I'll Be Home For Christmas

by: LunarEclipse360

A/N: So, if you haven't figured it out, I will not be done with this story by Christmas like I wanted to. The only way that will happen is if I make the chapters shorter than what they are and I don't want to do that. Hopefully, though I will have Chapter 4 done by Christmas since I have nothing to do for the next two days. If not, though, I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas. And if there are any Jewish readers out there, Happy Hanukkah. P.S. if there are any spelling or grammar errors please point them out to me.

Chapter 3

Troy fought hard to keep himself awake as they neared Denver, but he was failing miserably. Beside him, Gabriella sat wide awake, worried that he might crash the car if he kept going this way. They still had at least two more hours before the arrived into the city, but she doubted that he would last that long. She called his name, but he didn't seem to hear her. He looked awake, but his mind was, borderline, dead to the world. It wasn't until she touched his arm that he seemed to pull himself out of whatever zone he was in. Glancing at her, his blue eyes reflected exhaustion and curiosity.

"How about we switch off?"

He shook his head. "I can make it."

"Troy, we've still got two hours before we reach Denver and you're barely awake. Just…let me drive from here on until you've rested."

He knew she was right, and, so, he nodded and pulled over to the side of the highway. Switching seats, Troy silently thanked the brunette for suggesting the change as he settled into the passenger side. The longer he stayed awake, the more he put himself and his companion in danger of getting into a serious accident. Fastening his seatbelt, he made himself comfortable and leant his head against the window. He watched the world pass by as Gabriella resumed their journey down the interstate; his eyes dropping slowly. It didn't take long before Troy was fast asleep. Glancing towards him, Gabriella smiled when she realized that he was out cold before turning back to the road, humming softly to a tune on the radio.

::

"Troy."

Someone was calling his name. He could hear the voice, soft and inviting, but he had no idea where it was coming from. Suddenly, his entire body shook and he could feel the darkness slowly ebbing away. When he opened his electric blue eyes, he found himself staring at a frosted window while a feminine voice called from behind him. Hearing his name once more slip from her lips, he turned his head and came face to face with the warm coffee-colored eyes of his female traveling partner. The corner of her lips upturned when his gaze locked with hers and she placed her hand on his upper arm.

"Hey, sleepy head," she said, "you hungry?"

He nodded and sat up, stretching. "Are we close to somewhere or…" He stopped, seeing a small diner outside of the window. "Where are we?"

"Julesburg, Colorado."

A sound of acknowledgement escaped from the back of his throat. "How long was I out for?"

"Five hours."

He yawned. "No wonder why I still feel exhausted."

"I would be surprised if you didn't; I mean, you had to have been awake for at least twenty-four hours or more." She watched as he ran a hand through his hair. "Sure you wanna eat, or do you just wanna sleep more?"

"I'll eat," he answered, opening the door.

Leaning against his car, he rubbed his eyes to try and rid himself of some of his exhaustion. He turned his head and saw Gabriella staring at him with a bit of concern written in her brown eyes. He smiled reassuringly before pushing off of the car and following her into the diner. The bell over the door rung to signal their entrance and almost all heads turned their way. Ignoring them, Troy spotted an empty table and directed Gabriella in its immediate direction. They took a seat across from each other and waited for someone to serve them.

"Hello," said a stout woman as she stopped in front of their table. "My name's Ida, and I'll be your waitress this fine evening." She passed them menus. "Anything I can get you to drink?"

"Just water," Gabriella answered.

"And you, handsome?"

He grinned. "A coffee, please."

"How would you like it?"

"Black."

She nodded and placed her pen behind her ear. "Alright. Be back in a sec."

It didn't take him long to look over the menu and pick out what he wanted. He had always found it easy for him to decide simple things, but looking over at Gabriella, he found that she didn't have that same ability. He stared at her; squirming slightly when she bit her bottom lip. It wasn't as if he could help himself from placing his thoughts in places they shouldn't be. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been with a woman and, at the moment, he was stuck with an attractive woman for the next twenty-two hours. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up and noticed the uncomfortable expression on his face.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just…" He sighed and leant his head on the table, "tired."

She smiled, amusedly. "Don't blame me. You're the one who'd rather eat than sleep."

Grunting in response, he glared playfully at her. "Well, would you rather I not eat and then become useless when you want to switch off?"

"No, but you won't be any use if you're exhausted."

She had a point. "Okay, then, here's what we'll do: We'll drive along the interstate and the first motel you come across, we'll stop and rest for a couple of hours."

Sitting back in her seat, she thought it over before nodding. "Sounds reasonable."

"I'm back," Ida said as she placed their beverages in front of them. "So are you ready to order?"

Troy looked at Gabriella. "You ready?"

Her eyes widened when she realized that had yet to pick something. Quickly, she opened the menu and scanned through it. "Uh…yeah, I think so."

"If you need another minutes, sweetheart, I can come back."

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I'm ready."

"Okay, then lay it on me," she said, getting her pen and pad ready.

He was the first to respond, telling the woman that he wanted a well-done bacon burger with a side of fries, and watched her write down everything. Their gazes turned to Gabriella, who spoke up quickly, saying that she only wanted a roast beef sandwich with a Caesar salad. Ida responded with a comment about not having enough meat on her bones, in which Gabriella laughed and a responded that she wasn't all that hungry. Ida shrugged and smiled, walking away.

"So, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Troy said, turning her attention towards him. Her brown eyes expressed silent curiosity, telling him to continue. "You said that you were a dancer for most of your life, so that means that you've done actual ballets, right?"

She nodded. "I have. I've been in the Nutcracker a few times; both as Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy. The ballet school I attended did it every Christmas. When I first started, though, I was just a back-up dancer. It took me awhile to land the more important roles. I've also been in Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, A Midsummer's Night Dream and Don Quixote."

"No Swan Lake." Her eyes widened, shocked at his knowledge of ballets. As if knowing what she was thinking, he shrugged and said, "I saw Black Swan."

Grinning, she shook her head. "I should have known."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that it's not easy to find a man who's actually interested in stuff like that. Most men would rather go to a sports game than to go to a ballet."

"Well," he started, looking anywhere but at her, "I wouldn't, exactly, mind going to see one."

"Really?" she asked, a bit of disbelief in her voice.

"Yeah. I mean, if my girlfriend wanted to go see a ballet, I wouldn't mind going with her if it made her happy."

She smiled. "She's very lucky, then."

He scoffed. "She has to exist first."

"She does, you just haven't found her yet."

Blue eyes met brown and the two stared at each other before they were interrupted by Ida returning with their food. The second the rotund woman made her presence known, gazes were dropped and turned to their server. She looked at them with a knowing sparkle in her eyes before setting the plates of food in front of them. She glanced between the two and wished them a good dinner before walking away. Still feeling a bit awkward about their 'staring contest,' Troy kept his eyes on his food.

"So," he started, wanting to get rid of the silence, "is there a boyfriend back on Long Island?"

"There is not," she answered and he glanced up at her.

"Oh? Why not?"

She shrugged. "I guess I just haven't found someone."

"That's too bad."

"Not really. I mean, I do get lonely sometimes when I'm somewhere by myself, but I'm enjoying my freedom."

"Enjoying it while you can, right?"

"Exactly," she answered with a smile.

"But you've had boyfriends before, right?"

Nodding, she picked up her sandwich. "A few in high school, but they never lasted long," she answered before taking a bite out of her food.

"How come?" He took a bite out of his burger.

Shrugging, she waited until she swallowed. "I don't know. My sister told me it was because they weren't good enough for me and I'm starting to wonder if maybe she was right."

"Do you think they were good enough for you?"

"I thought they were, but I was sixteen so what did I know." She took a sip of her water. "What about you? Have you had girlfriend's in the past? Wait, what am I saying, of course you have. You were not only an athlete in high school, but you were in a band. Girls must have been flocking to you," she said with a grin.

Smirking, he nodded; agreeing with everything she said. "It's true, but," His smirk faded and he looked down at his food, "it wasn't always what it was cracked up to be."

"No?"

He shook his head. "Not only was I on the basketball team in high school, but I was the captain and star forward. I was the highest on the high school social ladder. Then, when I started my band, my popularity skyrocketed and I was practically worshipped. I got so caught up with it that I didn't realize that not everyone wants to be your friend for free."

"Too many fakes?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I didn't know what girl wanted to be with me because of who I was or what I was known for."

"What about college? Was it the same way?"

"No, actually. College, I actually got a break from all of the mayhem. I mean, not a day went by where I was approached by fans, but they didn't treat me like I was above them. I was just a regular guy to them."

"Then the girls were also better."

"They were," he said with a nod.

"How long did they last?"

"Honestly, none of them were that serious. There was one girl that I thought would become serious, but our relationship never really got off the ground, but we stayed friends afterwards."

"So you've never actually been in a real relationship?"

"Once. She was in high school. She was the only one that I felt wasn't using me for her own agenda. We lasted a good few months before she ended things because it turns out she was in love with my best friend."

"Ouch. That must have hurt."

"Not really, no." He took another bite out of his burger and waited until he swallowed before continuing. "I mean, I had feelings for her, but somehow I knew that she didn't return them. So, I let her go. It didn't even faze me when she started dating my best friend a few months later."

"Are they still together?"

"They are. Engaged actually."

"Really?" He nodded. "Lucky them." He shrugged it off as if it were nothing, but she could tell that he was a bit upset about it. "You still have feelings for her, don't you?"

"A bit, but like they say: you never forget your first love."

She smiled, sympathetically, and reached across the table, clutching his hand. "No, you don't, but you'll find someone better. Someone who will return those feelings and who will love you more than anything in the entire world. And when you find her, you'll never want to let her go no matter what."

Smiling, he turned his hand under hers and grasped her fingers. "Same goes for you."

Neither could deny nor admit to the sparks of electricity that flowed through them when fingertips met fingertips. It was a sensation that both enjoyed very much, but knew that they would have to separate sooner or later. She was the first to pull back, a soft blush on her face as she continued eating her food. His smile turned into a smirk when he noticed the pink tint that colored her cheeks, a small sense of pride in knowing he was the reason for it. Glancing up at her every few seconds, he returned to his burger, finishing it off in just a few more bites.

::

Gabriella, he found, was a slow eater when she wasn't all that hungry, but he didn't mind. It gave him ample opportunity to just watch her. He learned a few things about her facial expressions from his observations. When she was nervous, she bit her bottom lip. When she was in deep thought, she chewed the inside of her cheek. When she was amused, her lips upturned into a small smirk, almost as if she was trying to hold back. When she was concerned or worried, she wore a small frown. And when she was confused, the one he had learned hours before, she scrunched up her nose. It was like reading a book. She wore her emotions on her sleeve.

When, finally, she finished her food, she slipped away to the restroom and he asked for the check. Ida came back with it before Gabriella returned and set it in front of him.

"Road trip with your girlfriend?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, she's not my girlfriend."

"Really?" she asked in disbelief. "I would have never guessed with the way you two act. You both seem so comfortable with each other."

"Believe it or not, we actually just met last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I offered her a ride to New York after all flights heading in that direction were cancelled."

"Because of that storm?" He nodded. "Be careful then. You just missed it by an hour when you got here, but there's still a possibility that you could run into it."

"We'll make sure to drive safely."

She smiled and noticed that Gabriella was returning. "If you ask me, though, you might want to ask her out before you get to your destination. A girl like that is not someone you should willingly let slip through your fingers." She walked away without another word, leaving Troy a bit speechless. He couldn't believe that the woman had picked up on the fact that he was, indeed, interested in the pretty brunette.

"Hey, you okay?" Gabriella asked, noticing the look on his face.

He shook himself out of his shocked state and nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked at the check and saw that their food didn't cost much. Actually, it didn't even reach twenty dollars. "Ready to go," he said as he threw down two tens and a five.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to…"

Standing, he grinned and placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her out of the diner. "I know, but I wanted to." He waved a small goodbye at Ida and exited back into the chilly temperatures of the Coloradan evening.

::

"You really didn't have to pay for me back there," Gabriella said, not taking her eyes off the road as they drove down the highway.

"I told you, I wanted to."

"I know, I know, I just…" She sighed, "I didn't want it to feel like a date or something, you know?"

"Just consider it me being a gentleman."

Glancing over at him, she smiled. "Well, then, thank you."

He returned the smile. "You're welcome," he said, trying to fight a yawn.

"Sure you don't want to go back to sleep?" she asked.

"I'm sure. I don't want to leave you to drive alone, not when there's a possibility we could run into that snow storm."

"Seriously?"

He nodded. "Ida told me that we had just missed it by an hour, so there's a chance we could drive right into it at some point."

"Do you still want me to stop at the first motel we come across?"

"If you want. Depends on if you think you can drive a few more hours or not."

She nodded and returned her attention to the road. Wanting something to distract him, he turned back on the radio, this time switching to a weather station. The first one he found, he stopped and leant back to listen.

"For anyone traveling the highways out there, please drive carefully. There are reports of ice on the pavements near Lexington, Nebraska. Also, there is a chance of more snow fall within the next hour as a second storm passes through the area."

"A second one?" Gabriella questioned as she glanced at the radio. "They're kidding, right?"

"I don't think so."

"Mother nature just does not like us, at the moment."

He chuckled."Apparently."

Taking a peek at the passing signs, she found one that pointed out an upcoming motel. "There's a roadside motel in another few miles. I think I'm going to stop there."

"Alright," he said with a nod. "If it's true what they say about a second storm, we don't want to be on the road when it happens."

Sighing, she, shakily, ran a hand through her hair, glancing out the window every few seconds. Her unsettling behavior didn't go unnoticed by the man sitting next to her. He became concerned by her nervousness and placed his hand on her shoulder, catching her attention.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine"

He didn't believe her, but let it go, knowing that prodding her for information would get him nowhere except maybe with her hating him. Squeezing her shoulder, he silently reassured her and she turned to him. She graced him with a small smile, thanking him with her eyes, and he nodded in acknowledgment before dropping his hand. Turning back to the road, her smile stayed on her face, but faded slightly.