"You're Ally Dawson! Like, the Ally Dawson! International pop star, wildly adored by billions of fans around the world! What are you doing here?!"
"I should be asking you that question, dimwit. This is my house."
"Is it? I had no idea! Can I have your autograph?!"
"Shut up."
Her best friend grins as she collapses next to him on the couch. "Rough day?"
"What makes you think that?" she asks sarcastically.
"Well, I got a Twitter notification-because of course, as your number one fan, I have my notifications on for my favorite pop star-that said you really needed a jar of pickles. And that means you had a rough day."
"You know me so well."
"I know. Pickles are in the fridge."
"Get them for me."
"You have a butler to do that for you."
"I also have a best friend. Go."
He rolls his eyes and gets up, muttering, "Win six Grammys and suddenly you're the queen of the world."
"That's what my fans call me," she replies.
He walks in the kitchen and returns with an open jar of pickles and a Sprite. He hands her the pickles and sits back down next to her, his arm resting on the back of the couch behind her.
They sit in silence. She thinks about how lucky she is to have met him. She still laughs about it; he had sat next to her on a park bench and tried to flirt with her, only to let out a high-pitched scream upon realizing who she was. She still wonders to herself why she ended up having a three-hour conversation with this boy but she's glad she did.
Now, he's like her rock. He's a normal, average high school kid. Therefore, he's good at keeping her grounded when her head's in the clouds. He doesn't get caught up in all the fame like she does because, well, he's not famous. No one he knows is aware of their friendship except his parents, and neither is the media. Only her family and a few other people she's close with know about the pair, and both of them would like to keep it that way.
She thinks of him as her escape, too. With him, she doesn't have to make small talk about parties and premieres and concerts and whatever else she talks about with her celebrity friends. She can have normal conversations about normal things with a normal guy. He tells her about the latest of his high school gossip, and she pretends to know the people he's talking about. (He has the tendency to talk about people as if she knows him as well as he does, which reminds her of something a little kid would do.)
He also has a huge crush on her. And she knows that he thinks he's being subtle, but he can't hide anything from her. Especially not when his little schoolboy crush is so bad she practically sees his pupils taking the shape of tiny hearts when he looks at her. She likes to compare his crush on her to a fourth grader crushing on a sixth grader. The fourth grader admires the sixth grader from afar, knowing that there's no chance the sixth grader would feel the same way but hoping anyway.
Of course, age doesn't matter, though she does brag to be a whopping three weeks, two days, eight hours and seventeen minutes older than him (yes, she's counting), but she still doesn't feel the same way. She's positive he knows that, but it doesn't stop him from trying to subtly (not so subtly) flirt her to death.
"So," she says, breaking the silence, "tell me about your day."
"Well, it was very exciting."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Of course. Way more exciting than yours, I'm sure. High school is the most exciting thing on the planet."
"I bet. How'd that algebra test go?"
"I got a C."
"Better than last time."
"I know. Doesn't really help much, though. I still have a D in the class overall."
"I'm sorry."
"It's cool." He finishes his Sprite and sets the empty can on the end table. "Mom didn't ground me this time."
"But she isn't happy, I'm sure."
"Which is why I'm over here."
"Are you sure it isn't because of my huge flat screen, insanely awesome pool, stocked fridge, and everything else you wish you had?" she asks, raising an eyebrow and looking over at him.
He looks down at her, grinning. "That, too. Though, technically, if all I wanted was to escape my mom, an awesome TV, and lots of good food, I could've just hung out at Dez's."
"But Dez doesn't have the awesome pool or the mansion or the other stuff you wish you had," she says, smiling as well.
"And he's not you."
"Plus, didn't you say his room smells like his pet ferret?"
"I did. And all the Ally Dawson posters on his wall staring me down freak me out."
She giggles. "You're kidding."
"I'm dead serious. I'll send you a picture next time I'm over there. They're all so creepy, I have to sleep in the basement when I spend the night at his house. I feel like you're everywhere, watching me sleep. It's terrifying."
"Glad to know my posters are so terrifying," she says, shoving him lightly.
"They're beautiful. But I don't think there is an inch of wall space that isn't covered with posters of you. How would you like it if you had to hang out in a room with a bunch of pictures of me staring at you?"
"Alright, fair enough," she says. "Why didn't you tell me he was such a big fan?"
"I didn't wanna scare you. He's, like, obsessive."
"Ah. One of those," she says.
"It's not pretty. I had to buy him one of your little Ally Dawson dolls because it was all he wanted for his birthday. I still have nightmares about its freaky eyes."
"What about these freaky eyes?" she asks, going cross-eyed.
He chuckles. "Nah, those aren't freaky."
"Well, anyway, maybe I could get you an extra back stage pass for my next concert. You could say you won them online or something."
He grins. "Dez would love that."
"So, tell me about football. How's that going?"
"I like it. Coach says I'm so good I could play in college."
"That's good!" she says happily.
"Yeah," he agrees with a smile. "Plus, being a football star scores me lots of girls."
"Oh, of course." She rolls her eyes. "But still no girlfriend?"
"Nah."
She sets down the jar of pickles and stands up. "C'mon, let's go do something."
"Like what?" he asks, standing up as well.
"You pick."
"Can I drive your Porsche?" he asks hopefully.
"Sure. Right after I get a pet unicorn."
He frowns at her and she grins.
"You can ride in my Porsche while I drive it."
"Why do you get to drive?" he whines.
"Because it's my car. When we go out in your car, you can drive."
"I don't have a car," he mutters.
"I know."
He glares at her and walks past her, starting down the long hall to the garage.
"Aw, don't be pouty," she says, catching up to him. He opens the door for her and she walks to the car, getting in the driver's side and buckling her seatbelt.
"I'll be pouty all I want."
"How about I make you a deal? You finish high school with good grades, as in mostly A's and B's, maybe I'll let a C slide, and on your eighteenth birthday I will buy you a car."
"Ally, I can't-"
"Sure you can. I've got money to spare."
"You are an amazing person, you know that?"
"Now I do. Buckle up."
He rolls his eyes and puts his seatbelt on. She opens the garage and backs out, and then drives out of the gate and onto the street. Austin opens the sun roof, rolls down the windows, and blasts the radio. Coincidentally, Ally's latest hit is playing.
"Aw man, I love this song!" he exclaims with exaggerated enthusiasm. Still, he sings along, harmonizing with Ally's voice.
Ally wouldn't say Austin is the greatest singer in the world, but the boy does have talent. She smiles and listens to him for a while, and then joins in.
When the song ends, Austin laughs like a giddy little kid on Christmas and sticks his head out the window.
Ally chuckles and keeps driving around the city.
"It all looks so much different when you're driving in a Porsche with the windows all down and an incredibly hot celebrity in the driver's seat," he jokes.
She rolls her eyes. "All looks the same to me."
"Well, that's because I'm not an incredibly hot celebrity. I'm an incredibly hot normal guy."
After about an hour of driving around, she takes Austin home. He begs her to come in and hang out, and she complies, only because he promised that his parents were cooking dinner and she can't say no to a famous Moon dinner. They're better than her private chef.
Austin takes her hand and starts dragging her up the stairs to his room before she even knows what's going on.
"Austin, you're home," his mother says from behind them. She hears him groan and chuckles quietly.
"Hi, Mrs. Moon," she says, turning around.
"Nice to see you, Ally," Austin's mother says with a warm smile. "And how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Mimi. Mrs. Moon makes me feel old."
Ally laughs and apologizes.
"Anyway, bye," Austin says. He starts pulling Ally up the stairs again.
"You look beautiful in your new video!" Mimi tells her.
She turns around to smile as Austin nearly pulls her arm out of its socket. "Thank you!"
"She's so embarrassing," Austin complains when he shuts the door behind Ally in his room.
"No she's not," Ally says.
"Yes she is!"
"Austin, all she did was say hi and compliment me."
"Well-"
"No."
Austin rolls his eyes and she chuckles. Sometimes she feels as though he's years younger than her instead of just weeks. She also finds it kind of funny how easily embarrassed he is in front of her, especially because she knows how confident and popular he is in school.
Austin's phone starts ringing suddenly, and he looks at it. He bites his lip and looks at her, and she raises her eyebrows.
"Dez wants to FaceTime," he says.
"Answer it. I'll be quiet. Promise."
He smiles a bit and answers the call.
"Hey, buddy!" she hears Austin's friend exclaim.
"Hey, Dez," Austin replies with a smile. "What's up?"
"I have a serious question."
"I have a serious answer."
"Do you think Ally would be okay if I asked Carrie to the Winter Formal?"
Austin gives Ally an I-told-you-he-was-crazy-obsessed look, and then turns back to his phone. "I think she'd be okay with it, Dez. Especially since she has no idea who you are, and Carrie's your girlfriend."
"Right. But I'm sure Ally knows I exist."
"I don't think so, buddy. She's Ally Dawson."
"I know she is. She's perfect."
"I wouldn't say perfect-"
"Oh, really? I see your longing stares at my posters, Austin. But don't forget that she's mine."
Ally giggles quietly and raises her eyebrows at Austin, who rolls his eyes.
"Anyway," Dez continues, "what do I have to do to get you to come with me to her concert on Saturday night?"
"Not much. I won some backstage passes. Surprise!"
Ally covers her ears as Dez screams louder than the thousands of fans in her audiences.
"Do we get to meet her?!" Dez exclaims.
"Probably," Austin replies with a smile.
Dez screams again, and then he goes silent. Austin chuckles and hangs up.
"He fainted," Austin tells her.
She giggles. "Wow. He really loves me."
"Yeah. Lots of people do."
Ally grins for the camera as she models extremely overpriced clothes and accessories with two of her friends. Kira and Cassidy are both actresses, and they met at an award show three years ago. They're her best friends, according to the media. She really is close with them, but…well, not that close.
During a break from the shoot, Kira walks over to Ally.
"Hey. You're kinda hogging the middle."
Ally looks up. "Oh, um, I'm sorry. That's just how the photographer wanted us. I didn't wanna mess with it."
"Really? Cause it seems to me you're always desperate for the spotlight. Worried Cass and I might beat you out of it?"
"No, I just do what I'm told," Ally says calmly. She's used to Kira getting like this sometimes. She'll be over it soon.
"Oh, I'm sure. Well, I'm sick of you 'doing what you're told.' In fact, I'm kinda sick of you."
"Kira, is this because I couldn't invite you to that party-"
"Why would it be about that? I mean, it isn't like we're best friends or anything. Oh wait…" Kira trails off and glares at her. "Look, if you're not gonna hold up your end of this friendship, then I don't see the point in being friends."
"You're acting like all this is about is publicity and parties and invitations to whatever."
Kira shrugs and walks away.
Ally's jaw drops in slight shock that Kira would just ditch her so quickly. She looks over at Cassidy, who immediately glares at her and focuses her attention on Kira.
Ally clenches her jaw and pulls out her phone to text Austin.
When the awkward and exhausting second half of the shoot is over, Ally walks outside to look for the car that'll take her home. Instead of finding the usual car with her usual driver, however, she sees a silver minivan and a mop of blonde hair sticking out the window.
"Mom let me borrow the car," he explains with a grin as she gets in the car. He looks at her and frowns. "You okay?"
"Kira and Cassidy just ditched me."
"Wow, I'm sorry. They were annoying, anyway," he says.
She smiles a bit. "Thanks. At least I have you."
"Yeah. And I don't use you like they did."
"You kinda use me."
"But the difference is that I actually care about you," he says quickly.
"Fair enough."
"And I don't use you. I just enjoy the benefits of being best friends with a superstar."
"Whatever."
Austin drives to her house and parks in the driveway. She gets out and he follows her inside.
"Hey," he says to stop her in the foyer. She turns around. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be? I mean, two people who I thought were my friends just dropped me like a sack of potatoes because I didn't give them the full benefits of being friends with me. They didn't even care about me. Of course I'm fine."
Austin sighs and pulls her in for a hug. "Ally-"
"I'm fine. Honestly," she interrupts, hugging him back and burying her face in his chest. "It's their loss, anyway."
Austin says nothing as he rubs her back and sways slightly.
She has this idea in her head that she's the luckiest girl on earth to have the career she has. And she is. She's honestly grateful for the opportunities she's gotten and the chance to share her music with the world and make a living doing what she loves. But she forgets about that part sometimes and just focuses on how lucky she is to have the fame and fortune. She focuses on all the material things, and that's where she goes wrong. Because she may have all these great clothes and accessories and everything else she could ever want with still more money than she knows what to do with, but clearly all that brings her is fake friends and a huge ego.
What she truly does feel lucky for, however, is Austin. He's been there for her through everything. She knows he'll stay for her through everything to come. He's her best friend and her number one fan and he supports her and loves her no matter what.
It's her nineteenth birthday, and she's throwing a party at her mansion, like she does every year. All her "friends" are there (including Kira and Cassidy), as well as her real friends like Trish and Austin. The paparazzi are there, too, outside her house.
She tries not to focus on that, but eventually she does have to go out and try to get them to go away. Instead, she ends up posing for pictures and getting lost in the camera flashes and rapid shouts for attention from the photographers.
After a while, she feels hands on her arms.
"C'mon, Ally," she hears Austin say in her ear.
"Go away," she says, still smiling at the cameras.
"Time to come back to your party." His hand moves down to grab her hand.
"No."
"Guys, she's done. Leave," he says to the paparazzi. It doesn't work, and she doesn't know why he thought it would.
"Who is he?" he hears them ask. More camera flashes.
Eventually he pulls her back inside, and she frowns. She pulls her hand away and walks over to the dance floor they made out of her living room. There, she immerses herself in all the glitz and glamor that is her life, talks to all the celebrities she hardly knows but invited anyway, dances to the blaring music, gets lost in it all.
At some point, Austin finds her and tries to talk to her, but she doesn't listen. She doesn't feel like talking to him right now, or ever. He doesn't get her like these people do. He doesn't know what it's like to stress over throwing such a big party like this, and then be able to enjoy is. He's ruining her fun.
"Just go away!" she exclaims.
He frowns at her, looks hurt. She doesn't care, though. He slowly walks away, and she goes back to dancing.
"Ally, wake up," her best friend's voice pulls her out of her slumber. "Time to return to the land of the living."
"No thanks," she whines.
"You owe me an apology."
"For what?"
"You got caught up in yourself last night. Apparently I'm not famous enough for you."
She sighs and sits up, looking at him tiredly. He smiles at her and pats down her bedhead. "Sorry."
"It's okay. Happy real birthday," he says with a grin, holding out a small gift bag.
She smiles slightly and takes it. She pulls out the tissue paper and sees a box sitting at the bottom of the bag. Opening it, she finds a necklace with a vintage key hanging from it.
"It isn't much," he says sheepishly.
"I love it."
He smiles, and then his eyes widen slightly. "I almost forgot." He pulls an envelope out of his back pocket and hands it to her.
She giggles and opens it. "Should I read it out loud?"
"I'd really rather you not…" he says, sounding a bit nervous.
She frowns, but reads the card silently.
Happy birthday, Ally! I can't believe you're nineteen! Well, actually I can, because I'll be nineteen in a few weeks, but that's not the point. I've known you for a few years now, and it will never cease to amaze me just how incredible you are. Watching you grow these past few years has been a privilege, and I'm so happy that I can call you my best friend.
I know this is gonna sound super cheesy, but I've been struggling with this for a while and this is the only way I can think to tell you without chickening out. The necklace I'm giving you is the key to my heart. (I definitely just cringed at how ridiculous that sounds but I don't really feel like trying to make it sound better so just don't bring that part up, okay? Okay, thanks.) I've liked you for a while now, and I think I might even be falling in love with you.
I don't really know how to end this after that so I guess I'll just beg you to please go easy on me because I'm probably freaking out watching you read this right now and waiting for your reaction. I promise you can tease me as much as you want later and I'll probably even enjoy it but for right now just be gentle. I love you and I hope I didn't just screw up our entire friendship. Happy birthday, Als.
-Austin
P.S. I realize this is the lamest birthday card I've ever given you and I would not be offended if you decided to burn it to punish it for its sins.
Ally giggles and closes the card, looking up at him. His cheeks are bright red and he's smiling nervously.
"Happy birthday," he says weakly.
She laughs and pulls him in for a hug. He sighs in relief and hugs her back tightly.
"The card was cute," she tells him.
"You can admit it was cheesy and lame. I know it was."
"It wasn't lame!" she argues. "Really. It was cute."
He pulls away from the hug. "I rewrote that thing seven times, trying to make it sound at least kind of normal, but its cheesiness and lameness won. I won't be hurt if you say it."
"It was a little cheesy…but cute cheesy!"
He rolls his eyes.
"I love it," she says. "I do. And I love the necklace."
"Well, good," he says softly. "You don't seem very surprised, though."
She smiles slightly. "I've had my suspicions for a while."
His face loses all its color. "You've known?"
"Yeah…You aren't very subtle. But it's okay!" she adds quickly, placing her hand on his arm.
"How long have you known?"
"How long have you liked me?"
He groans and falls backwards on her bed, his head landing on her pillow. "And just when I thought that I wasn't gonna be humiliated."
"It's not humiliating!" she tries. "I've always thought it was kinda cute how you had this little crush on me."
"I'm just like every other guy on earth," he reminds her. "And it's not a 'little crush.'"
"Well, whatever it is, I'm okay with it, okay?" She picks up the key necklace and puts it on.
He looks at her unsurely. "Promise you aren't weirded out? I'm not, like, a fan who's creepily obsessed with you. Like, I really, truly love you as a person. Not for your fame or your looks or anything. Well, I mean, your looks are obviously a plus but-"
"I promise I'm not weirded out," she says with a laugh, lying down next to him.
"Okay, good. So, it's your birthday. What do you wanna do for the big one-nine?"
"Hmm, I wanna go to the beach for sure. But not, like, the private beach. I wanna go where you go with your other friends. And I wanna surf."
"Surf? You've never gone before."
"You're gonna teach me."
"I am?"
"You are."
"Okay."
"And then I wanna go get pizza for dinner. And then I wanna go to your football game that I know you somehow were allowed to skip tonight to spend time with me."
"You do?"
"I do."
"But-"
"I want you to play in your game. And I wanna watch you do what you're talented at. And I wanna wear your cool letterman jacket."
He chuckles a bit. "Nah, you don't wanna wear that."
"Sure I do."
"Guys give their letterman jackets to their girlfriends to wear. And you're not my girlfriend. And even if you were, it would attract attention to you because everyone would wanna know who you were."
"I wanna see how it feels."
"See how what feels?"
"Wearing your letterman jacket. And everything that comes with it."
He looks down at her, eyes wide, and she grins.
"And then I wanna go out for ice cream, and we'll see if I wanna keep the jacket or not."
He knits his eyebrows. "It's my jacket though."
She rolls her eyes.
She decided not to keep the jacket, but that doesn't mean there isn't something there. Because there is.
The next day, she stays in bed for a while just thinking about how her birthday went. She had more fun with Austin than she ever has before. Ever since he got the weight of his feelings for her off his chest, she believes he's been more relaxed, more himself. She noticed yesterday that he would randomly say that he loves her, or that she's cute or beautiful or adorable or any other compliment. It's like he doesn't realize he's doing it, either, and even if he did, it seems as though the random comments are his way of letting some of his feelings out, almost like exhaling. If he doesn't, he'll surely suffocate. She figures that before, he had to censor himself for these things, but now that his feelings are out on the table, he doesn't have to constantly be so cautious. Because of that, he's more relaxed and open and happy, and she loves seeing him like this.
She shifts her thoughts to Austin specifically (as if they weren't there already). Seeing him finally being himself is something she wonders how she's been able to go without. Before he told her his feelings, he was only a fraction of who he is now. If she thought he was happy and excitable before, he may as well be a puppy on a sugar high now. She finds it adorable.
At first, she was a bit surprised at his random declarations of love for her, but as she got used to them, she realized that it wasn't just those few words that showed he loved her, it was everything about him. The way he looks at her, the way his touch is always so gentle, no matter what they're doing, the way he always jumps to help her the second she needs it, the way he's always been there for her. All of it adds up to show just how much he truly loves her, and just the thought of it makes her blush up to the roots of her hair.
"Knock, knock," she hears outside her door.
"Who's there?"
"Austin."
"Austin who?"
"Austen touchdowns last night to win by a landslide," he answers, entering her room.
"You're a superstar," she jokes, sitting up.
"You sleep way too late," he says, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Have you ever seen a sunrise?"
"No, but I've seen a moonrise. In fact, I think I'm about to see one right now. Moon, rise and exit my room so I can get ready."
"Ooh, that was a good one," he says, standing up. "By the way, I love you." He winks and walks out, shutting the door behind him.
She chuckles and rolls her eyes before quickly getting dressed and brushing her hair and teeth. Deciding to forego any makeup, she nods and walks downstairs to where Austin is.
"So, any plans for today?" she asks.
"Yes. You have a concert tonight, so you have to rehearse. And I'm going with you because I have nothing else to do and I wanna hang out," he replies, licking a popsicle.
"Alright."
"Oh, I wrote you a song!" he says.
"Uh-oh. I thought you didn't like being cheesy."
"Oh, not that kind of song, gross." He scrunches his face. "It's a song for you to sing."
"I'm listening." She messes with the key on her necklace absentmindedly.
Austin grins, holding the popsicle to his mouth like a microphone. "Austin is sexy, yeah Austin is so sexy!" he sings. She laughs as he starts dancing around the kitchen. "Yeah, I don't have any words to rhyme with sexy, except that his muscles are so flexy! Austin is so sexy, I just wanna make love to him every night cause he's so sexy!"
He finishes his ridiculous song and looks at her proudly.
"I think it could be a hit," she jokes.
"Yeah," he agrees. "It really tells a story, y'know?"
"Oh, and what story is that?"
"You're struggling with the fact that you think I'm so sexy. You shouldn't be thinking that!" he says dramatically. "But then you realize that you don't care because I'm sexy and that's the end of it. It's all about empowerment and accepting yourself and your feelings."
"Very deep."
"I did some yoga today. I'm super zen."
She snorts and he grins victoriously.
"You're oddly funny today."
"I'm always this funny. You're just now realizing it. Your snort is cute."
"Thanks."
He finishes his popsicle and throws away the stick before looking at her. She tilts her head, noticing for the first time how bright and lively his eyes are, something you don't see every day, especially not in a teenager in high school who should be weighed down with stress.
"You're a really happy person," she says.
"I am," he agrees.
"How?"
He shrugs. "Because I know that I've got you."
"You really love me, don't you?"
"Thanks, Captain Obvious."
"I'm serious," she says. "Like…you really love me."
"Yeah. I told you that. Key to my heart and all that jazz." He gestures to her necklace. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I just…wow. You really love me."
"We just covered that."
"I know, but…it's hard to find people like that when you're me. The ones who don't want anything from you other than to spend time with you. You don't want my fame or my money or my body or anything. You just…love me."
He tilts his head. "Well, yeah."
"And you always have."
"I wouldn't say I've always been in love with you. I mean, I guess I've kinda always liked you, and in a way I have always loved you as my best friend, but-wait, where are you going with this?"
"I take you for granted, don't I?"
"I wouldn't say that. Maybe sometimes. But it isn't your fault you get all caught up in everything. I'm here to bring you back to the real world."
"Still. I'm always looking for something. Something, I dunno, missing."
"You have everything."
"But I don't. And…I think that something missing is you."
"But I'm right here."
"Yeah, you're my best friend and you're always here for me, but…I think you're supposed to be more."
"I'm supposed to be what you want me to be."
"I want you to be what you're supposed to be to make me happy."
"I'm just a guy. You don't need me to be happy."
"I feel like I do."
He shakes his head. "Boys don't determine your happiness. We're gross. You don't need us. Haven't you heard Beyoncé? Girls run the world."
"You don't determine my happiness, but I think I'd be a lot happier with you around."
"I am around. I'm confused."
She's confused, too. All she knows is that she's being consumed with a want for him. She wants his arms around her and his body pressed against hers and she wants to look into those bright, beautiful eyes and listen to him talk to her about whatever is going through his crazy head. She's never felt anything like this before, and it's too strong to even scare her. All she can focus on is him.
"Austin…" she manages, but that's all she can say.
"Ally, you're scaring me," he says worriedly. He reaches out to touch her arm and that's it for her.
She grabs him by the collar of his shirt and crashes her lips onto his, standing on her toes to reach him better. He freezes at first, but then slowly relaxes and wraps his arms around her waist, his touch light as ever as he kisses her back.
She's tense, her eyes squeezed shut. But as his lips move gently against hers she finds herself melting into him, her knees going weak as her heart threatens to beat out of her chest.
She pulls away slowly, savoring the split second when his lips follow hers automatically, not quite ready to let go yet. But then he regains control and stops himself, resting his forehead against hers.
"That was unexpected yet very satisfying," he says quietly.
"I don't know what that was," she admits, barely above a whisper. "But I think I want you to be more than just my best friend."
"Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?"
"If you're okay with your girlfriend being one of the most famous people in the world."
"I'm very okay with it. I'd be okay with it if you weren't. I love you."
"I know you do," she says with a quiet chuckle. "I like you."
"That's good enough for me. More than I expected. Can I please be your boyfriend now?"
She leans back and laughs, moving her hands from where they're resting on his chest to his upper arms. He's staring at her with all the love he has stored in that huge heart of his and a goofy grin on his face. His hair is falling into his eyes, but he doesn't make a move to fix it, instead tightening his grip around her waist.
"Yes," she says with a giggle, "you can be my boyfriend now."
This time he kisses her, and the smile on his face is nothing compared to the grin on hers.
Let's play another game of tell-your-friends-you're-going-to-sleep-and-then-write-something! Anyway, I hope you liked the story and please review!