AN: at first, i wanted to make it a casual relationship, but then feels happened. don't kill me, but if this couple ever happened, i would die of happiness. simply put, they will never put two girls or guys together, so yeah. wishful thinking.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shake it Up. (luckily)


the first time it happens, it's two nights before our parents' wedding day and she was helping me dance.

i find cece casually practicing for another dance number for the music show shake it up chicago. i originally asked her best friend rocky, and she tries to teach me how to dance, but that turns out to be a bust, so as an act to further acquaintance with the fiery, annoying, yet angelic soon to be sister of mine, i thought if i can learn how to dance by someone who's just as talented as her best friend.

"hey cece," i call out to her, and immediately, cece tenses before swiftly turning around to me. her usual brown eyes are ablaze with anger and embarrassment and her cheeks are red with fury. ignoring the urge to poke the bear, i sigh and continue before cece tries to open her snarky mouth of hers, "uh - can you help me?"

"what do you want, logan?" she sneers, while crossing her arms over her chest.

"well, the wedding's in two days, and i barely know how to ballroom dance," i reply, biting my lip nervously. "can you help me? no funny business, i swear. plus, it would be a good way for us to get along as siblings."

"i'd hate you even if you were my cousin," cece growls. "but whatever, if you insist. what happened to—"

"uh, she wasn't working out," i say truthfully; since that forced ty to drag me out of the studio, i thought that cece might be better, since kissing her would be just...wrong, speaking in a sense that it would be incestuous, and sickening. plus, her brother's only a child. "can we just get this over with?"

she rolls her eyes and turns on the boombox next to her, and the spanish guitar covers my ears - definitely not fitting for the ballroom. "sue me, i don't have ballroom music. plus, mom hates ballroom music, so the slow dance might not happen. a semi-slow dance will be replacing it. do you at least know where to put your hands?" cece asks, gesturing over to herself. i let out a shaky breath, and with great hesitation, i place my hand on her waist, and hold her other hand. she lazily places her free hand on my shoulder, and, almost fitting with the music, we start moving. there's no stopping, and she barely looks straight into my eyes as i look dead at her. surprisingly, this is more calmer than how i dealt with rocky.

and smoother.

i pull her closer, and we're millimeters away from our chests to be touching, and her breath hitches. however, we don't stop dancing, and we separate for a few brief seconds as i spin her; her shiny copper-tone hair flowing as she spins a couple of times. when she stops, she puts her hand on my shoulder again, and my hand is on her waist, touching the small of her back.

then she stares at me - "not bad, for an amateur."

i smirk stupidly, eloquently hiding the blush on my face. "ha ha. don't tease me." after a couple of steps, she glides away, and then spins one time closer to me, and i dip her slowly and back.

for a split second, i see a bit of anticipation flicker in her eyes, and then it's replaced with a fiery glint - whether from the studio lights or the dance, i don't really know - and her chest slowly heaves up and down against mine. "wow, is that part of the ballroom dance?"

"yeah, it kind of is—"

"no, i meant..." i stop, and even if i was the one initiating it, both of our lips meet. before i know it, her back collides with the studio vanity, and everything's a blur.

the second time it happens, it's in a ballroom closet, right before my 'honeymoon' with my now-single dad.

the wedding doesn't go so well, since georgia kissed her ex-husband before the wedding. rocky mistook it and suddenly, the secret i was hoping to keep a secret (since i was going to have a sister who i'm crazy attracted to; sue me, i'm guilty!) comes out in the open. well, better now than her finding out by some other source.

after the uneventful un-wedding, i stay back and now cece glares at me, throughout the reception. just because my dad did not get married, doesn't mean we're going to waste perfectly good cake! (it was chocolate, okay?) during the clichéd conga line, i pull her over to a secluded supply closet, and turn on the only source of light, which is brighter than expected.

"what's your problem? you've been glaring bullet shots at me all night!" i complain.

"oh, do you really want to know?" she inquires condescendingly, "oh, i just found out that you - kissed - my - best friend! i thought you...forget it! it was all just hopeless sloppy seconds to you, wasn't it?" she rages, and i just sigh. knowing cece, she won't stop so easily. "god, i can't believe you kissed my best friend!" she frazzles, glaring at me with the same fury she usually looks at me, and i have a fear it won't be replaced, ever. "is that the reason you came to me for a dance lesson?"

while cece emphasizes and lowers her voice on 'dance lesson', i start to remember that night - the one time we get along, and it was...(ruined or) improved, by her shouting my name across the studio. "i...it was an honest mistake, cece. it was way before we...you know..."

"i may be dyslexic, but i'm not stupid to know that part!" she snarls. "so, do you like her? is she better than me?"

"woah, i never said that, and i never danced with her like how we danced!" i argue back, earnestly. she calms down, but i can still see she's angry with me. "she was just teaching me ballroom, and it was just innocent pecks on the cheek. that, and ty half-forbade me from seeing her."

"was i your last resort?" she inquires, with a hint of jealousy and hurt in her tone. "did you just give up on everyone else and decide that since i'm your soon-to-be sister and someone you mortally hate that i'm the last person to teach you how to dance?"

"firstly, i don't hate you...anymore," i reply, and take hold of her fists that relaxes from my touch. "and you were never a last resort. the last resort, would be your little foreign friend."

she giggles slightly, "hey, tinka's my friend! who in a sense, shouldn't be because she insults me everyday, but...whatever. you insult me everyday and look how that turned out."

"but...you prefer it that way," i point out, almost answering her mental question.

"shut up," cece whispers, and grabs my shoulders closer to her, kissing me softly. just like the last time, only with hushed voices, i can barely contain myself though, as the blue makes her everything pop, and i'm just hoping that no one walks in on this.

the third time it happens, it's in her room, derived from passion.

i start to date her best friend, rocky, to hide the fact that we had something going on, and after seeing cece hurt (actually hurt - and it wasn't because i was dating rocky instead) i know that things would never be the same. cece'll hate me again, and i'll be alone, especially since rocky dumped me when i couldn't 'get along' with cece.

after taking off my uniform, i start looking for her around the school, hoping that maybe - just maybe - she stayed behind. i look everywhere, but unfortunately, she's nowhere to be found. i growl obscenities under my breath, and leave the school all the way to her apartment, power-walking all the way over there. i could have just took the train, but it's slow, and i'm not in the mood to get stares from other people while i ride patiently on the train.

my power-walk turns into a run the minute i see the familiar apartment building in front of me, and remembering which window her room is in, i climb swiftly with barely anything but the fire escape helping me up. when i see her sitting on her bed with her face in her hands, i open the window and she snaps up, looking straight at the window, her face covered in ruined makeup. "what do you want?" she croaks.

seeing her so affected by this situation almost breaks my heart. "look, i didn't—"

"save it, logan!" cece snaps, and a fresh set of tears fall from her face. "you yelled at me for a mistake i clearly didn't make on purpose! were you really acting, or did you get so mad at me that you went back to your old ways?"

"i - i didn't know at all," i stammer, feeling completely guilty about the issue. i ignored her feelings simply because i take my badminton seriously, and i barely understand why i missed the shot. now seeing her so hurt makes me regret every word.

"you didn't even let me talk!" cece yells. "you just stood there, and yelled at me with little regard to how i felt!"

i stand there, feeling more and more guilty now that she's explaining the issue. she tries to calm down, in fear that someone might overhear. i should have been more aware and listen to her, but of course, my seriousness of a sport gets in the way of the people i care about. "I get that you're mad at me..."

"mad? really, is that the word you should use? i'm infuriated!" cece half-shrieks, through her tears. "note to self, remind rocky later that she owes me a quarter."

"...but, i made the mistake of not listening to you. i'm sorry," i whisper, inching closer to her. "you know how serious i take my badminton." i cup her face, removing the makeup-stained tears from her cheeks. "however, i should have thought about your feelings, because i know how hurt you felt about me dating someone else."

"i was more hurt from that outburst, but we'll go with that too." cece swats my hands away and pushes me against the bed. my back collides with her soft bed, and before i gain time to catch my breath, cece gets on top of me, and her copper-tone hair covers some of her face. "by the way, those short shorts...never wear them ever again, unless it's in front of me."

"but i have to—" before i have time to finish, she kisses me harshly, and quickly, i kiss back with a moan.

the fourth time it happens, it's in my house, and she tells me she loves me.

after some mysterious chicago snow storm, and apparently her breakup with some guy, cece calls me for a night out. at first, i was skeptical because she was just dumped, but she insists that she wasn't really into him. i sigh and accept her invitation. it's the first time we would go on a date, and for the longest, i was hoping she would ask me or i would ask her if she wasn't so busy on her show or her best friend. or her 'boyfriend'.

cece takes me to see a very hilarious sequel to the movie grown-ups, even though she's pent-up on seeing the heat. i remind her that it was her idea to take me out, and since she's treating me, i want to see grown-ups 2, although the other movie isn't bad either. i saw the preview for it back when i went to see identity thief. we laugh constantly throughout the movie, and at one time, i just stare at her laughing. she stops, and looks at me briefly with a smile.

shockingly, i feel cece take my hand, and hold it tightly. i blush, and squeeze her hand back.

as the end credits roll in, she's still holding my hand, and she gets up while pulling me up. grabbing her purse, she pulls me towards the exit, and we're walking out of the theater, hand in hand.

"that was funny," she comments, while we walk slowly on the street, the tough chicago wind breezing through our hair. "i really enjoyed this date."

"it doesn't have to be over," i shrug, and cece just looks at me weirdly. "follow me." i take her the other way towards my house, but not exactly to my house just yet. there's a small ice cream shop right across from my house, and i know the owner's son since i was young. he can easily give us ice cream for free.

as we walk over there, i feel her shivering. i turn over to her, and letting go of my hand briefly, i take off my jacket and throw it over her shoulders. cece blushes slightly as she slips her arms inside the sleeves of my jacket. "thank you," cece says sweetly.

"you're very welcome."

reaching to the small ice cream shop, cece gives me a gleaming smile. "hey, i wanted to treat you for such a wonderful date." i softly kiss her forehead, and pulling over towards the front, i let her choose her flavor. i already know what i want (and so does the owner, and the employees)

"hey! how's it going?" the owner's son, alex, waves over to me with a smile. "and who's the special lady?" he points at her, while she points over to the different flavors. she looks over to me, and blushes deeply before eyeing the flavors again.

"she's a...friend." i don't even know what we are. at first, i thought it was a one-time thing or something casual before the wedding, but now it's a bit more serious since we both kind of like each other. well, for me, it's more than that. "she's still choosing, but you know what i want."

"yeah, i do, rocky road, anyone who hates it is a toad," he gives me a half-hearted smirk, and prepares a small cup for me.

"okay, i think i made my choice!" she announces, and points over to the double-chocolate flavor. "i had to choose between that and cake batter."

"you can always get both, it's on the house anyway," alex points out, with a wink towards my way.

"i'll get both then," she smiles genuinely, and after getting our cold dessert, we walk outside towards the shaded tables and take a seat. "i didn't know you knew the owner's son. that's pretty cool."

"yeah, we kind of grew up together," i explain, while digging into my slowly melting rocky road. "his father and my father know each other, and well...i've been getting free ice cream ever since we were young. i actually live right there," i point over to the small house right across from the shop, and she looks over to my shoulder.

"that's pretty cool...i wish i can get free pizza over at crusty's, but unfortunately, not even ty can get free pizza," she jokes lightly. i roll my eyes with a short smirk; i always liked her stories about her other friends. "at least it's discounted...by a quarter."

i snort lightly, and we continue eating.

after a few bites and a cold, sticky fight, we walk across the street and we enter my house, already sensing that the house is empty - my father doing god knows what. "bathroom's upstairs, on your left," i guide her, but cece takes my hand and pulls me upstairs into the small bathroom. instead of washing herself, she leans in and licks my lips, full of the double-chocolate cake batter she splattered over my face. "what - what are you doing?" i giggle, trying to refrain myself from moaning.

"i wasted good ice cream on you, so this is payback," cece replies huskily, and pins me against the bathroom wall. she kisses me hungrily, and i taste the chocolate and cake batter, as well as the butter popcorn from earlier. i release from her grip and lift her up, cece's stiletto heels scratching my clothed back. i turn us around, and her back is now against the chilly wall.

clothes are now scattered on the floor, and the white paint on the wall is lightly scratched and foggy - she barely gets time to check her nails before i sharply push myself into her repeatedly, but before i end, she whispers into my ear, and i can hear her clearly, despite the unintelligible screams that deafen my ears temporarily.

"i love you."

the fifth time it happens, it's in her living room, and it's interrupted by a surprising guest - mid kiss.

remembering exactly where the redhead's living room is, i climb up the stairs on the fire escape after jumping up to get the ladder. it wasn't exactly easy, but my upper body strength to get up made it a fair job. i watch her type rigorously into a word document - probably a school assignment or some sorts - and no one else is in the house. her little brother - who i last saw walking the opposite way - is now with his friends at crusty's, and her mom's at work, so she has the house to herself.

i open the window, and attempting her best friend's voice, i call out, "hey hey hey!"

cece turns around, and frowns before closing her computer. "don't tease me like that, logan." with that, she tries to walk away, but i grab her by the wrist, and pull her closer.

"unless you're dating some new guy, you haven't called or texted me since our first date," i remind her, and she releases from my grip to sit on the couch again. "i'm starting to get worried."

"look, i said something that night—"

"i know what you said," i interrupt her, and then stare at her warily. "are you avoiding me because you feel that i don't love you back, or you think i would leave you? or...now that you said it, things are turning weird?"

"d, all the above," cece replies. "before the ice storm, i went to see this fake psychic who told me that i would find the love of my life...but when i tried to find him, it was a stupid dog, yet the owner was a guy. he took me out on a date and...i couldn't stop thinking of you, and when we went on our date two weeks ago, you made me feel...loved." i blush furiously, and she rolls her eyes amusedly. "you never treated rocky like that, not even on your first date with her."

"yeah...i kind of went underboard for her, didn't i?" i inquire, with a nervous shrug.

"i really do love you," she confesses, with a stray tear falling onto her clothes.

with a deep, guttural sigh, i inch closer to her and hold her hands. "i love you too." with no other words, i kiss her softly, and i know i mean it. i know we wouldn't go any further than this, even if i (or she) want to, but if any of us do, then we wouldn't risk it in the living room.

cece lets go of my hands and wraps her arms around my shoulders, and i pull her closer to my chest, and none of us deepen the kiss.

however, we hear a very sharp gasp, and we pull away to look towards the window to see rocky looking at us with a surprised look. her facial expression changes to angry and slightly disgusted, like she just realized something. "how - what - someone better explain something to me, now!"

the both of us look at her and back at each other, for a few seconds, while she impatiently glares at us, sitting by the fire escape. "i don't have all day."

"it started—" i try to start, but cece interrupts me.

"since you two couldn't practice anymore, two days before our parents' wedding, he came to me and we started dancing... and then - uh - we—"

"we kissed," i finish. "and then we...violated the vanity."

"it's been like that ever since...but we started a real relationship just recently after the ice storm," cece explains further. well, it was only a few minutes ago, but whatever. "don't worry, i scrubbed the vanity up and down before anyone used it...oh, and uh—"

"so you cheated on me," rocky points over to me, and looks taken aback. "you son of a—"

"don't blame this all on him!" the fiery redhead shields my larger figure with outstretched hands. "we didn't do anything while you two were dating! the entire two weeks, that is."

"—bitch!" rocky sneers. "how can you date my ex, who was going to be your stepbrother? oh, and if your mom actually got married to his dad, how is...this, going to work out?"

"we wouldn't do it of course," i reply, like it was the stupidest question in the world. well, mostly because it was stupid. the first time we did it, it wasn't exactly fun thinking that the girl i lost my virginity to would be my sister in the next two days. we weren't blood, but it would still be awkward.

the fiery redhead stares at me for a small second. "i think you should leave..." cece whispers.

"but—"

"i'll talk to you later, okay?" cece reassures me.

"oh no she won't!" the angry girl seethes, and crosses her arms. "you need to make a choice...date the guy who you originally hated with every fiber of your being, or keep being my best friend."

"you can't make me choose!" she exclaims, tears already leaking her face. "you know i'm very indecisive, and i—"

"i'm leaving anyway," i give up, and she's watching me leave the apartment. i barely stay for the more arguing between them, but as soon as i reach the front of the apartment, my legs give out, and i'm sitting on the stairs, failing miserably to not start crying in the chicago midday.

the sixth time it happens, it's in my room, and it's the last time.

"i'm sorry, but i knew her longer than you and i don't want to destroy a decade of friendship away," cece explains, sitting on my desk chair. she has tears on her face, and it looks like she hasn't slept in days, which in retrospect, it was only yesterday. "i really hope you don't take this the wrong way logan, but..."

"i understand," i say dejectedly. "it's fine...if i had a friend and i had to choose between that best friend and my girlfriend, i would choose my best friend too." well, considering that my best friends wouldn't be as jealous as a girl..."i'm glad you told me though."

"just because it's over, it doesn't stop the fact that i still love you," she whispers. "i just wished she would've been more understanding, because you're everything to me. i don't want you to go away forever because i'll never find a guy like you."

"you probably would," i deny, holding back tears. "you'll find that special guy, cece...and he will be so much better than me, because you deserve it all." i walk over to her and wipe the tears from her cheeks, knowing it will be the last time forever. "you're a beautiful girl, and any guy will be lucky to date you...even if that guy was me."

cece reaches over and wipes the stubborn tears from my face. "you too. i'm just too lazy to repeat everything you just said, and replace every 'guy' with 'girl'."

i laugh softly, that barely sounds like a sob. "i really love you cecelia, so much."

"i love you too logan," she replies, and we share our last kiss.

and our last moment together.