THE SIMPLE NEED
xxx
AN: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
xxx
TEN
On Saturday around lunch time, Troy found himself standing at the corner of Bedford and Grove, pressing the buzzer to Gabriella's apartment. They didn't have plans to meet up until later, and he'd planned to call her to confirm details. Instead, he found himself just coming over. He'd wanted to speak to Chad as well, so he hadn't really hesitated in coming over uninvited. The last week had made him concede to one thing, and that was that he wanted to be around her as often as possible.
However he felt himself feeling disappointed when all he heard back was silence. He buzzed again, just in case she was playing music or watching TV and hadn't heard the intercom. No response came, so he whipped out his cell phone and dialled her number. She answered after two and a half rings.
"Hey!" her cheery voice came over the phone.
"Where are you?" Troy immediately asked.
"At Chad and Taylor's, why?"
"Oh." Troy hung up his cell phone, and then buzzed Chad and Taylor's apartment instead.
A moment later, Taylor's voice came over the speaker. "Hello?"
"Yo, it's me."
"Oh hey, come on up!"
The door buzzed and he pushed it open, bounding up the staircase taking two steps at a time the whole way up. He knew that Taylor would have left the door open, and turned the handle, finding Chad, Taylor and Gabriella sitting around the dining table.
"Sup guys," he greeted them. He could immediately smell coffee and spied mugs on the table. "You have coffee?"
"There's more in the pot. I must've had a sixth sense you'd be here to use our groceries at some point," Taylor teased.
Troy grinned. "You know me so well."
"What did you and Andy get up to?" Chad asked, as Troy made his way into Chad and Taylor's kitchen.
"Nothing crazy. We talked for a while, crashed, jammed a bit this morning. During intermission we had a super quick chat with the club manager who is usually around behind the scenes on Friday nights. Andy committed that we'll do the show this Friday with him, me and Steve, so we spent some time looking at a set list so I can go over it before we rehearse tomorrow."
As he spoke, Troy poured his cup of black coffee and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the bench and slid over to the couch. He then plopped down in the spare seat to Gabriella's left, and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. Taylor and Chad couldn't help but exchange amused looks.
"Any major changes?" Gabriella asked.
"A few. A bunch of songs just me and Andy have worked on without the others. Steve will pick it up though – for an accountant, he's a fucking good drummer." Troy wasn't inclined to talk about the set list, so he quickly changed the topic. "I'm so sorry I didn't get to talk to you guys after the show. I feel bad, since I'd told you we'd catch up." Troy was looking around at all of them but reaching across to squeeze Gabriella's hand which was resting on the table.
"It's okay, you came and explained it to us all, and you and I already talked about this!" Gabriella said, returning the squeeze.
"You didn't say much after the show. How do you feel about it all? Really?" Taylor asked.
Troy exhaled. "I mean... if our situations were reversed, I'd have done the exact same thing as Drew. I was frustrated that we literally found out ten minutes before we went on, but that was a little my fault for being late. But you know, he's doing the right thing. Obviously they didn't plan this but he seems genuinely happy about it, not like 'oh fuck, well now I have to focus on my career so I can look after a family' or whatever."
"Well that's good, that they're happy about it," Gabriella agreed.
Troy nodded. "Yeah, it is. I guess... I was more pissed about the way he told us. Like, he just said it pretty point blank and then he acted like it wasn't a big deal because his role isn't relevant. He's just like 'but I know you guys will be fine and that Troy can step up and you won't even know I'm gone.' That's such shit. I can't pull off lead in most of the tracks we've rehearsed. That's why me and Andy had to work on a set list, and we're gonna have to do some epic rehearsing to do this."
"Isn't this a good opportunity to like... be doing the kind of stuff that you want to be doing?" Taylor ventured.
Troy shrugged. "In theory, I guess. I just... I'm in such a spin about it all. Andy of course is going back on one of his rants about us taking our music to the next level."
"Maybe it's time you listen to Andy. He's a smart guy," Chad observed.
"One of his rants? Does he have these rants a lot?" Gabriella asked.
"Yeah, more so recently. I guess I just... the whole thing is fucking terrifying," Troy admitted. "I don't think I've got it to do that whole... lead man thing. I mean I'll step up next Friday because we're obligated to the club, they've looked after us and if we pull out, then they'll need to find another band to fill the set and we might never get the slot back. But I'm just... I'm not that guy who jumps around the stage and acts crazy."
"Why do you think you need to be? If you and Andy were to drive your direction, wouldn't you be doing softer stuff?" Gabriella asked. "And would Steve be involved?"
"Steve's the one that got Andy on this latest tirade. While we were packing up our gear, Steve basically told us that we should take it seriously. He's not keen on it, which I respect him for – the guy is an accountant, after all! This is just his alter ego having some fun. But he pretty much said that we're crazy if we don't take the opportunity. So then Andy was going on about it and... ugh. I just don't know."
"Dude, have you been on the band's Facebook page in the last say, twelve hours?" Chad asked.
Troy shook his head. "No, why?"
"Give me a second, I'll get the laptop." Chad stood up and headed into the bedroom, calling behind him as he walked away. "People must've been listening to Drew, they legit all went onto the page overnight. I took a look this morning, it's insane."
"What, all telling him that he can't quit?" Troy joked.
Chad returned with his laptop. It wasn't shut down completely, he'd just closed the screen, so all he did was quickly punch in his password and navigate straight to the Facebook page. "Someone in the audience made a video of the Green Day song – people fucking loved it. They put it on YouTube and then posted it on your band page. People are liking, commenting, sharing, getting their friends to watch. I mean, we're not talking billions, but the feedback is positive."
"It isn't like you haven't done lead vocals before. I've heard you guys do tracks where you'll do lead and Drew does back-up," Taylor pointed out.
Troy didn't respond, he was just glancing through the comments. He pulled the laptop a little closer so he could read through. He couldn't deny that it felt good seeing the positive feedback. "Must have been all the alcohol flowing in the bar," he commented, brushing it off.
"No, it wasn't," Gabriella said, shaking her head. "Troy, you and Andy were truly amazing last night."
"You have to say that," Troy sighed. "But thanks."
"Oh come on, you know they loved you, cut the act," Chad said, rolling his eyes. "And I know you loved it."
"It was fun, and that's great that people liked it but... there's a whole world between doing a cover that people like, and actually being able to write and sell music. Which is what Andy wants us to work toward, like, seriously."
"You're talking a lot about what Andy wants to do – what do you want to do?" Gabriella asked.
He sighed, and looked up at three of the people he trusted most, staring at him expectantly, waiting for a clear-cut answer. He rested his head against the table, before looking up again.
"Am I crazy in even thinking about this? And like... I need honesty here. I don't want you to be like those people who tell their family members, 'Yeah, you should totally audition for Idol!' and next thing you know they wind up on the bloopers reel."
"You couldn't have gotten through a music major if you belonged on the Idol bloopers reel," Taylor pointed our practically.
"Well firstly, you could, because most of my music major was theory," Troy pointed out. "And secondly, we studied shit like, the History of European Music. There wasn't a class like 'Do You Have An 'It' Factor' or 'Can You Make it' or 'How To Make A Living Earning Minimum Wage While You Perform At Functions and Bars.'"
"Why does this matter?" Chad asked.
"It matters because I don't want to do this if we're being unrealistic. You know, money aside, my life doesn't completely suck. I love that store, and I like performing covers. If we're being totally ridiculous in thinking we could do this, then maybe I should be getting business qualifications and applying for managerial jobs at big wig music stores."
"That's what you want to do? Climb the corporate ladder?" Gabriella intoned, somewhat dubiously.
"You are the one who said I need to get my priorities in order." Troy was having flashbacks to a conversation he'd had with Gabriella when she came by to visit him at work the previous Saturday night.
"I was talking about you spending your time randomly teaching lessons and DJing without any focus. I said nothing about going corporate."
"I don't know if I want to climb the corporate ladder either, but I can't keep living in New York City getting paid just slightly above bottom rung retail rages in a dead end job for the rest of my life. At some point, you know, I'd like to feel like I've achieved something worthwhile."
"For you, or for Jack?" Chad asked, referring to Troy's father.
"Both," Troy admitted. He sighed. "I notice none of you have answered me if I'm crazy."
"How would we know? In all the years that you've been dabbling at this, you've never really done any writing – none that we know about, anyway. Original songs come rarely, and they were with Drew performing lead," Chad pointed out.
"I know that Andy is kind of brilliant, and if there's anyone that you could do this with, then it would be him," Taylor added.
"And me? What about me?" Troy pressed.
"In two and a half minutes of an unpolished cover, you managed to have everyone in the palm of your hand last night," Gabriella said softly, squeezing his leg. "That counts, doesn't it?"
Troy shrugged. Truthfully, he felt a little hazy about the whole experience – it was like it hadn't happened, or he'd consumed a bottle of rum just prior to the gig.
"Enough about me.," he said, quickly changing the subject. "What are you guys up to? Did I crash a party? How come I wasn't invited?"
"No party, I was out of sugar and I came to borrow some," Gabriella laughed. "I need to go buy groceries today or I'll be eating take-out all next week."
"I need to buy groceries too," Troy put out there with a sly smile.
"You, buy groceries?" Taylor scoffed.
"Hey, I buy groceries! I can't afford to eat take-out all the time," Troy shot back.
"Milk, coffee, carrots, chips and beer do not count as groceries," Chad laughed.
"I will have you know that I make a mean Mexican feast, thanks," Troy defended himself. "Gabriella, I now insist that we go shopping together, just so you can tell these two that I really do buy actual food sometimes."
She couldn't help but tease. "Here I was thinking that our first proper date would be somewhere a bit more romantic than Food Emporium."
"I can bring the romance anywhere you want it," he teased back.
"Gabriella, do you really want to do this? Grocery shopping is super domesticated, it tells you things about a person that you probably shouldn't know until at least the third date," Taylor teased. Troy shot Taylor a dirty look.
Gabriella rolled her eyes. "We haven't done anything conventional this whole time, why start now? We had sex, then he helped me furnish my apartment, now we'll go grocery shopping, and we'll then take the next big step of our first date tonight."
xxx
An hour later, Troy and Gabriella were together at Food Emporium. Whether planned or not, it was an interesting get to know you exercise, much like Taylor had teased. Gabriella was organised and methodical, and Troy just followed her around the store grabbing things that he saw that looked appealing. Gabriella had an organised shopping list, consisting of particular meals she could plan to cook – she didn't just toss pasta into her cart, she also had parmesan cheese, beef mince, herbs, pasta sauce and garlic bread on her list. She planned to make meals which she could cook in bulk and then freeze meals that she could eat when she was lazy, or take leftovers to work. It came with the territory of living alone. Troy was clearly a more spontaneous shopper – he knew he had no food, so he arrived at the grocery store and grabbed whatever he felt like. He had a pretty decent budget that week, even taking into account the new section of his budget being a 'Gabriella fund.' He was more of a food on the go kind of guy, wanting things that he could just grab and munch on. He tended to keep carrots, celery, crackers, dip, tuna, bread, lunch meat and roast chicken.
"Are you feeding an army or something?" Troy asked incredulously, staring down at Gabriella's cart.
She grinned. "Well, normally when I shop by myself I've only got me to carry things back. Today, I figure I've got a strong manly man to help me out and take some of my bags."
"Hey, this manly man has his own shit to lug back," he teased, though he only had a basket full of items. "You can take a..."
Troy trailed off, blinking, because just behind Gabriella stood a woman he hadn't seen in over two years.
"Take a what, huh?" Gabriella teased back, not realising that Troy had been distracted immediately, but then seeking the look on his face. She turned to follow his stare, seeing him facing off with a woman clutching onto a pram. She was pretty and slender, about their age with strawberry blonde hair.
"Hi Troy."
"Tiffany," his cool response came.
Troy hadn't seen her for over two years. The last time he'd seen her had been the day he'd dumped a box of her stuff that she'd left at his apartment at her door.
"What are you doing here?"
"Um, buying some groceries, we're..."
"I don't mean here in this grocery store, I mean here in Manhattan," he interrupted her. "Last I heard you were living upstate."
Gabriella was tempted to interject and introduce herself, but without knowing who this woman was, she could hear an animosity in Troy's tone, and was developing theories of her own as to who she may be.
She nodded. "Yeah, Brett and I moved when I found out I was pregnant. Didn't want to raise a kid in the city, you know? We're here for a wedding, do you remember Michelle and Tony? They're getting married tomorrow."
It was as though Troy had hardly noticed the baby in the pram, and suddenly he was staring down. He didn't know much about babies, but the kid didn't appear to be newborn.
"How old is he?" Troy asked, blinking.
"Um, eighteen months. His name is Sam." Troy felt bile in his throat, and couldn't even bring himself to ask the question. Tiffany evidently recognised the sudden panicked question in his eyes. "Don't worry, he's not yours. Brett made us do a DNA test. "
Troy managed a slight snort. "Nice."
"Well... there was overlap..." she trailed off.
"Look, Tiffany, I've got nothing to say to you. I'm just here getting some food. You've said hello, it's the obligatory thing to do. Let's skip the chit chat, because if you're doing this to make yourself feel better, don't sweat it. I've moved on. I'm okay."
She swallowed. "Okay."
"Okay."
"It was um... good to see you. You... you look good."
"Right."
"Take care."
Gabriella waited until Tiffany had walked in the other direction, out of earshot. She rested her hand on Troy's arm. "Hey," she said softly. "Are you okay?"
Troy nodded, avoiding direct eye contact with Gabriella. "Fine. Are you almost done?"
"Um, just need to grab a couple of items from the chiller," she said softly, a little hurt by his shortness.
The remainder of the shopping trip was fairly quiet, small talk about brands of milk and flavours of yoghurt, mostly initiated by Gabriella in an attempt to fill the stony air. He went through the checkout first, and then he picked up over half of her grocery bags, plus his own, and was halfway out the door before she'd even finished paying. She darted after him and made a conversational remark about the girl who had served them at the cash register.
They headed back down 6th avenue and Troy led them to use Christopher Street to cut across to 7th street. When they reached Sheridan Square. Gabriella hesitated. Troy's place was in one direction, hers in the other.
"Are you coming?" he said, glancing at her paused just behind him.
"Um, you don't have to carry it back to mine, it's in the wrong direction after all," she said quietly. "I can carry my things."
He rolled his eyes. "It's like three blocks. Come on."
She merely nodded, and they headed across Sheridan Square and down Grove Street, walking the final 200 feet in silence. When they reached her apartment and set the grocery bags down on the kitchen bench, Gabriella finally spoke.
"Normally things get awkward and quiet after a date, not before."
Troy exhaled, closing his eyes and leaning forward on her kitchen bench. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault."
"You're thinking about that woman you were talking to at the grocery store."
"Yes."
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"No. I'd rather pretend she doesn't exist, to be honest."
"But she does, and obviously her existence upsets you."
"That would be an understatement."
Gabriella was hesitant in pressing him, but her curiosity got the better of her. "She cheated on you."
"Yes."
"What a bitch."
Troy couldn't help but laugh. Gabriella wasn't trying to make him laugh, she was quite genuine in her statement. Nonetheless, he found her candour amusing.
"I haven't seen her since just a couple of days after I found out about the whole thing. It was just... really kinda confronting. I didn't know whether to go back after her and scream at her, or whether to cry, or how to react. So I chose to shut down. Pretty typical me."
"Troy... if you don't want to go out tonight..."
Gabriella was cut off by a quick reaction from Troy, who pounced, grabbing at her waist, his lips descending on hers. She was backed up roughly against her kitchen sink, her hip taking the brunt of the force. It was a welcome force, a force which came from a place of want, of need, of passion. Their kiss was short but intense, and when Troy pulled back, they were both a little breathless.
"One day, I'll tell you more about her. There's only one thing you need to know about her right now."
"What's that?"
"Today, I saw her and I realised that I really genuinely don't feel a thing. I was pissed that she was interrupting my time with you. We will be going out tonight, and she is not going to be stopping me from living my life any more."
With that, Troy pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Gabriella's lips, and turned to pick up his grocery bags.
"I'll pick you up at 7pm."
xxx
Troy went home, and after putting away his groceries, he found himself sitting on the couch with the sheet music Andy had given him, and his acoustic guitar. It seemed like he wouldn't come across a better time to start rehearsing.
"I thought you should know, that I'm happy for you, and I wish nothing but, the best for you both..."
xxx
Gabriella was surprised at Troy's choice of restaurant. It was a small Italian restaurant just south of Washington Square Park, La Lanterna di Vittorio. They were seated in a covered courtyard, with a glass covered roof. Troy told her that during the day, it was more of a cafe and the courtyard had a lovely sunny atmosphere; but in the evening with the mood lighting and decore, it was cozy and romantic. She was pleased by the prices in the menu – she didn't care in the slightest about being taken to fancy restaurants where a salad costs an arm and a leg, and she'd felt a little worried that Troy would attempt to 'prove' to her his financial stability. Looking around, there were lots of other young couples, likely students and young professionals who also needed to spend their dollars with care.
Troy seemed to have shaken off his mood from earlier, and the awkward half hour was long past, with small talk and chatter free flowing as they walked to the restaurant, looked over the menus and placed orders. They'd agreed on sharing bruschetta and a margherita pizza, and were sharing a cheap but nonetheless tasty bottle of Moscato.
"I have to say, I wasn't expecting you to bring me somewhere like this," Gabriella confessed.
"What were you expecting? I'd take you to Five Guys?"
"Maybe a step up from there," she giggled. "Is there a deluxe burger place around?"
"Five Guys is the deluxe burger place," Troy said adamantly, shaking his head. "And peanuts are super romantic. You would be lucky to be taken there."
"Next time."
"We've barely started this date, and you're assuming I'll ask you out again?" Troy challenged her with a grin.
"Maybe you're not. Maybe that's why you brought me here – wanted to give me just one blindingly romantic date."
Troy shook his head. "I'll have you know, New York City is filled with romantic options. This is just one of hundreds of places I could've brought you."
"You sound like a romance expert."
"You sound surprised at the notion of me being a romance expert."
Gabriella shrugged, and confessed, "A little."
He wasn't offended. If anything, for him it was refreshing being around Gabriella – someone who he actually wanted to be around for extended periods of time, who wasn't bogged down with preconceptions of who he was or who he could be, on the basis of how he used to behave.
"I used to be super romantic. Like, in a dorky way."
"Tell me one of your romance moves," Gabriella urged.
Troy considered this. "Okay... back in high school, I had a few girlfriends. Nothing super serious, but I was captain of the basketball team, and over the summer between junior and senior year I beefed up a bit so..."
"I get it, you were a stud."
He grinned. "I had this old rickety truck that my dad and I had fixed up. Whenever I wanted to like, go steady with a girl, I used to put a bunch of cushions and blankets in the tray and take her somewhere romantic and we'd lie in the back, looking up at the stars, and then I'd offer her my championship ring."
"That's not romantic!" Gabriella exclaimed. "You're taking her somewhere alone and excluded and providing a comfortable place to hook up!"
Troy shook his head adamantly. "It wasn't like that!"
"Sure it wasn't."
"It wasn't!"
"How old were you when you first had sex?" Gabriella asked.
"You won't believe me."
"You were super young, weren't you?" she gasped.
Troy's lips twitched. "Define, super young?"
"16?" He shook his head. "15?"
"Nope."
She gasped. "Shit, you couldn't have been 14? Seriously?"
"I was 19."
"Bull shit!" she exclaimed.
Troy shrugged. "Why would I lie about that?"
"You had girlfriends in high school that you took to a romantic location and gave them your ring and you didn't have sex with them?" Gabriella was clearly dubious.
"We weren't like, only holding hands! I did... stuff. I was seeing the same girl on and off for a few months at the end of senior year, she was pretty cool and I actually really liked her but she wasn't ready and I'm not that guy. We broke up after graduation though."
"And you didn't just go out and sow your oats as soon as you arrived in New York City?"
"It was tempting," Troy laughed. "I did it with my first college girlfriend, we hadn't been dating long. She was a sophomore and she was this amazing, amazing pianist. She had very talented fingers." He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.
Gabriella rolled her eyes, but nonetheless laughed. "Incredible."
"How old were you?" Troy countered.
"I was 19. First college boyfriend," she admitted.
"So much in common," he laughed.
"When did you decide to major in music?"
Troy considered this. "Seriously, in sophomore year. I got myself into a music subject in my spring semester of freshman year. That's where I met the aforementioned pianist. I sort of fell into the music scene, like, going to pubs and bars – with an 'underaged' stamp on my hand of course – and listening to live music as soon as I got here to New York. It just... it made sense to me. I can't explain it in any other way. So sophomore year came and I declared my major."
"Does it still make sense?"
"Obviously, or I wouldn't be doing it." Troy frowned. "You haven't been talking to Andy, have you?"
Gabriella laughed. "No, though he seems like a good guy."
"He is. Him and Chad are pretty much the only people I've been able to count on in this city. The guy is also a fucking genius. He went to Juilliard, he's not some hack like me."
"Obviously he doesn't think you're a 'hack' – if he did he wouldn't want to invest more time into your music," Gabriella observed.
"Probably to his own detriment. I just self-taught nearly everything I know about like, actual playing and music. My degree was all music theory shit. Andy is a real professional, he can play a zillion instruments and writes amazing songs. I keep waiting for him to wake up and go jump on board with some other bandwagon and become rich and famous. Instead he sticks around with me."
"Troy, you have a talent. I'm just your average person who loves music, but I can tell you that you have a talent. You talk about "it" factor – if Andy is the guy who can play all the instruments and has experience with writing, then you're the guy with the 'it' factor. You're the one with the charisma, with the charm. How many bands are out there in New York City, fighting to get discovered?"
"God, hundreds, I'm sure. Probably more."
"A lot of it is luck, I'm sure. But it doesn't matter how many instruments you play or how many years you studied at which exclusive school. What matters is that people respond to you delivering a song. Andy wouldn't want to do this with you if he didn't think that you have what it takes."
"Your bruschetta."
Troy and Gabriella were distracted from their somewhat deep conversation by their waiter standing over them holding their starter, and then placing it down between them.
"Thank you," Troy said.
"Can I get you anything else at the moment?"
Both Troy and Gabriella shook their heads and the waiter disappeared. Troy suddenly found himself fascinated by the little pieces of bruschetta, served in four small servings. He took one from the plate, immediately taking a large bite, forcing himself into a self imposed silence. Gabriella also took a piece, taking a smaller bite and watched him carefully.
"That's a lot deeper than I normally get in the first half hour of a first date," Troy admitted.
"I thought we'd already established that it's not like you and I are actually at typical 'first date' level," Gabriella commented.
"I don't know if that comforts me or scares me."
"Okay... let's lighten it up. Favourite movie?"
xxx
For the best part of the rest of the evening, the tone was kept a little lighter. Not that conversation was frivolous. If anything, it was their ability to switch dynamics from discussing politics, to the advantages of growing up in middle America, to consumer behaviour, to Broadway; which presented hope. There was certainly attraction, there had been an attraction and chemistry between them since the moment they'd first met back in February.
However attraction was only one part of their dynamic. Plainly and simply, it had been a long time since either one had spent time with a member of the opposite sex who they had such easy and simple rapport with. It was a rapport that existed independently of Gabriella's fascination with his eyes, and her contemplation of whether a good haircut could further heighten his ridiculous good looks. It was a rapport which was so strong, that Troy didn't need to keep up his guard – there was no need to make forceful lewd comments
After finishing their dinner, they decided on going to the jazz bar next door. For a Saturday night, the cover charge was reasonable, there was only a one drink minimum, and a live jazz set was due to come on. Between the bottle of wine and another drink at the jazz bar, Gabriella was feeling a nice buzz, and she was feeling wonderfully content snuggling up beside Troy.
"Trust you to ploy me with alcohol," she murmured teasingly, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Troy laughed. "On Wednesday, you were set to drag me into your office for a quickie – a lack of alcohol has not been the issue here."
She giggled, remembering the highly inappropriate make out session just outside the NYU building which housed her office. Any number of her colleagues and students may very well have spotted her in the very public display of affection. She then unintentionally yawned.
"Am I boring you?" he asked with a laugh.
"No. Wine makes me sleepy, especially after a week of minimal sleep."
"We can go after the set finishes," he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.
She didn't argue. Emerging from the bar into the fresh night air woke her up a little, and they walked hand in hand up MacDougal and then along West 4th Street. By the time that they reached her building, Gabriella found herself feeling wide awake – and not wanting the night to end. She took a step toward her door, Troy remaining still, but still holding onto her hand.
"I want to invite you to come upstairs, but I don't want you to say no because we're taking this slowly," Gabriella confessed.
Troy smiled. "What are you inviting me to come upstairs for?"
"A drink? Coffee? Talk?"
xxx
Ffiteen minutes later, the decaf coffees Gabriella had made were abandoned on the coffee table, and Gabriella was straddling his lap as they were engaged in a passionate, desperate frenzy of kisses.
"I know we agreed no sex on the first date but... since we've already done it..." Gabriella said breathlessly, hips bucking against his groin.
Troy groaned. "Fuck woman, I'm doing everything I can do be a gentleman, especially when you're a little tipsy from the wine, but you're testing my patience."
"Maybe I don't want you to be a gentleman," she said coyly. Her fingers threaded through his chestnut locks, and she kissed him once again.
"Maybe you really do want me to be a gentleman, and this is all some test."
Gabriella pulled back a little. Despite her hormonal desperation for release, deep down, she did want him to be a gentleman. But it certainly wasn't a part of some grander test, and she hated for him to be thinking that.
"Did you mean that?" she asked, her hands still holding the back of his head. "Because it's not."
"I wouldn't blame you for not trusting me. Given... given the side of me you got to know first."
"It's just a side of you, Troy," Gabriella murmured. "He's still a part of you, a part of you who I happen to like a lot. Trust is something that comes over time – but I wouldn't use some 'test' to decide if it's time."
Troy nodded. "Okay."
"Truth is that rationally, I know we should wait... but... I can't help that I really, really, really want you."
Troy couldn't help but grin. "You really, really, really want me?"
"If I tell you something... will you promise to not let it go to your head?"
"I can't promise, but I can try?"
"Sex with you... it was the best I've ever had."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really."
"I'll tell you a secret?" Troy said, and leaned forward to murmur by her ear. "Sex with you was absolutely fucking phenomenal, beyond anything I've ever experienced."
Gabriella smiled. "You thought about me when you were with other women?"
Troy shook his head. "I haven't been with anyone since you."
She scoffed. "Sure."
"Seriously."
She pulled back a little, gazing into his eyes. She didn't detect a hint of insincerity – and it was with this reflection that she found herself kissing him again, this time, softly, tenderly.
"I'm going to climb off you now, before I lose sight of any sort of rational thought," she murmured, and he laughed as she moved herself to sit beside him on the sofa as gracefully as possible.
"I think we're officially doing this relationship in backwards order. We had sex, started to fall for each other, did some domesticated grocery shopping, went on our first date and now we've come inches from dry humping to orgasm like a couple of teenagers in the back seat of a car at the drive-in."
"Let's face it, there's no convention here. We're making up our own rules."
"In that case... then I'm going to ask you a question which typically would never be asked prior to the conclusion of the first date," Troy said with a grin.
"What would that be?"
"What's your schedule like this week?"
Gabriella considered this. "Slightly less hectic than last week. More marking, but less consultation hours. So a lot of work to do but I can do it at my own pace. Why do you ask?"
"Can I meet you for lunch on Monday?"
"Monday?" she repeated with a grin. "Here I am, accustomed to sitting around waiting three days for a guy to call, and you're asking me now if I can commit to a lunch a whole two days ahead? We really are breaking the rules."
"What can I say? I want to pencil you in before any archaeology professors distract you."
"If you're referring to Mitch, he's a palaeontology professor, and things have been awkward ever since you got rid of him for me."
"Aha! You admit I was doing you a favour!" Troy exclaimed with a triumphant fist pump.
She rolled her eyes. "Shut up and kiss me."
xxx
"I'd love to try to set you free."
xxx
AN: Lyric from 'You Oughtta Know' by Alanis Morisette utilised. I make no money. Alanis is a legend.