Stuck On You
It has been exactly two and a half months since the whole 'Austin Auction' incident. Austin and Ally still were crushin, no matter how hard they tried to move on. And Austin found himself falling harder everyday.
Every time he saw Ally, his heart did a little race and he felt butterflies flapping crazily in his stomach. He would watch her when they sat at the piano together, the funny face she made when she was stumped, the way she shoved him playfully. He loved her beautiful hair and face and perfect smile and felt like he could watch her like that forever. Until she would catch him staring. Then he would blush like crazy and his hands got all sweaty and he'd look away, only to steal small glances back. She smiled at him every time.
Only, Austin didn't think that Ally still had feelings for him. Little did he know, that she was feeling exactly the same as he was. He was sitting at the food court one day, Dez across from him. A checkerboard say on the table and Dez moved one of the pieces, which happened to be a gummy bear. "Ha! Checkmate!" Dez cried triumphantly, fist-pumping. Austin just sighed and started to chew his green gummy knight. "Hey dude, what's wrong?" Dez said, picking up his red king. Austin leaned forward. "It's just Ally, man. I can't get her outta my head." Austin admitted, resting his arms on the table. "You, my friend, are lovesick." Dez said, flapping his hands like bird.
Austin raised an eyebrow. "You really need to stop doing that." Austin said. "Anyway, I like her so much but I think she's lost feelings for me." Austin murmured sadly. "So ask her out." Dez said simply, leaning back, as he chewed. "I can't just walk up and ask her out! If she doesn't feel the same way, it'll be so awkward. And I don't want that to happen." Austin sighed, taking another gummy bear. "But you guys are obviously meant for each other! Just do it! You have nothing to lose." Dez insisted. Austin shook his head. "Umm, I could lose our friendship, our partnership, our chances of ever being together-" He named each problem, counting on his fingers.
"You have to! It's the only way to know if she wants to be with you or not. In fact, I will come up with a plan." Here we go, thought Austin, another one of his brilliant plans. But he trusted Dez (sadly), and followed him out of the food court.
—-—
Ally sat in the practice room, her fingers running along the smooth black and white keys. It's was pretty quiet and the store was empty. She opened her songbook and started to play the piano.
"I remember life before,
Faraway dreams and lockin doors
Then you came, then you came
Afraid to fall, to be free Always we're our worst enemy,
It isn't what, what you see.
I took time to realize that I couldn't do it by myself,
Myself
There's no gravity, when your next to me,
You always break my fall, like a parachute
When you're holding me-"
She stopped singing when she noticed her blond-haired crush in the doorway. Yes, she still like liked Austin. Well, Trish insisted she was in love, but Ally wouldn't admit it. In fact, she was crazy for him. But her heart did beat a million miles faster at the sight of his face. She loved his messy blond hair. He had the kindest brown eyes and the warmest smile that made her melt everytime.
"Hey Ally." He greeted, giving her a sweet smile. "Hi Austin." Suddenly she became suspicious. "How long have been standing there?" She hoped he hadn't guessed that the song was about him. "Not very long." He replied, crossing the room. He sat on the piano bench next to her (And I mean, RIGHT next to her) and she quickly shut her songbook.
She had written a lot of personal stuff about a certain someone in it and didn't want the certain someone to read it. "But it sounds like another amazing song." Austin observed, glancing at her. "Thanks, I'm stuck on some lyrics but I'll figure it out." Ally explained. She noticed Austin was wringing his hands. "So, what're you doing?" Austin looked flustered. "Umm…Uh," He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "You know, just to say…hi?" He said, more as a question than a statement. Ally chuckled. "You should be more confident, Austin."
He gave her a small smile and they locked eyes. Ally was losing herself in his eyes and suddenly realized they were both leaning in. She almost didn't notice the loud, "Hrrumph!" that came from the doorway. But both her and Austin straightened up. Dez stood there with a ridiculous grin on his face. "Awwww." Ally's eyes widened and and Austin made a cutting motion across his throat. "Really Dez?" Ally protested. Dez suddenly looked confused. "I wasn't talking about you two. I was looking at myself in the mirror on the fridge. I look adorable today." He sighed happily, staring into the mirror. "Awwww."
Ally gave Austin a questioning glance and he just shrugged and looked as lost as Ally felt. Dez stopped admiring himself and looked at Austin. "I need to talk to you." Dez said gesturing for him to follow. The red head gave Ally a look. "Alone." He added. Austin got off the piano bench and looked back down at Ally. "Okay, dude. See you later Ally." Austin said, smiling at her. Ally felt butterflies explode and she gave him a shy smile back.
"Alright. Bye." And Austin followed Dez out of the practice room and couldn't help but wonder if the two were up to something. — Austin followed Dez down the stairs of Sonic Boom. "What Dez?" Austin grumbled. "I've come up with a plan for you to win over Ally." Dez leaned over and started whispering in his ear. Austin nodded every once in a while, looking surprised at what was actually a clever plan. Dez finally leaned back. "Music brought your friendship together. Why not let it bring your relationship together again?" Dez concluded, locking his fingers together, looking proud of himself.
Austin nodded, with a big grin plastered on his face. "This actually might work. But we'll need help." Austin remarked. "I know just the person." Dez smiled. They ran out the back of the store, eager to prepare for the plan. — Austin flew open the door to his room and say down at his desk. He grabbed a pencil and a piece of composition paper and started the first stage of plan: "Get Ally to fall desperately in love with you" (Dez named it, if you hadn't guessed already).
He knew this would probably be the most difficult part of the plan because he wasn't good at saying how he felt. Instead, he thought about Ally. How he turned red and his hands got all sweaty around her, when he's always had confidence around other girls. She thought he needed to be braver. He jotted down a few words. He wasn't good at saying words, but singing… More writing. He hoped desperately he wasn't messing this up, he really was trying his best. He just wanted his Ally back. He couldn't forget her, he couldn't move on, he needed to be with her. More writing.
Suddenly, his door was opened and a delicious smell wafted into the room. His mom's head peeked in. "Hey honey, I made pancakes." When she noticed he was actually writing something, she immediately said, "What's wrong?" Austin shrugged and tried to act casual. There's was no fooling Mimi Moon. "Austin, are you having girl issues?" she questioned, coming to stand by him. "Whaaaaaatt? Pfffffft, nooo." Austin lied. She raised her eyebrows.
Austin sighed in defeat. "Fine. I really want Ally back. We tried to move on, but I just can't. It doesn't feel right without her. What can I do, mom?" Mimi's gaze softened. "Austin, just follow your heart. If you and Ally being together feels right, then go for it. There's a good chance she feels the same way." Mimi ruffled Austin's hair and left the room. Austin paused for a moment, then wrote some more. Then he decided to add in some of his flaws. He was a perfectionist. He liked to floss and his teeth weren't naturally shiny (Only Dez knew).
He didn't like rules, like, at all. But he made his bed. Yeah, he definitely had issues. Some more writing. And more. And then he was done. Excitement rose in his chest and his heart raced wildly. "Time to find Dez and Trish." He exclaimed and dashed from his room, his paper in his hand. — After a couple hours of dashing around Sonic Boom and arguing, A LOT, the plan was in motion.
Now, they got into their positions as they waited for Ally to start up the process. — Ally walked slowly up the stairs to the practice room. She reached the piano and sat down. She felt kind of lonely and confused. She had tried to find her three friends, but whenever she found them, they would suddenly look nervous and avoid her questions. Then they would dash off somewhere else in the mall. She had tried to call Austin, but he just stuttered and told her "he was busy". And if she knew her friends, they were up to something. What exactly, she had no clue. She shook away her thoughts and opened her songbook, hoping to catch up on writing more songs for Ronnie Ramone. But a square piece of paper fell out and she picked it up from the ivory keys. She unfolded it and she instantly recognized the handwriting as none other than Austin's.
This is what it read:
"There's no way I could make it without ya,
do it without ya, be here without ya.
Cause I own this dream, cause I got you with me."
She smiled at the lyrics, but was also a little confused at the note. She noticed she could see writing on the other side. She flipped it over and read, "Remember when I sang 'I Think About You' and leaned against the railing at the top of the stairs?" And that's all it said. Ally sat puzzled for a moment. What did that have to do with anything?
Then a lightbulb went off in her head and she tucked the note into her pocket. She opened the room door and grabbed the railing at the stair case. Another square of paper was taped to the green bar and plucked it off.
"I think about you, every morning when I open my eyes,
I think about you every evening when I turn out the lights,
I think about you, every moment, every day of my life,
you're on my mind, all the time it's true.
I think about you, you, you, you, you
I think about you, you, you, you, you."
The backside said: "Remember that time I told you I could blow a trumpet through another trumpet?" This time, she caught on to the game and dashed down the stairs and sure enough, on the trumpet stand, a white square sat in the first one she saw.
"Like the waves need the sand to crash on,
like the sun needs the world to shine on,
you're the bright side of everyday,
me without you just isn't the same.
It's not the same.
Our first all nighter at the grand piano was awesome." She found the next square inside the big black piano.
"If you wanna cry, I'll be your shoulder,
If you wanna laugh I'll be your smile,
If you wanna fly, I will be your sky,
Anything you need, that's what I'll be,
you can come to me
If you wanna climb I'll be your ladder,
If you wanna run, I'll be your road,
If you need a friend, doesn't matter when,
anything you need that's what I'll be,
you can come to me You can come to me.
Remember when Chuck wouldn't stop the jam pranks?" Ally laughed at the memory and lifted up the flap on the piano bench. This note had a little more lyrics.
"Every day, day, day I fall for you a little more
And every night, night, night I dream of you so beautiful
Every time we laugh I see the sparks flying
And every time you blush I feel those butterflies
And baby how we feel will always be in style
Forever and ever
This love is never gonna fade
We are timeless, we are timeless
My heart will never ever change
We are timeless, we are timeless
And we're gonna last
Our love will always feel this way
We are timeless, we are timeless
Yeah, we are timeless.
Your dad couldn't believe when Dez guessed the amount of 18,118 jellybeans in the jellybean jar." Next Ally pulled the jar out from under the counter and reached her hand down to where the paper sat.
"Call me criminal
I won't deny you make me want it all,
Everything you are
So lock it up
Go on and try it
No matter what you do I'm gonna steal your heart
Don't forget the time Dez made window burgers!" Sure enough, a note hung from the big window. How did she not notice that before? She carefully pulled it down and read it.
"I always get this funny feeling
Every time you come around
It's like I'm walking on the ceiling
Both feet off the ground
And it's so right to feel so left
Upside down like I'm losing my head
Cuz I know where my heart belongs–
With you again–
I remember a time when a crazy guy asked for a discount on an old lady-spit harmonica." Ally laughed and walked over to the harmonica on the grand piano. Taped to it sat her next clue.
"Ohhh, whoaaaa, You and I,
Oh whoaaaa, Together again
Ohhh, whoaaaa You and I Chasin the Beat of my heart"
The clue stumped her. "If you look hard enough, you'll find your treasure, though it's not golden and it might not be worth much." She thought long and hard, but couldn't crack the mystery. She sighed in defeat. She set down the card and started to walk over to the Sonic Boom doors, to close up shop. She tripped on something hard. She bounced around holding her smarting toe. "Ow, ow, ow!" She bent over and picked up a eukelele that Dez had been messing with earlier.
Suddenly, it hit her. The luau, the roast pig, the party, the Beach Club! Austin and Dez had been looking for treasure at the beach club. That's where Austin's crazy goose chase supposedly ended. Well, there's only one way to find out, she thought, as she pushed open the door. She tucked all her notes into her pocket and dashed out into the mall.
—-—
"Dez, I don't know if I can do this." Austin worried, pacing around the room. They were in a break room at the Beach Club. Dez and Trish sat in blue chairs sipping smoothies, while watching their anxious friend pace the floor. "You'll be fine. The only things that could go wrong is Ally could reject you, it'll always be awkward, you'll quit the music business because you lost your songwriter and you're depressed because every time you think or play music, you think about the time you failed to get back your destined soulmate and lost all chances with her forever. Other than that, you've got nothing to lose." Dez 'reassured'.
Austin frowned. "Thanks Dez, I'll feel even better now." Austin muttered sarcastically. Dez nodded, not catching the sarcasm. "Anytime buddy. That's why they call call me–" He threw his head to one side, squeezed his eyes close, and whispered, "–the love whisperer." Trish mimicked his pose. "No one calls you that." She whispered in reply. Dez frowned and focused on his smoothie, wisely deciding to stay quiet. " I got to go out and get ready. She'll be here any minute." Austin announced. "Trish, do you really think Ally will reject me?" Austin said, his eyebrows knitted together. Trish laughed. "Ally, reject you? Ha!" Trish scoffed. "Have seen the way she looks at you? She is head-over-heels for you Austin. Trust me, she'll be elated about this." Trish said confidently.
Austin's heart fluttered with hope and he walked determinedly out the door. He started setting up and by the time he was ready, Trish and Dez had joined him outside. His stomach was doing somersaults and his palms were already getting sweaty. He never got nervous for a performance. Well, maybe just a little. But never this bad.
Somehow Ally had that affect on him. And he loved the feeling she gave him, like he could do anything, like he was invincible, like he had the world. And he absolutely loved it. Suddenly Dez ran down the boardwalk screaming, "She's coming! Austin, Ally is coming!" Austin nearly passed out and forced himself to breathe normally. In, out, in out…nope he was probably going to faint. He told himself to relax. He sat on the black stool next to the mic and waited as calmly as possible (which wasn't very).
Then he saw her walk down the stairs, her beautiful features lit up in a smile. A little bit of confusion, hope and something else shined brightly in her eyes. He grinned ridiculously as she walked her way across the sand I front of the stage. He noticed white papers sticking from her pocket and figured she must've followed the trail. He never doubted her, she was the smartest person he knew. One of the reasons he loved her so much. He cleared his throat and desperately hoped his voice didn't come out as some kind of squeak.
"Ally, there's something I want to tell you. But, I'm not the best with dating the words I want to say. So, I wrote a song instead." Pride and joy flashed across her face; it wasn't often he wrote his own song. The last one he had written completely by himself, was Steal Your Heart, a song about Ally. "I hope you like it. For you, Ally Dawson. Called, Stuck on You." Austin began to strum his guitar steadily, his fingers no longer shaking. You can do this, he told himself.
"Ooh… Ooh… Yeah…
Okay maybe I'm shy
But usually I speak my mind
But by your side, I'm tongue tied
Sweaty palms, I turn red
You think I have no confidence
But I do, just not with you
Now… I'm singing all the words I'm scared to say
Yeah… So forgive me If I'm doing this all wrong
I'm trying my best in this song to tell you
What can I do
I'm stuck on you
I'm hoping you feel what I do
Cuz I told mom about you I told her
What can I do
I'm stuck on you
And like the night sticks to the moon…
Girl… I'm stuck on you
Ooh… Ooh… Yeah…
Look at me, perfectionist
Yeah I'm a workaholic
But on my phone, I feel at home
I don't like rules
But make my bed
Floss to keep my teeth perfect
Yeah it's true, I got issues
So… I'm singing all the words I'm scared to say
Yeah… So forgive me If I'm doing this all wrong
I'm trying my best in this song to tell you
What can I do
I'm stuck on you
I'm hoping you feel what I do
Cuz I told mom about you I told her
What can I do
I'm stuck on you
And like the night sticks to the moon…
Girl…
I'm stuck on you." Austin swept his fingers the last time across the guitar strings. He picked it up and set it on the stand behind him. Before he could look back at Ally, he felt two small arms wrap tightly around his neck. He immediately knew who it was and hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. "That was soooo sweet, Austin. I loved it." She murmured in his ear. "I'm not done." he replied, pulling away. He looked her straight in the eye, his fear evaporating.
"Okay, this probably going to be really cheesy and I'm not good with speaking my feelings, so bear with , you've changed my whole life. Since we met that fateful day I played corndogs on the drums in Sonic Boom. I know now that we're better together. I think about you all the time, everyday, wishing I could steal your heart once again. I might be a bit upside down, but I know I'm chasing the beat of my heart. I believe our love is timeless and I just hope you feel the same. I want to be the reason you're up till one in the morning on your phone. I want to be the one to laugh at memories, to be there for you, and that you come and cry on my shoulder because you know you can come to me. There's no way I could make it without you, Ally. I'm stuck on you and I hope you feel the same, because if not, it's probably going to be really awkward from now on. I want you to be my girlfriend, Ally, I-don't-know-your-middle-name, Dawson." Austin finished. Ally didn't move or speak and she has tears in her eyes. Austin mentally facepalmed. He knew this wouldn't work, why on the good Lord's earth–
Before he knew it a pair of lips were on his. His mind went blank and his heart did a dance in his chest. He kissed her back, feeling like he could stay there forever. But as air was a necessity of life, they had to pull away. Ally hugged him again and he returned it. "I hope that answers your question." She whispered. He nodded, too happy to speak. They stayed that way for a moment, until Dez and Trish couldn't handle it anymore. Trish squealed…no, wait that was Dez. They both ran over and threw their arms around them. But Austin didn't notice. As far as he could tell, him and Ally were the only two people on Earth.
And he loved it.
—-—
"And that's how Mommy and Daddy finally got together." Austin concluded. The room was silent. Moonlight from the window pooled onto the walls, where music note fatheads were stuck. The guitar nite-light shone dimly in the corner, badly needing a replacement of batteries. "Hello? Annabelle?" A light snoring was his reply. The little five year old was fast asleep in her bed, arm tucked around Douggie the Dolphin.
Austin stood from the rocking chair and crossed over to the crib opposite of Annabelle. He leaned on the rail, sighing to find the other half of the audience sleeping. "Goodnight, Aiden." He dipped forward to kiss the baby's short blond hair. The eight-month old stirred, but didn't awaken. Austin went back to Annabelle and kissed her, right on the single blond lock that stood out among her chocolate curls. "Goodnight, Annie." He sat back down in the rocking chair near the door. He began to drift, eyes about to close when warm hands planted themselves on his shoulders.
"Miss me?"
His eyes flew open and he rose up to greet the tight hug. "A little late home, don't you think?" He asked quietly. "Trish insisted on one last store. She couldn't resist." Ally replied, chuckling slightly. They pulled away and glanced toward the sleeping kids. "I think Daddy Day went well." Austin commented. Ally grinned. "I agree. I-" She was interrupted by a big yawn. "I think you need some sleep." Austin whispered.
Together they left the room and entered their own. Once ready for bed, they climbed beneath the comforters. "Maybe we could have a Mommy and Daddy day tomorrow? Day out? Maybe a movie, hit the mall, dinner?" Austin questioned hopefully. "Really? We'd need Dez and Trish to watch the kids. Are you sure?" Ally replied. Austin hugged her tightly to him, kissing her head.
"What can I do? I'm stuck on you."