Hey, guys. First, thanks for the reviews, some of you have said some really nice things. Also, I know a lot of you are getting quite impatient with this story, i agree it is taking a while for them to get together but it's all good, I've planned it out, I know what I'm doing. Besides, it wouldn't be a story if they got together right away. Keep those reviews coming (I love really long ones aswell, they're my fave =)... no pressure). So I guess that's it... Oh and... enjoy the chapter. Bye guys. ox Tay.

For the people who have asked, yes the slanted text does mean a flashback.

"You like your new shoes?"

Gabriella smiles, turning her head towards the attractive man beside her. She nods her head looking down at the bag she was holding, containing a pair of the most beautiful shoes she had ever seen. As soon as she set her chocolate eyes on them, she wanted them. "They're so beautiful."

"After this, I'm going to get you that new purfume you've been wanting," Joshua grins, holding five shopping bags. Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Chanel, he had bought Gabriella the whole lot.

It had been one month since the both of them had started dating, and he had loved every single minute, or second shall we say, of his time with her. He loved to treat her, seeing that smile on her face made his heart soar. He knew how bad and quickly he was falling for her, but he couldn't help it, she was just so perfect.

"Josh, you really don't have to. I don't know what I've done to deserve all this," She says, holding up the bag of shoes, pointing at the many bags in his hands.

"What are you talking about? You deserve everything you want."

Gabriella furrows her brows as he scans the shop windows as they made their way past them all. He was losing his mind. Why else would he spend practically all his money on her? She really liked him, but she was still in love with Troy. The divorce settlement took place in one week, and she couldn't be anymore nervous. She was fighting against herself from going round to their-his apartment, shouting through the mail box that she was completely and utterly in love with him. But that wasn't fair on Josh or herself, she had to move on, at least she wasn't the single one, though she imagined Troy being round at a different girls house every night.

~*~

He could do this. He had to do this. Oh god, he couldn't do this. How could he push away the woman he loved? Why did he have to be so un-selfish and let her live her happy life without him?

How could he be so selfish? Gabriella glares, facing Troy from the otherside of the table, sending daggers with her eyes, though he refused to look at her. She takes a deep breath, turning away to focus on what her lawyer, David Simmons was whispering in her ear. This was it. The day of her divorce had finally arrived. Was she scared? Petrified. All she was thinking about was being alone without having Troy to come home to, making his dinner, sneaking a quick glance at him as he studied through the stacks of paper he would bring home with him. Yeah, she had Joshua now, but he wasn't Troy, no one was, other than Troy himself.

"Mr Bolton, you asked for a divorce to Gabriella Montez on the fifth of January, am I right?"

Troy lazily moves his hand from his chin with a nod of his head. He couldn't look at her, he just couldn't, if he did he'd have a breakdown. Was it possible to say she looked even more beautiful that day, the day of their divorce. Was she trying to kill him?

"Now... let's before the money, let's talk about the house."

Tom Jenkins, Troy's lawyer, had a grin plastered across his face at the sound of money, but frowned when the words left Troy's lips. "She can have it all."

Gabriella's eyes widened. All? He wanted her to live in their home? Er, his home. Her home-whatever-... he wanted her to have it. She could feel the butterflies in her stomache, her heart doing summersaults. Did this mean he cared? He was giving her this much.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tom whispered in Troy's ear, his tone clearly proved he was pissed off. Troy didn't listen, instead he lifted his hand infront of his face, signaling for him to stop.

"Yes, I want her to have it all, the house, the furniture, the T.V, everything."

Gabriella couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could have all of it? Why was he doing this? Where was he going to stay? She thought that they had planned that she would stay with Sharpay for a few weeks until she found her own place, and he would stay in-what used to be their-house.

"This is crazy," Gabriella whispers to David.

"No... this is brilliant. Come on, Gabriella, you get everything, he just said so."

"I know what he said. What he said was weird. What the hell is he thinking?"

David wafts his hand about infront of her face, shutting her up. He turns his attention to the others sat around the table opposite him and Gabriella. Gabriella let her curiosity get to her as she continued to stare at Troy, as if his eyes could answer all her questions, but when he gave her a quick glance, she saw nothing.

~*~

"Baby," Gabriella turns her head at the sound of her 'pet name'. "We need to talk."

Gabriella bites her lip, slowly turning around in her seat to face Joshua properly. Talk? Talk about what? Now that she was divorced, Joshua had been even more clingy to her, though she wasn't complaining, she felt that she needed the closeness. She felt loved again. "Oh yeah? What about?"

Joshua smiles, taking her one hand, pulling her away from the kitchen counter into the living room, pulling her down with him as he takes a seat on the couch. Gabriella didn't smile, didn't frown, but instead looked scared, worried, and confused. Joshua took her hand again, lightly stroking his thumb over her soft skin, giving her comfort, along with his smile.

"Gabriella," Her breathing becomes slightly laboured, and so holds it in a little to hear what he had to say. "This has been amazing, you have been amazing."

She bit even harder down onto her lip. Were these the words of his break-up line? She hoped not. She needed him. When with him she felt like she was at home with Troy. She knew it was wrong to close her eyes, whilst he holds her and imagine it was Troy and not actually himself, but she couldn't help it, and she felt happier that way. They had now been together for two months, it had been one month after hers and Troy's divorce was final. How was she coping? Not so good, but at least she had Joshua there with her the whole time. Was that over now?

"I think we should move in together."

Gabriella was prepared to let her tears fall down her face, but freezes when the unexpected words leave his mouth. Move in? Together? Was that not going to fast? Well... getting married after two years of dating was probably a little fast, but herself and Joshua had only been dating for two months. "You wanna move in with me?" Gabriella asks in a high voice, which just happens to make Joshua smile even more at her. Her eyebrows were scrunched up in confusion.

"Yes," Came his reply, his grin getting bigger and bigger. "I think it's perfect. I mean... we have really hit it off these past couple of months, I think we're great together. We've both been divorced, we both have a lot in common. Why not?"

"What so you think that because we've both been divorced means we have a lot in common?" Her voice didn't sound excited or thrilled, but furious instead. Joshua's smile drops, he slowly studies her face as silence filled the room.

"You don't think we have anything in common?"

Gabriella stares at him for a few seconds, which happened to feel like hours, to the pair of them. She lets out a loud sigh, looking down at their connected hands. "Of course I do. It's just... I think it's a little soon. Don't ya think?"

"No. Actually I don't. I mean you told me you got married after two years of dating that jackass."

"Hey!" Gabriella snaps at him, dropping his hand. "Troy is not a jackass. Also, we were friends before we started dating," She spits out before standing up, storming into the kitchen.

Before following her, Joshua sighs, getting to his feet. He makes his way up behind her, slithering his strong arms around her waist. Gabriella stood and stared out the kitchen window, her hands resting on each side of the counter top, before feeling two large arms wrap around her petite frame. At first she flinched at the-not yet used to-touch, but relaxes as she imagines Troy stood behind her. She was attracted to Joshua, why wouldn't she? He was gourgeous, had a great job (which he did not get stressed from), and to top it all up, he had similar experience in relationships as herself. It was just that... he wasn't the man she was in love with.

"I'm sorry," She whispers to him. She feels his nose nuzzle into her hair, it didn't feel right. The smell, the touch, the sound. So why did she say what she had just whispered again to him.

"What did you say?" Joshua asks, leaning back to see her face as she answered.

"You can move in with me."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was what he had wanted in weeks. Gabriella was his life now, and he planned on making her happy, no matter what it took. "Are you sure you don't want to move in with me?"

"No," Her answer came out a little harsher than she expected. "I've just gotten my house back, and I don't plan on getting rid."

"No, no, I understand, it's just... you and Troy lived there. Do you not think it would be a little weird?"

"No, not at all. Why do you?"

He shakes his head. If she wanted to live there, than that was where they were going to live. If she was happy, he was happy. He couldn't wait to wake up to her every morning, spoil her to breakfast in bed, staying up late on saturday nights.

What had she done? Why did she agree to live with him? Is that really what she wanted? It was better than a break-up, at least she wouldn't be alone. But being cooped up in that house living with another man that wasn't... him, it would be weird. It was just something she was going to have to get used to, getting used to the fact that her and Troy were never meant to be, their fairytale had come to an end.

~*~

"Hello?"

It had been three months since the divorce, since he had last seen Gabriella. Well, that wasn't entirely true, he had seen her here and there, only for a few seconds though. She looked happy, which didn't make him feel so good, obviously. Also, she was always with that... John, Jimmy, Jack... guy, whatever his name was... and that didn't make him feel good either. In fact, it made him

Troy scans the many papers, carelessly stacked on the kitchen counter. He turns at the oh so familar sound of his best girl friend, Sharpay. Putting down the few papers back onto the counter, he turns tp face Sharpay in the doorway. She looks around in disgust.

"Ugh. You live here now?

"What? What's arong with this place?" He asks, looking around at his bare kitchen.

"Nothing really. It's just..." She shrugs her petite shoulders, staring intently at him. "Not like your other home."

"I don't have another home," He says as he turns around to his the obvious hurt expression on his face.

Sharpay tilts her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at the back of his head. He was doing much, just staring at the many boxes he had yet to unpack. Silence filled the air in a awkward moment. "You love her."

His eyes widen as he quickly glances back at Sharpay. Oh know. Could she tell? Was it obvious. Did that mean everyone could tell? Even worse... Gabriella. He lets out a high, squeaky tone as he denies it. "I do not."

"Yes, you do. Okay, I know you do. Why else would you give her everything? I can answer that: You still love her."

Picking up a few cardboard boxes, Troy shakes his head, turning to leave the room. * You're wrong. I don't love her. I don't lover her, like her, or even hate anymore. I don't anything her."

Sharpay furrows her eyebrows as she watches him quickly dash out the room. She chews on her bottom lip, digging into her pocket for her cellphone. "Hey, Gabi, it's me... Yeah, can I talk to you?"

~*~

"You are crazy."

It was robably true. He didn't care. It was what he wanted.

"I don't care. I'm doing it."

Max Detamble stared at his best friend, Joshua Hargreaves, his best friend since Junior High. What was going through his best friends mind? Never in a million years did he think that Joshua even wanted such thing, but now he wanted it again. "You're really going through with this.?"

"Yep."

Max furrows his brows, watching Joshua's every move as he paces around the kitchen. An apron sitting on his stone chest, oven cloves covering his gorilla like hands. Altough, he couldn't help but find it amusing watching Joshua cooking a meal, and not microwave shit that seemed to be the only food they ate in college, no, a proper meal. "You're fucking crazy, man."

Joshua slams the oven door, quickly turning to face Max. "Why? Cause I know what I want?"

"Have you forgotten how it turned out the last time you made this sort of desicion?"

He didn't need to be reminded about the last time. Of course he knew how it ended, and yet... he still wanted to go on with this. "Yes. But that's not going to stop me. Gabriella isn't Angie."

"Gabriella," Max whispers, in a harsh tone. "Who is Gabriella anyway?"

"What are you talking about?"

Max swivels round in his seat from the bar stool, making his way over to where Joshua stood, leaning against the kitchen counter when he reached him. "You know... you've been going out for what? five months? if you know her so much tell me about her. What does she like? What doesn't she like?"

Joshua rolls his eyes. He takes off his oven gloves and places them next to Max, crossing his arms afterwards. "It's going to happen. I'm going to ask her."

~*~

Ugh. She wanted to leave. Why did Sharpay even ask to see her? all she was doing was going on about herself, 'surprise', 'surprise'. Gabriella takes a sip of her now cold coffee, sipping on it as loud as she could without disgusting the people sat around Sharpay and herself, but loud enough to drown out Sharpay's speech about her hair. They both sit in silence for a few minutes, until Sharpay speaks up once more, but not what Gabriella was expecting to hear.

"He still loves you."

Gabriella shows no expression in her face at all, she couldn't, shock had taken over. It wasn't true, it can't be true. Expression finally started to show, her eyes became wide, her bottom lip started to tremble, tears pricked her eyes. "Sharpay, that's an awful thing to say. Why would you say that?"

Sharpay looks at her in confusion. Gabriella was now crying, her glares were still clear though. Sharpay shakes her head, taking a deep breath as she thought about how this was going to be harder than she thought. "Gabriella. It's true. I've just been round to his place."

"Stop it," Gabriella picks up her jacket, making sure she doesn't look at Sharpay. The four words were haunting her. A part of her wanted to believe her, that part was the part that was still in love Troy, the other part didn't believe because yet again she loved Troy. She was heartbroken because Troy had ended it with her, if he still loved her, why go through with it? It just made no sense. And that's how she knew Sharpay was lying.

"Gabriella! Listen to me!"

It was too late. She had already left.

~*~

What was wrong with him? He looked nervous. The way his hand reached behind his neck, made Gabriella frown as his face transformed into Troy's. She had to stop this. Everytime they spoke, made love, she saw Troy's face, not Joshua's. Taking a long sip of the white wine that was contained in the long thin glass, Gabriella closes her eyes, trying to get the thought of Troy out her head. No luck.

"I-Is er..." He clears his throat. "Is the food okay?"

Gabriella opens her eyes, taking the glass away from her lips which turn into a bright smile. It was forced but she thinks she pulled it off. "It's looks stunning."

Joshua stares at her, as if waiting for her to continue with her answer. "And the taste?"

She bites her cheek. She didn't want to answer on that one. The chiken was like rubber, the pottatoes were like rocks, and she hated carrots. Troy would have known not to make her carrots. Damn it.

She decided not to answer but to offer him a genuine smile, she didn't want to lie too much tonight. It did look stunning though, she didn't lie about that. The music, the way the table was set out, the candles, ah the candles. The flames had memories flickering about it them. She looks away from the candles towards Joshua to find Troy sat at the end of the table again. She couldn't get over he lunch with Sharpay. No matter how impossible Sharpays little statement sounded to her, somewhere inside of her was a flicker of hope that it was true.

"I spent all day busting my ass to make this dinner," Joshua chuckles, taking a sip of his own drink. Gabriella doesn't say anything as she looks down at her plate. This was ridiculous. She couldn't let Troy get in the way of her life, she would live on miserably forever. She was happy with Joshua, she really was, it was just hard getting over... him. Should it take this long?

"Gabriella," Her dark eyes dart towards his again. "I've been thinking a lot lately. About you, me, us, our relationship."

Her eyes soften as Troy speaks to her. She couldn't believe it, he was so real, the night of their proposal was coming back to her. The words Joshua was saying were coming out of Troy's mouth, and Gabriella started to smile for the first time that day.

"I think it's time we take it to the next level. I mean I know we've just moved in together, but... what I feel for you is nothing compared to how I felt for my last wife. And I was torn when we broke up."

Her insides were twisting, swirling, her smile couldn't get any bigger. The sound of 'Right here waiting' was ringing in her ears, though to Joshua's ears was the sound of 'U2'. The flames from the candles lit up 'Troy's' face. Gabriella felt nineteen again. She began to cry in happiness.

"Gabriella, will you marry me?"

Her heart as soaring. She had gone back in time, just how she had wished. Troy and herself was nineteen again, sitting in their restaraunt, listening to their song. She may of gone back in time, but the answer to his question would never change.

"Yes."