I HAVEN'T UPDATED THIS IN SO LONG. Well, here's the update. Heheh. Actually, I will be updating this as fast as possible for the next chapter, because, after over a year, I have decided that I need to end this (*sob*). But yes. So enjoy the 8th (and next to last-sob) chapter!

Natalya and I have been sitting on her piano bench, happily uninterrupted by her family members. She's played a few things, but now she just strikes random chords while I watch.

"My favorite composer to play is Mozart," she says. "You probably don't-"

"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart," I interject. "I know him."

"Really?" Natalya looks up at me, scrutinizing.

I nod. "We watched Amadeus in my music history class when I was in eighth grade."

"Ah," she chuckles. "That movie is very.. true to the times."

I blink. "Wait. So girls in Germany really walked around showing that much cleavage?"

Nat glares up at me, crossing her arms. "They were in Austria. Did you not pay attention to that movie at all?"

I laugh a little, running my hand through my hair. "I was in eighth grade and I was starting to go through changes. No, I did not pay attention to what country they were in."

She rolls her eyes, narrowing them at me playfully. "Stupid boy."

"Hey!" I grin crookedly, narrowing my eyes back at her. "I'm not stupid."

"Da, you are."

"Am not!"

"Oh, Alfred," she shakes her head. "You want to be my boyfriend? Then learn one thing: I'm always right."

"You're right."

"Good job," she smiles up at me. I smile back and lean in and-

"Alfred?"

I jump a bit. Natalya and I both turn around.

"Hi, Ivan," I manage, waving awkwardly.

"Privet," he waves back. "I was just checking up on you two."

"Brother..," Natalya hisses.

"Da, sestra, da," Ivan sighs. "I won't bother you again." And with that, he just leaves.

I stop myself from shruddering. "No offense, Nat, but your brother freaks me out."

"None taken," she shrugs. "He does that to most people."

I nod, then inhale, turning to her. "Well, I believe we left off somewhere-"

Natalya shields her face with her hand. "He can sense it, Alfred."

"Ahh," I grin. "So you want to go to my house then?"

"Alfred!" she slaps my arm hard-she's strong. Really strong.

"Ow!" I wince. "I'm sorry!"

"Well," she stands up. "It's getting late. I suppose you should get going."

I sigh, also pushing myself off the bench. "Look, Natty. I didn't mean to-"

"We'll go to your house tomorrow," she grins.

So, the next day, I waited for Nat outside of school. Or tried to.

"Alfred, what are you doing...?" Gilbert asks when I stop walking just outside the school doors. I hadn't told him what happened with Natalya yesterday, so he didn't know we were going to be together today.

"Waiting," I respond.

He stares at me, dumbfounded. "For...?"

I sigh. "Natalya."

Gilbert does his eye brow wiggle thing, which is weird when normal people do it. So it's, like, a thousand times weirder when he does it. "Oooh! And might I ask where the two love birds are going?"

I roll my eyes. "My house."

"You're going to do that?! Already?!" Gilbert gasps dramatically.

"What? Gilbert, no!" I go to hit him.

"What are you going to do, exactly?" Natalya walks up behind us. I flip around, grinning nervously.

"Oh, nothing," I shake my head, chuckling. "Nothing."

"I was just teasing him," Gilbert laughs.

"Well, can you tease him later?" Nat smiles at Gilbert. "We have a date, I believe."

"Ahh, ja, ja. Of course," Gilby grins back at her. Jeez, he's being really nice to me today. I wonder why he hasn't embarrassed me yet?

"See you two later. Oh, ja, and get some, Alfie!"

Aaaand there it is.

I look down at Nat. "I'm sorry."

She nods. "Yeah, you aren't getting anything."

"I know. Let's go."

"Your house is so... public."

I snort. "Sorry that it's located on an actual street. Not all of us can afford a huge mansion."

"Sorry. I'm just not used to it..."

"Well," I unlock my house's blue door and shove the spare key back under the welcome mat. "It's what we can afford. What my mom can afford, that is." I hold the door open for Natalya. "My father left and took my brother with him when I was, like, four. They're in Canada or France or something now."

"I'm sorry."

I walk inside behind her, close the door, and turn to her, smiling. "There's an awful lot of being sorry going on today. I don't approve."

"And why do you have to approve?"

"It's my house, that's why."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

I shake my head at her, smiling. "I don't exactly have a piano here, so I don't know what we're supposed to do."

"I do more than play piano," she scoffs, walking towards my mother's huge CD collection.

"Yeah, sure," I respond sarcastically. "Like what?"

"Frank Sinatra, da?"

I chuckle. "You do Frank Sinatra? Isn't he dead or something?"

"Oh, shut up, you pervert. Nyet," she glares, holding a CD out towards me. "I mean, you listen to Frank Sinatra?"

"Well, yes, but only because my mom does," I shrug. "She says his music is some of the only good American music."

"She's not American?" Natalya asks distractedly, examining the CD.

I shake my head. "British. My dad was French."

"Ah," she nods slowly, still not paying that much attention and still examining.

A few seconds or so go buy. Then...

"Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away."

I grin. Nat has a really good voice, and it's surprisingly fit for a Sinatra song. "This one's my favorite," I say, then sing: "If you can use some exotic booze-"

"-there's a bar in far Bombay."

I walk over to Nat and take her hands in mine. I'm no good with dancing, but, when I was little, my mom danced with me like this. "Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away," I sing as I spin her around.

Nat laughs a little, intwining her fingers with mine. "Come fly with me, let's float down to Peru."

"In llama land, there's a one man band, and he'll toot his flute for you," I dip her over, then spin her back up.

She smiles at me, giggling (if Natalya can even do such a thing). "Come on, fly with me. Let's take off in the blue."

And we dance. We just sing and dance, in my living room, in our own little world. We don't need music; we make our own, in our heads. It's beautiful and fun and I never imagined a scene from a chick flick would feel this good.

"Pack up, let's fly away," Natalya sings the last line of the song.

I remember the spoken line at the end of the track: "And don't tell your mama."

And that's how we end. My arms are around her and she's leaning into my chest, the top of her head not quite reaching my chin.

This would be a perfect time for me to ask her to go out with me. She's in such a good mood, and it's romantic; she couldn't say no.

Alright, I'm gonna do it. Here goes-

"I'm home, Alfr-oh. I didn't know you were having friends over!"

I groan. "Mom!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were having a friend over?" my mother asks, moving towards us. Natalya and I awkwardly tear apart our embrace.

"Mom," I sigh. "Natalya, this is my mom. Call her Alice."

"Alfred," my mom scolds in her British accent.

I groan again. "Call her Ms. Kirkland. Mother, this is Natalya Arlovskaya."

Natalya extends her hand, "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Kirkland."

"Same to you, darling," my mom says, shaking her hand. Then she adds, "You're Russian?"

"Mom!"

Natalya smiles and nods. "Half, da. My father was Russian and my mother was Belarusian."

"Ahh," my mom chuckles. Then, she starts talking in the same language Natalya and her family were talking in yesterday.

Natalya laughs at whatever my mom says, while I exclaim, "Mom! What the hell?!" I didn't know she could speak Russian!

"Watch your mouth, young man!" she slaps my arm. Although she's only an inch or so taller than Nat, she's a lot stronger. She turns her attention back to Natalya.

"I came to America to work for the CIA back in the seventies," she tells her. "I was heavily involved in the Cold War."

"Oh, really?" Natalya's face lights up. At least her and my mom are hitting it off.

My mother nods. Oh, hell. Her face is in conversation mode.

"Natalya and I are gonna go upstairs now, 'kay?" I interject hurriedly, before they get into a discussion about spies, pulling on Natalya's arm.

"Hold on a second," my mother stops us. "I'm not sure I like you bringing a girl into your bedroom."

"Oh, my God, mom!"

Looking back and forth from my horrified expression to Nat's amused one, my mom sighs. "Fine."

Relieved, I exhale, dragging Natalya forcefully into the hallway that leads to the stairs.

"Oh, and Alfred?" my mom calls after us.

Reluctantly, I stop walking. "What do you want, mother?" I question, annoyed.

"If you do end up having sex, do use a condom. I'm not cleaning the sheets."

"MOM!" I can feel my face shoot through about seventeen shades of red. I almost lift Nat off the floor in order to get her upstairs faster. Instead, I drag her along at a running pace.

I can her my mother's perky, light British laugh float up the stairs behind us. "Try to last longer than you do when you're by yourself!" she yells after us.

Groaning in embarrassment, I bolt the rest of the way up the stairs, flinging Natalya into my room and slamming the door behind us. She bursts out laughing right away, falling down onto my bed.

I lean back against my door, crossing my arms and pouting. "She's trying to ruin my life, I swear to God. I want to throw something at her."

"Aw, Alfred," Nat manages between laughs. "She's sweet. Just... a little open, da."

"She's embarrassing," I go and sit next to her.

"Even if she is, she worked for the CIA. Which makes her that much cooler than you," she teases, lightly poking my shoulder.

"You know I didn't even know she could speak Russian until just now?" I shake my head in disbelief. "That brings her total languages to..," I count on my fingers. "Five. English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian."

"How intriguing," Natalya nods. "She's very..," she pauses to giggle a bit. "... attentive to you, isn't she?"

I hang my face in my hands. "Don't remind me," I growl.

"Da, da. But, I have to ask," she stifles laughter. "Do you really get through with jacking off that fast?"

If my face wasn't already hidden, it definitely would be now. "I'm going to kill that woman," I spit, then mumble, "... I didn't think so."

Nat breaks into another giggle fit, laying back on my bed. I lay back next to her, trying to pout but smiling instead. "Don't laugh at me," I insist halfheartedly.

She turns on her side to face me. "But you're so laughable."

I snort. "Thanks. How poetic."

We just lay there. For how long, I can't say for sure. Then, she leans up against me and kisses me.

So we lay there and kiss. For a long time. We kiss for so long that Natalya pulls away and tells me that she needs to go, it's getting dark.

I make a noise in response, shaking my head and pulling her back into me. She smiles slightly and pushes me away.

"I know, I know," she says. "But I really have to leave."

Sighing sadly, I push myself up. "Okay. Let's go."

As we drive to Natalya's house, the sun sets. The sky-painted pink, orange, and yellow-made the ride somewhat romantic, but not romantic enough for me to attempt to ask her out again. Which sucks, because I'm dying to.

We get to the end of her incredibly long driveway. I switch off my truck's engine, and the cab goes silent.

After a second or so, Nat sighs. "Well, goodnight," she goes to open her door.

"Oh! Wait. Wait!" I stop her. I get out of the truck, shut my door, head over to the passenger side, and open hers for her.

"I forgot my manners for a few seconds there," I grin crookedly at her.

She stares at me, a small smile on her lips.

"What?" I tilt my head to the side.

She shakes her head. "Nothing," she smiles. "Just your face."

I laugh a little. "What's wrong with it?"

"Besides the black and blue mark I inflicted?" she pokes said mark, giggling when I wince. "Nothing at all."

I take the hand she used to poke me in mine. "Well," I sigh. "Today... I had fun."

"Me, too," she nods. After a pause, she adds, "Can I ask you something?"

My heartbeat quickens. Maybe she'll ask me out...? Oh, Lord, I hope so... "Sure."

"Can you pick me up tomorrow morning?"

I can feel my face fall slightly. But, hey-at least she's furthering the interaction. "Of course," I nod.

"Good," she smiles. "I don't have much experience here, but I assume that's what a boyfriend does for his girlfriend."

I pause, taking what she said in. Then, my eyes widen. "Seriously?! I'm your-?!"

She nods, smiling widely at me.

I grin like an idiot. I take her face in both my hands and go to kiss her, pausing before I do. "Oh, yeah. Your brother."

"He left on a business trip this morning."

"Ooh, yay," I mumble quickly before pressing my lips to hers.

I guess I get a little too into it, because Natalya makes a noise in the back of her throat, pushing me away immediately after. "Oh, my, Alfred. My sister's still in there, you know."

My face reddens. I smile sheepishly. "Sorry."

She nods and laughs a little. "It's fine," she says. Then extends her arms towards me. "Help me down?"

I lift her out of the truck, lightly setting her down in front of me. We smile at each other.

"Goodnight, Alfred," she squeezes my hand.

"Goodnight," I give her a quick hug.

She goes to walk away, but I stop her.

"Sorry, but..," I bite my lip. Do I really wanna know...? Yeah. Yeah, I do. "What, exactly, did my mom say to you earlier?"

She stops herself from laughing. "Oh, nothing," she grins. "Nothing at all."

"But-"

She's already at the door."Goodnight, Alfred," she blows a kiss in my direction before going inside, leaving me alone in the dark.

"Goodnight, Natty," I grin.

I get into my truck and start driving away.

And, when I'm far enough away, I squeal like a little girl.

So there it is! Sorry for mistakes-the majority of this was written on my iPod. But I finished it!

Keep a look out for the next (and final-cry) chapter. Also, review! I love reviews! Thanks for reading! *blows you a kiss*

Sorry. That was awkward. Heheh. XD