ALLY'S POV

Finally we finished the song. We titled it 'Loud' because it's one of those songs that you can't really listen to it quietly. You need to be loud and enthusiastic when listening to it. It makes you want to yell and dance and smile.

"...looking for the one tonight." As Austin finishes and I end the recording, I smile and clap.

He comes in to the adjoining room and kisses my forehead. I stand up and wrap my arms around him and we kiss lightly.

"Alright, keep it PG," Trish says entering the room with Dez.

I laugh. "Oh, please, Trish," I scoff.

"I talked to Jimmy," she says, sitting down. "He said since there isn't much to be done today, we could go out if we wanted to. Later he wants to talk to us about wardrobe and stuff, I don't know."

Dez pipes in. "Trish and I are going to go downtown and check out the movies playing."

"What do you want to do?" Austin asks me.

I check my watch. "Well it's 2:30... Oh, want to go to the zoo or SeaQuarium or something?" I suggest.

His eyes go wide. "Zoo! Zoo," he exclaims, suddenly resembling an excited puppy.

I laugh. "So I guess that's what we're doing, then. Why don't we meet up around 6 for dinner?"

"Uh," Dez objects.

"How about 7?" Trish compromises.

"Okay," I agree. "Something on your mind, Dez?"

"Trish and I were going to watch Zaliens," he responds, laughing.

"Oh, figures," I tease. "Well, okay, 7. Let's just meet back here and decide where we're going then."

The group nods, say bye to Jimmy and leave the bus. Austin and I head in the opposite direction of Trish and Dez.

"I wonder what we'll see there. I hope they have polar bears," Austin rambles. I chuckle, nodding.

Once we're there and we've paid for admission, I stop to stare at the map. Austin redirects my attention to an ice cream shop near by and begs to go. I easily agree, suddenly craving a fruity mint swirl cone.

Once we sit down at a table, Austin pours his heart out.

"You know how I say that I'm never nervous about performing?" he asks me in between licks.

"Yeah?" I reply.

"Well this tour has got me scared. I mean, I have like 35 shows across North America." He takes another lick. "And... I have to go out and see all these people anxiously waiting for me. I don't want them to have high expectations and then disappoint them."

"You won't disappoint them," I tell him. "You've performed dozens of times before here in Miami. Being in New York or California or Toronto won't change the fact that your rock the stage with awesome dance moves and such passion and energy every time. Your fans are plentiful, Austin. Besides, you have a whole team of people plus Team Austin behind you every step of the way. Don't be discouraged."

"It's just... I remember when I was little. I went to a children's concert for some kid's show that was popular. I must have been like, 4? I don't remember who was playing. But they cancelled their show. I cried for 2 days. I don't want there to be a situation where I can't play for some reason and people hate me or cry the way I did."

"If there's ever a time when you can't play, people will be upset, yeah. But you can't expect them to be happy-go-lucky anyway. It's implausible. I'm sure that it won't happen anyway." I squeeze his hand.

"Ally, will you sing a duet with me at one of my shows?" Austin asks quietly, not looking me in the eye.

I drop my gaze and put my hands in my lap. "Austin, I..." I stammer. "I-"

"Don't worry about it," he assures me, reaching over the table to kiss me. "It's okay. Maybe one day."

I smile at him.

One day...

AUSTIN'S POV

It kind of irritates me how sappy I am around Ally. Yeah, she's my girlfriend, and yeah, I love her, but I really shouldn't turn in to a cheesy love song when she's around. It's like I suddenly don't know how to react. I've never been in love with a girl before. I've really liked girls, yes. Heck – in grade 9 there was a girl I loved so much. But I've never been in love with a girl before, so I guess it's an entirely different experience and an entirely different emotional roller coaster. I guess it's sort of like Christmas. Waking up and running down stairs and seeing your presents makes you happy and excited. Like loving someone does. But seeing how your family's faces light up when they open the present you bought them is what being in love feels like. It's like a mutual appreciation for each other. It's a mutual love.

Some think falling in love is scary. And it is. It's like you're afraid to go in the water in case the pool is freezing. But you jump in anyway and you realize that even though it really was cold, it was worth it. Love is worth it. Always. Ally's worth it.

She sits there in silence, finishing her fruity mint swirl cone. Her chocolate eyes curiously explore the zoo. She turns her head all around, her gorgeous hair bouncing and tousling ever-so gently. Once she finishes, she cleans her hands on her napkin and looks at me expectantly. I chuckle when I see a little bit of ice cream on the top of her lip.

"What?" she asks, confused.

I shake my head and signal her to come closer. She leans in, still confused. Once she's close enough to whisper in her ear, instead I kiss her, licking the excess dessert off her face. She realizes what I'm doing and laughs a a quiet, breathy laugh in my mouth.

"Tasty," I whisper.

"Oh, shush," she giggles, pulling away.

"Let's go see some animals," I exclaim, suddenly remembering we're at a zoo. We jump up to throw out our trash and head towards the arctic area, hand in hand. "I hope we see some polar bears," I grin.