Chapter 15
The next morning was a beautiful spring morning. Gabriella relived the few minutes on the couch with Troy several times in her dreams and woke feeling more relaxed than she had in about a week. The more she thought about it, however, the more confused she became. She felt more confused than before Taylor left. What did the dreams mean? Why was she dreaming of Troy, especially after she broke up with him?
Aren't I supposed to feel peace about that? she asked herself as she stood under the steady stream of water in the shower that Sunday morning. She was getting ready for her Sunday routine of church then lunch at Olive Garden with her mom, followed by a matinee of the latest movie to open that weekend.
It had become routine for Troy to join them for the afternoon as well, but she didn't think that would be the case this particular Sunday. Her suspicions proved correct when she emerged about thirty-five minutes later with her Bible, purse, and keys in hand and spotted him wearing his Under Armor workout clothes, drinking one of his protein drinks. Her heart skipped a few beats and she felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach at the sight of his muscles underneath the straps of his sleeveless shirt.
"No lunch today?" she asked, trying to keep her tone curious.
"No."
"Why not?" She was trying hard to keep the accusatory tone at bay.
"Because I'm not, okay, Gabriella?" he snapped.
Okay, what happened? she wondered. This is not the same Troy I was talking to last night.
"Geez, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I was just checking before I leave."
"I want to go workout before locking myself up for the rest of the day in solitary to finish my paper. I don't want it looming all Spring Break. I just want to be done with at least the rough draft."
"While you avoid me at the same time," she mumbled under her breath.
"What?" he asked while trying to hide the irritation from his voice.
"Nothing," she sighed. "That's fine. See you later, I guess."
"Tell your mom I said hey," he requested, his voice lower than just a moment before.
"I will. Do you need me to put in an order for more brownies?" she tried to tease him, earning a slight smile from him.
"No, not just yet. I'm okay for now. Maria must have made me about four dozen or so, so I think I'm set for a few more days."
She looked toward the container on the counter at the reminder of Troy's boyish side- in chocolate form. "Okay, well I'm gone, then. Have a good workout and I'll be back later this afternoon."
She left the apartment and once the door was closed behind her, she leaned against it and wiped her sweaty palms on her floral skirt.
What is going on with me? she wondered. Is he always going to have this effect on me? Get with the program, Gabriella! You broke up with him!
She felt the same lump that she'd had for the past three days and swallowed hard to force it back down. With a sigh, Gabriella pushed herself off the door and made her way down the stairs to her car.
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After the service was over, Maria was talking to one of the ladies from her Bible study group and Gabriella was sitting in the chair checking her Twitter and Facebook accounts on her phone while she waited patiently. Her attention was pulled from her mobile device when she felt the presence of another person sitting in the chair beside her. She looked up and noticed the hazel eyes of Isaac Lewis watching her.
"Hi, Isaac," she said, giving him a smile.
"Hello, there."
"How's your break starting out?" she asked him. Isaac was a senior at Berkeley, too, but she didn't know him through Troy. Gabriella and Isaac met when she and Maria started coming to this church three and a half years prior; they were in the college group together. The two sat and conversed for a few minutes, making small talk, before Isaac jumped right in with a question that caught Gabriella off guard.
"Hey, Gabriella, I was wondering something. And this is a complete, total shot in the dark here. But you never know until you try, right?"
"Absolutely, Isaac. What's up?"
"Please don't feel obligated in any way here, but I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime? I mean, you probably have a boyfriend, but..."
"Actually, I do-" she started to protest, but stopped herself when she realized what she was about to say. "-not... have a boyfriend. I would really like to go out sometime. What'd you have in mind?"
"Dinner?" he suggested.
"I'd like that."
"How does tomorrow work for you?"
"Um, I was getting together with some friends. Can we do tonight?"
"I can't do Sundays. You know, church and all," he said by way of explanation.
"Oh, right. We can't miss that, can we?" she joked.
"Actually, no. We can't miss church. That's important."
"Right," Gabriella said skeptically. "Well, I can contact them and see if we can do Tuesday night or something. Or maybe even tonight. I know they're all getting ready to go home for Spring Break, but I'll ask them and see what they say."
"So you won't be here at church tonight?" he asked in disbelief.
She pulled out the note sheet from that morning's sermon that she had tucked between her Bible and notebook and scribbled down her number. "Here," she told him as she handed the paper to Isaac, ignoring his comment. "Why don't you text me later and we'll work out the details? I would say to call, but my-" she paused, swallowing at the thought of having to use this next word "-roommate told me this morning that he was planning on working on a research paper today. I don't want the phone to disturb him."
"Him?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"Um, yeah. Why? Is something the matter?"
"Um, no. Not at all. That- that sounds fair. I'll give you a text later this afternoon."
The two said their good byes just as Maria was finished talking to her friend so she and Gabriella walked out of the church and headed to the car.
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Maria had always prided herself on being a patient woman. When her husband was diagnosed with cancer when Gabriella was a young girl, she was very patient with all the instructions the doctors gave her and the draining treatments that followed. During his death when Gabriella was nine, she once again had to prove her patience when it came to facing the reality of becoming a single mom. During all of the moves she and Gabriella made, her patience once again was tested.
No amount of patience, however, could prepare her sitting here staring at her daughter. She wanted to know about Gabriella's date from the night before, but didn't want to be the one to bring it up. It was soon proven to her that her almost twenty-two year old daughter was testing the limits of her patience and as each moment with no details from her date passed, she began to get restless. Finally- unable to take it any longer- Maria snapped.
"So?" Maria started as she dipped her bread stick in her soup and took a bite.
"'So' what?" Gabriella asked her.
"So how was it?"
"How was what? The service this morning?" Gabriella knew what her mother was doing. This was her standard 'probe for information' tactic. Maria would start with an incomplete question and expect that Gabriella would know exactly what she was talking about. And despite the fact that she did in fact know what her mom was asking, Gabriella would always play dumb until Maria came flat out and asked what it was she wanted to know. It had always been Gabriella's favorite mental game: how far can I push Mom before she cracks? It always brought both of them some kind of sick pleasure.
However, this time Gabriella was purposefully not telling her mom about the date. It was no secret that Maria was not being very supportive of this whole 'date other people' phase and she certainly didn't want to admit that the date was a bust.
"I thought it was amazing! I loved the music. Chris did an amazing job finding just the right songs that I needed to hear," Gabriella continued her earlier thought.
"I agree with you, but that's not what I was talking about, and you know it." Maria eyeballed her daughter with her next statement, looking for a sign of some sort in her daughter's eyes. "I was talking about your date last night. How was it?"
"Oh, it was great!" Gabriella rushed to answer, ignoring her own fidgeting fingers and the fact that she couldn't look her mother in the eye as she stared down at the soup in the bowl in front of her. Shill she hoped that Maria wouldn't catch her fib this time.
"Really? Tell me all about it. I want to hear about the guy that could perhaps be taking Troy's place in your life."
"Mom..." Gabriella said as she was finally able to bring them up to meet the matching brown ones of her mom.
"No, go on, Gabriella. I want you to tell me about your date."
"Fine," Gabriella said as she readjusted herself in her seat. Busted! she thought to herself.
Maria felt a slight wave of happiness wash through her and she silently cheered when Gabriella rolled her eyes.
"Let's just say that it's a block of an hour and a half that I wasted out of my life and I'll never get back."
"That good, huh?" Maria asked jokingly.
With another eye roll, Gabriella opened up to her mother. "Oh, my gosh! Mom, it was awful!"
Gabriella proceeded to tell her mom about her date from the previous night and Maria laughed at all the appropriate parts. Gabriella got so involved in telling her mom about the date that she didn't stop with just the end of the date.
"...and then Troy said-"
"Wait, Troy?"
"Yeah. You know Troy, Mom. The guy I live with? My roommate? The one that I sometimes wonder if you love more than me?"
"He's also the one you left broken hearted, Mija," Maria sighed. "I'm surprised he was willing to talk to you about your date."
Gabriella rolled her eyes a third time as she dropped her fork on her plate, causing it to clatter and a few patrons at surrounding tables to turn and look.
"Mom, don't. Please?"
"Don't what, Gabriella? Don't try and express my opinion in a discussion that we're having?"
"No, Mom, don't try and make me feel bad about trying to get my future in order." Gabriella found herself getting frustrated with her mom and was working hard to keep her frustrations at bay.
"Gabriella, Troy isn't- wasn't- just your boyfriend. He was ready to give you everything-"
"Then why didn't he do anything about it, Mom?" She reached up to swipe a finger under her left eye, wiping at the lone tear that had escaped without her realizing. Her frustration was growing, but this time, it was at herself. She was not ready to show her mom her doubts over her most recent decision... especially not when she needed Maria's support right now more than ever.
"Oh, Sweetheart... you just don't get it, do you?" Maria's tone softened as she reached across the table and took her daughter's hand in her own. Her heart broke at hearing Gabriella's side of things. She knew Troy was doing all he could to be prepared to become responsible for two futures and not just his own. That was one of the things he had talked to her about two months prior. Maria had tried to convince him that he should let Gabriella in on his plan, but he was insistent that he wanted to do it this way. And now... now he was suffering because she didn't know what he had in store for her.
"What else am I supposed to do, Mom? I need to date other people. I thought that was a good idea, but after last night..." Her voice trailed off as she felt a lump forming. Here I am again, trying to convince myself...
Maria's mind quickly shifted from Troy's Ally back to Gabriella's Mother as she reached across the table to take her daughter's hand in her own. "Honey, last night was your first date in five years. You've not had a whole lot of first dates- in fact you've only had one that mattered in your whole life, if I do recall- so you don't have experience in dealing with the bad ones. What they say is true: you have to kiss a lot of toads before you find your handsome prince."
Gabriella watched her mother with the confusion obvious on her face. "Mom, no offense, but that saying doesn't exactly fit in this scenario."
"Doesn't it, though?" Maria asked, matter of fact.
"I haven't been going around kissing guys, Mom," Gabriella told her.
"I wasn't talking about literal kissing, Mija." Maria watched Gabriella's face closely, looking for any signs of comprehension.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you stumbled upon your 'handsome prince' at a young age. So maybe, just maybe, going out with other men now is not necessarily a bad thing after all. You never know... you may just end up surprising yourself."
"I thought you adored Troy?" Gabriella questioned, confused.
"Oh, I do. Don't get me wrong. Sometimes more than you, in fact," Maria joked with a wink before turning serious once more. "But, Gabriella, sometimes it takes distance for one to realize what they had to fully appreciate it."
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Several hours of the late Sunday afternoon passed with the two locked in their individual rooms, both using their own study tactics to get some work done before their Spring Break kicked off. Both were planning on a week of doing nothing and sleeping the day away other than the two days of her internship for Gabriella and three days at the restaurant for Troy with the rest of his days spent at the beach with Andy. Tuesday night, her college girlfriends were planning on taking Gabriella out for her birthday. Even though it wasn't for another two weeks, all four of them would be so busy when classes resumed after Spring Break that this would be the only night they could all get together.
Around dinnertime, both Gabriella and Troy emerged from their rooms at the same time.
"How's the paper going?" Gabriella looked into Troy's face knowing this was a part of school that he hated with a passion.
"Fine," he said with a shrug. "Just gonna grab a sandwich and work out here for a while. I need a change of scenery." He brushed past her and into the kitchen to grab a few pieces of lunch meat and some bread.
Gabriella took a deep breath, and headed to the couch to avoid being too close to Troy.
Monday night, she decided, was reserved for Isaac. No sooner did that thought cross her mind that her phone buzzed in her hand alerting her of an incoming text. She quickly brought the screen to life as she checked the message, noting that it was from Isaac. She chewed on the inside of her cheek slightly as she took a seat on the couch and proceeded to have a conversation with him via their mobile devices.
She turned on the tv as the two texted, setting up their plans for their date, while Troy sat at the desk in the corner of the room working on his paper. When his concentration was interrupted the first time by the sound of her giggling, he looked up from his computer and saw her holding her phone in her hand, typing. As the texts kept coming in and her giddiness grew, so did his jealousy.
After nearly an hour of clicks and giggles, Troy had had enough. Without a word, he pulled the laptop off the desk and moved back into his bedroom. The click of his lock was the only sound he offered to Gabriella as she got to know the other man who was receiving her typed words.
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As Gabriella was getting ready Monday evening, her incoming text tone sounded from her phone which was sitting on the kitchen counter. Troy heard it when he was getting himself something to drink and brought it to her. He paused outside her bedroom and gently knocked on the door.
"Hey, Gabriella? Your phone was going off."
She opened the door and he was greeted by the sight of her petite body wrapped tightly in her towel and her damp curls flowing past her shoulders, and his breath caught in his throat.
You're killing me, woman. What are you doing? he thought to himself.
"Oh, thanks," she said as she took the phone from him. She turned to walk back into the room, checking her phone on the way, and left the door open. Troy nervously crossed the threshold to enter the room and sat on the edge of her bed as Gabriella read the text that she just received.
"Oh, man. I've got to hurry. Isaac just texted and said that he's on his way."
Troy rolled his eyes and smirked as he tried to keep an open mind about their situation. "Geez, can the guy just not pick up the phone and call you? Is he that unable to actually talk to you?"
"What time is it?" she called out to Troy from within the bathroom, clearly ignoring his question.
"Um... 5:45," he told her. "Is this the same guy you were texting last night?" he asked with his voice laced with annoyance.
"Yes, and for your information, Mr. Attitude, we were trying not to disturb you while you were working on your paper. I told him to text."
"What's he going to do tonight over dinner, text you through the whole conversation?" he practically grumbled.
"What?" Gabriella emerged from the bathroom with her makeup done and her still damp hair pulled back loosley with bobby pins. She gave him a look over her shoulder as she walked to her dresser and pulled out her black lacy bra and matching panties. He watched her and narrowed his eyes.
"Um, you're wearing those tonight?"
A hint of concern caught Gabriella's attention but didn't stop her from continuing to dress.
"Yeah, why?" she told him as she walked into her closet.
"No reason..." His mind went back to the night the two of them made love for the first time. He found himself having to shift his position on the bed as he remembered that night and the fact that she was wearing that exact matching set of underwear with such clarity.
"I know what your problem is," she called out to him.
"You do?" he called back, mentally panicking as he thought she was talking about the lingerie.
"Yeah. It's because you don't know what we're saying when we text. That's it, isn't it?" She raised her voice a tiny bit to be heard from within the closet.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.
"When someone calls me, you hear half of the conversation and can figure out what's being said. But when I'm texting someone... it just makes you jealous, doesn't it?"
"Honestly?" Troy was slightly taken aback. Did she think that he wouldn't be jealous? He stood from the bed and walked to lean on the door frame of the closet, taking in the appearance of her in nothing but her underwear as she stood there with her hand on her hip as if nothing had changed between them. "Yeah, it does. Just knowing that you're texting with another guy? Yeah, I'm jealous, Brie."
"Troy, we've talked about this. Why does it bother you so much that I'm talking to other people?"
He had to stop and think about what he wanted to say. Why does it bother me? Does she not know the answer to that question already? Isn't it obvious? Doesn't it bother her?
"Not just other people, Brie. Other guys. And it bothers me because I know what kind of texts we have shared many times. When I see you smile at a text from another guy, I'm not going to lie, it pisses me off."
The two stood there in silence- Troy waiting for her to say something and Gabriella unsure of what to say to get past Troy's comment. Both were aware of the awkwardness of the situation. The tension was thick- they could both feel it and if one of them had it knife, if probably wouldn't be in existence anymore because it would be cut it in half- but neither knew how to move beyond it. As much as Troy wanted to take advantage of the moment- as much as he wanted to remind her of the sexy texts they had shared and what her black lacy underwear truly made him remember- he couldn't bring himself to force the issue with her.
Their silence was broken by a knock at the door.
"Crap," Gabriella said as she stuck her head out of the closet to glance at the clock. "That's Isaac. Would you get that so I can get dressed?" Troy didn't move, but just kept looking at her and crossed his arms across his chest. Gabriella rolled her eyes and sighed as she tilted her head and looked at him. "Troy, please?" she asked softly. "I know this is hard for you, but haven't you always been the one to tell me that you want me to follow my heart and do what I feel is right?" Without a response from him, she continued. "Well, how am I going to know what feels right if I don't go through this phase of my life?"
"So this is just a phase then?" he whispered. Any other time, if he had heard that line come from any other guy, he would have made fun of the guy's masculinity. In this moment, however, he didn't care. He just needed some ray of hope from Gabriella, a clue of some sort. She saw the emotions in his eyes and reached up to run her fingers through his hair.
"Yes?... No?... I wish I knew what to tell you to make this easier for you." She sighed when a second knock was heard, breaking their moment.
Troy let his eyes wander down her body before landing on the tips of her toes. "Finish getting ready. I've got that," he mumbled, without looking up, as he pushed himself off the door frame and left the bedroom.
"Thank you," she told him as he shut the door behind him, smirking as he took his polo shirt off and tossed it in his room.
Two can play at that game. Troy's action was intentionally unintentional as he made his way down the hall, shirtless.
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Troy opened the door and was greeted by a familiar-looking man who he could only assume was Gabriella's date for the evening. The man on the other side was wearing a pair of gray slacks, a yellow button down shirt, a red tie, and a gray sports jacket.
This dude looks like a McDonald's sign, he thought, twitching his mouth to keep from laughing.
"Hey, man, I'm Troy," he said, without smiling, yet still holding a hand out to greet their guest.
"Um, hi. I'm Isaac. Is um, is Gabriella here?" Isaac asked, slightly confused before remembering that Gabriella's roommate was male. Isaac shook Troy's hand weakly, wondering why the roommate was shirtless and look like a virtual body builder.
Why is he half dressed? Isaac wondered.
"Yeah, she's in her room finishing getting ready. She won't be but just another few minutes. Why don't you come in?" Troy opened the door wider and allowed Isaac to enter the apartment. "Would you like a beer while you wait?" Troy asked as he walked towards the kitchen.
"No, thank you. I don't drink."
"Oh, that's too bad," Troy smirked with his head in the refrigerator as he reached in for a beer. I'm sure Gabriella will have a great time on her date tonight, he thought to himself, knowing that she always enjoyed at least one glass of wine with dinner. He emerged from the kitchen and spotted Isaac walking around the living room area looking at the pictures that were displayed. Troy watched with satisfaction as Isaac picked up the New Year's Eve picture that showed Troy and Gabriella kissing.
"So you and Gabriella...?" Isaac started.
"Yeah?" Troy prompted him.
"Are you two...?"
"Are we what?" Troy asked, as he took a sip from his beer and watched Isaac make a face at the picture.
"Well, obviously you two are-"
"Hey, Isaac. Sorry I kept you waiting." The two guys turned to face Gabriella as she announced her presence in the room.
Isaac quickly placed the picture frame back on the table with a slight thud. Gabriella watched his nervousness and then smiled at him gently before realizing which picture he had been holding.
Troy noticed that instead of dressing up as Isaac had, she had opted for a pair of skinny jeans, a fitted strapless top, and gladiator heels. While he himself fought hard to hide his obvious appreciation of her appearance, he couldn't help but notice out of the corner of his eye how Isaac's eyes widened. But in what emotion, Troy wasn't sure.
"Um, no. It's not a problem at all. Your um, your... Troy was just about to tell me an interesting anecdote about this picture," Isaac told her as he pointed at the picture that he just had in his hands.
"Was he?" Gabriella turned her eyes to Troy, who was still admiring her choice of clothing. "Well, actually, if you'd excuse us for just a second, we'll be right back. Um, Troy, I can't reach my green purse. Would you help me get it from the top of my closet?" she asked hurriedly, as she grasped Troy's bicep and pulled him into her bedroom. Inside the room, she let go of his arm and crossed her own arms over her chest. Troy looked around, almost amused, to see all of the purses she owned laid out on her bed.
"Your green purse is right here. What did you need-"
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" she spat out at him in an angry whisper.
"What are you talking about?" he asked. He followed her gaze up and down his torso and realized that she was talking about the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Oh, this? Yeah, I spilled something on my shirt. Can I not walk around our apartment without a shirt on anymore?"
"What did you spill on it? Your ego?" Troy looked at her with shock and confusion written on his face and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Troy! You hate that I'm going out with other guys and you're doing everything you can to sabotage my date!" she accused.
"No, I'm not! I let him in, shook his hand, and even offered him a beer. He asked me about the picture from New Year's that's in the living room. I was about to answer his question when you rudely jerked me away. Now if you'll excuse me,I believe we're being rude to your date." He turned to walk out of her room when she stopped him.
"Your game's not going to work, Troy!"
He stopped and turned to look at her. "I don't know what you're talking about, Gabriella. The only 'games' I play are on the court. I hope you have a good time on your date." He took a swig of his beer and turned on his heel, walking into his bedroom and shutting the door behind him. Gabriella sighed as she picked up her black purse off the bed and left her room, going back into the living room to face Isaac again.
"Ok," she huffed slightly. "I'm ready now. I'm sorry about that," she apologized.
"No," Isaac's face still showed his nervousness as he looked over her outfit. "It's no big deal at all. I thought you were getting your green purse?"
Really, dude? You care what color purse I carry? she thought to herself. "Uh, yeah. The green one didn't match after all. Are you ready?"
Gabriella opened the door and gave a look back in the direction of Troy's bedroom. She released a sigh and walked out the door with Isaac following behind.