A/N: Hello, anonymous readers! Hope you're enjoying the story.

Fun fact about the song I titled this episode about. This, and at least two other songs, were NOT originals of the show but actual produced songs you can listen to on Spotify. "Heart Don't Lie" and "This Time" were songs by E.G. Daily, aka Tommy Pickles, while "If You Lean on Me" was by Colin James. Some fun trivia for you I got to learn while researching the lyrics.

Some good ole drama down below:

Ch 4: Heart Don't Lie

Something so right

Promise me that nothing's gonna change

Say that it's forever

Setting : Still Sharkey's, immediately after

A loud bang against the swinging door made everyone in the restaurant flinch.

"Woah, mama," Sam gasped, peeking around her boyfriend and at the exit, "what was that about?" The whole gang furrowed their brows, confusion plastered on every face. "I've seen Sly upset before, but not like that."

"Yeah, we didn't do anything we don't normally do." Tony relaxed back into his chair, pondering the last time he truly saw his best friend angry. It must have been when their friendship almost ended after creative differences on their now-canceled tv show. "Sly does something idiotic, one of us, or all of us, call him out on it, he makes excuses and laughs like a jackal, and we roll our eyes." The drummer stared up, smiled, and lifted his hand like a chef. "Tis the circle of life."

Tiffani looked sheepishly at her boyfriend. "That wasn't because of me, was it?" She had been hard on Sly before plenty of times. This was their usual dance, and it had been since they were kids. Despite that, she loved Sly like family and never once thought of deliberately hurting him.

"No," Jake threw an arm around the back of her chair and leaned back into his own. Staring down at the table, he sighed wearily. "I think his anger was directed at someone else. Speaking of which," he shot his eyes back up to the gang, "notice anyone else missing?"

"Hey, where did Lorena go?" Mark observed, everyone but Jake searching the crowded room.

The moment Sly stormed out, Lorena knew she blew it. As the teenagers all returned to their seats, she snuck out the front to catch up to him. If she had followed him out the same way, they would have questioned the Latina instantly.

"Jake," Tiffani prodded, "what's going on?"

"I'm not completely sure, but I have an idea." He stood up and grabbed his leather jacket from the back of his chair. "Come on, let's go." The guitarist headed for the back exit, the rest of the band in tow.

Setting: interior, Lorena's loft, not long after.

"Sly, come on," Lorena pleaded, chasing the angsty teenager through the door to her loft. He was still upset, but the trip from Sharkey's to there at least softened the steam. "I'm sorry, I panicked, okay? And besides!" She closed the door behind her as she watched him pace the stage. "It wasn't that bad." Sly's pacing stopped cold as he flew his arms in the air.

"No, it was worse. Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?" Sly yelled and pointed out the door, frustrated. Lorena, feeling chastised, placed her hands firmly on her hips.

"What's the problem? You act like that all the time," she snapped back, walking to the other side of the stage so she didn't have to look him directly in the eyes. "It's never bothered you before." She crossed her arms, annoyed. She didn't need to be yelled at.

Sly recognized this and tightened his lips together.

"It doesn't bother me getting embarrassed, I know I do stupid things," Sly softened his voice, relaxing his posture and attempting to calm his rage through his hands. "But I prefer it to be my own doing, okay?"

"Okay," Lorena conceded, dropping her arms to her side. "You know that's what I love about you." She smiled and turned back to Sly. "You're a risk taker, and you don't care what anyone else thinks. I wish I could take risks like that." Lorena widened her eyes at the thought of ever making a fool of herself. She did it once, but all she got were bunions.

"You mean like how you agreed to meet Sam's friend," Sly smiled mischievously, "that kind of risk?"

"Oh, please," Lorena rolled her eyes and puffed up her chest. "He's probably a dweeb. I'd be doing him a favor." She laughed and tossed her luscious hair in her typical 'look at me' fashion.

"Like with me?" Sly snapped, but it wasn't mean. It was sincere and calm, and it took Lorena by surprise.

"What are you talking about?" she questioned. Sly exhaled and sat down on the edge of the stage, twiddling his thumbs.

"Have you been doing me a favor, being with me?" he elaborated. Sly had enjoyed this past month, and he wouldn't trade it for anything. But some days he had wondered how long it was going to last. Was Lorena keeping it a secret so, when it was over, no one would have to know?

Was Lorena ashamed to be with Sly? This very thought had been plaguing his dreams, but bringing it up also scared him.

Lorena, however, was taken aback. How could he think that? Outside of the whole secret relationship thing, the embarrassing moments, the lying, and the chastising from the band, she hadn't given Sly any reason to think this wasn't real.

Okay, maybe she had. She definitely needed to persuade him otherwise.

Following suit, she walked down the red metal stairs that were stage left, stood next to him, and forcefully, but lovingly, grabbed his face. Circling his head so they were eye to eye, she gazed into his soul.

"Hey," the sultry Latina whispered, "you have my heart, remember?" Sly nodded softly but dropped his gaze, only for Lorena to lift his chin back up with a sole finger. "I'm sorry for what happened at Sharkey's."

"Just no more humiliation, and no more insults, okay?" Sly's voice met the calmness of Lorena's.

"Deal," she smiled and sat down next to him, bending one leg on the stage so she could still face him. "Let me make it up to you. Sam and Tony are going out tonight, so the loft is all ours." She slapped her hands down on his leg. "I'll make you dinner. Your favorite?" Sly nodded and agreed, a small laugh escaping his breath, and Lorena couldn't help but join in. She placed her hand on the back of his head and began massaging it lovingly, only for Sly to wince. "What's wrong?"

"I hit my head on a table back at Sharkey's." Sly grimaced.

"Oh, pobrecito," the Latina crooned, gently pulling his head close and giving it a kiss. "Better?"

"Much," he smiled. They both gazed at each other, their eyes dashing back and forth, as if to commit to memory what each person saw. Their lips locked, kisses pecking. The smaller endearments were probably Sly's favorite. "I think we just survived our first fight."

Lorena giggled. "Then we deserve a reward," she cheered softly and brought him in for a more longing kiss.

"Hmm, Ba-Boom," Sly whispered.

But just above the two, behind a closed door with a view, were four dropped jaws. The fifth jaw wasn't dropped but just smirking. Fingers were pointing, arms were grabbing, it was silent chaos as the bewildered clowns gathered themselves long enough to pull away from the door and have a band meeting on the porch.

"Oh…my…" Tiffani just stopped, as if words didn't exist to explain what they just saw. Her hand kept creeping up to cover her mouth.

"Go, cuz." Mark stifled a laugh.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Tony exclaimed, and the two slapped hands together jubilantly.

"But why would Winkle lie to me about that?" Jake questioned.

"Lie about what?" Tiffani questioned back.

"Lorena was just probably vulnerable when she never found out who her mystery man was," Sam reasoned, throwing her hands up. "I mean, this Sly we're talking about. She's obviously rebounding." The rest, save for Jake, all gasped and threw up their hands as well. A chorus of "that's probably it" and "makes sense" and "oh, smart, smart" bellowed around. Jake just grabbed his temples.

"No, Sly WAS Lorena's mystery man." Jake stared blankly at them.

A thunderous "WHAT" roared, Jake swiping his arms for them to shush, before a quieter "what?" echoed after.

"Sly was sending the love letters to Lorena," he repeated, widening his eyes and bouncing his hands to his words for emphasis.

"And how do you know that?" Sam interrogated as she placed her hands on her hips. Tiffani paralleled the suspicion, crossing her arms and lifting an eyebrow.

"Well," the guitarist carefully started, cautiously choosing his words, "that's because I caught him." An instant slap across his chest made him jump.

"Jake Sommers, you kept that from me?" Tiffani barked.

"It wasn't my secret to tell," Jake snapped back bitterly, "honey."

"Man, Lorena must really like him if she's willing to kiss an ape like Sly," Tony joked as he repressed the urge to laugh, Mark joining in on the internal chuckle.

"Actually, Sly is a pretty good kisser," Tiffani shrugged. "He must practice on melons or something." She felt all eyes on her, total silence.

"Excuse me?" Jake stated, breaking the quiet.

"Anyway," Tiffani jumped, "why are they keeping it a secret? Why not just tell us?"

"Probably for this exact reason," Mark reasoned, shoving his hands into his pockets and shrugging. "They're afraid of what we'll think or how we'll react."

"I remember we were when Sam and I first started dating," Tony recalled. "We were so worried what everyone in the band would think if we got together."

"Yeah, and it was Sly who reminded us we shouldn't care," Sam added. "So why isn't he taking his own advice now?"

"I'm not sure this is Sly's idea, to be honest." Jake shook his head and leaned against the railing.

"Oh, no!" Sam suddenly exclaimed, "I was trying to set her up with Scott. No wonder she didn't want to." She folded her arms and sighed. "I better tell him she's taken."

"Or…" Tony interjected, a smile creeping through, "we use that to trick them into confessing." Sam, Mark, and Tiffani mirrored his conniving gesture.

"Or," Jake quickly jumped in, "we can be honest with them right away."

"Oh, what's the fun in that?" Sam laughed and rubbed her palms together.

"Out scheme Sly," Mark added. "I like it."

"Again, I really don't think Sly had anything to do with this," Jake insisted. But it was too late.

The plan was already in play.

Oh, heart don't lie

My head can tell me anything, And I would believe it

Oh, heart don't lie

I need to know what's true tonight, Won't you help me see it

A/N: Oh, Lawdy. So the gang knows. How is this gonna go? Well? Not so well? Also, the California Dreams Reunion Concert was this weekend in LA. Go visit all the social medias at californiadreams_tv to check out a ton of content from the shows!