4

"See? I'm full of surprises, too," he told her.

"Apparently." She replied.

"So …" he watched her face. "Do you like Vacaville so far?"

She shrugged lightly, "Well, I can't say for sure right now. I've been here for only two weeks. In Fact, I just got my apartment today, so…. I think I'll hold on to my review for now,"

"Too bad," he said, "I was hoping you'd say you felt much better about Vacaville since you've just met this really cool dude—," he paused and gave her a look, "—That's me by the way…"

Elena couldn't stop the smile this time.

Chandler continued, "...But I guess I was wrong. You're not a fun person."

Elena set her jaw stubbornly, and the smile quickly disappeared. "That doesn't sound very fair. You can't make a conclusion just like that because of one thing."

"No?" he turned her again, pulling her back into his chest. "Agree to disagree."

"So you'd want me to dissect you right now?" Elena asked, face flushed from the way he'd just tilted her back. "Because I have made my own… Observations. So do you want me to?"

"Hell no." He replied.

She bit down on the smile that threatened to spread. Oh, Chandler wished she hadn't. He wanted to see that smile unfold and know that he was the one to make her do it.

"But I'll tell you one thing I know is true, and if you want to do the same to me," he conceded, "then I'll allow it."

"Deal."

They danced quietly for a few moments of the song, and he thought about what to say, and how to say what he wanted to say, "What I know to be true," he began slowly, "is that my stupid brother has never danced with you like this."

Her eyes flashed again, but Chandler couldn't pinpoint the emotion behind it. "How on earth could you possibly know that?" she asked.

He shifted his hand, brushing his fingers against the knot of bone that he could feel under her soft, soft skin. She shivered. Instead of giving her the answer she wanted, he lifted his chin. "Your turn."

As they swayed together, her hand tightened slightly in his. Forgetful of what it might do to her lipstick, she chewed on her lip and thought carefully before saying anything. "Okay, I admit. I don't know much about you,"

Chandler smirked, and Elena rolled her eyes at him, "I mean, I did know about you. I knew Elijah had a brother, but I also thought that you two weren't close. I was honestly surprised when you showed up with him," She watched his face carefully. "Did something happen between you guys? I mean, not that it's any of my business. You don't even have to answer…. Forget I asked that,"

"It's okay," Chandler said, "I like that you are asking questions about me. It means you want to get to know me,"

They swayed again, his fingers moving against her skin as they did. "That's not why I asked," Elena glanced over his shoulder, almost refusing to meet his eyes. "I hope you know that."

Chandler laughed under his breath. He liked this girl, he decided. He wanted to ruffle her feathers and see her in her full glory when she wasn't afraid to hide whatever she kept simmering under the surface.

"I do know that," he told her, executing another gentle turn. "But it's okay that you asked..." His voice trailed off. "As for your question. The answer is no. Nothing happened between Elijah and I. We used to be very close when we were kids, but as we got older, we kinda drifted apart. We didn't fight, and it wasn't Elijah's fault… Just some family issues… Maybe it was my fault. I don't know, but lately we've been trying to…. Develop that bond between us again. We've been hanging out more often than we used to. He invited me to come out with him tonight, so here I am. You might not understand…. I can see that you and your sister have a good relationship with one another, "

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and Chandler's eyes followed the movement. "I guess we do. We always have. There were times when we got into fights but we made up quickly all the time. A twin thing I guess. Emily is my best friend in the whole world and I can't imagine not being close to her,"

Chandler nodded. The music ended, and he stopped their swaying. "About your apartment… When do you intend to move in?"

"As soon as my furniture arrives. I already have everything packed and ready to go. I still have to find a good store for my business too. God, I sure have a lot to do and if things don't go as planned, I don't know what I'd do,"

He nodded, "You'll be fine," he said, "Moving can be tough and really stressful. I'd be glad to help… In any way I can…. If you need it,"

Elena shook her head, "Thanks but I don't mean that. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the offer, but It's not just about moving,"

Chandler said nothing. He just stared, waiting for her to explain, not wanting to interrupt or force her into saying anything, and crazily enough, Elena found herself talking; to a man she just met and knew absolutely nothing about.

"I tried to start my own business, and failed," she began, sighing deeply, "It started out great, but along the line, I don’t know what happened and everything I worked for crashed to the ground. It was Emily's idea that I move to Vacaville and start over. I'm happy and eager to start all over again, but I'm scared. What if I fail again? What happens then? Do I move again…. Start over again… Or do I just give up. It's times like these when I wonder how my sister does it. She seems to have everything figured out, you know…Her entire life is just perfect but I on the other hand… I seem to keep doing something wrong,"

Elena stopped talking and faced him again. The entire time she'd been talking she was staring at his shoulder and when her eyes met his she couldn't quite figure out what she saw there. Was it understanding, or just pity. She didn't want him to pity her, so she shook her head and took a step back, "I'm sorry," she said, "Didn't mean to unload all that on you,"