I wish I was at home. I've been here for over half an hour, forcing laughter, faking smiles. Same old tired, lonely place.
"Dad, do I really have to be here?" I lean over and ask him. "I could be doing homework right now! Or writing a song!"
"Funny you mention that," he tells me. We're having dinner at this fancy restaurant with my dad's boss and his family. Mike, my dad's boss, and Mimi, his wife, are the only two here so far. I think they said something about having a son or a daughter coming as well but they seem to be running pretty late.
"Why is it funny that I mention that?"
"Mike and Mimi's kid loves music," he says, "like you do."
"Really?" I ask.
"In fact, there he is now."
I turn around and see a blond-haired, brown-eyed beauty standing across the room. He's very tall and very... wow. My insincere walls, shifting eyes, and vacancy vanished when I saw his face. His eyes flickered across the room, once, twice, before focusing on mine.
"Have we met?" his eyes whisper to me. Across the room, his silhouette starts to make its way to me. My face fills with blush and I look down at the tablecloth in front of me. I feel his presence beside me and I look up. "Hi," he says to me.
"Hi," I say back.
"Glad you finally made it," Mike says to the blond boy. "This is my son, Austin. Austin, this is Lester and—"
"Ally," I rush to say, feeling I should introduce myself rather than have Mike do it.
"Ally," Austin repeats. He holds his hand out to me. I stand up and take it, shaking it once. He whispers something so low that I can't quite catch it.
We sit down and the playful conversation starts. I counter all his quick remarks like passing notes in secrecy. All I can say is I was... enchanted to meet him. We talk the night away, giggling and laughing the whole time.
"Austin, Ally, why don't you two talk outside so that we can talk business?" Mike says.
Austin and I glance at each other, nod, and walk outside. "I'm glad our parents work together," Austin says suddenly. I smile. "We never would have met if they hadn't. I feel like we're already really close."
"I feel the same way..." I say, looking up into his eyes. We lean against the bricks outside of the restaurant. He smiles back at me. "My dad told me you like music," I tell him. "Music is my life."
"Mine too," he tells me. He takes a deep breath. "Ally, this night is sparkling—"
"Flawless," I agree.
"Don't let it go," he tells me.
"I won't," I tell him. "I'll never let it go."
"I..." he starts. He lowers his eyelids, his eyes almost completely closed. He moves slightly, looking as if he's leaning down. He closes his eyes all the way... and straightens up. He opens his eyes. "Could I have a hug?"
I blush a little, giggling. "Of course." He immediately wraps his arms around my waist, burying his face into my hair. I put my arms around his neck and rest my head on his shoulder. My smile slowly fades as my chest begins to ache. There's someone else, my brain whispers to me. A boy as handsome as him is bound to already have a girlfriend. Don't let yourself fall.
"Come on, Ally," someone says to me. My brain changes the voice, making it belong to Austin. I wish he'd take me somewhere secret, somewhere we could be alone. But the voice was my dad's, telling me it's time to go home. I sigh and pull away from Austin. Austin stands there, saying nothing. I mean, it looks like he wants to say something but can't find the words. "Say goodbye to Austin," Dad says. It sounds so final, and I don't like it.
I don't like it at all.
"Uh... I'll see you later, Austin," I say. Much better.
"L-Later, Ally," he replies. I smile slightly and turn around, putting my head down to hide my blush with my hair. I climb into the backseat and buckle my seat belt. I peek out the window and see that Austin is staring at my car... or at me. I smile and he waves. I wave back but I'm not sure if he caught it since my dad started the car and drove away from the restaurant.
My mom grins into the rear view mirror at me. "So... did you like Austin?"
I roll my eyes, unable to keep the grin off my own face.
Once we get home, I rush up to my room immediately. I change into my pajamas, wondering if he knew I was enchanted to meet him. I open my songbook and begin to write, first writing Enchanted at the very top.
There I was again tonight
Forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old, tired, lonely place
Walls of insincerity,
Shifting eyes and vacancy,
Vanished when I saw your face
All I can say is it was...
Enchanting to meet you...
Your eyes whispered, "Have we met?"
'Cross the room, your silhouette...
Starts to make its way to me
The playful conversation starts
Counter all your quick remarks like...
Passing notes in secrecy
And it was...
Enchanting to meet you...
All I can say is I was...
Enchanted to meet you...
This night is sparkling
Don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck
Blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever
Wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you...
I stop writing and pick up my acoustic guitar, playing a few tunes until I find the perfect one. Then I go climb into bed, ready to finish the song tomorrow.
But the lingering question keeps me up until 2 am. Who do you love? I wonder until I'm wide awake. I stand up and pace back and forth, wishing he were at my door. I'd open up and he would say... "Hey..." I try to imagine other things he would say but I'm not sure exactly. All I know is I was enchanted to meet him...
I pick up my songbook and continue writing, knowing I'll finish the song long before it's time for me to get ready for school. I dance around my room all alone as I write, suddenly in an amazing and hopeful mood.
I just pray that this was the very first page, not where the storyline ends. My thoughts will echo his name until I see him again. These are the words I held back... as I was leaving too soon. Austin Moon, I was enchanted to meet you.
I stare at the clock in third period, my fingers itching for my songbook (or an instrument) and my eyes glued to the clock. In less than one minute, the bell will ring and I'll be released from class... Next period is my free period. I usually go to the music room to practice my music in peace... and that's exactly where I'm going today.
Five...
Four...
Three...
Two...
One...
BRIIIING!
The bell rings and I gather my things quickly. I sling my bag over my shoulder and rush out the door, walking quickly toward the music room. I close the door and and sit down by one of the school's acoustic guitars. I pick it up and rest it on my lap. I place my songbook in front of me and begin to strum. Then someone walks in. I gasp and turn around.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Dawson!" the band teacher exclaims. He knows how serious I am about my music. "I just came in to get a violin. One of my students is going home and he wants to practice while he's away on vaca..."
He stops, knowing I don't really care. He picks up the violin, places it in the student's case, and leaves the room. I'm not entirely sure if I heard him close the door all the way but I don't feel like checking. I start strumming again.
Austin's POV:
I leave third period and happily take out my music room pass. I have a free period this period and I usually spend it in the music room. Every time I go to the office to get a pass, someone already has the music room reserved. I'm not entirely sure how you reserve a room but whatever. They don't reserve it on Mondays and Fridays most of the time.
I half-walk-half-jog to the music room. I'm at the door when I hear music coming from inside. I swear if that person reserved the music room again... The office said it wasn't reserved! I'm about to open the door angrily when the person—a girl, I know now—begins to sing. The door's open a crack so I peek inside... and see the one and only Ally Dawson.
There I was again tonight
Forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old, tired, lonely place
Walls of insincerity,
Shifting eyes and vacancy,
Vanished when I saw your face
All I can say is it was...
Enchanting to meet you...
Your eyes whispered, "Have we met?"
'Cross the room, your silhouette...
Starts to make its way to me...
The playful conversation starts
Counter all your quick remarks like...
Passing notes in secrecy
And it was...
Enchanting to meet you...
All I can say is I was...
Enchanted to meet you...
She stops playing, for only a moment, to switch from the acoustic guitar to the drums. She starts drumming out a high-energy beat.
This night is sparkling
Don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck
Blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever
Wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you...
She switches back to the guitar.
The lingering question kept me up
2 am, who do you love?
I...
Wonder till I'm wide awake...
And now I'm pacing back and forth
Wishing you were at my door
I'd...
Open up and you would say...
"Hey...
It was...
Enchanting to meet you..."
All I know is I was...
Enchanted to meet you...!
This night is sparkling
Don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck
Blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever
Wondering if you knew
This night is flawless
Don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck
Dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you!
She strums out a solo.
This is me praying that
This was the very first page
Not where the storyline ends
My thoughts will echo your name
Until I see you again!
These are the words I held back...
As I was leaving too soon...
I was enchanted to meet you...
The next few lines break my heart. She belts it out loudly, passionately.
Please don't be in love with someone else...
Please don't have somebody waiting on you...
This night is sparkling!
Don't you let it go!
I'm wonderstruck
Blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever
Wondering if you knew...
This night is flawless
Don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck
Dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever
Wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you!
Please don't be in love with someone else...
Please don't have somebody waiting on you...
The song ends and I wonder if I should walk in. "All right, you can't life your whole life in fear of rejection," I whisper to myself and I push the door open. I act surprised and gasp. "Ally?"
"Austin?" she returns.
"I didn't know you went to this... Wait, are you the person who reserves the music room Tuesday through Thursday?" I ask, a grin on my face.
She smiles sheepishly, a slight blush on her cheeks. "I... I didn't know you went to this school," she says. "I figured you went to some private school or something."
"Nah," I say, shaking my head. "I'm at the big, bad public school." She giggles a little. She shakes her hair into her face, hiding most of it. Play the confident guy. "Hey, why are you so shy?" I ask, reaching forward and tilting her face up by her chin. "You weren't shy last night." Looking into her eyes now, my confidence leaves me immediately.
"I really don't know what that was," she says quietly. "I'm usually just like this: Quiet and shy."
I still have my hand under her chin. I slowly pull it away. I see a slight blush on her cheeks. "You're really..." I tuck her hair behind her ear, smiling a little. I sigh, unable to finish my sentence. "What was that you were playing?"
Her eyes widen. "You heard that?"
"Just the end," I lie.
"Oh, well, it was just a song I... know," she lies back. I can tell she's lying. I don't know how, I just can.
"Would that song you know happen to be one you wrote?" I ask.
She blushes again. "Possibly."
"I think that's really cool," I tell her, "that you write your own music. Who's the song about?"
She had been readjusting a book when she clumsily began fumbling for it and accidentally knocking it onto the floor. I lean down to help her pick it up. "It was just a song. No certain person."
"Oh... You sure?" I ask, collecting a few pages that had been ripped out of her book and stuffed back in. Before giving it back to her, I could've sworn I caught my name written on one. I look up, extending the papers to her.
"I'm..." She hesitates. "I'm sure." She takes her papers back from me and looks up, causing her head to bump into mine. I glance down at her lips, her perfect, full lips.
I close my eyes, turning my head away from hers. No, Austin, don't fall for her. A girl as beautiful as her is bound to already have a boyfriend.
Hello, my children. Guess who's publishing a new story! Haha, this is the winner of the poll, which I will be restarting as soon as I get to my laptop. I'm on an iPad at the momento. It's hard to maneuver on here when you're so used to being on a laptop, you know? Sorry that it's been years since I wrote. I've been working on my books and homework (Algebra is hard :/ ) and, you know, being as dramatic as I am, I've been having boy troubles. Ugh, the struggles of a young teenager. Anyhoodles, on the poll, I said this would be a one-shot and/or a two-shot... Well... It didn't work out that way. I wrote this chapter a long time ago... then I let my sister use my laptop and she didn't plug it up after she was done... and it died... turned completely off... And guess who was stupid and didn't save her story. This girl. So I wrote it over. I tried to remember what I wrote and stay on the same track but... I started thinking of awesome stuff that could happen... so this story is now a multi-shot... if that's even a story thing. Is it multi-chapter? I can't remember... Wow, there was a lot of ...'s in the last few sentences... And there's another one. ANYHOODLES, here's the first chapter of my multi-chapter-shot. And there will be more to come. No internet at the place I'm staying now. I'm not staying in my house because there was a fire and they're cleaning up now. I mean, it's okay enough that I'm at my house right now but we can't live here. I feel like I'm stealing my own WiFi from my own house. xD Hahaha, anyhoodles, this was a long Author's Note so I'm gonna let you go now. Goodbye, my children. I love each and every one of you. c: And I hope you love me as well. Have a nice night/day/afternoon. :)
LoVe, KeNzIe (Btw, I've changed my name. It is now Kenxie. The X has a Z sound, like xylophone. Lol, it's an insider but I'll change my signature next chapter. I'm keeping my username the same, so no confusion there.)
