He didn't answer her. How could he? He wanted her. In fact, he already had forgiven her, a long time ago. He had forgiven her the moment he walked out the door. He had missed her every second they'd been apart from each other. But they couldn't talk about this, not here. Not like this, and they couldn't just leave, not when she was here with his player and he was here with Sharpay. How would that look? But the least he could do is tell her he forgave her, right? She had told him that it was the biggest mistake she ever made leaving him. Did he believe her? Of course he did. This was his Lily. He always believed her. Even after all these years, he always believed her, even after all these years.
"You don't need my forgiveness," he told her, his arms, pulling her a little closer. "You had it the moment I walked out the door."
Gabriella looked down at the space between the two of them. There wasn't much of it, but she looked down anyway. He took her chin in his hand, lifting her face to look back at him. "Don't look away. You came here to talk, the least you can do is face me, don't you think?"
She nodded slowly, taking a breath. "Do you ever think about us?"
He wished she hadn't asked that question, but he knew she would. "I try not to," he was honest, "but it happens."
She smiled, chewing on her bottom lip. "So do I. All the time actually," she nodded some more. "About how we were... how we should have been."
Troy shook his head. "Lily, I –"
She smiled, wishing she could hug him. "You still call me that?"
He looked confused for a moment. "What? Lily. You'll never be anything other than Lily to me."
Her smile was soft and tender, but it was real, not put on like usual. "No one gives me lilies like you used to." She paused for a moment, blushing. "Remember how you used to climb Mrs. Reyes gate just so you could bring me some of her lilies." She bit her lip, trying not to blush so much.
"They always remind me of you," he told her, their conversation enveloping the two of them, everyone else fading into the background. "They smell... just like you. I think that's why I loved them most … outside them being your favorite."
She couldn't help but blush, and for someone who didn't blush much, it was coming rather easily. He always knew the right words to say. He swallowed slightly, one hand brushing over her bare shoulder. She turned her head slightly watching the hand, feeling a slight shiver run the length of her spine.
"I kept some of them," she admitted, turning her gaze up to him. "Pressed between the pages of Abuela's bible, the one she gave me at my first communion." She licked her lips, remembering he had been right there beside her that day. He usually was there beside her at every big event. "I never leave home with out them. I had them embossed." She pulled out a long gold chain around her neck, revealing golden petals hanging between her breasts, whispering, "You're always with me."
He didn't know what to say, turning his head away from the necklace and her. He had forgiven her, yes, but did that mean they were getting back together?... And was it bad if he felt good about it? She let the petals slide back down between her breasts.
"Does my presence here bother you? Would you like me to - I can go. I still feel bad for all the pain I've caused you. I know I was very immature for the way I handled things, and if I could take everything back, I would."
He turned back to her, shaking his head. "No you don't have to leave. And it's fine. The past is the past. I said I forgave... and I mean it." That's all she needed to know. He had said it and that he meant it.
"I miss you," she said, her voice all but dying on her.
He swallowed, "I miss... you too... all the time."
She slowly smiled, wanting to hug him, and without thinking, she threw her arms around him. "Troy," she whispered, "there's never been anyone for me but you. I don't want to marry Jules. It's really why I've never let him say anything about it. It's because I promised you forever. I've never been anyone's but yours."
She always lept without thinking with Troy, and she knew that's exactly what she was doing right here, but she didn't care. She needed to feel his arms around her right now, and she lept. But Troy froze, only momentarily though before wrapping his arms around her. He buried his face in her hair, unable to believe they were doing this right there and then, but they were. He was holding her and it felt... it felt oh so right. Not letting go, Esperanza held on tight, afraid if she let go, he'd disappear, like he had so many times before.
"They're staring at us, aren't they?" Her eyes were clenched tight and she was afraid to move.
He wasn't even moving either. He sighed into her hair. "I don't know. I can't see anyone... I don't want to."
Gabriella pulled back, but only enough to look into his eyes. "What do we do? I just want to be with you, T. You're the only one I've ever wanted. If I told you I wanted you to leave with me here right now, would you. Could you leave Sharpay here and come with me?"
Troy didn't say a word. He simply nodded. It was the best idea he had heard all day. She slowly lowered herself to her feet, nodding as well.
"Ok." She swallowed, taking his hand. "Your hotel or mine?" Her blood was pumping fast, she could feel it in her ears, but this was what she wanted. She couldn't be more prepared for this.
"We just go.. run." He smiled brightly down at her, kissing her forehead. "Let's just run as fast as we can out of this place! As far as we can!"
She didn't have to think twice, giggling and looking up at him, nodding. "Sí. Go!"
They both took off running, hand in hand, through the ball room and out into the lobby. When they got to the hotel lobby doors, they almost knocked over the doorman. By the time the cameramen hovering around the doors had a chance to realize who it was bolting out of the door, they were already half way down the block. The cameras continued to click as they continued to run and the yelling faded off into the back ground. Even in heels, Gabriella was running and she wasn't about to stop for anything.
"¡O, mi dios!" She was breathing deeply, but having an incredible time with the only person she had ever loved. "T! This is amazing!"
He laughed, stopping them from running when he knew they were a safe distance from the vultures. "Very amazing!"
The thunder crashed above their heads and he wrapped her up into his arms. Rain had always been their thing. They'd slept with his window open many nights, made love out in the rain, they weren't going to seek cover just because it was going to come down. Holding her in his arms, he wasn't wasting another second without feeling her lips against his.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him tightly against her, kissing him deeply as the rain started pouring down on them, moaning into his mouth, "Siiiii."
He spun her around slowly in the rain as her feet dangled above the ground while they kissed, laughing as I pull back. "I love you, Lily. Still forever. Always."
She smiled down into his eyes, running her fingers through his wet hair. "Never have loved anyone else. Not like I love you. You're my everything. Forever. You always will be, T!"
She griped his hair, kissing him deeply, sliding her tongue into his mouth, letting it tangle with his. The rain felt so good coming down on top of them. Troy wanted to take her home with him, but it was too far away, hundred's of miles. He pulled back from their kiss, still holding her in his arms, her feet dangling from the sidewalk.
"You live in SoHo like you always planned?"
She smiled, running her fingers through her hair again. "Perfect beach house." She had always imagined the two of them living there. It had been meant for the two of them. It still could be. Hopefully would be.
"We get a hotel right now, but first thing in the morning, we go home?" he asked, running his fingers through the length of her hair.
She looked into his stormy blue eyes, smiling as she nodded. "Lets get a cab," she whispered, lowering herself to her feet before taking his hand.
Troy's rental car was still parked at the convention center, but he wasn't going back there, especially with those vultures lurking around, not after the way he and Gabriella had just ran out of there. Getting a cab this time of night on a Saturday wasn't the most difficult thing to do in Albuquerque. They could have walked to a hotel, but Troy wasn't going to make Lily walk that in her heels.
Troy paid the cabbie when they stopped in front of the closest and Troy looked over at Lily. The rain and stopped for the most part and was barely coming down in a slightly drizzle. They checked into a room and headed down the hall toward their room, having been given one on the main floor. Troy shut and locked the door behind him as she dropped her purse on the table beside the door before kicking off her shoes.
"Would you like a drink?" Gabriella never drank, but that didn't mean she wouldn't drink.
"Just you," Troy answered, shaking his head and pulling her back into his arms.
She was a whole lot shorter without her shoes on. Not that he could forget that. He loved how tiny she was, that he could protect her the way he could. She looked up at him, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Nervous?" he asked, his hand rubbing her back softly, holding her closer to him.
"No," she was barely able to speak as she looked up into his perfect blue eyes. "I just can't believe you're here."
He tucked her hair behind her other ear. "I know," he whispered.
"I've imagined this so many times," she admitted, "and then you've just..."
And then they both said, simultaneously, "Disappeared."
Sharing a smile, they both wanted nothing more than to drown in each other, but they wanted to savor the moments they had with each other as well. Gabriella licked her lips, taking a breath. She needed him. After ten years of not having sex and orgasming all on her own, she was ready to make love to her soul mate again. She wasn't going to bring up that she hadn't had sex in ten years, not since that horrible day when she'd pushed him out of Tay's door, but if he asked her about it, she'd tell him he was the only one for her.
She couldn't even think about letting another man have what was rightfully his. She was his. She belonged to him. Nothing would ever change that.
"You're beautiful," he murmured as he brushed his lips across hers.
"¡No estoy!"
He stepped toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her toward him. "Yes, you are," he told her, smirking down at her. "Yeah, gotcha there," he said, smiling brightly when she looked up at him, seeing that he had caught on to something in Spanish. "I've picked up a thing or two in Spanish along the way. I remember you always used to curse me out in it, so I thought I'd figure out a few of the things you used to yell at me. That's one of the things I figured out."
Gabriella bit her lip, wrapping her arms around Troy's neck. "Troy, you're so amazing! ¡Tu es tan perfecto! ¡Te quiero tanto!"
Pulling back, her eyes shined brightly as she pressed her lips against his, kissing him deeply. She never wanted to be apart from him again, and she knew if she never left him again, she never would be. She had been the one to leave him before, and she knew they would never break up again, because they were meant to be together.
"Make love to me," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to her.
She stepped back, taking his hand, wanting this to be right. She didn't want to make love to him on a couch, on the wall or even the floor. She wanted to make love to him in a bed. She lead him up the bed and he lifted her to set her on the bed. She smiled up at him, placing her hands on his face and pulling him down to her on the bed.
"¡En el último, mi rey!" It seemed like an eternity since they had been like this, even though she dreamed about this every night. "I've wanted you for so long. I can't believe how much I've missed you." She knew she'd missed him, but now that they was here like this, she didn't know exactly how much she needed him. "Te amo, T," she whispered, pulling him closer to her.
He slid his hands up her sides, leaning down closer to her. The material of her dress was still wet, clinging to her body. It made what he knew was underneath seem all that much more enticing. But it had been so long since he'd made love to her. She was a grown woman now, although somehow, he knew she'd be the same. His lips softly pressed against hers, holding her softly against his own body. He knew with ten years of anticipation working between them, he wouldn't be able to hold off long before he had to be inside her, but he was going to take as much time as possible. He was going to make her feel as good as he could.
He felt her hands at his shirt, pulling at it, and he let her pull it up over his head, helping her toss it aside. Smiling down at her, he slid his hands down her arms, turning his head to kiss one of her slender arms, spreading kisses to her shoulder. She closed her eyes, moaning softly.
"Si," she whispered, lifting her shoulder off the bed to his lips.
He let a soft breath of air go against her breast and it slid down under the material of her dress. A moan escaped her lips and he grunted slightly, sliding a hand under her, pulling her up against him.
"I need you, Lily. I need to feel you."
She looked up at him as he looked down into her dark, sensual eyes. "I'm yours, T. All yours. Per siempre. Make love to me."
He smiled, loving the sound of those words, pulling softly at the wet material of her dress down her body and off over her legs. Dropping it aside, he looked back down at her mostly naked body, taking each and every curve into his sights. She was beautiful. He was right. She was just like he had remembered her. But she was more womanly. He knew she would be though. She had to be. Ten years.
"Touch me," she whispered, beckoning him to touch her naked body.
Lowering one of his hands, he let it caress the side of her breast. She lifted her body up off the bed, whimpering a little.
"Don't tease me. Touch me."
His hand closed over her breast, his finger and thumb rubbing over the tiny bud of her nipple, causing Esperanza to moan out loudly. "Oh, Lily," he groaned, leaning down, taking the other in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the nipple before nipping at it with his teeth slightly.
"Siiiiii!" she moaned out, letting her fingers lace through his hair with one hand, the other gripping at his shoulder with the other.
"Yes, Lily!" he whispered, his tongue swirling around the nipple, his hand sliding down over her flat stomach, gripping at her panties, pulling at them.
He needed to feel himself inside her and soon. She helped him by kicking her panties off of her feet. Her hands moved to the band of his boxers, pushing them off of his hips. He helped her push them off of him as well, kicking them free of his legs. Their legs tangled together and she looked up at him as he laid against the length of her. She could feel his cock against her hip and it caused her breath to speed up.
"Please, T. Please."
He smiled, leaning forward, brushing his lips against hers softly. "You don't have to beg me, baby."
He slid his hand along the back of one of one of her thighs, wrapping it around his waist as he moved between her legs. "I love you, Lily," he told her, pulling her other leg up around his waist, slowly moving his cock against her pussy. It took everything Gabriella had to keep her eyes open as Troy let his cock slide between her pussy lips and move over her clit.
"Oh... Si!" She gripped at his shoulders, holding on tightly as he moved down slowly, but as he slowly slid inside of her, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly, wrapping his arms around her.
Gabriella wrapped her arms around him, keeping her legs wrapped around him as he moved in and out of her. She hadn't forgotten how he felt. It was amazing and perfect and … better than anything she'd ever felt in her entire life. Troy was her soul mate, and it wasn't sex that proved that to her, but it was that she still felt the love she had for him after ten years and that they could fall back into each others arms as if nothing happened. They still had so much to talk about, but they were happy to be in each others arms right now and that's all that mattered.
Troy's lips moved from Bri's, moving toward her ear. "Forever, Lily," he whispered there, pulling her closer to him.
She whispered back against his ear, "Por siempre, T. I'm yours forever."
He pushed more into her, his pace picking up, hearing her say those words. He knew she was his, but hearing her say it drove him harder. He loved her, more than he did ten years ago, more than he did when he had walked into the stupid reunion hours ago. He was more in love with her than he ever thought he would be. She was his and they both knew it.
Esperanza felt her walls start to tighten and she gripped harder onto Troy's biceps.
"T!" she gasped out, knowing it was coming hard and fast.
He nodded, looking down into her dark, passion-filled eyes. "Let it go, baby!"
He knew. He always knew. She remembered that about him. He could always tell when she was going to cum. How he knew, she never knew how he knew, but he knew. She held on tightly as the orgasm hit her, harder than her orgasms usually hit, even when she was touching herself, but she was with him again. And even as she was cumming, she felt him release into her, his hot cum shoot deep inside of her.
"O, si!" She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, letting her head fall back into the bed. "Oh, T! ¡Te amo por siempre!"
Troy fell down on top of her, unable to keep himself from collapsing down on top of her. They laid there, him pulsing inside her, her walls holding him tightly. She didn't want him to move for the world, not that he wanted to if a natural disaster was knocking at their door. They were happy and wouldn't move for anything. His head laid on her shoulder and he breathed her into him.
"You're amazing, Lily. I love you!"
She smiled, hugging his naked body to hers. "I'm never leaving you again. I swear it," she whispered the last part, keeping her arms tightly wrapped around the naked man laying on top of her.
He turned slightly, pulling his cock from her, and laying beside her, pulling her into his arms. "I know," he whispered, kissing the side of her neck. "I also know you wouldn't have left the way you did if you wouldn't have been hurting like you were."
Gabriella closed her eyes, curling into him. He had understood, even if he didn't seem to at the time, he had understood. "I'm sorry," she whispered into his bare chest.
He pulled her more against him, kissing the top of her head. "No more sorries. We both said a lot of words that day, but we were both immature and neither of us knew how to deal with what was dealt to us. But we're here now. Nothing is going to tear us apart again, right?"
She looked up at him. "Nada, Troy. You and me. No matter what. I promise you, I'm not running away again!"
He nodded, leaning forward, pressing his lips to hers, pulling the blankets up around them and settling them both against the pillows. "Now sleep. We'll talk on the way home tomorrow."
She laid her head back against his chest, biting her lip and closing her eyes. There was still so much left unsaid, so much she had to tell him. But he was right, they could talk tomorrow. Tonight, she was going to sleep peacefully in her soul mate's arms. She loved him and hoped when she told him ... everything they'd still be as happy as they were right now.