…

"Someone's about to meet the love of their life."

The psychic's words kept echoing through CeCe's head as she sat, shivering, on that bench in the middle of an ice storm. Every time she considered giving up and heading to school, where she would beg Rocky to come up with a cover story for her-not that she cared all that much if she got detention again-and go to class with a gloomier aura than usual, she heard those words again and became determined once again to stay put and meet her supposedly true love.

She wasn't completely stupid; she knew the psychic was most likely a fake, but she desperately wanted to believe that Madame Tiffany had been correct. What girl didn't want to meet the love of her life? It would be excellent closure after the breakup with James, who had completely slipped her mind throughout the entire fiasco.

It wasn't surprising, of course, since she wasn't the kind of person to stay focused on one thing for long.

"I wonder what he'll be like," murmured CeCe, rubbing her arms through her favorite red jacket. "Hopefully he won't be too smart because we've all seen how that relationship ended up like…but I don't want him to be stupid either because it'll feel like I'm dating myself…not that that would be a bad thing."

For some reason, Ty came to mind. She was immediately disgusted, remembering how repulsed she felt when she tried to kiss him at Georgia's wedding but couldn't go through with it.

And then she thought about it.

Ty was smart and clever, but he wasn't so above her academically. He was cool and laidback, something she definitely wanted in a guy. But he also knew how to be serious and helpful, even protective at times. She respected that, especially since those were all good qualities in a potential boyfriend. Not to mention, he was a wicked dancer and that was something CeCe appreciated more than anything else.

He was also good-looking, but not enough to make her feel jealous and insecure. But he was a player at times, wasn't he? She knew, deep down inside, that Ty would never flirt with other girls if he had a girlfriend and take the relationship to heart if he really meant it-especially if the girlfriend was his sister's best friend.

That was another reason why she couldn't possibly be with him. She had always looked at Ty like an older brother, which was a nice change from being the older sister of Flynn, and being his girlfriend seemed so wrong.

Plus, what would Rocky think? Personally, CeCe didn't think her best friend would complain too much since she herself had been in a relationship with the redhead's almost-stepbrother.

No way, it seemed way too absurd and cliché to date her best friend's brother. Plus, she was pretty sure that he and Tinka had a thing going on. Or was that old news? They didn't really speak to each other often…but CeCe thought they would be good for each other. Maybe she should play matchmaker?

"No, CeCe, think about your own love life before anyone else's," said the teenager, shaking her head just as she spotted some conman trying to sell a watch to a woman across the street. "Hm, why pay twenty bucks for that knockoff when she could get three of them for the same price from Deuce? Then again, his models are probably even faker than that man's."

Speaking of Deuce, he wouldn't be too bad to date.

Yeah, she would probably act disgusted but he wasn't really that awful. He was funny and smart, well, smart enough not to be caught for selling unsatisfactory products from other countries, and he was a great friend.

She remembered when she and Rocky had tried to initially help Dina get together with Deuce, and how Deuce had misunderstood and assumed that CeCe liked him that way. The redhead had felt humiliated and embarrassed, sputtering as she tried to tell him he was wrong and she had been trying to help Dina. And then she had been furious at him; what about her wasn't likeable? How dare he just brush her off like that!

Of course, she had eventually cooled down and realized that they were better off as friends. Plus, he was in a happy relationship with Dina. If CeCe was to actually develop feelings for him and chase after him, it would be a horrible love rectangle. She would have to convince Deuce that she was the right girl for him, somehow avoid Dina's fury while destroying their friendship, and then wonder how she could still be friends with Rocky since the brunette had a major crush on their mutual friend (not that she would ever admit it).

No, Deuce wasn't worth ruining her friendships…no guy was. Besides, he wasn't the kind of guy she was looking for.

"So…what kind of guy do I want?" CeCe asked herself as a cute boy with a dog walked by. She wondered if he was the love of her life, but didn't think too much about it as he continued to walk by without saying a word to her.

Definitely somebody on the same level as her academically. She didn't want anybody too smart like James; that had been a total snooze-fest and she would constantly feel even dumber than she was.

But she also didn't want somebody who didn't even know simple math, like what two plus two was. It would drive her off the deep end, having to be the smart one in a relationship. She wouldn't date somebody like that. For some reason, "the Complication" came to mind. Seriously, that guy was something else.

"Hm…I guess it would have to be somebody I know fairly well," added CeCe absently, ignoring how the cold was starting to seep in through her clothes like they were a flimsy excuse for a wall. "So…somebody with some common ground. That way we're not total strangers and have to start from the bottom."

That about crossed off half the guys off her list. Tom Felton and the members of One Direction wouldn't even know she existed, nevermind date her. Although, if somebody like that was to ask her out…she wouldn't say no.

"Let's see…physically, he would have to be pretty strong but not ripped like some freak of nature," she voiced out loud. "And he cannot be a redhead! That's my thing. Hm, maybe he could a brunette? No…brunettes remind me of all the guys I just crossed off of my list. So…a blonde would look the best since there's no way I would date a guy who dyes his hair bright green or something. It might totally clash with my hair!"

CeCe tapped her chin thoughtfully, not realizing she was putting way too much thought into the potential boyfriend that she may or may not meet.

"And he would definitely have to be a good dancer, or at least appreciate my love of dance," she continued, shivering again. "And he definitely has to understand the basic rules of fashion, like you can't wear socks with sandals in public or wear brown shoes with black socks. Or worse…plaid…" The redheaded teenager shuddered at the thought.

"Ugh, how horrifying," she exclaimed. "Most of the guys around here are so not cute, so it would have to be a foreign guy." She grinned. "And he definitely needs to have an accent that I can either adore or make fun of!" Then she frowned. "But he can't be too offended when I do make fun of him because that's who I am, to tease people and mock them for fun. So he needs to have a sense of humor too…and be cute, but not too cute."

CeCe sighed, leaning back on the bench with a frustrated expression. It was nearly noon and no guy had come by yet! She was getting tired…and really, really cold. She would probably catch a fever if she stayed out any longer.

"Okay, let's sum it up…the love of my life needs to be somebody I know, a blonde, smart but not too smart, funny, a good dancer, foreign so I can make fun of his accent, cute but not too cute…and I guess he would also have to be considerate and helpful. Ack, I feel like I already know this person!"

"Why are you talking to yourself?"

CeCe looked up and saw somebody standing in front of her, their face covered by the hood of their jacket.

"Oh…just thinking out loud," she muttered. She swore that she heard the stranger chuckle, as if thinking out loud was amusing. "Sorry, was I bothering you?"

"No, not really," said the stranger, making her realize that it was a male speaking to her. She sat up a bit straighter, hoping this was the guy. "So what were you thinking about?"

CeCe blushed. "Uh…nothing specific really."

"You look pretty young; shouldn't you be in school?" The stranger asked curiously.

"Nah; school got cancelled due to this freak ice storm," explained the redhead. "It actually turned out to be pretty convenient."

"So it's a snow day and you chose to sit out here in the cold?" He asked, clearly amused.

The teenager shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed. "It's a long story." She was cut off as another cold wave passed over her, making her shiver even more. "I guess it was pretty stupid of me, huh? I should go…but, hey, it was nice talking to you. What were you even doing in this weather?"

This time it was the stranger who shrugged. "I'm visiting someone…well, really, I just moved here."

"Oh, so what do you think of Chicago so far?" CeCe asked cheerfully. She was always ready to talk about how much she loved her home.

"It's nice," replied the stranger. "I moved here a while ago but got homesick so I went back for a few months. I decided to come back after realizing how much I missed it here."

"That's nice," said CeCe before standing. She checked her phone for the time and frowned when she realized it was half past noon. "I guess I should head home and eat something…" She looked up at the stranger and smiled. "Thanks for the talk." He nodded as he shook her hand.

"See you around," he said before going in the opposite direction. CeCe was confused when he began to laugh, disappearing into the little crowd that was on the streets.

"What was that about?" She asked herself before realizing something was in her hand. She unfolded her fist to see that it was a little patch of fabric cut in the shape of a heart. It looked so familiar to her.

"Where have I seen this before?" CeCe wondered as she walked home, wanting to know before the curiosity ate her alive. "I know I've seen this before!" She then spotted her best friend about to enter the apartment building. "Hey, Rocky!"

The brunette turned around, a confused expression on her features until she spotted her fellow dancer running up to her. "Oh, hey, CeCe; what's up?"

CeCe caught up to her, out of breath, and dragged her inside up to her apartment so that they could talk and be warm. "Okay, so I was waiting for the love of my life like the psychic said I would but nobody showed up for hours! I then thought about what kind of guy it would be. I thought of Ty, but that would be weird since he's your brother and I know he kind of has a thing for Tinka. Then I thought of Deuce but that would be horrible since I would have to deal with Dina and you since you both like him! And then I thought of all the qualities I would want in the perfect boyfriend and stuff…and anyways! And then this guy came up and we talked for a bit before I decided it was time to leave. He had his face hidden so I didn't know what he looked like and we didn't tell each other our names but he shook my hand and then I found this! Please tell me why this looks so familiar!"

Rocky peered at her curiously, listening to the redhead's tale intently. She bit back her reaction when she heard CeCe accuse her of liking Deuce. Not that it was a false accusation but still… "Alright, alright; calm down. What did he leave in your hand?"

CeCe thrusted her hand out, revealing the fabric heart. "This! What is it and why is it driving me insane?!"

The taller girl carefully took the fabric heart from her, examining it. "Uh, it kind of looks like that thing from Gunther's weird puppet when you asked him to the dance." CeCe snapped her fingers.

"That's why it looks so familiar!" She exclaimed, taking the heart back. "But why would this guy have a fabric heart like Gunther?"

"Maybe it was Gunther," suggested Rocky, nudging her friend. "I mean, you were supposed to meet the love of your life, right?" She laughed when the redhead made a face. "Aw, come on, CeCe; it's not that hard to believe, is it? Other than feeling guilty and humiliated by wearing that stupid dress, it wasn't too bad being his girlfriend, was it?" She watched the surprise form on her best friend's face. "Hey, you look cold; how long were you out there? Hours, you said? Sit here while I make you some hot chocolate."

CeCe collapsed on the couch, not really listening to the brunette as she thought about what her friend had said. As she thought about it, Gunther fit the description of her perfect boyfriend pretty well…was it a sign that he had handed her the fabric heart back then? Did he feel the same way?

"Oh, what does it matter?" She murmured to herself. "He's back in the old country anyways…" Then her eyes widened. "No, wait, the stranger-who is supposedly Gunther-said that he moved back!" A warm feeling overcame her just then and a smile crossed her lips. "Maybe I did meet the love of my life…" Somebody knocked on the door and she looked at it, ignoring how her heart skipped a beat.

"CeCe, can you get that?" Rocky asked as she stirred the hot water and the coco mix in the kitchen. The redhead nodded and made her way towards the door, nervously opening it.

To her surprise and delight, a certain blond stood in the doorway. "Long time no see, CeCe." His cheeks were pink, probably from the cold or from being near her, she didn't know.

Her cheeks felt warm as she smiled kindly at him, moving out of the way so he could enter the apartment. "Yeah…nice to see you, Gunther."

Neither of them noticed how Rocky slipped out the window like usual, purposely leaving two cups on the table as she watched the two teenagers fall back into their playful rhythm.

"At least somebody had a nice day," she remarked, deciding to tell CeCe about her unsuccessful business as a psychic another day. The brunette glanced at the blossoming couple one last time before making her way to her apartment, wistfully imagining that one day it would be her and Deuce in that position.

Until then, she would keep on holding on.

…

I don't know Shake It Up!

So…this was meant to be CeCe/Gunther, but I ended it with Rocky/Deuce. Why? I don't know.

Anyways, this was obviously inspired by "Psych it Up" with mentions of scenes from previous episodes.

Seeing as this is my first Shake It Up fanfiction, I would appreciate it if you told me what you thought. Don't hesitate to tell me about any mistakes you found either!

So…thanks for reading!