Austin walked into the Melody Diner, preparing for the worst. The day before he had called Mindy to take the day off, reason being he was taking care of Ally. But everyone knew how Mindy could be; brutal. He decided to just put on a happy face and work the best he had ever, impressing her.

He started his shift and went to the first table he saw, making sure his boss was watching.

Let me tell you about our Radical Roast Beef, to your taste buds it'll be no cheat,

I promise you it's good, you'll be sure to leave in a great mood!

He ended it with a dance, causing the customers at the table to applaud. He smiled and took their orders, before going back to the counter. To his dismay, Mindy was waiting there for him with a nonplussed look on her face.

"Austin! How nice of you to show up for work today!" She said sarcastically, her arms crossed.

He smiled his best, charming smile. "Hello Mindy, you look great today! Did you do something new with your hair?"

"Cut the crap." She said, holding up a hand to silence him. He automatically ceased the talking, preparing to get fired. "You have hours to make up, my friend."

He raised his eyebrows. "Wait, you're not going to-"

"No, I'm not going to fire you." She finished for him. "You're my best employee and frankly I'd be stupid to let you go." He smiled; glad he still had a job. "Plus, I think it's nice…what you did yesterday for your petite brunette."

He nodded. "Thanks, you know I really don't-"

"I wasn't done." She said flatly, making him shut up at once. "You're lucky to have a boss like me, and to have a friend like Dezziroo." She looked passed him to Dez, who sat a few tables away with his face covered in Cha Cha chicken pot pie. Unfortunately he only kicked the habit for a little while, before going right back to it.

She waved at him, a goofy smile on her face. But then she turned back to Austin with the same look of intimidation as before. "What I'm saying is; don't let it happen again. Or else you're out."

He nodded obediently and she walked away, him breathing a sigh of relief. He actually liked this job, since he could sing all day to whoever he wanted. Cassidy was right; it was the perfect work for musicians and those passionate for music.

The door chimed, signaling a new customer coming in. Austin looked to see Ally and Trish, bringing a grin to his face. He walked over and said, "Hey guys."

Mindy walked by at that moment. "Sing!" She reprimanded, making him stiffen.

"Hey guys!" He sang, making them laugh.

"So, how's work going?" Ally asked, still chuckling.

He made sure Mindy was out of earshot before leaning closer to them and whispering, "Great, all except the boss. She's so strict!"

"I know! That's exactly why I quit." Trish said, flipping her hair. Austin was surprised at how calm she was being toward him, since they were a bit hostile to each other the night before. He decided he'd be glad and not question her motives.

"Sure, you quit." Ally said, giving Trish a look.

"Quit, got fired. They're the same thing!" Trish defended, her nose slightly in the air. Ally laughed at her friend as Dez looked up from his plate.

"More pie!" He exclaimed, crazy eyed.

"Dez, calm down." Trish said, resting a hand on his forearm.

He shook his head. "No, I need the pie!" After saying that, he leaned closer to her and whispered, "I have a problem."

"We all know that!" Trish said, pushing him away. He began to desperately scrape the crumbs off his plate, eating every one. "You're pathetic." Trish laughed, wiping a spare crumb off of his cheek.

Austin rolled his eyes and smiled, turning to Ally. "So, are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "Much. I only sneeze like once every half hour!" She laughed, making him as well.

"Wow, progress!" Austin said sarcastically, patting her shoulder. "Well at least you look better."

She gasped and smacked his arm playfully. "Thanks a lot, Diner Boy."

He chuckled and pulled out his phone. "And guess what? I just got a thousand more followers on Tweeter this morning!"

Ally smiled up at him. "Wow, that's great Austin! I'm so happy for you." He grinned at her. "I pretty much gave up on that whole thing since the Suzy's Soup incident."

He smirked just as the bell chimed, signaling another customer. Austin looked to see Emily walk in, looking around. Her eyes landed on him and she smiled, although he noticed it was dim.

"Hey!" He said as she came over. He ignored the look Trish gave him and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Emily's eyes darted from him to the people at the table before saying, "Uh, can we talk?" He nodded, but she leaned closer. "I mean alone."

Realization came to him as he looked to his friends. "If you'll excuse us." They nodded and began talking as Austin and Emily walked to the back.

"Hey, no personal calls!" Mindy yelled from the other side of the restaurant

Austin turned back to her with pleading eyes. "It'll only take a minute, I promise!"

She sighed. "Alright fine, but only a minute. I'm watching you, Moon!"

He smiled and went back to Emily, who was standing behind the counter with her arms crossed. He automatically noticed how upset she looked. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrows scrunched in concern.

She sighed. "Yeah, but I-"

"Wait, before you say anything; I got a thousand more followers on Tweeter!" He was proud of this news, so he was going to share with anyone who would listen.

Emily smiled at him. "Really? That's awesome, Austin."

He nodded. "Thanks. When I told Ally-"

"Wait, you told Ally before me?" She asked, cutting him off.

He nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, so what?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Okay, that's it."

He looked confused. "What's it?"

"This." She said, motioning to the two of them. "Us."

If it was possible, he looked even more confused. "Emily, what are you talking about?"

She closed her eyes and said, "Austin, I'm breaking up with you."

He looked taken aback. "Wait, what?" She looked at him again, his eyes were full of shock. "W-why? I thought you like me back!"

She shook her head. "I do like you! I like you a lot, actually."

"Then why are you ending it?" He asked, coming closer to her.

She looked into his eyes, hers filled with sadness yet empathy. "Because you want Ally."

He was silent for a minute, processing what she said. "What?" He asked finally.

She laughed, although it held only a little humor. "Come on, I've seen the way you look at her. Like she's the most priceless thing in the world." He looked to the side, shaking his head. "Please, don't take me for a fool."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Em, I don't…nothing's going on with Ally and me. Okay? We're just friends."

She nodded. "I know. I never thought you were secretly dating her." He looked a little relieved, but she scrunched her eyebrows together. "But you want to be."

He exhaled, looking up at the ceiling. She picked at her thumb nail, already feeling the awkwardness setting in. "I came in here just to talk to you about how I was feeling, you know, about you and Ally. I thought maybe there was a way I could get passed it. But now I know that there isn't." He swallowed the lump building in his throat. "I mean, you told her before me! That in itself says a lot."

He finally met her gaze again and said softly, "I'm sorry."

She smiled lightly. "It's okay. I should've known from the moment you introduced me to her." He looked at her guiltily.

"If there was anything I could do or say or…"

She rested a hand on his arm. "I know. I hope you two are happy together." He smirked, making her bite her lip. "Goodbye Austin."

She quickly pecked his cheek before turning and walking away, leaving him behind in his thoughts. So many emotions were running through him at that moment. He thought his brain might explode from all the thinking, but eventually he knew one thing for sure.

He could no longer be in denial.

~0~0~0~0~

Later that night, as Trish sat on her couch reading the latest issue of her favorite magazine, she heard someone ring her doorbell.

"I'll get it Mom!" She called, standing up and walking to the front door. She opened it to reveal a disheveled looking Austin, his blond hair messed up and slightly out of breath. "Austin? What the-"

"I'm done being a coward." He stated, staring at her. She raised her eyebrows, wondering what in the world he was talking about. But then the next words he said were the ones she'd wanted to hear all along.

"I'm in love with Ally."

:O

Okay, so he finally admitted it to himself AND to Trish! Now that it's out, what could possibly happen? Haha

And sorry to leave you with such a cliffhanger! Hopefully this will satisfy you (or make you crazy with anticipation) until the next update? I promise it won't be a long wait! :)

And Emily is gone, so there you go! Haha :P

Read&review! :D