Chapter 9 - Wow
The car ride to the restuarant wasn't long. They talked about everything they wanted to while the wheels of the car rolled round and round. The arrived at the restuarant and stepped inside.
"Have you got a reservation?" asked the waiter.
"Yes, Bolton please." Troy replied.
"This way"
They were sitting at a table right beside the window, which showed a clear view of the Albuquerque Beach. The waves swished in and out in calm sort of way.
"It's beautiful" Gabriella said, looking out at the sea.
"You really are" Troy said absent-mindedly.
Gabriella turned and looked at him, the pairs cheeks were both burning, as an awkward silence started to set in.
"Are you ready to order?" The waiter broke the silence.
"Eh, yes, i'll have the Carbonara"
"And i'll have the Garden Salad"
"Drinks"
"A bottle of your best Champagne"
"Coming right up!"
The waiter left the table.
The pair enjoyed their meals, while enjoying small talk.
"Troy"
"Yeah"
"I just want to say thank you for everything you did today... i dont think I could have handled it without you" she said, looking into his intense blue eyes.
"Your welcome, Im just glad I was here for you, since im the only person that knows"
"It was hard telling you that by the way"
"Really?" he asked.
"Well, it had been six months, no-one else knew - some story had been made up for Taylor, in the end I wasn't sure if telling you, the person I had hated at that time, was the right thing to do"
Flashback
It was Taylor's 21st birthday, and all the Wildcats had turned up for a reunion, surprise party. The party was taking it all out of Gabriella, who was still suffering from slight depression after losing her mum. Gabriella walked through the patio doors, and onto the balcony, for some fresh air. After 5 minutes out there, she felt a presence, and turned around to see the eyes which had tantelised her so many times before, looking her way.
"Hey" He murmured. The pair hadn't talked much since their break-up.
"Hi"
A silence dragged on.
"You seemed pretty quiet in there, is everything ok?"
After a while, she answered.
"Yeah, I'm ok, just got a lot of things on my mind right now"
"You wanna talk"
"Ehh..."
She wasn't sure where to go with this one. She had cried so many times over this dilema, wanting to tell someone so all her emotions that were keeping her 'under the weather', would come out. She couldn't deicide whether Troy was the person she wanted to tell. Troy, the person she used to love, always had a way of making her feel like she could tell him anything. She knew, in the end, he would get the story out of her.
"You don't have to tell me" he said, confused with the silence.
"I think I will, can we go somewhere more private"
"Sure"
They walked down the stairs which led to the beach, walked along the sand and sat down.
"So..." Troy started.
"Here we go... 6 months ago... my... my mum... she died." Tears starting to form in Gabriella's eyes.
"Gabriella, im so sorry" Troy said. He truly was, he knew how much Marie, Gabriella's mum, meant to her. She had lost her dad in a car crash when she was 5 years old. Her mum was the only source of family she had left.
"It must be killing her" He thought.
Gabriella continued the story.
"She had cancer, she didn't tell anyone about it, not even me, so when she was close to death and I got told, I, me being stupid, ran." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "I hated myself for doing that. Once i'd realised what I'd done, I ran back, to find her already dead, with the doctor by her side. I punished myself so much Troy, for doing that, for not being there when she left",
Gabriella broke down, soaked in her tears. Troy comforted her in a hug that seemed to last a lifetime.
"You'll be ok" he said.
End Of Flashback
"I'm glad I told you though, It helped me move on, you helped me a lot that night, so... I guess thanks for that too" she laughed innocently.
"Your welcome, again".
Deserts came, and so did coffee. Then a subject, which Gabriella needed to know answers about.
"Can I ask you something?" Gabriella asked, now wishing she hadn't said anything at all.
"Of course" he replied. Noticing Gabriella's worried face, he himself started to worry.
"What happened... with Sharpay?" Gabriella scrunched up her face, wanting the world to swallow her up because of her last words. The silence was tense, until Troy broke it.
"She kinda just disappeared out of my life" He finally said. Gabriella was relieved.
After another half an hour, Troy paid the bill, and they got into the car for the ride home. The journey was silent, but a content silent, like they both needed to be with their thoughts. They arrived at Gabriella's house. She got out of the car, with Troy following behind.
"I had a great time Troy" Gabriella said, as she reached her door.
"Me too" Troy said, leaning against the side of the door.
She put the key in the lock, turned it, and the door opened.
"And thanks again... for everything"
"Your welcome"
They were centimetres apart. Both hearts started to beat faster. Troy leaned in. So did Gabriella. They were locked in a longing, passionate kiss.
The broke apart, catching their breath. Gabriella's eyes fluttered open, and a huge smile spread across her face.
"Cya on Monday Troy"
"I look forward to it"
He kissed her on the cheek and left for his car. She stepped inside her house, closed the door, and slid onto the floor. Troy sat in the car seat, replaying the moment.
At the same time, one word left both of their lips...
"Wow"