Chapter 9:

Last time:

I looked into the mirror one last time and left my hotel room. I got into an elevator and went to the lobby. Troy was waiting for me there. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and walked towards him with a smile on my face.

It's now or never.

Gabriella's POV

Troy spotted me and waved. To my surprise, I'm not nervous anymore when he's around me. I'm always comfortable when I was with Troy and I can always be myself. Even when we were arguing.

"Ready to go?" Troy asked.

"You bet!" I said.

"Well then, let's go Miss Montez."

"Okay Mr. Bolton."

The corner of my mouth twitched. He's just too cute. It's funny when I think about it. On the first few days in our vacation, I absolutely loathed him. But now, I really like him. We got into the cab. I couldn't hear where we were going because Troy told the driver quietly.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Wait and see," Troy said.

I crossed my arms and huffed. Troy chuckled. Fortunately, it wasn't a long ride. I didn't have to wait so long. I gaped at the sight when the driver stopped the car. Troy paid him and we got out. I was still gaping at the sight.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Troy exclaimed.

I giggled. He brought me to the carnival. I haven't been there in years. I guess he did pay attention when we were playing twenty questions. We walked into the entrance as he slipped his hand in mines. I pretended not to notice but my heart is beating rapidly. Troy sent me a reassuring smile and my heart calmed down a bit. The kids had their faces painted with tigers, princesses and almost everything you can think of on them. A lot of people were carrying huge stuffed animals that they won in games, there were balloons everywhere and you could hardly miss the scent of the food from almost every corner in the large area. We went to the game booths and played a lot of games. Troy won a lot of games and gave me a giant fluffy teddy bear as a gift. The sky stared to get darker.

"Aw…It's so cute! Thanks Troy!" I said.

I kissed his cheek and he blushed. I giggled.

"C'mon! You don't wanna miss all the fun do you? Race you to the Ferris wheel!" I said playfully.

We ran to the Ferris wheel. I was squealing as he chased me. I felt like we were back to kids again. Sometimes I wished we never had to grow up. I wish we could stay being kids with nothing to worry about. No college, no stress, and definitely no arranged marriage. But again, if this never happened, I would have never discovered this part of Troy. We hopped on to a cart sat down. Unfortunately, I forgot my fear of heights. I was shaking as we went up. I shut my eyes and felt Troy slip his hand into mine.

"Don't be afraid. Open your eyes or you'll miss the wonderful view," I heard him say.

I slowly opened my eyes and gasped. He was right. It was beautiful up there. The view was amazing. You could see the whole carnival up here and the sunset. I turned to him and smiled.

"You're right. It's beautiful up here," I breathed.

Troy didn't reply but he smiled. I didn't notice how close we were as he started to lean in. Before I knew anything, our lips touched.

A cliffhanger! Hope you liked this chapter. It wasn't how I planned it but that's how it went out. I hope you still enjoyed it. Especially since I added a kiss;)

A shoutout to nessa as I promised in my last chapter as she answered my question correctly.

Trivia:

Who interuppted Troy and Gabriella as they were about to kiss in HSM 1?

Shoutouts to whoever is right!