Chapter 14

When Troy returned to the apartment, Gabriella was already back from her study group. He knew from his meeting with Maria that she had a date that evening. He struggled the whole way back from Starbucks with his feelings and how he would react when he saw her. When he walked through the door, though, he was saved by the sound of running water from behind her closed bedroom door. He walked towards it and pressed he ear against the wood, hearing the shower from inside her bathroom. He let out a semi-grateful sigh and went back into the kitchen, placed the box of brownies from Maria on the counter, and walked into his own room. He had a paper that was due within the upcoming week in one of his classes, and he wanted to work on it tonight while he was alone. Maybe that would keep him distracted.

Troy picked up his backpack and laptop and carried them both into the living room, just as he heard Gabriella's shower turn off. He set them down on the couch and went into the kitchen. Troy got two of the brownies out of the box and poured himself a glass of milk and went back into the living room, making himself comfortable on the couch. He had just turned on his laptop and plugged in his flash drive while he waited on it to boot up when he spotted Gabriella out of the corner of his eye as she emerged from her bedroom with a towel wrapped around her tiny body. He tried hard to keep his attention focused on the screen in front of him and not turn his gaze where he really wanted it to be.

She knows what she's doing, walking around barely covered... he thought to himself, slightly irritated.

"Hey, what's this?" Her voice broke through his thoughts. He turned to look at her in the kitchen and saw her holding up the blue shoebox.

"Something your mom gave me," he told her emotionless as he turned his focus back to the computer in his lap.

"When did you see Mom?" she asked as she crossed her arms across her terrycloth covered breasts.

"I had coffee with her this afternoon," he said pointedly. "I was right there at the table when she told you over the phone that she was having coffee with me."

"Tattling isn't your best attribute, Troy. I've already talked to my mother about what's going on, by the way."

"She called me. I went because she asked me to. I'm glad you've talked to her. The last thing I'm going to do is run to your mother."

"What did she give you?"

"She gave me brownies, Gabriella. Does it matter?" he snapped, furrowing his eyebrows in irritation as he looked in the direction of the kitchen where she was standing.

"Gee... Sorry I bothered to try and have a conversation with you." She threw the box back on the counter and left the room, making her way back into her bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

"Well, I'm sorry that things are what they are. When I'm blindsided the way I was, do you really think I'm going just sit here and be friends? Conversation really isn't going to come easily around here," he said quietly to himself.

About half an hour later, Gabriella emerged again, dressed in dark jeans and a red sleeveless top that was fitted just right, accentuating her curves in just the right places... the places that Troy loves... used to love. Her eye makeup was a smoky black and her hair hung in curls down her back, with half of it pulled back and loose tendrils framing her face. She had on a pair of red heels and carried a red clutch purse and a white jacket. Troy turned when he heard her piddling around behind him and swallowed when he took in her appearance.

"You look great," he told her.

"Thank you." He couldn't help but notice her soft voice and the slight wavering. He counted about four times that she had licked her lips since she came from the bedroom... a habit he knew she had when she was nervous.

"Are you meeting the girls?" he asked, referring to Gabriella's former roommate and two suite mates from when she lived in the dorm. The four girls became fast friends their freshman year and when Gabriella moved off campus this year, the four tried to get together about once a week and catch up. He knew that was not the case, though. Even though he knew about her date, she had yet to tell him about it herself and he was trying to get the information from her.

"Um, no. We're getting together later this week before they all leave for Spring Break."

"Then where are you going?"

"Does it matter?" she asked, throwing his words from earlier back at him.

"Look, Gabriella, you may think otherwise, but I do still care. If you're going out alone, I think someone should know where you are."

"Except I'm not going out alone, so don't worry about that, okay?"

"Wait, you're not going alone?" She's finally getting somewhere, he thought.

"Nope."

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows expectantly when she still hadn't said anything after several seconds.

Gabriella let out a frustrated huff as she stared into his blue eyes that always seemed to mesmerize her. Finally, she admitted the truth to him. "I've got a date," she said softly.

"So soon?" he asked with a little more attitude than he intended as he placed his laptop on the couch next to him. He picked up his empty milk glass and walked into the kitchen to refill it.

"What?" She turned to follow his movements with her eyes.

"Well, I mean, you must have been planning this breakup for a while now if you've got a date within the first twenty-four hours. Did you have him lined up waiting?" he asked as he leaned in to retrieve the milk from the refrigerator.

"Troy-"

"Wait, it's Davis, isn't it? That's how he knew when to ask you out, right?" He straightened and took a sip as he looked at her, not hiding the hurt in his eyes. "I bet you guys had a good laugh at your study group this morning, didn't you?"

"Troy, don't do this," she begged.

"Don't do what, Gabriella? Don't be upset? Don't be angry? Well, guess what, Sweetheart.," he paused as he walked past her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" He walked back to the couch and sat down, setting his glass of milk on the coffee table and bringing his computer back into his lap before turning to face her once more. "Have fun on your date," he told her, with a touch of venom lacing his voice.

Gabriella stood for a moment watching him as she felt the tears fill her eyes once more. She blinked quickly several times trying to get them to disappear before she picked her keys up off the counter.

"I'll be back later," she said in a soft voice.

"I won't wait up," Troy told her. She looked at him for a long moment before storming out and slamming the door behind her. When he was finally alone again, Troy was able to let his guard down and let his true feelings show. "Please be careful and let me know when you get home. You know I won't be able to sleep till I know you're back."

He took a deep breath and let it out as he leaned his head back to rest on the back of the couch. He shifted his eyes a few inches to the left and spotted one of the many pictures of the two of them on the side table and spoke to the photographed Gabriella. "How did things get so bad between us? When did I loose my best friend to some unknown source?" He sighed heavily and shook his head. "Whatever, Troy. Work on your paper," he told himself, as he sat up and lost himself for the night in his paper for his Marriage and Family class.

TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF

As Gabriella made the drive to downtown San Francisco to The Irish Bank- the restaurant where she was meeting Declan, an attorney from the law firm where she did her internship- she let her mind wander. She thought back to the last couple of days and how she got to where she currently was.

I'm driving to meet my date, she thought to herself. Really, Gabriella? A date? Didn't you have a guy waiting to take you on a date every night for the rest of your life? But noooooo... you had to go and screw that up, didn't you?! She rolled her eyes at thinking about how she could have been so naïve as to have let Taylor convince her that things were not perfect between her and Troy. They were perfect, and Gabriella knew that. But yet Gabriella so willingly let an outside force ruin what was probably the best thing to have ever happened to her.

As she reached a red light, she took a moment to close her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. She didn't want to be going on this date; she would have rather stayed home with Troy, snuggled up on the couch watching a movie. But those days were over...

A horn honking behind her brought Gabriella back to the present time. "Sorry," she muttered to herself, holding her hand up in an apologetic wave. As she pressed down on the accelerator and started driving again, she thought back to that day at the library with her study group. They had taken a twenty minute break and Gabriella had run to the restroom- her coffee from that morning had kicked in a long time ago and she was quickly becoming uncomfortable sitting at the table. It was on her way outside to call her mom that she heard her name being called from a nearby table. When she looked in the direction of the voice, she saw him: one of the attorneys from the law firm that she had struck up a friendship with. He was in her group of acquaintances from work that was five people big that she liked to sometimes have lunch with.

Declan McLaughlin was tall with a fair complexion, high cheekbones, red hair and green eyes. There was no doubt to anyone who merely looked at him that he was Irish. And if just looking at him wasn't enough, the interior of his office would be a clue with the green walls and the Trinity Cross hanging behind his desk. He had a glass Irish Claudaugh paperweight sitting on his desk and a wall plaque hanging near the door with the Irish Blessing engraved into it.

He was a very pleasant person with a great sense of humor, and the first time Gabriella saw him, she thought he was attractive. Which is why when she ran into him that day at the library and they started talking, she was surprised when he asked her out. Her first instinct was to say no.

"I'm sorry, Declan, but my boyfr-" As soon as she realized what she was about to say, she stopped and paused. After several seconds of thought, she quickly changed her mind. "You know what, never mind. I would love to go out with you. What did you have in mind?"

He told her about "this little restaurant that I go to all the time. The best one in San Francisco. They're known for their live band on the weekends". She suggested that they meet there instead of him picking her up at her apartment and he agreed. She didn't tell him that her reason for that was two fold: in case he turned out to be a dud or a total jerk and she needed a quick getaway and because she didn't want to see the hurt in Troy's eyes at seeing her leave with another man. She didn't feel too leery of this date, though- the two of them hit it off great at the office.

But this isn't the office, Gabriella, she reminded herself. People are completely different when you get them out of the office and they start to let loose.

As she pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and found a space, she quickly checked her appearance once more in the rearview mirror before getting out. As she approached the door, she was greeted by loud, live music and the yells of obviously drunk men and a cloud of smoke surrounding her. She inwardly cringed as she walked in and told the hostess that she was meeting someone. As she made her way around the restaurant looking for Declan, she couldn't help but notice the obvious looks of appreciation she was getting from the other patrons. She suddenly felt self-conscious about her appearance.

She spotted Declan sitting at the bar with a cigarette in his hand. "Wow," she said to herself. "Had no idea that he smoked. There goes our first date kiss." She walked up to where he was and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Declan?" she said to get his attention.

Declan turned on the barstool he was sitting on to face her. "Hey!" he greeted her. He leaned forward and Gabriella gave him a tight smile and turned her head, so his lips landed on her cheek instead. "I was wondering when you'd get here."

"Um, I'm ten minutes early," she said with obvious confusion in her voice.

"What?" he said as he leaned a little closer with his ear near her mouth.

"I said that I'm early," she said, raising her voice a little.

"Oh," he said, checking his watch. "It just seems later than it really is, I guess. That's what happens when you've been here for three hours already."

"Wait, you've been here three hours?"

"Oh, yeah! I told you I love this place."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't realize you practically lived here." Gabriella didn't even try to hide the sarcasm; he wouldn't have picked up on it anyway. Not even five minutes in and already she could tell that she would later be thankful that she drove there herself.

"Let's go get a table, shall we?" he said.

"Um, sure," she agreed.

"Good, let me finish this beer real quick." Gabriella rolled her eyes in annoyance and watched as he signaled to the bar tender that he needed another and then in one gulp he polished off the last half of the nearly black liquid that was in the glass that he held in his hand. He took a final drag off the cigarette and and stubbed it out in the plastic ashtray that sat on the bar before he led the way to a table, leaving Gabriella to reluctantly follow behind.

When the waitress came to take their order, Declan put in an order for another beer.

"But you just got that one," Gabriella pointed out. "Do you need another so soon?"

"This one won't last me but another few minutes or so," he told her.

"Really?" she asked, receiving a nod from him in response. "What exactly are you drinking?"

"Guinness. The national beer or Ireland. Want one?"

"Um, no thanks. My Diet Coke will be enough. How many have you had?"

"Seven," he said, holding up his current glass.

"This one makes seven?" she asked, shocked. "Wow."

"Yeah, well, I have been here for several hours already," he told her. "When the rugby tournament went off an hour and a half ago is when I got my first beer."

"So seven drinks in an hour and a half? What do you drink when you're watching rugby?"

"Water," he told her simply. "I'm afraid I'll get drunk and not be able to pay attention to the game."

"But you'll be drunk for a first date?" she asked as the music grew louder again.

"What?" he asked, leaning across the table.

"Nevermind," she told him as she rolled her eyes in an irritated fashion.

After she finished off her appetizer of nachos, Gabriella excused herself for the restroom. As she was coming back a few minutes later, she stopped halfway back to the table. She stood there and watched as Declan held one glass in his hand, taking the last sip from it, and there were two others on the table in front of him and he held another cigarette in his hands. Gabriella stood there with her eyes going back and forth from the door to the table where Declan sat.

It would be so easy... she thought to herself. He probably wouldn't even notice.

It didn't take but mere seconds for her decision to be made. She gripped her purse tighter and quickly made her way out the door of the Irish Bank before she could be spotted and got behind the wheel of her car, driving back in the direction she came about thirty minutes prior.

TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF

Troy was brought from his research deep within the world of psychology when he heard the keys jingling in the lock. He knew Gabriella was the only one who had a key and a quick glance at the clock told him it had only been an hour since she left. He was confused why she would be home so soon, and his confusion got the better of him, causing him to- against his better judgment- glance up from the screen of his laptop when she crossed the threshold of the door.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Never. Again!" she said as she threw her purse and jacket on the floor before flopping herself down in the chair next to the door.

Troy had two thoughts running through his mind after her statement and he took his time with his words. He was afraid of saying the one he really wanted to say and pushing his luck even further with her.

You mean "never again will I go on a first date and I want to stay with you; will you ever forgive me for my stupidity", right?

Instead of going with his first thought, though, the therapist side of his brain told him to take a different approach. "I'm taking this to mean that the date didn't go well?" he asked her, receiving a scoff from Gabriella in response.

"That's one way of putting it."

"No offense, but you smell like an ashtray."

"You always tell it straight, don't you?"

"It's easier than beating around the bush," he told her with a shrug.

"I know," she said softly. "That's one of the things I love about you."

The two gazes met and held for a brief moment as Troy's mind stayed on the statement she just made. "That's one of the things I love about you..."

Love? Not loved, but love. There is still hope... he told himself.

Gabriella's voice broke through his thoughts, bringing him back to the living room and the current situation. "Oh my gosh. I'm telling you, Troy, it was awful!"

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her. Things may be tense between them, but he did still care for her and wanted her to be happy, whatever that may mean.

She seemed to ponder that for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Let me make start some coffee and take another shower. I've got to get out of these clothes and get this smell off me!"

Troy chuckled as she pushed herself off the chair and made her way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and then into her bedroom. Fifteen minutes later, she re-emerged fresh from her second shower in two hours and in her pajamas, hair tied up in a messy bun and glasses resting on her nose.

"Want a cup?" she asked Troy from in the kitchen.

"Yes, please," he said. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out two cups, fixing coffee for both of them. She picked the cups up and walked into the living room, handing Troy one and sitting back in the chair. She wasn't fully sitting before standing back up and moving to the couch next to Troy. He looked at her questioningly.

"What was that all about?"

"The chair smells now. I need to Fabreeze it," she told him by way of explanation. Troy chuckled, saved the work he had done on his paper, and closed the laptop, setting it on the floor. He turned so he and Gabriella were facing each other.

"So it was really that bad, huh?" he asked.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and proceeded to tell him about how this date came to be, running into Declan at the library that afternoon and that he was someone she worked with.

"I mean, in a way it was a blind date because I really didn't know that much about him, but yet not really because we interact at the office and all that. But I'm telling you, Troy, the guy who asked me out this afternoon that I see three days a week is not the same guy that I met at the restaurant tonight! It's like quadruple personalities or something!"

She then went on with her story, rehashing the date- the many beers, the half pack of cigarettes, the foul language, the way he carried on about how great he is...

"Did you know that not only was he valedictorian in high school, but that he had a 4.27 GPA? And he got two undergraduate degrees from MIT and had a 4.21 there? And then he went on Yale and got his Master's degree in political science, only to graduate from there with a 3.98? And after that he want on to Harvard Law and graduated number one in his class there, too, with a 4.25?" she said with fake excitement as Troy laughed. "Oh, but wait, it gets better! He's planning on running for a political office next fall and he just knows that he has a great shoot at it, because the McLaughlin name comes with huge connections and is very powerful in San Francisco, if not in the whole state of California!"

"Sounds like he very stuck on himself," Troy said as he gasped for breath, trying to calm his laughter. "So I take it the fact that this dinner went so quickly for you was because you had ample amounts of time to eat since he wouldn't let you speak?"

"Oh, no, I left after the appetizers," she told him nonchalantly.

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. He probably didn't even notice that I left. He was on Guinness number twenty-seven by that point, I think." Gabriella joined in with Troy's laughter for a moment. When he got up to take his coffee cup to the kitchen, Gabriella asked if she could borrow his computer for a second. After receiving an affirmative answer, she brought up the Google page and quickly found what she was looking for.

"What are you searching?" Troy asked her as he came back to the couch, looking over her shoulder to read what she had typed in the search engine. "'Irish baby names'?"

"I'm curious about something," she told him as she studied the page. Her eyes scanned down till she found it. "A-ha! I think this may have something to do with his personality." She clicked the mouse and turned the computer so Troy can see what she found.

"From dag "good" and lan "full" suggesting "full of goodness". St. Declan was the founder of a monastery at Ardmore in County Waterford and may have preached in Ireland before the arrival of St. Patrick. Many miracles are attributed to a rock on the beach at Ardmore known as St. Declan's Stone. According to legend, on a trip back from Wales one of his disciples, Runanus, forgot Declan's scared bell. But a prayer from Declan and, miraculously, the stone carried the bell over the waves back to Waterford," he read out loud. "Wow."

"So he lives up to the meaning of his name... 'full of goodness'. And he lets you know it, too," she quipped with a roll of her eyes. "Whatever. Here," she said, placing his laptop back in his lap. "I'm going to bed. I didn't sleep well last night." She stood and stretched, causing the top of her pajamas to ride up a little bit, exposing a portion of her taut stomach. Troy was too busy staring at the exposed skin that he almost missed the next statement that came from her mouth.

"Here's hoping the next date is better than this one. Night, Troy."

He watched as she walked out of the room, leaving him feeling more uncomfortable in certain areas than he was before her shower. The last few minutes with the two of them sitting on the couch, talking and laughing, with Gabriella touching his bicep every few minutes as she told him about her date with Declan and finally, the way she leaned against him as they shared the laptop for that brief moment. He let out a sigh as he turned off the computer and stood from the couch, stretching himself.

"Take what you can get, Bolton. She'll realize the truth soon enough."