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"I don't want to go to a concert!" said Victoria, trying to pull away from her friend, who was clutching her hand determinedly. "Please, don't make me go. I-I have stuff to do!"
Elizabeta laughed. "Come on Victoria! It'll be really fun. And our favourite band is playing!" She looked across at Lily. "You want to go, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Lily said, blushing. "It'll be fun to see my brother there. He's in it, you know." She looked up at Victoria. "Please go, it'll be really fun! And I've got tickets for three!"

"Please," said Elizabeta.

"Please," said Lily. She pushed a ticket into Victoria's hand.

"All right," Victoria said. Elizabeta cheered. "Okay, I'll go. But I'm not staying afterwards!"

"Sure," Elizabeta said, but she and Lily smiled at each other. Victoria was so sweet to them that they'd be able to stay behind afterwards, and because Vash was Lily's brother and he was in the band, they'd be able to go and meet the rest of the boys.

They walked into the main concert hall and went to find their seats inside.

Ivan was getting ready with the other two boys. He sighed as he heard the sound of excited girls outside. Girls, girls, girls. Girls who would be waiting for him to sign their arms in Sharpie pens, girls who would want a hug from him, girls in the main hall who were going to listen to him sing. He'd never be able to get away from them soon enough.

"Ivan, aren't you coming?" Vash said briskly. He always wanted things to be done quickly! Feliks was much more laid back and messy, but even he was ready already.

"I'm coming," Ivan replied, adjusting his trademark scarf around his neck and checking his reflection in the mirror. He looked at it. Breathe, Ivan. Maybe you'll be able to find a girl who isn't like all the others. Then he walked out of the dressing room door after Vash and Feliks to tumultuous applause.

"Ivan!" a girl shouted. "I love you!" Ivan ducked his head awkwardly. He disliked all this attention, instead adjusting his microphone and clutching it. His hands felt hot and sweaty, and he was blushing, he didn't know why. He stared at the microphone and opened his mouth to sing.

Victoria gasped in shock - she couldn't help it. Sure, Lily had said that Vash and his two bandmates were good singers, she just hadn't noticed it yet. Feliks was really confident, and Elizabeta was waving frantically to try to get his attention, but Ivan was definitely Victoria's favourite. He was the tallest by far of the three, a head taller then the others, with a caramel coloured scarf wound around his neck. He seemed shy, ducking his head at the end of each song. The minutes flew by and she watched, leaning over the bar in front of the box. When it had finally ended, Elizabeta started tapping her shoulder. Victoria was staring transfixed at the space where Ivan had been, amazed that someone could have such a beautiful voice. "Come on, Victoria! Stop making eyes at them - who's your favourite one?" Elizabeta said.

Victoria blinked and blushed bright red. "I... I'm not sure... maybe... maybe Ivan... he looks really nice..."

Elizabeta frowned, unconvinced. "Really? You go for that sort of thing? He's a bit tall, and he does have a dreamy face, but again, they all have dreamy faces." She grinned.

"Come on!" Lily started pulling Victoria's arm. "We need to go and see them before the crowd gets too big outside their dressing rooms."

The three girls climbed down from the box and ran across the hall to try and get backstage. Fortunately, the last girls had started disappearing, and they could easily get into the dressing rooms. Vash turned from where he was leaning against the doorway, talking nervously to a girl, and smiled when he saw Lily. Lily dashed up to him and gave him a hug. "You were great, brother! These are my friends, Lizzie or Elizabeta and Victoria."

"Hi, Vash!" Elizabeta beamed. "It's really nice to meet you, I'm such a big fan!"

"Are you really?" Feliks asked, jumping up from his chair. "It's really surprising meeting a fan who it's a rabid fangirl." He grinned.

"Oh, I'm not sure about that," Elizabeta teased. "It looks to me like you just enjoy all the attention." She punched his arm lightly.

Victoria stood awkwardly by the door, unsure whether to go in. Ivan looked up from where he was sitting, reading, and came out to talk to her.

"Hi," he said quietly. "You okay there? What's your name?"

"Yes," Victoria whispered. "I-I'm Victoria. Victoria Snow. I-I heard you singing... you were really good. You were... g-great!"

"Thank you." Ivan glanced over at the other girls. "They seem a little busy."

Victoria laughed quietly. "I really wanted to go home after the concert, but Lily wanted to go and meet up with Vash, and Elizabeta managed to t-take me here too." She looked down at the floor. Ivan put a hand tentatively on her shoulder.

"I could take you home if you wanted..." he suggested. "That is, only if you wanted to. I don't want to embarrass you."

"No, that would be l-lovely," Victoria replied, still looking down.

"Seatbelts on," Ivan said gently after Victoria had gotten into his small car. When she didn't respond, he leaned across her and strapped her in. "There you are. Where do you live?" He pulled out a GPS. "Type it in there." After Victoria had done so, he started up the engine and put on the radio.

After a while he heard someone humming along to the song on the radio. "Is that you?" he asked, grinning at her. Victoria blushed.

"I like this song... I s-sing it sometimes when I'm at home," she mumbled. Ivan smiled to himself.

"Feel free to sing along, I don't mind." When Victoria said nothing, he started to sing to himself.

"S-stop it!" Victoria giggled.

"What?" laughed Ivan.

"S-singing!"

"What, you don't like my singing?" Ivan smiled. "Then you'd better help me out. Come on, sing!"

Victoria began to sing quietly, and when Ivan nodded encouragingly, sang a little louder. They sat in the car, both of them singing, oblivious to the world around them.

The track ended when they got to Victoria's house. It was dark already, and she looked out nervously as she spotted her house.

"Which one is it?" Ivan asked. Then he added, "I'll walk you there."

"Never mind!" Victoria said, quickly jumping out of the car. "I-I'll be fine!"

"No you won't," he said briskly. "You might hurt yourself. I'll come with you." He got out also, locking the door of his car.

"You r-really don't need to..." Victoria whispered, but when she saw that Ivan wouldn't budge, let him walk with her towards her house. As they walked side by side, their hands touched lightly together, and they both looked down in shock at their hands. "I-I didn't mean to!" Victoria said quickly.

"Never mind," said Ivan gently. "There." He wrapped his big fingers around her small, slim hand. "Now it won't happen again."

It was awkward, walking together towards the house, holding hands when they'd only known each other a short while, but it somehow felt natural for them.

"W-would you like a drink?" Victoria asked nervously when they got to their house.

"That would be great," he said steadily, ducking slightly to get under the low doorway. They walked into her living room, and Victoria went to the kitchen to busy herself with drinks. Ivan looked around the room. It was simple and plain, apart from a large CD player at the side of the room, and a large stack of CDs. Ivan went over to them, and found the song they'd been singing in the car amongst them. He slotted it in and sat down on the sofa just as Victoria came in, holding two glasses of water with ice cubes in them.

"M-my kettle isn't working, so there's just water," she said, passing him one of the glasses. The song started playing on the CD player. She looked at it, and went over to switch it off, then went to the sofa and sat down beside Ivan. They stared at their water in silence.

"Why are you so cold, Victoria?" Ivan asked. "Why don't you just warm up?" He shook his glass of water so the ice cubes clinked.

"I don't know..." Victoria mumbled. "I just find it h-hard."

"Well, to start, you can sing the song to me." Ivan got up, and switched the CD player on so the song started again. "Come on!" He sang the first few bars to her.

"Y-you really want me to sing?" Victoria blushed.

"Yes, I do."

Quietly, Victoria sang the next bars, glancing at Ivan nervously. "W-was that okay?"

"I've noticed something," Ivan said. "You don't stutter when you sing. Why?"

"W-well..." Victoria breathed in. Was she actually going to tell this guy who she'd only just met something that she'd never told anyone before?

Yes.

"I-I don't normally talk much to other people b-because my homeland is quite far away from o-other people... I-I don't get much opportunity to talk to them..." She looked down. "N-normally I just t-talk to my friends."

"Just to your friends?"

"O-or they talk more to other people for m-me so I don't need to embarrass myself." Victoria felt Ivan's hand gently covering her own.

"Listen to me, Victoria. You're not an embarrassing person. You're a great person." He looked into her eyes, and Victoria saw that he was telling the truth. "You don't need to hide from other people, they can already see what you're like."

"Y-you should go now... you've got a concert tomorrow..." Victoria mumbled into her hair. Ivan pushed her hair away from her face.

"I think you're beautiful, Victoria. You don't need to hide it." He reached into his pocket and pressed something into her hand. "Tickets for the concert tomorrow. Then I can see you again."

"T-thank you." Victoria blushed, and gazed into her glass. "I-I'll check to see if my kettle's working." She took Ivan's glass and got up to go to the kitchen.

Crash! Victoria tripped over the coffee table and the glasses fell from her hands. Ivan quickly put out a hand to help her up again.

"Victoria, are you okay?" he asked, looking anxious. Victoria stared at the glass on the floor.

"I-I have to clear that up."

"It's fine. All that matters is if you are fine." Ivan put his hands on Victoria's shoulders. "I have to go back now. Will I see you at the concert tomorrow?"

"Y-yes." Victoria looked up at Ivan. Suddenly, he bent down and she felt his lips touch hers. She reached up and hugged him quickly. Ivan laughed.

"I'll be there," Victoria whispered. "You're a great singer."

Ivan laughed. "I thought you were so cold, Victoria Snow."

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"I don't want to go to a concert!" said Victoria, trying to pull away from her friend, who was clutching her hand determinedly. "Please, don't make me go. I-I have stuff to do!"
Elizabeta laughed. "Come on Victoria! It'll be really fun. And our favourite band is playing!" She looked across at Lily. "You want to go, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Lily said, blushing. "It'll be fun to see my brother there. He's in it, you know." She looked up at Victoria. "Please go, it'll be really fun! And I've got tickets for three!"

"Please," said Elizabeta.

"Please," said Lily. She pushed a ticket into Victoria's hand.

"All right," Victoria said. Elizabeta cheered. "Okay, I'll go. But I'm not staying afterwards!"

"Sure," Elizabeta said, but she and Lily smiled at each other. Victoria was so sweet to them that they'd be able to stay behind afterwards, and because Vash was Lily's brother and he was in the band, they'd be able to go and meet the rest of the boys.

They walked into the main concert hall and went to find their seats inside.

Ivan was getting ready with the other two boys. He sighed as he heard the sound of excited girls outside. Girls, girls, girls. Girls who would be waiting for him to sign their arms in Sharpie pens, girls who would want a hug from him, girls in the main hall who were going to listen to him sing. He'd never be able to get away from them soon enough.

"Ivan, aren't you coming?" Vash said briskly. He always wanted things to be done quickly! Feliks was much more laid back and messy, but even he was ready already.

"I'm coming," Ivan replied, adjusting his trademark scarf around his neck and checking his reflection in the mirror. He looked at it. Breathe, Ivan. Maybe you'll be able to find a girl who isn't like all the others. Then he walked out of the dressing room door after Vash and Feliks to tumultuous applause.

"Ivan!" a girl shouted. "I love you!" Ivan ducked his head awkwardly. He disliked all this attention, instead adjusting his microphone and clutching it. His hands felt hot and sweaty, and he was blushing, he didn't know why. He stared at the microphone and opened his mouth to sing.

Victoria gasped in shock - she couldn't help it. Sure, Lily had said that Vash and his two bandmates were good singers, she just hadn't noticed it yet. Feliks was really confident, and Elizabeta was waving frantically to try to get his attention, but Ivan was definitely Victoria's favourite. He was the tallest by far of the three, a head taller then the others, with a caramel coloured scarf wound around his neck. He seemed shy, ducking his head at the end of each song. The minutes flew by and she watched, leaning over the bar in front of the box. When it had finally ended, Elizabeta started tapping her shoulder. Victoria was staring transfixed at the space where Ivan had been, amazed that someone could have such a beautiful voice. "Come on, Victoria! Stop making eyes at them - who's your favourite one?" Elizabeta said.

Victoria blinked and blushed bright red. "I... I'm not sure... maybe... maybe Ivan... he looks really nice..."

Elizabeta frowned, unconvinced. "Really? You go for that sort of thing? He's a bit tall, and he does have a dreamy face, but again, they all have dreamy faces." She grinned.

"Come on!" Lily started pulling Victoria's arm. "We need to go and see them before the crowd gets too big outside their dressing rooms."

The three girls climbed down from the box and ran across the hall to try and get backstage. Fortunately, the last girls had started disappearing, and they could easily get into the dressing rooms. Vash turned from where he was leaning against the doorway, talking nervously to a girl, and smiled when he saw Lily. Lily dashed up to him and gave him a hug. "You were great, brother! These are my friends, Lizzie or Elizabeta and Victoria."

"Hi, Vash!" Elizabeta beamed. "It's really nice to meet you, I'm such a big fan!"

"Are you really?" Feliks asked, jumping up from his chair. "It's really surprising meeting a fan who it's a rabid fangirl." He grinned.

"Oh, I'm not sure about that," Elizabeta teased. "It looks to me like you just enjoy all the attention." She punched his arm lightly.

Victoria stood awkwardly by the door, unsure whether to go in. Ivan looked up from where he was sitting, reading, and came out to talk to her.

"Hi," he said quietly. "You okay there? What's your name?"

"Yes," Victoria whispered. "I-I'm Victoria. Victoria Snow. I-I heard you singing... you were really good. You were... g-great!"

"Thank you." Ivan glanced over at the other girls. "They seem a little busy."

Victoria laughed quietly. "I really wanted to go home after the concert, but Lily wanted to go and meet up with Vash, and Elizabeta managed to t-take me here too." She looked down at the floor. Ivan put a hand tentatively on her shoulder.

"I could take you home if you wanted..." he suggested. "That is, only if you wanted to. I don't want to embarrass you."

"No, that would be l-lovely," Victoria replied, still looking down.

"Seatbelts on," Ivan said gently after Victoria had gotten into his small car. When she didn't respond, he leaned across her and strapped her in. "There you are. Where do you live?" He pulled out a GPS. "Type it in there." After Victoria had done so, he started up the engine and put on the radio.

After a while he heard someone humming along to the song on the radio. "Is that you?" he asked, grinning at her. Victoria blushed.

"I like this song... I s-sing it sometimes when I'm at home," she mumbled. Ivan smiled to himself.

"Feel free to sing along, I don't mind." When Victoria said nothing, he started to sing to himself.

"S-stop it!" Victoria giggled.

"What?" laughed Ivan.

"S-singing!"

"What, you don't like my singing?" Ivan smiled. "Then you'd better help me out. Come on, sing!"

Victoria began to sing quietly, and when Ivan nodded encouragingly, sang a little louder. They sat in the car, both of them singing, oblivious to the world around them.

The track ended when they got to Victoria's house. It was dark already, and she looked out nervously as she spotted her house.

"Which one is it?" Ivan asked. Then he added, "I'll walk you there."

"Never mind!" Victoria said, quickly jumping out of the car. "I-I'll be fine!"

"No you won't," he said briskly. "You might hurt yourself. I'll come with you." He got out also, locking the door of his car.

"You r-really don't need to..." Victoria whispered, but when she saw that Ivan wouldn't budge, let him walk with her towards her house. As they walked side by side, their hands touched lightly together, and they both looked down in shock at their hands. "I-I didn't mean to!" Victoria said quickly.

"Never mind," said Ivan gently. "There." He wrapped his big fingers around her small, slim hand. "Now it won't happen again."

It was awkward, walking together towards the house, holding hands when they'd only known each other a short while, but it somehow felt natural for them.

"W-would you like a drink?" Victoria asked nervously when they got to their house.

"That would be great," he said steadily, ducking slightly to get under the low doorway. They walked into her living room, and Victoria went to the kitchen to busy herself with drinks. Ivan looked around the room. It was simple and plain, apart from a large CD player at the side of the room, and a large stack of CDs. Ivan went over to them, and found the song they'd been singing in the car amongst them. He slotted it in and sat down on the sofa just as Victoria came in, holding two glasses of water with ice cubes in them.

"M-my kettle isn't working, so there's just water," she said, passing him one of the glasses. The song started playing on the CD player. She looked at it, and went over to switch it off, then went to the sofa and sat down beside Ivan. They stared at their water in silence.

"Why are you so cold, Victoria?" Ivan asked. "Why don't you just warm up?" He shook his glass of water so the ice cubes clinked.

"I don't know..." Victoria mumbled. "I just find it h-hard."

"Well, to start, you can sing the song to me." Ivan got up, and switched the CD player on so the song started again. "Come on!" He sang the first few bars to her.

"Y-you really want me to sing?" Victoria blushed.

"Yes, I do."

Quietly, Victoria sang the next bars, glancing at Ivan nervously. "W-was that okay?"

"I've noticed something," Ivan said. "You don't stutter when you sing. Why?"

"W-well..." Victoria breathed in. Was she actually going to tell this guy who she'd only just met something that she'd never told anyone before?

Yes.

"I-I don't normally talk much to other people b-because my homeland is quite far away from o-other people... I-I don't get much opportunity to talk to them..." She looked down. "N-normally I just t-talk to my friends."

"Just to your friends?"

"O-or they talk more to other people for m-me so I don't need to embarrass myself." Victoria felt Ivan's hand gently covering her own.

"Listen to me, Victoria. You're not an embarrassing person. You're a great person." He looked into her eyes, and Victoria saw that he was telling the truth. "You don't need to hide from other people, they can already see what you're like."

"Y-you should go now... you've got a concert tomorrow..." Victoria mumbled into her hair. Ivan pushed her hair away from her face.

"I think you're beautiful, Victoria. You don't need to hide it." He reached into his pocket and pressed something into her hand. "Tickets for the concert tomorrow. Then I can see you again."

"T-thank you." Victoria blushed, and gazed into her glass. "I-I'll check to see if my kettle's working." She took Ivan's glass and got up to go to the kitchen.

Crash! Victoria tripped over the coffee table and the glasses fell from her hands. Ivan quickly put out a hand to help her up again.

"Victoria, are you okay?" he asked, looking anxious. Victoria stared at the glass on the floor.

"I-I have to clear that up."

"It's fine. All that matters is if you are fine." Ivan put his hands on Victoria's shoulders. "I have to go back now. Will I see you at the concert tomorrow?"

"Y-yes." Victoria looked up at Ivan. Suddenly, he bent down and she felt his lips touch hers. She reached up and hugged him quickly. Ivan laughed.

"I'll be there," Victoria whispered. "You're a great singer."

Ivan laughed. "I thought you were so cold, Victoria Snow."