I brushed a stray lock of hair out of my face, the wind blowing, but not unpleasantly. The lights from headlights and buildings on either side of the road gave off an ambient glow as the sun continued to sink lower in the sky.

"So, where are we going?" I asked the man walking next to me, looking over at him.

"Old friend of mine owns an ice cream shop a couple blocks down. Leaves me a spare key if I ever want to get anything outside of their operating hours," Law explained.

"Wow, you just get ice cream whenever, huh?" I quipped, smiling playfully at him.

"Oh, yeah," he replied, giving me a playful wink as he patted his gut. "All the time." I laughed.

As we were walking down a particularly uneven portion of the sidewalk, the toe of my shoe caught on a ledge in the pavement. I tripped but righted myself a moment later, laughing at my near misfortune. Law had jerked forward, prepared to help steady me should I have fallen.

"You alright?" he asked with a shocked smile.

I nodded, laughing again. "I'm alright, just clumsy."

"I can see that," he teased, gently taking my arm and linking it with his own. I flushed as he pulled me close to his side. "Can't have you breakin' a leg when you're not even in show biz!" He grinned over at me, and I smiled back at him.

We arrived at the ice cream shop a few short minutes later - a cute little blue and pink building - and Law reached under the doormat, retrieving the key. He unlocked the door and we stepped into the dark interior. I blinked around me as he shut and locked the door again behind us. Before I could potentially injure myself by groping around in the darkness, Lawrence grabbed a small lantern on the counter and lit it. The room was immediately bathed in a soft, warm glow.

"There we go; now we can see," he said, smiling at me. "Now then, what flavor would you like?" he asked, going behind the counter.

I tilted my head for a moment as I thought about it. "Hm... Do they have (Y/F/Flavor)?"

Lawrence squinted at the placards behind the counter, lighting up when he spotted it. "Found it! How many scoops, toots?"

"Just two is fine."

He nodded, fixing us each a bowl. He handed me mine before beckoning me to follow him.

"Come on; I've got a more scenic joint to get our grub on."

I laughed. "Lead on, then, fearless leader."

He led me through the dim shop, abruptly taking my hand in his. I blushed something furious and was thanking my lucky stars that Law wasn't looking at me, and that it was dark enough to hide my complexion even if he had been. Then he was leading me up a flight of stairs and out of a heavy door. We emerged onto the rooftop of the building, and my face lit up anew at the gorgeous view of the city plunged into sunset. I breathed in a breath in awe.

"Law... This is beautiful."

He walked with me to the edge of the roof, leaning against the low wall surrounding the perimeter. He took a bite of his sundae, and I looked over at him. I arched an brow playfully. "Strawberry, huh?"

He smiled, shaking his head. "I like strawberry, okay? Sue me."

"Nothing wrong with that," I said, shrugging and taking a bite of my own ice cream.

He smiled at me before the two of us looked out at the horizon and the sky streaked with purples, pinks, and oranges. The air was crisp and I could feel the breeze turning my complexion rosy. I observed the crowds of people and cars below us as the sun sank lower and lower. My gaze shifted over to Law.

"You come up here often?"

He smiled down at his ice cream. "More than I'd like to admit. Although less as of late, with music school and rum runnin', and all."

I nodded. "I understand that. Have you always liked music?"

Hey faltered for a short moment before smiling a small, sad smile. "My dad actually played."

My brow furrowed slightly as I listened to him.

"He taught me some, when I was a kid. He really had a love for the piano and music in general. Chopin was his favorite," he remembered fondly. "He always said there was something so personal about his music. Said he could connect with it much easier than the other composers."

I smiled. "I don't know much about music, but your father sounds like your father really has a passion for it."

He looked down at the city below us. "He really did." I hesitated at a bit at his use of the past tense. "My dad left when I was around eight. My mom said he was having an affair, but I never quite believed her. Sometimes I think he left just to get away from her. I know I would have."

"Oh, Law, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

He seemed to snap to his senses and looked over at me, shrugging it off. "No, no. In fact, if anyone should be sorry, it's me. You're just trying to enjoy your ice cream and here I am unloading my past on you." He grinned sheepishly at me.

I waved away his apology. "Think nothing of it. Believe me, I understand being at odds with your parents."

"Oh yeah?" he asked me, taking a bite of his ice cream before it could drip down the side of his bowl.

I nodded. "You know my mother passed away when I was a teenager, and my father and I were never close. He actually tried to pawn me off to lone of his colleagues after his first wife died."

Law's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Christ alive! You've certainly been through the ringer, haven't ya, toots?" He flashed me an encouraging grin.

I felt myself color slightly at his easy use of nicknames for me. "That's certainly one way of putting it."

The two of us settled into a comfortable silence as we ate our frozen treats. The longer we sat there, the more I couldn't help myself from broaching the subject.

"So... Jenny had a lot of good things to say about you," I ventured.

"Did she, now?" he retorted, an annoyed expression flickering onto his face for a brief moment.

My brow furrowed as I considered him. "You don't seem too pleased about it,' I commented playfully.

He let out a weighty breath. "It's just... She's made her... attraction fairly clear, and I don't feel the same way, I'm afraid."

My heart, selfish as it was, lifted at this information. "So, you don't fancy her, then?"

He shook his head, taking another bite of his ice cream. "I don't. I'm not crazy about gals like her."

I did my best to remain calm and aloof, praying my face and complexion wouldn't betray my inner dialogue. "Well, what kind of 'gals' do you fancy?"

I fixed my gaze down on my ice cream in mock concentration as I fished out another spoonful. Even so, I could still feel him grinning at me.

"I like gals I can hold a conversation with. Ones who aren't afraid to share their thoughts and interests with me, and are receptive to those of my own. Not to mention chicks with (Y/H/C) hair: drive me wild."

My eyes widened a bit and my gaze snapped over to Lawrence, thought process sluggish.

"But... But I have (Y/H/C) hair," I said flatly, floundering.

He threw me a smirk as he finished the last of his ice cream. "I know."

I blinked. Because, honestly, I had not an inkling of what else to do in this situation.

Lawrence straightened, walking past me and back to the door we had emerged from earlier.

"Come on, toots. It's getting late, and you can't convince me a pretty little thing like yourself doesn't have a curfew." He grinned slyly.

I blushed down to the roots of my hair, beside myself with bashfulness. I followed him, eyes fixed on my shoes and giddy smile on my lips. He opened the door for me, and as I passed him, I looked him in the face.

"Law, I don't know what to say."

"How's about saying 'yes' to me taking you out to dinner sometime this week?"

My heart fluttered as I searched his eyes, not quite believing this was really happening. But it was. As absolutely surreal as it all felt, this sweet man really was asking me to go to dinner with him. So, I grinned back and nodded.

"I'd love to."

Law and I re-entered the Parlor from the smugglers' entrance around back, the warmth an immediate, drastic change from the nip of the evening air we had just left behind. The two of us were all rosy cheeks and hushed laughs. There was something secret and sacred in our knowing glances, our giddy grins. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders to help steer me through the hustle and bustle of girls and other Parlor staff behind the scenes. I felt myself relaxing into his touch, feeling right at home with his arm around me. We turned the corner and nearly collided with Melody.

"Oh! There you two are!" She looked at Lawrence, and I saw her eyes briefly light on his arm enveloping me. "Link's been looking all over for you for the past twenty minutes; said something about another run."

He sighed, and all too soon his arm was no longer draped around me. "Alright, I'll go see what he wants." He turned back to me. "How does Thursday at six o'clock sound?"

I smiled. "Sounds perfect. I'll be looking forward to it."

"Same here, doll face." Then, to my utter surprise, he leaned down and gave me a quick peck on the cheek in farewell, moving back down the hallway before I even had time to react.

I felt my face growing hot, hand unconsciously drifting up to rest on the spot where his lips had been only moments before. I could feel eyes on me, and turned to find Melody staring at me in open-mouthed shock.

"Now what in the Lord's holy name was all that?" she asked me, a grin slowly spreading across her face.

I grinned bashfully down at my feet, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as it fell into my face. "I guess Lawrence and I are going out to dinner later this week," I told her, meeting her gaze again.

"Oh, (Y/N)!" she cried happily, abruptly throwing her arms around my neck. "I just knew you two would hit it off!"

I smiled, laughing a bit at how enthusiastic she was about the whole situation.

"Thanks, Melody." She pulled back from our tight embrace. "I guess, in a way, I owe it all to you."

She beamed, waving me off with a humble flick of her hand. "Oh, it was fated, honey! I was merely Cupid's little helper." She winked at me.

I grinned back at her. "Well, you're very good at your job."

"Psh, I know."

We both laughed again, and she linked arms with me as we started back down the hallway. I found myself grinning from ear to ear at my current circumstances: I had reconnected with my estranged aunt and uncle, I had stumbled upon a woman whom I considered a close friend, and I had now been asked to dinner by a man in whom I was actually interested. I felt so immensely grateful for how my life seemed to be looking up after the years of hardship I had endured. I shook myself mentally before my thoughts could drift to my brothers and sisters back in Italy. They made their decision to stay, and no amount of longing would change that. I was thrust back into the present when Jenny poked her head out of the dressing room the three of us had occupied earlier.

She squinted a bit at me, as if to remind me of her ever-present disdain. I averted my eyes, trying to ignore her and brush it off.

"Where's Law?" she asked Melody, glancing around the hallway in search of him.

My friend shrugged her shoulders. "No clue. Link said something about sending him and Sparkles back out on another run, but I'm not sure."

Jenny deflated in an overdramatic pout. "Aw, I wanted to wish him luck and say goodbye before he left."

I noticed Melody discretely roll her eyes out of my periphery. "That's too bad, Jenny."

The other girl gave my friend a scathing look. "There's no need to get sore at me, Mel."

"Oh, why don't you just close your head?"

She smirked as she cut her eyes over at me. "Why? You know I can't help that Law's stuck on me and not... other people here." The way she threw out that last phrase as if she were spitting on me set me over the edge of self-control.

"Oh? Is that why he asked me to dinner and not you?" I bit back, throwing my inhibitions to the wind. I knew it was mean-spirited of me, but I was sick of this woman's bullying and dramatics.

Jenny stared at me in confusion, seemingly not quite grasping what I had just said. Melody gawked at me, and I could tell she was no doubt proud of the smart quip I had thrown back at Jenny.

"What are you talking about?" the dark-haired dancer finally spat, appearing angrier by the second.

Melody beamed as she answered. "Oh, Law just asked (Y/N) here to go out with him this week."

Jenny looked equal parts angry, disbelieving, and absolutely crushed. I only felt a little bad.

"That's not... You're not..."

Melody blew out a breath, puffing out her cheeks as she did so. "Well, as... enlightening as this little conversation has been, (Y/N) and I have to get going and you're on in five. Break a leg!" she added cheerfully right before she grabbed my hand and led me down the hall once more, Jenny stupefied in our wake.