Y'all are lucky that I got off work early today... Twice in once week? You're welcome! Enjoy!

Chapter 23: One of Us

Troy and Lucille were already gone for their mother/ son date night when Jack and Gabriella got back from their game of basketball- or rather, their game of "I'm Going To Make You Think We're Playing A Game, But It's Really My Way Of Getting You To Open Up To Me", as Jack often thought of it. He thoroughly enjoyed this mind game that he played and he played it often- with Troy, with Chad, and now with Gabriella. He took pride in making the kids think- especially the ones who were high school valedictorian and about to graduate Magna Cum Laude from one of the most prestigious universities in the country.

"You haven't said much since we left the court," Jack pointed out.

"Just thinking," Gabriella said quietly. "Will you excuse me, Coach? I'm going to jump in the shower."

"Sure." He watched as she walked down the hall and into her room. Once he heard the shower turn on through the walls, he picked up his cell and called his wife, walking around the living room and looking at various pictures of Troy and Gabriella over the years while he waited on her to answer. He noticed right away a picture that Lucille had a copy of framed in their own living room back in Albuquerque. It had always been one of his favorite pictures of Troy and Gabriella, taken one summer during a trip to visit Lucille's family in San Antonio,Texas. It wasn't anything fancy- just the two of them standing along the River Walk with the sunset behind them.

"Hello?" he heard in his ear.

"Hey, babe."

"Hi, Jack! We're safe to talk. Troy's in the bathroom."

"Good. How is he?" he asked.

"He seems to be in better spirits than he was this afternoon."

"Whatever I said to him may have hit home. I think it did with Gabriella, too. She's not said a word in about-" he paused to look at his watch "-fifteen or twenty minutes now. It'll be very interesting to see what happens tonight when they're alone."

"Gee, I hope your head doesn't get so big that I have to buy you a new hat," she joked.

"Well, if that does become the case, we're near the bookstores of two very respectable schools, so therefore..."

"Ha. Ha," she deadpanned before turning the conversation in a serious direction again. "So I'm thinking that when Troy and I get back, I'll feign not feeling well and you and I can just go back to the hotel and leave the kids alone."

"Sounds good. Hopefully they'll actually talk tonight."

"Why, Jack Bolton... If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were actually growing a heart!" she joked with her husband, who was known for his gruff exterior and "I don't care" attitude, but his wife knew how big his heart really was.

"Well in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day," he said, quoting one of their son's favorite childhood books, while his wife's melodious laugh echoed in his ear.

"Oh, wow, Jack... That was reaching." Lucille glanced up just in time to see Troy walking back in the direction of their table, holding two drinks in his hands. "Jack, I'd better go. Troy's on the way back."

"Okay," he agreed. "I'll see you two in a bit. Enjoy your dinner."

"Want me to bring you something back?"

"No. I may be able to talk Gabriella into allowing me to treat her to an In & Out Burger."

"You treating her? Is that just your way of making sure you get one while you're here? Because you know I want one, too. Why don't you wait until the four of us can go together?"

"Woman, let me get my In & Out!" he teased.

"Fine, whatever. I'll talk to you later."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

The two bid their good byes and hung up their respective phones.

TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF

When Troy and Lucille got back from their dinner date, they found Jack sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand and Gabriella at the desk with her laptop open scrolling through her Facebook and Twitter pages and a glass of White Zinfandel to her right. Both were watching the San Francisco Giants play ball on the television and when the door opened, both looked up as Troy and Lucille walk into the apartment. All three watched as Lucille went straight into the kitchen and lifted the lid of the trash can, where there was indeed trash from In & Out Burger- much to her delight.

"Oh, Jack... you didn't!"

Troy- noticing the trash in the can as well- decided to join in on the teasing. "Dad, you got In & Out? Well, then I guess I don't have to take you while you're here."

"She suggested it!" Jack defended, pointing a finger in Gabriella's direction.

"Hey!" Gabriella yelped, defending herself.

"Whatever, Dad," Troy said teasingly, sending a wink in Gabriella's direction and causing a slight blush to grace her cheeks.

"Anyway..."" Jack said, attempting to change the subject, "how was dinner, you two?"

Lucille let out a soft sigh and held up a to-go box. "Dinner was very good, but I had to bring half of mine home."

"Where did you two go?" Gabriella asked as she stood and walked into the kitchen to refill her glass.

"I took Mom to Cheesecake Factory," Troy told her.

"You went to Cheesecake Factory without me?" Gabriella pouted, forgetting about her near empty glass for the moment.

"Oh, it was wonderful!" Lucille told her.

"But we had to leave before the Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake," Troy said, referencing Gabriella's favorite dessert. "Mom started to not feel well."

"Aw... I'm sorry to hear that," Gabriella sympathized. "I hope you'll be okay." The young couple shared a concerned look, missing the one shared between Jack and Lucille.

"Oh, it's just a headache. A borderline migraine, to be honest. I'm sure after some Advil and a good night's sleep I'll be okay," Lucille reassured her. "It could just be from all the excitement of today," she said, sending a proud look to her son.

Jack spoke up, following Lucille's lead. "I guess I'd better get you back to the hotel, then, shouldn't I?"

"Go on, Mom. Get some rest. I'll give you a call in the morning to see how you're doing." Troy crossed the room to give his mom a kiss on the cheek and gave his dad a hug. "Take care of her, old man."

"Of course. We'll talk to you tomorrow."

The parents left, leaving Troy and Gabriella standing in an uncomfortable silence. Both stood there in silence, Gabriella playing with her still almost-empty glass and Troy steeling glances in her direction before looking away quickly- he didn't want to get caught staring, after all. Finally, Troy took a deep breath and broke the silence.

"Brie, could we-"

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak at the same time.

"Troy, would you mind if-"

They both looked at each other and chuckled in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," Troy apologized.

"Oh, no big deal. Um... what were you saying?" she asked.

"I was going to ask if you would mind if we talked."

Gabriella looked to her feet and smiled to herself. The first thing that struck her was that Troy called her Brie. He hadn't called her that since that fateful night just over a month ago- the night that both of their worlds turned upside down, all because of her and her easily influenced mind. She quickly swallowed her smile and looked up at him and was struck at the look she saw in his eyes- he appeared to be just as nervous as she was. The only time she remembered him looking so nervous was when they were sixteen and he was about to ask her out on their first date and- later that night- make official their back and forth flirtation.

Gabriella took a quick gulp of her wine to totally empty her glass in order to clear her thoughts. "Um, yeah. Actually I was going to ask you the same thing. Do you- um... do you want to sit?" she asked, pointing in the direction of the couch.

"Yeah, if you don't mind. Let me just..." he pointed to the bathroom and held up a finger. "I'll be right back. You just... you just get comfortable, okay? I'll be right back."

"Yeah, you said that." Gabriella couldn't help teasing him. It just came so naturally to her, even still.

"Right. Uh... I'll be right back."

Gabriella gave him a soft giggle. "Troy, just go," she said, holding up her glass. "I'm going to get another glass of wine. Do you want anything?"

"A beer, please."

She walked into the kitchen and reached into the refrigerator- pulling out the bottle and refilling her glass and grabbing a beer for Troy- before going to make herself comfortable on the couch. She leaned her head back so it rested on the back of the couch and closed her eyes while she waited on Troy to come back in. When she felt the pressure on the couch cushion change and his presence beside her, she opened her eyes and looked at him, noticing that he had changed from his jeans and polo shirt into a pair of basketball shorts and Berkeley t-shirt.

"You know," he started, "it occurred to me a minute ago that I didn't give you the chance to speak back there. What was it you wanted to say?"

She readjusted her position on the couch so that she was facing Troy and her back was resting on the arm of the couch. "Um, actually... I was going to ask you if you would mind if we talked, too."

Brown eyes met blue for a brief moment. The young couple couldn't deny the sparks that were held in their gaze; they were the same sparks that were there every time they looked in each others eyes. Troy broke the stare and looked down at his lap as he, too, readjusted his position so the two were face-to-face.

"So um... I guess we're pretty much on the same page here, huh?"

"I guess so," she said softly. "But um, before you say what's on your mind, do you mind if I go first? Please?"

Troy studied Gabriella's eyes and was surprised to see... regret? Remorse? He didn't know what it was he saw there, but he had a feeling he would soon find out.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's fine. Go ahead."

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak, only to shut it before any sound came out. She took a sip of her wine and licked her lips in hopes to moisten them. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth again, and again snapped it shut before saying anything.

"Gabriella?" Troy said, trying to gain her attention. "It's just me. You don't have to be nervous."

"It's not so much nervous, I don't guess. It's more of a... an anxiety, I suppose? I really don't know." Troy watched as a Gabriella showed him a side that even he- her boyfriend for the past five plus years, the person who knew her better than her own mother- had rarely seen. It was very seldom that she stumbled over her words; she was often times very level headed and put together. This was something he was not used to.

"Like I said, it's just me. Just start talking and your words will form themselves. I'll follow, I promise," he told her, trying to get her to calm down.

"Yeah, but your the college graduate now. And a psychologist at that. I certainly don't need to be psycho-analyzed right now," she attempted to joke.

Troy gave her a small smile and said "I won't psycho-analyze you, Gabriella. I promise."

"Well, in that case..." she said and took another sip from her glass. "I guess I should just start, huh?"

"That approach has worked for you in the past," he told her.

"Right. Okay. Then, here goes. Like a band aid, right? Just say it and get it over with?" Gabriella paused and took a deep breath, looking Troy in the eyes, taking in the dullness of them. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice just above a whisper.

She noticed a very slight light appear in Troy's eyes at just those two words.

"What?" he said, his voice also barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry," she repeated still softly, yet with a little more confidence. "I- What?" she asked when Troy's smile grew.

"It's nothing. I was just going to say the same thing, that's all."

"Wait... what do you have to be sorry for?" she asked, confused.

"For making you feel smothered. For making you doubt me. For making you feel like I doubt us. For making you-"

"Troy, that's not what all of this was about," she interrupted, touching his arm gently.

"Then what was it about, Gabriella?" he snapped, causing her to jump. She bit on her lip and glanced down as she folded in her lap as she tried to fight the tears away, hoping Troy wouldn't notice her weakness. She was trying to hard keep her composure- this conversation was going to be hard enough as it was- but it seemed like Troy was doing everything in his power to throw road blocks in her way. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and took a deep breath, determined to voice her thoughts.

"Um, first of all, please hear me out, okay? I know I hurt you, but what I have to say is important. Please keep an open mind for just a few minutes and hear what I have to say, okay?"

Troy looked into her eyes and saw the shy young girl he met back in Colorado several years ago. He knew that despite all that had happened in their recent past, she deserved for him to listen. His heart might be breaking, but something deep down told him that what she had to say would be important.

"Okay," he relented. "I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"I was just going to say that this past month has really made me think. I realized some stuff about myself and I never should have put you through all of this just because I was selfish."

Troy's eyes went wide. "Wow," he said, unable to hide his shock.

"'Wow', what?"

"Well, I just... I was expecting you to... I don't know..."

"Were you expecting me to break up with you for good?" She watched as Troy reached up to rub the back of his neck- his tell tale sign of nerves.

"Well, I mean... it would make sense, Gabriella. You told me a month ago that you needed to find yourself and have been parading around here with all sorts of men, ripping my heart each time, and here you are about to have a serious talk with me."

"Three," she whispered.

"What?"

"It was three dates, Troy. Three dates with three different men and I never 'paraded' them around here. I can't believe you would-"

"Okay!" Troy interrupted, holding his hands up in surrender. "Alright, look. I'm sorry. I think we might be getting off track. Let's just... Can we try again?"

"Please?"

"Okay. Gabriella, go on. I'm listening. I promise."

"Thank you." She took a sip of courage from the glass that she had sat down on the coffee table next to her and licked her lips. She took a deep breath and looked Troy in the eyes.

"Troy, I was led to believe that there was so much more out there that I was missing. I let myself be convinced that I was living in a bubble and life was just passing me by. In my past, I never really saw myself as beautiful or even the slightest bit attractive, but you changed all that and I started seeing myself differently. If I was seeing myself that way finally, how was everyone else out there seeing me? I became certain that I was... I don't know. Smothered, maybe? It all just started to seem so... so routine and all of the excitement was gone. That's when I told you that I wanted out and that I needed time." Gabriella took a deep breath before she continued. "Do you know what I wish, Troy?"

"What's that?" he asked quietly, uncertain of where she was going.

"I wish I could go back in time," she said, slightly above a whisper. "I've spent almost every night of the past month crying myself to sleep, lying alone in my bed, staring at the ceiling and wishing I was somewhere else other than in this apartment, hurting you. I've felt the most lonely that I've ever felt in my entire life- other then right after my dad died. I've never known what it felt like to make a stupid decision; this was probably the only decision that I made without the pro/con list that I'm known for and it was probably the stupidest decision that I've ever made."

Through out her speech, Gabriella had been wringing her hands nervously and shifting her eyes all over the room, looking anywhere except at Troy. The room was not a big one to begin with, but at some point in her speech, it started to feel like the walls were closing in on her. Luckily, Troy could still read her like a book and knew that by the look of panic on her face, it was time he come to her rescue.

"What are you getting at, Gabriella?"

Gabriella lifted her tear filled eyes at his words and her lip trembled. She took a deep breath and finally summed up her thoughts in one simple sentence.

"Is it too late for me to tell you that I miss you and still love you?" Her voice cracked and Troy couldn't help but be thrilled. Those were the words he had longed to hear and he worked hard to keep the smile from bruising his cheeks.

He reached up and rubbed his thumb under her eyes, gently wiping away her tears. "Gabriella... before I answer that question, there's something that I want to show you. Wait right here." He held a finger up telling to hold on and stood from his place on the couch.

"Um, okay..." she sniffled and reached for a Kleenex on the coffee table, picking up her wine and taking a sip as he left the room and walked into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. "I mean, I just sat here and poured my heart out to you and you just basically blew me off. I can't say I'm surprised, though." Gabriella flounced back against the couch cushions and crossed her arms across her chest as she rolled her eyes while waiting on Troy to come back in the room.

"What's the matter?" Troy asked when he came back in the room and saw her pouting.

"Well," she started and sat up, watching Troy as he sat down next to her, "I just poured my heart out to you and that wasn't exactly the response I was hoping for. I guess that kind of gave me my answer, huh?" she asked as her voice chocked up again, shrugging one shoulder.

"Now wait a minute. I let you say what you had on your mind. The least you can do is give me the same courtesy and let me say what's on mine."

"Fair enough," she whispered, after hesitating for a long pause.

"Gabriella, you were put under the impression that I wasn't going to propose. All of the times that we talked about it, I kept telling you that I wanted to wait. I want you to know that was not my way of putting you off. I was trying to be responsible. Marriage for a guy is... well, it's... I mean, it's a huge step for both parts of the couple, but for the man it's... Once we propose, it becomes a huge ego booster for a guy. It's our way of telling the world 'look at her; she's mine and I'm going to take care of her for the rest of our lives together because she is the most important person to me'. When I said I wanted to wait, it wasn't because I doubted you or us or our future together. It was because I wanted to have a steady job and an income and I wanted to be certain that I could provide for you and take care of you in the way that you deserve."

Gabriella let out a soft snort through her nose and rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks for making me feel even worse for doing what I did."

"That's not my point," he told her with a small smile.

"Then what is your point?" she asked.

"This is to prove to you that I do have a plan," he started. "I'm not telling you when or how, but I am showing you that I have thought about our future together." Gabriella creased her eyebrows in confusion as she watched Troy reach into his pocket and pull something out. Troy held the item in the palm of his left hand and Gabriella's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened in shock when she realized what he was holding. Her eyes darted back and forth between the little black box and Troy's shimmering blue eyes.

"Troy, i- is that-" She reached forward to take the box out of his palm but was cut off when he closed his left hand and pulled the small black box out of her reach and grabbed her left hand in his right.

"Uh-uh-uh!" he reprimanded as he intertwined their fingers and held the small box in between his thumb and pointer finger of his left hand. "This is for me to keep hidden until the time comes. And don't you even think of going looking for it because I can promise you- you won't find it."

"How can you be so sure that I won't find it?" she asked coyly.

"Because I've had it for almost six months now and you didn't even known about it until tonight. I just wanted to show it to you to prove my point."

Gabriella couldn't fight the smile that was forming on her face. She looked down at their hands that were still joined and played with his long fingers. "And what exactly is your point?"

"That even after everything we've been through this past month, I still want my future to be you." Troy slowly pulled his hand from hers and reached up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. "I still want you to take my name and be mine forever. I'm keeping this box and one day, what's inside will be removed and placed right here." Troy stared into her eyes as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to the ring finger on her left hand. "I love you, Gabriella."

"I love you, too, Troy. And I'm sor-"

"Shhh..." Troy pressed a finger to her lips to shush her. "We're moving past that. We're not going to dwell there anymore, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed with a smile before leaning forward to meet his lips halfway in a tender kiss and the rest of the evening was spent with the young couple cuddled on the couch in each others arms, reveling n the feeling that they both had been missing for the past several weeks.