A/N: Hi Everyone, hope you're all doing okay. I've decided to take full advantage of my summer holiday (Praise the lord it finally came, I was so close to jumping out a window) and write some stories on here. I've had this idea in my head for a while and I've read some stories with a similar plot, so I decided to try my own version. I don't know why but I've always loved the concept of Ally falling in love with her boyfriend's best friend. It's kind of a twist on the best friend's brother or best friend's boyfriend dilemma. Anyway, I think I talk (or rather type) way too much on these author's notes so I'm just gonna shut up and let you read. Enjoy :)

"HE WHAT?!"

"Trish...calm down. He just proposed it's no big dea-"

"ARE YOU INSANE?! Ally, I think this is a pretty big deal. Why are you just telling me now? I thought we told each other everything. Don't you love me anymo..."

An exasperated sigh escaped the taller brunette's mouth as she continued to take in the persistent rambling of her best friend, who had just been informed of her engagement during their fortnightly sleepover. Well, adult sleepover. Just saying 'sleepover' reminded them too much of their high school days, even though they practically still acted the same. They were currently sitting (or in Trish's case spasming) on the large animal print bed in Trish's apartment, discussing the events of the previous evening in which Ally had lost a boyfriend and gained a fiancé. Of course, the fiery Latina had been highly unhappy that she wasn't told milliseconds after it happened.

"Trish...Trish! TRISH!" Said woman halted after a few seconds and looked at her best friend in annoyance.

"Calm down chica, no need to shout," she replied, turning to face the girl properly on the bed and moving a little closer to her. "I just think you should be way more excited about this; you love Peter don't you?" At this, Ally's eyes widened and she nodded vigorously, flailing her arms crazily in the process.

"Of course! Yeah, definitely, It's just..." She paused for few seconds to find a way of properly explaining, "I just feel like, even through there are so many positives, the few negative points of marrying him seem so big and clear, like they're not gonna go away or something. This probably isn't making sense, but do you know what I mean?" A sympathetic nod from the now quiet Trish made Ally smile for a moment in gratitude.

"Sure you're scared, Ally. Everyone has doubts about getting marrie-"

"I know, Trish, but I never thought the doubts would have such an impact on me," She interrupted, before cringing apologetically at Trish's slightly irritated face. She muttered a quick sorry, seeing that her usually brash friend was about to jump into an encouraging and heartfelt speech about marriage, which was nothing short of alien for her. However, instead of the general scolding on how much interruptions made her want to rip someone's head off, Trish gestured for her best friend to continue. "For example, it's so obvious his mom hates me."

"Come on, of course she hates you." Trish's words gained a confused and dramatic mock offended look from the other brunette.

"Oh wow, thanks Trish. That's exactly what I need-"

Chuckling lightly, the Latina replied, "Let me finish, I meant of course she hates you; she's an evil Monster in Law who prays on innocent brides to make herself feel better after all that hellish plastic surgery she's had." Both women burst into a fit of giggles before Ally spoke up again, breathing quite heavily from laughing.

"You're so evil," She smiled, giggling again when the Latina bowed proudly. "But seriously, I've been trying so hard with Judy, but she just doesn't think I'm good enough for Peter. I mean, I know I shouldn't care what she thinks that much, but I do. She just digs and digs at me all the time, sometimes I just want to dig her damn eyes out!" The what were supposed to be calm words were pushed out forcefully, unleashing her not so nice pent up emotions towards her soon to be mother in law. Cringing slightly at the harshness of the tone, she ran a hand through her hair and smiled sheepishly at Trish's knowing expression.

"Go on Ally, tell me how you really feel. Now all you have to do is tell that to Judy!" They both moved from the bed as Trish said this with a hint of sarcasm, having heard the popcorn in the microwave finish cooking. Relaxing onto the pillows they'd put on the floor, with Ally shamelessly clawing at the chocolate bowl, they settled down to watch their movie. But not before Ally turned to her friend.

"Tell that to Judy!" She mimicked through giggles with Trish joining in, "Now I know you're crazy, chica." The other girl rolled her eyes before robbing a lemon sweet from the other bowl and not too gracefully shoving the woman next to her. Ally reciprocated immediately causing the crazy haired (and much stronger) woman to attack. During their admittedly childish nudge match, the conversation concerning Judy triggered something in Trish's mind.

"Hey Ally, wasn't there something you asked me to remind you of, or something?" Both thought for a moment, before the answer sprung to Ally's head.

She nodded quickly and popped a little too much popcorn into her mouth before speaking, "Yeah, I have to leave slightly earlier tomorrow because I'm meeting Peter's best man. Austin, I think he's called? Yeah. He's really important to Peter and I can tell he wants us to get along, especially with my oh so wonderful relationship with his mom."

"Oh cool, but why haven't you met him yet? If he's the best man," Trish's voice came out muffled due to the four or five sweets currently residing in her mouth.

"Man, this popcorn is good," Ally thought aloud before answering, "Peter said he's been on a trip for his job this whole past year. We started dating a year ago, while Austin was on the trip, so I never got to properly meet him. I've heard good things though." She slowly pulled an awkward piece of popcorn out of her hair (how had that gotten there?) as her friend spoke a final time while the beginning credits faded.

"Well, good luck," She sing-songed lightly, continuing to toss random popcorn into her oblivious best friend's hair, affectionately of course.

"Don't worry Petey, I'll be on my very best behaviour," A tall blond stated lightly, a small smirk gracing his features as his darker haired friend cringed at the embarrassing nickname.

"I'm serious Austin, don't scare her away or anything. I need you two to get along; her relationship with my mother is already kinda...well... strained?" Peter's words ended in the form of an unsure question, making the blond chuckle lightly. The brunet glared at him, "And no more Petey, it makes me sound like a kid. She'll laugh at me."

"Relax, okay? I'm just kidding. Of course I'll be nice," He replied, patting his stressing friend on the back. "Besides, there are so many more things she could laugh at you about, Petey." This earned him an eye roll and a playful shove from the groom, who lead him through the doors of their local coffee shop.

Austin took a deep, refreshed breath, having missed this place dearly during his year away. He looked around happily, resembling a toddler in a toy store, taking in the familiarity of his surroundings. Despite loving the feel of spontaneity and experiencing different things, he couldn't help but smile when he saw Lotta, his favourite waitress, standing at the counter as she always did.

"Dude, I'm gonna go find a table," Peter said before dashing off, while texting quietly on his phone, likely to a client at his workplace. The blond nodded absentmindedly before sauntering over to the short counter line. He was second from the front, with only one lady speaking to Lotta after giving her order. They spoke in an animated manner as the waitress prepared her hot chocolate, laughing at a bad pun the younger lady had given.

Deciding he would be waiting for a good few minutes, he whipped out his phone to call Dez, his best friend who he would be seeing the next day. After the long year apart, to say he'd missed his colourful, crazily eccentric friend would be a massive understatement. The mention of the name 'Ally' drew his attention back to the counter, before he could dial the ginger's number. He looked up properly then, remembering the endless phone calls with Peter about this Ally Dawson: their dating process, the I love you's and finally the wedding proposal.

He observed the woman in front of him intently as she continued her conversation, checking if she met all of Peter's descriptions. After all, there was more than one Ally in the world, meaning the woman here may not have been the one marrying one of his best friends. However, as he looked at her, he became more certain that she was; she had the curly brown hair, the cute petite stature, and the soft facial features Peter had described. 'Very pretty' he noted, beginning to feel excited for his friend.

"Ally! Over here," Peter shouted suddenly from a small table in the corner, snapping Austin out of his thoughts.

He watched as the brunette made her way over with a smile, confirming his previous thoughts. He grinned at the couple before greeting Lotta with a tight hug, recognizing the old woman's warm, peppermint smell. Her overall presence and overly smothering personality reminded him of his own mom, who resided miles away back in his hometown, Miami. Having moved to New York to work as a full time music producer, he didn't get to see his family as much as he'd wanted. So naturally, he gravitated towards the elderly woman; she reminded him of home.

"I really missed you, honey. Look at you, a big shot music producer, I'm so proud! How was your trip? Have you found yourself a nice girly yet, huh?" Austin chuckled at her curiosity as she made his usual coffee drink, fumbling wildly with the sugar bowl.

"It was nice, a ton of work but nice. I loved going to all those different places and seeing all sorts of unique things, that was pretty awesome. As for the girl thing, I'm still drawing a blank." He said, laughing fondly as she spilled a little coffee but helping her clean it up before continuing, "But hey, I'm only 25, I've got loads of time."

"Of course, hun, but a lovely young man like yourself should have girls lining up, right?" She suggested, causing him to let out an amused cough, "I have a some beautiful granddaughters, dear. Although one of them is getting married soon... But that still leaves 6 for you." Austin smiled lightly as she passed him his drink and rolled his eyes jokingly at the request. She was always trying to set him up, whether it was with the next random stranger or her own relatives. It never annoyed him though, he'd actually grown to the thought of being related to the waitress.

"I'll definitely weigh it as an option, Lotta." He payed her 10 dollars (the drink was $2.75), saying the change could be pay for her attempt at matchmaking. He thanked her quickly, although his reply came out rather muffled due to being pulled into another tight hug, before making his way over to Ally and Peter's table.

"Hey," He began in greeting, surprised to see the couple sitting in silence, rather than, well, coupley conversation. Peter was texting away on his work phone while his fiancé sat scribbling calmly in a large book. They both stood when they saw him, one looking a little more nervous than the other. The blond winked playfully at his friend as if to say 'good job' before turning to the brunette. "I'm Austin."

"Hi, nice to meet you, finally," She replied, cringing slightly at how shakily her words came out.

He reached out a large hand, which she shook quickly before they both sat down, with Austin facing the couple on the other side of the booth. Finally looking up from his phone, Peter launched into conversation, discussing current work affairs and the coming rehearsal dinner. Unfortunately boring the pants off the other two people present. However, while Austin made his boredom bluntly known through dramatic yawns (which earned a clock over the head from Peter), Ally listened intently. She smiled through her boredom and nodded appropriately, creating the illusion of interest. The blond smirked at this, already holding respect for the small woman.

o0o0o0o0o0o

To say the last 7 and a half minutes were awkward would be a massive understatement, in Ally's opinion. She was still glowering slightly from her fiancé's hasty departure, which had left her sitting in an uncomfortable silence with his best friend. Who she'd met a grand total of 17 and a half minutes ago. She scribbled in her song writing book, annoyance clearly simmering off her, as Austin sipped his coffee a little cautiously. Peter had conveniently gotten a call from his mother ten minutes prior demanding he come right away for a vital family meeting. Damn Judy. The woman knew they were doing this now, she'd been reminded about a million times specifically to not interrupt. So to say Ally was pretty vexed was once again a massive understatement.

After a few more minutes, she began to feel guilty, having neglected the very person she was supposed to be meeting. She rested her cheek on her palm sheepishly, before lifting her gaze to the blond, smiling lightly at his struggle with opening another sugar packet. "Austin." His head snapped up at her voice in surprise due to his concentration being heavily on the particularly stubborn sachet. "I, erm, I'm sorry for the way I'm acting. I'm just mad because Peter kept going on and on about this and now he's just up and left after 10 minutes!" She blew out a frustrated breath before continuing, "And I just know Judy did this on purpose."

"Well, from what Petey's told me you and Judy are practically the best of friends," He replied sarcastically, mentally fist pumping when she snorted at the nickname. "Seriously, why doesn't she like you, did you do something to her?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. Even if I did, I wouldn't have meant it," The brunette replied, resting her head on the table, dejectedly. "She just hates me because my family isn't mature, posh and rich like theirs. I'm Italian, so it's loud, caring and loads of food if you're talking about my family," She smiled fondly, remembering the frequent family gatherings and parties with all her eccentric relatives.

"That's pretty cool, I'd love big family like that. And don't let the PST bother you; she's hated me for years and I'm doing just great. Haven't lost any limbs or anything," He grinned, watching her face scrunch up in confusion. He continued before she questioned him, "PST. Plastic Surgery Troll. Me and Dez have called her that for years."

Ally let out an unladylike snort before throwing her head back in laughter. The 'troll' part of his sentence just got to her for some reason, likely because of the accuracy. She covered her face as her laughter continued, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. The blond joined in after, albeit feeling a little guilty he was having this much fun without Peter being there with them. However, he shook the thought, knowing this was what his friend wanted in the first place; them to be getting along.

"Very clever and very accurate, I could get used to it," She said, admittedly feeling a lot calmer. He smirked at her remark and relaxed in his seat, before taking a long sip from his drink and swallowing contently. He was about to ask which complicated drink she'd ordered, when Lotta bounded over to their table. She held what looked like two muffins and crouched down to their sitting level with a sneaky grin.

"Do you guys want these muffins? I accidentally dropped them on the floor, but five second rule right? I practically picked em' up before they even touched the ground. I'm supposed to toss them out, but it just feels like such a waste," The elderly woman said quietly, a contagious smile playing on her lips. Austin and Ally glanced at each other for a second before turning to the woman.

"You know I wouldn't mind if it was 5 minutes Lotta, but do they have fruit in them?" The blond asked panicked, shivering involuntarily at the thought of fruit filled muffins. Blueberry muffins, upside down cake, it was all insane to him. He didn't understand why people would taint unhealthy food with...shudder...healthy food. Ugh. Don't get him wrong, he did like fruit, just not with cake. He'd had way too many bad experiences.

Lotta just laughed at his childishness. "Don't worry hun, Ally can have the blueberry muffin."

"Thanks Nonna," The brunette said with an amused smile as the muffin was placed in front of her. She took a large bite just as Austin gave her a confused look. She attempted to explain with a full mouth, gesturing wildly between herself and Lotta, which succeeded in confusing (but entertaining) the man even more. Swallowing finally, she continued. "Nonna means 'grandmother' in Italian. She's my grandma." The befuddled look fell from Austin's face and his mouth formed a 'o' before smiling and picking up his cake.

"That's awesome! Now I think about it you two do show a resemblance. Both very pretty." His words were followed by a charming smile, making the older woman swat his arm while the younger pretended to be focused on her muffin. Her lips subconsciously twitched upwards and she mentally slapped herself for the light blush that had formed on the tips of her ears (Yes, her ears).

"Alright, you guys are very welcome. I need to get back to work now," Lotta said, subtly raising a knowing eyebrow at her flustered granddaughter. They thanked her politely as she turned to walk away, before spinning back once more, "And Ally dear it's 10:25, aren't you supposed to be at work?" The words sunk in properly after a few more seconds and the petite girl sprung up, knocking her chair in the process. She ran a hand through her hair, gathering all her things at a rapid pace.

"Oh God! I'm late! It's was great meeting you Austin, I'll see you later," She glanced at him apologetically to which he casually smiled in understanding. "Bye Nonna." After hugging her grandmother tightly, she exited the coffee shop, with fumbling hands and a determined look on her face. Austin's eyes still followed her retreating figure, a mixture of sympathy and amusement playing on his lips. He looked away finally to see Lotta pursing her lips at him triumphantly.

"See, didn't I tell you I had some beautiful granddaughters?"

"So you liked her then?" Dez said, seated next to his blond best friend on the bright orange sofa in his living room. Austin had reunited with his red haired friend a few hours ago, telling him about his year away and recent meeting with the bride over some old fashioned video games. They were now immersed in a zombie blood bash as the ginger asked this, secretly trying to throw his best friend off his game.

"Yeah, I can see why Peter picked her," He replied casually, nudging his friend after killing one of his fighters with a bomb. This threw Dez off balance, resulting in him missing an enemy soldier and killing one of his own men. Austin snickered playfully as his friend wailed.

"Damn it Austin! That wasn't necessary, Jerry was one of my best men!" The ginger slouched childishly as Austin looked at him in disbelief.

"Well what was I supposed to do? Your precious Jerry was about to murder Austin Jr! Do you know how much of a tragedy that would've been?" Austin replied, dramatically dodging Dez's attempt at smacking him across the head. "Jeez, violence." He shook his head condescendingly making the ginger chuckle. The blond took advantage of his friend not paying attention and threw an atomic bomb into the enemy field, killing tens of zombies and most of Dez's camp.

Dez's eyes whipped back to the screen too late, "NOOOOOOO!" He shouted, reaching out a hand dramatically as the bomb exploded in slow motion. Sniggering could be heard in the background as Austin tried to keep his laughter contained. In a last attempt to prevent the damage, without thinking the skinnier man tossed his controller at the display. Both men winced as it slammed into the screen, knocking the already weak TV off it's stand and onto the luckily carpeted floor.

They sat in shocked silence for a few tense minutes before Austin spoke, "Dude. That was awesome."

"I know, right!" They high fived enthusiastically, reminding both of their middle school days when they'd first met. Dez smiled at his friend proudly before a dark realization entered his mind. "But dude, Trish is gonna kill me." He ran a hand through his hair worriedly before his friend replied.

"Trish? I thought you were dating Carrie." Dez shook his head before explaining.

"I am, Trish is Ally's best friend. We've all gotten to know each other over this past year. Trish and her boyfriend Jace got me and Carrie a TV for my birthday and she sure doesn't let me forget how expensive it was. She always brings up how she could've bought a dress or a pair of shoes instead of it, but out of the kindness of her heart she bought it for us. I bet Jace picked it; she probably would have given me socks or something." Austin smirked at the this, interested in what the feisty lady was like since she obviously had such a...well...dominant effect on Dez.

"Oh cool. Man, I feel like I've missed so much this year," Austin mumbled in a casual but honest tone. Dez threw him a sympathetic glance.

"Eh, you didn't miss much, kid." It was now the ginger's turn to snicker as the blond cringed at the nickname.

"Two centimetres! You're two centimetres taller than me and I'm older than you by 3 whole months," He chuckled, throwing his controller at the other man, who clutched his chest dramatically. "Stop calling me kid, you ass."

"Well at least this ass has a girlfriend." Austin gave him a mock offended glare, before nodding as if to say 'touché'. "But seriously, did you actually meet any girls on the trip?" Dez asked curiously, rubbing his hands together. His shoulders sunk dejectedly, however, when his friend shook his head.

"I told you Dez, I'm embracing my singleness! I don't even want to settle down right now," He replied, trying to brush off the red head's knowing look.

"So what you're saying is, either you didn't meet anyone you wanted or you failed at wooing the girls you did want," Dez stated, not shocking the blond too much with his accuracy; they knew each other like the backs of their hands. He gave a sheepish grin before answering.

"Bit of both, honestly," He smiled, running a hand through his hair from habit and relaxing more into the comfy sofa as Dez gave a goofy grin.

"Well, you're in luck. I've heard Ally has some really cute cousins, probably your type too," Dez replied, patting his friend on the back before finally walking over to the fallen TV. Austin let out a chuckle, remembering his earlier encounter with Lotta and her matchmaking antics.

"I don't doubt you there, bro."

A/N: And that's the first part finished. Hope you guys liked it! This story originally started out as a one shot, but now I think it's gonna have four or five parts to it. Thank you for reading and I'll try and update soon, byeeeee :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters and the plot ;)