"I have a question."
"Hmmmmm?"
"Have you ever thought about replacing me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well if I haven't come around, do you think you'd move on?"
"Well yeah. I probably would move on if I knew there was no chance we'd ever see each other again."
"So you have thought about moving on?"
"Yeah, I have. It's just I need that significant other in my life."
Ouch. Even if he had someone else, he wouldn't be completely happy. Ally was the only one that probably had a five percent chance of fixing him.
"So have you dated girls in the past?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever thought that you wanted to be with them forever?"
"Yeah…It was a while back when I thought I'd never see you again. Do you think I wanted to be alone for the rest of my life waiting on a girl who wouldn't even listen to me after I left?"
"Austin, it hurt me that you left. You kissed and left. What was I supposed to do? Wait for you. Or go to the newsstand and read every single tabloid about you with a different girl each day?"
"You could have listened to me. I tried calling you countless times."
"You called me twice."
"That's not true. I called your house phone and your dad said you weren't home, or you were working or you were with Trish. I even sent you postcards. Did you get them?"
She felt stupid. She had no words to even defend herself. Was he actually telling the truth? Everyone knew that Austin usually told the truth. The only time he lied was when it got him in trouble and even then he was a terrible liar.
"What postcards? I never got a single one…"
Austin groaned and ran out of her room and back into his. He rummaged through a box of things he kept in his closet that reminded him of Ally. He knew he kept a postcard that he wanted to send years ago in there. He never sent it because he was scared of the outcome. Considering she hasn't answered the last thirty he sent, why even bother?
"This," he muttered, handing her the card. "I got it for you in Italy because I know you've always wanted to go to Italy and learn about your family's history. I never sent it because you never answered the other thirty."
Ally flipped the card over and started to read it.
"Ally,
I really don't know why I keep sending these…you never answer them.
Anyway, I truly am sorry for everything that happened. Seeing the world without you is not the same. We talked so much about touring the world together in high school and now it's not happening. You were going to get over your stage fright and go on tour with me and we'd finally be right where we wanted to be. This whole thing isn't the same without you. I'm ending this tour early and coming back home to Miami. Hopefully to pick things back up where we left. If you want me out of your life completely, that is fine, but let me tell you one thing.
I wouldn't be where I am without you and I was an asshole and just left. I need you in my life, Ally. I am literally nothing without you. Maybe one day I'll run into you again and things will be normal.
This will be my last postcard to you. Once again, I am sorry.
-Austin"
She read the last paragraph over and over again. She took a deep breath and sat the card down.
"I'm really sorry," he sighed.
"How come I didn't get the other ones?"
"When did you move?"
"I didn't move with my parents. They moved a year ago. When did you go to Italy?"
"Two years ago."
"Are you sure you sent them?"
"Positive. That was the first thing I did whenever I got to a different place. I picked up a little trinket to give to you one day and a post card."
"Do you still have the trinkets?"
"Come here, I'll show you."
She followed him into his room and immediately saw a small shoebox. In bold, black sharpie, it read "DO NOT OPEN."
"The chain I got you for Christmas? I thought you lost it."
"I did, but when I cleaned my room out, I found a bunch of things."
"DVDs?"
"They're actually everything Dez has videotaped of us in the past."
"Austin…it this what I think it is?" She gasped, picking up her old songbook. "How did you get it? I thought I left it at Sonic Boom."
"No, you left it in my car after I took you to dinner that night. I took it with me all over the world."
"Austin, I looked for this for years. I eventually gave up and started a new book. This can't be real."
He genuinely smiled for the first time in a while. "It is real, Als. This is what brought our partnership together. Why would I throw something so valuable out?"
"I just can't believe you've had my book for so long. Have you written in it?"
"No because I knew it was your diary and I wouldn't want to invade your privacy."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You said 'Don't touch my book' many, many times. I think we all got the message," he stifled a laugh.