Gabriella let out a nervous sigh as the car drove up to her childhood home. The memories came flooding to her and for a moment she was excited to be home, excited to see her family, to eat her mother's cooking, talk to her dad face to face. Troy hand took hold of hers and smile faded, this was part of pretend world. She had to remember that.
"We're here," it was the first thing he said to her in the four hours since he asked if she was hungry or needed a restroom break. She decided to wear a white shirt with blue jeans toping the look with a light green sweater that hung on her loosely, she ready for the worst and comfortable enough to bare it.
Gabriella looked up at the house and the front door opened her mother waving franticly and running to the car. Gabriella smiled and looked in the back seat at Lady. "You ready to meet grandma?"
Troy got out of the car watching as the woman similar to Gabriella height and skin color raced towards him. She was little heavier but she had the same brown eyes and wild curls. "Oh my god," she said pulling him into a hug, "I can't believe you're here!" she squeezed him then pulled away to get a better look at him. "Gabriella do you feed him, he's so thin?"
"I try," she said coming around the car with Lady in her arms.
"What is this?" her mother smiled as she looked at the dog, "A puppy?"
"Her name is lady,"
Maria took the dog in her arms, "oh Gabriella, you get married and bring me a dog?" she rolled her eyes. "I should be showing off your ultra sound pictures!"
"Mom?" Gabriella rolled her eyes and looked over at Troy who shrugged.
"A man who knows how to stay out of it?" a chuckle came from behind and Troy turned to see Gabriella's father. "Honorable," Troy nodded and held out his hand for a friendly shake. "Do you need any help?"
Troy felt the grip on his hand get stronger and he nodded, "Yeah, I could use a hand," he said pointing to the trunk with his free uncrushed hand.
"How was the drive?" Luis let his hand go and began walking to the back of the car.
"From the airport here not so bad, only 2 hours," Troy shrugged. "The campaign bus is stationed there ready to go."
"This road trip of yours sounds exciting." He said with a smirk, "Gabriella hates long car rides; we use to bribe her with books just to get her in the car."
"Trust me sir nothing has changed," Troy chuckled and both men made their way to the house. He had the bill from Barnes and Noble to prove it. Once inside the smell of food hit him and Troy realized he was hungry. He missed Gabriella's cooking but he didn't want to chance seeing her or having conversations. He'd just gotten into the habit of getting something at the office.
"I hope you guys are hungry. Luis help Troy take those to Gabi's bedroom." Maria said with a smile as she hurried to the kitchen, "Your aunt is coming late but Papo and Clyde are out back with Tito and Bibi,"
Gabriella smiled, "So Melissa had her baby, the pictures are so cute, but has Krystal had her baby yet?"
"Nope she's bigger than a house though," Maria smiled as they disappeared into the kitchen.
Troy looked back at Gabriella's father. "You have a lovely house," he said looking around and actually meaning it. The floors were varnished and walls were a creamed peach it was beautiful craftsmanship.
"Thank you, I remodeled it myself." He said heading for the stairs with the bag, Troy followed listening as he explained the idea's and labor he put in to the place. He was impressed, to say the least. Looking around everything seemed so rustic and beautiful. They came to a white door and he opened it and Troy followed him inside. "This is Gabriella's old room, she has a queen size bed so you should be able to sleep comfortably. No funny business in my house," The man smiled as he held up a finger. "I want to believe she is as pure as un-driven snow."
Troy couldn't help but chuckle, if only they knew the truth. "You raised a fine daughter, she's very compassionate, great cook, knows how to keep a house, with a good head on her shoulders. She's a perfect angel." Troy smiled please with himself, Gabriella was a perfect angel.
Luis let out a breath, after a moment's hesitation he spoke, "Are you really going to be president?"
"I'm going to try," Troy said with a positive attitude.
"What about her what is she going to do?" He asked reaching for a small frame that sat on top of one of her bookshelves.
"She's doing just fine now," Troy watched the man as he looked down at the frame it was a family picture of some kind. Troy stood quite, not really sure where to tread.
"I wanted a son." He said after a moment. "Don't get me wrong I love my daughter but a son would have been easier, you know?"
Troy frowned a bit, was this man crazy he had the world's perfect daughter downstairs and he wanted a son. "I'm sorry I don't follow?"
"When you have a girl it's different, you want to shield her from everything and keep her safe." His voice dropped a little and he shrug. "Maybe I just tried to hard?"
Troy looked around the room, he'd been right to assume there was more to that story of hers. Luis let out a sigh and left the room, leaving Troy behind. Looking around the room where images of family trophies, awards, medals hanging almost everywhere. Troy took a breath and noticed a guitar in the corner. Did she play? Looking around more he slipped his hands in his pocket. Her father was nuts, seemed like everything about Gabriella was perfect. Then again how much did he actually know about her. Troy picked up a small doll that was sitting on a shelf, it seemed like her world was much different from his. He couldn't help but feel awful, she was right to want to keep her personal life out of their deal. It was her world and she didn't want him in it. The idea of that hurt, and he didn't know why.
Gabriella was downstairs when standing in the kitchen watching her mother peel potatoes, "He's just worried about you," she said looking at Gabriella with a weak smile.
"I'm doing fine," Gabriella said looking down at the food. Lady was sniffing around kitchen, curious about the new environment.
Her mother let out a sigh, "Gabriella, you just left without a word and next thing we know your getting married to a senator in Washington, now your he's running for president?" she said her voice getting a little louder. "Excuse us for caring?"
Gabriella rolled her eyes, "God and here I thought this might be a good thing?" she said in a low voice.
"Don't give me that attitude," her mother looked back down at the food she was preparing.
Luis entered the kitchen and both women went quiet. "It feels good to see my girls in the kitchen again." He said with a smile as he reached into the fridge and grabbed a beer.
Gabriella bit her lip as she watched her father open the can and the crushing tin echoing in her mind and almost making her insides bubble.
Krystal pulled the screen door open and came inside, "So this is where the new comers are hiding?" she said walking over to Gabriella and giving her a sideways hug due to her swelling stomach.
"When are you due?" Gabriella asked shifting the attention.
"Next month," she laughed and let out a sigh, "I've been walking everywhere I can't wait till she comes out." Rolling her eyes she reached for chip from the bag on the table. "Have you thought about cutting your hair?"
"Not really, should I?" Gabriella grabbed the ends of her pony tail and looked at her hair.
"No you shouldn't," Troy answered he walked into the kitchen and Gabriella jerked at the sound of his voice.
"Beer?" Luis opened the fridge and Troy nodded and took the offering from his father in law.
*"Por eso, cuando vas a tener un bebé?" Maria said looking up at Gabriella.
"Mom?" Gabriella looked at Troy then back at her mother."Simplemente nos casamos? "
Krystal laughed as she looked over at Troy ""No puedes decirme su no tratando es demasiado guapo? "
Troy opened his beer and tossed the lid in the trash. "Bueno, Gabriella cree que tenemos que esperar, me pongo a pensar en ano, nos brinda la oportuidad de antes de tener que compartir." He said lifting the beer to his lips with a smirk. All three women paused and stared at him blankly in surprise. "I had a Spanish tutor since I was 9," Troy said with a shrug.*
Luis started to laugh as he patted Troy's shoulder. "I like him," they broke out into laughter but there was something different about Troy's laughter, not exactly reaching his stomach or his eyes.
Gabriella blood boiled ten degrees, he knew Spanish the whole time? All those private conversation she had on the phone in front of him, when she mutter something under her breath, all this time he knew and didn't say anything. One or two vague Spanish phone calls with Anthony, thinking back she recalled everything she said, luckily she'd been careful. It still wasn't enough to ease the sickness in her stomach.
After the room settled and they switched the conversation to the campaign and all the different places they would soon be Krystal walked out into the yard to the sound of music and laughter while Maria told Luis to get the grill ready for the meat. Troy walked up to where Gabriella was dipping a chip into a bowl of guacamole.
"You alright?" Troy said pushing some of her dark hair back to reveal that arch in her neck.
"Don't touch me," Gabriella pulled away from him a little and she looked over at her mother as she carried the meat out of the room into the yard lady close behind her leaving them completely alone.
"Gabriella?" he frowned a bit as he took a step back. "We're here, I know this is hard, I'm just trying to make it easier?" Something in his eyes softened and she almost forgave him.
"Why didn't you tell me you could speak Spanish?" Gabriella asked looking away from him.
Troy rolled his eyes, "I don't know, why did you just assume I didn't?" he said in a low voice.
Gabriella glared at him, "I should have let you fire me," she whispered. "I should have just left." Gabriella walked passed him and Troy scooped her from her waist back to him both of them going still, it was like being so close seemed to do something to them and he couldn't help but like how it felt.
"I never would have fired you," Troy paused as his blue eyes looked into brown "I said it, but I'd never…" his voice drifted as his eyes landed on her lips.
Gabriella let out a breath, "Then why am I here?" she whispered slowly.
Troy brought her closer her lips hovering over his and they could feel the brush of each other's breath. "We need to talk,"
Gabriella let out a breath in shock, "Talk about what?"
The noise of the pot banging against the door made them spring apart and Maria struggled to get back into the house with a pan and two pot's. "Gabriella will you put more chips in the bowl for your aunt Carmen before I kill her,"
"Yes," like that Troy watched she hurried out the door with the bag of chips from the table running from him as if she'd been running from a fire.
"Troy the Guacamole, could you take that," Maria placed all the pots on the kitchen counter. "Sometimes I wish there were four of me," she chuckled as she went to the fridge for more food.
"No problem," Troy stepped out into the backyard and paused as two children ran by chasing each other with nerf guns. Looking around the yard he noticed torches lit blazing around yard and patio area. People were laughing and joking around music filling the air, a Latin sound, something he'd never heard before. His blue eyes shifted through the yard, in a sea of colors, brown curls, smiles and brown eyes his object of obsession seemed to drift back. He was positive she was doing it on purpose.
"Hey, Mr. President-to-be come over here and share that guacamole!" A woman in jeans and floral blouse waved him over and he smiled polite deciding to let Gabriella have her moment.
Coming over with the bowl he held it out and smiled as four woman pulled him into their circle and conversation. "We hear you speak Spanish?" One said with a smirk.
"He has the most amazing blue eyes," A woman with a darker complexion smiled and held his arm, "Oh, he's loaded."
"They'll be pregnant in no time," said another.
Troy smiled and nodded to the various comments being tossed in the crowd of woman, losing track of who was saying what and when he began nodded and answering whatever questions he could it was like being in a crowd of reporters. Only these woman were up close and personal, sizing him up feeling his arms and admiring his bone structure.
"Hey, Hey, let the man get some space," One man came into the group and held up a high five towards Troy. "I'm Big Tito, bro, come on let get you over to the men, away from the estrogen."
Grateful he followed and was introduced to all the uncles in family. They all stood around by the grill cracking jokes and talking about odd stuff that was pointless. Troy almost felt his comfort returning when he notice the attention on him faded and everyone was back to enjoying themselves. He loosened his sleeves and rolled up his shirt to expose his forearms. No one talked about politics or asked him about his policies, no one expected him to talk about his forums; no one grilled him about his views on health care or the war. It seemed like he'd stepped into a whole other world where nothing outside the fences of this yard mattered. It was about family, about good food and watching as couple's dance in the yard to music that seemed to have more than some flutes and pianos.
On beer run to the cooler he bumped into Gabriella as she lowered one of her cousins to the floor. Lady barked and ran off with a yellow foam stick across the yard."Hello stranger," he said excited to have found her again. Her smile was memorizing, and her dark strands fluttered in the light wind blowing through.
Gabriella pushed some hair from her face and smiled a little. "Hey," Gabriella let out a sigh and looked back over to where the kids were. "I was playing around with the nerf gun," she shrugged, "Lady keeps eating the bullets."
"Is that safe?" Troy asked, wondering for the first time if she ever wanted to have children of her own. The image of her hold a blue eyed baby girl in her arms made him feel warm inside. He watched as Gabriella shrugged again and they stood there awkward for a moment, neither one knowing what to say.
"Do you want to dance?" Gabriella said quietly.
"Not, really." he said looking back out as people danced to the music. Her world was so different from his.
"Oh, well-"
"No," Troy cut her off, afraid he insulted her. "It's not that I don't want to it's just…" Troy looked around at the people moving around and laughing, "Other than ball room, I don't really know anything else?" he said with an embarrassed shrug.
"You mean there is something the great Troy Bolton doesn't know how to do?" Gabriella smirked as she lightly touched his sleeve adjusting the fold.
"There's a lot of things I don't know how to do," Troy said in a low voice, "but I willing to be taught," he said sheepishly.
Gabriella felt the blush on her cheek, it was just dancing. She looked out onto the dance floor then back at him. "Okay, I'll teach you,"
Troy looked at her in disbelief and before he knew what was going on he was standing in the middle of dancing couples.
"Okay take my hand," she said with a smile, "this is called bachata, it's kind of a two step dance." she said holding his hands up.
"Kind of?" Troy raised a brow.
Gabriella looked at him in his crisp blue shirt, he'd rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned his shirt a little, she be lying if she said she wasn't drooling a little. "Come on let's start by going left."
"Your left or my left?"
Gabriella paused, "Let's do your left and my right, watch me then you ok?"
"Sure," Troy said looking down at her feet, that was the thing about women, they had small feel, small feet that they usually had in some kind of shoe. Gabriella feet were bare. "I might step on you." He said suddenly concerned.
"I'll handle it," she said rolling her eyes, "Are you ready?"
"Yes," his eyes watched as her feet took two steps to his left and then back.
"The key is on the last step instead of going for a third you bump your hip." She said with a smile as his eyes came back to her face.
"Bump my hip?" He said looking around at other who made it seem so easy. What if someone had a camera? God they were probably watching him and shaking their heads in laughter.
"Watch and I'll do it with you," Gabriella giggled a little and he relaxed. Troy gave her his full attention going with her as she moved from the left to the right and back again, each time he tip is hip a little more."There you go," Gabriella came a little closer. "Now stop looking at your feet and look at me,"
Troy held his hand to her waist now and her hand was on his arm. "I going to step on you," he said looking down between them.
Gabriella let out a moan, "Just go," she said tapping his arm, "If you step on me I'll deal with it."
Troy looked up at her and her brown eyes were looking at him with amusement in her eyes. He chuckled and they began to move with the music people around them nudging him and holding thumbs up. In a matter of half a song he was doing it, Gabriella smiled as she shrugged her shoulders. "See told you it was easy."
Troy let her go a little held her out for a turn, "It is easy once you've got the hang of it," he pulled her back close and then he felt a tug on his arm.
"I want to dance with my son-in-law," Maria pushed Gabriella away from him and Gabriella went to dance with one of her cousins. "It's not every day a woman get to dance with a soon to be president," she said with a giggle.
Troy spun her as well and smiled as she moved with the same graceful rhythm Gabriella had. He looked down at her feet to see she to wasn't wearing any shoes. "Why do you take off your shoes?" he asked looking back up at her and keeping beat.
"We're at home, we can be comfortable." She said laughing as she began to move a little faster, "Come on let's see if you can keep up,"
Gabriella stood off to the side watching Troy dance with her mother a cup in her hand. When voice beside her caught her off guard, "What's in the cup?" Gabriella glanced to her left to see her father.
"Soda," Gabriella said annoyed as she looked around at family who enjoyed each other.
"You better not be drinking again?" he said in a low voice. "I don't know how you got involved with a senator but you better not fuck this up."
Gabriella rolled her eyes, "I'm aware of that dad,"
"If you're so aware then why is your picture in the paper with man who isn't your husband?" he said turning so he could face her a little better.
Gabriella let out a breath and looked down at the cup. "It was an accident, nothing is happening. Reporters are just making something out of nothing."
Her father eyes narrowed at her, "I covered for you once I won't do it again,"
"I never asked you too,"
"You're my daughter, you didn't have too." He said harshly. "I had no choice."
"Well I'm sorry I fucked up your life." she said quickly walking away from him and escaping into the house.
*"When are you going to have a baby?" Maria said looking up at Gabriella.
"Mom?" Gabriella looked at Troy then back at her mother. "We just got married? "
Krystal laughed as she looked over at Troy ""he's to good looking you tell me your not trying? "
Troy opened his beer and tossed the lid in the trash. "Well, Gabriella wants to wait a while I think we should give it about a year that before we have to share each other." He said lifting the beer to his lips with a smirk. All three women paused and stared at him blankly in surprise. "I had a Spanish tutor since I was 9," Troy said with a shrug.*