(A/N - hey guys, here's a one-shot that is the result of me not wanting to do my summer homework. It's not my best work, but I would definitely appreciate if you gave it a shot.)

There is only one thing that I hate about my best friend, Austin Moon. No, believe it or not, I'm not talking about the fact that he never listens to me when I ask him not to goof off in the store, further extending the tab that he and Dez will probably never pay off. Nope, I'm also not referring to the fact that Austin has touched my book countless times, even though I have specifically told him to never do that. Not even his lacking knowledge of personal space, foul nature towards learning, tardiness, or endless thievery of my precious calculator can send me over the edge - in fact, I find all of these things quite adorable.

No, the thing that I hate about Austin Moon is how much he makes me love him. Yes, that's right - love. I don't mean as a friend, nor a best friend, nor a brother. I love Austin.

I'm not sure exactly when I realized it, but I do remember that it hit me like a sack of potatoes - which actually hurts really badly, if you have never gone through this experience. Anyway, it came up out of nowhere, although I have a feeling that I posessed the emotion far before I realized it. One day, Austin's smile only got a smile out of me in return, but the next, his goofy grin made my knees wobble, heart race, and cheeks flush. I remember Austin asking what was wrong with me, and I just passed it off as dizziness.

But, since that day, nothing has been the same when I am around Austin. Every time our skin brushes against each other, I shiver; I melt into every hug, and my heart skips a beat when he smiles.

Absolutely nobody knows that I feel this way, though. Not Austin, not Dez, not even Trish. I can't tell anyone, and I am constantly pushing these feelings aside, because the truth is, there is no chance that Austin would ever feel the same way about me. And that's what I hate about him - his only flaw is being so flawless that I am forced to love him.

I felt something on my shoulder and turned sideways, to see that Austin had his own head on my shoulder, while mine was propped up in my hands, elbows on the counter. "Hey, Austin, how long have you been there?" I asked, wondering how I was just now noticing his presence.

"An hour and a half," Austin said, shooting me a confused look. I felt my eyes widen, causing laughter to erupt from Austin. "Just kidding, only two minutes. But, you were still spaced out. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," I said, trying to brush it off. "Just dizzy again, I guess."

Austin shot me a look of concern. "That's been happening a lot lately," he said, worry evident in his voice. "Are you sure you're okay? I could take you to a doctor, if you want."

My heart melted knowing that he cared so much - which led to me cursing his existence, since it only made me love him more. "That's okay, Austin," I said, giving him a grateful smile. "I know how much you hate doctor's offices."

"But, I would make an exception for you," he said, looking me straight in the eye. "Because I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." How sweet. Stupid sweet.

"Really, Austin," I said, giving him a gentle yet firm push away from me. Although I love that he doesn't understand the meaning of personal space, it doesn't exactly help with trying to bury my feelings. "Thank you, but I'm fine."

He watched me for a few more seconds, obviously debating whether or not to believe me, but finally hopped up onto the counter, swinging his legs. He patted the spot next to him and I joined him, tensing every time our legs brushed by each other.

And if that wasn't bad enough, Austin reached over at one point, hooking our ankles together and letting them sway back and forth. What is this boy doing to me? I'm trying really hard not to have feelings for him. "So, anyway," he started, nudging me lightly with his elbow. "I was wondering if you wanted to do something tonight?"

"Sure," I said, smiling. "Team Austin can go for a pizza or we can have a movie night or something-"

"Erm, actually," Austin stammered out, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere. Like, just the two of us." I glanced at him curiously, and he shrugged. "It doesn't have to be a date or anything - we just haven't had much Austin and Ally time lately."

"Sure," I said finally, noticing the smile that lit up Austin's face when I agreed. Was he excited that just the two of us were going to hang out? Aw, that's so - Don't say it, Dawson.

"Awesome," Austin exclaimed. Heh, awesome, Austin, they're similar. "Anyway, I can pick you up around seven, alright? We can go get dinner, catch a movie, maybe have ice cream afterwards?"

"Sounds great," I grinned, because truthfully, it did. Even if I was trying to push away my feelings for Austin, I love spending time with him, and I'm not going to pass up an opportunity for a fun evening. After that, Austin left, and I finished tending to customers at Sonic Boom. At five, I handed the last customer her change, quickly shutting the door behind her and locking up the shop.

I ran upstairs to the practice room of the shop, where I always kept spare clothes. I picked the most girly thing that I could find - a light purple dress with a pair of brown ankle boots and a matching belt. Just because this wasn't a date doesn't mean I can't look good, right?

When I was finished getting ready, I still had an hour before Austin was going to come, so I grabbed my Calculus textbook and calculator from under the counter and got to work. I had made it my mission to teach myself everything that is needed to know about Calculus before the summer is through - a task made extremely difficult by Austin, who would rather see me have fun. Hey, Calculus is fun.

I got to work, easily breezing through the questions about derivatives and logarithms. I heard a knock on the front doors of Sonic Boom, and glanced up to see Austin walking through the door, spinning a key ring around his fingers. "I don't even want to know how you got a hold of the spare key," I said, shaking my head before turning my head back to my textbook.

"Your dad gave it to me," Austin shrugged, jingling the keys a few more times before setting them in his pocket. "Whatchya doing?" he asked, absentmindedly playing with a few strands of my hair. He glanced down at the page I was reading, and groaned. "Since when does math have numbers and letters?"

"Since Pre-Algebra, which you took nearly three years ago," I stated, shooting him a quick look. "And don't even try that with me, because I know that you have kept B's in math since the sixth grade." He opened his mouth, and I could tell that he was going to ask me something - probably how I knew his grades. "I asked Principal Padino for your transcript," I explained. "I wanted to make sure you weren't failing French - which you didn't, by the way."

"Thanks to you," he pointed out. This was true - although I was taking Latin, I still learned enough French to help Austin get by. "Thanks for caring so much."

"Yeah, well," I said, trying to brush it off and hide my reddening cheeks. "You're my best friend, I can't have you being held back a grade."

"Are you sure that's the only reason you care so much?" Austin asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Well, your large ego couldn't be another reason, so what else is there?" I deadpanned, enjoying the pout that was now displayed across his face. I bent back down towards my textbook, ready for the next problem.

"Al-ly," Austin whined, trying to block the view of my textbook. "Don't you think you've done enough homework for the night - or the summer? Let's go have fun."

"Aus-tin," I mimicked him, knocking his hands out of the way. "Calculus is fun. Let's get this par-tay star-tay." Austin glanced at me in amusement, and I rolled my eyes. He took this chance to reach out and grab my calculator. "Hey," I exclaimed, jumping up and trying to reach the electronic device that was now suspended far above my head. "How many times have I told you not to take my calculator?"

"I don't know, thirty-seven?" Austin guessed, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll give it back when you get taller."

"That's not funny, Austin," I complained, still jumping. "You know I'm done growing, whereas you are already freakishly tall, and still gaining height."

"Freakishly?" Austin asked, feigning hurt and placing his free hand over his heart. "That hurt, Ally." I rolled my eyes, and made for another grab at the calculator, earning a round of laughter from Austin. "Besides, you're not short - just fun sized. It's actually pretty cute."

I blushed, turning my head back towards my book, acting as though I was trying to solve another problem. "Austin, can I please just have my calculator back?"

"Nope," he said, and I could practically hear the grin in his voice. "I'm taking you out tonight, remember? Dinner, movie, ice cream-"

"-Oh, right," I exclaimed, mentally face-palming. How had I forgotten about that? I quickly tucked my textbook back under the counter, switching it out for my purse. "Where are we going for dinner?"

"Pueblo," Austin said, referring to my favorite Mexican restaurant in the mall. I grinned and started skipping off in that direction, with Austin trailing behind me, chuckling. When we got there, he did all the things a gentleman would do - hold the door for me, pull my chair out, and so on. He even payed for my meal. Sweet, stupid sweet.

"Thanks, Austin," I said as we walked towards the mall theater. I let my hand linger near his, and I guess in a bold moment, he reached out and gently grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers and glancing at me for confirmation. I sent him a shy smile, letting him know it was okay, and he grinned back, humming quietly as we walked along.

"No chick flicks," Austin whispered as we walked up to the ticket counter.

"No horror movies," I challenged. We glanced at the list of movies at the theater that night. "How about a romantic comedy? The Proposal is playing tonight."

Austin nodded his head in agreement, and he slipped the ticketer enough money for the both of us. I sighed and shook my head at him, silently letting him know that he didn't have to pay for everything for me. "I know, but I want to," Austin whispered as we walked into the theater. "You're worth it." I thanked my lucky stars that we had entered the dark theater at that point, since I was sure my cheeks were glowing.

We took seats just in time for the movie to start, and Austin and I spent the entire time leaning into each other's sides, cracking up. Towards the end, when scenes got a bit more romantic, I felt Austin casually slide his arm around my shoulders. Normally, I would hate that move and lean away from the guy who was trying it, but since it was Austin, I leaned towards him, resting my head on his shoulder.

When the movie was over, we got some ice cream at Scoop, There it Is. "A double scoop of fruity mint swirl, and a triple scoop of cookie dough, please," Austin said to the cashier, and I smiled, realizing how many times we have placed that specific order together before. "For you, fair maiden." Austin handed me my ice cream, and I excitedly took a bite, rolling my eyes as Austin chuckled.

We walked down the boardwalk in a comfortable silence, eating our ice cream and listening to the waves roll onto the shore. "I had fun tonight," I said after finishing my ice cream. I glanced over at Austin and could tell that he had finished long ago.

We kept walking, pointing out stars that we spotted in the sky - a rare occasion in Miami - until we got to my front door. "Thanks for hanging out with me tonight, Ally," Austin said, taking a step towards me with his arms wide open. Seconds later, we were mid-embrace, and I realized some things. One, this is the first time that Austin has actually initiated the hug - he always hugs back, but never starts it. Two, his arms were wrapped around my waist, rather than my back - and yet, I still felt safe and protected in his arms. And three, I really need to start wearing heels to hug Austin, because even though I am on my tip-toes, and his knees are bent, there is still a considerable height difference.

"Uh, Austin?" I finally asked, and he waited for me to keep going. "Are you ever going to let me go?"

"No," he said, nuzzling his face into my hair a little. "I like holding you." I felt him tense up and he suddenly pulled back. "I mean, uh, I-"

I giggled as Austin tried to stammer out a sentence, his face turning red. "It's okay, Austin," I said, shooting him a reassuring smile. "Thanks again for tonight - it was fun."

"More fun than teaching yourself Calculus?" Austin asked, teasing.

I grinned and rolled my eyes, nodding. "Even better than Calculus," I agreed. "Which is kind of hard to top. Goodnight, Austin."

"Night, Ally," he said, smiling and giving me a small wave. I started to walk inside, but suddenly felt Austin's hand on my shoulder. "Wait, Ally." I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to go on. "Uh, it's just - you know how I feel about you, right? I mean, I hope that I make it obvious enough without being completely blunt and saying it-"

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I know, Austin," I giggled. I turned back around, heading inside. But, before I did, I glanced over my shoulder to see Austin reaching up to his cheek, smiling giddily. "And for the record, I feel the same way." With that, I waved and shut the door, watching as he walked down the yard, a goofy grin across his features. He's so sweet - stupid sweet.

(A/N - Okay, well that sucked. I have yet to write a one-shot that I am satisfied with - to me, satisfaction with a one-shot is being the writer and still falling in love with it. But, I'm going to keep trying, so... yeah. Oh, and if you're waiting on updates for any of my other stories, I promise I will post soon. I was out of state again, and now I am rushing to finish all my summer homework. But yeah... Oh, and let me know what you thought about this. Reviews rock!)

PS - if you guys want to follow me on Twitter, my name is KdellovesR5 - sometimes I post about fanfiction, but for the most part, I post about Raura, R5, and Austin&Ally.