CHAPTER 11

Gabi wasn't sure what her idea of F-U-N was seeing as it had been a long time since she'd had fun and it was a foreign concept to her now, but she was pretty sure it didn't involve sitting in her hotel room, dressed in her nicest clothes, waiting for a man who was already well over half an hour late.

Her gut had told her not to trust Troy Bolton while her heart had glossed over it and now she knew which one was winning out.

He had assured her he had the night off, no matter what and that if anything should happen to change, then he would call her or text her and she felt like they were going on a date even though she had told him a hundred times it was just a friendly thing.

She lay back on her bed and sighed, throwing her arms above her head. Who said she couldn't go out anyway? She knew most of the crew would be in town, she wouldn't have to go far without bumping into one of them.

She sat up, checking her outfit of leggings and long line sparkly striped vest and killer heels, grabbed her clutch and Troy's jacket to wear over her top with the sleeves rolled up and she strutted from her room with her head held high.

---

Troy came round from his doze with sudden start and felt an overbearing sense of doom.

He quickly sat up and looked at the clock. Oh shit! It was gone ten already! He'd set his alarm for seven o'clock, what in the fuck had gone wrong?

He'd only laid down for a little nap after his ball-breaking day on set. He'd been so worried about going out looking like crap and he didn't want to fall asleep at dinner, so he'd taken a quick half hour nap to recharge his batteries.

Gabi was going to kill him. Correction, Gabi was never going to speak to him again.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his face which was rough with the day's stubble and he sighed.

He'd had it all planned out. He was going to show her a night she wouldn't forget and change her opinion of him once and for all and if he was lucky, she would get drunk again and allow him a goodnight kiss.

He was going to shower and shave and…fuck!

He got up, threw himself in shower, shoved on his dark jeans and a white t-shirt and was about to grab a jacket and head out when he remembered he had to sort his hair out so he went back and did that then pulled on his leather jacket and ran down the corridor to her room.

Needless to say, there was no answer. He sighed. She would have told him where to go if she was in there which meant she must be in town somewhere maybe getting take out or going for one of her walks.

He headed out of the hotel, praying he could still salvage this night, even if it did put paid to any ideas he'd had about getting her into his bed.

--

Troy headed straight to the bar he had met Gabi at on Friday night and hoped she would be in there.

He headed over to the dance floor and scanned the crowd for her small body but she wasn't there and she wasn't at the bar. Damn. He moved his way back through the crowd and outside again, wondering where in the hell she could be.

He knew where most of the crew would be and he headed for the little tavern which was dimly lit and full of boisterous men and he would never have pictured Gabi in there in a million years but there she sat on a stool at the bar, giggling away with one of the camera guys and Harry, dressed in the most amazingly sexy outfit which showed off not only her shapely legs, but her toned arms and she had on this sparkly vest that hinted at the treasures underneath as it clung to her boobs and hips.

"And then he goes…" Gabi laughed as she made a face of her impression of Troy when he was mooching about on set like he was god's gift and Harry started frowning at her and shaking his head.

"What? Not quite right? How about this?" she asked, lifting her arm in a muscle-man pose and he just covered his face as she felt the hairs on her neck stand up and she turned to find Troy beside her, arms folded and an eyebrow quirked.

"Anyone I know?" he asked gently and Gabi almost felt bad, but the whisky had lathered her a little so she just ended up giggling at him instead.

"Speak of the devil and he will appear" she mused with wide eyes as she rolled them.

She smiled at Harry and he smiled back. "Hey Troy" he greeted and Troy said Hi to him and Andy and stared at Gabi.

"Err, I'm gonna go to the jukebox, you coming?" Harry said to Andy and Gabi lifted her arm, drink as well.

"Ooh me!" she said and went to move but found Troy was still beside her blocking her exit "Are you still there?" she asked confusedly, thinking he might have been a figment of her mind and annoyed that he wasn't.

He sat on the stool that was vacated by Harry opposite her. "I came to find you to apologise" he said, having to shout above the loud music, but intending his voice to be soft with his genuine remorse.

"Apologise for what? What's your name again?" she asked blankly and stared at him with her big brown eyes.

Ouch. He deserved that. Troy sighed as put his hand up to the barman to be served. "What are you having?" he asked as he watched her sip whisky on the rocks.

"I don't take drinks from strangers" she said politely and got up, moving across to the dance floor with liquid motion, so unlike her normally rod-like posture, he was surprised at the change in her from a few drinks. And boy, did she drink he mused.

He cancelled his order and headed over after her, worried about the predatory looks from the rather bulky-looking clientele in the bar.

She was winding away again in that mesmerizing way as he came up in front of her awkwardly. He'd never been awkward in his life, what was with him tonight?

"At least let me try and apologise" he said again.

"You gonna dance bozo? If not get outta my way!" she said as she began to move more freely to the music and he sighed, having to dance to keep up with her as she span precariously across the bar, receiving one hell of a lot of interested looks. She was in the minority in here and her revealing outfit wasn't helping matters and Troy felt a little dig in his tummy. She looked beyond gorgeous, but the girl he'd met in Ugg boots; make up free and sleepy from flight, she was the one that made him ache in places he shouldn't. The stunning temptress in front of him was just a bonus.

Gabi danced to the music, letting the beat fill her and take her away from her mind full of doubts and confusion. Troy was dancing in front of her and out of nowhere, his arms went around her waist as she lifted her hands to the heavens and his eyes bore into hers hotly as he flicked his gaze across her upper body. He leaned into her ear and she was too drunk to care that he was touching her.

"You should stop doing that, you're making a lot of men hot in here" he murmured as his lips brushed her ear and she shivered and tingled against her will.

She gasped and looked at him, his blue eyes so dark, so…dangerous. She felt like she was going to spontaneously combust from the look he had and her skin was burning up at the mere thought of being wound tightly in his arms in an entirely different place.

Her self-preservation kicked in and she pushed at his chest, his muscled arms so tempting around her; she was fighting herself as much as him.

"My life objective is not to turn you on, Ego Trip!" she spat and she stomped on his foot when he didn't let up, forcing him to release her and watch as she stormed away.

It might not be her objective, but she'd achieved it he mused as he watched her go and felt his arousal burgeon against his jeans.

"Oh no you don't" he said silkily as she almost toppled over in her haste to reach the bar.

"Why are you still here? I thought I made it clear that you're not welcome?" she asked as his arms went around her ribs from behind and she braced them with her hands in spite of her words.

"You still haven't let me apologise" he reminded her.

She took a breath and waited for her head to stop spinning before she turned, jutting her chin upwards to meet his gaze.

"Fine" she wobbled and he placed his hand gently against her waist to steady her and she frowned but leaned against it for support and he ran his hand further around her back gently. "Go ahead. Let's see what pathetic, moronic, ridiculous excuse you can come up with"

He lifted his brows "You can't be that drunk if you can say all those long words" he observed; then she flicked her lashes up to give him the death stare. It was becoming a famous Gabi Montez look and he was beginning to like it.

"Okay, look" he juggled her weight in his arm and resisted temptation to wrap his other arm around her and kiss her silly.

"I fell asleep" he said honestly and dropped his eyes to hers shyly, the blue depths showing his fear.

"Is that it?" she checked coldly "You fell asleep?"

"My alarm didn't go off okay? I didn't want to look like a bag of crap so I had a little snooze and it all went wrong. I'm sorry" he explained.

"That's great" she said "No really. You fell asleep because you didn't want to look like crap, instead you just prove yourself to be the self-involved moron I presumed you to be" she said as she removed his arm.

"Hey! I had a GREAT night planned!" he argued as she continued toward the door, grabbing her jacket and he followed.

She laughed "Oh really? Doing what?" she wondered aloud over her shoulder, even though she was dying to know on the inside.

"Let me take you back to the hotel, I'll tell you all about it" he offered and Gabi looked at him, accepting his lift and getting into the car he had hired from god knows where.

"Did you hire this?" she asked as she slipped into the passenger seat and he helped her in with a gentlemanly hand, closing the door on her and getting into the driver's side.

"I did" he confirmed.

"For our night of F-U-N?" she poked fun at him.

He squinted at her briefly "I had it all planned out. Burgers at the Mountain View Café over in Denver and the Av's were playing right next door so we could have taken in a game…" he sighed as he saw her loll against the chair, thinking she was asleep.

"Dressed like this?" she said tiredly and he smiled into the darkness of the car.

He shrugged "Every guy there would have wanted to be me" he said.

"Huh" she grunted and he realized she thought he was being big-headed again.

"Because you're the most beautiful girl in the room" he added and she opened one eye at him.

"A room full of hockey players? Not exactly difficult."

"Any room" he said then and Gabi really thought she must be dreaming so she pinched herself.

"Ouch"

"Are you okay?"

"I pinched myself" she muttered.

He smiled confusedly.

"I coulda been a puck bunny" she sighed wistfully and he stopped the car in the car park and came around to help her out.

"Don't touch me, Bolton" she warned as she struggled from the car, thinking he looked dangerously sexy in his leather jacket and jeans combination.

He held his hands up "Sure thing, lush"

She squinted at him, her face changing as she spotted paparazzi descend on them quickly and she covered her face with her arms against the flashes that hurt her eyes.

Troy calmly helped her from the car and locked it as his arm went around her back and he took her hand with his other to steady her as they walked into the hotel surrounded by jostling photographers.

"Come on, dude!" he said to the guy blocking the door "Let her through"

They shouted questions at him while he got her inside and he shut them out, seeing Gabi's shock and fear as she shivered in the hotel reception.

He stripped off his jacket and wrapped it around her, waiting until they were in the lift to tug her against him to keep her warm and she didn't complain.

Gabi huddled in Troy's loose arms in the lift and felt her breath catch at being so close to him, being able to smell his aftershave mixed in with his shampoo, feeling the heat emanating from his body.

"Almost there, princess" he said softly, not being able to resist stroking her long curls as she huddled against him and for these short moments he became her protector.

"Up we go" he said as he lifted her into his arms easily and she wrapped her fingers around his neck without words, letting him carry her to his room where he let her down gently to the floor and she stood on her wobbly legs, making an attempt toward the sofa in his suite but she twisted her weak ankle in her heels and collapsed onto her knees, only then bursting into tears, knelt on his carpet.

Troy had just shut the door and he rushed over, not sure what to do. God but she hated him and he was trying to apologise and now she'd been spooked by the paps.

He came around her with his hand trailing over her shoulders as he knelt carefully beside her, not expecting what she did next as she launched herself against his body and he shifted so he was knelt up in front of her, taking her weight into him, holding her for all it was worth as she bawled into his t-shirt.

He began to stroke her hair carefully, worried that if he made the wrong move, he'd miss this chance to show her what kind of guy he could be. He was so afraid of letting her in and having her rebuff him it made his heart beat painfully in his chest. But he'd never know for sure unless he gave her that opportunity and he just HAD to get her to forgive him for letting her down so he could have another chance to show her.

"Shh, it's okay" he murmured. "Troy Boy's got you now" he joked and he heard her hiccup as she laughed mid-sob.

He curled his fingers into her spirals, getting them caught up in the beauty of her hair.

She sniffled and looked up at him with huge, sad eyes and he felt his gut tug instinctively at her vulnerable look.

Oh god he ached to kiss her so much with her looking at him like that and her lips pouted just so, her eyes begging him to prove that he was for real and not some crazy dream she was having.

He sighed gently as he realized kissing her while she was intoxicated was the worst thing he could do. She could too easily use that against him tomorrow and he didn't want to ruin this tentative trust they had going.

Gabi felt his breath fan against her wet face and eyed his lips as she imagined them kissing her again, his arms all bunched around her, his fingers playing through her hair. She'd never felt as alive as she did right now in his arms and it scared the living bejeesus out of her. Why him? Why now?

"I should get you home" he said softly.

"Oh. Okay" she said and watched him get up; kind of sad he hadn't kissed her again.

He held out one of his hands and she got up, noticing the black stain she'd left on his pristine top "Sorry about your top" she said.

"Sorry about those animals" he returned, knowing it was ultimately because of him that she was upset. Once for letting her down and twice for the photographers.

They left his room and he stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked along beside her, Gabi curling into his side as someone came past them in the corridor and he smiled in surprise, a butterfly going through his tummy as he wrapped an arm around her tiny shoulders.

"Okay I'm home" she said as she swiped her door card and he held the door for her. "Thanks for the fun night out" she smirked.

"Thank you for not puking" he smiled "Good night Gabi" he said and she leaned up to kiss his cheek, his eyes imploring her not to tempt him further.

"G'nite Troy Boy" she said and shut the door gently as he turned to go.