Fudge- I was thinking something along the lines of Michael Copon for Jared- he played Felix in One Tree Hill. Not as arrogant; but definitely as cheeky lol.

Thanks all for reviews :D

CHAPTER 6

"Can you carry these?" Gabi held up the three bags of produce she had so far purchased and Troy smiled flatly.

"Sure…"

"Where is my son, anyway?"

Troy twisted and cast looks about him.

"I believe he's chatting up the fruit stall vendor…" He commented lightly of his friend.

"Is he nice to girls?" Gabi asked Troy worriedly.

"How would I know?" He frowned. "I'm not a girl…"

"Well, do you see how he is with them? Does he not call them or anything bad like that?"

"You mean something bad like have a one night stand?" He asked pointedly.

She blinked, turning to meet his gaze.

"Can we at least be friends?" She asked softly.

He startled at her request. He hadn't meant to sound critical.

"Yeah…of course…" He quickly conceded.

"Good…because I-"

"Mom!" Jared bounded over, breathlessly.

Gabi let out a breath of annoyance at his interruption.

"Yes, son?"

"Anna is going to bring me home later, is it okay if I catch you for dinner?" He asked.

Gabi squinted suspiciously. "Last time you not only stood me up but you let your friend Troy take your place…"

Jared smiled sweetly. "I thought you'd like a night alone to get to know each other…"

Gabi gave him a parental look.

"O-kay," Jared mused. "So, I'll catch you later?"

She nodded, glad on some level that her son was enjoying his time at home even if it was to go off with a girl and come home when he felt like it. That was what having kids was about, she supposed.

"What else do you need?" Troy's voice brought her round.

She looked up. I need you to kiss me. That wasn't what she said, of course, but it was honestly what popped into her mind.

"Some fruit and vegetables and some milk and eggs," she recounted, avoiding holding his gaze for too long.

Her son's little game had reminded her she had no place finding his friend attractive let alone acting on it the way she had last night with that kiss. That sensational, exquisite, far too short kiss that only told her how good they were together rather than convincing her of the opposite like her brain tried to.

"You know, we could take the scenic route home and catch the sun going down at Keller's peak," Troy suggested as she examined oranges and tossed them into the string bag he held open for her.

She gave him a look. "Make-out point?"

"What?" He frowned.

"Everyone in town knows Keller's peak is make-out point," she expanded.

"I'm not from town," he reminded her softly and she blushed. Oh boy, she'd just made an utter fool of herself. Again.

She cleared her throat and waited for the colour in her cheeks to die down.

"I'd like to see the sunset," she conceded with a high voice.

"Alright," he nodded.

She drove them up there and climbed onto the bonnet of her car; leaning back against the windshield to get a good view of the sun lowering on the horizon and Troy; who stood at the edge of the bonnet, looked down her with an affectionate smile.

"You really surprise me, sometimes…" he remarked, perching on the edge of the bonnet.

"Oh? How?" She wondered.

He smiled and came to sit beside her, scooping his knees up into his arms.

"Just how you wear a dress so perfectly and yet you can go hiking and lay on a car bonnet with the best of them…"

"I'm not much like a mom should be, huh?" She remarked.

He looked over his shoulder at her. "You're a great mother."

"Why couldn't you go to your mother's this spring?" She asked with a soft voice.

He sighed and laid back with her, but folded his hands on his tummy.

"She met someone," Troy ventured. "But he's more important to her than me…"

"Troy…" Gabi cast, reaching over for his hand. He let her take it.

"I guess I knew once they split that something would change but it's hard to think they don't care about me now…"

"They do care," she assured, using her other hand to sandwich his between hers. "I can promise you they really do care…"

"Then why didn't anyone want me home this spring?" He wondered tightly, feeling tears breach his eyes.

"Hey," she rolled up and looked into his face where he closed his eyes so she wouldn't see.

"We want you," she said of her and Jared. "Me and Jared want you here this spring, okay?"

He nodded his head, fighting his apparent hurt.

"Troy, oh god, you should know by now that I want you… I want you but I can't have you…I really can't h-"

His eyes popped open and paused her speech with their direct intensity.

She leaned down and placed a kiss upon his mouth, just short, just tender.

He cupped her face and smiled. "I want you, too…"

"I know," she smiled sadly. "And you know why we can't have this…"

"You're going to have to keep telling me because the reasons why fade away every time I look at you…" he confessed.

"Troy," she begged of his romantic statement.

"Let's go home," he said merely in return.

/

They had made it to the stairs and then they had collapsed there, kissing, touching, and pressing closer together for more. Their mouths were hungry; their bodies desperate for contact and as Troy ground gently against her softness, Gabi felt his answering hardness between her thighs and sighed out, remembering exactly how it felt to encompass that impressive manhood deep inside her secrecy. How she ached to do that again…

God knew how they had come about kissing like this, she thought that conversation was over when they'd gotten back into the car and then one look between them as they'd come inside had ignited the flame; sending them both carelessly toward the bedroom; the journey to which was now delayed.

"Troy, no," she gasped as he kissed down her collarbone and pulled at her v-neck jumper to find more flesh, pressing lips to her sensitive mound that sat below her top, untamed by a bra.

"Jesus, Gabi, no bra?" He marveled, suckling her hard tip into his mouth, pressing his heat into her once more.

She let out a wanton sound, loud and uninhibited and they both froze when the sound of the front door opening interrupted them both.

Troy sucked in a breath and looked to Gabi instantly.

"Troy?" Jared's voice checked. From his viewpoint, he could only really see Troy.

"Mom?" He added as he tilted his head.

Gabi pushed against Troy's chest and he sat up on the step with a blush as he dangled a hand between his thighs to hide his state of arousal.

"Jared…" Gabi adjusted her top then shakily stood. "This isn't what you think…"

Jared spurted out some laughter. "It isn't?" He arched.

"Okay maybe it is," she amended. "But it's not going to happen again, I promise you…"

Jared looked between her and his embarrassed friend, his eyes flicking side to side while silence stretched the air between them.

"I'm sorry, man," Troy eventually added as he pained to sit in silence.

Jared nodded, half perturbed at having seen his friend making out with his mom and half amused at their level of guilt and denial. Wasn't he already pushing them in this direction? He just hadn't banked on seeing it come about quite this evidently…

"Okay, whatever," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I just came to say I'm making dinner, I'm starting now…"

"I'll help you," Gabi quickly offered and Jared put his hand up.

"I'm cooking. You…relax. Or whatever you want to do until it's ready…" he added under his breath amusedly.

"Oh god!" Gabi covered her face with his hands as he went out.

"That was bad," Troy conceded.

"This has got to stop," she added.

He nodded, sad but understanding. "He's bound to freak out sooner or later…"

"I just…" She paused, reticent to share her feelings.

"I know," he agreed simply of her unspoken words.

"Then how do we do this?" She wondered. "How do we stay apart?"

"We've tried denying it…tried avoiding it…tried giving into it," he considered.

"Maybe I should just stay out of the way," she suggested simply.

"No, this is your house. If anyone should disappear then it's me…"

"Jared invited you as a guest," she shook her head against that idea.

He looked at her for a long moment while the strain of being caught showed on her face.

"Are you okay?" Troy helped her up and came up a step to look into her face.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

He cupped her cheek and smiled. "I best go help out…"

She nodded again and licked her lips and when he leaned down to kiss her, she dodged the caress.

"I best get changed for dinner," she said softly and turned up the stairs before he could say anything.

It seemed to Troy that Gabi was all for the blinding passion they shared and happy for his kisses and wanton for his body; but when it came to being more- being intimate in an emotional way, she backed off completely. She hadn't liked him comforting her, she didn't like tender kisses and they had never really hugged…a seed of doubt planted in his mind that maybe all she wanted him for was his youthful looks after-all. And the real Troy would be shunned again.

/

"Ok, tell me honestly, how freaked out are you on a scale of one to ten?" Troy asked Jared as he entered the kitchen with a hand through his hair.

"About a six," Jared shared. "More so because of the stairs then seeing you making out with my mom…"

"Look, it won't happen again," Troy assured.

Jared gave him a look and passed him potatoes to peel.

"I mean it," Troy assured.

"Just…try not using the stairs next time," he suggested, then turned and went back to making his meal.

Troy frowned. "I don't think I would be this cool if you were kissing my mom," he admitted.

Jared shrugged. "It makes her happy."

"Well," Troy sighed, not sure this was true.

"It will," Jared added ambiguously.

"What do you mean 'it will'?" Troy mused. "It's not going to happen again."

"So you say…"

"Look, I'm not the guy you're looking for your mom to be with, right? That guy is older and mature and…not me," he reiterated.

"I suppose so," Jared agreed non-comitally.

Troy sighed out, not sure what to make of his friend's brief words.

"Let's not talk about it anymore." Troy decided.

"Good idea," Jared nodded.

But he wasn't agreeing because he felt awkward. He was agreeing because he knew this story had more chapters to fold out yet. He knew whatever was between his friend and his mum – however weird- was also apparently very real. He'd never have guessed it when he'd asked Troy to come home with him that he would end up being the guy to put a smile back on his mother's face. But he was- or he would be.

Once the pair of them realized they were in love, that is. An event Jared could barely wait to witness.

/

The next morning dawned early for Gabi, who had barely slept for worrying about the whole Troy situation and how her son was handling finding them on the stairs that way yesterday.

She was also recovering from that very raw, very enjoyable encounter and reminding herself – again- that she would not be indulging like that again.

She pulled on her purple knitted jumper-dress that came to her mid thigh and paired it with knee-high suede heeled boots. Her make-up was plum, dark and sexy. Her resolve was set.

This morning, she was not going to let Troy affect her. She was going to make scrambled eggs and hash browns and carry on as though nothing had happened…no kissing, no touching and definitely no sex…

Unfortunately for her, Troy was not playing by the same rules. He strode into the kitchen via the patio door as she was mixing the eggs in the pan; evidently having been playing basketball with Jared before breakfast. And now he was topless. Just stood there, grinning and …topless. And how dare he be happy? Like he had no care in the world?

For one moment she caught his smile and passed it back; even though her body had gone into shock at seeing him almost-naked again. They stood there, smiling at each other until Jared stirred the moment and Gabi went back to her almost-ruined eggs.

"Damn," she stirred the pan quickly to save her eggs.

"Hey," Troy drifted over to greet her and she startled, turning and trying very hard to keep her eyes from dropping to his chest. Unfortunately she didn't succeed and she found herself eyeing his gloriously muscled torso with a lick of her lips.

"Hi," she returned politely.

He swept the sweat off his brow. "I'm gonna shower up quickly," he told her. "Breakfast looks great…"

She nodded and swallowed. "Thanks."

Troy twisted his lips as he went through the kitchen to shower upstairs and Gabi let a smile curve across her lips at their exchange.

So controlled. So easy. Why couldn't it always be like that? Hell, why couldn't he always walk about topless for that matter?

"Mom?" Jared's voice brought her to. "Your eggs…"

She realized they were well on their way to being cooked.

"Oh…yes," she blushed with a smile.

"Okay, all clean," Troy swooped in and brought over the hash browns to the table as Gabi dished out the eggs.

"Thanks," she met his gaze.

"Welcome…"

"You look nice, mom," Jared spoke again. "Are you going out today?"

Gabi blushed at her son's compliment. "How do you feel about a picnic in the park?" She suggested. "I have some lovely food from the market to take…"

"Sounds great," Jared agreed. "I won't be able to come, though…"

"What?" Gabi frowned. "Why not?"

"I'm meeting Anna…the fruit chick," he added.

"Really, dude?" Troy asked his friend. "Your mom wanted to spend the day with you…"

"Are you upset?" Jared asked Gabi.

She sighed. "No, it's okay."

"Look, you can still go…Troy's free, right?"

Troy glared at his friend.

"See, he needs a day out, look at that face- miserable," Jared teased.

"I'm not going out with your mom," Troy told Jared.

Jared shook his head. "Then you'll have to go out with Anna."

"What are you talking about?" Troy frowned.

"She's meeting me at the milkshake bar and I have no way of telling her I won't be going…"

"You're lying," Troy stated firmly and Jared merely grinned and stuck a hash brown in his mouth as he headed out.

"Maybe, but you're still home alone, amigo's!" He called before he strolled out of the front door, the loud shutting click of it echoing tellingly through the house after he'd gone.

Troy looked up under his lashes.

"Is it weird how he's trying to get us to spend time together?" Troy wondered. He hadn't decided himself. Weird or wonderful. Maybe both.

"I guess he's just being his usual 'sweet' self," Gabi excused her son.

"How do you mean?" Troy queried.

"He thinks I need a man to keep me company," she explained. "I guess he thinks that man is you…"

"Just because we talked a bit and…well…he found us in a compromising position," he mused. "Doesn't mean he should keep trying to set us up…"

"He's gone, now," she reasoned lightly. "We both agreed to be friends and nothing more…and I have a picnic to feed two growing men…"

"Are you saying you still want to go out?" Troy puzzled. He was sure after yesterday; Gabi wouldn't want to be anywhere near him.

She shrugged a shoulder up. "It would be a waste not to…"

Troy met her eyes and smiled. "It would…"

"Then let's do it."