Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't updated in about two weeks. I was busy with cheerleading, I was also at a few sleepovers and I didn't have my laptop available to update. But here I am, once again at 2 AM updating my fanfiction. I think you guys will like this chapter, I put a lot of thought into it. I have to wake up really early tomorrow morning, so I am going to bed without checking the grammar. I will do that tomorrow. So if you are reading this on June 26 or early June 27 it will not be completely good grammar. IT should be alright, though :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally or Snuggies or anything else you may recognize. I also made up Carmen's Cakes and Erica's Floral Shop so if those places exist in this world, I do not own them. MY name is not Carmen nor is it Erica :D
Enjoy :)
Chapter Four: Alone
Later that evening, Kira and I got into bed. We were just laying there in complete silence until Kira said, "Austin, I am going to New York with Cassidy and Brooke." Cassidy and Brooke are Kira's two best friends but they are more like puppies who follow her around and are fascinated by her clothes and her lifestyle.
"Okay, for what reason?" I asked, rolling over to face her. She smiled and then said in a duh tone, "Obviously to go shopping for my wedding dress and their bridesmaids dresses. We need to go to the best wedding boutiques the country has to offer and what better place to look than New York City."
I literally resisted the urge to roll my eyes at my fiance-to-be. Of course she could never be happy with a basic dress from a basic wedding boutique. She just has to go all the way north to fancy boutiques and get a dress. Unbelievable.
"When do you plan on going?" I asked, curiously.
"Three days," she answered like it was no big deal.
"THREE DAYS!" I exclaimed, "Do you even know how you are going to get there? Are you going to take a plane or drive or...?" My voice angrily drifted off as I was interupted by Kira.
"We're going to drive Austin! I know it's a long way but we are three smart girls," she said, pointing to her temple.
"Oh yeah," I mumbled sarcastically, "Just the very three people I would love to drive me to a different hemisphere of the country."
Kira shook her head. "Psh," she said with the wave of her hand, "Can't be that hard to punch it into my phone GPS and follow the blue dot all the way to New York."
"You know it's going to probably take you about two days to get there...and how long do you plan on staying?"
"Hmm, like a week, not including the driving days..." she trailed off.
"A whole week? Don't you think you're forgetting something?" I asked, thinking about Ally.
"No, what?" Kira asked, looking at me like a confused puppy.
"ALLY!" I screeched, "What are you going to do about ALLY?"
"She could stay here with you," Kira said with a wave of her hand, "No big deal."
"No, it's never a big deal. You go all the way to New York and I'll stay here babysitting YOUR wedding planner. She was YOUR idea."
Of course I wouldn't mind spending time with Ally, but the point of the argument was she can't always do whatever she wants and leave everything else on me. Marriage is about compromise. And so far she has compromised nothing in my favor. She only thought about herself.
"Austin, please. It's only a week. I made a list of things for her to plan while I'm away, I gave it to her while you were at work. All you have to do is give her rides where she needs to go, supervise her work, and give her, like, three meals a day. It's not that hard."
I rolled my eyes. "Kira, I know it's not that hard. I have been giving her rides, supervising her work, and cooking for her these past two days. You haven't been. The point is, I shouldn't have to control all of your problems while you're away."
"Austin, it's your wedding too. It's time you start stepping up and facing the fact that you need to do some planning as well."
"You've got to be kidding me, Kira! Everytime I suggest an idea, you turn it into something completely large and flamboyant. I have no say in anything."
Kira sighed. "Look, Austin. I'm going to New York. That's final. You're just going to have to stay here and do that one little favor for me."
"Fine," I grumbled, "But you know, it would be a nice idea for you to maybe take Ally with you? She is the wedding planner,she's probably good at finding wedding dresses and such."
Kira laughed viciously. "Please, Austin. Like I would be seen with THAT inside a fashionable wedding boutique. As if."
I gaped my mouth at her. She was already rolling over and switching off her bedside lamp. Ally could be a model for one of those wedding boutiques. What more can Kira want from her? I'm pretty sure it's not possible for her to get more beautiful.
Three days flew by and before I knew it, Kira was shoving her bags into Cassidy's family's minivan. After a quick kiss, Kira jumped into the minivan and away the trio sped. I felt free for once. The weight of Kira drama lifted from my too weak shoulders.
They left early in the morning, around five. I had woken up to help Kira carry her bags, and I was exhausted. I figured there was no point in going back to bed, so I walked around the house to the beach, to watch the sunrise.
I sat on my rock, and the sun reflected millions of colors into the crystal blue sky. Purples, reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, all mixed together in a beautiful blend. The colors swirled together to create the picture perfect sunrise.
As I admired nature's work, I felt a presence sit down on the rock beside me. "Isn't it beautiful?" Ally asked me, as I turned my head to face her.
"Sure, but I've seen better," I said with a smile, and I think she caught on, because her cheeks turned bright red, like a fire engine. It was pretty cute, not even going to lie about it.
We sat in silence for a few minutes and then I said out loud, "This is slowly becoming our rock, don't ya think?"
Ally and I had spent the last three days on this rock in addition to the first day we sat there. We mostly sat in silence, watching the ocean waves crash onto the sand. We didn't really talk, and I guess we didn't really need to. It was comfortable.
"Yeah, I guess it is," she said, a soft smile resting upon her translucent face. Her eyes however, held mixed emotions. I felt like that too. My emotions were all over the place. I assumed hers were because of more logical, sensible reasons.
After that, we walked inside where I made her breakfast, (avoiding all things peanut of course) and we ate together at the breakfast bar.
"Mm, Austin, you are an outstanding cook," she said, rubbing her stomach in satisfaction. "These pancakes are simply...phenomeonal."
"Thanks, pancakes are my speciality and my favorite food, might I add."
"Figured. They really are delcious."
After breakfast, we made our way to the living room where I turned on the telivision. I flickered through mindless talkshows, sitcoms, and pathetic reality shows before Ally and I agreed there was nothing on TV we wanted to watch.
"What do you want to do?" I asked her, "I'm down for completely anything that's not watching the ridiculous television shows we had just spent ten minutes of our lives flickering through."
Ally laughed, "I wasn't going to suggest it. I actually wanted to begin starting on my work."
I rolled my eyes and picked up Kira's list from the coffee table. "It says here that you have to go to the fanciest cake shop in Miami entitled, 'Carmen's Cakes' and pick her up the wedding cake catalog. She wants you to flip through the wedding cake catalog and circle the most flamboyant, expensive wedding cakes you can find. She then wants you to go to the fanciest flower shop in Miami, called Erica's Floral, and take pictures on your phone of the prettiest pink flowers you can find. Then you have to scan the length of the beach and find the best spot to have a wedding at. She also put a list of venues she's deciding to have the reception at and she wants you to research them on the Internet and print out copies of pictures and information about each of the venues. You could do that all in like, one day," I said, "If I were you I wouldn't do it at all. She ran off to New York with her two brainless bimbo best friends to find a wedding dress, and she leaves you here to do all the dirty work. Now I know that this is your job, and you are supposed to be doing those things, but the bride and the wedding planner go hand and hand. They need to do this together."
Ally shrugged. "I guess you're right, I can do all those things in a day. And I don't mind she ran off to New York. Picking out the perfect wedding dress with your best friends is one of the most special moments a girl can ever have. I genuinely hope she enjoys herself."
Even though Kira speaks down to Ally almost constantly in the most rudest of tones, Ally is wishing her to have a nice time on her trip. She is being the mature adult in the situation and it is very admirable. I must also admit, that it is rather attractive that she can be funny and still be mature.
She continued speaking, "However, it is a little weird that I didn't go along. Almost all the brides bring me along to go shopping with them for their wedding dresses because I know all of the best places to shop, especially in NYC. Living in Pennsylvania means I get a lot of Pennsylvanian brides that I take up to NYC and help them search for the perfect gown. But I know Kira doesn't really like me, and I guess I have accepted that."
She looked sad and rejected that it was almost painful to look at her face. I had no idea why it was affecting me so much to see her like that, but it really made me question a lot of things like how much I cared about her feelings. I've known her all but a week, but in that week I have experienced more confusing emotions than I had in my entire twenty-two years on this great earth.
"I don't think that it's she doesn't like you..." I lied through my teeth, hoping that it would erase the rejected look off of Ally's sweet face.
"Austin, you don't need to protect me from the truth to be a nice guy. I know Kira doesn't like me. I may only be a wedding planner, but I am certainly not dumb. Of course I'm offended that she doesn't take to me very well, but I have learned to accept it. I just try to focus on my job. I'm not here to make friends, Austin. I'm here to plan a wedding, make a paycheck, and then go back to Pennsylvania. It hurts, to not be liked, I'll be the first to admit it, but I'm not going to waste time sulking in rejection."
It was admirable, as I said before, the way she handled the situation. I knew she knew that Kira didn't like her, I suppose a small part of me hoped she didn't. She did know, and she had accepted it, and I was glad for her. I didn't want Kira's rudeness to leave emotional scars on her. Sure it hurt her, I mean the way that Kira was talking to her would offend most anybody, but Ally decided not to dwell on the issue. She decided to pick herself up, and act in a civilized manner to Kira, decided to get her job done, and to suck it up. That takes a strong woman like Ally to do that, and I have to admit, I was sort of proud.
"Good for you, Ally. You know it takes a lot of courage to be the better person, and it takes even more courage to not let words get to you. You're a strong woman," I told her and she smiled.
"Well, thank you Austin. That was very kind of you," she said, beaming. It was truly precious the way that girl smiled. Each and every one of her smiles were warm and inviting. It was like being welcomed into a cozy house to eat chocolate chip cookies on Christmas Eve. It gave you a feeling of security and just made you all mushy inside.
"Yeah, I know Kira could be rough. A lot of people don't take to her well. But that's the thing about being in love. You have to overlook the other person's flaws and look at the good things about them, remember why you fell in love in the first place. Everyone has good qualities that overshadow the flaws. That's why I fell in love with her. For her good."
Ally shook her head. "I'm not saying you aren't in love with Kira, I know you are, but I disagree on what is your opinion on true love. I believe that when a person truly loves someone that they do not overlook their flaws, but they accept them. They do not pretend they don't exist, they treat them as though they are good. They love the person truly and unconditionally. Even that person's worst flaw is loved."
I shrugged. I never thought about it that way. "Well, I respect your opinion. It's very well-spoken. You know a lot about love. I suppose you've been in love before. A pretty girl like you certainly can't still be on the market, right?"
I saw the look on her face and then quickly added, "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, or if I was getting too personal. I tend to do that often. I'm sorry."
Ally shook her head again, "Oh no, no don't be sorry. I just- I've never been in love. I've never really even been in a real relationship." She looked sad.
I found that extremely hard to believe. How could a girl as pretty as her not be snatched up yet? She's stunning to the max. She makes models look bad.
"Well, don't be down about it. You're only twenty-two, you have so much time to find the one. And when you do, trust me, he'll be one lucky guy," I told her with a sympathetic smile. I didn't want her to just give up on love. She deserved happiness.
"I guess you're right," she said with a sad smile, "I do have time to search for my other half, but the thing about it is that I am a wedding planner. I should be an expert at love. More often than not, couples come to me, or just one half of the couple comes to me and asks me for advice on their future marriage. Mostly it's just their nerves talking, but they usually doubt their marriage is going to work. You know that speech I just gave you before, about the flaws?" I nodded my head and she continued, "I give advice like that. But the problem is, I give all this expert advice and I have never been in love. It's like I am not even qualified to be a wedding planner. I am planning for a ceremony that is to be centered around two people committing eternity to one another and infinite love, and I have never even been in love myself. It makes me feel...pathetic."
She just sadly shrugged with an upsetting smile upon her face. Someone like her deserves to be loved. I can't believe that men don't chase after her down the streets. If I was single, I'd probably be chasing her down the streets. She's so crazy beautiful, sweet, funny, and so down to earth. It's not fair she has to feel pathetic when she deserves to feel like a queen.
"Ally, listen to me," I said, leaning forward on my couch, to press my elbows to my knees. She looked at me with those chocolate brown eyes that sparkled and held all those thoughts, waiting for what I was about to say.
"You are far from pathetic. You're far more than just a wedding planner. You're a sweet, thoughtful young woman who is qualified to give advice on love. And I'll tell you why. Wanna know why?"
She shrugged, "Why?"
"Because you know how to give love! You spread love to everyone around you! Don't you notice? Your smile, it captivates people, it warms people's hearts. You say the nicest things to people, you know how to make people feel good. Love is not always about being in love, Ally. Sometimes it's about just love itself."
She smiled and I said, "What you said before, about the flaws? You do that Ally. You accept people's flaws and you love them no matter what. You have accepted Kira's flaws, you've accepted my flaws. You're special Ally, and someday you're going to find a great guy out there who is going to be so loved and respected, he'll be the luckiest guy in the universe. Keep giving the advice Ally, you know what the real meaning of love is."
"You mean that, Austin?" she asked, with one of the infamous captivating smiles that make you feel fuzzy.
"Yes, Ally, I do mean that. I really, truly do."
She looked down, her face a flattering pink, and then she looked up and said, "Thank you Austin. That was probably the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. Kira should be really thankful she's going to have a husband as great as you."
I was happy I made her happy, but when she said, 'Kira should be really thankful she's going to have a husand as great as you' it gave me a nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach. For some reason, I was haunted by it.
It was silent for a few short moments then Ally said, "You know, it's weird Austin. I have only known you for a week, but I feel like I could tell you anything. I have never opened up so much to somebody. I just feel like I could trust you, ya know?"
I did know. I did feel like I could open up to her, and that scared me. I opened up more to her in a week than I ever did to my fiance who I have been dating since high school. Ally made me feel secure, that I could share anything with her at all, and I was frightened because I was in unchartered territory.
"I feel the same way," I told her, "And I don't understand why. You're just so... I don't know...easy to talk to. It's like when I speak, you actually listen. You appreciate what I have to say, you don't judge my opinions, and it feels well...it feels really good."
I even opened up to her about how I feel when I open up to her. I just felt like I could trust her. She was one of those few special people in the world who value respect, privacy, and honesty. I knew she was trustworthy. She hadn't done anything in the past week to prove she was anything but.
"I knew you did," Ally said with a soft giggle, "You're a really great person to talk to."
I laughed aloud, "As are you."
After a couple short beats I said, "You know what Ally?"
"What?" she asked, with curiosity and excitement expressions dancing across her clear, soft facial skin.
"You fascinate me. I wanna know more about you. And I mean about you. Not about your family, not where you live, or go to college, I wanna know about you. Your likes and your dislikes, and why you like or dislike them. I want to know how you feel about seasons and politics and what makes you laugh and cry. I want to know what you do when you're alone and I'm sorry if I'm sounding extremely creepy, but I want to know who you are and I want to capture the very essence of your soul." I said with a goofy, pathetic smile glued to my face.
Ally laughed. "Okay, I suppose you could learn more about me. However, I don't think I am as fascinating to the extent you believe I am. I am actually quite boring and I don't think you'll be amused by my answers. But, ask away, I will be glad to answer all questions. But you have been warned."
I laughed at her humor and said, "That's exactly what I am going to do. I am going to ask you questions and you are going to answer them. But this is my day to ask you the questions, no questions for me. All about you. Got it?"
She giggled, "Okay, all about me. Ha, start us off, chief."
I thought long and hard about a good first question that would stump her, but after she thought about it she would have this brilliantly, fascinatingly composed answer. But I couldn't think of an amazing first question, so I settled for the frequently asked question...
"What is your favorite food?"
Ally bursted into laughter before saying, "Pickles. And I don't think that me liking pickles has anything to do with 'capturing the very essence of my soul." She put finger quotations around her last words, mocking me. I stuck my tongue out at her.
"No judging the questions. And pickles are something you thoroughly enjoy, therefore it makes you who you are, and that makes up the essence of your soul. Now for my opinion on the answer to your question: PICKLES? Seriously? You have got to be kidding. They are singlehandedly the worst food that has ever existed on this great planet. They shouldn't even be relevant. They shouldn't be a thing. They are the most disgusting looking things I have ever laid eyes on."
Ally gaped at me, and I couldn't tell if she was kidding or being serious. I believe it was to be a combination of the two. "AUSTIN, how could you know happiness if you don't eat pickles? They are seriously the most delightful, crunchiest, tastiest treat that anybody could ever eat. They are simply grand, and are most certainly better than PANCAKES."
I gasped. "Pancakes are fluffy, sweet, and delicious! Pancakes are a beloved tasty American breakfast that most everyone in the entire country enjoys!"
Ally waved her hand to dismiss me. "First of all, the pancake evolved in the ancient Greek societies. They are not American. Second of all, pickles are way more American than pancakes due to the fact that they are almost at every picnic/cookout in this country. What's a picnic without a pickle?"
I scoffed and mumbled, "A good picnic."
Ally laughed a vicious laugh and said, "I clearly won this argument. Next question."
I growled, "You have not won."
Ally tapped her foot impatiently, "Come on, you. Don't be a sore loser and ask the next question."
"Sure, but this is far from over," I said, which Ally rolled her eyes at. We both laughed and then I asked my next question. "What is your views on our current president?"
Ally put her hand to her chin and made a thinking pose. "Well, I'd say he's doing a great job! I love presidents, I think they all bring something special to the country, and so does our current one!"
I loved how she always saw the good in everything. She never said anything negative, except of course when it came to which was better, pickles or pancakes (we all know pancakes are better) but that was nothing more than a fun, playful argument.
The next question I asked Ally made her think. "What is your favorite season?"
We sat there for a while, while Ally contemplated what just might be her favorite season. Finally, after I started regretting asking the question, she said, "They're all my favorite."
Something inside me knew she was going to say that. She would probably feel bad for the other three if she didn't pick them. I sort of resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
"I know that may sound stupid," she said, probably noticing the look on my face, "But honestly, all four of them are so beautiful. Snow is so pretty. You've probably never seen it, but up north we get tons and tons of it, and it turns your backyard crystal white. It's children's laughter in the air when they're building a snowman or having a snowball fight, it's the arrival of Christmas and then the two more months of winter to follow. It's gorgeous when the icicles hang from the trees and the wind is howling outside, but you're inside wrapped up in a Snuggie drinking hot cocoa. And I love Spring, because it's the rebirth of all things beautiful. The snow melts, and the sun warms. The birds return. The grass is greener, and the flowers start blooming. The children start playing hopscotch and people start wearing t-shirts. And oh how I just love Easter! And then summer rolls around, and it's tan lines and popsicles and late nights doing things you'll regret the next day. It's bonfires and swimming and having a glass of cold lemonade while you lay in the sun. And then fall, oh how I just love fall. It's when the leaves turn red and orange and then fall to the ground. The children like to crunch the leaves with their feet. People start wearing their sweaters, carving pumpkins and making pies. It's Halloween when kids eat candy till their bellies get full. Then it's Thanksgiving and you sit around the table thanking God you've made it through another year and you're thankful for your family and your health and happiness, then Christmas rolls around again, and the whole cycle starts again. And don't you think that's the most beautiful thing, Austin?"
Hearing her talk about those seasons made me realize how special she really was. She looked at the world like it was a piece of art. Everything around her was made special by her. She appreciated the little things.
"Once again Ally, I've seen more beautiful things in my time on this earth."
Not really sure if that was that good of a chapter, I really hoped you liked it :) Please, please review! You guys awesomely reviewed last time so please review again! I love you all! REVIEW ITS RIGHT BELOW YOU IT TAKES 5 SECONDS :P
No pressure hehe :) but for real, review :D
