Hey all, thank you for comments, glad you liked this impromptu three-shot! Upside Down is up next!
Songs with a * by Fergie, Timothy B Shmit and Bryan Adams. Other by me.
Kansas Calling
*Hold on, let's end this conversation
We need to take a break and I don't want to fight
I've had a minor revelation
Let's deal with it later
'Cuz it's Friday night
All week, we've been working so hard
Now it's time to kick back and set our sights
We can make it pretty simple
Put it on the backburner
It's a Friday night
Feel that warm breeze floating through the window
Sure do like it this way
Something tells me this is the way to go
And I've got a few things to say
Slip into your best dress
Paint your lips red
Open up your blue eyes
Forget the things we said
I could be your lover
You can shine the light
Let's fire up the candle
It's a Friday night
Troy had never had to 'get out' of having sex before. He'd never had to explain himself or make excuses because well, he'd never let it get that far before. But now that he stood, touching his fingers to Gabi's face as they both looked into each other's eyes, both in their underwear, both panting and both buzzing with passion and need; now he had to think of something. And fast.
"Gabi, I can't do this," he whispered, kissing her mouth with another slow, tender kiss that belied his words, but then he wrapped her close.
"Why?" She wondered, figuring she should be hurt that he didn't want her, only she knew from the press of his arousal that he did.
"I…I…" He swallowed and pulled back, meeting her gaze.
"What Troy?" She asked softly, her brown eyes questioning. "What is it?"
"I'm a virgin," he told her finally, sighing out with the weight of his confession. "I've never made love with anybody before."
"Wh-" Gabi opened her mouth and then closed it, quickly adjusting to his announcement. "Wow, okay."
"I'm sorry I should have told you before," he closed his eyes and winced. "Before it got to this, but I wanted you to know…that's why I can't…"
"Are you waiting for someone?" She wondered and he grinned a sexy smile.
"You."
"But I'm ready…"
"I still don't know how you like your coffee and what you have on your waffles…" He tried to explain.
"As if that matters when we…" She smiled seductively, running her hands over his backside.
He swallowed. "It matters to me."
"Is this a country thing?" She wondered suddenly.
Troy shrugged. "I guess."
"Humph," she blew out a frustrated breath and looked up to him. "What now?"
"Stay the night," he asked in his husk.
"Really? You wanna do that snuggle and share shit?" She mused with a roll of her eyes.
"You don't?"
She looked to him and began to sing.
"Come here, rude boy, boy; can you get it up?
Come here rude boy, boy; is you big enough?
Take it, take it baby, baby
Take it, take it; love me, love me"
"That's the world I come from," she reminded him.
Troy squinted his eyes. "Nothing more?"
Gabi smiled. "Tonight I'ma let you be the captain, Tonight I'ma let you do your thing, yeah…"
And with that she picked up his t-shirt and tugged it on, leading the way to his room.
/
Hold on, let's end this conversation
We need to take a break and I don't want to fight
I've had a minor revelation
Let's deal with it later
'Cuz it's Friday night
All week, we've been working so hard
Now it's time to kick back and set our sights
We can make it pretty simple
Put it on the backburner
It's a Friday night
Feel that warm breeze floating through the window
Sure do like it this way
Something tells me this is the way to go
And I've got a few things to say
Slip into your best dress
Paint your lips red
Open up your blue eyes
Forget the things we said
I could be your lover
You can shine the light
Let's fire up the candle
It's a Friday night
"What are you singing?" Gabi wondered sleepily as she opened her eyes to Troy's acoustic performance in his room- his guitar in his hands and his space in the bed empty where he'd risen to play.
"Timothy B Shmit, but you knew that," he smiled across at her, half naked and ruffled from sleep.
She propped up onto an elbow. "Get back in here so I can snuggle you properly," she complained. "This was your idea after all…"
"Come snuggle me here," he grinned, receiving a pillow to his head. "Ah, alright then…"
Troy climbed back into the bed and accepted Gabi's body to his, letting out a sigh. "I'm gonna sing it on Sunday at the St Jude's church performance."
"You can't sing that song in church!" Gabi laughed. "It's about sex!"
"It's about making love," he counter-acted. "It's about appreciating what you have."
Gabi merely smirked. "Sing the rest of the song," she demanded.
"Gabi…"
"Seriously, sing it," she begged.
"Let's go look for hidden treasure
I wanna dig it up while the moon is bright
No more living under pressure
Gotta see your eyes sparkle
It's a Friday night
Roll that big world right off your shoulders
I will try to do the same
If we don't act now, we'll simply grow older
Another faded picture in a frame
Button off your blue jeans
Tumble down your hair
Take a look around
We can do it anywhere
You can be my princess
I'll be what you like
Let's run around the palace
It's a Friday night"
"I mean, really, you're gonna sing that?" She checked. "Button off your jeans?"
"Alrighty, I'll think of something else."
"You should sing that song to me," she smiled, leaning up on his chest to look into his face.
"I don't think you need any encouragement to button off your jeans," he teased with a sexy smile, leaning up to kiss her, taking her into his arms as he did so.
"Let's make waffles with maple syrup and cream," she told him as she pulled away.
/
"Why are you smiling like that?"
Troy had to admit, he did have the biggest inane grin on his face as they sat and ate messy waffles and drank creamy, sugary coffee at his dining table.
"Because I found out how you like your waffles and how you like your coffee all in one morning," he shared with his soft twang, his eyes alight.
Gabi arched her brow. "Does that mean we can play now?"
Troy looked at her expectant face and wondered, for once second, if that was all she about.
"Would it even mean anything to you if I said yes?" he tested.
"Sure," she smiled felinely. "It would mean we get to have some fun- at last," she added.
"Wow," he smiled sadly and looked down.
"Wow, what?" She asked.
"I guess I thought we might be more than that…I guess I thought you coming to Kansas meant more…"
Gabi looked up at him and felt a pang inside. Of course it meant something to her. Of course she wanted more. She just didn't know what- because she'd never had the chance to do this before. She'd never had anyone want to know her before.
"I never pretended." She said as if this explained everything.
"So now you just go? Just like that?" He wondered as she uncurled from her previously relaxed tucked-up position in her chair.
"Well this isn't going to work is it?" she argued. "I just wanted some fun."
"And I'm not fun," he muttered to himself, nodding with realisation as she passed by him toward the stairs.
"You could've kept me warm, cowboy," she arched. "But you're looking for someone in me who doesn't exist."
"What if I want you as you are?" he asked as he twisted and looked over at her, drowned by his tee-top, small and beautiful in her vulnerability.
"Then you should've had me."
/Two months later…
"Hey bro, is it startin' yet?" Zeke called out from the kitchen of his apartment, the smell of warm popcorn radiating out with him as he stuck his head out of the door.
"It's just the titles!" Troy called back, fingering some of the warm, sweet kernels Zeke had already made into his mouth. "Bring the salt we'll make it in here!" He added.
They were both settling down for the MOBO awards, a ceremony at which Gabi was confirmed to be performing. A ceremony which Troy had been invited to and declined for fear of seeing her; for fear of how she would make him feel if he saw her in the flesh.
At least at home; or Sharpay's home, he amended silently; he could hide safely and still watch her in the way that he secretly craved to. Things had been left unsaid. Things had ended before they'd started and he wondered who she was with now: who she was sleeping with.
If only he was man enough to take her the way his body had begged him to. If only his heart didn't fall so hard every time he met a girl like her.
"The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your home town
I need some shelter of my own protection baby
To be with myself instead of calamity
Peace, Serenity…"
"Oh my god, she's singing!" Sharpay interjected as the curtains peeled back to reveal Gabriella sitting on the edge of a C-shaped moon, microphone in hand, her body clad in a long, tight silver sparkled dress that slit right up the thigh and dangled at her bare feet.
"Why wouldn't she be singing?" Troy grizzled beside her, shoving more popcorn in his mouth to ease his gritted jaw.
"She's hip-hop," Sharpay made a face as if he should know that.
"I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, Myself and I
We've got some straightenin' out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
Its time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry…"
"Oh god, Troy, listen to the words," Sharpay looked up at him.
"I can hear," he murmured softly, his eyes fixed to the long train of black curls that ran over one of her shoulders- her deep v-necked gown promising small mounds under the revealing neckline.
"The path that I'm walking
I must go alone
I must take the baby steps until I'm full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to with you
It's personal, Myself and I
We've got some straightenin' out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
Its time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Like the little school mate in the school yard
We'll play jacks and uno cards
Ill be your best friend and you'll be mine
Valentine
Yes you can hold my hand if u want to
Cause I want to hold yours too
Well be playmates and lovers and share our secret worlds
But its time for me to go home
Its getting late, dark outside
I need to be with myself instead of calamity
Peace, Serenity…"
"Jeez," he sighed and dipped his head, having no doubt in his mind that she was singing this song to him; about her regrets, about how she felt.
"She likes you, Troy," Sharpay offered hopefully. "See, I knew it!"
"Why the hell didn't I go?" He kicked himself. "I should be there, I should be-"
"I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, Myself and I
We've got some straightenin' out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
Its time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry." *
Sharpay rose and picked up her wireless extension and took it over to Troy. "Call her now."
"She's on stage!"
"I don't care; leave her a voicemail or something!"
"I don't know what to s-"
"Hey!" Zeke interrupted them both. "She's talking, hush down…"
"So Gabriella, it's great to have you here tonight. Thank you for opening the show; you were amazing as always…" The male host opened the interview.
Gabi smiled gracefully. "A little low-key for me," she teased.
"I don't think we're used to hearing that singing voice of yours, so extraordinary! Is there anyone out there tonight you were singing to?" The host hinted.
Gabi smiled in recognition of the prompt. "Yeah, Kansas, wherever you are, it's for you." She spoke out to the crowd.
"As in Kansas Kisses?" The host questioned, "Troy Bolton the country star?"
"He knows who he is," Gabi winked, keeping his identity a mystery.
"Well, he is one lucky guy. I hope he's home waiting for you tonight or I might come back stage later for you myself…" The host segued into patter about the next performance as Troy sat and stared at the phone, eventually letting his fingers trail over the familiar digits.
"Ah…Gabi? It's me. I mean, it's Troy. I guess you knew I'd call…I guess…we need to talk, is that ok? Will you call me?" He ended the message and laid the handset back into his lap.
"Everything ok, buddy?" Zeke asked, placing a comforting hand to his shoulder.
"Yeah," Troy looked up. "Everything is fine."
/
"So, you missed the MOBO's," Gabi stood outside his New York apartment and cocked her hip. Her jeans were low-slung, her top tied at her ribs baring her midriff and she had on some toeless heels that had studs on them.
"Well, I am no fun," Troy teased, widening the door for her to come inside.
"I don't know," she said as she walked by him and then turned to wink over her shoulder. "You're pretty fun."
"I'm glad you came…" He hedged, following her inside and pocketing his hands.
"You saw it, then," she said, her voice soft for the very first time and he looked to her, wondering if it were real.
"I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
Something like sadness flitted across her face. "I kinda hoped you might be there."
"Well, I was a being a jack-ass thinking I didn't want to see you," he regretted with a wry twist of his lips.
"No, I was the jackass," she amended, coming closer. "For ever saying those things."
"You've changed," he squinted.
"No, I'm still the same," her feline smile flashed back. "I just decided some people deserved the real me."
"And I'm one of them?" He asked.
"You're the only one," she shared with a hopeful one-sided smile as she looked up to him.
Troy swallowed. "Did you get my present?"
Gabi's smiled widened and she lifted up her ring finger to show him the gold band he'd sent her. "I did."
"And you think you want that?" He checked.
She shrugged. "I've always wanted you, Kansas. It was just a matter of time before I let myself have you."
"Are you okay? Did something happen?"
She turned her lips down, staring into his chest. "Not really."
"You just don't give anything away, do you," he asked, but not accusingly.
She smirked and looked up. "Is that a problem?"
He sighed, touching her cheek with his thumb before he wrapped her close, his arms tight around her body as his chin touched her head. "Not for me."
Gabi hugged her arms around his middle in return and let herself relax there, until she had to move.
"So what do you say, Kansas?" She irked a brow. "Shall we play?"
/
His kisses down her throat her accompanied his hands at her waist, his thumbs softly brushing, his hard body rubbing hers as he bent to reach her collarbone with his lips.
"Troy," she gasped and looked up, her dark eyes alive with passion, her lips swollen with his kiss.
"I'm ready," he murmured, telling her he wanted this as much as she did.
She framed his face with her hands and kissed him for a long moment. "Tonight," was all she said as she led him to her room.
/
"Tonight the stars were bright and the night was right for us
Tonight you took my heart and from the start I saw us
Tonight you needed me, tonight I wanted you, tonight it all came true….
Tonight…tonight…tonight our dreams flew the galaxy of time
Tonight…tonight…tonight you took my hand showed me how to be a man and it all began…
To-night, uh, it all came real
So what's the deal, did you take my hand?
To-night, yo, I saw your smile
I felt your heart, beat; beat next to mine
So what are we?
Are we real?
Do we have a deal?
Did it all come true?
Tonight you have to trust in me, let us be free and fly away
Tonight I'll take your hand, make a stand, be the man you need
Tonight you wanted me, tonight I needed you, tonight let it be true…
Tonight…tonight…tonight our dreams sparkled among the stars
Tonight…tonight…tonight I took your hand showed you you're a woman and it all began…
To-night uh, oh yeah it's real
You took my hand, I felt your smile
To-night, yeah, you were my prince
I made the deal, I was your princess
So we are free
We are real
You're everything
My everything…
Tonight…tonight…tonight I take your hand and ask you am I your man?
Tonight ..Tonight…tonight I want you by side for the rest of time…
Tonight you are my man and I understand the reason why
Tonight, you are my one true love, my light above, my love, my love.
Tonight…tonight…tonight we fell in love
We soared up above
Tonight…tonight…tonight I took your hand
Told you who I am
And it all came real, it all came real
Tonight."
"I can't breathe…" Gabi whispered as Troy rose from his seated position with his guitar and he came beside her to grasp her hand in his, echoing their heart-felt song, waiting for the crowd's reaction together- waiting for their acceptance.
"I think they liked it," Troy leaned down to murmur in her ear as the auditorium rose to their feet also, to give a standing ovation for their performance.
Gabi let out a big sigh and smiled up at him with teary eyes. "We did it, Kansas."
"You did it, princess," he smiled back at her until the lights dropped, signalling their exit from the stage.
"Great job, guys!" Haily beamed as she waited backstage for Gabi to come off.
Gabi ran right into her hug and wriggled excitedly. "Oh my god"
"You were amazing!" Haily re-affirmed and Gabi smiled over her shoulder to the quiet half of the partnership she formed with Troy.
"Don't forget Kansas," Gabi grabbed his hand and pulled him closer.
Haily smiled at him, too. "You did great, Troy."
"Thank you," he smiled shyly and tipped his head down so that his Stetson covered his blush.
"You guys look amazing together," Haily added with a proud smile, then gave her excuses to go, leaving them alone.
"Your dressing room or mine?" Gabi asked with a little feline smile as she looked back up at her partner in crime.
Troy squinted. "Mine, it's closer."
/
The party was rocking. The DJ was on it, the guests dancing hard, the atmosphere buzzing and Gabi relished the chance the twist her body the way she loved to- sexily, in skimpy shorts and a lace body suit that fitted her curves perfectly.
She looked around, checking for her man, not seeing him in immediate sight.
"He's up there," Sharpay called across to her, bringing Gabi's gaze up to Troy's friend, realising she was referring to the open-plan den-room that Troy had tagged as his 'music room'.
Right now as she looked up the twisting stairs, she could see him sat on the edge of the large slouch couch, strumming his guitar and she smiled affectionately at him.
"He never did like parties," she smiled and turned to weave through the crowd toward her target.
/
"Just a small town girl in the city lights
The best was yet to come
Then lonely days turned to endless nights
The best was yet come…" *
"That's stealing," Gabi remarked as she climbed up to the den and stood before Troy with her hands on her hips.
"I'm not stealing it," he defended with a lazy smile. "I'm just…using it for inspiration."
"You're missing the party," she reprimanded lightly.
Troy blinked regretfully. "Am I being rude?"
"No," she pursed her lips and moved forward to take the guitar from his hands, straddling his thighs to replace herself with his instrument. "You're just being you."
Troy smiled and ran his hands up and down her thighs before resting them against her bare skin. "Do you want me to come down and dance?"
"I don't know," she smirked. "I kinda like it here…"
He grinned back, flinging his long hair from his eyes. "I kinda like you being here."
"If I'm interrupting your work…" she offered.
His fingers tickled her skin. "I can handle it," he assured.
"Need any help?"
"Just this," he leaned forward to kiss her, feeling her body respond to his as their tongues met and melded.
"You just had to start something, didn't'cha?" She teased breathily as her bright eyes met his.
Troy grinned and pushed his Stetson onto her head, leaving her pursing her mouth.
"Thanks, Kansas."
"I want to see you in this again," he explained as he stood, about to lead her back to their room. "Only this," he added as he linked their fingers and kissed her softly before he led the way.
/