Ally tried avoiding them as much as possible, keeping herself busy by attending to every little detail in the slow store. It was a Wednesday – a slow day. Ally was already prepared to close up shop, even though she had only been working an hour. Still two more to go…whoo.
Who was she avoiding? The conspicuous (and annoyingly cute) couple right where the couches were, in the front of the store. Austin and Keira had been dating for about a week now, and they were so cute and lovey-dovey, that Ally wasn't sure whether to hug them or to strangle them.
She loved romance! And she liked them together! Austin, one of her best friends, and Keira, a really sweet girl = harmonious happiness. She wanted them to be happy, she really did. But there was that aching feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever she saw them together. Oh, and those painful shots in her chest when he pecked Keira sweetly on the cheek. And ugh! The worst feeling – the blanketed rage lurking in the corner when Austin gave Keira that smile…
Yup. She liked Austin.
Yes! Ally had admitted it. When she and Austin had that moment…
"Austin!" Ally scolded. "Be serious. Imagine…" she led him down to the blanket and they both sat down. "…Keira's there," she poses like how Keira would have sat. "Her eyes sparkling in the moonlight – sparkle, sparkle, sparkle, sparkle," she says, all into this imaginary date, moving her head back and forth as she emphasizes each dainty 'sparkle'.
Austin comes a tiny bit forward. He looks at her like she is too weird…but cute? In a way?
Ally doesn't notice as she goes on with her spiel. "A gentle breeze blows through her hair – breeze, breeze, breeze, breeze." With every 'breeze', her hands swooshes her chocolate stained locks into the air and down again.
Austin gives her a skeptical look, suppressing a budding smile. Ally gives him her full attention. "What can you do to show her how you feel?!"
"Well…I could give her a gift! Ooo! I'll get her a necklace with her name on it – like yours!" he gestures to the necklace that Ally is currently wearing. It plainly says 'Ally' in gold. She loves that necklace – Austin and Ally had a beach day for her birthday and he picked it out for her, refusing to let her pay a dime.
She looks down and touches it. Ally gives him a beaming smile and a nod and says, "Perfect. She'll love that."
"Okay, so…I'll wait for the most romantic part of the movie," he says, much to Ally's enjoyment. Aah, my work here is almost done! Now I know how teachers feel when their little protégés do well.
"She'll be all cute and lovey," Ally adds.
"I'll lean in…" and on cue, he scooches close enough so that there's only a breath between them. He closes the gap, saying, "…put my arm around her…" while simultaneously placing an arm on Ally's shoulders.
"She'll nuzzle up…" Ally puts her head on Austin's shoulder and gets cozy. Austin exhales, like he wasn't expecting that, but it…it felt right. He smiles. "…feeling butterflies." She smiles.
"My heart'll be beating out of my chest," he says with the utmost conviction. "It'll be…"
"Perfect," they breathe out together, seemingly thinking the same thoughts. They sit there, like this, cuddling and enjoying each other's warmth. The moment can't be described as anything but so inherently right, so much more than what they were but –
What were they doing? This was silly. They face each other, sheepishly grinning. But as they do, they realize what had just happened. And the moment is all too real now. Ally could not help but wonder about her puppy-eyed, boyishly charming, and adorably sweet best friend and start to think –
"I KNOW HOW TO GET KEIRA TO YOUR DATE!" Dez bursts in. He holds a fishing net and…is that a tranquilizer dart?
Ally laughed to herself at the memory. Then she shook her head. This was a week ago and Keira was in the picture…no.
Nononononono - no.
Ally tried to engross herself in some busy work – color-coding the guitar picks…and then putting them back in. "When is this day going to end?" she mumbled.
...
Austin sneaked a quick glance at one of his best friends. He hoped she wasn't too bored whenever Keira would come and steal him away on Wednesdays. Wednesdays always meant the store would be dead, so Austin would always hang out and try to distract Ally from the hours of boredom that would ensue and they would have tons of fun. But Keira was consuming much of his time as of late, and it put off these fond little Austin and Ally hours, along with a lot of others.
But Ally looked like she was in another world, her big brown eyes sparkling and a shy smile forming upon her soft pink lips. If there was ever one thing alike between their polar opposite personalities, besides their intense passion for music, it would be that they always had their heads sky high in the clouds.
"Austin? What're you lookin' at?" Keira asked, noticing that their game of thumb wars had stopped. Before she could look up at him, he furtively redirected his gaze on the door.
"Oh um, just watching for Trish. She usually comes around at this time." Which was true. Partially. Austin turned back to Keira, a faltering smile on his face.
"Okay. Come on – I'm so close to beating your sorry butt!" Keira didn't seem to notice that Austin was troubled. She excitedly looked back down at their intertwined hands.
"Is that a challenge, Star?" Austin's interest was piqued and he resumed to kicking some thumb once again.
"GUESS WHO GOT A JOB AT SNOWGLOBE EMPORIUM?" Trish walked in.
Ally perked up at the familiar yell of her dear friend's booming voice. "Finally!" she exclaimed. She walked out from behind the register and up to Trish. In a quieter voice she whispered, "I have been so bored without you," she said, quickly nodding her head in the direction of the giggling couple.
Trish gave her an apologetic look. "I totally forgot that Austin and Keira were going to be here! And the store is always slow on Wednesdays…" Ally could physically see the raw guilt in Trish's brown eyes. The brunette had told Trish about her little crush soon after the whole planning-a-date-for-another-girl-for-your-best-friend-who-you-actually-really-like-but-you-know-can-never-have thing. She catapulted for ice cream and rom-coms before Ally even knew what was happening. "You know what? I'm going to get your mind off this. You need a date." Trish moved past her, walking behind the counter.
"Whaaat? Pssh. I'm okay," Ally elevated her voice to an obscene high pitch. Trish rolled her eyes. Ally awkwardly posed, leaning against the counter with both arms tangled together, supposedly to suggest crossed arms and loitering of some kind. "See? I'm cool! Chill, even!"
"ALLY! Are you all right? Do you need a doctor?!" Dez entered a store with a shriek.
She gave him a confused look, and turned, facing him. "No…I'm okay…are you?" she asked slowly.
The crazy redhead let out a huge breath. "Whew! You were just doing one of your weird poses again! I thought you were having a seizure!" Dez wiped his forehead with the back of his hand dramatically. Trish started laughing.
Ally pouted, crossed her arms, and said, "I thought I looked cool!" she whined.
"And that's the day Dez starts being smart!" Trish laughed harder.
Dez laughed. "Yeah!" He held up a hand for a high-five. The short girl gave him a look, shook her head, and walked out from behind the counter.
She turned her back to him. "So, as I was saying. Ally, you need a guy..to…you know…" her eyes gestured to the unsuspecting Austin.
It was Ally's turn to roll her eyes. "Trish, I'm fine! Really!"
"Are you guys talking about the Bee Whisperer season finale?" Dez choked up. "Because it really touched me! Ally, it's okay to admit it – I'm not quite all right either." He put a hand on her shoulder. Ally laughed while Trish gave Dez a glare.
"But seriously Ally…you kinda have to cause…" she stalled.
"What is it?"
"Cause I maybe…well…"
"Trish…"
"You know I love you and I only interfere because of that very same reason and I actually think you'll like what I did and if not let's just keep in mind that I love you!" Trish seemed to fit all those words in one big breath.
"What did you do?" Ally raised her voice a bit, exasperated.
"What did who do?" Austin asked. He and Keira heard the commotion and wanted to be in on it.
"Nothing!" Ally and Trish squeaked simultaneously. Confusion spread over the blonde's face.
"Don't worry dude. I don't get it either," Dez walked over to Austin's side.
"ALLY?!" a deep voice exclaimed. Everyone turned around simultaneously to the stranger at the door and then back to the brunette with the furrowed brow.
A moment passed. "E-elliot?" Ally murmured. "OH MY GOSH ELLIOT!" she screamed.
They ran towards each other and squeezed like the person in their arms wasn't real. Everyone was shocked, except for Trish. She had a huge smile on her face.
"Hunk alert!" Dez sing-songed next to Austin.
Just seeing someone hug Ally like that was too weird for Austin. That was the way he and Ally hugged each other after a great performance or after hearing some really fantastic news or just, well, it was their thing. It was Austin's turn to furrow his brow.
Ally broke away from the hug first. Her arms were around Elliot's neck and his muscled arms around her waist. She gave him a good look. He had dark brown hair and laughing eyes paired with a flawless face and a hard jaw. He was taller now, with muscles, and he got contacts. Not a hair out of place, of course.
"Ahem!" Trish was the first to break the silence. Ally and Elliot turned their heads toward her, without breaking their lock. She realized that everyone had been watching their surprise reunion.
Ally laughed as she blushed. She was so giddy! And with that, she hugged him again, briefly. She decided to keep her hands to herself, though, and finally let go. "Guys, this is Elliot!" Ally exclaimed to her friends. "He's my oldest friend, next to Trish, and I can't believe he's actually here!" Ally turned back to Elliot, beaming.
Elliot shined back. "I can't believe I'm here either. Seeing you, like actually seeing you…" Elliot ducked his head shyly. Dez was recording this happy moment, knowing it was film gold.
Trish shook her head, smiling. "All right, all right you two. Now Elliot, tell Ally why she has such an amazing best friend."
Ally's surprise as she looked back at Trish was priceless. "But he lives in Utah! That's so far away for you to coordinate."
"Lived," Elliot corrected. "I moved a week ago. Here." Ally's grin was met by an equally enormous one.
Austin was feeling queasy. "By here, do you mean like around Florida or the next state…?" the blonde asked for confirmation of his fear.
"No, I mean right here. I'll be going to school with you," he replied, not taking his eyes off Ally.
"Oh," Austin mumbled. Keira glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, a frown starting to set in.
"And that's great and all, but Ally, I think you owe someone a hug," Trish's loud voice broke Ally and Elliot's shy exchange of smiles and stares.
"Thanks Trish!" Ally almost tackled Trish with a choking hug. "You're really great."
"I know." Trish grinned. "Keep 'em coming," she goaded.
Ally rolled her eyes. "And wonderful and fantastic and I'll make you my special cookies. Happy?" she deadpanned.
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, Dez circled Elliot with his camera. "Utah, huh? Interesting, interesting. Potatoes and cows and aliens…"
"Wait...what? That's not what Utah is known for." Elliot tried making eye contact, but this guy wouldn't even look up from his camera, not to mention that he was making Elliot dizzy.
"Okay, okay whatever you want. Just look pretty for the camera!"
Austin just stared at this new guy. Who did he think he was, just strutting in like he did. Ally had mentioned him several times before, but back then he was just another name. And wasn't he supposed to be super nerdy and not so good-looking? I can't believe he's staying here.
"Austin?" Keira interrupted his thoughts. "You okay?"
He woke from his reverie. "Yeah. I'm just…tired or something."
She decided herself that she was tired, but Keira knew that she just wanted to go home. She always felt like an interloper with the fantastic foursome, but with this new kid that Trish and Ally seemed very excited about, it was like she was invisible. "Well, I think I'm gonna head home…" Keira waited for Austin to ask why, or at least to look at her.
"Okay. Bye." He opened his arms for a little goodbye hug, but the look on his face signaled that he really wasn't there.
Her frown set in. "Bye," she said. She gave him a quick hug and looking back at him, sidestepped Dez's dizzying filming and left quietly.
Austin kept staring at Ally. She was so happy! And because of this…Elliot person. If that's even his real name. He didn't like this Elliot guy. There was something about him, like the way he smiled at Ally or how he hugged her. Austin felt disgusted just thinking about it.
"Austin?" Ally said. He shook his head out of his daze. Ally was right in front of him. How did she get right in front of me? "Austin, are you okay?" He realized that everybody was surrounding him and he scratched the back of his neck, caught off guard and embarrassed. The brunette laid a comforting hand on his upper arm.
"Yeah!" he said suddenly, slightly cringing at his own delayed reply. "I, uh, I'm just out of it. Tired, I guess."
Ally still looked worried. "Maybe you should go home. Or lie down right now," Ally gestured to the cushions to the side of the store.
"Yeah, I'll walk you home, buddy!" Dez offered.
"No, I'm fine, guys. Thanks, though," Austin waved them off. He was feeling off, but Austin wanted to stick around Elliot, make sure he was all right. He trusted Ally, it was just Ally believed too much in people sometimes. Like Trent. Ew.
Trish shrugged it off. "All right. Well, now that that's settled – hey, where's Keira?"
Everyone turned to Austin. "Um, I think she left." He couldn't quite remember. Huh.
Ally gave him a weird look, but he didn't seem to notice. "Dez, why don't you take Austin home?" She would have volunteered, but it's not like she could just leave when Elliot came here to see her. It was like Austin's head was in a whole other place. Frankly, Ally was worried. She'd seen him daydreaming and zoning out, but this was different. She could sense that he was troubled, having spent so much time with him.
Despite Austin's protests, Dez ended up escorting him out the store and taking his keys from him to drive him home. "What's up with you, buddy?" he asked, starting Austin's Dodge. The blonde turned to his friend, but his attention was redirected to the clanging keys that continued to jingle. He caught sight of the Dodge ram symbol on his car key. Ally had insisted that Austin buy an American brand car to 'support the nation's fragile internal economic structure' or something nerdy and awfully Ally like that.
Austin sighed. He could talk about anything with Dez. "I don't know. I just don't get a good vibe from that Elliot guy Ally likes so much. And then I was distracted, and I vaguely remember Keira saying she was leaving but…I'm feeling weird, man," he finished lamely.
"Ohhhh this is about Elliot," Dez grinned cheekily.
Austin looked at him funny. "Yeah. That's what I just said."
"Ohhhh so that's what you just said," he sing-songed. Still very cheeky and becoming very annoying.
"Are you all right, Dez?"
Dez kept his eyes on the road, still grinning ear-to-ear. "I'm right as reindeer!"
"It's right as rain," Austin smiled and shook his head. He turned on the radio, and deciding on a rock station, he leaned on the car's open windowsill, savoring the air combing through his hair.
Dez glanced at his best friend. He decided to let Austin figure things out on his own, if he could. He could be really clueless. Austin, Austin, Austin. You, my bleach-blond- singing-dancing muchacha of a friend, are a wiiiide, open book. Dez shook his head. DRAAAA-MAAAA!