And it's brought us here because you are the music in me

[hoopsandharmonies]

It would have been a massive understatement to say that he was scared out of his mind, not to mention confused.

Gabriella hadn't spoken to him in almost two months since their break-up, but now here she was in New York. She had flown across the country to New York, and he wasn't even sure who told her he was here but then again it wouldn't have been hard for her to figure it out. They knew each other too well. She would have eventually found him with Chad.

She wanted to talk. He didn't know why. All he knew was that he was excited and nervous and terrified and hopeful all at once and that if his truck broke down before he got to La Guardia he was going to throw a fit.

The 15 minute drive felt much, much shorter and it wasn't long before the truck pulled up to the curb of passenger loading. As he let it idle, he adjusted the hood of his UCB sweatshirt so that it covered his hair, peering out from under it to see if he could spot Gabriella.

This...he wasn't ready for this at all.

Comments

[singlevoice]

She spotted Troy as soon as she stepped out onto the curb and it was as if she couldn't breathe. Which was strange, because as far as Troy was capable of it, he really wasn't looking very well. But that just made her feel even worse and feel even more like running right over and hugging him. And taking that hood off, definitely taking the hood off.

But instead she walked over slowly, just waving when she thought he'd noticed her and hurrying up then.

"Hi."

[hoopsandharmonies]

'Act natural. It's just Gabriella. Everything's okay.' He had to give himself the pep talk before she got too close. He knew he looked less than perfect having just rolled out of Chad's bed a short time before, and the longer he looked at her the more he felt his breath getting caught in his throat.

She still looked perfect to him, still the same beautiful, sweet girl he'd fallen in love with and shit if that didn't hurt a lot to catch her eye.

But he smiled anyway, knowing it was better to try than to immediately worry her. He could do this. As she got closer he stepped out of the truck to walk to the passenger side. He wasn't even looking to see if she had luggage or not. He was only fixated on her as he opened the door for her.

"Hi."

Security guards were already starting to get annoyed he was still parked on the curb, but he lingered anyway, patiently waiting for her.

"I think they want us outta here."

[singlevoice]

"Looks like it." She really, really wanted to wrap her arms around him, but instead she just got into the car, putting the luggage that she indeed did bring on the backseat as she waited for Troy to get in and listened to the blood rushing in her ears. She should have thought this through more, it's not as if they could have any kind of talk while Troy was driving and neither of them could get away.

And there would have to be a talk to fix things. More than one, most likely.

[hoopsandharmonies]

He didn't immediately respond as he did what he could to help, making sure she was settled in the truck before shutting the door for her and slowly walking around to the driver's side. More than anything he wanted to just hold her and apologize. Fix things. Make everything normal again because now that she was here that pain that had begun to ebb away was back full-force.

He wasn't flustered exactly, but he knew that this was going to be the most awkward drive of his life. He hauled himself up into his truck again and put it in drive, pulling away from the curb.

"...who told you I was here, Gabriella?"

He didn't know where he was going, body on autopilot as he drove. At least it seemed to know where he was going even if his mind had completely shut down for the moment to reboot.

[singlevoice]

"I asked Ryan. He didn't want to tell me right away and he didn't think I'd do this." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and muttered, "I didn't think I'd do this."

She was staring at the street, because it was easier than looking at Troy. "Can we stop somewhere? I have to explain some things." Not that she entirely knew how to explain them. The next thing she said was a bit quieter and not that easy to get out. "And to apologize."

[hoopsandharmonies]

"I sort of thought so." The statement was directed at both of hers. Of course it was Ryan. Kelsi would have told him, Chad wouldn't have said anything at all, and they were the only ones who knew where he was. He couldn't fault the Evans boy too much but it was still a little alarming that this happened without warning.

But...she wanted to talk. Apologize. Those were the words he had longed to hear for months and he nodded as he turned down a different street.

"I think I know a place. It's sort of out of the way though...that okay?"

[singlevoice]

"That's okay." She didn't really have any room to not be okay with that or anything, after all. If Troy wanted to drive for a while, they'd be driving for a while, even if it felt as if she could barely breathe. She was silent then, just listening to the sounds of the car and knowing she was in trouble when she caught herself thinking that she had missed the truck.

[hoopsandharmonies]

Truth be told, the drive was almost excruciating as the truck merged back with the city traffic. He didn't want to start talking at all until they got to where he wanted to go, but the problem was that it was at least another fifteen minutes out.

They sat in silence as he drove, taking them toward the outer part of the city just beyond the crowded streets. He'd originally thought to take her back to campus, but there would be too many people around. Same with Times Square or the middle of Central Park. Maybe they could explore those places together later.

'If this is fixable.' His brain supplied, and he batted the thought away.

The truck finally slowed down in another park, abandoned and quite alone and as Troy parked he could see the city through the windshield. He left the engine on just to keep the heater on in the truck, but he did unbuckle his seatbelt as a sign that they were done moving.

"...so...this is New York, sort of." It was a really weak opening, but he was too curious about what she'd have to say.

[singlevoice]

"I've always wanted to see New York." She unbuckled her own seatbelt and turned to better look at him, reaching out after a moment to try and hold his hand.

"I was really confused, Troy. Nothing really seemed to make sense anymore and I thought being with you was part of that." She pressed her lips together as she tried to think of how she could best say this in a way that would make sense. "But then being without you made it worse."

[hoopsandharmonies]

He didn't try to pull away from her as she reached for his hand, allowing the grip to tighten for a moment despite the fact he couldn't look at her. It was just like Gabriella to jump right into the heart of the matter instead of girls like Sharpay who stalled continuously.

"What were you confused about?" That was the part he didn't understand.

[singlevoice]

"I was confused about..." She paused, running a hand through her hair as she tried to clear her mind. She was articulate, but right now that didn't seem to come so easily. "About life. My life. If I'm living it the way I should or if I'm missing something. I wanted to do things right. And you were so sure of everything. The future. Us. I felt alone with not knowing."

[hoopsandharmonies]

It was just like Kelsi had said. A small sense of guilt hit him in a wave as he listened to her talk, nodding slowly. He was so far ahead of everyone and had everything together that he never considered if that was really the best for everybody.

Troy was an exceptional boy but he still didn't see it. Apparently everyone else did though and he suddenly shifted to look at her.

"Hey...hey no." He lifted his free hand to cup her face, catching her eye again. "I didn't know...you didn't have to try to figure this out by yourself. I didn't know you weren't sure."

A small part of him knew that it was because he never asked. That was the problem with Troy. For as selfless as he could be, he could also be very self-centered in assuming his decisions would work for everyone else.

"Talk to me, Gabi. What do you think is wrong?"

[singlevoice]

"Right now, after all of this, I think the only thing that's really wrong is that we're not together." She was glad that he was finally looking at her, but at the same time it was so difficult to meet his eyes and it was even more difficult to keep from crying. She swallowed, blinking. "I'm sorry, Troy. I'm so sorry."

[hoopsandharmonies]

Normally he would immediately say 'it's okay.' Normally he would immediately kiss her to make it better, do everything in his power to prevent her from crying, but at that moment...he was a bit conflicted. Apologies were one thing, but there was still part of him that wondered what was stopping this from happening again. His thumb traced over her jaw and he didn't speak for a moment.

Without a warning he leaned forward, pressing his mouth against hers in a closed-lip kiss, barely lingering as he pulled back.

"...what's going to happen when you're unsure again?" His expression was a little too open, easily betraying the fact he was scared of the answer. "What about if you decide you want something else for the future?"

[singlevoice]

"I might be unsure about some things again," she answered honestly, even as her lips still tingled from the kiss, even as she wanted nothing more but to close the distance between them and kiss him again, kiss him properly, kiss him forever. But she owed it to him to answer this first, to take that fearful look away. "But I don't think I'll ever be unsure about you again."

She smiled, hesitantly, because it didn't quite reach her eyes. "You're kind of perfect for me, Wildcat."

[hoopsandharmonies]

Panic spiked as soon as she spoke, but it dissipated as she clarified further and he tilted his head a little. After being in a relationship with someone for so long and after spending so much time with someone, you learn to read their expressions. He didn't like the hesitancy of the situation despite loving the words he was hearing.

"...you know you don't have to try to be perfect for me." He remembered what else Kelsi had said. "I don't want you to feel like you have to change everything to fit what I think is perfect. You know that, right?"

[singlevoice]

"I know that. I know that now." She might be holding his hand a little too tight, though in the end of the day her hands probably really weren't even physically capable of hurting him just by holding. Which was good to know right now, very good. He was here, he was solid, he was strong and he didn't make her feel pressured anymore.

"I missed you so much."

[hoopsandharmonies]

He didn't even feel it, honestly. He didn't think she was holding too tight but he was conscious of not physically hurting her. The nice thing about how old the truck was was the fact that it was a bench seat, making it easier to slide closer to her. There were still a lot of things to discuss and a lot of things he was afraid of and even more things he didn't understand, but none of that mattered at the moment. Instead he just shifted to pull her closer, drawing her into his side so he could hug her properly and hold her for the time being.

It wasn't surprising how much he'd missed this, how much he had missed her. Even after two months apart every day felt like a new struggle to wake up and move on with his life. He knew it wasn't healthy at all but he didn't care. What mattered was the fact that Gabriella was here with him now and they could try to fix things.

"I missed you, too." He tilted his head down to kiss the top of her head, refusing to let go for the moment. "I--you flew here." That was still just as baffling, too.

[singlevoice]

"You have no room to talk, you drove all the way! In this thing!" But she wasn't actually exasperated, although she played at it, too happy and relieved and still nervous, because her nerves hadn't quite caught up with what was happening, not quite realized that maybe it was really all alright now. She closed her eyes at his kiss, leaning against him and deciding then and there that this had been a good choice, possibly the best choice she had made in weeks.

"I really didn't like being without you."

[hoopsandharmonies]

Despite the fact that he should have been rushing to his truck's defense, he laughed anyway and it sounded a little strange and hollow to his ears. It was an echoey sort of noise he wasn't used to hearing after a few months of genuinely being unhappy, but he did his best to calm his racing heart and just be the protector for both of them.

"Yeah, well, Neveda just seemed too close," he said casually as he leaned back into the seat and kept her close. He allowed his fingers to run through her hair as they sat in silence for a minute. He had a lot of things to talk about, to ask about, but he wasn't sure what to start with.

That statement. That was a good way to start.

"…I hated it." He usually didn't use the word hate, but there wasn't any other way to describe it. "I mean it, I was miserable without you. What were we thinking?" We. Not "you", because Troy had already accepted that this was a shared fault despite the fact that Gabriella had initially made the decision on her own. "I don't know if I could ever do this again, Gabi."

[singlevoice]

"I don't ever want to do this again," Gabriella said right away, before, slower, repeating, "Never. I'm sorry, Troy. I think I needed to do it, but not because you did anything wrong, just because I... I was all messed up." She pulled away at that so she could watch his face away, frowning as she reached up to try and push his hood back if he'd let her. "I love you."

[hoopsandharmonies]

He didn't resist, letting the hood give way and fall back onto his shoulder blades as he continued to watch her. He really needed a haircut and he looked like someone who'd been sleeping on the floor of his best friend's dorm for almost two months but it didn't matter. Gabriella was supposed to see him in his best and his worst moments and though she'd pulled away, he didn't follow immediately.

"You weren't messed up," he said firmly. "Things were just...really confusing, right? That's all it was. I just wish you'd talked to me." That was the crux of it, really. She'd made the decision without him and that was the part that stung. He moved forward again to press his lips to her forehead, lingering briefly.

"...I love you. Do you have any idea how much I love you?"