Austin sat there in the chair, staring at his face in the mirror. The woman behind him fixed where his hair flopped in front of his eyes. She glanced at him in the mirror every now and then. Once upon a time, she used to even smile at him, but lately, her lips are nothing but a straight line.

She takes a step back, looks it over and gives his reflection a nod. "You're good." She collects her things and leaves the room. Austin thinks he hears her mutter a comment of relief but he brushes it off, convincing himself that she said nothing of the sort.

He stands up in the chair and walks towards the pile of clothing Ally had left for him neatly on a chair. Ally wasn't somebody he wanted to lift on high, but he couldn't deny that she just seemed to simply always know how to do things right. He won't even elaborate on that, anyone with two eyes can see it.

Ally was almost too-perfect, the kind that makes your fists curl and your palms become tattooed with bloody-half moons marked by your finger nails, but then the kind that sometimes makes you feel like laughing.

Ally. She was bittersweet to him.

He finishes the last button on his shirt and fixes his pants so they sit just right on his hips. He stares at himself for only God knows how long and silently wonders about a songwriter. Jeremy would come back, right? And even if he doesn't, Trish has got him covered, doesn't she? Both questions don't have fixed answers. He's not going to kid himself anymore, Jeremy isn't coming back and Trish is one of his close friends and a great manager, who he is blessed to have, but not even Trish can guarantee him a new songwriter. His career was in limbo, a place it's never been before.

A small click makes him turn around. Speak of the angel-devil as she walks in, dressed in a cute, silky red dress. It wasn't necessary to invite Ally to a silly album release party, but just like everyone else Ally's seemed to charm, Jimmy was another that's fallen under her angelic spells. Austin swore to God he never will. She might be cute, she might do everything so right, she might be a blessed man's daydream, but he will swallow his tongue before he dares to sink into her wonders.

If she had any. Oh, wait, she has plenty.

"Are you ready?" she questioned him. Austin was seconds from a reply, or more likely, a witty comment, when Ally sighed and came towards him. "Leave it to you to be incompetent to button your shirt properly."

He grabs her hands when she reaches for the first button. "I don't need you to babysit me." he told her, his voice covered in a thin layer of ice.

Ally narrowed her eyes at him, cocking her head to the side at a small angle as she silently challenging him. "I beg to differ." He released her wrists.

He frowned down at her as she unbuttoned his shirt. The frown lifts and contorts into a wolfish smirk. He's kind of liking this. A pretty girl unbuttoning his shirt. The words jump out of his mouth before he has time to stop them, as if he ever would stop them. "Well, Ally, you don't need an excuse to undress me."

"Oh, Austin," she peers at him from beneath her eye lashes, "You sure caught me." Her hands yank by the collar of his shirt, straightening it out. She starts with the first button, this time aligning them to go through the right holes.

His hands wrap around her wrists again. He claimed to never fall for her wonders, he didn't mention anything about her falling for his so he yanks her closer. Her fingers stagger off of the button she'd been working on and her palms lay flat on his chest, feeling the throbs of his thick heartbeat.

Ally looks up at him, "Do you mind?" she said.

"Oh, Come on." he crooned, slyly. Ally gave him a tight smile and twists her arms towards where his thumbs were, wrenching her wrists out of his grasp. Her father was a good self-defense teacher. It doesn't matter how strong or big somebody else's hands are around your wrists, if you twist towards the thumbs and pull up, they're bound to let go. The thumb really isn't the strongest thing out there.

Ally holds his stare for a moment until looking down to his buttons again, continuing her job. Austin rolled his eyes. When she's finished the buttons, she reaches up for the collar and Austin grabs her wrists again. "Stop." he tells her, looking her in the eyes.

Ally lazily looks up at him about to reply something testy, but his eyes are a different shade. She carefully nods and takes a step back. He stares at her for a moment before turning back to the mirror and fixing his collar himself.

"Is there something wrong?" Ally questioned him. His gaze was stale as it finds her reflection in the mirror. He shakes his head, lips quirking a smirk. Ally glances away from his reflection to his real being standing next to her, she then looks back to his reflection in the mirror. He's still watching her.

"Red looks nice on you." Austin said.

The compliment is enough to make her blush, but she warily wipes it off her ego before any blushing is allowed to take effect. Ally avoids eye contact and tugs on the sleeves of her dress that reach just below her elbows, then her palms slide down the front of her dress. The bottom of it reaches her knees, she hoped that wasn't too short.

Austin watches her, his lips slanted in a way that looks caught between a crooked grin and a crooked smirk. It's unsure to label which it really is. He blurts, "Didn't mean to make you nervous."

Ally looked up at him, this time not pegging for the reflection. The brightness of her red dress was giving her a headache. "Our ride's waiting for us."

Well, at least she didn't deny it.

x

The rides not very silent. Austin wanted to be treated with quiet time as he sorted through his racing thoughts over his career that is folding up like a horribly designed paper airplane, but Cassidy seemed really interested in telling Ally about the date she had last night.

"Poor guy, dealing with somebody like you." Austin flashes a smirk at Cassidy.

"I can't say anything, can I?" Cassidy replies curtly. Austin gives her a dry look.

"How about you, Austin?" Trish suddenly blurts, "Any women in your life?"

Austin laughed dryly. "After Kira? Can't say there has been apart from a few meaningless kisses here and there."

Kira Starr, Jimmy Starr's impossible-to-work-with daughter, happened to be one of the lucky girls that got tangled in Austin's thoughts. She was pretty and she was an award-winning actress. Kira also knew how to charm a boy with her white teeth and godly smile. She was as dazzling as her name.

Not only was Kira Starr good at chewing up boys and spitting them out, but she was also excellent at making a statement. Austin had made the glorious mistake of ending his "teen romance" with the very famous star. No warning signs, no threats. In fact, according to Kira, things were going great and they had been madly in love (Austin wasn't sure why she'd thought that) until Austin just put on the breaks and tossed her heart out the windshield.

Of course, Austin planned on keeping their break-up to themselves, but it seemed that Kira had other plans. She kept it short and simple, right to the point: The media knew by the next morning. It was a tell-all tale sob-story about how the famous boy tore her heart out. She's made small digs at him every now and again throughout interviews and award shows, mocking him in all the ways she knows how.

Moral of the story: Never date, or mess, with very famous actresses. (But at least her father never held anything against him.)

"Well, Maybe it is best you aren't in any relationships right now, anyways. Considering, well, you know..." Trish trailed off, cussing at herself for bringing it up.

"Not to mention, It really will save me all the trouble." Cassidy added.

"It's not always about you, Cass." Austin smirked over at her. Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"That sounds strange coming from you." Cassidy replied as Ally started snickering. A smirk lifted on Cassidy's lips at the reaction of her humored audience.

Austin glanced over to Ally. "Something funny, Ally?" he questioned.

"Yeah. Me." Cassidy butt in, smugly. Ally cleared her throat and looked out the window. She saw the building for the album release party. She silently thanked God for saving her. "Oh, God, we're here." Cassidy moaned. She turned to Austin. "Now, no drinking, no making a fool out of yourself. I need one night where I don't have to make cheesy statements about you."

"Yes, Ma'am." Austin sneered, "I'll try not to make you look bad."

"Means a lot." Cassidy sarcastically snapped back. Cassidy took off her seatbelt and jumped out of the limo. Austin shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"I'll try to find a songwriter tonight. There needs to be somebody in there who wants the job." Trish gave him an assuring smile. "I think Dez came, too. Maybe he could work as your songwriter."

Austin made a face. "Dez can write a script, not a song."

Trish sighed. "Let's just go." she said. "Thanks, Pedro." Trish smiled at the chauffeur, slamming the door behind her after Austin and Ally had gotten out of the limo.

. . .

Everybody seemed to be so focused on the new musician. Ally started to wonder how it felt, to know that you made it, to have a checklist of all the dreams that have suddenly come true. She shook her head. She figured she would never know and, like she's told herself before, let go of the silly dream.

Cassidy surprised Ally by suddenly flopping down in her seat. "Ugh, Ally, I feel like I don't get paid enough to go to things like this." Cassidy placed a palm on her forehead.

Ally laughed slightly as she looked around. "I get you." Ally responded. "But it is nice," Ally smiled, "I like watching her face. She's pretty much glowing. She must be feeling something unimaginable."

Cassidy looked away from the musician and back to Ally. "Yeah, I guess so." She straightened herself up and smiled at Ally slightly. "So, do you have like a musical slant to you or something?"

"Hm? Oh, uh, yeah, I guess you could say that." Ally replied, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I just think it's cool watching somebody's dreams come true."

Cassidy gave Ally a sympathetic look. "Judging by the way I've seen you watch her," she pointed her finger in the musicians direction, "and the way you're talking to me...I'm going to say that yours didn't?"

"Not quite." Ally shook her head.

"Well? What happened?" Cassidy pressed.

"I don't know. I guess it just didn't work out for me." Ally replied. Cassidy smiled sadly and nodded. Ally glanced over Cassidy's shoulder and spotted Austin at a counter. She got him throwing back a shot. Ally forced a smile at Cassidy. "Um, I'll be right back."

Ally knew very well that if Trish or Cassidy spotted Austin, they'd give him a rough time. Ally made her way towards the mini bar and sat down in the chair next to him. "I thought you made an agreement with Cassidy that you wouldn't drink."

Austin smirked over at her and tossed another back. "I never made an agreement. Besides, I lie to Cassidy all the time."

Ally sighed. "Austin, they're trying to help you. Let them."

"Don't go all Mother Theresa on me." Austin said. "You're just my stupid, little assistant and nothing more."

"Why do I bother?" Ally mumbled, moving to get up but Austin grabbed her arm, stopping her from getting up. He didn't look at her as he stared down at his shot glass.

"You don't have to go." he said.

"I'd rather not stay for your insults." Ally said wryly.

"Sorry." he mumbled. Ally glanced over at him. That was the first time she'd ever gotten an apology from him and probably the last time. She shook her head, but decided to stay anyways. Ally drummed her fingers on the counter.

"So, Why are you drinking?" she questioned him.

Austin shrugged. "Nothing better to do."

"I'm sure that's it." Ally replied, sarcastically.

"How do you always know?" Austin questioned her exasperatedly, fiddling with his shot glass.

Ally looked at him. "You have a tell."

"I don't. It's just you." he replied. Ally wasn't sure what that meant, but she decided not to question it. Ally grabbed the shot glass, taking it away from him before he could fill it again.

"You're playing a song tonight. You shouldn't be drinking. I thought we went through this already." Ally sighed.

"You forgot that I'm playing the deadbeat celebrity now." Austin said.

"You're not a deadbeat." Ally assured him.

"Then what am I?" he asked.

"Difficult." she responded, a small smile tugging on her lips. Austin shook his head.

"Well, I better get ready." Austin muttered. Ally nodded her head and watched him walk away. He was a confusing one. Katy Perry couldn't have said it any better: You're hot then you're cold. Ally shook her head and left the mini bar to watch Austin perform.

Ally stood next to Trish and Cassidy. She watched as Austin seemed to be having a conversation with Jimmy and the new musician. She seemed giddy standing in front of Austin. Ally sighed when she watched the poor girl's smile fade and Jimmy scowl over at Austin, no doubt that the blonde boy had said something out of turn.

"Ally, where'd you run off to?" Cassidy asked.

"Just...sorting some things." Ally replied. Cassidy nodded.

"Hi." a familiar voice echoed into the microphone. Austin held the microphone to his lips. "Congratulations to our new musician..." he trailed off, flailing his arm in the direction of the new singer but her name seemed to have slipped his mind. He widened his grin and looked at the crowd. "Well, without further ado..." he glanced back at his band and made a motion with his hands that signaled for them to start playing.

It was the song Ally didn't particularly admire. The song that he claims: There's a change in pressure / i'm never gonna lie to you, which in Ally's mind, was complete and utter bull. Austin was a liar. His entire persona was a lie. He fooled everyone and anyone with his poses and music, when in all reality, he was a jerk. A jerk who cared for nobody other than himself.

But she thought about the other night. The look on his face, the limp of his walk, his trust in her. Then she thought about the morning, the pancakes, the bright look that was there for a split second before it was washed away almost immediately, as if she'd said the wrong thing to him. There was something to Austin. Something different, something that nobody else was seeing. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see it herself, but she couldn't deny the fact that she really was rather curious.

Ally focused on his performance again. She could say that he didn't care about his career, that he didn't care about anything, but his eyes sparkle when he sings and she knows that his career is everything. Ally sighed. She hoped Trish could save his career for him, she'd hate to see his talent go to waste, even if he was a dick sometimes.

His words echo inside her final thoughts: How do you always know? You have a tell. I don't. It's just you.