Next chapter! Hope you enjoy this one was much as I did writing it!
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
"Hahaha!"
"There's laughter. I wonder where it's coming from."
"Aww...come on stop! It tickles. Seriously, stop it! Stop it!"
"Troy? Is that Troy laughing?" Gabriella stirred awake to find herself back inside, on the soft haven of her bed. "Troy?" she held her head, steadying herself, "What happened?" She pushed herself against the headboard of the bed. Her vision was blurred and she could barely make out Troy sitting in a chair beside her.
"Gabi? Gabi, are you alright?" Troy bent over her, putting his hand to her forehead.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Her vision came back into full view. She could see his deep blue eyes that were full of concern. "What happened?"
"My guess is that you have to stay away from the alcohol. It might sound weird, but you might be allergic to something in the wine. Maybe your headaches are an allergenic side effect."
"Okay, but after that. What else happened?"
"The fact that you're a hero Gabi."
"A hero?"
"Yeah, you saved a life!"
"A life? I saved a life?"
"Yeah!" Troy bent down to the floor, picked something up, and got up. "And he's thankful!"
Troy placed the puppy on the bed and it ran over to Gabriella, licking her face playfully. It was a Yorkshire terrier with black fur and brown underlying tones and a small white patch right above his forehead. His small beetle-black eyes were lit with happiness.
"Oh yeah," Gabriella said through her giggles, "Is he okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine. It's all thanks to you." Troy sat beside her on the bed and took a hold of her hands. "I'm sorry Gabi. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you."
"It's alright Troy. All that really matters is that this little guy is okay," Gabriella picked up the puppy in her arms and cradled it close to her chest. He barked blissfully and nuzzled his head into Gabriella's chest.
"So, what's his name?"
"What do you mean?"
"He's a stray. He doesn't have a collar or anything. Probably escaped from the animal shelter and got caught in the storm," Troy explained, getting up and looking out the window. It was still raining pretty hard, the rain pounding on the window as it continued to come down in buckets. He glanced out the window and closed the curtains, returning to his spot beside Gabriella.
"I dunno." Gabriella looked at the little fellow. "Why don't you name him?"
"You saved him, you should name him," Troy retorted.
"Okay, okay. Just give me a minute." Gabriella placed the puppy on the bed beside her. "Let's see," Gabriella started listing names, "Johnny...no, Buck...no, Cody...no, Hunter...no, Louie...no...how about..." she scratched the top of her head, "How about...AJ?"
The puppy jumped up and barked, giving Gabriella wet puppy kisses on her cheek, causing her to fall back laughing.
"I guess he likes the name," Troy stated, picking up the puppy and placing him on the floor. "You should lie down and rest your head. You've had a pretty traumatic day and it's only noon."
"But Troy, I'm not--"
He put his finger to her lips, which meant for her to stop talking and get some rest. "If it makes you any better, I'll get you some lunch. Is leftover spaghetti good with you?"
"Okay Dr. Troy," she answered teasingly. "Can AJ stay here with me?"
"Oh I see what's going on. The dog's gonna replace me," Troy joked, picking up AJ and placing him on the bed.
"Of course not. No one can replace you Troy Bolton."
"Good. Now lie back down and rest. I'll be back in five minutes with lunch." Troy leaned down to kiss Gabriella, but AJ jumped up on Gabriella's lap.
"Okay, okay, AJ. I see that Gabriella's all yours." Troy stated, his face in front of the dog.
AJ barked and licked Troy's nose. He barked again and went over to Gabriella, cuddling into the pillow beside her.
"I guess he likes you too," Gabriella said, petting the soft fur of AJ's head.
"I guess so," Troy bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, "Now lie down and rest. Just don't make me worry."
"Okay, okay, Dr. Troy." Gabriella scootched back down and rested her head on the pillow. She turned and faced AJ, who licked her nose. Troy smiled and closed the door softly behind him.
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With a plate of warmed-up leftover spaghetti in his hands, Troy opened the door to the bedroom and walked in. "Gabriella, I've got lunch for you."
AJ stood up and barked quietly at him. Troy noticed Gabriella was asleep.
"I'm sorry," Troy apologized to the puppy.
AJ wagged his tail and returned to his position beside Gabriella.
Troy placed the dish on the bedside drawer and silently left the room. The house was completely quiet except for the pitter-platter of the rain falling on the roof and windows. He wondered into the living room and took a seat in the black leather couch.
"Ring-ring-ring!"
The phone rang and Troy got up, rushing to the kitchen. He pulled it off the receiver, checking the hallway to make sure that Gabriella was still asleep.
"Hello?"
"Hey Troy! It's me, Trevor!"
"Hey Trevor. How are ya?"
"Can't complain. How about you?"
"I'm good."
"And Gabriella?"
"She's asleep right now."
"Still in bed? At noon? Did you guys have a party last night or something?"
"No, no. She's just been having a rough morning."
"Listen, the power's out at our place. Do you mind if we head over to your house until the powers back. The landlord wants us out."
"Sure. No prob."
"Great. I'll see you in a few."
"Alright."
They both hung up. Troy walked over to a window. The rain was starting to let up a little bit. He looked back toward the bedroom. He couldn't help but worry about her. She changed so much from the first time that he met her. She was the quiet shy girl who always hid behind her books and kept her dreams locked up in her heart. But now, she just risked getting pneumonia just to rescue a puppy. She was following her dream to have her own album. She was blossoming into the woman that she always wanted to be. And it's thanks to her that he's the man that he is today.
Troy took a seat back in the black leather couch. His eyes were becoming heavy with slumber, but he didn't feel tired. He didn't want to sleep, but his eyes were becoming too heavy for him. With one last yawn, he surrendered to the enemy and closed his eyes.
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"Awww...he's so cute!"
"He is, isn't he? I feel so lucky to have found him."
Troy was hearing voices and he knew one was Gabriella's. He awoke to hear that the rain had finally let up.
"I wish I could have someone like him."
"I'm not gonna give him up for the world."
Troy sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I hope you're talking about me, Gabi."
"Look, Dr. Troy is awake." Gabriella gave him a peck on the cheek. "And no, I was talking about AJ, but I wouldn't give you up for the world either."
"Nice save Ms. Montez," Troy said, looking around for a clock, but his search was fruitless. "Anyone know what time is it?"
"Yeah," Christine answered, who was clearly the other voice in the previous conversation, "It's around 3."
"I guess I dozed off for a while there, huh?"
"I would say so." Gabriella placed AJ on the floor and leaned on Troy. She looked up at him lovingly and smiled. She never felt more that home than around him. Reaching up, she stole a kiss from his lips.
"How many times do I have to tell you guys to get a room?" Trevor called from beside Christine.
"Might I remind you that this is our house?" Troy retaliated, "We can be lovely-dovey anywhere and anytime we want. This could turn into a full-on make out session if we wanted to."
"That's something I don't want to see."
"Well don't worry. I wouldn't want to kiss the most wonderful woman on this planet in front of you. You might get a little envious that you didn't win her heart."
"Hey, that's all in the past. I never said anything about --"
"Trevor, I'm just kidding."
"Anyway," Christine interrupted, "I guess we better get back to the hotel. The power's bound to be back on by now. I really need to get to work on my hair. I want it to look perfect for tonight."
"Yeah, I've gotta make sure we still have those reservations," Trevor said, getting up and pulling out his car keys. "Thanks for having us over guys. And I hope you feel better Gabriella."
"I already do." She looked up at Troy, bringing up her hand and running it along his cheek and neck.
"Thanks for taking us in," Christine said, "I can't wait for the wedding."
"Neither can I."
"Hey AJ," Trevor shouted from the door. The dog barked in response to his name. "Keep your eye on these two. Make sure they save it for the honeymoon." AJ wagged his tail and cocked his head in confusion.
Gabriella picked up a red throw pillow and tossed at Trevor, who avoided it by hiding behind the door.
"I love you too Gabs!" Trevor shouted, closing the door.
After Trevor and Christine left, Gabriella turned to Troy. "What was that all about? 'This could turn into a full-on make out session if we wanted to'."
"Hey --"
"Why didn't it?" Gabriella asked, sounding innocent.
"Oh I see what's going on," Troy answered.
Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and brushed her lips against his cheeks, being seductive in a subtle way. "Then why are you still talking?"
Grinning, Troy pressed his hands against Gabriella's back, drawing her closer to him. In just a couple more seconds, their lips would've made contact, but instead AJ jumped on Gabriella's lap, cauing her to squeal from the sudden addition of weight. He barked quietly, wagged his tail, and cocked his head to the side, acting as if he didn't mean to interrupt their kiss.
"Okay, okay, you first." Gabriella gave AJ a gentle peck on the top of his head and he jumped into her arms in reply. Troy and Gabriella laughed. This puppy was going to be more than they bargained for, especially if he kept interrupting them at the wrong time.
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Don't you like the new additon to the family? AJ is going to be a handful for them. Please review! That's all I ask of you!
With much love,
Kat