"So are you and Jordi gonna hook up or not?"

The comment rolled off of Maria's tongue so quick I almost didn't comprehend it, and I looked up to face the question. Her coffee-brown eyes were wide with curiosity, patiently awaiting my answer.

I shook my head, "Probably not, he's way too pushy. Plus I'm not that into him.."

"He's just asking to hang out you know, not like to marry you or anything."

I rolled my eyes, "What's the point of going on a sort-of date whenever I'm not into him like that? It's just gonna give him the wrong idea."

This time I saw something flash in her curious eyes, something that let me know she understood. "I guess you have a point," then she smiled, "So he's free?"

I laughed at my friend's asking for permission, knowing she didn't really have to ask. I nodded along in agreement, "Yes Maria, he's free."

"So are you going to tell me the theme of the Fall Recital or not?"

I announced, "I was going to tell everyone today during rehearsal."

She yipped in excitement, "Is it something cool?"

I rolled my eyes, laughing, "Of course it's something cool, and I've already started choreographing one of our sets."

"Can I try to guess?"

I shook my head, "No."

"Okay, then tell me."

I answered, "No."

She whimpered, "Oh c'mon Bree! I'm your bestfriend! You would if you loved me..."

I countered annoyingly, "You always have to ruin a good surprise."

She waved her hand, "I won't ruin it for everyone else, and I'll act equally excited when you tell them!"

I answered reluctantly, "Well since the recital's scheduled on Halloween night the theme is a "Night-mare to Remember", so the individual dances will have something to do with that. Our first number is girls only, we're dolls in a dollhouse. Our second and last number is a freak show."

Maria clapped, "Oh that sounds so exciting! What's the story line?"

I rolled my eyes, wishing she wouldn't pry out everything before I got a chance to tell the rest of the crew. I answered accordingly anyway, "Well the story is one person gets trapped in a bunch of different nightmares and that's what all the different acts are, different dreams. Get it?"

She nodded, "I got it, this is gonna be so exciting!"

I held my hands up, "The rest of the details will have to wait, so no more prying."

She smiled mischievously and nodded, "Fine."

Immediately my thoughts went to Drew as I thought about going to the gym this evening, and I was hoping she would be there. And if she wasn't you're not going to be disappointed...

I rolled my eyes at my internal thoughts, realizing it was wrong because if she wasn't I was in fact going to be disappointed. For some reason I looked forward to the feeling I got when I was around her even though it kind of scared me at the same time.

Then there was a snapping noise in my face, "Hello! Bree... what the hell? You just missed my entire rant on how my stupid Marketing professor gave us a pop quiz. I totally failed that shit."

I looked at her, realizing I had zoned out as I apologized, "Shit I'm sorry Maria, that sucks though."

She tilted her head, "What were you thinking about?"

I felt my cheeks blush at the attention, knowing I was a horrible liar, especially with Maria. She had a keen sense on when someone was dishonest, courtesy of her parents blessing her with a devious younger brother.

I shrugged, "Just the Recital..."

"Liar."

I took in a heavy breath and shook my head, "I'm really not thinking about anything specific, my minds just wandering. That's all."

"No, I know that look. You were thinking about someone."

The fact that she could literally read me like a book annoyed me but flattered me at the same time. I didn't call her my bestfriend for nothing, and I knew hiding it from her was useless. I just didn't want to bring it up because Drew and I really weren't anything, I just somehow found myself infatuated with the gorgeous blonde that worked at the gym, but telling Maria was inevitable.

I started, "There's this girl..."

"I knew it! Okay, continue..."

I laughed, "I've only spoken to her maybe like, three times but she's so gorgeous Maria..."

"What's her name? Does she go to school with us? Where'd you meet her-?"

"Maria," I interrupted her outburst of questions and smiled, "It's nothing serious, I was just answering your question."

"But now I'm interested!"

I realized I enjoyed talking about Drew with Maria, even if it was vague. I hadn't really been able to get my emotions out lately and Drew had been on my mind since I met her Monday afternoon at the gym. So I pegged this as an opportunity to actually talk about her, and luckily Maria was always so eager to hear that I actually found someone interesting considering it didn't happen often.

I answered her first question, "Her names Drew."

Maria smiled as she spoke, "Bree and Drew, Drew and Bree... K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Yea I think it sounds good."

I laughed at her teasing, feeling myself blush. If anyone walked around our table they would swear we were still in high school by the way Maria was acting about my secret crush that wasn't so secret anymore. I scolded lightly, "Maria stop! It's nothing serious, I told you that."

She stopped but kept a smile on her face, "Where'd you meet her?"

Oh you know, just last Friday when she demolished a girl's face. No big deal....

I remembered that night vividly but I couldn't reveal that, so I spoke about the afternoon I had actually met her at the gym. I smiled at how she had been so helpful yet so guarded and quiet at the same time. "The gym where we rehearse," I answered, "She works there."

Maria seemed to find this insanely important as she wiggled her eyebrows, "So this means I'm gonna get to see her today?"

I rolled my eyes, "Unfortunately." I spoke firmly, "Don't embarrass me."

"That's my job!"

I began finishing up my lunch as I pointed my fork at her, "Well I'm firing you from that job, so..."

She pestered, "Fine, I won't do anything stupid, but you better introduce us or else."

"Deal," I agreed willingly, suddenly looking forward to this evening where I would hopefully get another chance to talk to Drew.

~ ~ ~ ~

Walking towards the gym with Maria at my side caused my blood to rush to its surface. I was nervous to see Drew again but I was also looking forward to it. Not to mention I was also kind of hesitant to introduce Maria considering she had a history of embarrassing me around the people I actually liked. I just prayed she didn't do that today.

Opening the door to the gym I saw her sitting at the front desk, almost looking like she was waiting for me to show up. I felt my breathing hitch in my throat as my consistent steps seemed to stutter at the sight of her. Demarcus, the guy I had met Wednesday afternoon at the sushi restaurant, was sitting next to her looking down at his phone.

I heard Maria hiss next to me, squeezing my arm in the process, "Jesus, they're both gorgeous."

I hit her in her ribs as we walked up to the counter, a smile involuntarily creeping onto my lips. I spoke, "Hey."

"Hi," Drew's smooth voice filled my ears.

This caused Demarcus's brown eyes to look up, taking me in and then Maria. Drew just gave me her usual closed-mouth smile, her light eyes never once pulling away from me. I unfortunately pulled my gaze away and saw Demarcus's toothy smile spread across his smooth face. I could feel Maria nearly melt at the sight of him.

I wasted no time, "Maria, that's Demarcus, and this is Drew."

All three of them shook hands, exchanging hello's as Drew continued to eye me, "I talked to Kevin about the stereo problem, so he ended up installing a system yesterday for the studio."

Suddenly I was overwhelmingly excited at the sound of that.

She nodded, "I'll show you how to work it."

I fell into stride next to her, hearing Demarcus and Maria talking behind me. I wanted to talk to Drew but for some reason my words were failing me today and I was disappointed in myself. Drew seemed to be in a better mood today and here I was too shy to say anything back.

She unlocked the door and led me inside, along with the other two that seemed to be already exchanging numbers. I followed her up to the brand new system, taking notice how she walked so gracefully. Those khaki shorts showed off her toned legs, and as I peeled my eyes off of her legs I noticed in the wide-set mirror she had been watching me check her out the entire time.

I sucked in a breath, feeling the blood rush to my face. Oh. My. God.

She flashed me a cute smile and spoke, "Here's an AUX chord, there's a CD player on this side too. Just be sure to keep the music down to a minimum because this thing gets loud. The volume dial is right here and you can control the surround sound with these buttons."

I watched her hands the entire time, noticing hints of scarred tissue on both sets of her knuckles. Something inside me raged with memories of the other night but then she pulled her hands down and out of my sight.

Then she teased, "You're quiet."

The entirety of her body faced me, giving me full sight of our height difference. She wasn't towering over me but I still had to pull my eyes up just a bit to look at her. Her blonde hair was down today, which I liked a lot, and I noticed there wasn't much distance between us.

I went to answer her but Maria of course had to make a fool out of herself.

"Demarcus said you were single, Drew. Is that true?"

Me and Drew's moment was interrupted as I gritted my teeth in annoyance, realizing Maria must've been trying to piss me off. I half-expected Drew to get angry and start a fight by the way she carried herself, but instead she just nodded and continued looking between me and Maria, "Uh, well..."

I shoved Maria, "Go away..."

I heard Drew laugh slightly at Maria's childishness.

Something in my heart quivered as her light eyes locked right back onto me, and then Maria pried again, "Is Demarcus single?"

Drew smiled, answering her this time, "He is definitely single."

I looked past and realized he had disappeared, probably to get back to work so he and Drew didn't get in trouble. Maria pinched my arm playfully as she left Drew and I alone, walking over towards the door where she had dropped her dance bag.

I ran one hand through my dark brown hair, praying Drew wasn't offset by Maria's insane need to intrude on our conversation. Although I found myself actually curious as to if Drew was in fact single or not...

I shook my head, "I'm sorry... she's a bit, out there."

This time I saw her smile grow just a little bit as my heart raced, "I know your pain, Demarcus is just like that."

Then as I started getting comfortable under Drew's magnificent gaze people started walking into the studio, interrupting us once again. I tried not to get too disappointed that our moment had to come to an end because I had work to do but I found myself dissatisfied about it regardless.

She nodded, "I'll leave you to it."

Everything in me wanted to scream whenever I couldn't even muster up anything besides a smile, leaving me to watch her turn and disappear out the door. God she was just so intense, everything about her. The way her eyes never left mine, like she was afraid she would miss something if she tore her eyes away for just a second...

"Do I sense some sexual tension?"

I looked at Maria and rolled my eyes, "I hate you."

She smiled, "Hey, you weren't gonna ask. I was doing you a favor."

I decided to ignore her and continue on with practice, still annoyed at her intrusion earlier but figured she was just being Maria. It was time to push all that to the side though because we had a lot of work to do and only three hours to do it.

I ordered, "Ok, we'll stretch and then get to work."

~ ~ ~ ~

I slipped on my pair of sweats I had remembered to bring today and then picked up my bag and prepared to leave. Everyone was still packing up and getting ready to go home, and I had to make sure whoever was still here locked up behind us. I didn't want to get in trouble after everything I went through just to get this place.

Maria called, "Want a ride home?"

I shook my head, "Nah, I'm gonna catch the bus. Don't worry about me."

She waved, "See you tomorrow."

Everyone started to leave as I walked up to the mirror to fix my hair, seeing Jordi walk up looking casual as ever. A part of me grew annoyed simply because I knew exactly what he was going to ask but another part of me was just too exhausted to care.

I heard him ask as I turned away from the mirror to face him, "So, what are you doing after this?"

I answered tiredly, "Going home. It's 9:00 o'clock, Jordi."

"I was wondering if you'd want to go grab a bite? I'll pay."

I shook my head, "No that's fine, I had a late lunch so I'm not really hungry."

He shifted his weight onto his right leg and crossed his arms, "Okay, what about a movie tomorrow night?"

I sighed, "Look Jordi, I told you-"

"C'mon Bree, why won't you give me a chance?"

"Maybe because she's not interested," I heard a familiar voice come from the doorway, seeing Drew leaning against the doorframe casually. She stood up straight as I looked at her, silently sending her a thank-you as I saw Jordi back slightly away from me.

Jordi answered rather forcefully, "No offense but I don't think this is any of your business."

She walked forward, smiling sarcastically, "No offense but I need you to get the fuck out so I can lock up and go home."

The tone of her voice instantly reminded me of how intimidating she really could be, and now Jordi was aware of it too. I could tell he felt uneasy if not worse considering her attention was directed towards him. He didn't even tell me bye as he walked past Drew, causing her to walk closer to me. I felt my heart slam against my chest out of fear and envy, wondering how someone like Drew could look so sweet but could strike fear into the best of them.

She walked towards the system to make sure it was off then addressed me, "He's a real charmer."

I followed close to her as we walked out of the studio, "Thank you... I think your comment might keep him off my back for a while."

She turned around, coming face to face with me as smiled almost innocently, "My pleasure."

She walked me out of the front door, locking it behind her as she looked at me. I knew I should start walking towards the bus stop but for some reason leaving her just didn't feel right. She didn't move to leave either, which sent me mixed signals as I spoke, "Bye Drew."

"Can I give you a ride home?"

I felt something in my chest light on fire, sending a hot sensation running down my back and all over my skin. I felt the breathing hitch once more as I looked at her, "No, it's fine. The bus really isn't that bad..."

She shook her head, "It would give me some peace of mind if you let me."

Maybe it was the way she had that cute look of concern written on her pretty features but for a second I could see past her walls. She was asking permission to bring me home because she was worried about me, and telling her no seemed almost impossible right now.

I nodded, "Yea, sure."

I saw something in her expression, something that looked like complete relief as she nodded, "Thank you."

I walked next to her, feeling warmth radiate off of her. I followed her around the back of the gym and soon we were standing in front of a Yamaha bike, yes, a motorbike, like a goddamn motorcycle.

I looked at her uneasily, "Um, Drew..."

She smiled, looking at me, "It's not as bad as it looks."

I sort of protested, "Yea but..."

"You can trust me, Bree," her eyes watched me, a hopeful gleam shining through.

I smiled unwillingly at how she said my name, but it wasn't enough to distract me from the fact that I had agreed to ride home on this death trap. She pulled out a black helmet from her backpack; walking up to me and giving me a reassuring smile while gently pulling it on over my head. I took notice to the smell of shampoo, and for some reason I felt my blood start to rush. Whether it was from fear or excitement I had no idea but there was no backing out now as she climbed onto her bike, waiting for me to join.

I climbed on behind her, scooting closer as I timidly placed my hands onto her thighs. Being shy wasn't natural for me but it was different with Drew, like I was scared to do something wrong that might set her off.

I felt her hands gently grab mine, placing them on her waist as she ordered, "You might want to hold on tighter than that."

I clenched my jaw as I felt my hands start to clam up out of nervousness. I forced myself to wrap my arms tightly around her waist, feeling her firm stomach under my hands. Feeling her tense under me let me know I wasn't the only one that was nervous about the sudden closeness. I listened to her steady her breathing as I spoke as close to her ear as possible, "I live off of Columbus."

She revved her engine to life, chills running up my spine as I watched her hands grip the clutch of her bike. My chest was pressed firmly against her strong back, and being this close allowed me to realize she really was in shape. Images of her body flashed in my mind, her standing there in nothing but spandex and a sports-bra...

Get a grip Bree...

We took off down the street as the wind whipped around my borrowed helmet. I watched the city lights fly past me, giving me a sense of freedom I had never felt before. Drew's hands work the gas as she steered us through the traffic in a safe attempt to get me home.

Look at you, riding on the back of a bike with the girl Jada was probably going to demolish in a few weeks...

Even though Drew was the last person I should be associating with I still trusted her, even when I barely knew her. It very well could be because of the few times she had allowed herself to be protective over me, which was something I found extremely adorable. She was so hard and calloused on the outside but I knew her doing this wasn't something she did often for people. This let me know she wasn't a complete bitch she originally came off to be.

Soon we were approaching my street as I signaled to the apartment complex that was lit up, and she slowed her bike near the front entrance. I hopped off, blood still racing as I pulled off her helmet and placed it in her hands, "Thanks for the ride..."

She smiled, "Beats the bus, doesn't it?"

Her playfulness was contagious, and the way she smiled up at me made me want to kiss her. I pulled myself back into reality as I nodded, "Significantly better. It's more dangerous but, definitely more exciting."

This time she laughed and something in me melted, "Have a good weekend, Bree."

I nodded her off, a part of me silently wishing she didn't have to go, "You too, Drew."

Then she took off down the street, disappearing around the corner as I steadied my own breathing. Why did it have to be Drew, of all people? Why did Drew have to be involved with all of the bullshit my sister was also involved in?

And why was I missing her presence already?

~ ~ ~ ~

My Friday classes had been insignificant, and after Saturday evening rehearsal I had desperately tried to keep myself busy with school work. I had a few assignments due Monday now that October was underway and there was only four weeks till the Fall Recital. I was excited and busy, and all was looking good as I tried to stay ahead of myself. Although, even when I was keeping myself busy I still found my thoughts lingering on Thursday night when Drew had taken me home on her bike.

I remembered the smell of her helmet, how it had actually comforted me whenever she had pulled us out onto the city streets. I remembered how my arms had wrapped tightly around her as she would speed down the street, and how my head had been buried in her back. I literally remembered everything about the ride and I had no idea why.

It had been terrifying and electrifying all at the same time, but for some ungodly reason I was craving it again.

I knew riding home with Drew wasn't going to be a regular thing simply because she had initially brought me home out of worry. The Jordi incident had probably freaked her out and she had wanted some peace of mind, who was to say she would want to do the same Tuesday when it was time to go?

But if she offered me another ride I would gladly accept, even though riding on her bike nearly gave me a heart attack.

Then again it's not like I should be associating with her in the first place. I mean she was dangerous, not to mention the fact that her and Jada were kind of arch enemies since Jada's professional fate lied in beating Drew whenever they fought.

I still didn't know the exact date of the fight, but I was honestly already not looking forward to it.

I tried not to think any more on the subject as I finished up my Management Class assignment, placing it in my folder and looking around the apartment. Jada wasn't home and it was noon, I was stuck here with absolutely nothing else to do and I refused to start watching Netflix.

Spending the rest of my Sunday watching Gossip Girl just wasn't okay with me.

Then my phone rang out and I realized it was Maria. I answered, "Hey girl."

"Hey, are you home?"

I answered nervously, "Yea, why?"

"Um, because I think I just set us up on a double-date."

The sentence stopped me in my tracks as I answered, "What?"

She sucked in a tight breath, as if she was nervous for my reaction, "Well Demarcus just texted me to go have lunch with him at 12:30 and told me to bring you."

I groaned, "Maria, I look like shit!"

"Well open your door and let me fix you up, then!"

I rolled my eyes, "You're already here."

Her laugh echoed through my phone as I walked to the door, unlocking it and opening it, seeing my best friend standing there smiling timidly. She put her phone back in her purse, "Look, I saw the way you looked at Drew Thursday, and I know she's there with him. You need to get out more."

I crossed my arms, "I didn't even get a say in this."

"That's the point," she tugged on my arm and led me to my room, "Because you wouldn't have agreed."

She stopped at my closet and I spoke, "Why would you think I wouldn't agree?"

She eyed me, giving me a look that told me she knew me better than anyone in this city as she shuffled through my clothes. She spoke, "It's getting cooler outside, come pick something cute."

I walked up beside her, "Where exactly are we going for lunch?"

"Just some Italian restaurant down the street."

I settled on a pair of distressed jeans and a loose shirt that hung off of one shoulder. I quickly slipped on a pair of brown boots as I protested, "Maria I don't even have any make-up on! And my hair's a mess."

Forcing me to sit at my vanity I had in my room she calmed me down, "Bree, your hair is naturally pretty." She began brushing it out and allowing my natural waves to settle over my slim shoulders, calming my nerves as I thought about meeting up with Drew. I hadn't seen her since the ride home and a part of me was nervous to see her again. I wanted to know if she had thought about me all weekend like I had thought about her but I knew I would be too scared to find out.

She shoved my makeup towards me and spoke, "You have five minutes."

I took in a deep breath and began putting on my makeup while pestering my friend, "How do you even know Drew's going to be there?"

She smiled mischievously, "Well because it's actually kind of a surprise... for Drew. Me and Demarcus texted all weekend and Drew thinks she's having lunch with Demarcus, but doesn't know about me and you showing up."

I stopped putting on makeup, wondering if that was really a good idea. I mean, Drew didn't seem to be the one for surprises, and all of a sudden I was even more nervous than before. I looked at Maria, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Demarcus is Drew's best friend, Bree, he knows how she is and he insisted on this. Apparently it's been a long time since Drew's had any emotional contact with any kind of person."

I looked at her, confused, "Emotional contact? What the hell does that even mean?"

"Like emotional interest, I guess."

I shook my head, looking at her through the mirror on my vanity, "And what makes you think she's interested in me?"

"Seriously? Are you blind, Breanna?"

I finished up putting on mascara as I fixed my hair one last time, liking the way I looked enough to go out on the town. I faced Maria and realized that maybe she was seeing something that I wasn't because in my eyes I was the one infatuated with Drew. She always seemed so cool and collected around me, not a hot mess like I was when I was next to her.

She pulled me up as I grabbed my purse, realizing we only had ten minutes to get to wherever we were going. I answered, "She just seems so emotionless and calm all the time... Are you seeing something I'm not?"

She shoved me out the door as I locked it behind us, hurrying to get to the restaurant. Maria snorted, "Well no because I've only met her once but apparently she's mentioned you to Demarcus a few times since she's met you."

My heart fluttered in my chest as Maria flagged down a taxi, knowing we didn't have enough time to walk down Columbus Street. I climbed into the backseat and looked at her, "Do I look okay?"

Her wide grin spread across her face as she nodded, "Yea Bree, are you nervous?"

I groaned, "Of course I'm nervous, have you seen Drew? I mean goddamn..."

"Yea she's pretty intense."

You have no idea...

We halted the taxi driver and paid willingly; climbing out as Maria reassured me, "Don't sell yourself short, Bree. You can give Drew a run for her money, too."

I went silent as we stood outside a small but decent Italian restaurant, knowing that I should take Maria's advice into consideration. I shouldn't be intimidated, I took care of myself and Drew was just like any other person. Sure, she had her gorgeous stature and her intense quality, not to mention the fact that she could beat anyone's ass... Don't think about that right now, Bree.

Maria pulled me into the restaurant and I immediately saw Drew's back, instantly remembering the ride home Thursday. Demarcus was sitting in front her, his eyes flipped up towards the door and spotted us then. He waved us over as Maria spoke, "Don't be weird."

I laughed, "I'm not weird."

She looked at me, "You know what I mean, like don't be all shy and shit."

I pinched her, "Shut up Maria."

Within those few seconds I watched Drew's glance turn around to see who the hell Demarcus was waving at, and our eyes met. Just like every other time our gazes locked I felt my pulse quicken and the air catch in my throat, seeing a hint of shock on her face.

I quickly took in her appearance, seeing her long blonde hair down and cascading over her shoulders that were covered with her familiar leather jacket. She looked so casual and calm even though her expression worried me, already knowing we had obviously caught her off guard.

Maria quickly took the seat next to Demarcus, leaving me to sit right besides Drew. I heard Demarcus ask, "You don't mind me inviting Bree and Maria, do you?"

Drew's light eyes pulled off of me and locked on Demarcus as she shook her head, "No it's fine."

He mumbled with a smile on his face, "Figured you wouldn't."

I felt Drew stiffen next to me at Demarcus's comment but she remained silent, just like she always did. It was kind of cute how nervous she got when Demarcus made funny comments like that and she freaked out internally. I was just hoping she wouldn't clam up out of nervousness or this was going to be a long and awkward lunch if she was quiet.

But to my surprise I felt her look at me, "So how was your weekend?"

I shrugged, already nervous that her full attention was on me. I answered, "Pretty insignificant. We had rehearsal yesterday and the rest of my weekend was dedicated to school work."

I looked into her light eyes, her undivided attention plastered on me as I tried not to let her see how nervous I actually was. She smiled, "What year are you?"

For some reason I lost my words as I screamed inside my own head. Why are you so stupid around her Breanna! Answer her already!

"We're both on our last year, actually," I heard Maria chime in, allowing me to take a tiny breath of relief.

I heard Demarcus's deep voice, "You two are studying the same thing?"

She nodded, "Yea, majoring in Business Management, minoring in Dance."

I suddenly felt Drew's leg rest against mine under the table from the lack of space, and she didn't even move it to where we were no longer touching. I could feel the warmth of her on my own leg, sending chills up and all over my body. Maybe it was static from the cold, I thought, then decided to take a look at the menu as Demarcus and Maria fell into their own conversation.

I felt Drew move closer, "Their chicken parmesan is amazing."

Her voice never failed to grab my attention, no matter how soft she spoke. I looked at her, "Is it a lot of food?"

She gave me her closed-mouth smile that teased me, "Of course it is. This is an Italian restaurant."

I turned towards her, taking in her full appearance, "Would you want to split?"

She closed her menu and nodded, looking at me, "Yea that's fine with me."

The waitress came and took our orders, disappearing with our menus and back to the kitchen. I wanted to talk but Maria and Demarcus were obviously hitting it off and Drew of course seemed to be the quiet type. It wasn't awkward but I was growing angry at myself for not having the balls to start conversation.

Usually I was so good at small talk...

"So you've been rehearsing, for what exactly?"

Realizing that Drew was talking to me I quickly answered, "We have a fall recital coming up at the end of October."

She nodded, seeming to be interested, "How long have you been dancing?"

I felt flattered that she was asking me this, and I knew she was genuinely curious by the way her eyes never really left mine. She was facing me completely, her back against the wall as her hands fidgeted in her lap. She was nervous just like me, I could tell by reading her body language, and this helped me loosen up as I realized I wasn't the only one.

I smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear, "Since I was six, I believe. My parents say I used to dance around the house all day in my pink tutu. I still love it just as much."

Then her mouth opened, a wide smile spread across her face as I felt my heart throb against my chest. Her smile was beautiful, and I meant her real smile. It wasn't like her closed-mouth grin; it was so much more, like her giving you permission to see past her walls. I craved to see it every time it disappeared because it never lasted long enough, like your favorite song that always ended too soon.

She sipped on her water, pulling me out of my thoughts, "Do you still have it?"

I looked at her curiously, "Have what?"

"Your pink tutu."

I blushed, laughing as I realized she was joking with me about my childhood memory. I shook my head, "No I kind of outgrew it."

Her eyes burned into mine, giving me a look that made every cell in my body heat up. She looked as if she wanted to tell me something but something was refusing her mouth to let it out, so she fell silent again. I could feel myself loosening up around her then, growing more comfortable as I allowed myself to open up.

I asked, "What do you like to do?"

She sucked in a tiny breath, thinking about her next response, "Well, I like a lot of things."

Yea, including illegally fighting on the weekends...

I pushed that thought away as I rolled my eyes at her playfulness, "Okay, what do you like to do when you have free time?"

"I love to read, doesn't really matter what it is as long as it's interesting," her answer seemed genuine but I felt as if there were other things she probably could've said. She honestly didn't seem like the type to sit down with a good book, but who was I to judge and assume? Then again I had to remember there was most likely more to Drew than her fighting.

I nodded, "The only interesting things I read are posts on Tumblr."

She laughed, nodding, "I imagine you're pretty busy and don't have much time to read anyway."

I agreed internally and countered, "I'm more of a movie girl. I like the visual representation of something. Plus it's only about two hours and doesn't take me a month to finish."

"A good book wouldn't take you a month, promise," she smiled then, playing with her straw as the waitress arrived with our food. This unfortunately cut our conversations short as we all began digging in.

We hadn't bothered to ask for an extra plate so Drew and I had to scoot a little closer to each other to share. I could smell her familiar perfume as I felt our shoulders touch, sending little waves of excitement all throughout my body. My stomach would tighten as we would graze each other, and as all four of us exchanged small talk throughout lunch all I could really pat attention to was Drew.

It didn't take long for all of us to be too full to breathe, and our waitress walked up to provide us with our checks. Drew offered to pay for the meal since we both had split but I felt bad, knowing she actually worked for her money and I didn't. I had made a noise of protest but she refused to hear it, giving me that wicked smile that made me forget where the hell I was in the first place. So I allowed her to pay but had offered to at least leave the tip for the waitress.

We all walked out onto the streets of New York, hearing the city noise surround us as Maria looked at me. She spoke, "I should get going, I have a test to study for."

I honestly didn't want to part from Drew, at least not yet, but if Maria didn't want to go home alone...

"I'll bring you home," I heard Demarcus answer, signaling over to his bike.

I could literally hear her squeal inside her own head, knowing she would like the bike ride more than I had. She was always into the reckless type, and Demarcus was obviously right up her alley.

Drew leaned over and asked, "Would you like me to bring you home?"

Her voice echoed in my head as I contemplated another ride home on her bike. Maybe it was something you just had to get used to, like talking in front of a crowd or smoking cigarettes. Maybe another ride home from her wouldn't hurt, and it would be another great opportunity to spend just a little bit more time with her.

I nodded hesitantly, joining her on her bike as she handed me her black helmet. She smiled, "If this is gonna happen often I might need to get you your own helmet."

I could feel myself blush but I was grateful the helmet was covering it. I knew she couldn't see but could probably tell by the way I had refused to respond due to the wide smile spread across my face.

Uh, still such a nerd...

"Hold tight."

My arms tightened around her torso, feeling her muscles contract as she stiffened at my touch. I was hoping it was because she liked it and it made her nervous, and not something totally different. The last thing I wanted was to enjoy touching her only to have her absolutely hate it, which didn't really seem likely anyway.

My apartment wasn't far from the restaurant and I immediately regretted not offering to go somewhere else other than my house. I was going to be completely bored for the rest of the day and parting from Drew was something I found myself hating the more I had to do it.

As the wind whipped around us I hugged her tighter to me, feeling a sense of comfort against her back. Her warmth was something that I remembered at night when I was alone in my bed. I was glancing over her shoulder but all I could really focus on was how her blonde hair whipped around my helmet.

God why did she have to be so intimidating...

She pulled up in front of my apartment complex for the second time this week, allowing me to get off her bike and slip the helmet off of my head. I ran my hands through my hair as I smiled, "Thanks again, and for lunch..."

She smiled politely, slipping the helmet over her head but leaving the clear plastic cover over to where she could still speak. She looked so... badass. I felt my heart pound in my chest at the sight.

"Thank you for coming and keeping me company."

I felt myself blush under her stare as I watched her rev her bike, readying to leave. Then before I could watch her go I called, "Can I get your number?" I realized it sounded so unsophisticated and unsexy but I couldn't let her leave again without me getting it. I stammered a bit to relieve the awkwardness I had created, "Just uh, so I can tell you what color helmet I want if I decide before I see you."

I watched a wide smile spread over her face as I handed her my phone, watching her type in her number and name. I was internally proud of myself for finally getting her number, but texting or calling would be a whole other obstacle for me to overcome.

She handed me her phone and smiled, "The brighter the better."

I blushed as I responded, "I'll consider that."

She gave me one last smile before departing from me, leaving me alone on the streets of New York City. I could feel something in me, like my heart was smiling so big it was ready to burst out of my chest. I felt good¸ not only about Drew but how everything was looking up this last week.

I had finally fully choreographed an entire set for my crew, I had aced my Management test, and I had met someone that seemed to be occupying my mind almost 24/7.

I was just praying that the good luck and fortune didn't run out too soon considering I was just getting used to enjoying it.

**A/N***

Hey guys, I'm SUPER glad that you all are enjoying the new story, I'm really looking forward to sharing it with my readers! If you want to see more of Drew and Bree just stay tuned, and VOTE if you like it! Votes honestly let me know if this story is worth while or not!

Also, check out my friend GreyScalePallet's brand new GirlXGirl story "Whispers and Silent Motion". It's different and interesting and I promise that it'l have you wanting more by the end of the first chapter! Go check it out and let them know how you like the story with Votes and Comments!

Much love,

-Lauryn Brooks