A/N: Been a long time since I wrote for this. I wanted to end this, but it felt incomplete, and it was too sweet to finish.
Moment Six
Ally hates the cold.
Her boots crack under the powdery ground. The bitter cold seeps through her cotton boots, numbing her toes until they feel raw and stiff, unable to take another step. Shoving her hands in the warmth of the coat's pockets release a kind of warm that makes her appreciate the wintry feel for a second. When the harshness of the wind gushes make her eyes water, and turn her lips to an ugly shade of blue, she is glad to be in the comfort of the house.
The house has a strong aroma of hot chocolate and freshly baked shortcakes. And the saccharine fragrance of hot chocolate releases a smile that's sweeter than the creamy milk covering, or even the roasted hazelnuts. At the moment, it seems as if a heat wave has rushed over her, warming her body up immediately.
"Ally, what's up with that look?"
She lifts her chin up in an awkward position that makes her eyes hurt. "So not my best day," she mumbles under her breath, trying to reposition her head in a more comfortable way. "Cotton is like the worst thing to ever wear in winter. But I needed to wear it for a music vid, forgot to take it off, realized it when I was 'bout twenty miles from the studio, and my car broke down. So, when I went to call for help, because I couldn't see a house in sight — no signal! Argh, it's just not my day. I walked, fell in the snow, then got here. Yeah, so, to be in warm temps, is like heavens to me. That's what up with my look!" she finishes off, throwing a dart in Dez's way.
Dez plops on the sofa besides Ally. "My mom came by to visit. Smell that? Mom made comfort food for us to relax in this wonderful weather. Isn't that neat?"
"Your mom making us food isn't neat. So, where's she? She can't get out of New York. All of the flights are closed, and most of the roads are closed too."
"Yeah, it sucks. Wish I was in Miami right now." He pouts, looking younger than his twenty years of age. "We shouldn't speak so loudly. Mom's sleeping. Dad's here. Dad's watching the short film I did for Christmas."
"Can't dwell on the past, can we? It's not like I will be living in 'the city that never sleeps' forever. When my music shoot is over, we'll be back in Miami. Can't wait for that; I've been working on days for that vid. Hopes it's good." She sighs, drawing out the bags under her eyes from the stress. "Oh, that's good. Didn't know your parents were coming? Did your dad find 'One Wishful Christmas' likable?"
Drawing his lips to a thoughtful grin, he adverts his eyes to the ceiling before answering, "I dunno. He says he finds it ludicrous; his exact words. That's good, right? I mean it has to be good."
Ally closes her eyes, wrinkles her nose, and somehow, she starts to bite her hair. Just when she thought she was over that bad habit. Why, her, out of everyone else, has to be cursed with brittle nerves?
The truth is always better, isn't it? "Dez, I think your film was perfect. Austin rocks as the reserved Sam Caldwell. The role of Avery Evers was made for Brandy Braxton. I never thought Austin would ever do anything with her again after that music video. But you made everything work."
"Thanks, Ally, I can never get enough of your praises. But my dad hated my movie, didn't he?"
"Well, of course, he didn't. He loved it. Why wouldn't he love it? Who won't love a storyline that has the sweet, charming guy falls for the dorky girl? And throw in an adventure with deadly sea creatures." She slows down for a moment. "That spells perfection right there. So, don't worry about a thing. The reviewers raved your film."
"No, 'One Wishful Christmas' flopped at the box office. It was too predictable, unrealistic, and just didn't fit with the title. So, my dad must have hated it. Everyone does." His voice hints at his own deep despondency mixed with lots of exasperation. "Except for you. You never hated any of my movies before, and you never started to hate any."
"Now, Dez, don't be like that. Your film was great. It's possible that people wanted a movie, since it was only like thirty minutes. And when that didn't happened, it just—"
"Thanks for that. I needed that." He squeezes her hands. "But let's face the facts, it stinks. Being in the movie industry isn't always all sweet. I thought that every movie or film I make would be great, y'know? It doesn't work like that. We all learned that. You, me, Austin, and even Trish."
"Yeah. Sometimes, you're so thoughtful, unlike the guy I fell for."
His lips turn upwards into a smile. His cheeks, his eyes, his lips, even his nose, seem to have a smile in them. "You're out of my league. I've been told so by many fans that I stole you away from Austin. I never told you this — I, um, really like you a lot."
"I like you too. If you stole me away from Austin, I would have known. Don't worry about it, okay?" she reassures him. "I want hot chocolate and strawberry shortcakes. Can you get me some?"
"On it." He places tender kisses on her lips before walking away.
The cold isn't bad when you have a boyfriend like Dez, Ally thinks, as she goes to help her boyfriend with snacks.
