If Only For A Night
By Scopsowl
Real film makers could get real emotion out of people. But there was that one emotion that Dez could not understand, and that one person he could not make feel that emotion. Maybe he wasn't as good as director as he thought he was? Or is it just that Ally Dawson would never love him in return?
"Ally, are you sure that you're ok?" Austin's voice sounds again, that same worried glint in his eyes that has been reoccuringly showing in them since he began dating Cassidy.
Austin has been inquiring the state of Ally's emotional stability frequently, and this only made Cassidy noticibly irritated.
Austin and Cassidy had been inseparable since a week ago, when they met at Melody's diner. Austin's persistence had paid off when Cassidy finally agreed to date him. He still worked at Melody's diner so he could be around Cassidy more; one of her excuses of not wanting to date is she had not time because of work.
"I'm ok. I promise. Now go have fun on that date with Cassidy. She's waiting for you." Ally's voice was unconvincingly happy.
Austin's chocolate brown eyes didn't leave her saddened fawn eyes as he turned over to Cassidy, who was looking at Ally like a time bomb ticking it's final seconds. The girl with sandy straight hair was getting more impatient by the second, and wanted her boyfriend's attention to be on her, not Ally. Austin warmly smiles at Ally.
He could tell that Ally was hiding something from him. It scared Austin more when Ally didn't talk than when she did talk. Ally had been more quiet lately, and he couldn't figure it out. She definitely hasn't come down with an illness that he could name. Nothing tragic has happened. Everything was the same as it always has been, but better, because now he had Cassidy.
"Well, catch you later, Ally! Ok, come on Cassie!" Austin loops his fingers with Cassidy's and she seems to glow at his touch.
While they walk out hand in hand, Cassidy glances over her shoulder, and Ally swore she saw Cassidy grimace at her before dissapearing out the door of Sonic Boom. Cassidy didn't like Ally, and that only made things worst for Ally. Ally didn't like people who held things against her without reason. There wasn't a reason for Cassidy acting so meanly towards her, was there?
Ally just didn't know, and didn't want to think about any of it. Ally props herself up on the counter, and lets her legs swing, her hands clasped together, as she failingly lets herself think about anything but Austin. All she could think about was Austin. Ally had a impulse to clean the entire store in that instant. That was until a famaliar mob of ginger hair caught her eye.
"Hi Ally! Where's Austin?" Dez asked with the goofiest of smiles on his face.
Ally looks at him from under her eye lashes.
"You didn't know? Austin has a date tonight with Cassidy."
The corners of Dez's mouth slope down into a frown. Dez smiles so much that a frown looked very much unnatural upon his contenance.
"Oh... He was supposed to go to the movies with me tonight..."
A small pout broke out on Dez's bottom lip, as he looks down at his yellow clown shoes. It actually broke Ally's heart a little to see Dez genuinely sad. Ever since she met the kid she has never seen him this upset. Like her, ever since Austin and Cassidy became a couple, he has been moping around like a lost puppy. Trish was the only one unfazed about the relationship. Maybe because she wasn't as close to Austin as Dez and Ally were.
Trish has, however, interrogated Ally multiple times, even before all of this, about how Ally felt about Austin. Ally had told her every single time that she did not have a crush on Austin. Trish was currently at work for a change, as a security guard. Ally noted that Trish did have that incredibly soft knitted blanket in her hands earlier; chances were Trish was off in dreamland right now catching some Zs.
"I know the feeling. Austin was supposed to come to practice yesterday after work. He never showed. Ever since he has been dating Cassidy I have barely seen him around. I miss him..." Ally said after a long moment.
"Me too... Since Austin isn't here; Do you want to go with me?" Dez's voice sounded slightly agitated to Ally.
Ally glares at Dez because of his unneccessary meanness he always projected onto her.
"Fine then. I'll go with you." Ally responds just as agitated as Dez acted about having Ally as his only choice to spend his night with.
Ally's arms cross over her chest, feeling a sense of wonder why she even agreed to go with Dez. She most certaintly didn't have a crush on the ginger. Ally did not miss it when Dez's face fell for only a moment. A guilt pang echoed in her stomach.
It was Dez's fault; it was him who had started it. Ally was never mean to Dez, and it just so happened to be now that she was a little mean back in the few words that passed her lips. Ally was not going to apologize...
"Dez, I'm sorry. We are both a little mad about the Austin thing. He will come around eventually. His friends always come first. He is just... lovestricken..."
Ally looked away; she was not supposed to apologize. Dez's face lit back up again, a silly expression erupting on it.
"Ok, let's go then! Maybe if we get there early, there will still be free popcorn that Walter hasn't gotten into yet!" Dez nods his head so convulsively, all his hair was momentarily airborn.
"Walter would not give out free popcorn... You go to the movies enough to know he is what the cool kids call a mean bean." Ally jokingly says as she hops down from her perch on the counter.
"He sweeps it all up into the dust pan. He thinks that will stop me from getting me some free popcorn."
"Ew, do you even know what he has swept into that thing?"
Ally switches the lights off to Sonic Boom, then locks the door behind them.
"Uh, yeah, I do actually. Candy, bugs, dirt from the bottom of people's shoes, toilet paper-"
"Dez, that is completely and utterly disgusting!" Ally says in exasperated disbelief.
"And that is why we gotta get there early! Last time I ate toilet paper, it didn't sit right with me. The only good thing about it was the next day I did not have to wipe. Jeez, Ally, don't you ever pay attention?"
"I wish I wasn't right then..."
When Ally wasn't looking, Dez's eyes rested on her. The brown cascasding curls, her beautifully rich brown eyes, her pink lips... Dez jerked his eyes away from Ally and her beauty. Did she always have to be this pretty? Dez felt his heart frown along with him.
Dez looks at Ally again, admiring everything about her. The way she walked was so different from other girls. Dez has concluded that Ally doesn't even realize she was beautiful, or did she have to even try. Dez eyed the bangs that cupped the side of her face, that she always used to clip back.
"Why do you let all your hair hang in your face?" Dez asks annoyed.
At his sudden outburst, Ally's startled eyes fall on Dez's green and hazel eyes. Ally gives Dez a look.
"I like it this way." Ally plainly states.
Dez looks at the ground as he walks now. Once again he had said something mean to the girl he cared so much. Dez had an idea. This time he would make up for being so insensitive to the incredibly sensitive Miss Dawson.
"Me too!"
"Huh?"
"I like your hair. Especially that way."
"Dez, you're kinda scaring me..."
"Why am I scaring you? I said something nice, didn't I?"
"Well... You're never nice to me."
Dez winces at her words on the inside. He wonders how much that it affects Ally that he can be pushy towards her at times. All right, most of the time he was pushy and mean to Ally. Dez hated himself for it. He always had a feeling that Austin liked Ally, so he only wanted to put some space between Ally and how he was feeling for her. He didn't like it one bit. After a moment, Dez gives Ally an apologetic smile.
Ally and Dez arrived to the movie theatre taking the next spot in line, standing far apart from each other that they would not accidentally touch. Ally glances at the titles of the movies that would be playing tonight; Dez does so as well.
"You choose, ok Ally?" Dez says to break the silence between them.
"Uh, ok. How about... Chipmunks?" Ally suggested, taking a sideways glance at Dez.
Zaliens 27 would be playing tonight, and there was a new romantic movie out as well. Those movies were out of the question by a long shot, both being strong reminders of Austin.
"Chipmunks? Where?" Dez jumps up in the air in pure excitement. The ginger boy is about to run off into the crowd in search of chipmunks that were not there, until Ally frantically tugs on his shirt in attempts to make him stay put.
"DEZ! Stay! The chipmunk movie! There aren't chipmunks in a movie theater." Ally's voice came out in an irrated hiss; people were staring at them. Dez nervously smiled at Ally.
"I was going to catch one for you though! Do you know how hard it would be to catch a chipmunk for you?"
"It would be kind of challenging..." Ally comments, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion at the meaning of Dez's words. Dez offers Ally a goofy grin that stretched from ear to ear. Inside his heart was beating faster than his pet ostrich when it ran away, and he felt a little sheepish.
At the front counter they both get popcorn to share and their tickets. Dez looked like a sad little kid when Ally had lectured him about why he was not going to eat popcorn from the floor. Dez's expression immediately beamed with happiness when he heard faint giggles escape Ally's throat.
The proceedings of the movie go on to talk about how no chipmunks were harmed in the making of this film, and that 5% of the money for tickets would go to the chipmunk foundation. The movie begins with a cluster of chipmunks flitting across the wide screen. From the corner of Ally's eye, she could see something moving. Dez attempted to watch every single chipmunk run across the screen, his head frantically following as many as possible.
Ally rolls her eyes and returns her attention to the screen. A quarter into the movie, two chipmunks of opposing scurries start a new family. Ally throws popcorn into her mouth. She reaches into the bucket for more, completely absorbed by the movie, and grabs something more as she throws more popcorn into her mouth. Dez's hand hits Ally in the face with enough force to make her nose lightly tingle.
"Ouch Dez! What on earth did you do that for?" Ally said rather loudly for being in a theater. The few people that were also in the theater 'shhhhed' her angrily.
"What?" Dez says, whipping his head around to look at Ally.
"Nevermind..." Ally said rubbing her nose, embarassed by the realization that was her fault.
"Ally, my hand is cold. Hold it." Dez suddenly whispers.
"What? No way! I am not holding your hand!" Ally exclaimed in one breathe.
"Please?"
"Put it in the popcorn!"
"My hand wants your hand to keep it warm though."
"Dez, I said no. Only couples do that, and we are not a couple." Ally's voice comes out a little louder. The other people watching the movie were angrily 'shhhing' them again.
"But my hands are so cold!" Dez complains rubbing them together in hopes of creating heat.
"And you think my hands want to be cold too?"
"No!"
"There is your answer then, if you didn't get it the first time."
"SHUT UP!" A man shouted from up front.
Ally sunk into her seat when she realized that everyone in the theater was complaining because of their bickering. Ally's heart jumped when someone tapped her shoulder.
"You two are coming with me." Walter said coolly, as if it were is job to make everyone in his theater miserable.
Outside the theater, it was just getting dark out as dez and Ally sulk along the Miami streets.
"We got kicked out of a movie! A chipmunk movie!" Ally retorted, throwing her hands in the air. She hasn't stopped glaring at Dez since they were kicked out.
"None of this would have even happened if you just had held my hand!"
"Fine, you want me to hold your hand?"
"Really?"
"NO! I am never going to hold your hand. Ever!" Ally shouts at Dez. Dez gives Ally a sad look.
"Oh..." Dez whispers.
Ally rips her eyes away from Dez, and avoids making any eye contact with him. It was already terrible enough that she was being mean to him, and on top of that, that he was acting very strange around her today. Why couldn't Dez just articulate his thoughts for himself like a normal person? Then Ally wouldn't have to wonder what any of his words meant. It was just Dez, so Ally must have been over thinking things. But Dez had said he would catch a chipmunk for her earlier! What in the world was that supposed to mean?
"Now what do you want to do?" Dez asks after a moment. He felt sorry for being the reason they got kicked out of the movie theater. Maybe he could still make it up to Ally.
"Go home." Ally says quickly.
"How about the movies?" Dez says as if he didn't even hear her.
Ally wondered if she should just jump off the brink of insanity. Ally gave Dez an incredulous look, and he stared back with a goofy stare with a smile.
"We were just at the movies Dez! Why would you want to go back?"
"I wanted to know what that one chipmunk stuffed in his cheek pouch... How about Melody's Diner?"
"There is no way I am going back there!"
"Why not?"
"Well... I didn't like it there. That's why."
"Why don't you like it then?" Dez persisted, his grin widening just when Ally thought he couldn't smile any bigger.
"I can't tell you that."
Ally smiled a little bit too. It felt good to be able to keep a secret from someone, in spite of how much they pried. It made Ally feel confident in her ability to stand up for herself.
"It's because that is where Cassidy works, and you don't like her. And the only reason you don't like her, is because she is dating Austin. Because you like him."
Dez sounded like he was just kidding. That smile was still stretched across his face, and he didn't look serious in the least. Ally tilted her head at him. How did he know all of that? Ally hasn't even confided that much information to her best friend, Trish.
"Yeah, that would be crazy weird. Me? Liking Austin? Psshhh." Ally nonchalantly said, hoping it would muffle the sound of her hammering heart. Dez stops smiling and looks at Ally.
"Ally, I know you like him. Trish knows too. But before you freak out, just listen to me, ok? We can forget that this conversation ever happened. Under one condition. You forget Austin just for tonight. Just hang out with me for tonight and have fun."
Dez watched Ally's expressions change like a kladeiscope while he spoke. Dez hoped that Ally would stay with him for at least a little while longer. He didn't want to go home and text the dog. The dog never replies to his texts anyways. It just sat there and looked at him like everyone else does.
"Uh, I guess that would be fine." Ally said after a long moment.
"YES! How about someplace in the mall?" Dez continued with his suggestions as they aimlessly walk down the street.
"No. There is a good chance Cassidy and Austin will be there."
"How about a surprise then?"
"No thank you. The last time someone surprised me, I ended up falling down a flight of stairs..." Ally admits, watching Dez's amused expression.
"That reminds me of the time I fell up a flight of stairs. Everytime I took a step up, I fell down at the same time, and I couldn't stop myself... Where should we go then?"
Ally gave Dez an look of confusion and amusement mixed into one expression. Dez grinned at her.
"Do you like icecream?" Ally asks.
"No, I chew icecream." Dez replies, staring off into the distance.
Ally's hair flows down her her arm as she tilts her head to give Dez another look of hers. He must of thought she said something else.
"Like, I said. Like."
"Ohhhh. Well, who doesn't? Let's go get some before it gets dark out."
"Are you afraid of the dark, Dez?" Ally teases with a smile.
"No! I just assumed that you were. Seeing as you have stagefright and all."
"Stagefright does not make you afraid of the dark..." Ally says slowly, hoping that it would make more sense that way to Dez.
"Oh, it just makes you afraid of the spotlight when it suddenly flashes on you on the dark stage. We better get you in some shade!" Dez said in frantic realization, grabbing Ally's arm and pulling uner underneath a canopy of palm trees.
"I am not afraid of the light either... I don't know where you came up with that one..." Ally said moving her arm back to her side, the smile on her lips was humored by Dez's shenanigans.
"Well, let's go get that icecream then, now that there isn't anything to worry about."
Ally couldn't believe that the ice cream cart guy actually granted Dez's wishes for the contents of his ice cream cone. Dez got a small spoonful of every single flavor in one cone.
"Mmmm, cocoa peanut sprinkle! Ooohhh melon dip chunk!" Dez continued on naming every flavor of icecream. Ally shook her head and rolled her eyes, even if it was kind of funny. On Ally's side of the bench, she licked her fruity mint swirl without having the same experience Dez seemed to be having.
"Mmmmm, cone flavored!" Dez moans in icecream pleasure.
"Dez... They don't have cone flavored, that's the actual cone." Ally corrected him, rolling her eyes at the sky and a smiled at Dez.
"Since when did you become the expert of creams Ally? Yeah, didn't think so. But you're right, this isn't creamy at all." Dez sticks out his bottom lip feigning sadness. Ally was sure there was some real disappointment involved in his expression. Ally raises her eyebrows at Dez then finally the laugh she has been holding back fills the air.
"Ok, you're the genius here."
"Finally, someone gets it."
Ally neatly folds her legs over to the side and smooths out her dress, while knocking some of the crumbs from her cone off onto the ground. Dez's eyes narrowed as he looked off into the distance of the park they were in, and was uncharasterically quiet.
"What'cha thinking about Dez?" Ally asks noticing the length of the silence.
"You know the Hellen show?" Dez says still looking far off into some other world.
"Uh-huh. What about it?"
"She is having a dance dare. Well, I wanted to send in a video, but I need someone to videotape it for me." Dez explained, his hopeful eyes landing on Ally.
"A dance dare?" Ally's curiosity could be heard in her query and seen in her playful little smile.
"When some random person you don't know isn't watching, you go up and bust some moves behind them." Dez's lips stretch into his signature wide grin.
Ally smile widens at the fact that this was something he was interested in doing. Of course it would be, and of course it was a little funny, because it was Dez who made it all the funnier.
"Well, alright, I can be your film maker. Do you have your camera on you now?"
"Sure thing! I take it everywhere with me. But be careful with it. It's one of the latest models. I haven't even let Austin handle it. I totally trust you." Dez told Ally.
"Yeah, you can totally trust me with this. Totally trust me... Okay..."
"I can see why you are nervous. This thing is my life. And I am putting it in your hands." Dez said sensing Ally's nervousness.
Dez tries to hand the camera to Ally, but like Statue Guy, she is as still as stone. Dez slips the camera strap over her fingers, and gives her an encouraging smile.
"You just press this button to start, this one to stop. And don't forget to turn it on. Ally? Ok, you got it. It's on now. Now we just need to find someone... Let's go." Dez says jumping up from the park bench.
Ally carefully stands up and walks in pace with Dez, holding onto Dez's camera, or in his words his life, with a strudy grip. If she were to drop it, at least the strap would prevent it from hitting the ground. It was just Dez's life, or camera, she was holding onto. Something that meant a lot to him, and he had trusted her with it. Ally wasn't freaking out or anything... Ok, maybe she was.
"Look at this guy. haha, he's our victim." Dez said nodding to a chubby balding man with a flannel button up shirt tucked in his pants.
"Dez, that is my father!" Ally snapped.
"Oh. He is a very handsome man. I see where you get your looks from."
"You are not making things any better for yourself..."
"The search continues!" Dez dramatically shouts, skipping off into another direction, Ally trailing behind, though she was not skipping. Ally would not enjoy playing follow the leader with Dez if they went to elementary school together.
"How about this lady?" Dez suggests, eyeing an old lady who was walking along a fountain.
"Ok, just give me the cue to turn the camera on."
Dez creeps up behind the lady and gives Ally a thumbs up. A green light blinked on, and Ally returns Dez's thumbs up. Dez jumps up and down, flailing his arms around and doing random spins, and whipping his hair back and forth. Some of his moves appeared to have been learned from the Mad Hatter himself.
The old lady was completely oblivious to Dez until she looked into the fountain. She must have saw his reflection because she whirled around like the karate kid and smacked Dez in the ribs with her purse. Well, if the karate kid owned a purse. Ally's mouth drops open and she turns the camera off, running over to Dez.
Dez sits on the edge of the fountain, glowering at the old lady who scurried away behind her walker.
"Are you ok? That lady almost whacked the freckles off of you, Dez!" Ally worriedly asks, her brown fawn eyes resting on his side that was hurting.
She sits down next to Dez and watches him rub his side.
"I think she had rocks in there. How weird is that? Ow, that hurt!" Dez said, as the pulses of pain eased a little.
"Says the guy who carries hams and giant letters in his backpack..." Ally sarcastically remarks.
"Well, at least we have the video. Lemme see."
Dez grabs the camera out of Ally's hands, then plays the video. Dez had a big toothy smile, and watched in awe, snickering at the small screen.
"This is awesome. I will submit later tonight. Hellen is going to flip when she sees this!" Dez excitedly says, folding his camera and pocketing it. Ally laughed.
Dez's eyes intently stare off into that same distant world from earlier. The sound of the moving water from the fountain behind them filled the silence. Ally turned around and looked into the water. Her knee brushed against Dez's as she does so. Little white koi fish with black and orange spots wave their tails back and forth propelling through the water. Ally watched the cute little fish swim for a minute before turning back around. Ally did not notice that Dez was also turned and watching the koi, and both turned at the same time so that their faces, and mouths, were only inches away from the other.
For the first time Ally saw the detail of Dez's eyes. They were a deep gray hazel with strands of green and gold webbing above the gray. When the light hit them just right, the gold around his iris stands out, and the green was more noticible in contrast. Dez seemed to be deep in thought as he studied Ally's face. Ally quickly turns away scooching along the side of the fountain retreating from the embarrassing situation. They were sitting far too close to each other as it was.
Ally stole another look at Dez, and saw that his eyes were now very interested in the detail of the palms of his hands. Ally replicates his actions, letting her hair veil her face as she does so.
Dez has a question for Ally. His father often told him that some things were better off unsaid, and in this case, Dez would never have the answer if he didn't just bring it up. Dez knew he said a lot of needless things, but he needed this answer.
Dez didn't know if he would ever brave to the moment to ask Ally that question that lingered on the tip of his tongue.
This story has been really fun to write so far! I am such an auslly shipper, so I don't know how this came about. Chapter two is already in the making.
I do not take credit for Ellen Degeneres's Dance Dare! It's her idea, but I used it for Austin & Ally's parody of her show. Just saying... haha
Don't forget to review! :)