Snow It Up [Shake It Up]

chapter ten

Gunther grinned at CeCe, looking the same way he did when he left. "It is I, Gunther Hessenheffer!" He threw his arms out to the sides, his accent a little thicker than before he left. "Hello, CeCe. I am back, baby."

CeCe shook her head, pinching herself. She felt the pain from the pinch, which meant that she wasn't dreaming. "You can't be here."

"Oh, but I am." CeCe reached out and touched his arm, gasping when she felt the fabric of his jacket. "Did you not believe me?"

"Obviously not," CeCe said, rolling her eyes. She knew that he was coming to visit Tinka, but why would he visit her first? "What are you doing here?"

He pointed to his suitcase that was sitting behind him. "I just landed and wanted to see you. Can I not see you?"

"No, you can," she said, moving out of the way. "Come on in." She felt bad for questioning Gunther, but she didn't know why he stopped here first. She watched as Gunther walked into her apartment, but her frown deepened when she didn't see his normal clothes. "Where are your sparkles?"

Gunther was looking around at the Christmas things that Georgia had set up, but stopped and gave her a tight lipped smile. "I stopped wearing them."

"Why?"

"Things happen and people change," he said, shrugging. He gave her another smile, and this one reached his eyes. "Enough about that. How's Shake It Up, Chicago?"

CeCe's stomach tightened, so she slowly clicked the door shut behind her. She leaned against the wooden door, forcing her feelings to be buried away. "I was actually fired a couple of years ago. They wanted new dancers, so they fired all the old ones."

"Oh, I remember that now. Tinka told me." Gunther frowned, turning back to the fireplace mantel. "That is such a shame. All of the old dancers were really good."

"Are you . . . complimenting me?"

A smile spread across Gunther's face, surprising CeCe even more. "Perhaps." CeCe watched as he reached forward and touched a new picture that she had set on the mantel. It was from their graduation and had everyone in it, besides Gunther. "Was graduation fun?"

"Yeah," CeCe said, walking forward. She stepped beside him and stared forward, the memories floating back from that day. "Deuce fell right after he accepted his diploma. You would've liked it."

Gunther chuckled, shaking his head. "I wish I was there."

"Why weren't you?"

"The Old Country needed me." Gunther turned toward CeCe, giving her a small smile. "But that is in the past. I do not really want to focus on it anymore."

CeCe frowned, noticing that he kept brushing off talk about the Old Country. What happened while he was there? It must have been something traumatic since he won't speak about it. CeCe didn't want to push him, though, because she didn't want him to get mad and leave. He was different than when he left, a good different. "Why don't I make us some hot chocolate so we can catch up?"

"That sounds like a good idea." 

CeCe led Gunther into the kitchen, and she heard him sit down in one of the chairs. "Do you want any marshmallows in it?"

"No, thank you."

CeCe nodded and poured the hot cocoa mix into the cups. She put a cup of milk into the microwave and leaned against the counter. "You've been gone for so long," CeCe said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I almost forgot what you looked like." She gave him a once over, grinning. "You didn't change at all."