Rebound

One Shot

"YOU KNEW, YOU KNEW I'VE WANTED IT FOR AGES BUT YOU'VE NEVER EVER CONSIDERED IT!" shouted Gabriella.

"I'M 23, I DON'T WANT TO SETTLE DOWN YET. I DON'T WANT TO BE COMMITED TO THE SAME PERSON FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!" bellowed Troy.

"So you don't see us forever?" asked Gabriella, tears leaking into her tone.

"I didn't say that," groaned Troy.

"Yeah, but you as good as implied it," she hissed, turning on her heel.

"Gabriella," said Troy. "I love you, you know I do but I don't see why a piece of paper should prove that."

"I don't want to be known as Gabriella Montez anymore, I want to be Gabriella Bolton," she said. "AND YOU'VE KNOWN THAT FOR AGES!" she added, walking out of the room.

"Gabriella," called Troy, going after her.

"You've made your choice Troy. You obviously see no future for us so there's no point continuing this," said Gabriella, her tone controlled but shaky.

He followed her voice to the bedroom and found her packing a bag.

"I'll be back for the rest in the morning," she said, before she walked out of their apartment and his life.

"Gabriella!" shouted Troy.

But his only answer was a resounding bang as the door slammed shut.

"He doesn't want to get married mum," she cried.

"Did you ask him?" asked her mother.

"No, I broached the subject. There was a wedding on TV and I said that'll be us one day and he said not likely," sobbed Gabriella.

"Oh mi hija it'll all work out," soothed her mother, as she cradled her baby in her arms.

Five months down the line, neither heart had moved on, but Troy was dating in order to stop his heart pining for his one true love. Celia was nice lady - blonde, green eyes and skinny. She looked good, she was fun to be around and had a great personality, but she couldn't replace Gabriella. And now, five months in, she was just finding out about Troy's ex. I mean she knew that when they had met Troy had just gotten out of a relationship. He'd even said, "I've just gotten out of a long relationship and I'm just looking for something light and causal."

But now Celia suspected that Troy was trying to use her to replace the hole in his heart.

"Troy," said Celia. "Troy, I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?" asked Troy, a light hearted grin on his face.

"Be with you. It's been five months and you're clearly not over Gabriella. I get that what you had with her was special - your first love, but you get that far away look in your eye and I know you're thinking of her. You were together for six years and feelings like those aren't going to go away overnight. I don't think it's going to go away at all," she explained.

"What are you talking about?" asked Troy confused. "I love you," he added.

"Don't make promises you can't keep because we both know your heart is pining for her- for Gabriella and you need to go and find her and fix what you had," she smiled. "I ain't nobody's rebound," she remarked.

"No Celia, I'm over Gabriella," stuttered Troy, but his head finally caught up with his heart. "I'm... I'm not over her."

"That's what I thought," smiled Celia. "So I'm gunna go but if you want to talk then you can call me. I hope you find her," she added, before she headed out of his life probably forever.

"Brie, it's Troy," Troy said into his phone. "Call me when you get this. I really need to talk to you."

Gabriella stared at her phone. She was finally starting to feel like she had finished with Troy and then the asshole had waltzed back into her life. She was going to go on date with a fellow co-worker - she had been about to say yes to his question when Troy phoned. She had let it go to voicemail but his voice had poured into her office. Her body had frozen, her eyes fixed on the phone. The whole office knew about Troy and Gabriella. So Mike, the co worker, had said, "Never mind, go and fix your relationship with Troy," and he had left.

Now Gabriella was just staring her phone and with a surge of confidence mixed with nerves, she had pressed call and the phone had started to dial.

When Troy picked up not even a second after she had dialled, she had to laugh.

"You're laughing at me," he muttered.

"I didn't expect you to be sat next to the phone," she giggled.

"We need to talk," whispered Troy.

"About what Troy? Because I'm pretty sure we got everything out in the open five months ago," said Gabriella in a sharp tone.

"I know, but please I just want you to hear me out just once, please. I've done a lot of thinking over the past two days. Someone told me I'm not over you and they're right," whispered Troy.

"Troy, I just got over you. I don't know if I could come and see you again and then leave," whispered Gabriella, a tear falling down her face.

"All I ask for is half an hour when you can, and after that, if you want, you never have to hear from me again, I promise," pleaded Troy.

"I'm going to regret this," muttered Gabriella to herself. "Fine half an hour I'll come to the flat when I've finished work," said Gabriella.

"I'll be there and I promise you won't regret it," whispered Troy, before he hung up.

Gabriella groaned and rubbed her temple as a head ache started to form. Ex boyfriends and paperwork, never a good combination.

Gabriella stood in front of the building she had once called home. Her bag was heavy with paperwork, her head pounding and her feet aching in her heels from the stupid decision she had made to walk the ten blocks to Troy's flat.

As she pressed the buzzer, she reminded herself that she had to keep her defences up she couldn't let Troy back into her life.

Minutes later she was walking into a low lit, candle lit apartment.

"Troy what's going on?" asked Gabriella, her arms folded defensively across her chest. "I agreed to talk. What are you doing?" she asked.

"Please just hear me out?" he pleaded.

She nodded.

"Five months ago I made a mistake. I shouldn't have let you walk out like you did. I should have fought for you. I should have challenged my fear. I love you Gabriella. I really do," he paused for breath, "and I do want to marry you, truly, I'm just scared of it turning out like my parents and losing you forever," he admitted before he turned away and sinking to the floor in the middle of the living room.

Gabriella slipped her bag off her shoulders, toed her heels off her feet and knelt next to him.

"We're not your parents Troy," Gabriella whispered. "We won't make their mistakes we'll make our own and we'll learn," she added. "I believe our love can last though anything, do you?"

"You still love me?" asked Troy.

"I never stopped," she whispered.

"Then can I ask you a question?" asked Troy.

Gabriella nodded and her eyes widened as Troy knelt up onto one knee.

"Gabriella I really do love you and I want to prove that to you by loving you for the rest of my life, until my last breath leaves my body. Gabriella Anne Montez I promise to love you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"

With tears running down her face, Gabriella nodded and knelt up so that she was the same height as Troy. Their lips met in celebration and moments later, Troy slipped the ring onto his now fiancée's finger.

"I guess happy ever afters do exist," whispered Gabriella.

"Ahmm," murmured Troy, before capturing her lips with his once more.

When Gabriella walked into the office the next morning, she had a smile on her face, weary eyes and a ring on her finger.

She had her prince and now, it was time to create her own fairytale ending.

The End

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Gabriella Somerfield