Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback it was all constructive. Someone mentioned sometimes I rush my story which made me chuckle because that is very true!
Last chapter…Epilogue to go.
CHAPTER 28
"Wow look at you in you tux" Gabi said to her dad as she came into the foyer of the hotel and silently prayed she wouldn't bump into Troy.
"Oh my gosh, is that my baby girl?" Gabriel smiled and Gabi blushed.
She had chosen a short prom-style gown which had a bodice top and a pinched in waist with a short skirt which had layers of netting and the whole thing was in black so she had added some sparking jewellery and silver make-up to match, along with silver sandals that were so high she had a little trouble walking at first but now she was getting used to them.
"It's me daddy" she teased and he held out his arm for her as they smiled at each other.
"Gabi…" a voice sounded behind her and she turned instinctively at the sound of her name, seeing Troy stood about ten feet away, dressed also in a tux but he wore a black tie instead of a bow tie and his hair was getting too long and some curly bits overlapped his collar and flicked out at the sides.
She pressed her lips together and turned from him, walking to the car alone as Gabe dropped back to speak to him.
"Just give her a bit more time" Gabriel begged and Troy nodded, not hiding his sad eyes as he stared after her, his belly gnawing with worry, his heart pounding at his loss.
"She'll come round, kid" he smiled and Troy just flicked his eyes down as he headed toward the door, waiting for a separate car as Gabi's car pulled away.
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Troy chatted with the crew as the party went under way and he watched Gabi from the corner of his eyes as she socialised with almost everybody in the room and as the night wore on, she was led onto the dance floor by Harry and Troy wandered over, watching her as she danced around the floor with him , smiling, reminding him of the very last time he had seen her smile, shortly before she had thrown her arms around his neck and then he had ruined it all by telling her about his mistake with Jordan.
Luckily Jordan had given it a miss tonight and he sat down dejectedly as he stared into his drink and then the director took to the stage, clinking his glass to gain attention.
It was time for the speeches already. Gabriel went up after the Director and was kind enough to praise Troy for his professional contribution and then followed on to praise his daughter as Gabi watched on, teary eyed, still standing with Harry as Troy sat hidden from the most part of the crowd.
Troy heaved a sigh as they called his name and he sauntered up on stage, chewing the corner of his top lip as he went.
"Thanks, man" he said to Gabe as he handed him the mike and gripped his shoulder to extend his support.
"Well I never thought I'd see the day that I would get to work with two of the greatest legends on screen, Gabe and Jordan, but here I am" he mused as the crowd chuckled. "And of course, Steven, our director, has given me more than my fair share of chances on this project" he smiled self-depreciatively "But there is something I want to share with you." He said as his lashes flicked down at his shyness. "I have a favourite line in this movie and it won't mean anything to a lot of you, but I'm hoping it means something to one of you. The line is 'I think I'm falling in love with you' and there's one person I think of every time I say it. Thank you, Gabriella Montez, for everything you have done. I don't think I'm falling in love with you. I know I already have" he said gently, pressing his lips together as he let his words roll around the room and he rested the mike by his side.
Gabi's mouth was wide open as she was blinded by the spotlight that dropped on her and the applause around her at Troy's speech. There were a few 'aah's' from the crowd and Harry hugged her as she stood frozen, her eyes streaming more tears at his words.
He'd just told her he loved her. In front of a thousand people. And he looked like his whole world had ended and the light in his eyes was dead, all because he thought she didn't love him too.
Troy headed quickly from the stage and shoved the microphone into Steven's hand as he headed across the floor toward the rest rooms where he could at least try and hide his face after laying his heart on the line like that.
"Troy…" Gabi called to him before he quite made it to the restroom door and he stopped, sagging his shoulders down as he sighed.
She approached him, running a hand across the back of his shoulders as she rounded his still form, letting her fingers play with the wisps of hair at his collar as she came around to face him and his crystal blue eyes didn't give anything away except his pain.
"What I'm about to say, if anyone ever asks me afterwards, I'll deny it with a vengeance…" she began as her brown eyes flicked to his nervously and he licked his lips, about to speak but she placed a finger there from her other hand to stop him. "I'm in love with you, too" she said with a big breath that she whooshed out and she dropped her finger from his mouth, still playing with his hair as he stared at her and wondered if it were true or was this a joke? Or a dream? Maybe he was drunk again and imagining it all.
But her lips were so very real as she leaned up and kissed him softly and Troy closed his eyes as he responded, slowly snaking his arms around her waist as he pulled her closer, his hands driving into her own hair as she tipped her head back so he could access her mouth better and he flicked his tongue into the hot recess.
He pulled away and studied her face with desperate hope printed into his tight features.
"I missed you so much" he said softly, wondering if those words would cause her to throw them back at him in a challenge.
"I missed you too" she said, surprising him.
"I'm sorry" he said heavily, brushing her hair back as he leaned over and bear hugged her.
"It's okay" she assured him, stroking the hair at the back of his head as she cuddled her arms around his neck, accepting his embrace and his apology.
He looked at her from under his lashes as he pulled back, twisting his lips, not sure what to say.
"I miss your smile" she said as she blinked, taking his chin between her thumb and forefinger as she angled it down so she could meet his gaze.
"Well I don't have much to smile about" he admitted "I made a terrible mistake and it's eating me up"
Gabi stroked his cheek "Don't let it eat you up anymore, Troy. I want the old you back. The obnoxious one" she smiled to show she was teasing.
He hugged her to him again and she held him, hoping he would be okay because he sure didn't seem like he was.
"I thought I'd lost you" he whispered in her ear and she flicked her eyebrows up in surprise.
She pulled back, took his hand in hers and arched a brow "You really think I was going to give you up to that Jordan woman without a fight? You don't know me very well, Bolton" she chided and turned, leading him back into the party and onto the dance floor, where he danced to the slow music with her, slowly but surely relaxing as they talked.
"Do you know how much I missed feeling your hands in my hair?" he wondered as they cuddled close, the dance floor emptying as revellers slowly dropped out.
"As much as I missed you stroking circles on my back?" she guessed.
He grinned, hugging her close and ceasing their dancing.
"Only you would use slow dancing as an excuse to make out" Harry accused from behind Troy and Troy turned with a grin,
"Hey man, thanks for looking after my girl tonight" he smiled as they had a little man-hug.
"You're welcome. Gabi, your dad went back to the hotel, he told me to let you know"
"Thanks Harry" she smiled and Harry wandered off, leaving Gabi staring at Troy in the middle of the dance floor.
"I think we should go back too" she suggested and he nodded, taking her hand between both of his as he lifted it and kissed her fingers.
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Gabi travelled up in the lift with Troy wordlessly, not liking his quietness and his obvious sadness and the apparent punishment he was placing on himself.
She kept her hand linked with his until she leaned into his shoulder and he automatically curled his arm around her back to hug her to his body.
"You okay?" he asked, his fringe flopping down as he cast a look down on her.
"I was just remembering when you carried me after I twisted my ankle" she smiled softly at the memory.
"Oh? Want a repeat performance?" he asked gently and Gabi smiled naughtily, hoping he would say that as she linked her hands behind his head and he bent to take her body into his strong arms.
"Wow, you got heavy" he joked as he carried her from the lift and to her room, Gabi biting her lip gently to stop her need to kiss him.
Once there, he let her down and she swiped her card, pulling him in by the hand where he tumbled, having expected to say goodnight outside and leave her alone for the night.
She giggled as he stumbled in and she moved to rid him of his jacket, her brown eyes meeting his with a dark look as she undid his tie.
He swallowed, taking her wrists gently to pause her. "Let's not do this" he suggested softly.
Gabi was stunned for a moment. Then she saw his soulful look as she flicked her eyes back up and she could see he most definitely wanted her, but his heart hadn't caught up with his body yet and he was still struggling with his mistake.
She carried on unbuttoning his shirt, then his trousers and led him to the bed in his boxers where she seated him as she stood between his thighs and plunged her fingers into his fringe.
"Undress me" she said softly and his eyes widened, his desire burning in his pupils as his hands lifted to unzip her dress then he stood up to pull it off, bringing their bodies within touching distance as he eyed her sexy, lacy underwear. His arms went around her waist and she smiled as she pushed him back onto the bed and climbed in the opposite side, ridding her shoes first, then her bra as she folded her arms across her chest then twisted her legs up under the covers. Troy was now laying, hard and speechless; staring at her.
She looked to him and cuddled into his chest where he dropped an arm around her shoulders and she let her naked body touch his, causing him to tense with his arousal. Not only was she practically naked, but she was opening herself up to him by allowing him to cuddle her naked and he didn't miss her gesture, nor did he take it lightly.
He held her tightly, feeling his tears of relief come then as his body began to rack with sobs at her total forgiveness of him. For two days he had been wound tight as a spring wondering what she thought of him and then when she had walked out, he had really thought it was over.
Gabi stroked his hair some more as she held him to her, his face against her bare chest, her arms around his shoulders. Troy sighed heavily as he let Gabi hold him and he curled into her, eventually falling asleep like that as she too relaxed into sleep.
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Gabi wasn't sure if it was a dream she was having or if she had died in her sleep and was now in heaven, all she knew was that there was this intense tingling sensation between her thighs and an insistent pressure on her clitoris that had her legs shaking and her body arching for more.
She popped her eyes open as she felt Troy's tongue flick into her intimately and she realised he was waking her up exactly how she had woken him up before she had left.
"Troy…" she complained as she gasped at the contact of his tongue deep inside her, then he flicked against her nub again, alternating pressure between his soft tongue and hard but gentle finger.
Troy didn't speak, he carried on pleasuring Gabi as she writhed and bucked beneath him and Gabi could feel a huge wave of pleasure build up, increasing with the pressure of his fingers dipping into her, sending her crazy as his tongue flicked against her sensitive spot again and again and she couldn't hold it back any longer. The blast of liquid desire ran through her and she moaned loudly as her climax erupted with overflowing pleasure, her body convulsing, her intimacy contracting around his fingers as he lay above her and watched her ride the crashing waves of her orgasm.
Troy kissed her face tenderly, gently removing his hand and wrapped her into his arms underneath him, his heavy body weighing her into the bed.
She clung to him for dear life, shocked, stunned, crashed out in the aftershock of her ecstasy.
"You really are the best start to the day" he murmured against her neck where his head fit beneath her chin until he rolled from her and tucked her into his body as he lay beside her, hugging her protectively.
She still couldn't speak, her breathing was even and her eyes open but her lips were frozen in their parted state and her brain was missing in action.
"You okay babe?" he checked as he pulled back to look at her and she closed her mouth, nodding bewilderedly.
He smiled at her face, loving that he had just given her that stunned look on her face, like she had never experienced anything like it before.
"Talk to me" he nudged her and smoothed down her hair.
Gabi leaned up and placed a soft, sweet kiss on his mouth. "I hate you, Troy Bolton" she said softly.
He chuckled, knowing he had totally floored her with his early morning surprise "I hate you too Little Miss Montez" he said as he kissed her hair and pulled her closer.
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