I don't know what to say. I also don't even know if he'll forgive me.

Honestly, if you really and truly look at this situation, it's fucked up. It is. I'm off with some guy while he's planning a surprise party for me. But at the same time, I was honest with him after the fact and he still walked away from me.

So maybe this isn't just about Ryan and going to brunch with him. Maybe it's him realizing that my world isn't for him. And that just sucks.

"Can I please just talk to you?"

"Why?"

Troy turned his back to me and headed towards the elevator. I've been sitting in this lobby for an hour just waiting for him.

I grabbed my purse and my phone from the table and ran after him. Well, not literally. I just walked until I caught up with him in the elevators. And when the doors opened and he entered, he looked back at me and the look on his face made me think it was okay for me to walk in, too. It was softened. But still, he didn't look that pleased to see me. And I get it.

Which is exactly why I'm here. To apologize. For everything. For embarrassing him. For being annoying.

We rode up in silence, but as soon as we stopped foot into the Smith's penthouse, he took off his jacket, and threw it on the couch before turning to me, "What do you want, Gabriella?"

"Too tell you I'm sorry," I tell him for what felt like the hundredth time now, "for everything. For ever going out with Ryan and for not trusting what we had."

"Look, the Smith's are my family, but I'm not like them. I didn't grow up like them. You did. We're different. We come from different worlds and we live in different worlds and that's not going to change."

It seemed like he lightened up a little bit, which was good. I mean, he was talking back to me. So. That's good. "But that's the thing. I'm not all that different. I'm crazy about you and I want this to work out because you're the first guy I think to ever just like me for... me."

He looked at me and it looked like he was about to smile, but he shook his head slightly and turned around to grab his from from his jacket pocket.

I'm not sure what I'm going to say or how it's all going to come out, but 'm trying here.

And I hope he sees that.

"Things were going great. Better than great," I start telling him as his back is still turned to me, "and here I am, expecting us to take it to the next level but then all of a sudden you're blowing me off, cutting things short, distancing yourself, not talking to me on the phone. What am I supposed to think? It was then that I agreed to grab brunch with Ryan, go out with him, whatever you want to call it. I was vulnerable and he was there giving me attention and he was just always that person I could fall back on. It's always been like that. But it was out of anger and frustration that I agreed to it and it's honestly no excuse but I just want you to see where I'm coming from. I don't want to be with him."

"I didn't know you needed a title," he turns around.

It honestly sounds a little bitchy, but I brush it off. I'm not gonna let him run me out until we either fix things or move on completely from everything.

I looked down at the ground for a minute and tried gathering my thoughts. "Ryan wasn't the ideal boyfriend. I know that now but I kept running back to him because it felt safe. Because he got it. He understood it. He was part of all of this. And if you were any other guy, I'd probably be back in his arms because that's what I do. I go back to him whenever a new guy comes along..."

He shook his head, "Gabriella, you don't understand. I can't compete with these guys... I'm not in line to take over my dad's company, I don't eat caviar and ride around in limo's all day."

"You don't need to!" I cut him off, "you don't. And I honestly thought you knew that. It's only been a month, but I'm crazy about you and I will never forgive myself if I walked away from you without a fight. You have no problem telling me you don't want to go to some fancy event. You could spend hours with me on the couch reading a good book. You make me feel like the only girl in the world. You make me laugh like no other. And most important, you broke the Ryan curse. As pathetic and stupid as it sounds, you're the first guy to ever not make me want to go back to that, to him. And I knew that, but I was being stupid and not thinking and I just... I'm sorry. Truly and honestly, sitting there, I realized that I only wanted to be with you and I left that brunch with full closure from him, thinking I was free of him and I could run into you arms and... be happy."

Troy put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground for a second before looking back up at me.

I don't think he was mad anymore.

Which makes my heart flutter. And my stomach get butterflies. I gotta keep this going a little longer. "You see me for who I am. And you're the first guy to ever do something as incredibly sweet as throwing a surprise party for me with a Great Gatsby theme because it's my favorite book. I'm SO crazy for ever thinking you didn't care, and that you were being distant because you're over me. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry I'm such an asshole, but it's hard for me to believe that someone as good as you wants me. The girl who can't keep a guy. The girl who is stubborn and..."

"The girl who's kind and smart and funny and would give someone the shirt off her back if they really needed it? Who's unbelievably beautiful and would rather have her head in some book than be at some fancy party?"

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. "What?"

He came closer to me. "You're crazy to think that some decent guy wouldn't want you because everyone wants you and that's why I acted the way I did. How you can just be taken away from me at any second. There are so many guys here who have everything, can get you into any place..."

"I don't even care about that! I don't."

"I know," he nods, "and I said everything out of anger. I didn't mean any of it. You are different. And you are special. And every minute we've spent together has been amazing and I don't want that to stop. I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner that this needed to be more stable."

"No, maybe I was asking for too much too soon, I just..."

Troy laughed and shook his head, "I'm in the same boat as you. I promise you. I just honestly thought it just transitioned naturally and you didn't need me to say it, bring it up..."

I looked up at him and smiled a bit before digging in my purse and pulling out my birthday invitation and holding it up. "You're the sweetest."

"Explains why I was being distant. I didn't want to spill the secret."

"Don't be mad at my grandma," I tell him, "I'll still be surprised, but I'm stubborn and she wanted me to talk to you sooner rather than later and I'm glad because I think this is moving froward, right?"

"Right," he moves closer to me, "of course it is. I'd be crazy to let you go. You're my girlfriend."

Girlfriend.

Ahhh, those words gave me chills.

I can't believe how incredibly lucky I am. Troy Bolton is the hottest, most kind-hearted, smartest, funniest guy I know. Seriously, what did I do to deserve this? "And you're my boyfriend and I'm crazy about you and only you."

He closed the gap between us with the sweetest of kisses. It was perfect. It was the start of something wonderful.

Something very wonderful.

And I could not be more excited about it.

It's been a couple of days since Troy and I made up, so I think it's safe to bring this up now.

At least I hope it is.

"Hey, can I talk to you about something?" I put my pencil down and turn to Troy slightly whose head is deep into his book, trying to figure out a problem, it's really cute actually. "or should I wait until after you're done?"

Troy looked up and shook his head immediately, "nah, I'm over it. I need a break," he put his pencil down and gave me a small smile, "what's up?"

Fuck. How do I bring this up without starting another fight? Do I just preface it with that, like, hey I don't want to start a fight, it's simply a question, but... no, huh? That's such an asshole thing to say and it probably WILL start a fight. But ugh, it's been on my mind and I NEED to know. And I know thins are good right now between us and we're boyfriend and girlfriend so it's not THAT big of an issue, but it's something that's been bothering me for a couple of weeks.

"I know we're good and everything, but who's Angela?" I take a deep breath, "is she, um, she's your ex girlfriend?"

Troy had a blank stare on his face and I couldn't tell what he was feeling, but then he nodded, looking down for a moment before looking back up at me, "yeah, she's an ex girlfriend. We dated for about a year, broke up a few weeks before I moved over here."

A FEW WEEKS? Fuck. Is he still into her, but won't do anything since it's long distance? I NEED TO KNOW THIS. I can't be the other girl.

At the same time, he shared more than I thought he would at first. So, um, maybe it's nothing and I'm being crazy? "Oh. Um did you guys break up because you were moving over here?"

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. "No, that wasn't the reason."

"Oh," is all I can say. I don't want to pry, really.

"She cheated on me," he said with a slight laugh, "said me moving was really hard on her and that she was trying to get over it, but it's total bullshit because I was willing to do long distance. It would have been hard, but I was willing to fly back and forth. To see her and my family that was staying behind."

Wow long distance. So he must have really loved her. "And now she wants you back? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have read that text, it was just there in the open."

He shook his head and shrugged, "no, it's okay. And I guess something like that, I don't know."

"Do you still have feelings for her?"

"It's kind of hard to have feelings for someone when you have such crazy feelings for someone else," he smiles at me.

And I couldn't help, but break into smile and a bit of laughter, "I'm serious, Troy. I want us to be one hundred percent honest with each other. You know all about Ryan. How it was. How I don't ever want to go back with him and now I want to know about you... why I'm your girlfriend and she's not, you know?"

He nodded and gave me a small smile, "no, yeah, yeah, that's absolutely fair. And we should definitely talk about it. But it's true. I have such crazy feelings for you that there's really no place for some other girl. And I'm serious."

"But you were willing to do long distance," I argue, "this girl must've been something special. Chicago to New York isn't an hour car right."

"Yeah, I was, but then that happened and I came here single, met you and fell for you," he tells me, scooting his chair closer to me, "I don't want to have to convince you that I only want to be with you. I just want you to feel it. But I'll tell you anyway, I only want to be with you. Not Angela. Or anyone else."

I feel it. I feel it one hundred percent. How could I not when his blue eyes are staring so adoringly into mine?

But I still have a couple more questions.

"When you were in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, did you guys meet up?" I ask, nervous about the answer, even though it doesn't really matter at this point anymore. I just really want to know if that's why he went. "I mean, I know I have no right to ask after what I did, but..."

"No," he interrupts me, "I didn't meet up with her in Chicago."

"You didn't?"

He shook his head and gave me a small smile before going on, "yes, she wanted to meet up and talk about everything that's happened. But I didn't. I had the closure I needed from her and I was moved on. I had you. I went to Chicago to visit family and that's it."

I felt relieved, even though I had no place to judge. I mean, I met up with my ex boyfriend WHILE he was in town. How stupid is that? But at the same time, him meeting up with her would have been different than Ryan and I meeting up, I think. I met with up with Ryan because it was normal. That's what always happens. And it's not an excuse, but whatever. And Troy, I think if he would have met up with her, it would have been because there was something there.

"I just wanted to know," I shrug, "not that it would make a different because we're past that, but I just wanted to see where your head was at."

"With you," is his simple answer that makes me smile like no other.

It's all so cheesy, but at the same time, it's not because I know it's true. I can feel it.

He leans in and gives me a kiss on the lips and then one on my forehead, which gets me every time. Kisses on the forehead are the most romantic thing in this world. I don't care what anyone else says. I feel like they mean more than a kiss on the lips sometimes. Ahhh, I love them.

"So, it's me and you," I say as I grab his hand and start playing with it, "let's forget everything that's happened, all the exes, the shadiness, the lying..."

He laughed. He was definitely being shady while planning my party. "I honestly don't know how you got me so wrapped up and it's only been a month, like, this has never happened to me before."

A month of dating. A month and a few weeks. And now we're boyfriend and girlfriend. Granted, we hung out for like a month before that, but still. We're finally official and my God, it feels so good knowing I have a boyfriend who cares for me. Who will be there for me, through the good and the bad.

And the fact that I learned that in a month, well, shows how much we like each other. I'm falling... fast.

And I don't think I plan on stopping anytime soon.