If it wasn't for that smile, that one sided soft smile that could me make agree to anything, I'm sure I'd still be sitting on the hammock instead of on a Ferris wheel looking out over the ocean.

"This is…really high," I breathed looking over the side. I could make out the little white caps the waves made against the rocks but other than that, complete darkness. The only other lights I could see were those of the beach side houses far up on the hillside.

"You'd think you'd stop looking over," he laughed. He moved a giant balloon animal that he bought me and attached to my wrist to see for him self. "It's not too high."

"You're like freakishly tall. Heights mean nothing to you."

He laughed at that.

"I guess that's true."

I looked over the side again. I hate heights but I couldn't help it.

"I guess it's not too bad. I think I like it better up here than down there."

Bad things always happen on the ground.

"Because it's safer up here," he guessed.

I nodded. It freaked me out a bit when he could guess what I was thinking but I figured I had an easy face to read.

I paused before asking something that had been on my mind all night, ever since we'd left the apartment and before I could stop it, the words were out of my mouth.

"I know it's a fresh start and forgiveness and all that but is it safe for me to be outside…with everything that's happened?"

He moved the balloon again to get a clear look at me.

"With me around no one is going to even go near you. No one is going to get close enough to even touch you. I'm going to protect Rose, better than before," he said muttering the last part.

That's what you said before. I couldn't help the thought but I shook it away.

"Do you trust me?" he asked smiling.

"No," I answered, smiling my self.

"I'll aim smaller. Do you believe me when I say I'll keep you safe?" he asked still smiling.

"That's like asking me if I trust you!" I laughed slapping his arm.

He chuckled and moved the balloon that kept getting between our view.

"Why did you buy the biggest balloon?"

"Everyone loves elephants," was his reply. He grabbed the string at my wrist to look at the balloon closer taking my wrist with it.

"They do?"

"I don't know but I wanted to buy the biggest balloon for you," he admitted honestly, still looking at the oddly painted and deformed elephant balloon.

"You're not going to buy my trust back Dimitri," I told him directly.

Still turning the balloon around looking at it he said, "I know. But I'm going to try any and everything."

This made us smile.

"And besides. I wanted to just buy something for you and the first thing I saw was-"

"The elephant balloon man?"

"Yup."

"The guy asked if you'd like to buy a balloon for the lovely lady, an animal that reminds you of her and you picked the elephant! I remind you of an elephant? Do I look like an elephant?"

His grin grew wider, a dimple appearing on one side.

"Of course not. I wanted to buy you the biggest balloon and there was the elephant."

"So I just overlook the fact that you're comparing me to one of the biggest animals in the world and think it's cute that you bought me the biggest one?" I asked fighting a smile.

"Yup."

The Ferris wheel started again with a jerk. I jumped and gripped Dimitri's arm automatically, my hand sliding down to his hand.

He coughed to hide a laugh.

I slapped his chest and hid my smile, my grip in his hand tightening as the Ferris wheel went around to the top.

And just as suddenly as the Ferris wheel started I realized how relaxed I was and how much fun I was having for once I was struck with a question.

Was it possible to like someone but not trust them?

After the Ferris wheel we went on that one ride that rocks from one end to another (I actually screamed on that one which Dimitri found hilarious) and then on one of those boat rides which was kind of funny considering the beach was directly below us. Sharing an oversized pretzel we walked through the carnival booths.

"COME ON FOLKS! STEP AND WIN A PRIZE," the different booth workers yelled.

"COME NOW AND PLAY A GAME AND YOU COULD WI N OUR BIGGEST PRIZE HERE AT THE PEIR," one of the booth workers shouted.

He was a teenager, maybe in his early twenties and really loud. We'd heard him particularly each time we walked through the booths passing his booth. He was the loudest and overtly flirtatious to anything with breasts. We saw him arguing with two guys already for hitting on their girlfriends and another for staring at his daughter.

"How is he still working here?" I asked Dimitri.

"Booth workers are loud and obnoxious and this guy is perfect for the job. So long as he gains attention and customers, he has a job." There were plenty of people at his booth after the three arguments. All men though.

"COME NOW BEAUTIFUL LADIES! COME OVER HERE AND PLAY WITH A REAL MAN! I HAVE THE BIGGEST PRIZE!"

I stepped to the side into Dimitri to avoid his loud shouts.

Dimitri chuckled. He never laughed so much in one day. I like it when he was like this.

"I wonder what the biggest prize is," I said looking at the booth.

"Coming from him? Something related to an innuendo I'm sure," Dimitri muttered. "Let's see," he added curious.

"Dimitri I didn't mean-"

"Come on," he said pulling me to the booth. I let him drag me over and he spoke to the booth guy.

"WELCOME! WELCOME! AND WHO IS THIS PRETTY LADY!" the guy shouted staring down at me.

"Does he really have to yell?" I whispered to Dimitri, embarrassed.

He patted me on the arm reassuring me and turned to the booth guy again.

"What do we have to do to win the biggest prize?"

I thought his answer would be something sexually related but the guy looked away from me to Dimitri like he just realized he was there.

"You just have to win the game. Your girlfriend here would have to do a lot more," he said lowering his voice. Dimitri cleared his throat, pushing me behind him.

The guy looked at Dimitri more clearly sizing him up.

To anyone who didn't know that at heart Dimitri was a giant softy and a teddy bear, I imagine he looked pretty terrifying. The guy looked down and coughed, clearing his throat. When he started to speak it came out in a small squeak.

" Take this ball, knock down all ten of the bottles with one hit and you get the life sized SpongeBob."

"Spongebob?" I asked.

"He's a big hit down here at the pier, I don't know why," he muttered. "And he's life size so I guess that's cool," he added turning to Dimitri again.

But not before his eyes lingered for a second on me.

I closed my sweater a little tighter.

"How many perverts can there be in such a small city", Lissa had asked me once.

Well here's the answer.

"So you want to take a whack at it?"

Dimitri squinted his eyes at the booth guy, giving him a once over before looking back at me.

I nodded trying to force a smile.

He handed the booth guy a five and took the ball.

The bottles were stacked in such a way that knocking them down in one throw would be almost impossible. The staked bottles were a good thirty feet from the front of the booth with little obstacles moving from side to side and up and down to block your chances of hitting the bottles, instead your ball hit one of the obstacles, the ball rolling on the floor.

It was one of those annoying games that you knew you had only a slight minimal chance of winning and yet spent all of your money based on that chance.

"It's been our toughest game here so far. No one's even come close to-"

Dimitri pulled his arm back like pro and released the ball. It left his hand so fast you didn't see it until it blew through the moving ornaments and signs and hit the center bottle knocking all of them down onto the ground.

A few on lookers clapped and continued moving on while the booth guy; his nametag said Ralph, stood, mouth agape.

"OKAY!" he shouted recovering.

He unhooked the biggest SpongeBob doll, or any doll, I'd ever seen. It was three fourths of my size and a bright yellow with Spongebob making that adorable face when he discovered Squidward liked krabby patties.

Not that I watched it.

I took the doll happily and hugged it to my chest, despite the fact that it smelt like seawater and wet pavement.

Dimitri smiles down at me.

"I have to get a picture of this," he smiled, searching his pockets for his phone.

While he did, Ralph leaned over the booth wall so that his face was inches from my own.

"About that date…" he inquired.

"We don't have a date," I said giving him my most evilest, 'Dimitri intimidating' glare.

"Okay, skip the date and we'll get to the essentials. Me, you, no clothes," he sneered.

Gross.

I gave him an incredulous look to see if he was being serious.

I'd been shaken up most of the night about leaving the house for the first time since that night and I'd kept by eyes open for overtly weird and intimidating men.

Ralph was thin and barely a few inches taller than me.

There was no way I could be afraid of him.

I was more disgusted than afraid.

"Ewe."

He gestured to the SpongeBob. "I gave you something, now you can give me something."

I actually felt like puking, something I'd never done.

He reached a hand out toward me and I stepped back into Dimitri.

Dimitri, having heard what Ralph said, stepped around me, holding me close behind him protectively.

He really was trying to protect me.

Tonight was fate handing him a test.

Without a word Dimitri pulled his arm back similar to how he did with the baseball and made contact with Ralph's face.

There was a lot of punching and violence these days.

Ralph flew back into the hanging, flashing and ringing ornaments, blood spilling from his nose and his mouth simultaneously. Behind us an entire crowd clapped louder than they had when Dimitri won the game. There were even cheers.

Dimitri clenched his fist, his expression not showing any sign that it hurt.

He turned to look at me.

"It seems like all of our fun nights end this way."

"No. The other night was…nightmarish. This was cool," I smiled.

He smiled again and held out his hand.

I took it smiling broadly.

The crowd was leaning in to get a look at a seriously shaken and PO-ed Ralph but parted as we past heading back to the parking lot.

"It's too bad we're not going home with that Spongebob with happier memories," Dimitri said as we moved through the crowd on the pier.

"No, tonight was different. You started our fresh start by punching someone standing up for me. That was not only awesome but very sweet."

I stopped him from walking and pecked him on the cheek.

He hadn't shaved in a while.

It wasn't a romantic gesture. Actually it was an almost too friendly gesture. Everything we'd been through in the past, I still had Dimitri's words in my head telling me that us being together wasn't likely to really happen.

"It wouldn't be a good idea for us to be together," he'd said.

We continued walking toward the car passing the beach.

"Thank you for today. I know I keep thanking you-"

"It's okay Roza. Really. I told you, I'd do anything for you."

I nodded and held on to the sound of my nickname coming from his accented voice as we walked home.