Feel It

Chapter 8:

"So, are we going out?" Gabriella asked during lunch, ignoring the fact Troy wanted to make a surprise about their date.

"Gabriella, I won't say a thing"

"I was just asking because I need to put gas" she whined lightly, "I need to know where we're going to dress properly"

Troy sighed annoyed, capturing her hand on top of the table and lacing their fingers, "Will you relax for a second? It's just a date"

"It's not, Troy" she admitted, biting her lip, "It's my first date after Ty"

He nodded quietly, his thumb caressing her skin delicately, "Trust me, I'll make sure it's special then"

"Okay" she smiled a bit, "What you want to do now?"

"I want you to go to your room and take a nap. Chad's coming over and I need you out of the way"

"Hey!" Gabriella protested but Troy smirked, "Please Gabi"

"Uh, I'm gone" she stood up, brushing his hair playfully before walking out of the kitchen.

"And close the door!" Troy yelled after her, earning a groan from Gabriella that made him laugh. He loved when she was irritated.

Chad arrived ten minutes later to help Troy out with his plan to take Gabriella on a perfect date. He needed her to have fun or she would end up traumatized about dates for the rest of her life.

Troy was craving for her happiness since he made the decision to ask her out, and every little thing had to be perfect. He wanted to make her smile so badly.

Making Gabriella smile was as important as breathing for him right now.

Considering he couldn't drive, and when he asked a girl out, he made sure he'd pick her up and take her back safely, Chad agreed when Troy said he would order the dinner for the two of them instead of letting Gabriella take them someplace to dinner. He didn't want to feel frustrate tonight, Troy wanted everything to seem as normal as ever, like all the other dates he had before his accident.

Enjoying the nice weather in Albuquerque that day, Troy and Chad fixed a small table in the garden, next to the pool, where he was planning to eat with her after hearing that tonight would be a clear night, with the sky full of starts.

Of course, Chad used the words "gay" and "pussy" and a few other adjectives to mock his best friend after he explained that he was only trying to be romantic for Gabriella. Troy didn't care at all, that was probably the price to have Chad help him out.

The fact Troy couldn't see and Chad was not romantic at all made him nervous, he wanted to ask someone's opinion, preferably a girl's opinion, but it was impossible to ask Gabriella about her own surprise date. It didn't make sense.

After buying her flowers with Chad, ordering the food, cleaning the house and getting the backyard ready for his date, Troy finally went upstairs to take a shower and start dressing up. Chad stayed - again - to help him pick out his clothes. When everything was ready and looked fine (at least in Chad's opinion that Troy didn't take in consideration, like… never) he obliged his best friend to take a picture of him and the backyard with his cell phone and sent Payton.

It was only after he finished talking with his sister, that she made sure everything looked perfect and he was gorgeous that he sent Chad home. His alarm went off, telling him it was already 6PM and it was time.

Troy took a deep breath and knocked on her door. A few minutes of waiting and his heart was already flipping inside his chest. Did she change her mind?

Gabriella opened her door, murmuring a curse to herself after bumping into the edge of the bed. As soon as her eyes studied Troy her mouth dropped open a bit and she couldn't help but feel lucky she had a gorgeous date tonight.

He constantly had that boyish look but tonight, she realized he looked more mature in those black jeans and white shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest. One thing she was sure, boyish look or mature look, it didn't matter. Troy was always beautiful.

She looked him up and down again, shocked how tall he looked tonight and even though she was using heels again, she was not sure if she could even reach his chin.

"Hey, you're ready?" he rubbed his hands together, visibly nervous.

"Yes" Gabriella said in a whisper, still contemplating his beauty.

Troy smiled at her, stepping closer to cup her cheek, "I don't even need to see you to know you look great"

"You're such a liar" she joked and he pulled her to a hug. "I never lie" he whispered in her ear, making Gabriella giggle a bit.

"So, should we go? I have everything planned for us"

"Where we're going?"

"Not too far" he grinned, walking downstairs with her hand already in his.

"Do I need to get my car keys?"

"No" Troy lifted his eyebrows and smirked pulling her out the door to the light backyard, "I planned everything for you"

As soon as Gabriella stepped in the backyard she had a huge smile on her face. The stars were bright tonight and a crescent moon hung above the sky, serenely shining upon a peaceful Albuquerque.

"Troy… wow"

His heart raced fast as soon as he could hear the smile on her voice. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, feeling the nightly air blew at ease, cool and calm. Gabriella looked at him for a few seconds, the starts that were dotting the heavens, blinked and illuminated Troy's face slightly, changing him from a human being to a God in a matter of seconds.

It was only now that Gabriella realized she had a crush on him too. She held her breath and let go of his hand, biting her lip to avoid thinking about her emotions. If there was one thing she was sure she couldn't do, was fall in love with Troy Bolton. Even though she knew he was completely different than Ty, she was afraid of getting hurt again, being sad all over again.

All afternoon when she was alone in her room, she couldn't help but think if it was a good idea to say yes to his invitation. Both of them went through so much, what if they were wrong about what they were feeling?

She loved being with him and touching him, but Gabriella had no idea if it was more than friendship after all. She couldn't ignore she still had feelings about Ty. She knew she shouldn't, but she was never able to say no to her heart.

And once again, she was following her heart, like she did when she met Ty. Hopefully this time she wouldn't get hurt.

Troy licked his lower lip quickly, shifting his hands in his pockets, "Do you like it? I'm starting to get scared you won't say a thing"

Gabriella grinned, knowing in that moment Troy was nothing like Ty. Her ex boyfriend was always cocky and only thought about himself in the first place. Troy on the contrary, he was always preoccupied with what she was going to think or feel.

"It's beautiful" she managed to whisper and laughed quietly when he sighed in relief, "I can't believe you planned everything"

He took one of his hands out of his pocket and brushed the side of her face, "I told you I would make it special"

They ate and talked for what felt like ages, just trying to know the other better. Gabriella told him she was afraid of him growing on her and when Cassidy was back she'd suffer all over again, but Troy made her laugh a bit after telling her that he would probably need a baby sitter for the rest of his life.

"You remember what you told me?" he asked as they stood up and Troy offered his hand to her.

"I guess I say lots of things" Gabriella joked and slipped her small hand in his large one.

"Take things slowly, one day at a time" Troy whispered to her, bringing her closer to his body to smell her hair, "I won't disappoint you, Gabi. You don't have to be afraid to feel something for me"

She wrapped her arms around his waist, hiding her face on his chest and smelling his cologne, "Okay"

Troy rested his chin on her head, rubbing her back delicately, "So, I have a surprise for you"

Gabriella looked up, "You do?"

He smirked, "Yeah"

He pulled her inside the house again, one of his hands in hers and the other tracing the walls and furniture to take him to the right place. As soon as Gabriella locked eyes with Troy's grey grand piano that was cross the living room, she smiled. He was going to play for her.

"I thought you forgot about it"

"I was just saving my music for the best opportunity" he informed her casually, sitting on the piano bench and tapping his side, "come here"

Gabriella sat on his side, watching him with adoration.

"You want something modern?" he asked, a grin appearing on his face as he played the first keys of "If I Ain't Got You" from Alicia Keys.

Gabriella giggled, but didn't have the strength to stop his beautiful melody, even though she knew exactly what she had been waiting so much to hear him play. The music suddenly stopped as Troy's fingers left the keyboard and he tilted his head to the side, once again, his eyes so intense Gabriella could swear he was seeing her.

"Sometimes I ask myself if you're not teasing me" she admitted softly.

"Why?" he asked in almost a whisper.

"Your eyes…" she sighed, "They don't look blind"

Troy smiled and his hand lifted up, to brush her hair gently, "I found out I don't need eyes to see the real you"

Gabriella sighed contently, "You play beautifully"

"But that's not what you wanted to hear"

"That's not what I wanted to hear" she agreed, unable to stop the smile forming on her lips.

"Hmm" Troy smirked, turning his attention to the keyboards again, "Let me introduce you to Claude, then"

"Yes… please"

He licked his lower lip, the same playful smiling Gabriella was wearing curling up in his lips, "It felt like ages since I had last played" he told her, his voice as soft as silk.

Troy closed his eyes – there was no need to keep them opened – he knew every key by heart. He has been a fan of Debussy for so long that when the first note echoed in the living room, Gabriella felt like the composition could belong to Troy, because he seemed so comfortable playing it.

"Clair de Lune" he informed her, his head slightly moving back and forth as his large fingers skimmed gracefully over the ivory keys.

Gabriella sighed contently, getting lost in the notes as he continued playing flawlessly. The intimacy between Troy and the keys, Troy and the music, Troy and Debussy was something that collapsed into Gabriella like an indescribable feeling. She had no words at all to describe what she was feeling right now. Peace, companionship, inspiration… every little thing made Troy look so angelic in her eyes.

The song eventually drifted to an end as the final chords shifted from a more intense key to a soft one till there was no sound in the room anymore, only the sound of their heavy breaths piercing the silence.

He turned his head to her, a tiny smile appearing on his face as he touched Gabriella's face with his warm hand, his thumb caressing her cheek ever so delicately. She sighed quietly, closing her eyes as his thumb caressed her lips.

She shut her eyes tighter, feeling his lips resting on hers slowly, caressing it, making her feel butterflies inside her stomach. Gabriella moved her lips slightly apart and Troy gently nibbled on her lower lip, teasing her, craving for her body to respond his.

Gabriella breathed nervously against his lips and Troy slowly ran his hand through her hair, taking his time to feel her, to connect with her.

"Troy" she whimpered in a whisper and he smiled into the kiss, tilting his head to the side to kiss her in earnest now. His lips were moist, so soft and minty and the way his tongue curled with hers made Gabriella feel dizzy.

The way his lips moved on hers was so passionate, that she could swear her emotions would pop out anytime now. Ty was out of her mind, he was dragged to the back of her head along with her fears and insecurities. Troy and Gabriella's first kiss was memorable, it effect were long lasting. Both of them were transformed after that.

Eventually they pulled away, their tongues letting go of the other, their lips reluctantly moving away.

"I don't know how the same hands you play ball play music so beautifully" Gabriella said after finding her voice again, feeling completely inspired by him, in all ways.

Troy studied her tone of voice, lifting his eyebrows as a playful smile appeared on his face again, "Thanks"

"And that was the perfect first kiss" she informed him casually.

He smirked, "I'm glad you enjoyed it much as I did"


A/N: It's raining so much here, so I'm stuck in my hotel room. I feel frustrated like Gabriella in Brotherly Love when she didn't go to Cambridge hahaha There's this place I want so much to go but the rain isn't helping at all. At least Gabby had her Troy... My Troy, aka my boyfriend, is sleeping! uh.... i feel bored lol