Gunther sighed as he closed the door to his bedroom, making sure to lock it behind him. He had just spent the day tending to his grandmother's every need. He loved her, he really did, but sometimes she was just too much. He was looking forward to just sitting back and relaxing for a bit.

He walked over and sat down on his bed, finding the remote to the small TV on top of it. Clicking the power button he watched as the screen came to life and a Russian sitcom started, one Gunther had seen a million times. He learned when he first arrived back in the Old Country that they picked up Russian and German television as well as their own. He realized that, because of the uniform incident at school the year before, he could at least understand the Russian shows.

But as he watched the characters interact with each other, he felt his mind drift back to Chicago. He wondered constantly how everyone was doing – Tinka, Ty, Deuce, Dina, Flynn, Rocky, Cece…

A smile appeared on his face as the last person's face entered his mind. He could imagine her clearly, her red hair covering her face as she slept during class instead of paying attention like her straight A best friend. Or those same fiery locks pulled into a messy bun as she rehearsed for the upcoming dance on Shake It Up! Chicago, her forehead covered in sweat but a smile on her lips nonetheless…

He groaned as he realized that he was daydreaming about her again. Something he caught himself doing quite frequently. But he couldn't seem to help it. Cece's face would drift into his head and, like an annoying yet catchy song, he couldn't get her out.

He despised this little crush that he had on her. No one could get under Gunther Hessenheffer's skin – with the exception of his sister – and he made sure of it. He would gladly push anyone out of his way to get what he wanted, which he usually did.

But something was different with Cece. It always had been, ever since they were little and in the same beginner's dance class. He just…couldn't stay mad at her. And hurting her always felt wrong. Sure he and Tinka made little jabs and insults every now and then, but if he ever truly upset her he would take it back right away.

She had a hold over him that he couldn't shake out of. No matter what she said or did, she could simply bat those long eyelashes that covered her shiny caramel eyes and he would be putty in her hand. He wondered on many occasions how she got so deep under his skin, but then again – when he thought about it – he didn't really mind.

.

.

.

The rest of the afternoon Gunther spent either in his room or in the living room. He had to check on his grandmother another two times but, when she was sleeping deeply, he knew that he was done for the night.

He quietly closed her bedroom door and walked into the living area of the house when he heard his cell phone ring. He set the empty bowl of soup he had in his hands down on the kitchen counter and wiped his hands off on a spare towel as he walked over, tossing the rag aside and holding the phone to his ear.

He heard a women's monotone voice on the other end. "Collect call from AMERICA. If you would like to respond to it, press one. Otherwise, please hang up the phone."

He looked at the phone with his eyebrows furrowed. He had already talked to Tinka that morning, and she knew not to call twice in a day or else the phone bill would be through the roof, and no solicitor would make a nationwide call. So then who could be calling him from the United States?

Quickly pressing one, he held the cell to his ear again and answered. "Hello?"

The line was quiet a moment before he heard a familiar voice. "G-Gunther?"

Gunther's eyes got bigger as he realized who he was talking to. The same girl who just earlier he had been daydreaming about. The same girl that constantly filled his conscious and subconscious mind.

"Cece?" He asked, his tone laced with disbelief. He had to make sure it was her.

"Hey."

"Hi." He could've slapped himself for not coming up with a better response. He then tried again. "How have you been?"

"I've been good. I can't complain."

He smiled finally. "I'm glad to hear that."

"So, what about you? How's the Old Country?"

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "Same, I can't complain. I forgot how much I missed it here."

He could've sworn he heard a sigh come from her end, and not a happy one. His mind automatically concluded that she missed him and wasn't happy that he was happy here, but he suddenly realized that it was just his ridiculous, hopeful side thinking that. She didn't love him like he loved her, he had to get that through his head.

"So, is there any particular reason that you called? I hope it's not costing you too much."

"It's not, don't worry about that. But..there is a reason why I called you."

He stared out of his window, looking at the beautiful country side of his homeland. "Really?"

"Yeah, um…I-I wanted to tell you something."

He held the speaker closer to his ear. "I'm listening, go ahead."

He heard her take a deep breath. "Okay, uh..well, I wanted to say that a lot of people miss you here."

He was surprised. "They do?"

She chuckled, making him smile. "Of course. People like Tinka and Flynn, even Rocky said she was still getting used to not seeing you here on the show."

He smiled at the floor. "Is there anyone else?" He then looked up again. "Anyone that I should know about?"

"Ty, and Deuce sometimes. And..." His expression turned more serious, an anxious ear awaiting what she had to say. "And-"

Suddenly her voice was engulfed in static. Gunther frowned and pressed the phone harder against his ear. "Cece? Cece, I can't hear you."

All he heard was her voice fade in and out. Panic filled him at that moment. "Cece?" He even resorted to raising his voice to get her to hear him.

He could hear "Gun..think...line..falling throu...!" which meant that she was experiencing trouble like he was and trying to get through. He hit the phone to get a better connection. "Come on." He said in frustration.

After a few seconds he stopped banging against it and held it to his ear again, only hearing static. "Cece?" Then, at last, he heard, "I'm sorry, the phone connection to AMERICA has timed out. Please try again later and hang up the phone."

Gunther, feeling a surge of anger run through him, threw the phone against the wall and groaned in aggravation. His gaze went to the window, suddenly finding the rolling hills and green fields not so beautiful anymore.

The one time Cece tries to contact him and the call falls through. "Just my luck." He thought bitterly, scowling at nothing in particular.

But what was she going to tell him? It must've been important for her to call him all the way in the Old Country, especially when she had to pay for it. And he knew how much Cece hated spending money on useless things.

His spirits lifted when he noticed that he wasn't useless to her.

Did someone die? No, otherwise she would've sounded more upset. Then again, she did sound a little heartbroken…

He sighed and went over, picking up and examining his phone. No damage done. He smiled in relief as he stared at it. But that smile soon faded as he wondered what Cece was going to say again. Usually he would just shrug it off, but this was Cece he was talking about.

He couldn't forget about it.

In the heat of the moment he pushed redial and held the phone to his ear again, hoping that the call would go through. But he only heard the same message again, "I'm sorry, the phone connection toAMERICAhas timed out. Please try again later and hang up the phone."

"Gunther?"

Said boy sighed as he realized that his grandma was calling for him yet again. Having to momentarily forget about Cece, he walked back into her room with his eyebrows raised. "What do you need?"

"I need you to go pack your things and fly back to America."

Her response took him fully by surprise. "What?"

She smiled warmly at him. "I know about the call you just received. And I also know that it was from someone very special to you."

"That was…nothing." He said unconvincingly.

She looked at him sharply. "Don't lie to me Gunther."

He sighed and confessed, "Alright, yes, she is very special."

A smile was visible on her weathered face again. "How precious, young love!" He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "So, go on, I don't need any more help."

He scoffed. "Come on, I can't just leave-"

"Yes you can." She interrupted him. "And I expect you to! You can't just let love fade away because of something as foolish as long distance."

"It's not love, okay?" He sighed. "She doesn't know how I feel about her. I don't even know how I feel about her!"

"Well she obviously cares enough to make an expensive call all the way from North America!" She chuckled heartily. "And from what I heard, you sounded pretty upset to have lost the call…"

He was speechless for a moment before muttering, "It's not that expensive…"

"Gunther Hessenheffer." She said sharply, causing him to look up right away. "You cannot break this girl's heart, do you understand? If she wants you to come back to her, then you go. Forget about your silly old grandmother-"

"But I don't know if she wants me back!" He exclaimed, running frustrated hands through his blonde hair. "Do I want to believe that? More than anything! But it's just not…logical! We're not exactly the best of friends and-"

"Well what other reason could there be?" She asked, his mini freak out not phasing her one bit. "To just say hi? Now there's something that's not logical."

Gunther let out a deep breath and sat down in the chair beside her bed. "It's just not that easy." Suddenly a small, mindlost smile appeared on his lips. "I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with her."

"That's reason enough right there!" He looked up. "If you think you're in love with this girl, then it's worth the money to fly back to Chicago and find out."

"She doesn't feel the same way-"

"And she told you this?"

Gunther blinked. "Well no, not really, but-"

"But nothing! I mean, honestly, how do you know she doesn't if you never try? She could surprise you." Silence passed between them for a few seconds. "And I know you miss home."

He met her gaze. "You need me-"

"I'll always need you. And Tinka. But you need to be happy, and that's not here." She smiled warmly again. "Your entire life is back in Chicago, and that's where you belong. Even if it isn't for this girl – what's her name?"

"Cece." Gunther stated with a smile.

His grandmother smiled at his expression. "Even if it isn't for Cece, you should be there with your friends and family. You grew up there, and you're not done yet. So go, I don't need your help anymore."

He looked into her eyes, holding her hand. "I promised I would help you get back on your feet."

"And you have." She smiled. "You have been nothing but kind and I can never repay you for what you've done for me. You've kept your promise! Now let me do something for you." She squeezed his hands for emphasis. "Go home."

He stayed still for a minute longer before nodding and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you." He whispered, sending a bright smile her way. "For everything."

She waved him away. "And don't worry about me. I'll be fine, you just worry about yourself from now on. And that Cece, she sounds lovely. I do wish to meet her someday."

He chuckled. "Let's hope you do." Then he turned toward the door, but not before saying, "I won't forget this, you know. I love you, Grandmother."

"And I you, sweetheart." She smiled. "Now go!"

He laughed and did what she said.

.

.

.

Gunther arrived in Chicago late the night after the next, when the city was buzzing beneath the stars. He realized that it was Saturday, remembering to get used to the time zone again. But none of that mattered, he was just happy to be back.

As he stepped out of the airport and into the busy streets, he took a deep breath inward. Something about the air was different than the air in his homeland. He never noticed how much he'd miss it until now, being back in it.

Nobody knew that he was back, not even Tinka. He knew that she would be mad at him for not telling her, but he had more important things on his mind. Like Cece, and how he needed to know what her call was about. So he headed toward her apartment, not even stopping to drop his bags off first.

However, as he came to the front steps of her apartment building, he started to have his doubts. What if what she had to say was nothing at all? What if he had just flown halfway across the world to come back to laughter? Or disgust?

What if she felt the same way as he did?

The last scenario made him feel lighter. He couldn't explain it, he just knew that he couldn't hide anymore. What she was doing to him, it was slowly killing him – and the worst part was that she didn't even know about it. He no longer cared if she rejected him or not, she just needed to know the truth.

Still, he hoped for the best.

The ride up in the elevator was torture, seeming to go one for a century. With every floor came a new set of doubts, but he didn't lose hope. Maybe she did feel the same way? Stranger things have happened before.

Why couldn't it be the truth just this once?

Finally the small bell sounded and the doors pulled apart, revealing the hallway that he had been to so many times before. He took a deep breath before stepping out, his bag still in hand. Although he was clutching onto it so hard that his knuckles were turning white..

A few steps and he was standing right in front of her door. His heart felt like it was beating a million miles a minute, and suddenly his palms were soaked in sweat. But he didn't let that stop him. All he to do was raise his fist and knock…

"Come on, do it." He muttered to himself. He quickly set his bag down beside him and rubbed his hands together, blowing into them. "Just go in there and tell her how you really feel. You can do this."

After a few minutes of just standing there, staring at the hard wood, he let out a sigh and stepped back. "Why is this so hard?" He asked himself, looking up at the ceiling.

"Gunther?"

Snapping out of his own thoughts, Gunther quickly turned on his heel to see none other than Rocky Blue standing not ten feet away from him. She was staring at him in disbelief as she slowly came over, her eyes never leaving his.

"I don't believe this." She said, almost as a spoken thought, as she examined his face. "I don't believe this."

He managed a small smile. "Uh, hey Rocky, how have you been-"

His sentence was suddenly cut short by Rocky's palm colliding with his cheek. He stumbled a bit backward as he processed what just happened; Rocky just slapped him.

He held his injury as he looked at her with wide eyes. But she was glaring at him. Hard. "How dare you?" She spat out with venom in her voice.

"Why did you do that?" He asked, still shocked from the blow.

"No, you don't get to ask the questions here!" She almost growled. "Why are you here, Gunther? More importantly, why were you about to knock on Cece's door?"

He was still in a state of surprise but knew it would be wise to answer her. "Well, I felt like I had to come back. This is where I want to be, Rocky. And Cece? I'm here to tell her something that's…pretty important."

"No, you don't get to see her." She stated.

He frowned as he dropped his hand finally. "What?"

She shrugged. "You heard me. You don't get to see Cece, at all, so why don't you just leave?"

He scoffed. "Are you her bodyguard now?"

"You broke her heart, Gunther."

Rocky's statement felt like another blow, completely taking him by surprise. "I…what?"

Rocky rolled her eyes, her hands still planted firmly on her hips. "You left her here to completely forget about her while she had to struggle with her developing feelings for you."

Gunther couldn't quite register what Rocky was telling him. Cece's developing feelings for him?

Still she continued, "Every night she's had a dream about you coming back, but you never do. And every day it breaks her more and more. So when she called you the other day-"

"Wait, you know that she called me?" He asked, finally finding his voice again.

Rocky seemed annoyed that he interrupted her but nodded nonetheless. "Yes. And do you know why she tried to call you?"

When he shook his head, she sighed. "She was calling to tell you that she loves you. That she wants you back here, with her."

Gunther felt very dizzy. Cece was going to say that? He suddenly found it hard to stand on his own. Rocky's better side got to her and she frowned, "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine I just…need a minute." He ran a hand through his hair before looking at her again. "And you're sure of this?"

She nodded, closing her eyes. "She told me, after I found her in tears on the kitchen floor. She was going on about how she lost her chance with you and how the failed call was some sort of sign from the universe."

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "I can't believe this." Suddenly a small smile made its way onto his lips as he looked up at her again. "I need to see her."

She laughed out loud. "Yeah right, so you can leave again and break her heart all over? I don't think so."

"Please, I have to." He took a step closer, grabbing her shoulders for emphasis. "You have to believe me when I say that I never intended to hurt her in any way."

She glared up at him. "She's my best friend."

"I know that." He nodded. "And I need to make it right. Please, let me see her."

She remained expressionless for a few seconds before asking, "Why did you come back?"

"Because I missed this, here." He motioned to all around him, gesturing to Chicago. "It's where I belong. Even more so now that I know how Cece feels-"

"She called you two days ago, so she's had some time to deal with her heartbreak."

"That's because it took me two days to catch the right flights back here." He stated, seeing the realization on her face. "Come on, you're smart, you know that. I left almost as soon as the call ended."

She sighed. "I don't trust you."

He took another step closer, looking deep into her eyes. "I traveled halfway across the globe just to find out what she was going to say... What more can I do?"

She slowly started to soften. "Well, that is romantic…"

"Please, Rocky, I have to see her and make this right. I'm in love with her."

That seemed to get her as she finally cracked a small smile. "You are?"

He smiled back. "I have been, for a while now."

The small smile suddenly faded. "I still don't trust you."

His face dropped as he realized that she was giving him the cold shoulder again. But just as he looked to the ground he heard her heels making a click clack sound down the hallway. He looked up again to see her walk into the open elevator, then turn to face him.

"If she asks, you never saw me. But so help me God, if you break her heart again, I will come after you. Diva Blue remember?"

He chuckled as the doors closed, leaving only him in the hallway. Then he leaned against the wall, going over everything Rocky had just told him. Cece loves him, she wants him back with her, but he broke her heart, and now she's depressed.

Suddenly he turned to her door, looking it up and down. He didn't know what he'd find on the other side of it, but he didn't care. He just wanted her.

So he slowly raised his fist and knocked…

Ta-da! Another chapter done!

Now that Gunther is back in America, how will Cece take it? Their encounter is in the next chapter, okay, it IS the next chapter.. So don't forget to leave a comment! (The more comments I get, the faster I'll update! :)