(A/N - new chapter! (: Enjoy!)
I woke up the next morning, rolling my eyes when I heard Trish's quiet snoring. I have gotten used to it by now, after sleeping her house many times. She swears that she doesn't snore, and no matter how much I try to prove her otherwise, she doesn't believe me.
I wondered what we would be doing today, when a sudden thought struck me. Now that Trish is here, I probably won't get as much time with Austin - but, I don't really mind. I have missed her so much over the past month, even if I have been enjoying myself. And sure, I love hanging out with Austin - who wouldn't? But, this could also help me not get too attached to him the rest of the summer. I still want to go on dates and stuff, but I'm glad that Trish will be included in many of our plans.
My bedroom door swung open slowly, and Austin peeked in, to check if we were awake. When his gaze met mine, he grinned, motioning for me to come into the hallway. I did, quietly tip-toeing around Trish's mattress, before quietly shutting the door behind me. "Good morning," I whispered, smiling brightly. I have never been much of a morning person, but Austin has changed that.
"Morning," he said, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. "I was just checking if you are awake - and since you are, would you do me the honor of an early morning horseback ride?" He gave me a cute smile, and I nodded my head.
"Totally," I said. "Just let me change, and I'll meet you down at the stable." He nodded, waving happily before heading downstairs. I slipped back into my room, and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, being careful to not wake Trish. In five minutes, I was ready and out the door, jogging over to the barn.
When I got there, Austin only had Scarlett saddled up, and motioned for me to climb on. "What about Chestnut?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh, she's still asleep," he said. I heard moving around in Chestnut's stall, and saw her standing there, gazing at me. I shot Austin a pointed look, and he gave me a small smile. "Okay, so maybe I just wanted to ride with you. Is that alright?"
"Sounds good," I teased, hoisting myself up onto Scarlett. He climbed up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "But, you know that if you really wanted to, you could have just asked."
"I know," he laughed, kissing the top of my head. Scarlett led us around the property a few times, with Austin and I laughing the entire time, remembering not only memories from the past month, but also from our childhood.
"So, what's the plan for today?" I asked Austin as we both slid off of Scarlett, him catching me in his arms so that I wouldn't fall.
"Actually, a few of the guys wanted to hang out today," he said, biting his lip nervously. "I was thinking that since Trish is here, you two could hang out for the day, and I could go chill with my buds. But, if you don't want me to, that's okay, I'll-"
"Austin," I said, cutting him off and giggling. "Don't worry about it. Go and have fun, we spend a lot of time together. Trish and I can have a girl's day today. It's all good."
"Are you sure?" he asked, glancing down at me. "I mean, I can tell them that I have plans if you want me to stay with you-" I cut him off, this time by kissing him. "Was that a way to tell me to shut up?"
"Yep," I teased. "Did it work?" He nodded, making me laugh. "Seriously, go have fun! You need a guy's day every once in a while."
"Thanks Als," he said, smiling widely. Then, his smile turned into a playful smirk. "You know, I'm feeling kind of talkative again - perhaps you need to tell me to shut up?"
"Okay," I said, a smirk growing on my own face. "Shut up." Austin playfully pouted, saying that isn't what he meant. "I know what you mean." I leaned up and kissed him once again, this time much longer. "Feeling quiet now?"
"I guess," he said, shrugging his shoulders and grinning. He took my hand in his and intertwined our fingers as we made our way back to the house. "But, if that's how you're always going to shut me up, I'll make sure to talk a lot more in the future."
I shoved him playfully, rolling my eyes, but laughing. He laughed too, and we walked back into the house. "I'll see you tonight," Austin said, giving me a quick kiss before grabbing a basketball and leaving the house.
"Ally," Molly said a few minutes later, coming down the stairs. "Want to have a girl's day? I can take you, Gracie, and your friend Trish, shopping."
I grinned. "That sounds awesome," I said. "And Trish is going to love you - she shops way too much for her own good."
"Then this will be the start of a beautiful friendship," Molly said, grinning before running upstairs to wake Gracie. I walked into my own room, to wake Trish.
"Trish," I said, shaking her to get her to wake up. She just groaned in response, so I ripped the covers off her. She didn't move. "Trish," I shouted, getting frustrated. She just picked up her pillow and whacked me in the face with it. "Alright, fine," I teased. "I guess I'll just have to go shoppingwithout you."
At this, she sat up straight in bed. "Shopping?" she asked, a huge grin appearing on her face. I nodded and she was up in a flash, getting dressed and ready in less than ten minutes. We walked downstairs, where Molly and Gracie were waiting. "Let's go," Trish exclaimed, grinning.
She hopped into the front seat with Molly, chatting away about their favorite stores, while Gracie and I got in the back seat. "Do you like shopping?" Gracie whispered.
"Yeah," I said, giggling quietly. "I'm just not as crazy about it as those two. What about you? Do you like shopping?"
"It's fun," she said, nodding her head. "I really like your clothes. Can you help me find stuff like that in my size?" I told her that I would love to help her. "You're so nice," she exclaimed, reaching over to hug me. "I see why Austin loves you so much."
Even though those words came from an eight year old, who probably knows nothing about love, it still made my breath catch in my chest. What if Austin really did love me? What if I love him? I shook my head, not wanting to think about things like that. This summer is supposed to be fun, and I can't get distracted by thoughts of being in love.
I realized that I had spaced out much longer than I thought, and we were already at the mall. "What store should we go to first?" I asked.
"Forever 21," Molly and Trish shouted in unison, making a beeline for the store.
"We'll meet you guys later," I called after them, happy that they are becoming friends quickly. "They should open a store next to Forever 21 called Finally 22," I joked, and Gracie giggled. "Come on, let's go find you something."
I took Gracie to a little children's boutique, and used one of Mimi's credit cards to buy her some floral dresses and vests - my style. I even bought her a little pair of brown ankle boots. "Thanks, Ally," she exclaimed. "Ooh, I see Molly and Trish."
We walked over to where they were sitting, at a food court table, surrounded my bags. "We're done shopping," Molly said, as if she was exhausted. "Thanks for taking Gracie. Those clothes look cute."
Then, Trish looked at my absence of bags. "Ally, why didn't you get anything?" she asked, practically screaming.
"I don't need more clothes," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "I already have way more clothes than when I first got here."
"Clothes from Austin's closet don't count," Trish joked, making Molly laugh.
"Shut up," I hissed, feeling my face turn bright red. "I don't have his clothes - okay, I have one of his hoodies, but that's all. I meant that I have been shopping a lot since I came here."
"Oh, calm down," Molly smiled, done with the teasing. "We were just messing around, we know that you and Austin wouldn't do anything like that." Gracie looked confused, and I prayed she wouldn't ask any questions - Austin and I aren't like that, we're good kids. "But, we still need to take you shopping. There is this huge festival towards the end of the summer, which pretty much the whole town goes to. There's singing, dancing, food, games - and you need something new, to impress Austin."
Oh, I guess the teasing isn't over - it never will be. I just rolled my eyes, and agreed, letting them drag me off towards a vintage shop. An hour later, I had found a red and yellow plaid dress - it was my usual style, mixed with the southern patterns that I have developed while in North Carolina.
"Oh, Austin is going to love that," Molly squealed, nodding her head approvingly. "Don't show him until the night of the festival - which he is probably going to end up asking you to, by the way."
After paying for the dress and grabbing all our bags, we made our way back home. Molly then took Gracie to a friend's house, while Trish went upstairs to take a nap, probably still tired from the drive up here - I'm sure my father talked her ear off.
I grabbed my songbook and sat on the front porch swing, crossing my legs and gazing out at the large yard, looking for inspiration. Instead of being annoying, the construction noises from across the street were just faded into the background. They were nearly finished with the new house, and I hope somebody moves in soon, before I leave - I want to see what kind of people move in.
Finally, feeling inspired, I started writing away in my journal. About two hours later, I had come up with a complete song.
When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep
Dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh
When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
And the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on
It gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear, a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night
She closed her eyes
In the night, the stormy night
Away she'd fly.
And dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh
She dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.
La la la La La la la
So lying underneath those stormy skies.
She said oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
I know the sun must set to rise.
This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
This could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.
This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.
This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.
Oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo
Oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo (1)
I was singing quietly, nodding my head, and smiled to myself when I was done. "That was great," a voice said. I gasped and looked to my right, seeing Austin sitting next to me on the swing.
"When did you sit down?" I asked, wide-eyed. I hadn't felt the weight shift, or heard him come home. I also glanced around to see that the sun had already set - man, I was in my own little world.
"About ten minutes ago," he said, smiling and shrugging his shoulders. "You just didn't notice."
"Sorry," I said, biting my lip and blushing. "Writing songs puts me in a bit of a trance. I guess I'm in my own little world when I write."
"I know," Austin said, chuckling lightly. He leaned down to kiss me gently, then pulled back, smiling. "It's one of the reasons that I love you." My eyes widened at his words, and a few seconds later, his did too.
(A/N - wooop, cliffy! Sorry, hadn't done one in a while! :D Thanks for reading, and as usual, REVIEW!)
1) Paradise - Coldplay
Interesting factoid about me, that nobody actually cares about - While writing/reading, I always use a British accent. Every time that I write a chapter or read something, I do it in an accent - you should try it, it makes things fun! :D
AND OHMYGOSH... I died from excitement earlier today. OfficialR5 followed me on Twitter! EEEP. fan-girl overload.
