I Hope You Dance (Artemi Panarin)

Happily Ever After Theory

Gabriella

"So... are you and Artemi like a thing" Yuila asks as I help her clean up around her apartment. We were playing with the kids because she knows that's the only reason I would ever agree to come over. But they went down for a nap and my suspicions of this actually being a interrogation about Artemi was quickly confirmed.

"Can we please not do this" I groan.

"How long do you think you can avoid this" she asks.

"Long enough so I can figure out what I'm feeling and what I'm going to do about it" I defend.

"You know how you're feeling" she insists.

"I don't... that's why I haven't done anything about it" I claim.

"You like him. Why can't you just say that you like him" she asks.

"Because it's not that simple. This isn't a book. I don't just confess my feelings in the middle of the city in the pouring rain just for everything to work out how I hoped it would. I'm not some flamboyant girl who knows nothing about life and happens to stumble upon my happily ever after. That is not how things works around here" I insist.

"Your problem is that you're too focused on your brain. You know too much for your own good. Tell you head to quiet down and tell your heart to speak up" she claims.

"It's not that easy" I defend.

"Not the way you're making it" she mumbles.

"See... this is why I don't ever leave my apartment" I groan.

"So you don't have to face your problems" she asks.

"So I don't create new problems to fix on top of my old ones" I clarify.

"You can't hide forever" she claims.

"Pretty sure I can" I laugh.

"Well you shouldn't" she shuns.

"I don't know what to tell you. I can help everyone but myself... that's just the way it goes" I shrug.

"You don't seriously believe that" she insists.

"I don't have a choice" I sigh.

Eventually Andrew and Artemi return to the apartment. They were out finalizing his new place and getting him a car and other necessary things for him to live on his own. It's been over a week and he was just getting his feet wet.

After a lot of self reassurance I take Artemi back to my place and all the way up to my apartment. He follows close behind me and it made me a little uncomfortable, but he smelled good so I let it go.

"Is now a bad time to mention I'm afraid of heights" he says.

"The blinds are never open if that helps any" I say opening up the door. I loved the dark.

"That works" he shrugs and I laugh. He was so goofy.

I welcome him in and give him a tour. There wasn't much to see, I was pretty straight forward and very organized. I had two bedrooms but one was my office and I didn't show him that. Everything else was pretty much open for everyone to see. Well he was actually the first person to be in my apartment so I guess for him and I to see.

"Oh, I totally forgot. I have a dog, I hope that's okay with you" I ask.

"Of course. I love dogs" he insists.

"I can go get him if you would like to meet him" I offer.

"I would love to" he smiles.

I go into my office and grab Hanks collar. He was still pretty young and he gets excited easily. Plus no one ever comes over so the only time he sees people is when we're out running. I close and lock my door back up and bring him out.