Walking four or five blocks with no direction he came across Randy's. He looked up at the sign and instantly recalled the baby shower from Gabriella's friend that he met the other day. With nothing else to do he walked in. A juke box in the corner karaoke signs across the stage with a woman doing her best rendition Brittany Spear's opps I did it again. Troy walked up to the bar and sat down, the weight on his shoulders bringing him down quicker than he expected. The bar was packed with people laughing and cheering, he spotted Jason who was sitting next to his pregnant wife. Troy nodded and then looked back as the bar tender came up.
"What are you having?" the bar tender asked.
"Scotch, no ice." Troy said annoyed by the woman on stage. Trouble, woman were nothing but trouble. Troy looked up as the man poured his drink.
"Pretty strong drink," The man said putting it down in front of him.
"Well I've got pretty big problems." Troy said taking the drink and bringing it to his lips.
The man nodded and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't tell me it's about a girl," he said with a smile.
Troy looked at the man and raised a brow, "Do you know who I am?" he asked.
"Nope, but I know you're not from around here. You look more like a wallstreet fella?"
Troy nodded, "Fair enough," he said looking down into his glass. A moment passed by and Troy looked around at the bar only partially full. "You know what the trouble with girls is?"
"What's that?" the bar tender threw the rag over his shoulder and placed both palms on the counter top.
"No loves trouble as much as me." Troy said letting his fingers trace the water stain on the counter top.
"Well, girls sure are something," the bar tender said with chuckle. "It's all that make up and smiles."
Troy shook his head, "it's there ability to drive a man absolutely fucking insane." Looking back up he noticed a foot ball game on. "Who is wining?"
"Packers," the man smiled and picked up his rag tossing it over his shoulder. "If you need me I'll be tending just over here." The man pointed to the other side of the bar.
"Thanks," Troy sighed in relief when the woman on stage left silence followed just the sounds of talking and clinking glasses. He reached into the bowl of pretzels and looked up at the game.
"Whose wining?" a man said as he got into the stool next to him.
"Packers," Troy responded.
The man let out a sigh and flagged the bar tender for a drink. "Your Gabriella's husband we met earlier," he said reaching a hand to Troy.
"Jason," Troy said as he shook the man's hand. "I remember,"
"So where is she?" Jason said with a smirk as he took a few pretzels.
"At her parents, I just needed to clear my head," Troy said lifting his drink to his lips.
"Me too, the wife is driving me nuts." He said with smirk, "We're having twins."
"You poor son of bitch," Troy said with a smile. "Hey bar tending put this man on my tab."
The bar tender nodded and smiled.
"In that case I'm drinking the good stuff," Jason joked as he lifted his beer to his lips.
Troy smiled as he looked up at the screen then at him. "How did you meet your wife?"
"Well," Jason said with a smile, "See this scar," he said lifting his hair a little. "I got into car accident, about a year ago, I must have fallen asleep at the wheel and veered out of my lane," he shrugged, "Any way I wake up in the hospital and this beautiful little intern is wrapping my wounds." Jason smiled. "Best damn thing that ever happened to me, hurt like hell, but it was worth it."
Spikes went up and Troy stilled, earlier when Gabriella had introduced them she looked like she'd seen a ghost. Troy smiled weakly and he laugh as he picked up his beer and held it up to Jason's. "Well I hope the delivery goes well."
Jason nodded and he lifted the beer for a swig. After he swallowed and put the beer back down he shook his head and let out a burp. "So how did you meet Gabriella," he paused for moment. "I can't remember the last time I saw her."
"Yeah, she was my secretary, do you know her?" Troy said with a smile.
"Not much, we didn't hang in the same circles. She was quite a drinker back in the day, had a lot of daddy issues."
Troy nodded, "So I hear,"
"Hey, she's a good girl, went to college did all that smart stuff, I mean she must be better she got married to a president." Jason said with a nudge.
"I'm just running for a chance to campaign, I'm not president." Troy corrected with a friendly smile.
"Not yet," Jason said as he looked back at the game. "But I know people, and I'm sensing you one of the good ones."
"Thanks," Troy looked down at his drink, thoughts of Gabriella springing to his mind. He didn't know what he was going to do, didn't know if there was anything he could do. He lifted his glass and finished his drink.
The next day, they said their good byes to Gabriella's parents. Her father gave her a soft hug and her mother cried, both wishing them well and to return soon. Gabriella felt hollow. Anthony had called her twice in last night and she had ignored it. Troy decided to sleep on a makeshift bed on the floor after climbing in through her balcony window at 4 in the morning. He hadn't spoken to her since he told her to go back to sleep. Lady sat in the backseat wagging her tail as she looked out at the house, giving a bark as her way of good bye.
Three hours later they were in a hotel. Gabriella stood in the window her arms wrap around herself as she watched the people below on the street. After last night's argument Troy had called the hotel and asked them to accommodate an anointing room rather than one. Now here she was kept locked away like some fairy tale character. Life wasn't like a fairy tale at all, happy endings didn't exist. There was a faded reflection of in the window and she stared at the distorted face looking back at her. Lifting her hand she looked at her wedding ring.
They said when it happens, you'll know. That you'll feel the fairy tale feelings or that your world would stop spinning. She was told over and over by stories and movies that love comes once in a life time. That it's not real unless the stars align or his smile stops time. Gabriella looked down at her wedding ring, no one ever tells you truth about love. That sometimes in the darkest moments of our life we could fool ourselves to believe that the people around us have our best interest at heart. That love or even kindness can come from the strangest of places.
The door opened and she heard someone enter the room. "Gabriella?"
She turned to see Chad standing in the middle of her room. Her brown eyes looked into his and she let out a sigh, "What happens now?"
"Well, you can start with the accident, work your way to Anthony," Chad said with a sigh as he reached to pull out a chair from a nearby table. "I want to understand,"
"No you don't," Gabriella said looking back out the window. "You want to dissect it and analyze my every choice. Then figure out a way you can quietly get rid of Me." she said staring blankly through new forming tears. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a red button up blouse. Her hair pulled back in a pony tail. "You don't care at all."
"I do," Troy voice sounded and Gabriella turned around to face him.
"I've said everything there is to say, I don't know what more you want." She said crossing her arms.
"Well, say it again." Troy said in harsh tone.
"Troy," Chad said looking back from him to Gabriella, "Look the only way we can come to some kind of solution is to talk this out."
"Gee, talk about what's going on why didn't I think of that, how stupid." Troy paused and shoved his hands in his pockets. "She doesn't talk, that's the problem, at least not to me because god knows she must talk Anthony's ear off."
Chad rolled his eyes and he looked towards Gabriella, "How did you meet Anthony?"
"I'd just come to Washington, I was only there for about a week and half, I'd put my resume on almost every bulletin board." Gabriella shrugged. "When he called I figured he was just some guy looking for a personal assistance or secretary."
Chad nodded, "What happened when you got to his office."
"We never met at his office," Gabriella said looking from Troy to Chad, "He insisted that we meet for coffee. When I got to the shop he was already seated and waiting for me." Gabriella wrapped her arms around herself. "He was nice for a little while, asked questions about my major in communications and English. Then he asked about the accident."
"How did he even know about it, we couldn't even find out about it on your record?" Chad said leaning further back on his seat.
Gabriella paused as she looked at both Troy then Chad, "Because it's not on my record."
"Her father took the fall for the accident," Troy said, "The other driver fell asleep at the wheel so he never even saw her."
Gabriella let out a sigh, "He said if I didn't do this job for him he'd go to a judge of his who would put my father behind bars for disturbing a investigation."
"How did he know you were driving the car?" Troy said, "How did he know you were drinking?"
Gabriella looked down at the ground. "I don't know how he knew, he just did." Gabriella shook her head, "He knew about it, said he knew someone at the party, someone who could put me in the car at the time of the accident."
"Troy tells me that the man you hit is actually alive." Chad said resting both his hands on his knees.
"Yes," she said looking over at Troy. "We ran into him on the street."
"I'm going to do a little digging into his own background see if there is any link between him and Anthony." Chad said taking out his phone. "Good news is that since Jason is alive and well this whole thing just went from a covered murder to just a meer accident."
"I can still go to jail." Gabriella said
"Not quite, the papers have been signed, people are fuzzy, your dad already took the fall." Chad let out a sigh and looked at Gabriella. "I'm sorry but the campaign will fall apart if something like this gets out."
"Anthony won't hesitate to release it to the press," Troy said crossing his arms.
Chad was quite for a moment. "So Anthony sees your resume he looks into your past for anything of use. Finds this accident on your father's record but then connects the dots and it leads back to you."
"You were driving under the influence, you fled the scene of an accident, your father lied for you which another list of charges altogether and then he puts you in my office," Troy let out a sign and looked over at Chad. "The press is going to kill us."
Chad looked at both Troy and then Gabriella, "I'll do what I can to get a hold of those documents, now that I know what I'm looking for it should be easier to get rid of."
"Then what?" Gabriella said looking back at Chad, "I go away quietly."
"Exactly," Troy said giving her a short nod. "You can take the dog and all your belongings but as soon as this is taken care off I want you as far away from my campaign as possible."
Chad didn't say a word he simply got up from his seat, "I'll get to work on going through the public records," pausing he put a finger this bottom lip and looked back at Gabriella. "Troy said that you tried to cut it off with Antony, is this true?"
Gabriella nodded, tears in her eyes and ball in her throat. Just like that, it was over. She looked back out the window. "I told him the night of the delta charity, the next day he put that picture in the paper,"
"Explains the photographer," Troy said looking away from Gabriella. "I tracked him down, Antony hired him to take the photo, paid him double to get it published."
"Is that our new guy?" Chad said looking back at Troy.
"Yes," Troy said looking back and then proceeding to leave the room.
Chad turned to Gabriella, "Don't make any contact with Anthony just yet, let's let him think he's winning in the mean time I'll give you some information I want you to leak."
"Won't he be able to tell?" Gabriella said cautiously.
Chad smiled kindly, "Everything will be fine."
Gabriella watched the doors close and a tear rolled down her cheek. If this was fine she didn't want to be better. A sob escaped her lips. Anthony was right, Troy wasn't going to forgive her. She destroyed her only chance at love before she even fell in love. Gabriella let out another sob as a new searing pain ripped through her. She'd fallen in love. Disbelief shook and her knees became weak. Gabriella moved over so that she could collapse into a small chair. Lord help her she was in love with some who wanted nothing to do with her.
Lady came to her feet whining in sadness as she bumped Gabriella's leg with her nose. It was like she understood and wanted to tell her it would be okay. The very sentiment only made Gabriella cry harder.