*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much and thank-you to those that have followed and favortied this story."

The scenery around me changes from the rundown and abandoned houses of my neighborhood and soon turn into luxurious looking houses. The further we go from my house the bigger and more luxurious the houses become. My blue eyes grow bigger as the cab driver turns into a curved driveway made of stone in front of one of the largest houses I've ever seen. "This is a nice house," says the cabbie.

"I know," I say in awe as I gape at the large house in front of me. I could never imagine living in such a big house. I pull the money out of my pocket and pay the cabbie before I get out of the car still taken back by the luxury of the house it's not even a house it's a mansion. I make my way to the front door with my bag over my shoulder and before I can knock on the door it opens.

"Dean," says Anastasia as she greets me at the door. I smile at her as she smiles back at me. My eyes take a long hard look at her as she stands in the doorway. She's beautiful. Her long dark hair is pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head, she's wearing black and pink flannel shorts with a pink cami. I have to admit she's in really good shape. "Come in," she says, "It's cold out there."

"Thank-you," I say as I step into the front door of her house. "You live here?" I ask as I take in the foyer of the house. It's bigger than my entire living room.

"Yes," she says with a smile as she shuts the door. "I'd give you a tour but it's late and I don't' want my dad to know you are here. You can stay in my room," she says, "follow me."

"Okay," I say as I take my hat off and follow behind her to the spiral staircase before we make our way upstairs. She leads me down the white carpeted hallway with pictures of what I assume to be her family members on the wall to a room at the end of the hall. She opens the door and directs me inside. A smile comes across my face as we enter a pink bedroom with the walls covered in dance pictures from magazines, quotes about dancing and being you. She has a bigger bed than I have ever seen in my life with pink blankets on it. Her desk is neatly organized, there is a shelf filled with dance trophies. "This is your room?" I ask.

"Yes," she says as she shuts the door. "This is my room."

"It's nice. I am pretty sure it's bigger than my living room and kitchen combined."

"I don't know," she says with a smile before she frowns. "What happened to your face?" she asks.

"I just got into a fight with my mom's boyfriend or whatever he is. It's no big deal," I say.

"Your eye is bruising of course it's a big deal," she says. "Do you want me to get you some ice for your eye?"

"No I'm good," I say. "Do you have a bathroom that I can clean myself up in?"

"Yes," she says, "It's right over there make yourself at home. I'm going to get you some ice anyway. I'll be right back."

"You don't' have to do that," I say.

"All right fine," she says, "you know what I like to do late at night?"

"What?" I ask as I take my jacket off.

"I like to eat ice-cream. Would you like to have a bowl of ice-cream with me and talk about what happened tonight?"

"I guess," I say as I shrug my shoulders.

"Okay," she says with a smile. "There's no better medicine than ice-cream. We have chocolate, strawberry and vanilla what would you like?"

"Chocolate," I say.

"I love chocolate," she says with a smile. "I'll be right back. The bathroom is right in there. Clean yourself up and I'll be back soon."

"Okay," I say with a smile before I walk into the bathroom to clean myself up. I splash water on my face and take notice to my black and blue eye. It looks bad but it's not like I haven't had a black and blue eye before. I lift up my shirt and expose the bruising on my ribs. It looks bad with all the red and purple marks forming but I can handle it. I flinch as I touch my ribs I may have a few broken ones but I'll be all right. I make my way out into Ana's bedroom again and while she's not back I look around at the pictures on the wall. My attention is drawn to a poster board with a collage of pictures of Ana and her friends, some of her with her brother and sister I assume and one with her dad. Then there are tons of pictures of her doing her ballet thing. I am impressed. She looks so happy and carefree in her pictures especially that ballet ones. I make my way over to look at her dance trophies and look at all the awards she's won for dance competitions. She eats, sleeps and breathes dance.

"And I have the ice-cream," she says with a smile as she comes into the room pulling my attention away from her trophies and awards.

"Thanks," I say with a smile as she hands me a bowl of chocolate ice-cream. "You have a lot of trophies. How many championships have you won?"

"A lot," she says, "I've been competing in dance since I was 5 years old. I just started racking up the wins then. I was the reigning national champion last year but this year I took 2nd," she says. "I love it though."

"I can tell," I say as we walk over to her poster board collage. "You look so happy doing it."

"It makes me happy," she says with a smile as she takes a spoonful of ice-cream and eats it.

"That's you," I point to a picture of a girl in a split leap.

"Yes," she says.

"Damn," I say. "Your leg muscles are much more impressive than mine. I'm kind of embarrassed but that's a nice jump."

"Thank-you," she says as she blushes. "So do you want to talk?"

"I guess," I say as we make our way over to her bed and take a seat on it to eat our ice-cream and talk.

"So what happened tonight?"

"I don't know if you're ready to handle my family baggage."

"I can handle anything," she says with a smile. "We have our own baggage around here so what happened?"

"It's simple my mom's man friend was beating her up so I stepped in and helped her out. I got into a fight with him to protect my mom."

"That's sweet of you," she says with a soft smile. "You really do love your mom don't you?"

"More than anyone will ever know," I say with a smile. "As far as family goes she's all that I have. She had me when she was 16 years old and my dad left when I was three. It has only been us two. We only really have each other and I told you she's not well, Anastasia. She's a wonderful woman but mentally," I say debating if I want to tell Anastasia the truth. "But mentally she's not where she should be for being 33. She has the mentality of someone around the age of 20 pretty much and she's dependent. She is also bi-polar. It's tough and she doesn't really have anyone to take care of her but me. I'm going to feel bad when I leave this town and leave her behind but I have to get out of here."

"Wow," she says giving me a look of pity. "I'm glad she has you. You seem like a great son. Any mom would be lucky to have you and the fact you stood up for her tonight, Dean, means a lot. You're a good person. I know what Shawn and my friends say about you but they don't know you like I do. You're a good person. You're just misunderstood."

"I kind of give off the vibe that I'm an asshole," I say.

"True but I know better," she says with a smile. "So what happened to the guy?"

"He took off I'm sure he'll be back again. I had to get out of there. She feels she deserves this type of beating or something but she doesn't. She started talking about how the streets are my calling and that's where I'll always be but I want more than that you know?"

"I'm sure," she says. "I think we all want more than what we are stuck with in life."

"What would you know about wanting more? You have everything you could possibly want. Look at this house."

"It's not about the money or the house, Dean. It's about me being happy. I'm not happy. That's why I want to get out of here so badly. I told my dad about the ballet audition."

"What did he say?"

"No," I say, "He told me to give up on this ballet thing but I don't want to give it up you know. It's like he's laid out my life plan and didn't give me a chance. He says I'm destined to take over the family business it's like"

"He knows what's better for you than you do," I say finishing her sentence. "I know my mom is the same way. Why do they have to push us to go somewhere we don't want to be?"

"I don't know but I'm doing this ballet audition. I can't not do it and regret it the rest of my life."

"I hear you," I say as I eat my ice-cream.

"What do you have planned for your life? Do you have any idea what you want to do with your life after you leave this town?"

"I don't know," I say. "But I do know there has to be something bigger and better out there for me other than these streets. I don't think I want to live my life like this."

"I hear you," she says as we continue to eat our ice-cream occasionally talking to one another.

When we finish our ice-cream she takes our bowls down to the kitchen while I change into a pair of shorts to sleep in. I put my jacket and bag inside her closet like she asked me to do before I brush my teeth. She doesn't want her dad to know that I am here or know that I'm in the house so she wants me to hide my stuff in her closet so he doesn't find it. I sit down on her bed and wait for her to return. She smiles at me as she comes into the room and locks the door after she shuts it. She walks over to the bed and starts to pull the covers away as I stand up. "Would you like me to sleep on the floor or in the closet?" I ask

She laughs and says, "no."

"What?" I ask.

"You're going to sleep in my bed with me," she says.

"Um I don't know," I say. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's fine," she says as she climbs into bed. "Come on, Dean."

"All right," I say nervously. I never sleep with girls unless we have sex first and I can't deny it anymore but Anastasia is beautiful and her body is amazing. I don't know if I will be able to control myself sleeping in the same bed with her. I make my way over to the bed and climb in next to her before she covers us up with the covers. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask. "I don't want anything to you know."

"You don't want us to have sex?" she asks.

"Not unless you want to," I say, "do you want to?"

Her face turns a light shade of pink and she says, "No, Dean. There is nothing wrong with a guy and a girl sleeping in the same bed. It's not a big deal."

"So you don't want to have sex with me?" I ask relaxing because it is way too soon for all of that and besides last time I checked we were just friends but the more time I spend with her the more I want to change that but what would she ever see in me.

"No, Dean," she says, "I'm a virgin."

"Really?" I ask. "You and Shawn never?"

"Never," she says with a shrug. "Just didn't think it was right," she says, "besides I'm not risking anything not with this ballet audition coming up. I know you can take all the precautions but I always had this fear of having sex and the condom breaking and getting pregnant. I can't risk a pregnancy for years."

"Okay," I say with a smile.

"What?" she asks. "I don't think it's funny."

"Nothing," I say, "it's just you're so open and honest with me I like it."

"Yeah I know I trust you," she says with a smile.

"Good," I say, "because I trust you more than anyone."

"Good to know," she says with a smile as she touches my eye with her soft hand. "Your eye looks really bad."

"I know," I say. "It's going to be a nasty bruise."

"Yeah it is," she says as she moves closer to me and I inch back.

"So this ballet thing that you do how many times a week do you do it?"

"Almost every day about 3-4 hours each day. I train hard for ballet. I love it. My favorite is making up my own ballet dances. I love to do pointe but my absolute favorite is lyrical contemporary. I love telling a story through my dances. One day I want to write my own story, make my own music, choreograph my own moves and then perform in front of millions of people. I love telling the stories of the songs in my dances."

"I bet you're wonderful at it," I say with a smile. "I mean with all those trophies and awards. Also you're very flexible. I don't think I could ever bend my body or stretch my leg like you do. You look like you just bend in half."

"I pretty much do," she says with a smile.

"I still want to see you dance," I say. "I mean dancing isn't really my thing but I really want to see you perform."

"Someday you can," she says with a smile. "I have a recital in May and I'm sure you'll see me practicing soon for my audition."

"Cool," I say with a smile. I've never really been the one to want to see a ballet but if I can see Anastasia out there giving her all and doing something she loves then I might be willing to make an exception. I don't' know what it is about her but there's just something I am attracted to I don't know if it's her heart or if it's her dedication maybe her intelligence or her beauty either way she is the full package and I want to make my move but knowing she just broke up with Shawn I don't know if it's too soon. I don't even know how she feels about me.

"What about you? There has to be something that you love to do. Is there anything that you love?"

"Maybe," I say as I move closer to her after inching away from her. I smile as I tuck a stray piece of dark hair behind her ear.

"Well what is it?" she asks.

"Don't laugh at me," I say.

"I wouldn't dare," she says with a smile.

"Well, I love watching WWE, you know wrestling right?"

"Yeah I've seen it. Roderick watches it," she says. "That's my brother by the way."

"Roderick?" I ask. "That poor kid."

"I know," she says.

"And what's your sister's name?"

"Chastity," she says, "so what is it about WWE?"

"Well, I have thought about training to become a wrestler. I think it would be awesome to go out there and entertain all those people. I mean it's something that's not being on the streets."

"That's cool," she says, "Do you think you can make it to WWE?"

"That's my plan. When I leave this town I want to start training to be a wrestler. I want to make it to the big time. I want to buy my mom the house she deserves and give her the life she deserves but I don't have the money for wrestling school. That's the problem. I mean I have a job but it's not the best job that I could have. I need to find a real one."

"Why don't you work at the skating rink or something like that? I mean I know it's a minimum wage job but you still make money. Is wrestling something you've always wanted to do?"

"I've thought about it," I say, "but recently I have really been thinking about what to do after I get out of Cincinnati. I love my mom and she's done her best but I want more for my life you know?"

"I know what you're saying," she says with a smile. "I hope you make it," she says. "I'm sure you can do it."

"Thanks," I say with a smile. "So your name is Anastasia right?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you like to be called Anastasia? Why do you want to be called Ana? I think Anastasia is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

She smiles and says, "thank-you, Dean. I think Anastasia is a beautiful name but I just prefer to be called Ana but if you want to call me Anastasia you're more than welcome to." She smiles at me and her dark eyes sparkle in the light of the room. It's well after 5 in the morning and we have been talking since I got here. I am enjoying it so I am going to say what's on my mind. It's worth it.

"I'd like that very much, Anastasia," I say with a smile. "You know you're the only person that's ever really talked to me or sat down and cared about me. I like that feeling."

"You're worth caring about," she says propping herself up on her elbow and resting her head on her hand. "I like talking to you too. It's like we understand each other. Our lives seem different but they're not really that different at all. We understand each other and you listen to me. And I like to listen to you."

"I like talking with you and listening to you too. I could talk to you all night and all day and never get tired of it."

"Dean," she says with a smile. "Do you ever feel like there is something there or something between us?"

"Yeah," I say with a smile. "It's like every time you touch me it's like a wave of electricity runs through my body. I don't know what it is about you but I love being with you and I love spending time with you."

"Same here," she says with a smile. "I've been trying to figure out my feelings for you and figure out what they mean. I never felt this way about anyone. I want to be with you every second of every day and I care so much about you. I just want to spend as much time with you as I can. And when we kissed," she says.

"It felt so right," I say with a smile.

"Exactly," she says with a smile. "It was right. It felt so right. Being with you feels right."

"I agree," I say with a smile. "I like you, Anastasia. I have to admit I've never really crushed on a girl before and never felt this way about anyone but you, Anastasia are different. I like different."

"Me too," she says with a smile.

"So I know you just broke up with Shawn and everything is crazy right now but I want to take a risk. I have to. I don't want any regrets," I say with a smile making her smile. "Can we give us a shot?" I ask.

"Us?" she asks.

"Yeah," I say, "you know try us out? Have a little relationship, be boyfriend and girlfriend and go out on dates."

"You want us to have a relationship?" she asks.

"Yeah," I say, "only if you want to. I just want to try it out and see where it goes. I understand if you say no or need more time but I ju.." I start to say before she cuts me off by pressing her lips against mine. I smile against her lips and whisper. "I'll take that as a yes."

"It's a yes," she says against mine before she kisses me again. Her tongue runs along my lips asking for permission to enter my mouth. I part my lips and her tongue slides into my mouth finding mine and starts to twist and twirl with mine. The electricity in our kiss sparking between us, I move closer to her and place my hand on her hip as her hand finds my hair and runs it through my hair making me groan.

"Let me take you on a date later today," I say as I break our kiss leaving us both breathless.

"Okay," she says with a smile. "I'd like that very much, Dean."

"Me too, Anastasia," I say with a smile. "But we've both had a long night and we've been up almost all night," I say. "We should probably get some sleep to enjoy the rest of our day together. I have something special planned for you. I need you to be well rested."

"Okay," she says with a smile as she snuggles up against me making me smile as I wrap my arms around her and close my eyes taking in her scent and feeling the softness of her skin and soon my exhaustion takes over me and I fall asleep holding Anastasia in my arms with a smile on my face.

*A/N: What do you think of Dean's hopes and dreams for his future? Do you think he can do it? What about him telling Anastasia the truth about his mom? Is it good for him to leave her behind? What do you think about Dean asking Anastasia to be in a relationship? Is it too soon? Is him staying there going to be a bad idea now that they are together? How do you think their date will end up? Please review and thank-you for reading.