Chapter 13
They touched down in the middle of the afternoon Australian local time, Troy put his sun glasses on before leaving the plane so wasn't bothered by the brightness of the sun. Ryan grimaced as he fished his own glasses out of his shirt pocket, "I told you in December that you needed them honey." Troy reminded him.
"I know but its like winter and its still bloody hot here." Ryan moaned Troy laughed taking his boyfriends hand in his own.
A little while later the group was pulling into the house driveway, Troy stepped out of the limo to be met by Alexis who hugged him tightly before shaking hands with every body else.
"I hope that you guys are hungry we are having a BBQ in the back garden." Alexis said to them all.
"What the hell is that?" Sharpay asked.
"Flame grilled food." Chad said following Alexis around the back.
"Why don't you go through I'm going to go upstairs and change into some beach clothes." Troy said to Ryan who smiled nodding and leaving his fiancé in the drive.
Ten minutes later Troy was walking into the back garden with just a pair of shorts on, Ryan smiled as he felt a kiss to the back of his neck and a set of warm arms rounding his waist. "Hey you stripped into a pair of shorts no fair." Ryan said grinning Chad walked over to them with two plates.
"Didn't know how long you'd be." Chad said.
"You trying to get Ryan into bed with you is that it?" Troy asked winking at Taylor who had her own plate Chad spluttered while Taylor laughed at him. "Hey Taylor you like?" he asked Taylor who grinned at him.
"This place is great, the beach ten minutes down the road I know why you love this place." Taylor said to him Troy smiled.
"We can go down their later before sunset." Troy said to him.
"You have got to see that." Ryan said Troy smiled as he let go of his boyfriend and grabbing a drumstick from his plate. "Hey get your own." Ryan growled playfully.
"Theirs plenty of food Ryan I am not that hungry a drumstick or a thigh will do me for now." Troy said playfully Ryan blushed as Taylor giggled. "Your friends with Gabriella right." Troy said to his friend she nodded. "How is she?" he asked.
"How do you know I have contact with her?" Taylor asked.
"Because I know how close you are to Gabriella, how is she?" Troy asked.
"She's good as little Zeke." Taylor said Troy's eyes widened.
"Let her know that…" Troy said Taylor looked at him he smiled sadly. "Second thoughts I know for a fact she doesn't want to know what I have to say at the moment." Troy said to her she nodded. "She's good?" he asked.
"Yes she's doing great, if she asks I'll let her know where you are and give her your email." Taylor said to him.
"When she does ask tell her she's in my prays." Troy said.
"Your not religious." Taylor pointed out.
"I may not be the most religious person in the world but I do go to church every Sunday I have been baptised." Troy said to her she smiled. "Really Taylor." he added.
"Someone said to me that you stopped going after Matt." Taylor said Chad slapped the back of her head for it she realized that she had put her foot in it until Troy kicked Chad's shin hard.
"Its okay Taylor, for a long time after what happened I wouldn't step inside a church, I blamed him for taking Matt from me." Troy said to her. "I was pretty angry for a long time with him, I started going after what happened to Zeke and I talked a lot to the local vicar here while we were here at Christmas, call it spiritual healing." Troy said to her.
"Nothing like the loss of a friend to help to heal the pain of another loss." Taylor asked.
"Yes something like that, do you mind if we change the subject." Troy said to her as Jason came up.
"You want to go down to the beach or something." Jason said.
"I'll get Chef to pack up some food for us all." Troy said to him. "Alexis can you get the boards and our suits out of the closet while I get some food and drink." he added Alexis nodded to him. "I'll take the car down with the boards on it why don't you take the others down by foot, show them the town." Troy added.
"You want some company?" Ryan asked.
"It won't take long Ryan, go have some fun." Troy said to him he nodded leaving his boyfriend with a kiss. "Ryan save me a spot on the beach next to you." Troy added Ryan grinned nodding his head to the brunette.
"You guys disappearing already." his grandmother asked.
"We're going to take some food down to the beach, have ourselves a picnic and what have you." Troy said to she nodded. "Thanks for letting them come here this summer." Troy said to her she nodded with a smile. "We'll try not to be back to late." he added.
"You guys have a good time and don't worry about how late you are." she said to him.
"Thanks Nana." Troy said to her before taking the food box and ice box with drinks in it. "Thanks Chef." Troy said to her with a grin on his face as he headed into the house to get his gear together he loaded up the two boards that he could fit on his rack safely. Troy arrived at the beach a half hour after every one else that had left the house before him.
"Hey you brought yours and Alexis boards but not mine." Ryan said with a pout.
"Yeah I couldn't get it up their and safe since I said to you guys to go ahead and walk down here before I had to leave yours behind, only one car with us." Troy said he laughed as Sharpay opened the ice box. "I take to long?" he asked.
"I was thirsty before we left, damn this place is hot." she said. "Hey your getting chest hair." she said pointing at my chest I looked down before chuckling. "You going to start shaving that chest of yours?" she asked Troy laughed his head of rubbing his chest out of habit.
"I'm not shaving my chest hair." Troy said to her then she yanked the single hair out. "Hey, that hurt." Troy snarled chasing after her she was laughing.
"His getting hairy." Alexis said.
"Yeah I know his arm hairs are more defined than ever before." Ryan said to him.
"I didn't think that you two would last as long as you have." Alexis said. "I was wrong about you, but I am glad I was." Alexis said to him Ryan chuckled. "I see how happy he is with you when his here, I'm glad that you make him happy he deserves to be happy." he added.
"I'm glad I proved you wrong, and yeah he deserves to be happy." Ryan said to him Alexis smiled. "His going to miss them." Ryan said pointing to his friends. "This will probably be the last time they are all together as a group of friends." Ryan said.
"The horror of going to college." Alexis said to him.
"Yeah, I know that we'll see them all again but its whether we'll come together like this." Ryan said with a sad smile.
"We will." Troy said from behind as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriends waist. "We are a group of friends who have been through hell the last year because of one thing or another, that forms a bond between people." Troy said Ryan grinned at Alexis. "If Matt taught me one thing it is that when something bad happens to the ones we love the people who are left behind become closer because of it Gabriella excluded from that because rather than face her grieve she ran from the people who could have helped her." Troy said to him.
"You blame her?" Taylor asked annoyed.
"Not really I did the same." Troy said to her. "My parents could have moved us back to New York after it happened but I refused to go back to that house because of what happened to Matt, our road trip to New York was the first time I had been back there since the accident." Troy said to her. "The say we run from our problems, for some grieving people it becomes we haven't run far enough." he said to her she winced.
"How do you get over that?" Chad asked.
"You don't." Alexis said to him.
"His right, he was my twin. My most frequent nightmare is seeing him hit by the drunk driver that killed him, watching him fly through the air listening to him scream before he hit the road. Being frozen on the spot while wanting to comfort my dying twin, watching as the morgue van pulls up rather than an ambulance. My brother screaming at me for it not being me who had gone into the road to get the ball instead of Matt." Troy said Ryan gaped at him.
"Have you told anyone about it?" Ryan asked.
"Just my councillor." Troy said to him Ryan nodded. "And you guys, don't judge her to harshly for running in the end it was the only thing she could do to escape the pain." Troy said to him they all nodded. "I need to get some air if your excuse me I am going for a surf." Troy said grabbing his board from the sand and taking of for the water without a word.
"I can't imagine what that's like." Taylor said.
"Don't, Troy told you his own nightmares so you could better understand what Gabriella is going through to some degree, when its someone you love as much they loved the ones they lost its always painful. Gabriella got to escape her nightmare, she gained release from the people who knew Zeke and loved them both. To some degree Troy is never going to get that, not that he would want that, he carries his pain better than anyone in public but in private Ryan knows he still has the nightmares and the shakes." Alexis said to him.
"What?" Chad said.
"You don't notice them unless you watch him closely enough, Troy is OCD about crossing the road he won't cross unless at the lights, or he won't step out into the road to let some one past." Ryan said to his friend.
"I noticed it I just didn't put it together, it makes sense though." Chad said to him.
Hsmhsmhsm
Troy dropped down next to Ryan a couple of hours later, he smiled at his boyfriend who was currently topless and enjoying the sun as much as he had been the water. Chad was sitting next to Troy watching the surf his eyes fixed on the water, "This isn't your first time to the ocean I know that much what's going on?" Troy asked his friend.
"I was just thinking." Chad said to him Troy laughed.
"That's dangerous to your health Chad." Troy said Chad looked at him. "Thinking for your self I'll have to tell Taylor." he said to his friend Ryan giggled as Chad growled at him. "Your girlfriend might want the basketball player rather than the thinker." Troy added Chad punched his arm hard enough to push him on to Ryan.
"Hey sunbathing here." Ryan said Troy laughed bending over to kiss his nose. "Your in my sun." he growled playfully at his boyfriend who laughed before looking back to Chad.
"Do you think Taylor and I will survive, I mean we are going to different schools." Chad said to him.
"I don't know, did you discuss your options with her." Troy asked.
"I applied to all the schools she did, I got refused by all but three of them." Chad said. "None of them were the ones that accepted Taylor." he added sadly.
"Are you worried about it?" Troy asked.
"Not really." Chad said. "I love her like my sister but I…" Chad didn't need to finish the sentence.
"Its okay." Taylor said from behind them Troy looked up and back. "I have the same feelings." Taylor said to him as she sat down next to Chad Troy stood up and proceeded to pull Ryan up of the towel.
"What," Ryan said to him.
"They need to talk lets go for a walk." Troy said to him Ryan looked at the two on the sand before nodding his head in understanding taking Troy's hand they walked off down the beach.
"Everything changes." Ryan said to him with a smile Troy looked at the blond before nodding. "You think we'll change?" he asked.
"You kidding we already have." Troy said to him. "Its just that we have been to busy with our lives and each other to care about the changes." Troy said to him Ryan looked at him. "Your not your sisters lap dog any more, that was the view people had of you before we started to date." Troy said Ryan sighed.
"People really thought that?" Ryan asked.
"They never said it but yeah sure they thought it, she controlled your life Ryan, if it didn't concern her you didn't do it." Troy said to him Ryan stopped to look at him. "You know I don't care about it, I just observed what every body else did, you forget I know what being a twin means to twins." Troy said to him Ryan nodded.
"Others don't get that bond." Ryan said with a smile Troy grinned. "Do you miss it?" he asked Troy smiled when he ducked his head.
"Every day… it's gotten easier to live with." Troy said to him Ryan nodded. "I feel like his with me every day." Troy said. "The little things we do together I sometimes get a twinge of sadness, wondering if he was alive if I would be doing it with him you know." Troy said to Ryan who nodded. "Its stupid really but it's the truth." he added.
"I love it here." Ryan said.
"You and me both." Troy said to him with a grin on his face the wind had picked up blowing the breeze into his face he closed his eyes a smile on his lips as Ryan wrapped an arm around his waist the smaller boy tucked his head under Troy's chin so he could breath in the taller boys scent. "Maybe we should buy a holiday home." Troy said Ryan pulled back to look at him.
"You serious?" Ryan asked.
"You don't want to?" Troy asked.
"Of course I want to, but Troy I don't have the kind of money you do." Ryan said.
"Your birthday is next week so I am supposed to wait, but I have something for you." Troy said to him pulling out his wallet which he had taken from the bag in his car he opened the wallet pulling out a piece of paper and charge card. "This is yours." Troy said.
"Troy I can't take this." Ryan said.
"Your taking it, Ryan we are practically a married couple your taking it." Troy said Ryan looked at him. "This is my way of say that what is mine is yours." he added Ryan nodded.
"If you change your mind I'll give it back to you." Ryan said to him taking the card and paper from him.
"I have my bank statements back at the house." Troy said to him. "I'd prefer we didn't go to a bank machine for you to look at the number in the account." Troy said Ryan laughed.
"It can't be that bad." Ryan said.
"Lets just say that it's a muggers paradise." Troy said. "My only thing would be don't look at the balance at the machine." Troy said to him Ryan nodded.
"So about this house?" Ryan asked.
"I think I can wrangle an estate agent to show us around some properties." Troy said to him.
"Cool." Ryan said. "I love you Troy never change." he added.
"I love you to Ryan, that's why I want to share the rest of my life with you." Troy said to him as they walked down the beach.
"So how much are you worth?" Ryan asked.
"Nearly two hundred million." Troy said scratching the back of his head as Ryan looked playfully at him.
"Your serious?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, the profits are up this year already, even with Alex in on them now." Troy said to him Ryan stared. "You okay with everything?" Troy asked him.
"Oh god yes, it is just a lot to take in you know." Ryan said to him Troy nodded in understanding.
"Yeah it takes a lot to absorb all at once." Troy said to him Ryan smiled. "Your sister seems to love it here." Troy said to him Ryan nodded. "Ryan what do you say we ditch college and just move over here now." Troy said mock seriously Ryan laughed at him.
"College first then maybe come here." Ryan said Troy nodded.
"That sounds like a good idea." Troy said to him with a smile as they returned to their friends who were all eating food. "Hey you could have called us up." Troy said to Chad as they sat down helping themselves to food from the hamper.
"You guys looked like you wanted some privacy." Alexis said to him.
"I gave him part of his present." Troy said to Alexis.
"I didn't think you were going to do that until next week." Alexis said smiling at Troy and Ryan.
"What did you give my brother?" Sharpay asked him.
"A charge card to my account." Troy said to him Ryan smiled happily.
"Not changing it to a joint account then." Sharpay said.
"Its not exactly a year yet, when the time is right then we'll do that." Troy said to her Ryan kissed him.
"Your parents might say its to soon." Ryan said.
"My account my money, they don't get to make that decision I do." Troy said to him Ryan nodded. "Of course if you don't want it I'll take it back and get you something different to go with what I brought you for your birthday actually." Troy said to him Ryan gaped at him. "What you think that a card for money is a good enough present for your eighteenth birthday Ryan?" he added Ryan shook his head in amusement.
"You spoil me." Ryan said.
"No I don't, I never buy above my means for your presents." Troy said Sharpay snorted.
"No of course not." she said to him Troy laughed.
"I really don't buy him anything that is more than I can afford." Troy said to her she looked at him in wonder. "I said I was rich I never told any of you how rich." Troy said. "I told Ryan and Alexis knows because his family and incredibly nosing." Troy said Sharpay giggled at this while Chad stared at him for a moment before chuckling.
"Is it always about money?" Taylor asked.
"No, I just like shocking my friends." Troy said to her she nodded. "You guys are going to be on your own tomorrow." Troy said to them.
"May I ask why?" Sharpay asked.
"We intend to go house buying tomorrow." Ryan said to her.
"Your moving here?" Chad asked.
"Not at the moment, we just want to have a holiday home here, I don't like living with my nan and grandpa all the time when we are here, its time to get a house of our own." Troy said to him Chad nodded. "Of course your all welcome to come hunting with us if you don't want to do something else tomorrow. This is your holiday just as much as it is mine and Ryan's you know." Troy said to them the others nodded.
"Well I don't mind coming with you." Sharpay said.
"I'm going to hang out with Chad tomorrow." Jason said. "Explore the city you know." Jason said Troy smiled.
"You should definitely see so much of this city guys its beautiful." Ryan said to them.
"I'm going to go for a swim before the sun goes down." Troy said.
"I'll join you." Chad said to him as they headed out into the ocean again.
Hsmhsmhsm
A couple of days later Ryan Troy and Sharpay were walking away from the best thing since sliced bread according to them all, "I have a surprise for you and Ryan, you can swim right Sharpay?" Troy asked she nodded as they got into the car to head down to the marina. When they pulled into the marina Troy laughed at the two of them they looked stunned.
"Are we going diving?" Ryan asked.
"We are going snorkelling." Troy said.
"You can dive though." Ryan said to him.
"I know but its no fun if I am on my own with the staff." Troy said to him Ryan nodded. "I can deal with being with you guys I love snorkelling." Troy said to him.
"Troy you going to introduce me." Nick called as they came up to the boat.
"Sharpay this is Nick a friend of mine and Ryan's, Nick this is Sharpay Ryan's unfortunate twin." Troy said Ryan snorted indignantly.
"A pleasure to meet you Nick." Sharpay said as they climbed aboard the boat.
"You want to join me under the water?" Nick asked Troy. "Alexis can stay with Ryan and Sharpay." he added.
"You should, you know you want to we can have fun." Ryan said.
"You sure?" Troy asked.
"Yeah I am." Ryan said Troy kissed him as the boat took out of the marina.
"Lets get going you got a spare suit, I didn't take into account I'd be diving." Troy said to Nick he nodded. "Thanks." he said to his friend.
The ride out to the dive point was nice, "Are we clear?" Troy called to Alexis.
"Yeah nothings been reported." he called.
"Excellent, why don't you talk Ryan and Sharpay through the safety stuff while we check out our diving gear." Troy said to him who nodded. "I'll be up in a minute, tell me you brought food Lex." he added his cousin laughed but nodded.
Half hour later they came around the bow to see them all sitting on the deck eating a picnic.
"You didn't want to wait?" Troy asked as he sat down next to Ryan nipping the blonds neck who swatted his arm playfully.
"We were hungry, Alexis was asking about the house." Ryan said.
"You looking to rent it?" Troy asked him mock seriously.
"Well yeah, if your going to buy it, I can't live at nana's forever." Alexis said.
"You can have it at a reasonable price." Ryan said to him.
"I was thinking that if you look after the place, and you make sure its kept in good condition you can have a free living arrangement, we sure as hell don't need the money but if you insist on paying I'll talk to nana and see what the going rate is and half it since you're my cousin therefore family." Troy said to him Alexis nodded.
"Thanks." Alexis said to them.
An hour later and the group were jumping into the water for a swim, Troy checked for a final time before pulling his goggles over his eyes placing the breathing apparatus. He waved before diving leaving them in the water wading to keep afloat the boat was anchored.
"He do this often?" Ryan asked Alexis.
"Troy loves the water, he didn't do this when he was here at Christmas he didn't want to do anything that might make you uncomfortable. Do not stray from the boat guys and if you get into difficulty and shout we'll find you." Alexis said as they placed goggles on his eyes and blowing air through the snorkel to make sure it was clear.
"Hey I can see Troy and Nick." Sharpay said when she came up for air. "He looks even sexier under water." she added Ryan laughed ducking down to see what was happening underneath them.
"Hey he does have a nice bum from this high up." Ryan said as he came back up. "I don't usually see the business end of his back side all that often." Ryan said his sister blushed Alexis laughed with him at the look she gave her brother could kill a hippo and then some.
"I don't need to know who gives and takes in your relationship." she said to him Ryan giggled as they took of Alexis watching the happy family sharing memories that they wouldn't forget for a long time if ever. He knew that the captain was filming from the deck and that Troy had an underwater camera somewhere on his body to take pictures with.
Hsmhsmhsm
An hour later and Troy was sitting on the deck with a grin the size of New York on his face, he was watching Ryan and Sharpay in the water as he pulled on his own flippers and snorkel.
"You going to join us Nick?" Troy asked.
"Yeah why not." Nick said with a grin. "You looking forward to university." he asked him.
"Yeah we all are, scared that its going to change us of course but looking forward to it." Troy said to him.
"I'm glad your getting on with Ryan." Nick said to him.
"Thanks Nick, have you met someone?" Troy asked.
"Shane, his holidaying with his parents over the summer but we got together in February." Nick said.
"That will ease Ryan's mind I know his been worried about the two of us since we got here." Troy said to Nick who laughed in understanding Troy heard Ryan shout something their way sharing a look with Nick he diver in to the water heading his boyfriends way. It was only when he got their that he could have killed Ryan, as the three of them were laughing at Troy and Nick. "That just isn't funny Ryan." Troy said to him grabbing a hold of a nipple and twisting it. "You do that to me again blondie I am going to kill you." Troy said to him.
"It was my idea." Alexis said.
"Yeah right even your not that dumb." Nick said.
"Sorry Troy it was kind of funny." Ryan said giggling Troy sucked some water up before spraying it in his face. "Argh." he growled. "I so deserved that so I won't fry your arse." Ryan said.
"Having a good time, ignoring trying to give your boyfriend a heart attack?" Troy asked him Ryan grinned.
"Its wicked, we were watching the two of you up here." Ryan said to him.
"Glad to hear that, we can all take the boat out tomorrow and see the underwater world without getting wet." Troy said to him Ryan laughed. "You loved that last time and I know the others would like it as well." Troy said to his boyfriend who nodded.
"Sounds interesting but how do you see it without getting wet." Sharpay asked.
"The boats bottom is made of solid glass." Nick said to her.
"Now that sounds fun." Sharpay said to him.
AUTHORS NOTE: Okay guys this section of the story is going to be longer than I thought it would be originally, I know nothing of Australia so if someone wants to offer a nice costal city that isn't Sydney drop me a line.
Your reviews are always appreciated.