2015
It was almost hard to believe that Christmas had come around again. As much as Gabriella adored December – and Troy had come to love it as well – the older they got, the quicker the year seemed to fly. They were back in Albuquerque, spending Christmas with the Bolton clan.
"I can't believe you guys are heading to New York in the New Year!" Lucille said with a sigh, shaking her head.
"Twice as far away," Troy's Aunt Jenny observed.
"I'm excited," Gabriella said with a gleam in her eye. "And so proud of Troy, this is such a fantastic opportunity for him!"
Troy had spent the last few years working his way up at a cable news network. They had a local news program which broadcast in the Bay area, which he'd been working firstly as a research assistant for the sports division, and then doing some field reporting and on-camera work. A fantastic opportunity had become available on the east coast, based out of New York City, to work for a nightly sports show called Sports Update. Troy had applied, thinking there was minimal chance of it happening, but he'd been called for an interview, then been flown out to meet with the team in person, and suddenly he was being offered a field reporter role which was starting in the new year.
"Weare not going in the New Year. I'll be on my own for four months," Troy pointed out.
"I'll be so busy studying, you're hardly going to see me anyway," Gabriella pointed out with a smile.
"Have you figured out what you're going to do about your studies, Gabriella?" Troy's Uncle Jeremy asked. "Are you going to have to prepare to take the bar in New York?"
She nodded. "I've already started studying for it."
"That's pretty tough, I guess you both figured you'd be sticking around in California at least a little longer?"
Gabriella shrugged, and reached under the table, squeezing Troy's knee. She knew that Troy felt a little guilty about this, but she was not in the slightest bit resentful.
"Troy got all sorts of offers for where to go to college and he chose Berkeley in large part because of me. After we finished undergrad, if he'd been making the right choice for him and starting his career in sports broadcasting, he would've left the Bay area, but he didn't. We've spent eight years focused on me, and now, it's time to put his career first. It won't be of any detriment to me in the long run, and truthfully, I'm excited. Our friends Ryan and Kelsi and Sharpay all went to New York after high school and they have some fabulous stories from out there."
"Are they still out there? Gosh, I can't remember the last time I saw Vance and Derby!" Lucille remarked.
"Sharpay's actually in London, last I heard?" Troy said. Gabriella nodded confirming this. "After that show she was in closed in less that a months she found it really tough to get another big role and I think she got sick of the chorus. I think she met some millionaire and married him."
"Ryan is still in New York, he's actually an understudy in the new Rent revival," Gabriella said.
"I haven't heard from Kelsi in a little while, she doesn't use Facebook much any more," Troy mused. "I should get in contact with her."
The night continued on. After dessert had been devoured, the dining table was abandoned and people began to move into the living room. Troy seized Gabriella's hand, and pulled her just away from everyone.
"Let's jail break," he murmured. "I want us to spend some time alone."
She glanced toward his family. "Will your family mind?"
He shrugged. "Don't care much, to be honest."
"Okay... you're telling them though."
Troy nodded and headed into the living room. "Gabriella and I are going out for a little while, for a drive. Maybe look at some Christmas lights."
"Christmas lights!" Troy's eleven year old cousin Matthew exclaimed. "I love Christmas lights!"
"Can we come?" Michael, who was Matthew's twin brother, asked.
"We'll take you looking at lights tomorrow,"Aunt Jenny said.
"Come on," Troy said, tugging on Gabriella's hand, before the cousins could argue any further.
"Have a good night," Jack said, his tone a little pointed.
Gabriella furrowed her brow. "We'll be back later."
"Oh, you know, it might be quite late by the time you get back, you know us old folks, we'll probably be asleep," Lucille laughed.
They quickly collected coats and gloves and headed outside.
"We could've taken them," she said softly, as they headed out to the rental car they'd picked up at the airport.
"I'm not taking you looking at Christmas lights. I had something else in mind."
Ten minutes later they were pulling up outside of East High School and it all became clear. She grinned, and allowed Troy to bring her along in his escapade. She'd learned in high school that sometimes it was best not to ask questions, and so she decided to stay quiet as Troy produced a swipe key from his pocket, and he somehow knew how to deactivate the alarm. She could deduce that Chad, who was now an assistant coach at East High, had something to do with it.
She wasn't at all surprised that he led her straight up to the rooftop garden, the same garden where they'd had many escapades throughout their junior and senior year of high school.
"Wow, it feels like a lifetime ago that we were last up here," Gabriella said with a sigh, gazing around. "Whoever is in charge of the Garden Club has been doing a great job, it still is beautiful up here."
"Do you think there's a couple this year who sneak up here during free periods to 'study'?" Troy asked with a wink.
Gabriella giggled. "I was always so terrified, but you just made me believe it would be okay."
"Like over the summer at Lava Springs before senior year when I convinced you it was okay for us to sneak in the pool and picnic on the golf course?" Troy pointed out with a chuckle. "I really was a bad influence."
She shook her head. "Not in the slightest. Because of you I got to do the kinds of things that all teenage kids should go through. See what detention is like, get in trouble every now and again. Nothing too serious, but it's like, preparation for the real world."
"Babe, Ms. Darbus's detention is nothing like real detention," Troy pointed out.
"I know but... I still felt like a criminal!"
"You're so adorable." Troy had almost forgotten what naïve, innocent high school Gabriella had been like. She was still a good girl – studied hard, did her assignments on time. He remembered the time in senior year of college when she'd left her notes from a reading in his dorm room – she'd done them over the weekend while visiting – and she called him on Monday half in tears because she'd been called on in class and she didn't have the answer in front of her, and she'd had to say, "Pass." But she'd become a lot more confident in herself, in her body, in her sexuality, and in their relationship. There was no way that seventeen year old Gabriella would have yanked him into a changing room in a lingerie shop for a make out session, however just one month earlier, that was exactly what had happened.
"We have some great memories here."
"We have memories in lots of places," Troy pointed out.
"This is true. And many more to be made," she added. "I'm really excited about New York, Troy. I saw your face when your family was asking us about it. Please know that I'm genuinely excited, I'm not just saying it."
"I know you're not just saying it, but I can't help but feel bad."
"Everything I said about putting you first for once – I meant that. I just... when I think back, I can hardly believe that I had been prepared to move to California without you. I thank God every day that you followed me out there."
"I guess I just knew deep down that I was meant to do it," Troy said with a shrug. "I like to think you led me out here because this is where I was supposed to be, where I needed to be to figure out what I was meant to do with my life."
"You think the Troy and Gabriella who used to sneak up here for innocent kisses would have any idea that we'd be where we are now?" Gabriella asked.
Troy shook his head. "I had no concept of the future. Everyone was planning my future for me and I just couldn't see past graduation day."
"And now here we are, the future full steam ahead," Gabriella said with a reminiscent sigh.
Troy swallowed, and took a deep breath. "Speaking of the future..." He took Gabriella by the hand and led her over to the bench right under the gazebo, sitting her down. "The next six months are going to be crazy, but we're going to make it work because it's what's best for our future. We're already planning our future together. We have been for a long time, even before we really knew what that future would entail. I personally was planning for you to be a part of my future way back in senior year when I asked you to prom up here on this rooftop."
Gabriella smiled, closing her eyes for a moment and soaking in the memory of her teaching Troy to waltz and them being caught in a rainstorm.
"Since we're already making those plans... I thought that maybe... it was time for us to make it official.
Troy pulled out a small velvet box, and bent down on one knee. Gabriella's hand flew up to cover her mouth in awe as Troy opened the box, revealing a white gold ring with a large diamond, with smaller diamonds along the band. He took her hand in his, squeezing it softly.
"Marry me, Gabriella."
She stared at the ring, gobsmacked, and finally looked up at Troy.
"Well?" he said, prompting her.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, realising that she'd failed to respond with the one word that was screaming in her mind. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" She threw her arms around his neck, holding him tightly, before pulling back and timidly reaching out to lightly touch the diamond of the ring that Troy was still clutching.
"Fingers crossed," he murmured as he pried the ring from his holder, and slid it onto Gabriella's finger. It was a perfect fit, and he smiled triumphantly.
"I love you so much," Gabriella said softly, tears pricking in her eyes. "I already couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, and now, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you as my husband."
Their lips met softly, the kiss deepening. Gabriella's fingers threaded through the hair at the nape of Troy's neck, and he couldn't help but notice the slightly different sensation with a new ring brushing against his skin. She shivered a little, and he pulled back. "Are you cold? We have been up here a little while."
"I am a little," she admitted. "But I just... I like that it's just us here. I want to spend some time with my fiancee." She grinned. "I like that word."
He grinned, and squeezed her hands, his thumb rubbing across her left ring finger.
"This may sound presumptuous, but I have a few of our things packed and I'd already arranged for us to spend tonight at your mom's." Maria Montez was in El Paso with her sisters family for the holidays.
Gabriella's brow furrowed. "Did you ask my mom?"
"I did. I um... she sort of knew I was going to ask you tonight. I did ask her 'permission' after all."
Gabriella's jaw dropped a little, realising the pre-planning that had gone into this occasion.
"And does your family know?"
"Well my parents know, and my mom is pretty incapable of keeping a secret," Troy chuckled.
"Do you think they'll be dying to know if I said yes?" Gabriella asked.
Troy pondered this, and then pulled out his cell phone and took a quick snapshot of her left hand, with the sparkling ring adorning her finger. He added a quick caption.
"Merry Christmas, with love, Troy and Gabriella."