staying in this constrictive space. I'm going to get out. I just don't know when…or how.
/
"Are you going to bed?" Troy asks me and I smile slowly, adding words to his sentence in my head to amuse myself. With you? Yes, please.
"Why, who are you sneaking in after dark?" I enquire cheekily.
He blinks at me patiently.
"Why do I always get the feeling you still think of me as a child?" I wonder.
"Because you mistake my concern for parental authority." He supplies truthfully.
"Aw, are you worried about me, BG?" I ask, rising from my chair to pinch his cheeks, giving him a nickname. He squints at me until I let go.
"Of course I'm worried about you…" He sighs frustratedly and rises to walk me to my room it would seem.
His words sober me and I feel fear spread in the pit of my tummy. "Can you sleep in here tonight?" I ask.
"There's no chair."
"Then sleep on the edge of the bed. I promise I won't do what I did last time," I offer, clasping my fingers together nervously at the thought of being left alone. I watch as Troy sighs and runs his fingers into his hair.
"You didn't do anything…" he mutters confusedly.
"Well I woke up alone. I guess I must have slobbered or something." I shrug.
"Gabi…"
"Don't sweat it," I assure. "Just please don't make me sleep alone. I'll take the big chair again if I have to," I plead.
He nods slowly as he caves. "Ok, I'll lay on the edge until you're asleep."
It's not entirely what I wanted to hear but it's the best I can do. Hopefully once I'm asleep the demons will stop haunting me and I can pretend I'm normal again.
Having Troy in my bed- well on it- on the very edge trying to stay professional, has got to be the best part of my year so far. Dancing with him was- well, I smile- magical and the birthday surprise was hope for something more but now that idea has been shattered.
He can't get far enough away from me as both last night; and now tonight, go to show. Once I feel like we're making progress, we snap back to this cold, separated existence and in these moments, I feel the chill of my loneliness creep over me once more.
When I can actually get a hold of my father I'm going to tell him this is what happens when he goes out of town and forgets I exist. I get bricks thrown at me and bundled away to protect my own life.
How would they feel then, knowing that? For one fleeting moment, it crosses my mind that neither of my parents would care but I know, deep down, that's not true. They cared enough to put me through drama school. They cared enough to fund my first record. They bought me singing lessons and costumes and pay for me to have the best. But something is missing.
I miss hugging mom when a guy has hurt my feelings. I miss telling Tay about my recording sessions and the adventures in my day. I miss shopping with Sharpay and walking Manly the dog with Ryan. I miss home.
"Hey, shh…" Troy's warm voice jolts me and I realise I am crying- again. God do these tears ever stop? It's so embarrassing when you fancy a guy and all you do is cry in front of him, because then all he is going to think is what a pathetic idiot you are.
"I'm ok," I lie through more quiet sobs, the emotions of the last hours coursing through me in waves of emotional tears.
"It's okay, Gabi," He spoons me into a gentle hug, brushing back my hair soothingly. "Everything is gonna be just fine…"
"Someone wants to hurt me," I hitch. "Somebody wants me to die."
"No, shh," he tightens his arms around me. "Nothing will happen to you. I promise…"
"Guys promise lots of things," I muse drily.
"I won't let you down." He assures me.
"I don't understand why this is happening…" I beseech tearily.
"Neither do I," he husks, his fingers brushing back my wavy hair from my face with gentle strokes, the backs of his fingers stroking the skin and easing my pain. "But I promise I'll find out. And I'll stop them, Gabi. I'll stop anyone who tries to hurt you."
"You don't have to protect me now," I point out. "You could leave me here."
"That's not an option." He assures.
"Why not? You don't have to stay, Troy. I can just go home and let my dad deal with all of this…"
"Your dad's not at home, Gabi." He reminds me. "He asked me to personally make sure of your safety."
"I'm not the queen!" I tense and flip over, meeting blue eyes. "You don't have to do this anymore…"
His dark look tells me he does. The way his gaze drops to my mouth tells me so much more and suddenly, I feel a hot want begin to throb inside me, something I hadn't felt for a while and I had never expected to feel with Troy. It was the delirious feeling of knowing he wanted to kiss me. And I never in a million years thought he would.
"I can't leave." Although he doesn't say why, his words hit me deep inside.
Oh god, I close my eyes as a feeling washes over me that I do not want to have. I do not want to feel it right here, in this moment, but here it is anyway, bright and clean and pure. I'm falling in love with you, Troy Bolton. And you don't even know how hard…
"Gabi?"
I pop my eyes open at the sound of his voice. "Mm?"
"Sorry, I thought you'd fallen asleep."
He's still lying next to me, looking into my face. "No I was thinking."
"Can you sleep?" He asks next, hopefully, clearly agitated to get back to his security device.
I nod and smile a little, closing my eyes and forcing my breaths to lengthen to convince him as much and when I feel his weight shift, I flick open one eye to watch him go. Only something strange happens. He doesn't go. He just unbuckles his belt, slides off his jeans and pulls off his socks and then lifts the covers to come back into the bed and sleep and I pray my thundering heartbeat can't be heard from his side of the bed.
Oh my god, he stayed with me! My heart screams. He's sleeping in my bed all night!
And slowly my body relaxes enough for me to sleep. Albeit with the hugest smile on my face.
/
"#Good day sunshine! Good day sunshine!#"
There actually isn't any sunshine because it's before dawn and up here in the mountains, fog seems to be a fashion statement.
But I'm not going to be put off. I've escaped.
Troy was fast asleep as I snuck out in my pyjamas and wellies, searching for lighting wood so we can have a fire in the old fire place and actually make the place feel like home.
The quiet out here is still, pierced only by shrieks of birds and scattering of feet of small mammals. Right now I couldn't be happier, trekking through the wooded area, basket swinging, looking up at the tree tops.
A twig breaks and my hackles rise quickly, reminding me of that day back at the studio when I thought I was being followed. I look around me- all ways- my heart pounding, then dismiss the noise, continuing on my way.
It's not long before I'm down the hill, out of sight from the lodge and discovering a particularly awesome source of kindling wood, the noises around me blurred by my singing as I relax back into my safe environment.
"Gabi!"
I jump half a mile at the shout of my name, putting my hand to my heart as I turn and see Troy running for me- in bare feet no less, still in his boxers and tee from last night. In his hand he has a gun and the sight of the black metal freezes my heart.
"What the hell are you doing?" He roars angrily, grasping me by the upper arms, after tucking his weapon into his boxer's band.
"Getting wood," I screw up my face at his behaviour, feeling the press of his gun as he grasps me close.
"I thought I told you not to leave the lodge without me?" His eyes are piercing mine- angry and hard.
I shrug awkwardly, wrestling with his grip. "I wanted some air."
"You promised me…" He warns, his eyes glittering with concern.
"I'm sorry." I offer meekly.
"Sorry isn't good enough! Not out here! I can only keep you safe if you let me…"
"Ouch," his bruising grip stings my skin and I see his face soften along with his hands.
"I'm sorry," he pants out, swallowing. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
I can see the worry in his face and the panic in his slowing breaths and I feel bad for making him scared like that.
"You came out with no shoes," I tell him.
"I know, I didn't even stop to think about shoes," he admits.
I smile at him, a little flicker of hope in my heart. "Thank you for caring."
"Of course I care," he frowns. "Why didn't you just tell me where you were going?"
"Because sometimes I need to be on my own, okay?" I beseech. "Sometimes I need to make sense of all of this and stop myself going crazy with it."
He sighs and steps forward, giving me a huge hug. "Just tell me next time, ok?"
I nod against his vice-like embrace. "Ok."
"You're not hugging me back," he pulls away with a frown. "You always tell me how you like hugs."
"I was crushed." I smile shyly, secretly rocked by his impromptu embrace.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologises again, looking awkward- all bulky and gorgeous at the same time.
"No problem."
"Want another?" He arches his brow and I twist my lips as I hug him around the middle, his arms more gentle and encompassing this time.
"Are you okay now?" I ask him knowingly with a little teasing smile.
He smiles back with a squint, not answering, just taking my basket of wood from me with gentle fingers and turning back toward the house, following me as I head the way.