I wake up with the birds assuming still fairly early as the sun had barely begun to shine through the bedroom window. I try my hardest not to wake Zak this early so I slip out of his embrace as quietly as I can. He must be a super heavy sleeper because I know I definitely would've woken up if that was me. I tip toe over to the dresser where I left my phone last night and check the time seeing that it's 5:30am. Well, shit. It's not like I can go to the studio right now. I left my car at my place since I rode around with Zak yesterday. I certainly wasn't about to take one of Zak's cars and just leave, but I really wanted to go to the studio. I hadn't been there since before my first lockdown with the crew. I missed dancing since I felt like I never had the time for it anymore.

I cuddle up on the couch downstairs with a throw blanket and find one of my favorite shows, House Hunters, on the tv. After letting Gracie outside she cuddles up on the couch with me. "I'm not sure if you're allowed on the couch, but I guess while dad is still sleeping it's okay," I whisper to her. She gives me the most sweetest face and I kiss the top of her head before she lays it on my leg. Not too much time went by before I started hearing noises. I always wondered if Zak had spirits here from all of the investigations he's done. I hear one loud bang coming from behind a door that I had not yet been through. "What was that, girl?" I ask Gracie like she can actually answer me as her ears perk up from the bang. Now that loud of a noise must've woken Zak, and if it didn't, I'll be very surprised. I shake off the loud noise and bring my attention back to House Hunters. Maybe fifteen minutes go by and Gracie jolts up and prances to that mysterious door growling. "What's wrong, Grace?" I hop up off the couch and tip toe to the door where Gracie continues to stand growling. I open the door and find a long set of stairs going down. "What? What the hell is this?" I think for a minute of where this could possibly lead to when I hear a voice startle me from behind.

"That's my dungeon."

I jump and quickly shut the door. "Oh my god, Zak, I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't go down there. I just heard a noise and freaked out. Gracie was growling at the door."

"Shawn, calm down. It's okay. I'm not mad or anything. Just promise me you won't go down there for your first time without me."

"I promise." I wonder what Zak is hiding down there for him to not want me down there alone. Just then, I notice Zak making a strange and confused face at me. "What?"

"Nothing," he relaxes. "I just feel like most girls would run away as soon as they hear 'that's my dungeon'", he chuckles and walks into the kitchen.

"Well, I thought I had heard before that you had one, so it's not a huge shock."

"Right. Does everyone know I have one?"

I laugh, "probably."

"So, why did you get up so early? Made me sad when I woke up to myself alone in bed," Zak smirks.

"Oh, did it?" I give him my side smile.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" I continue.

"That!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." We both get silent for a minute during a small staring contest we have and finally I break the silence with a small chuckle wrapping my arms around his waist. He returns the embrace with a tight hug and kisses the top of my head.

"I'm just glad you didn't take one of my cars and hightail outta here."

I break the hug and step away from him, "Now why would I do that?"

"I don't know."

"I can tell you have trust issues, don't you?"

"Well, wouldn't you after being cheated on twice?"

I get silent as the question for me was all too real and not too long ago. "I'm sorry, I get it," was all I could muster to say.

"It's not your fault." Zak turns to the cabinet and grabs two glasses filling them with water. He hands me one and I sit on my favorite barstool at the kitchen island while he stands leaning against the counter.

"I'm guessing they were before Angela?" I break Zak out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

"Actually both of them were Angela." I was shocked. I try to keep a straight face as it's no place for me to judge poor Zak, but I don't understand why he would stay with her for so long if she did that to him. I know it wasn't my place, but I had to know why.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you stay with her? You defended her and put all of your trust in her even after cheating on you twice."

"Because she swore to me that it would never happen again, but you know how that goes. I was just the dumbass fool that believed her."

"Zak, you are not a dumbass fool. She is, for ruining the relationship she had with you." I say this, although, I had to admit that I was happy I was with him and not her.

"And now she's attacking you because I kept her in my life. So stupid!" Zak slams his glass on the table making the bottom of it shatter and water splash all over his arm. Gracie's first instinct is to run to Zak and comfort him, but he quickly stops her before she cuts her paws on the glass. "Grace, go!" He aggressively points to the living room and she follows suite curling up on the couch.

"Zak, please don't be so upset. None of this is your fault." Zak ignores me and grabs the broom and dustpan from the closet right off the kitchen. He quietly sweeps up the glass without a word then rushes upstairs. I follow him, "Zak, please. Just talk to me? Did I say something to make you upset? I'm sorry I asked about Angela. I'm sorry I even brought it up."

"Shawn, stop." Zak turns to me quickly raising his hand making me stop dead in my tracks while I follow him in the hallway to the bedroom. It takes me aback and I cringe. I didn't mean to, but it was instinct with my last relationship. My eyes well up with tears and Zak realizes what I'm thinking. "You thought I was going to hit you?"

I gasp, "no! God, no!" I cry.

"Then why did you-"

"Because," I cut him off. "I was in a bad relationship. Really bad. That's one reason why I moved here. To get away from Jake and to get a fresh start." I can sense Zak start to relax and his face goes soft almost as if he were about to cry. "Please don't be upset. I didn't want you to worry-"

"We've known each other for how long now and haven't said anything about your past. Were you even going to tell me?"

"I was gonna get there, Zak. It just still feels like yesterday to me. There's still so much you should know, but please understand why I'm not saying anything quite yet."

"I guess so."

I let out a big sigh that I didn't realize I was holding. "You know I trust you, Zak. With everything, I trust you. I've never met a man more caring, kindhearted, loving, and sweet as you. You're my everything, Zak," I admit. It felt kind of crazy to say those words, but it was true. In the weeks that I've known this man we have grown so close. I mean, we are kind of together, but it's even been more than just 'being together'. It's been a relationship that I couldn't even explain. He was my protector. I see a single tear fall from Zak's eye making my heart melt. I couldn't be more lucky.

"I hate that someone had hurt you. I can't even stand the thought." Zak gently takes my face into his hands and promises, "I would never do anything like that to you. You are my everything and I'm so lucky to have met you that day at the Bellagio. I can't imagine my life any other way than with you right here by my side. You're the one thing my life has been missing and I will always protect you. I'll be here for you and I'll always love you."

There it is. He said it and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That word my whole life has only been nothing but a lie to me, but I knew in this moment that it was no lie. I cry some more and hug Zak as hard as I can. I never wanted to let go. I had those feeling for Zak, of course, but still, it takes everything in me to say the words. I had to mean them since the two relationships that I had were not love. This, what I had with Zak, was deep. Deep love and I knew if I said it in this moment, I mean every word. "I love you, Zak," I whisper into his chest. He pulls apart and kisses me passionately. I never knew true love. Never found the true meaning of the word in my life. Yes, there's love with my family, but that's different. This was a kind of love that wouldn't let go. A kind of love that I could say I was in it, and in deep. Hell, I think we both were. When I think of the definition of love now, it was this. This is what would be in the dictionary, and it was picture perfect.

"Should we get ready for the day?" Zak breaks the after kiss silence.

"Let's," I smile.

"What do you wanna do today?"

"Well, today's Monday. Kelsey is working," I think out loud. "I would actually like to go to the studio for a bit. Do you have any info about our next lockdown?" I ask curiously.

"Actually, yes. Let's go to the studio and then we'll call a meeting at headquarters. We need to talk about that with the guys."

"Uh, oh. Does that mean it's a bad one?" I can see the worry in Zak's eyes.

"It'll be okay, I promise." Zak kisses me one more time before we head back upstairs and find our outfits for the day. I leave my hair down in long waves with basic makeup, my skinny jeans, my floral army green tank top, and black sandals. Zak wears his typical baggy black jeans with his black boots, and a plain grey tee shirt.

"At least it's not black," I joke with him as he slips on the shirt.

"What?"

"Your shirt."

"Oh, yeah. Something different," he laughs. "You about ready?"

"I believe so." Zak lets Gracie out one more time before we leave and we hop in his car. He brings me to my place before we go to the studio so I can get my dance things.

"I don't think she likes me very much." Zak whispers to me as we pass the lady at the front desk of the studio.

I giggle. "Oh, she loves you. She's just jealous of me," I joke. Zak shoves me playfully as we walk down the hall to the studio room. Once inside, I set my bags on the bench and sit down to put my pointe shoes on. I had decided not to go for the leotard today and just wear my favorite sports bra and dance shorts. I take off my baggy tee shirt exposing my black and lime green sports bra and Zak puts the CD into the player making my music start and I begin.

Zak's POV

I still couldn't believe what I was watching. Seeing her dance like this the first time almost brought me to tears and I swear this time it certainly could. I could watch her do this all day. Her legs were endless in the air. God, she was so beautiful. I try to stop a tear from rolling down my cheek by getting up and trying to do the stretches with her. We both die laughing at my struggle to bring my leg up in the air as she did effortlessly on her tip toe. "Good job, babe!" Shawn laughs while still keeping her balance. I lose concentration as my eyes flow down to her gorgeous stomach showing off her six pack abs. Something I barely had. Every muscle in her body were making themselves known as she manages to continue her balance on one leg.

"How long can you do that for?" I wonder.

Shawn comes down off of her toe, "a while, I guess. It's a good leg stretch and workout to just stay there like that en pointe." I slowly nod while desperately trying to keep my eyes up at hers and not her kickass body. "Alright, I think I've had enough stretch. Can you place put the track on number six?"

"Sure thing." I do what she's asked and sit my happy ass back on the bench and watch her beautiful little butt dance. She practiced the same dance she did when I caught her dancing the first time. It was so beautiful. After she got about half way through I definitely felt a tear in my eye. I was in her trance. She drew me in like nothing ever before. She was mine, and I was hers, and nothing was going to change that. After she got to the end of her dance she stood there in the middle of the room and just stared at me.

"Zak? You okay? Why are you crying?"

Shit. I didn't realize I was staring at her and just letting the tears fall. I stand up and walk to her grabbing her face and I kiss her maybe a little more aggressively than expected. "You are so fucking beautiful."

"Zak." Shawn stands up on her pointe shoes and wraps her arms around my neck kissing me again. She wipes my tears away with her thumb and smiles making me want to just buckle in the knees right then and there. I wanted her. I've never wanted anyone so much, so badly, and so passionately in my life. She completed me. It's been a couple months now that I've known her, but I know deep in my heart that she is exactly what I need and want. I just had to let her know. She needed to know that she was my everything. She told me that she loves me earlier today, but I needed to let her know. If she can say it after everything she's been through then I can. She is my love. I pull apart our embrace and she gets significantly shorter as she comes off of her toes.

"Shawn." I breathe.

"What is it?"

"I love you. I'm so in love with you." Shawn cries and jumps wrapping her legs around my torso. We kiss so passionately it brought me to the floor.

"I love you so much, Zak." Shawn breathes in between our passionate kisses. We quickly break apart as we hear a loud knock on the door. It's that front desk lady.

"We need this room. We have a class." She rushes off leaving us to pack up our things and leave.

"Thank you for letting me practice, Ms. Miller," Shawn ever so politely states as we walk past the desk on our way out. She gives Shawn a slight nod with a smile and eyes me down. I swear I could feel her eyes on me all the way to my car.

"I swear she doesn't like me," I tell to Shawn again.

"Why do you suddenly care so much if people like you?"

"People you're associated with. I want her to like me because I want to always be able to go in there and watch you dance."

"Zak, you will. She's not gonna do anything, I promise." We both get in the car and head back to Shawn's place so she can shower and change. I hangout downstairs in the living room and patiently wait for her.

"Oh, hey Zak!" Jay and Kelsey come through the front door.

"Hey, bro. "What have you guys been doing today?"

"Just hanging out. I took Kelsey to breakfast. It's just been a pretty chill morning. We were actually coming back here to clean up the place a little after Angela destroyed it."

"Oh, well, we can do that later. We need a meeting at headquarters today."

"Is everything okay?" Kelsey wonders curiously.

"Yeah, everything is good. I just have a lot of information about our next location."

"Hey y'all! Kelsey why aren't you at work?" Shawn asks rushing down the stairs.

"They let me have off today from everything that happened with Angela. I was going to take the day to clean the house."

"Oh, don't do that. I'll help you later. You don't need to do that alone."

"So are we about ready then?" Jay asks eagerly.

"Yeah, let's do it." Shawn claps her hands together and we follow her out the door.