Disclaimer: I own nothing. Enjoy!
Feel It
Chapter 4:
As he woke up the third week Gabriella was in his house with him, Troy found it easier to move around without bumping into things. The first week he could find his way alone, but would still had some problems with plants and small things he couldn't feel. Now, two weeks later, his bruises from the experiment that were the weeks before were all healed and Troy didn't need her help anymore. He had his whole house memorized by now.
He'd only go for her because he missed talking with her, being with her. Gabriella was sweet, she was funny and he was 100 percent sure she was beautiful on the inside.
Troy had realized he liked talking to her, and even though he had a few rage furies sometimes, Gabriella didn't give up on him, she'd always be there to help him out. She had taught him to take things slowly, one day at a time and Troy was starting to make progress.
He cleaned himself in his bathroom and counted the steps out of his room and into the living room. Troy heard a soft sigh and he knew Gabriella was there. He had come to learn she would always sigh when she read her novels and he liked it, she seemed to be sensitive.
He touched the edge of the couch and slowly sat down, "Graziella, you're there?"
"I'm here, Todd" her voice came from across the room and he moved his head quickly to search for her, "Ah, my bad. I should have known"
"What?"
"That you would be reading on a chair" he laughed, "I thought you'd find more comfortable reading on the couch"
Gabriella smiled. "I do think, but I'm afraid I'm too tired to read there"
"Too much homework?"
"Nah" she joked, "Just you"
Troy chuckled. "What's for lunch?"
"Actually I was thinking…" she began and Troy didn't say a word, he knew where she was trying to get. "Maybe we could eat out today. You'll have to leave the house eventually, Troy"
"I don't want people seeing me like this" he sighed sadly. "I'm embarrassed"
"You have nothing to be embarrassed about" Gabriella told him patiently. "You are a gorgeous and very nice young man"
He blushed and gave her a half-smile, "thanks for the compliments"
Gabriella loved how shy Troy could be sometimes. He had told her he used to be lucky with girls, but she was sure he had no idea his effect on girls or how his eyes were dazzling and his smile mind-blowing. How soft his voice could be and his hands were always so warm that everytime he touched her, even though it was completely innocent, Gabriella could swear she could melt.
Troy sighed and Gabriella knew he was considering her invitation. He rested his head against the couch and made a concentrated look. Gabriella found herself hypnotized by his little actions, "Todd, you think too much"
"Gabi, you don't know what's like to go out like this" he sighed and she felt her heart beat faster at his new nickname for her. "People are used to see me… healthy"
"You are healthy, Troysie" she teased and he smiled. "Will you be mad at me if I don't go?"
"Probably" she replied simply. "And I'd probably let you starve"
"I already know where the cereal boxes are" he smirked and she rolled her eyes, "I can hide them again"
"That's not very nice" Troy pouted a bit.
"Well, you declining my invitation isn't nice as well" she snapped smoothly.
"Okay, I'll be ready in 10 minutes"
"Thanks" she grinned, "I promise if you don't feel well I'll bring you home in no time"
Twenty minutes later, as she drove down the road Troy rolled his window down and closed his eyes as the breeze hit his face.
"This is fucking amazing" he said softly.
Gabriella laughed, "You're the only person that can curse softly" she mocked and Troy looked at her, "Tell me about your family"
"Okay, that's random"
He smirked, "Graziella… please"
"Well" she began, tapping her fingertips noisily against the steering wheel, "We live here in Albuquerque our whole life" she bit her lip, thinking of something fun to tell, "My brother's name is Charlie, he is 30, and is already married and I have two cute nephews, James and Wallace"
He nodded, leaning his head against the seat, like he was staring at the ceiling of the car, "Go on"
"Hmm. My dad George is a dentist and he really likes fishing" he laughed quietly and motioned for her to continue, "My mom loves to cook, but she's terrible at it"
"What does she do?"
"She's a couple therapist"
"Ah" he smirked, "It runs in the family blood, then"
"Maybe" she smiled. "My mom she's from Spain and she's really…" she sighed, "Fun?"
Troy smirked, his hand moving out of the car through the window to feel the sun burning his skin, "Do you have a boyfriend? Are you married, Graziella?"
"If I was I wouldn't be here" she teased.
"Do you like someone?"
That was a good question. Gabriella bit her lip as he turned his head to stare at her, his eyes so intense she felt embarrassed. Sometimes it was like Troy could really see her. "I don't know. What about you?"
He lifted his eyebrows, "I have a crush on this girl for like a whole year now" he smiled playfully, "But I had no courage to declare myself"
Gabriella felt her heart tightening, "Does she like you too?"
"Probably not"
She couldn't understand how someone wouldn't like him. "Why not?"
"Because last time I saw her, actually, last time I saw at all" he corrected, "She was slipping her tongue down Julian Gillian's throat"
She gulped. "Last time you saw at all?"
He nodded calmly, "I never said this to anyone, but I feel I can trust you"
"Of course you can" she added quickly.
Troy smiled, "I left the party I was early because I saw Molly making out with Julian" his smile faded away and Gabriella knew his mind was taking him back to the accident night, "Jensen was a bit drunk, and didn't see me in the parking lot"
Gabriella let out of soft gasp as she imagined the rest. "And that led me to where I am today"
"I'm sorry" her voice was almost a whisper and Troy nodded.
"What hurts the most" he continued after clearing his throat, "Is that I'm afraid I might still like her"
She didn't reply this time, just focused in getting in the parking area of the mall and park her car. Gabriella had no idea why, but as she let go of the steering wheel her hands where sweaty and shaky.
"This is crazy" she murmured to herself as she stepped out of the vehicle, walking to where Troy was standing. Her heart accelerated as soon as his hand slipped into hers, squeezing hers tight.
"I'm officially scared of being here" he admitted.
"Don't worry" she smiled at him and started walking, "I won't let go of you, you won't get lost"
"Please" he teased.
As they walked inside the mall, Troy kept holding Gabriella's hand so hard she thought he would break her bones, "Troy, gently, please"
He nodded, "I'm sorry" he let go of her hand a bit, "I'm just…" he sighed.
"Nobody is staring at you" she certified him. "You don't even look blind"
"I don't?"
"Not at all" Gabriella replied, pulling him towards the restaurant door, "What kind of food you like?"
"Hmm… Italian?"
"That sounds good. Well, we're here"
He stopped her from walking further and Gabriella turned around to stare at him, "What's the problem?"
"Can you please let me do this?"
She shrugged – Gabriella didn't understand why this was so important.
"Okay" she said calmly.
Troy came closer to her and whispered in her ear, "How many steps till I get to the host?"
"The hostess" she corrected him playfully, "Just go forward, nothing more than 4 steps"
He nodded and grabbed her hand again, "Do you believe in me?"
"Of course"
"That's all I wanted to hear" he smirked and counted the steps slowly, pulling Gabriella with him.
"Good afternoon" the hostess said warmly.
"A table for two?" he didn't sound nervous, actually Troy seemed to be in control all the time, his voice sounding very alluring.
"Of course, follow me"
He smiled his mind blowing smile and Gabriella rolled her eyes as the hostess looked at him flirty.
The girl led them to a small table right in the corner of the restaurant, "How's that?"
As much as he could see the hostess's shadow, he could not see the table for some strange reason. Troy looked back at Gabriella for a second and she squeezed his hand tight, "That sounds great, thank you…"
"Sally" she replied sweetly.
"Thank you, Sally"
Gabriella rolled her eyes again and placed his hand on his chair, "that's your chair"
She sat on a chair the opposite side of the table and sighed, "That's ridiculous" she shook her head, "Sally was almost throwing herself at you"
Troy seemed relaxed. "You're crazy"
"Right" Gabriella replied sarcastically.
"Ah, here comes another one" he said as he heard the footsteps closer.
She couldn't help but think it would be a long lunch.
Gabriella sighed deeply. "It's another girl"
As they were about to get inside her car to leave the mall two hours later, Troy heard someone calling his name.
He turned around, his heart racing fast as he recognized the voice. Gabriella studied the girl quickly, she was almost as tall as Troy and her blond hair, green eyes and beautiful figure could pass her as a Barbie. She gulped and let go of Troy's hand, seeing in his face she was someone important to him, but he didn't even notice her action.
"Troy, I haven't heard from you in a while"
"Hi Molly" he sounded nervous and stepped back a little.
"Are you okay?" she asked, closing the gap between them. "I tried to call you so many times, but you didn't answer me"
"I was uhm" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Busy…"
"I'm glad you're feeling good again" Molly said softly, "Chad told me about your eyes, I'm sorry"
He smiled at her and shook his head, "It's not like it's your fault" he lied.
"Can't you see anything?"
Troy cleared his throat, "I can see your shadow and your contour"
"Oh" she lifted her eyebrows for a second. "And you are?" she looked at Gabriella with a sweet smile and even though Gabi was trying to hate Molly, she couldn't. The girl seemed really nice.
"I'm Gabriella" she said before Troy could, "I'm his friend"
"Hi, I'm Molly" she offered her hand and Gabriella shook it quickly, "You guys should definitely go out with the gang anytime"
"Uhm, I don't know" Troy replied simply. "How's everybody?"
"Good" Molly said, "They miss you though"
"And how's Julian?" he fake smiled.
"Excellent" she replied contently.
Troy's smile slightly faded away, but he tried not to sound disappointed in front of her, "Well, tell him I said hi"
"I will" she kissed him on the cheek and stroked his hair, "Take care, Troy"
"You too, Molls"
"Nice meeting you, Gabriella" she said before turning on her heels and walking away.
"She's really nice, Troy" her voice almost cracked, she didn't know what she was feeling right now and that scared Gabriella so much.
He nodded quietly and walked to the vehicle, "I'm tired. Could you take me home now?"
"Yes" she whispered, opening the door and helping him in.
They drove in silence all the way back home. Troy pretended he was sleeping, but Gabriella knew he was awake. She had seen him sleep before and was completely different from what he was doing or trying to do now.
But she thought it was best not to say anything. Gabriella knew he was suffering in silence, the girl he liked so much had a boyfriend, and as much as she wanted, this time she couldn't help him at all.
As Gabriella walked to her room that night, she passed through Troy's room, his door was open and she could see he was sitting in the edge of his bed and his eyes were red and puffy.
"Troy, what's going on?" her voice sounded worried and he turned around on his bed, to stare at the doorway. "Are you crying?"
He looked down and cracked his knuckles nervously, "do you think she doesn't want me because I'm blind?" he asked in almost a whisper.
"Do you think she doesn't want me because I'm fucking useless?"
"Troy, don't—" she sat on the bed beside him and patted his knee.
"You don't know what was like today, Gabriella" his voice seemed hard even to himself, "I felt the pity in her voice"
"Troy, don't do that to yourself" Gabriella begged, stroking his arm gently. "You said you never had the guts to declare yourself, it's not her fault"
"I never had the guts" he repeated, "But she knew I liked her. Molly knows I like her. Chad told her after my accident"
"Oh"
"Yeah" he tried to smile, "And you saw how she treated me today? Like I'm just worth her pity"
"Stop it, Troy" she insisted. "I'm not gonna sit here and listen while you bash yourself just because Molly doesn't want to date you"
"She has reasons"
Gabriella shook her head violently. "She does not, Troy. You're amazing" she said shyly, "if she doesn't want to date you, she must be crazy"
"You really think so?"
"Yes" she said firmly.
Troy nodded quietly, wiping his tears with the back of his hand, "Can you stay with me for a while?"
"Yeah"
He crawled on his bed till he rested his back against his pillow. Gabriella lay down on his side and kept watching him with the corner of her eyes.
"Tell me something funny, please" he asked softly.
She bit her lip, "I don't know"
"Please" he almost begged.
"One time my brother Charlie stole my mom's dress and pretended he was Tina Turner"
Gabriella saw a tiny smile on Troy's face and that made her smile a bit too, "When my mom got home, he was on top of the couch, singing and dancing, all dressed up"
She heard him laugh quietly. "She thought he was gay, and was actually pretty happy thinking he would live with her forever"
"What happened?" Troy asked.
"When he went to college he met Jennifer and fell in love" she saw him shutting his eyes, "And now they have James and Wallace, like I told you"
Troy smiled a half-smile and nodded slowly, "You smell good, Graziella"
"Oh" she blushed. "You think?"
He nodded and came slightly closer to feel her perfume better, "What is that?"
"Angel" she said in a whisper, feeling shaky already.
"Yeah" he smiled and stood up, "That's how an angel is supposed to smell"
"W-where you going, Troy?"
"I'm gonna go for a walk" he said simply.
"It's late, you can't go out alone"
"You were the one that told me I should do things for myself" Troy reminded her and Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Not at 1 am"
"Can't you stay?" she asked softly and Troy turned around, wishing he could see her more than ever now. Gabriella sounded so cute sometimes.
"Okay"
"Thanks" she whispered.
"Could you please tell me how I get to my radio?"
"Hmm" Gabriella studied his room, "Try 8 steps left, Troysie"
He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "If I'm right, my Debussy CD is in there" he walked to the CD player, but couldn't find the play button, "Gabi… can you please—"
Gabriella stood up and walked to him before he could finish, "Move, Bolton"
Troy smirked, "You're fast"
"Yeah" she teased and stepped in front of him.
He placed one of his hands on her waist, "Teach me, don't do it"
She nodded quietly, grabbing his free hand that wasn't on her waist and took to the radio, "Gimme your pointer"
He showed her his index finger and Gabriella giggled, "Here, touch it" his finger ran through the buttons.
"It's the biggest one, right?" he asked from behind her and she felt goosebumps, "Yes, Troy"
Troy managed to press play and smirked as the music filled his room.
"Claude" Gabriella teased.
"Claude" he agreed.
She turned around and Troy was just a few inches from her, "What's this one called?"
"Valse Romantique"
"Sounds really romantic" she smiled.
Troy lifted his eyebrows, "It does, right?"
"Will you ever play for me?"
"Hmm" he smiled and stroked her cheek, "God Graziella, you're really small"
"I'm not"
He grinned, "I'm the one that is tall then"
"Yeah" she replied casually, "But you didn't answer me"
"One day" he teased.
"Alright, I'm going to bed" Gabriella informed him, "would you like to go to my class with me tomorrow?"
He shrugged. "I feel tired"
"Right"
His hand kept cupping her face and Troy leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, "Thanks for everything"
"You thank me way too much, Todd Bolton"
Troy smirked. "I can't help if you're always helping me somehow"
Gabriella walked to his door, "Let's see if you'll help me someday"
"I'll try my best"
They're so cute together. I find myself wanting Troy to forget Molly so much! Anyways... review? =]
