I tossed and turned for what felt like the thousandth time that night and as I glanced up to fix my pillow I saw the light of my phone radiating off my nightstand. I propped myself up on my elbow and looked at the screen, squinting at the brightness.
Austin: You up?
I let a lazy grin grow on my lips as I typed a response. It had been a week since we all arrived and our first week of classes were behind us...well for me at least. It was now 1 am on Friday and I didn't have class on Friday due to the weird, last minute schedule I was given.
Me: You too?
Austin: Must be the stars aligning ;)
Me: Must be, or you're just keep dreaming about me ;)
I instantly started to worry if that was too soon as it took longer for him to respond, and my phone had told me he read it. My heart began beating again as the bubble popped up saying he was typing.
Austin: Meet me at the fountain in 10?
I stared at the screen for a few seconds, rereading the text over and over again. Austin and I hadn't really continued our talk due to crazy schedules and always being under the now suspicious eyes of our friends. I decided against my mind this time and followed my heart, which said go.
Me: Sure. See you soon!
I got out of bed quietly only to remember that Tori crashed at Scott's dorm tonight since her class was closer to his dorm, blah, blah, blah it was all an excuse to stay the night. I switched on my light next to my bed then quickly switched it off again as it blinded me. I decided against trying that again and simply felt around for my flip-flops. Finally finding a pair of shoes that felt like flip flops I slid them on and readjusted my cropped leggings. I grabbed my keys off the table and slid them into my sweatshirt pocket along with grabbing my phone before quietly escaping my dorm.
As I approached the fountain I saw a silhouette of a guy dressed in basketball shorts and a loose tshirt paired with sneakers, his back turned to me. I slowed my pace as I pondered if the reason his last name was 'Moon' was because the moonlight made him look perfect. Due to the craziness and ridiculousness of the thought I let out a small scoff, causing the 'mysterious' figure to turn.
I watched as the moon hit his back and how his face seemed to light up as I walked towards him. Times like these made me want to run up to him and kiss him senseless but only that act would be senseless.
"You came" He expressed, a smile forming on his lips.
"What? Didn't think I'd show?" I laughed.
"Honestly? Not at first." He smirked and I followed his lead to sit on the ledge of the fountain.
"So, what's up?" I asked, almost rhetorically. "Is there something up? Or did you just want some Ally time?" I joked.
"Ally time, definitely Ally time. I haven't really seen you the past week and every time either Tor or Scott are there and we can't talk."
"Yeah, I was just thinking about that too, I really miss you and me time...like talking and stuff..cause you get me. Ya know?" I rambled nervously..
He stifled a laugh. "Yeah, I know... So, Ally?" I nodded for him to continue. "How was your first week of college life?" He fanned his hands out in the air when he said the word 'college' like it was broadway or something.
"It was tough at first but I love it."
"You've always loved school" He smiled, genuinely.
"What about you?" I nudged him with my elbow. "What was your first week of the future like?"
"Not what I expected, but intriguing to say the least. I love what I'm studying so it's easy doing all the work knowing what I get out of it. I want to design buildings and bring peoples ideas to life...so all this work doesn't seem so hard when I look at the big picture."
I nodded. "That's good Austin and meanwhile...I have no clue what I'm going to do at this point"
He seemed to take a double take before staring at me for a long time. "Wh-what?"
"I wanted to be a music teacher because I love music and teaching, I even started writing songs over the summer, but now I'm not sure. I just don't know anymore and that's weird for me. I've never not had my future planned. Ever since I was little I had a plan, even if I changed it a lot, I always knew what I wanted to do."
"You'll figure it out, you're a smart girl." He smiled down at me. "But what's this about writing songs?"
I cringed, damn Ally you let that one slip. "Um...well I had all this emotion from our...'whatever you want to call it' that I needed something to put it into so I started writing poems but then the poems turned into songs and well..it kind of went from there."
"Can I hear these songs...ya know since I am the one they're about" He smirked.
"Maybe someday, but not today" I smiled and he nodded. "So, why can't you sleep?" I changed the subject, hopefully to a lighter one.
"You" He deadpanned.
Well I was wrong.
"Wha-what?"
"I had a nightmare, you hated me. You wanted nothing to do with me and shut me out of your life. I tried everything to get you back but you just kept saying 'You did it again'. I don't even know what that means." He sighed.
I felt my cheeks glow red as I knew exactly what it meant. "Au-Austin. I-I think I might know"
"How" He asked, confused.
"Because you said the same thing in my dream. You kept telling me you were sorry for doing it again and I kept telling you it was fine but you insisted on blaming yourself. I tried everything to get you to stop blaming yourself but you just wouldn't give up."
"Ally, did I die in the end?"
I nodded.
"Did I die in yours?"
He nodded.
"From a 'broken heart'?"I sputtered out after a few seconds of silence.
He nodded again and let out a breath.
"You said you were dying of one, but it wasn't like a medical reason…..did..did I?" He croaked out and I shook my head. "Then, how did you know?"
"I know because I know what we were talking about in the dream." I lowered my head.
"What? What is it?" He asked, clearly concerned.
"Remember when your parents died and you went with your aunt for two months?" I asked and looked up just long enough to see him nod. "Well, do you remember how you 'lost touch' for those two months?" He nodded again.
****Flashback****
"You're worrying me…" Austin trailed off, now standing in front of me, searching my tear soaked eyes.
"Austin, 2 months is a long time for us. I feel like I don't even know you anymore. You shut me out for practically a month and then thought everything was fine and dandy when you finally called. Well, I'd hate to burst your bubble, but it isn't. It killed me when you didn't call or text or answer for that matter, I was devastated. I missed, in total, a week of school because I couldn't even pretend to be ok. I cried every night, I still do. This whole thing has been wearing on my heart and my brain and the fact that I've waited this long to say anything doesn't make it any better. I missed you so much and it broke my heart into a million pieces. I'm not even sure if I could make it through a second time."
"Wha-what do you mean, not make it through it again?" He stuttered, choking back a sob.
"I don't want to actually say it but I think you know what I mean..you mean everything to me. I can't lose you again Austin, I won't be able to."
"You didn't lose me. I'm right here."
"Yeah, now, but what about a week from now? How do I know that you won't disappear for another 2 months, or worse, forever."
"Ally, I'm sorry ok? I was grieving, both my parents died for godsake."
"I didn't say that it was your fault for grieving. I know that it was hard, that it's still hard. But, you didn't have to shut me out. I was here for you, I told you that. You agreed with me."
"I know, that was my fault, but you have to believe me when I say I would never do that to you again. I meant what I said that day I left, you are my forever"
"How can I know that? I vaguely remember you saying something like that last summer, when you promised to never leave me again. But, you did Austin. You left me, not just physically but emotionally. You broke my heart."
"So what? You want to break up or something?" He said, hurt in his eyes.
"No that's the last thing I want to do, I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I really lost you forever. I still love you Austin, I always have. Nothing is ever going to change that, I just need to know that you feel the same way."
"I do, I love you Allyson Dawson. With every inch of my being and you will never be able to get rid of me again, hate to break it to you but you're stuck with me." He smiled and I felt myself falling deeper in love with him with every word.
"Don't ever leave again" I mumbled into his chest as he held me tight.
"I won't, as long as you don't"
"Deal"
*****End of Flashback*****
"I can't believe I did that to you again…" He looked down at the ground, remembering the fight that seemed like forever ago.
"Austin, it's not your fault, I told you that. This time it was both of us, mostly me. And I didn't tell you that to make you think it was your fault again. I will admit your track record isn't the best with staying in touch while grieving and healing, but that doesn't mean it's always going to be your fault. I just think right now your conscious is telling you it is and that's why you are having these dreams."
"And you? Why did I die in your dream?" He looked up and I saw the hurt in his eyes. I saw how torn apart he was and it tore my heart apart.
"It doesn't matter." I shook my head and looked away.
"Ally" He pressed and forced me to look at him, I saw all the feeling in his eyes now being illuminated with the moonlight.
"You left me. You couldn't stand the fact that you caused me all that pain again and I was forced to move on then I ran into you later on in life and begged for your forgiveness. I wanted you back but you kept saying 'I deserved better' . I wasn't going to let you go without a fight and my 'partner' didn't like that I was all over another guy so he killed you to get you out of the picture. It is completely unrealistic and ridiculous but it all happened so fast, the other guy didn't even have a face or real personality. It just made me realize I need you, losing you is not an option."
"That's never going to happen Ally."
I nodded, feeling like an idiot. "I know, who would kill someone just because they want them out of the picture and who would do it after they-"
"No, Ally" He rose his voice and I halted my rambling to look into his eyes only to find seriousness. "That's never going to happen because I'm never going to let you go ever again. I know we have a really fucked up relationship right now but I want it to work out so I just have one more thing to say before bidding you a good night and returning to our respective dorms."
I looked at him confused for a second before nodding for him to continue.
"Hi, I'm Austin Moon. I am a first year architect major here and I would love it if we could get to know each other better because I think I'm going to like you a lot." He grinned wildly as I felt a smile twitching on my lips.
"Ally Dawson, current first year teaching major but very open to new opportunities. And I would love to get to know you...although you're not really my type." I giggled as he held his heart in fake hurt.
"Well, I guess we will just have to change that, won't we?" He smirked and stood up, extending his hand to help me up.
I accepted it and stood in front of him as we shook hands. "Call me sometime, I'm free tomorrow if you aren't doing anything"
"Sounds amazing" He smiled and we started walking our separate ways with a simply 'goodnight', no hug or kiss.
"Oh and Ally" He called back to me and I whipped around to see a smirk evident on his face. "Love the sweatshirt" He winked and watched as I looked down and blushed feverishly, but quickly recovered.
"Thanks it's an old friend of mine's" I smirked also.
"Don't think I didn't see that blush..looks like I still got it" He laughed and I couldn't help but smile too, he always loved making me blush.
"Maybe" I shrugged and blew him a kiss before heading back to my room, playing with the strings of my red sweatshirt that still held the scent of my favorite baseball player.
The same person whose last name was on the back of said sweatshirt, the same person who gifted me the sweatshirt last christmas.
That night when I did get to sleep, which seemed a lot easier now, I had many dreams opposed to my usual one night terror. These dreams though, brought back a lot of memories. A lot of happy ones.
***Flashback #2***
"I'm Ally" I smiled to the cute blonde next to me, then scanned the rest of the group.
"Tori" She raised her hand in a small wave.
"Sydney" She copied her movements.
"Well it's nice to meet you girls, and thank you for breakfast. None of us really know how to cook."
"The pleasure is all ours" Tori smiled and then the conversation changed into a small talk one.
I felt someones eyes burning into the side of my head and blushed uncontrollably as I found it to be the cute blonde next to me. I found some courage inside of me to make the first move, guys like that right?
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name….I must have been inside getting the food" I smiled, genuinely.
"Austin" He smiled back, before scarfing down the rest of his pancakes.
"Someone likes pancakes." I laughed.
"Love them actually. They're my favorite food, you must have known…" He smirked, playfully.
"Must be a food psychic." I giggled and found myself melting into his eyes. "You have really...amazing eyes" I blurted out and immediately blushed after.
"Thank you. I get them from my mom." He smirked, noticing my blush. "What about you?"
"What?" I asked, confused as I was losing myself in his eyes again.
He let out a laugh. "Where do you get your beautiful eyes?"
I blushed even more, if that was even possible. "Um..I don't know. My mom has blue eyes and my dad has green ones."
"Well, they are 'one of a kind' type of eyes...so that makes sense" He flashed me a million dollar smile, before taking his fork and eating off my plate.
"Hey!" I exclaimed and everyone looked over at us, causing my blush to grow again.
After everyone went back to their conversations I felt Austin come closer to my face and shocks shot down my spine as his breath tickled my neck.
"I love that I can make you blush that much...it's cute on you" He whispered into my ear and I felt myself melting at each word, knowing in that moment this boy would be the death of me.
****End of Flashback****
***Flashback #3***
I walked into the living room to see Austin sitting with my uncle in deep conversation, Austin had his thinking face on, he looked very concentrated, so I decided to sneak around him and wrap my arms around his neck, resting my chin on his head.
My uncle looked up and smiled, "I believe, you have an Allycat on your head."
That was his nickname for me, he always called me that when I was younger. Austin laughed and turned around to face me.
"What's up, you ok?" He smiled up at me, he seemed very upbeat today something I hadn't seen since the summer, but of course he was still worried about me and my lack of sleep.
"Yeah, um" I looked over to my uncle who was also smiling. "Can I borrow Austin for a bit?"
"Of course, he is your boyfriend." I smiled and Austin got up.
As I was about to walk away, Uncle Frank grabbed my arm. "He is a keeper Allycat, I really like this one."
I sent him a smile and caught up to Austin. We walked up to my room, hand in hand, receiving many smiles and happy looks from passing relatives. When we finally reached my room Austin went and sat on the bed as I retrieved his gifts from my closet.
"Wait you hid them hid them in your closet?" He asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"No reason, I mean it's not like I looked for them or anything. That would be crazy!"
I laughed and placed the gifts on the floor in front of my bed. "So where's my gifts.." I trailed off.
"Huh? Um, I thought we agreed on no gifts.." He smirked walking out of my room, briefly. He walked back in with arms full of gifts, and I instantly started to worry I didn't get enough.
"Where did you hide them?"
"I'll never tell! ...the linen closet." I started to laugh as he set them down on the floor next to my pile for him.
We sat down and I handed him his first gift. He handed over one of mine and we both unwrapped them together. I tore off the wrapping paper and revealed a white box, which I tore open and pulled out the clothing that was inside. I held it up and it wasn't something new, it was old and worn. It was a sweatshirt. It was Austin's captain sweatshirt from baseball. It was from a few years ago so it was smaller than his current ones. I turned it around and it had his last name on it, which made me smile. I thought about maybe one day this sweatshirt would be true, my last name would be Moon. I pushed it to the side to see Austin in awe at his gift.
"Ally this is amazing, I love it." He smiled, flipping the pages. It was a scrapbook of our relationship so far, with empty pages for the future.
"Smell the pages" I smirked.
He lifted the book to his face and inhaled. "Woah, it smells like you!"
"Well,I love my gift, it's the best of both worlds. It fits me and it's one of your sweatshirts, oh and it also smells like you!" I pressed it to my face, inhaling the scent letting it sink into my memory.
****End of Flashback****
I woke up that morning with a smile on my face. Austin and I still had a long road ahead of us, but we were going to do it together. A new, fresh start was just what we needed. I just hoped our friends and family agreed.
Austin's POV:
I walked into my dorm with a smile on my face, Ally and I were meeting for coffee in a half an hour and my last class of the week just let out meaning it was officially the weekend!
"Hey, wanna play a round?"
I looked over to see Scott playing on the PS4, most likely COD.
"Um, I can't. I was actually just stopping by to change real quick"
This got Scott's attention as he quit the game and stood up. "Got plans?" He questioned.
"Um, yeah" I said, unsure of his tone.
"Oh, it's just we usually hang out on friday nights...it's our thing"
"Scott, I'll probably only be a few hours and it's only 2 o'clock. We can still hang out tonight."
"Ok, I invited Tori and Ally too." He stressed Ally's name and I knew what he was getting at.
"Scott, I'm not going on a date" I scoffed.
"Didn't say you were"
"But you were thinking it"
"Ok, so are you going out with a girl?" He shot back.
I couldn't lie to him, not my best friend. And Ally and I didn't say we would keep it a secret as it really shouldn't be. No more secrets.
"I'm going to get coffee with Ally. To talk and stuff. We decided to start over." I told him and his face dropped all emotion.
"You what?"
"We are starting over, beginning again."
"She's giving you another chance? Just like that? After all you did to her...to us?"
Before I could get in another word I was pinned between the wall and Scotts fist which was now gripping my shirt.
"I swear to god, if you ever hurt her again Austin. I know I have kept my cool for a long time, but now that she's forgiven you..and that fast? I swear on my life if you hurt that girl again, you will be answering to me!" I nodded with wide eyes and his face softened, dropping me as he realized what he was doing. His face drooped and he started to rub his neck as he stared at the ground. "I'm sorry it's just...you..you didn't see her. You didn't see how broken she was. I love that girl like she's my own sister. It was like her body was there but...her soul wasn't. You don't realize how much she loves you and how much it killed her to sit around for an entire summer as you 'fought for your life' in colorado."
"Scott, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I put you all through that. I wasn't in the right state of mind, my thoughts and judgement were clouded with my depression. It wasn't me man, you know I would never do that. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't blame me..because I blame myself and I..I always will. I accept full responsibility for my actions and I am planning on dealing with the consequences. Ally has forgiven me and I really hope you can too."
He shook his head again as he sat on the arm of the sofa. "You just don't get it..you didn't watch your best friend detriete in front of your eyes. You didn't sit there and feel helpless as he slowly turned into this soulless monster. I saw you on the day you left...that wasn't you Austin. I looked into your eyes for the first time in months and I didn't see my best friend looking back at me. It scared the shit out me man, I thought I was going to lose you...I thought I was going to lose both of you."
I didn't know what to say or do because I never knew Scott felt like this or was capable of feeling like this to be honest. "I never knew any of this Scott, why didn't you tell me?"
"Honestly, if I had..would it have mattered? Would you have changed? Would it have changed anything?"
"Honestly? No, because I wasn't the guy you see today, I wasn't me. When I looked in that mirror I didn't see Austin Moon staring back at me. I saw a stranger, a guy who didn't care about anything or anyone. I guy who wanted to die, I guy who thought without his parents he might as well be dead because no one else could love him. I was that guy, but Scott." I waited for him to look up at me again and make eye contact so he knew I was telling the truth. "I am no longer that guy."
"I know, I just...you can't hurt her again Austin. She won't keep coming back, I keep telling you this and you don't listen. She deserves better than this."
I nodded. "I know and I'm going to prove to her I've changed, I'm going to prove to all of you. I'm going to earn your trust back and I know it won't be easy but I'm sure it will be worth it."
He cracked a smile. "So, what's this starting over I hear of?"
I smiled too and decided to sit down and tell him everything, because I was so happy I needed to tell someone, and who better than my best friend.
Ally's POV:
"Yeah so we basically just started totally over, awkward introductions and all. It was actually really sweet." I gushed to Tori from my spot on my bed to her spot on hers.
"Yeah, but you're just going to let him get off that easy?" She questioned, and I knew this was coming.
"No, I still have my walls and he still is going to have to work for my trust but I mean Tori, the guy went through hell and back. Don't say anything but Tor, he wanted to kill himself. I can't blame him for going berserk because he was mentally sick. Can I be upset because he left and almost never called for the second time? Yes. And I was. Believe me I was beyond pissed and I told him that but what am I going to do about it now? I can either sulk in it or move on and since I love him and don't plan on losing him I'm going to start a new relationship with the new Austin."
"Yeah, I kinda get it. Plus, you didn't really call him either. Given he was the one that left but you could have reached out and I mean every time you did he answered you. But what about the broken promises?"
"I'm over it. I mean when ever he says 'I promise' anymore I'm not going to believe it because I've learned from my mistakes and I feel like him losing my trust is punishment enough."
"So..where's he taking you?" She asked, going to a lighter subject.
"He's not taking me anywhere. We are meeting up for coffee at the little coffee shop in south campus. Speaking of which I have to get going." I stood up and examined my outfit.
As it was a cooler 'end of summer' day here in Indiana, I had on a pair of cuffed, dark wash skinny jeans with sandals that had colorful beads on them. I paired this with a simple white tanktop and colorful, sunset colored infinity scarf. My hair was in it's natural curls as it hit my shoulder blades due to my recent hair cut a few weeks ago. I had applied a light layer of makeup earlier that had mostly worn off as I reapplied the mascara and lipgloss. After fixing my scarf on last time I grabbed my satchel and phone before heading for the door.
"Have fun! I guess I will see you at the boys for tonight?"
"Yeah, see you later!" I said before shutting the door and walking down the halls, fiddling with my phone in my hands.
I had been waiting all day for the text that told me he was backing out or couldn't come, blame it on past experiences but Austin wasn't one for keeping dates lately. That text never came and still hadn't come but there was still time. There was still the chance of being stood up, my ultimate fear.
As I approached the coffee shop, a couple minutes early, I fought with myself on whether to turn and run or suck it up and just go in. I chose the latter, going against my judgement and following my gut. Which I was thankful for as I walked in and saw Austin just taking his seat by the window with two coffees in hand.
"Hi" I said shyly, coming up to the table.
He looked up and instantly smiled his million dollar smile that had been lost after his parents died. "Hi" he said, wiping his hands on his pants as he stood up and slid out my chair for me.
I gratefully took it and he returned to his seat across from me, looking extremely nervous from here.
"I-I got you pumpkin spice, I remembered you liked it this time of year"
It was a little early in the season but I took it as a kind gesture. "Thank you" I offered and he smiled with pride.
We sat in awkward silence for a while as he wrung his hands and looked around for something to stare at. I never knew Austin to be the awkward, quiet type...well except when he was nervous.
"Remember the night you asked me out? The first time." I said, breaking the silence.
He looked up at me confused. "Yeah"
"And I mean not the whole day that lead up to it. I mean the dinner part, you were so nervous and I couldn't understand why. I mean I wasn't totally oblivious but I wasn't totally sure what was going to happen, but you..you were so nervous and I found it extremely cute at how your ego and cool-guy attitude disappeared when you were nervous." He nodded with a knowing smile on his face.
****Flashback #4*****
"You made it." I nodded, not that he could see as he was still facing the other way.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." I repeated the same thing I said last night.
He finally turned around, I could tell he had as much excitement as he did anxiety. I was nervous myself, but he was practically shaking.
"Did you get my notes?" He asked, fiddling with his thumbs.
"Yeah, you could say that.." I trailed off, I was never this nervous around him and viceversa.
"Good, do you..do you want to sit?"
"Sure" We walked over and he pulled out my chair for me. He was wearing a pair of khakis and a white v-neck. I didn't get a look at his shoes but probably boat shoes. "Austin this is-"
He cut me off "You don't have to say it. You deserve every little bit of it, I mean you're just-"
"Perfect" I spat out. He smirked and nodded. "Oh, no I was talking about today and the house and well you" I looked down and he blushed. It was the first time I ever saw him blush.
"Shall we eat?" I nodded and he pulled the cover off both our dishes. It was chicken parm with steamed asparagus and garlic bread. Besides the small talk, we ate in almost silence. I guess he had a lot on his mind. We finished our meal and I stood up to take the dishes in. But, Austin made me sit back down, I guess he still had a lot to get off his chest.
"Forget the dishes, I still have more to show you but...first I have a-a lot to get off my chest." His voice was shaky and I could feel the anxiousness radiating off him.
Austin Moon never got nervous. Whatever it was he had to say was important.
*****End of Flashback*****
"I was really nervous.." He trailed off, smiling at the memory.
"Kind of like now?" I asked quietly.
He nodded slightly. "Well, like last time, I don't want to screw anything up and miss my one chance at winning over the girl of my dreams" He beamed, it seemed like a pickup line but I knew it was genuine.
"Believe me Austin Moon, there is nothing you could do on this date that would cause you to lose me, not after all we've been through. Well, unless you brought another date or something?" I laughed at the insanity of the thought.
He however didn't laugh and that made me nervous.
"You didn't do that right?" I asked.
"What?" He shook his head to rid it of the thoughts that were currently clouding it. "No! It's just you said date..I didn't know you wanted that yet."
I blushed. "I-I I'm sorry, force of habit. Don't get me wrong I would love to go on a date with you just not..yet. You still have a lot of proving yourself to get to that point." I smirked as he nodded knowingly.
"I am very ready to do so, so prepare to be woo'd"
We both started to laugh and talk about old times and catch up as he told me about his time with his family in Colorado and I told funny stories of our friends. We both stayed off the sore subjects and ended up laughing a lot more than I expected. Austin was laughing like he used to, the full hearted laugh.
We were now walking back to his dorm as it was movie night with the 'gang'...aka us plus Tori and Scott since Syd and Ton were back on the east coast. Sydney at Harvard and Tony at Cambridge Culinary school. They were a short distance apart and Sydney was already talking about getting an apartment.
"Austin, I don't know how you're going to take this but I had a lot of fun tonight, and well I felt like I was with the old Austin. The one I fell for that summer down the beach."
"The one who had both parents?" He asked, staring ahead.
I felt my heart skip a beat, thinking I ruined the night. "Austin, I didn't-"
"No, don't be sorry. I wasn't- It's just that..I am starting to feel like me again. I haven't felt this happy in a long time. Ally, if it wasn't for you...after my parents, I don't think I would have lasted as long as I did. You were my only source of happiness for a long time. And you still are..a source of my happiness but for the first time in a long time I don't hate myself. I'm mad at myself for causing you and our friends pain but I don't hate myself like I used to."
"That's good Austin, I'm really happy for you. I even see your ego coming back, the ego I love by the way" I nudged him and he laughed.
"Well, if I would have known you like cocky guys…" He trailed off smiling down at me.
I couldn't help but let a smile grace my lips as I saw the shine in his eyes that I missed for a while.
"I think we are slowly getting back to our old selves...both of us" I said as my smile grew.
"I'm glad. I want us to get back to that place and I will do anything to get back to it."
We arrived at his dorm and he stopped before going in.
"So..can I see you again?" He quirked.
"I don't know.. maybe. I'll call you. I had an amazing time, thank you." I smiled back.
He took my hand and brought it to his mouth as I blushed. He let it go slowly as he opened the door for me.
"A true gentleman." I giggled as we walked into the dorm.
I could tell he was trying and that was all that mattered to me. As long as he was trying that meant he still cared and as long as he cared, I had hope for us.
NOT (fully) EDITED! I wanted to get this out for all of you! Hope you are all doing well! XOXOX