She'd never been so happy to walk through Troy's front door in her life. She let all the bags in her hands fall to the side of the couch right before collapsing on it and kicking her shoes off. She'd been plucked, pinched, leafed, manicured, pedicured, covered in mud, rinsed off and got her ends trimmed. She couldn't stand the smell she was emanating and didn't have the strength to make it to the shower.
"Yes, I'll be happy to go over the paper work; I do support the cause, and understand the motivation behind it. It's terrible, what happened to you family and business, and you can expect to hear from my office no later than Thursday." Troy's voice echoed as he walked into the living room.
Gabriella looked up to see he was on the phone. He could be on vacation, but the work never ended. It seemed like all he ever did was read papers and take phone calls. The door to his office always closed off to the rest of the house. He said good-bye and hung up the phone pausing to look up at her. "You're home?"
"I'm here," she said watching him as he stared blankly at her.
The moment of silence was interrupted by the ring of his cell phone, and he lifted it to read the incoming caller. "I'll be in my office if you need me," he said taking a step backwards and turning around as his voice echoed back down the hall until she heard the soft thud of a closing door.
"Right," she said letting out a breath, she always thought that being married would mean never eating dinner alone, always having someone to vent to about your day. Obviously she's compromised more than she ever wanted, but a deal was a deal and she accepted it fair and square. She was debt free she had a place to live and she was living in constant dread that she'd have to move back home, back to the past she wanted to get away from in the first place or worst that her past would find her instead.
The doorbell sounded and Gabriella jerked in that direction, "What now?" she asked herself as she pushed herself up from the couch. She paused as she smelled her shirt again; the smell of mud and leaves clung to the fabric. She might just have to burn this outfit. Walking into the hall she peeked through the hole to see Chad standing on the other side of the door. Opening the door she noted that he wasn't alone.
"Hello," Chad said holding up bags, "We come in peace and efforts to bring some comfort." Chad crossed the threshold inside, "I believe you remember my wife from the wedding, Taylor."
"Hey," Her brown eyes looked at her with some remorse. "How's it going?"
"I smell like I've been hiking in the woods for about a year but nothing a shower won't fix," Gabriella shrugged as she closed the door behind them.
"Someone's been shopping," Chad said with a smile looking down at the bags and her kicked off shoes.
Gabriella let out a sigh, "More like dragged around by Sharpay and Lucile?" Gabriella responded as she went to gather the bags, "Let me go put these in my room."
"I'll take these to the kitchen," Taylor said with a smile, "You can shower and then come join me for a glass of wine."
"Thanks," Gabriella responded truly grateful.
"He's in his office working isn't he?" Chad said a little annoyed.
Gabriella nodded and shrugged, "Doors closed,"
Chad made his way down the hall, leaving Gabriella to her own task.
Troy was reading a file when there was a knock on his door, "Yes dear?"
Chad came through the door and Troy rolled his eyes, "Is this a checkup or an actual visit?" he said placing the file flat on his desk.
"A little of both," Chad said holding up a bag, "We brought dinner, come join us in the kitchen and get out of your office." Chad let out a breath, "Seriously have you even tried to talk to her?"
"We've doing fine," Troy said rolling his eyes and putting away the loose papers in the file. He was stress out over the to do list on his desk, over the amount of paperwork, that fact that someone was living in his house and moving things. He tried to talk to her, tried to take her to dinner. That bed bath and beyond field trip was the closet he managed to get to her other than their wedding day. Beside isn't that why he picked her? A stranger, someone he didn't have to try with, someone who wouldn't get in his way of work?
Chad let out a breath, "Did it ever occur to you that this might all go a little easier if you charmed her just a little?"
"I didn't marry her for the romance, in fact if you remember I didn't want to be married in the first place." Troy said standing up and making his way past Chad.
"Yeah well now you're stuck, and if it takes a little romance to get this moving then you'd better do whatever it takes?" Chad said taking a step so he was ahead of him. Both men looked each other in the eye and it was silent for a moment. "What's really wrong with you man?"
Troy let out a breath and shook his head, "No one in my family has ever needed the help of a phony marriage to make their political campaign work." Troy said in a low voice. "I can't help that I feel as though I'm not doing my job well enough."
Chad let out a breath, "Come on, take the weight of the world off your shoulders for the evening and let's have a drink," Chad placed a hand on his shoulder and led him to the kitchen where Taylor was already pour water into a pot.
"Hey Taylor," Troy took a seat at the counter, "Where is Gabriella?" Troy said looking around the kitchen curiously.
"She's in the shower," Taylor said looking back at him with a small smile, "I'm guessing she spent the day at that god awful spa with your mother." Taylor shook her head "We should get her into some kind of charity or organization, something to get her out of the house."
"I'll look into it and come back tomorrow with the rest of the things I have for her." Chad shrugged his shoulders.
"What's wrong with the spa?" Troy asked reaching for the drink Chad was handing him.
Taylor placed a hand on her hip, "It's not for everyone Troy,"
Chad shook his head, "Do you think she can make through the Times interview?" Chad tilted his glass and looked down into the bottom of it. "We can't cancel,"
"I assumed," Troy said with a sigh.
"Well you never know, so far she's been outstanding," Taylor shrugged her shoulders. "She's almost like the classic American girl, you know."
"Which scares me?" Troy said placing his drink down, "Wonder what she's hiding?"
"She isn't hiding anything," Chad confirmed, "She's an only child of Luis and Maria Montez, came from New Mexico, Albuquerque. Where she attended East high, graduated top 2 percent with high honors went to college in her hometown and got a degree in communications and a minor in English literature. She waited tables at a Pete's dinner and then brought a plane ticket to Washington." Chad brought his glass up to his lips and took a sip.
"And you can't remember my mother's birthday?" Taylor said looking at him a little annoyed.
"By chance do you happen to know when her birthday is?" Troy asked tilting his head to the left a bit.
Unable to believe what she was hearing she turned her back to them. "Oh, for the love of god," Taylor put the pot of water on the stove.
"October 17," Chad said quietly.
"Thanks," Troy mouthed back.
Gabriella entered the kitchen quietly she'd showered and put on a pair of her old jeans and a Wal-Mart brand t-shirt. Her hair was still in wet curls around her face, free and proud to have that gunk out of it. Upon Gabriella's entry to the kitchen the room grew silent as if she caught them at a moment of secrecy. "I can go dry my hair or something?" She said unsure if she should sit down or run back to her room.
"Nonsense you look amazing," Chad pulled out the stool next to him and Gabriella looked at it then at Troy, almost as if she needed permission to sit. She never needed it before, never look at anyone with uncertainty as much as she did now. It was like she was falling into the same pattern she was so desperately trying to escape. She had to do something, had to stake her independence, she maybe a senator's wife but she was still Gabriella Marie Montez.
"Here have a glass of wine," Taylor poured the glass and handed it to her across the table, Gabriella stilled as she stared at the glass the red fluid swirling from being poured.
"How was the spa?" Troy asked lifting his glass his eyes still on her. There was something there, there was trouble there. He watched as her hand slowly took the glass and then cradled it in her hands.
"Let's just say if I never go again, it'll be too soon?" Gabriella said taking the seat and bushing some hair back behind her ears the wine still untouched.
"Sorry, my mother and sister can be a little… much?" Troy offered with serenity in his voice. Gabriella shrugged it off.
"My whole family is a bit much," Gabriella offered looking over at Taylor, "What's for dinner?"
Taylor smiled "I making a nice warm beef stew to celebrate the autumn season," she said returning her attention back to the cutting board.
"Do you need any help?" Gabriella asked leaning forward, "I'm pretty good in the kitchen,"
"See now you can get rid of Megan," Chad said looking over at Troy with a raised brow.
"Yeah, let's go slow," Troy said the warning in his voice; Gabriella nodded slowly and looked back at Taylor.
"Come around, you can help chop up the vegetables." Taylor reached in the drawer for another knife and handed it to Gabriella who was at her side in an instant. Reaching for the carrots she handed them to Gabriella so she could begin chopping.
"Hey Troy?" Gabriella asked about mid carrot.
Breaking the silence Troy looked over at her curiously, he watched as her hands moved with grace chopping the carrot into tiny circles. A woman who could cook was attractive and yes he could very well get rid of Megan his own cook but that would mean reliving on Gabriella, "Yes, dear?"
"Stop calling me dear," she said scooping the chopped slices of carrots and putting them in the bowl where Taylor was putting the potatoes.
Being not at all what he expected, he looked at her a little lost at what he'd done. "What would you prefer I called you?" Troy asked looking at Chad a bit confused. Chad shrugged his shoulders and took a swig of his drink.
Gabriella shrugged her shoulders, "Oh I don't know that silly little thing on my birth certificate says Gabriella," she said a bit smugly. "How about we start there?"
"Yeah dear sounds a little condescending," Taylor said nodding towards Troy, "Sorry."
"I see, and I thought women liked little pet names" Troy nodded and looked over at Chad with a shrug. "Is there anything else I do that you prefer I not?" Troy said leaning back a little.
"Yeah, I need to move my things into your room." Gabriella began on the next carrot.
Troy choked on his breath as he reached for his glass, eyes wide and stunned he looked from Chad to Gabriella, "I thought we agreed on separate rooms?" Troy asked catching his breath.
"We did," Gabriella said looking up at him confused then catching on she was as wide eyed as he was. "Just my things, I'm still sleeping in the guest room it's just for show, you know our bedroom should look like it's…" Gabriella paused and let out a sigh, "Like it's ours?" She'd never have a bedroom to share with a husband would she? Another compromise to her dream, sleeping alone, waking up alone, going to bed alone, her eyes fell to the carrot on her cutting board.
"We could share the room?" Troy couldn't help it, his voice spoke before he could think. Until he saw her lips stretch out into a small smile.
Gabriella nodded her head and looked up at Chad then Troy, "Thanks," Gabriella went back to chopping and the room fell into silence once again.
"So Gabriella," Chad said moving the night along, "The Times is going to ask so I want you to be prepared." Chad quickly stole a carrot and the whipped his hands, "Why Washington?"
"Good luck." Troy huffed as he brought up his drink.
"Why not?" Gabriella responded looking at Troy, "Why a senator?"
"Because the only way to make a difference in this world is to have power," Troy answered leaning forward and resting his elbow on the table and putting his glass down with the other hand.
Gabriella raised a brow; she didn't know he was capable of looking that relaxed. "So your dad being a senator had nothing to do with it?"
"Did your parents have something to do with you moving to Washington?" Troy asked raising his own brow.
"They're so precious," Taylor muttered under her breath as she put more of her chopping's in the bowl, "Like piranhas,"
"Here's a good one," Chad interrupted, "How did you meet?"
Gabriella looked at Troy who looked at her after a moment they both spoke in unison their answers defer from the others.
"We met because you worked for me?" Troy said looking at Chad and then Gabriella.
"Maybe we can think of something a little less… realistic?" Taylor suggested as she took a celery stick. "I mean your both madly in love remember?"
"Yeah, about that, who let that press release slip?" Troy said turning to Chad.
"Opps?" Chad said with a careless shrug, "So what are you going to say when the Times asks how did he ask you out on your first date?" he said directing the question to Gabriella.
Letting out a sigh Gabriella shrugged a little. "I'd like to think he took his time, maybe sent me some flowers? The note on the card that says will you please have dinner with me?"
"That's simple enough," Taylor said giving Gabriella a nudge, "you must have gotten a lot of flowers growing up?"
"Nope," Gabriella shook her head and bit her lip, "I've never gotten flowers, guess I'm just not the type you send flowers to?" She said with a small frown.
"Well, I'm alright with that I guess?" Troy said, as though he had a choice. He was out numbered and not one person to fight by his side not even his own wife. Troy let out a sigh, his wife. Not something he saw himself ever saying. Trouble.