Troy had to distract himself. He had been laying awake for the past hour just toying with the slight messed up curls that still looked perfect on the beauty cuddled up into his side. He couldn't quite lay a finger on the time he had gone to bed at, but he knew that he was up past the time Gabriella had gone to sleep.

After finally debating about whether he should try it or not, Troy silently untangled himself from his girlfriend. Their conversations the previous night replaying themselves in his head. He quickly decided as he was busy putting on his running shoes that things could've gone a lot worse after he told her that he thought he loved her. She could've slapped him in the face and told him to never speak to her. She could have broken up with him also, but she didn't. Yes, he decided again as he made his way down the stairs as the bright light from the sun came shining through the windows, things could have gone worse, but they didn't go as well as he hoped either.

Troy made his way through the kitchen, and was surprised to see that Jason was already down there with an apple in hand; he also was getting on his running shoes. Jason looked up at Troy and gave a small smile before looking back down at his feet to finish tying up the laces.

"You're up early." Jason commented.

Troy glanced at the time to see that it was already eight o'clock. "Actually, this is kind of late for me."

Jason stood up and stretched his arms before throwing the apple core into the open garbage can a few feet away. "Yeah, well…at least you and Gabi made up."

"Yeah--wait," Troy said in alarm, "How did you know that we made up; much less got into a fight?"

Jason chuckled good heartedly now, and Troy was surprised that this conversation between them was going so smoothly. If it would have been a month previous then they would be probably already fighting, but now they were actually laughing around each other while sharing a cabin.

"I ran into her last night when I had to go to the bathroom. She was coming from the kitchen after a late night snack due to her skipping dinner." Jason explained. "That's probably why she's still sleeping too. We kind of stayed down in the living room for a while just talking."

"Oh." Troy's voice dropped in disappointment before he met Jason's curious eyes. "Did she say anything else?"

Jason's grin reached his rolling eyes. "I presume you were going for a run?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with any--"

"Come on. I know this trail we can take." Jason opened the back patio doors with Troy following. They fell into a light and easy jog, but right before they could leave the property, Jason started talking again, "And now you can tell me what the hell happened after you told Gabi that you THINK that you might love her?"

A light blush appeared on Troy's cheeks as they picked up their running. "Didn't Brie tell you?"

The younger one of the brothers rolled his eyes. "You know, just because we're best friends, doesn't mean that she tells me everything. Plus, she seemed kind of freaked out."

Troy looked straight forward; his shoulders squared as much as they could be while running. He looked almost as if he was filled with self determination; a feeling as if he were the brooding King of the Jungle, as he had this deep expression on his face. After what felt like ages to Jason, Troy opened his mouth to speak.

"I think that if Brie wanted you to know, then she would have told you."

Troy picked up his speed, Jason almost stumbling to catch up after registering what Troy said. Jason narrowed his eyes slightly before making his strides wider to keep pace.


After the three mile run they found themselves walking back onto Zeke's parents' property again. Both boys were sweating as even though it was a little chilly out due to it being morning, the sun was quickly going higher in the sky to heat up the place.

But something strange was happening. They didn't go inside at first. They didn't even walk up the steps to go onto the back patio with the hot tub bubbling wildly. They just sat down at the picnic table that was situated around the bomb fire pit in the backyard. Jason sat on top of the table along with Troy. Both brothers in the same position as their feet rested on the seat.

"She didn't say it back." Troy murmured.

"What?" Jason turned his head a fraction of an inch to look at Troy who had a solemn look on his face. But then it sunk in that Troy was talking about the previous night--early morning--and when he told Gabriella that he thought he loved her. "Oh."

"She actually didn't say anything at all. I tried speaking, but she just shushed me." Troy ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he could still feel Gabriella's cold body forming against his skin. Her erotic breath tickling his neck as her finger tips played with the little hairs on his scorching arms.

Jason snorted ungraciously. "Dude, what did you expect? You slipped up big time."

Troy's eyes narrowed as he turned to look at Jason, but yet, he couldn't bring himself to yell at him. "What do you mean?"

"You said, 'think', and girls don't like that."

"Like you would know." Troy used sarcasm.

"No, I wouldn't know from experience. But my dad--" Jason stopped abruptly as he looked at the sour expression on Troy's face, and quickly backtracked to take an easier route, "Andrew, seemed to say it a lot to people in high school. He said it to your mom. He even said it to my mom. And trust me, girls don't like it when guys are unsure about love. If guys don't know what they're feeling, then they just shouldn't speak."

Troy was looking at Jason with a shocked and weirded out face. "What?" Jason shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"How do YOU know this!?" Troy exclaimed before an amusing grin lit up his face at how crazy Jason sounded at the time.

"Hey, I happen to read…sometimes…outside of the magazine world." Jason defended himself quickly. "Plus Gabi and I watch a lot of movies. But who cares about that right now, that can't be all that happened. Right?" Jason prompted.

It was weird to be talking to Troy so openly like this, but Jason had pushed that subtle feeling to the back of his mind as he had no reason to be defensive now. Troy and him were getting along in a nice civil conversation, and although they weren't talking about a much easier topic like basketball and were indeed talking about the one girl that had both brothers wrapped around her fingers, they were still getting along.

Troy shrugged as his ran his hand through his hair again before finally just letting his hand stay stationed on the back of his neck. "I just…I had to say something, you know? It's not easy saying the 'L' word, and--"

"The 'L' word?" Jason mused. "What are we, five?"

"Do you want to know, or not? Because I think Brie would love to know that you're prying behind her back." Troy threatened.

Jason glared like a little kid as his eyes narrowed. He folded his arms on the top of his knees that were bent before Troy continued.

"And so I told her that it didn't matter and she can forget that I said anything." Jason went to interrupt Troy, but Troy silenced him with a death glare so that he could continue. "She just looked at me before nodding her head and kissing me goodnight. We both feel asleep then."

Jason was grinning from ear to ear at hearing this. Troy was almost afraid to ask him what that meant, but he now guessed that out of everyone, if he ever did have a problem with Gabriella, then Jason would be the person to go to since he had known her the longest.

"What?" Troy asked warily.

"Nothing, it's just…don't be freaking out about this. Obviously she's not mad or else you would know it."

"She didn't say anything!" Troy exclaimed as if Jason was missing that point.

"I know that Bolton, but just give her time. And as much as I hate to say this, I know that she 'L' words you too." Jason smiled grimly at Troy before a real smile overtook his face. "And you make her happy. So it'll all work out."

Troy didn't know what to say, so his next words came out as awkward as could be. "Uh…thanks?"

"But if you tell anyone that I gave you advice? I'll deny it." Jason hopped off the table with Troy following pursuit.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't want anyone thinking that I came graveling to your feet." Troy joked back light heartedly.

Jason just smirked as a deep chuckle emitted through his mouth.

"What?" Troy asked.

"Nothing, just…I'm imaging you saying the 'L' word again and again. Trust me, it's very amusing." Jason laughed as they walked up the patio steps. Troy just shook his head before finally giving in to his first instincts and joining Jason by laughing also at how ridiculous the situation seemed.


Troy jogged up the stairs as he was just heading up from his jog with Jason to his room where he knew Gabriella probably was still sleeping. All their other friends had woken up, and when everyone else had gotten over the shock at seeing Jason and Troy entering together laughing, they all froze. But then Taylor soon came out of shock to tell Troy that Gabriella had never come down yet.

He knew it might be a little weird between them since Gabriella didn't say anything back, but it couldn't have been any weirder than when she had fallen asleep in his arms and he just laid there stiff. He had no idea now how to act around her, but talking with Jason helped as he was just going to try to go about the subject as if it never happened. If he just acted like he usually did around her, then things could go back to the way they were.

Troy, quietly as possible, opened the bedroom door; only to see Gabriella sitting up in bed, the covers bunched around her waist as she was busy reading a book--a book in which Troy was the one to pick out for her as she was the one who said she wanted to start reading more, and since he actually enjoyed reading, offered to pick something out.

Troy smiled as she didn't seem to notice him yet. She was wearing her tight black tank top and what he knew to be her very short black shorts under the covers. Her hair was pulled up into a very messy bun while loose curls framed her face.

Troy stood against the doorway with a smirk on his face and his arms crossed over his chest in amusement as she gnawed on her lower lip. He watched as Gabriella sighed in contentment before she gently placed the book down on the bedside table next to her. She turned to look in his direction and nearly fell out of bed.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed. "How long have you been there?"

Troy chuckled before closing the door after himself. He took a couple of quick strides before plopping down on his stomach next to Gabriella on the bed.

"Not long. You looked cute concentrating like that though." Troy complimented as a light blush entered Gabriella's face.

Troy's fingers naturally fell into place as his fingertips delicately glided across Gabriella's cold forearm. Gabriella looked down at his dancing hand while biting her lower lip. She wasn't freaked out; something she thought she was going to be, but after talking with Jason about anything but Troy telling her that he thinks he loves her, helped calm her down. She didn't know how that worked, but something about how talking freely with someone and without any pressure always cleared her mind.

"You okay? You're kind of quiet." Troy murmured as he looked up at her deep eyes. He had a feeling that she was thinking back to when he spoke those five words he was starting to hate.

"I'm gonna be honest, and if I sound like a girl you can't make fun of me. Okay?" She asked as her other hand that wasn't having patterns traced on the surface of the skin reached over to stop Troy and his ministrations.

Troy sat up a little sensing that this was going to be another serious talk. But he figured it was better than being around their friends or being back home near their parents. "I would hope you're a girl, or else you have a lot of confessing to do."

Gabriella normally would have laughed and punched him on the shoulder, but she wasn't good with this. She knew that she could potentially mess up their relationship again, but she needed to express her feelings on what she was thinking.

Her eyes narrowed a little, "Promise Troy."

Troy sighed. "Okay. But you don't have to worry, because if this is really important, then I would never throw it back in your face." He promised sincerely.

"Good," Gabriella breathed out before looking down at the comforter before her. "Um…about last night? I need to know if what you said was just because we ran out of things to say and you were tired so you didn't know what you were saying, or if you actually THINK that you're in love with me."

After his talk with Jason, no matter how it played out, Troy was convinced of one thing. He would give anything to the girl in front of him. "I KNOW that I love you." He answered confidently.

Gabriella took a shaky breath as she looked at him. "Okay." She nodded her head as if she was coming to full terms of what he just admitted. "Okay, I can deal with this."

"You can deal with this?" Troy asked skeptically.

But Gabriella kept going on her mini rantings to herself. It was as if Troy wasn't even in the room. "I mean, I've never had a guy tell me that he loves me. Sure, I've had offers to be with them in several different ways, but never for love. I always thought that deep down, there was something wrong with me."

"Of course there isn't Brie." Troy murmured softly; only to be overpowered by her train of thoughts.

"But then I met you, and we just seemed to click. And it's not like in a best friend type of click either. It's a very raw, lust filled, secret meaning glances that we sneak to each other kind of click. You know?" She asked as her eyes were glazed over in her thinking; a twinkle shining in her eyes and smile.

"I know." Troy whispered, but he knew that she didn't hear him. He was slowly becoming worried as it was like she was tempting him by telling him all of her feelings so openly, and he knew that if she wasn't about to tell him if she loved him or not, he was going to burst soon.

"And here I go, being all girly and probably freaking you out right now with how much I am telling you, but…" She paused as she finally looked him in the eye. Her one hand reaching out and cupping the side of his face; drawing him nearer. "…I really don't care because…well…I love you too."

Troy blinked a couple of times before letting her words finally hit him. His mouth was slightly ajar before he closed it. "Um…I know you said it clearly, but could you please repeat that last bit there?"

Gabriella giggled the giggle that Troy had missed so much without even realizing it. "I love you Troy Bolton, and you're the first one to hold my heart."

Troy wished he could say the same thing, but he couldn't as Lilly got to him first. But he had taken it back the day he broke up with her. It was time for him to move on for sure, and give Gabriella a real chance. "I'll tell you a secret Brie." Troy whispered. "You are holding my heart right now." He took her cold hand in his warm one and pressed it against his beating heart. And even though a thin cotton shirt was blocking her hand from touching his bare skin, she could still feel his heart beating. "My heart beats only for you now."

"I'm not going to cry." Gabriella told herself. "I'm not going to cry."

Troy chuckled as his free hands reached up and smoothed back a curl behind her hair. He seemed to love doing this as Lilly always wore her hair back, but Gabriella let her hair down naturally, and it was breathtaking. "You're not supposed to cry Brie. Not anymore, I promise."

"What if I said they're happy tears?" She asked with a sniffle as she still kept her hand to his heart.

"Then I would have to break my promise and make fun of you and your girly moment." Troy teased as Gabriella gasped and smacked him in the arm.

"Troy!" She screeched before a giggle emitted through her mouth again. "You promised!" She whined.

Troy smiled charmingly at her before bringing her hand up to his mouth and kissing the back of her palm. "I crossed my fingers."

Gabriella melted despite her attempts not to as his piercing blue eyes gazed up at her, his hands running hot circles onto her forearm, and her mouth smoothly planting light kisses on her collarbone.

He pulled back suddenly as he looked down at her.

"What?" Gabriella asked hesitantly. She didn't want him regretting his love for her so soon.

"I like my mark on you." He traced it with his tongue as Gabriella tried her hardest to moan softly so no one else heard them from downstairs.

When Troy pulled back Gabriella looked back up at him as he had maneuvered himself to straddle her.

Her hand reached up and softly stroked the side of his face.

"Me too." Came her breathy reply.


When Troy and Gabriella had come down to eat breakfast with everyone else almost everyone was surprised to see them laughing together. Almost everyone except Jason. Troy and Gabriella's faces were radiating with happiness as their hands were connected, Gabriella playfully pulling him into the kitchen.

"It smells really good you guys." She complimented with a smile that reached her eyes. Troy came up behind her as their hands were still connected with an invisible glue, he pulled her back into his chest as his chin rested on her small shoulder. He pressed a kiss to the small patch of skin underneath her ear as Gabriella giggled for a short second before looking at Zeke. "What's cooking?"

"Pancakes. They're just about done." It wasn't until Zeke had finished his sentence that he realized that he had made pancakes. PANCAKES! Using the exact recipe that Mrs. Montez had given him years back.

An awkward silence over took the eleven teenagers.

Gabriella looked around as that day wasn't about being sad. She had gone on this trip to get away from everything and everyone back at home. Gabriella even felt Troy's hardened body tense up behind her.

"Well then let's eat." She announced as she reluctantly departed herself from Troy to collect a plate to show everyone just how much she was coping.

This time she didn't need a mask.

"I like your thinking Montez!" Chad announced to break the silence as he followed suit of Gabriella.


Sharpay had seen many things in her short life. She had been through horrible things that added to her list of seeing things. Her abusive father was one of those things. She had a box in her mind that she liked to keep him in. Whenever suspicious things came about though, that box would be opened in her mind and she would be reminded of why she doesn't like to trust that many guys in her life.

It wasn't the way Troy seemed too perfect that made her mistrust him. It wasn't the way that he would always have to flick his hair out of his eyes. It wasn't the way that his white teeth glistened in the light as he smiled brightly whenever Gabriella came near him. It wasn't even the fact that he made her best friend happy that made Sharpay suspicious.

It was the fact that her friend, who has never been that serious with a guy before, has fallen drastically for this guy who's come out of nowhere.

And it was that fact that Sharpay couldn't help but be cautious around Troy and the whole situation of Gabriella dating him. She wanted to ask Gabriella how it was going. She wanted the juicy gossip that she usually demanded on a daily basis. But there was just something about their relationship that made Sharpay realize that if anything else were to happen, Gabriella would be really broken. And after all Gabriella did for her, she couldn't let her friend be broken anymore. And in that case, that made Troy a threat. A very dangerous threat that Sharpay would continue to be cautious around.

Sharpay tapped her manicured nail against the framing of the hot tub. The steam floating up and putting perspiration onto her forehead. She narrowed her eyes at Gabriella who was sitting across from her in her own seemingly-blissfully-day-dream-world.

"Why are you so happy?" Sharpay asked as she was still trying to figure out the whole death thing. She didn't understand how Gabriella could go from being all sad and depressed one day to being in her own world the next.

Gabriella didn't hesitate in her answer as she seemed to snap out of her daydream and look at Sharpay. "I'm quitting cheerleading."

"WHAT!?" The blonde exclaimed angrily. Her hands falling from the edge of the boiling water to make a splash. She couldn't help but think this had something to do with Troy, Chad, and Kelsi…all the new people in Gabriella's life.

"I was laying in bed this morning," Gabriella revealed with excitement, "and it was like an epiphany hit me! I don't want to be a cheerleader."

Sharpay's mouth spluttered open as if she were a fish out of water. "What--how--why--THIS IS FUCKED UP!" Her eyes grew wild as she was starting to realize that she didn't even know the Gabriella in front of her. It made her insides clench painfully as she had to keep reminding herself that this was her best friend. Her best friend who at age ten had walked in on Vance Evans abusing his daughter brutally. Gabriella was her best friend who had ran home and told her parents.

Sharpay for a moment could see the ten year old Gabriella form. Her hair was always long, in side braids that formed her face perfectly. Her height was drastically shorter, but Gabriella had always been short There had been a gape in the front of her teeth, but Gabriella still pulled off the look. But the ten year old Gabriella image had been wiped clean when she continued talking.

"Shar, calm down. It's not like I'm not going to be around. I'm still going to be at the games for Troy and Jason and Zeke and Chad. It'll all work out. Just with a lot less stretching and yelling on my part." Gabriella smiled at her friend as if nothing was wrong.

"Gabriella, you're mother was a cheerleader!" Sharpay exclaimed as that was the last thing said for a minute before Gabriella's smile faltered off of her face.

The hot tub they were both in seemed to chill over as Gabriella's body shook for a moment. Sharpay's statement filling the air with tenseness. The brown eyes hardened over as both girls stared at each other. Each with their own thoughts bottled up inside of them. Maybe one of the reasons why they got along so well was because neither liked talking about their true feelings with each other.

Finally Gabriella cracked the first smile again.

"I know. My MOTHER was a cheerleader. I'm not my mom. I'm my own person, and wanting to be like her kind of flew out the window when she left." Gabriella hesitated with her words as she was still working them out herself. "But…I know deep down that she would want me to be myself, and not try to imitate her. She wouldn't want that future for me."

Sharpay's body was rigid as her movements were stiff; matching her words perfectly. "And what future would that be?"

And Gabriella had another epiphany. Her mother was strong. She helped others. She was kind to everyone. She was the picture of perfect in the dictionary. But there was one flaw.

She was human.

And humans like to believe that everything is going to be okay when they know things aren't. And that was the one thing Anna Montez could not overcome.

"She wouldn't want me living a lie. I think deep down she knew things were bad with her health. But she convinced herself that she was okay, and then she had everyone else convinced. She tried to save anyone from the worry and grief, but she managed to mess that up. And that was her flaw in her perfect plan. So she wouldn't want me to unhappy and keep cheerleading if I really wasn't doing it for myself. She wouldn't want me living a lie." Gabriella concluded with pride in her voice that she had concluded that about her mother.

"Living a lie?!" Sharpay threw her hands up wildly; water splashing everywhere onto the patio. "Where the hell did you get that line from? A book that Bolton seems to have gotten you to read…again!?" Sharpay huffed while crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance.

Gabriella overlooked Sharpay's outburst as her eyes softened in concern of her good friend. "Shar, you don't like Troy, do you?"

Sharpay stared at Gabriella as a pain filled Gabriella's eyes. She loved Sharpay like a sister, but on the other hand, she recently admitted out loud that she is in love with Troy Bolton. And he's something that her heart needs, not just for a moment, but forever.

Gabriella looked at Sharpay to match her stance. Both girls not wanting to back down as the goodness in Gabriella became defensive when she saw in Sharpay's eyes that she hated Troy with a passion.

"I think I have my answer." Gabriella said hoarsely.

"You've changed." Sharpay stated coldly. "And I don't know if it's for the better."

"You don't think that it's for the better that I found someone who loves me?"

"And how many times has he said that to someone? How well do you actually know him Gabi? Because I know that he's Jason's half brother, he's good at basketball, and for some reason, he has you wrapped around his finger!" Sharpay nearly cried out in desperation for Gabriella to understand. "And God, now you're talking about loving him?! Are you crazy!?"

Gabriella lifted her chin with a watery smile overtaking her face. She would always back Sharpay up on things; whether she was wrong or right, but when it came to Troy, she wasn't going to let her friend interfere, no matter if she thought she was doing the right thing or not.

"Shar, I love him. I don't know how I all of a sudden realized it, or if it was already there to begin with, but I know now that I love him. And if you don't like it, then that's tough, but don't expect me to comfort you when you can't deal." Gabriella started to get up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think Kelsi and Sadie said something about making cookies later."

Sharpay stood up also. "That's right! Go off to your new best friend." She chuckled sarcastically. "I mean, how long do you think you can keep pulling off the nice girl personality? You really think you and Kelsi will be good friends when we get back to school? Or that you and Chad will be able to pull off another serious conversation like last night?"

Gabriella almost wanted to ask how Sharpay knew about that, but then decided not to let the blonde get on her nerves. She probably had put two and two together once Chad disappeared anyways. No matter how bad Sharpay did in school, she was always one step ahead of people in the gossip world.

Gabriella got out silently, but not before sending Sharpay one more icy glare and remark.

"I honestly do believe that I'll stay friends with Kelsi and Chad. But you? I wouldn't be too sure about Sharpay. And a little tip?" Gabriella walked past Sharpay to head towards the house, leaning over to whisper in her ear, "Anger doesn't look good on you. It makes the vein in her forehead really pop out."

Sharpay yelled in frustration as Gabriella turned her back on her. "Why don't you just ask Troy how Lilly's doing! I hear they send each other letters monthly! Maybe he's not as much as over her as you think!"

Gabriella could hear the smirk in Sharpay's voice, but chose to ignore it. She was supposed to be happy, and she trusted Troy. There was no way that she would let Sharpay think she won by putting false information in her head about Troy's old relationship.


She didn't know when it started. She didn't know if it was God giving her a gift. She didn't really care what the cause was. All she really cared about was if Troy and Jason continued their friendliness towards each other when they returned back home.

Gabriella looked up from the kitchen counter where the cookie dough was in front of her, Kelsi on her right side with Sadie on her left, and saw in the dining room Jason, Troy, Jake, and Chad were going about arm wrestling competitions.

"Come on Baby!" Sadie cheered from her spot where she was putting balls of cookie dough on the trays.

Gabriella just smirked as Chad and Jake were both even as neither one could push the other one's arm down. Troy's blue eyes looked up and fell upon Gabriella as she just smirked at him and how childish all four boys were being.

Gabriella abandoned her spot in the cookie making process and walked over to where Troy was at the table. "Gabi, you coming to play with the Big Boys?" Jason taunted goodheartedly.

She scrunched up her nose in disgust as she stepped behind Troy and rested both of her hands on his shoulders. She absentmindedly began to rub and squeeze his tense shoulders while they continued on with their conversation.

"So who won? Or am I not allowed to know because of some guy code?" Gabriella teased lightly.

Jason rolled his eyes as he saw Troy's eyes close from the contact Gabriella was making with him. He kicked Troy from under the table who jumped in surprise. Troy narrowed his eyes on Jason for a second as he just laughed. And within seconds Troy was laughing too.

"Did I miss something?" Gabriella asked as her hands stopped their ministrations on Troy's shoulders.

"No. Um…you can't know because…" Troy trailed off as he looked at Jason to finish for him.

"Because…it's a…bro-thing." He said brightly.

Gabriella's eyes widened; matching Troy's shocked ones also. "A bro-thing?" She said slowly.

"Yeah. You know, like brothers, but bros." Jason explained as he shared a small smile with Troy.

It was a big step to make for Jason. He was at the time in his life where he was making his own decisions without his parents holding his hand every step of the way. He knew that he should've made this decision a long time ago, but it was always better late than never. And now, making the decision to accept Troy and saying they were family by blood, put a smile on three of their faces. Jason didn't care at the moment how his dad might react, but in all honesty, Jason was tired of his dad's bull shit, so he just didn't care.

"Well then," Gabriella announced. "I think I'm just gonna go see what Tay is up to."

"She's reading." Chad grunted as him and Jake were still at it. "Who reads on vacation? I have no clue…well except for Bolton there, but he's weird like that. Books always seem to turn him on."

Nearly everyone that heard choked on their own chuckles and giggles. Thus causing Chad to gain the upper hand and finally beat Jake in an arm wrestling competition.

Gabriella smiled as she leaned down close to Troy's burning ear. "Don't worry." She could already feel Troy's embarrassment. "I happen to get very turned on by guys who get turned on by books."


Gabriella wasn't going to let Sharpay's words bother her.

She wasn't going to let Troy's past relationship nag at her.

She wasn't going to accuse Troy of not being honest with his proclamation of his love for her.

But that didn't mean she couldn't get to know him better; whether that meant convincing herself that even if Sharpay and her didn't talk then she still would be doing this.

Gabriella was wearing one of her long cotton t-shirts that only fell to mid thigh, and a pair of her girl boxers when she plopped down onto the bed that Troy was busy laying on with a book in hand and a pen in the other.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked as she was laying on her stomach, her head being propped up by her arm that was bent upwards on the bed.

Troy put the book down after marking his page and smiled at Gabriella. Her brown orbs were just gazing into his as he couldn't help but match her smile. She had seemed so much happier that day as he still had his doubts in the back of his mind that things were getting better because he knew that would just take time, but that day, Gabriella just seemed genuinely happier, and he wasn't arguing with that.

"Just writing down some comments."

"In a book?" Gabriella asked with interest.

"Yes, in a book. They're just little side notes containing my thoughts." Troy moved his body position to be laying on his side and facing Gabriella who had turned more towards him.

Gabriella wasn't one for not asking questions that she felt needed to be answered. And so she wasn't going to beat around the bush when a silence overtook them. She knew that was her opportunity to get some answers.

"So what's your favorite color?" She asked brightly.

Troy narrowed his eyes curiously in seeing what Gabriella was getting at. But he soon found that she was being totally serious.

"May I ask why you want to know?"

"Well…" Gabriella's hands absentmindedly began playing with Troy's closest hand. "We kind of skipped the short basic questions and jumped into the 'L' word."

Troy grinned at hearing her say this. At least he knew he wasn't the only one who sometimes talked like they were five years old.

"Well then I guess I'd have to say blue. What about you?"

"I like white." Gabriella declared.

"White's not a color babe." Troy pointed out with a chuckle.

"It is too!" Gabriella whined playfully before she felt Troy's fingertips on her sides; tickling her for the first time. He rolled them over more so that he was on top and Gabriella was squirming underneath him. When Gabriella had tears come to her eyes he finally stopped, but stayed stationed above her.

Troy looked down into her eyes and whispered, "I love you."

Gabriella saw the honesty in his eyes, and that was all she needed to push Sharpay's words out of her head.

"I love you too."

It felt damn good to say that to him.