an: i promise reread these things like three times before posting them but there's always at least 3 or 4 typos that i miss im sorry,,, there's typos in the previous part that i have no idea how i missed maybe someday i will go back in fix them but that day is not very soon i can tell ya that! anyways happy reading, this is the last part it's not as good as the first parts because i'm not very good at writing happy things love u bye

It's been two years since Austin proposed to Odette, and six months since they called it off. It wasn't messy, from what she could tell. There were no rumors of cheating or big fights. They just didn't want each other anymore.

Though she would never admit it, Ally felt relieved when the news came out. It still felt like he was hers, even though she had probably lost the right to say that a long time ago. Then again, she didn't even realize that she still felt like that. It probably has something to do with the fact that ever since the news got out of their engagement, she's done pretty well at pushing Austin as far out of her mind as possible. Still, she's been feeling different lately. Lighter. Freer. Happy? Maybe she wouldn't go as far as to say happy, but she doesn't feel the kind of sad where you feel like you're never going to be okay again. She's been walking in public without a million layers of clothes on (albeit, she still wears a hood or hat with sunglasses). She even liked a few pictures on Instagram. To most, this is nothing drastic, but to Ally, it felt like she was slowly crawling out of the hole she dug herself.

These changes happened slowly, but she still can pinpoint when they started. About six months ago. Perhaps it was from realizing she didn't have to keep living in secret. Or maybe it was that she had a second chance. The breakup perhaps wasn't as permanent as she thought she made it. That's not to say she was ready to talk to him again or even consider a future with him. It just meant that the chapter she closed could at the very least be sprinkled into the next one.

The most jarring of the changes in Ally is that she finished a song. It's been over four years since she could even think about playing piano, let alone write something on it. It was two a.m., pouring rain outside, when suddenly she found herself walking towards the grand piano that had been gathering dust in her living room.

Sitting down, as Pickles, annoyed from being woken up, followed her and sat on the couch nearby, Ally opened the piano lid. She was almost afraid to touch the keys, fearing they might break from not being used for so long, but as soon as she put her fingers down, a song was born.

The notes fell so naturally from her head to her fingertips as she wrote the ballad that encompassed everything from what she had been feeling since then to what she wanted now. She didn't even know that she wanted those things until she started sing the lyrics that her heart was begging to be let out.

Her song book is lost in her home somewhere, so Ally had to settle on some discarded wrapping paper on the ground. After she wrote down the chords, the melody, and the lyrics, she played it once more before texting Ronnie Ramone that she had finished a song, and she didn't want to overthink it too much. She's not sure if she'll ever release it, but she never thought she would write again either. Crazier things have happened.

It had crossed her mind a few times over the years that one day she might want to sing again, but she never pushed it. Her therapist told her you'll know when you're ready. You'll wake up one day and stretch your fingers across the keys and you do what you were always meant to be doing.

But where did this inspiration come from? She can deny it all she wants, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she knows it's from the news about Austin. A door bolted shut now has sunlight peeking through the cracks. What would happen if she were to open that door?

She knows she probably won't see him again. Does she deserve to? She was a coward. She left and everyone told her it was the wrong decision. And they were right. But there's no use to dwelling on the past, searching for meaning that left a long time ago. For whatever reason she's changed, it's good enough for her that she's finally growing back into who she was. And she deserves to be that person again.

He should be sadder than he is. He wants to be sadder than he is. But he's not, and she's not either. They loved each other, and then they stopped. Perhaps they were just what each other needed to move on from the past. Perhaps they were lovers in a past life who weren't meant to be again in another. Perhaps they should've stayed strangers.

But Austin wouldn't change any of it. He's so grateful for Odette and the time they had together. He just couldn't change the fact that she didn't feel like the one anymore. It was perfect for what it was but it simply couldn't continue any longer. Besides, what's wrong with breaking up for just the sake of it not working anymore? Does everything have to have meaning?

Of course, all the latest pop magazines are buzzing about their breakup and speculating about the reason for it. And while it does make things more difficult for him, such as doing interviews or being seen in public with literally anyone, it's just a part of the job. He expected it.

However, what he didn't expect was to receive an invitation a few months after his breakup to a release party for someone's new song. From someone he used to know.

It wasn't from Kira or Jasmine. It wasn't from Billie and Bobbie. It wasn't even from Dwayne Wade.

It was from Ally.

She wasn't sure why she wrote the damn song. Or why she's releasing it. Or why she's throwing a party.

She reallywasn't sure why she invited them. She could blame it on Ronnie. Most of this situation is happening because of him. But he didn't invite them. He didn't even bring them up.

All she knows is that she was making a guest list and next thing she was stamping invitations addressed to Trish, Dez, and Austin.

It probably wasn't a good idea. So many things go could go wrong. Maybe they wouldn't show up, or if they did, maybe there would be a big fight. But a lot of good things could go right. Maybe she could get her friends back.

Ally was so nervous. More nervous than she was releasing the song. But she was also excited. They were her best friends. They always, well usually, made her happy. And she deserves to be happy. At least that's what her therapist tells her. But even if happiness can't be found with them, closure can. And closure leads to happiness. Probably.

He panic bought ten shirts. Trish can't tell the difference between them, but Austin swears they're all different shades of white. He has to look perfect; they haven't seen each other in years. What if she isn't attracted to him anymore? That would be one of his worst nightmares come true. So the shirt has to be perfect. He already knows that he's going to wear his old converse and black dress pants. And he'll wear the red tie Ally got him a few years ago. It is a Christmas Eve party after all, he has to be somewhat festive.

She's good at hiding it, but Austin can tell that Trish is nervous too. They were best friends since preschool and now they're going to meet as strangers, which he would bet his last pancakes that that's not a very good feeling. She's been really quiet – so that she didn't even laugh when Dez tripped and fell over some wires. That kind of freaked Austin out, but he's somewhat comforted that he's not alone in his nervousness.

Dez, on the other hand, has not even tried to hide it. He's been pacing, rambling, and hyperventilating. He tried on what felt like a million different outfit choices but landed on a cat t-shirt and orange pants after approval from Austin and "I don't care" from Trish. He got a haircut, but he hated it, so he then cut more of it himself and made it worse, which Austin and Trish didn't even say anything about because they felt bad for him.

But now that it's Christmas Eve, and one hour until the party is supposed to start, they're all taking after Trish and have become quiet. It's a peaceful sort of quiet as they sit in Austin's living room waiting for their car to arrive. Austin would drive everyone himself, but they all realized that they were one aggressive freeway driver away from a panic attack.

Finally, when the car arrives at 10:30 p.m., they pile in the backseat, making sure that they have everything with them. Austin almost forgot the flowers.

Surprisingly, Ally has been calm all day. She was able to pick out her outfit without issue, helped set up the first floor of her house for the party, and was just overall feeling excited. It might help that she hasn't yet put together that the song about Austin will be playing for the first time in front of him, but tonight's problems are tomorrow's cringe attacks. She has too many things to do to let anxiety overwhelm her.

She got her make up professionally done for the first time in years, nails painted in a royal green, and curled her extremely long hair that she doubts will hold up. Finally, she puts on a short, sparkly red dress with red strappy heels and walks down to her stairs to find her living room and kitchen filled with guests. She doesn't see the most important guests to her, but it's still not eleven so it's not as if they're late.

It hits her as she's talking to her guests that they've never been to this house before. She hasn't had movie marathons with Trish in the family room. Dez hasn't forgotten to put the lid on the blender in her kitchen. Austin hasn't sat on the balcony with her in the middle of the night watching the stars. She's had to do all of that on her own. Well, she's never forgotten to put a lid on a bender. But she's always been alone, with Pickles, doing the things she used to do with her best friends. Maybe that could change.

She's pulled out of her thoughts as she sees a familiar mop of blonde hair. He hasn't seen her yet, so she has time to observe him. His face looks the same, perhaps just older. He's wearing the tie she got him and still towers over everyone in the room. She watches his eyes scan the room; she hopes looking for her. She can tell that he's nervous because he's biting his lip.

Ally forgot how handsome he was. Well, more accurately, she never actually forgot that he was attractive, she just forgot how captivating his presence was. She was always drawn towards him.

Suddenly, she sees bright red hair and just the top of someone's dark brown, curly hair. She loved being best friends with someone who was just as short as her. It made the world seem less scary. But she doesn't have time to study them, though, because she can feel his eyes on her.

When she finally looks back at him, her breath hitches. It's been so long, it almost feels wrong looking into his eyes. She's not questioning anymore if she deserves to see him, but instead if it's the right thing to see him. Fortunately, her body seems to have a mind of its own as she excuses herself from her guests and starts walking towards her old friends.

Austin starts walking to her by himself, as Dez and Trish haven't yet seen her, and before they know it, they're standing in front of each other. She notices the orchids and lilies in his hands.

"Hi-"

"Hi-"

They both lightly laugh for saying the same thing at the same time like they used to.

"Uh, I- thank you for coming."

"Of course, dude. I wouldn't miss this for anything." Austin hopes it's not obvious, but he's a bit distracted by how beautiful she looks. How her legs seem to go on forever and how amazing she looks in that dress. God, I forgot how short she was, he thinks to himself. He always made fun of how short she was, but he loved how perfect they fit together. "Oh, these are for you," he stretches out his arm holding the flowers to her.

She takes them and brings them to her nose to smell. "Thank you. These are my favorite."

"I remember." Austin smiles and Ally gives him a small smile in return.

Before either of them can say anything more, Trish and Dez finally walk up to them.

"Hey, Ally!" Dez couldn't hold his enthusiasm and pulls her into a tight hug.

"Hi Dez!" She giggles as they pull apart. "I really like your shirt."

He nudges Trish, "I told you she would like it!" Trish rolls her eyes before turning to Ally.

"I've missed you. So much." Ally says quietly, gesturing for a hug, which Trish quickly accepts.

"I've missed you too."

Whispering in her ear, Ally says, "I'm sorry. For everything."

Squeezing her friend tighter, Trish whispers back, "You have absolutely no reason to be. You were just protecting yourself, okay? You did your best in a really fucked up situation."

"I know. I'm still sorry."

"Me too."

"Ally!" Ronnie calls her from across the room, reminding Ally that it's not just her and her friends in this room. He points to an interviewer from a magazine, showing her that this is also a work event and that she actually has to talk about the song if she wants it to do well.

She backs up to get a view of all of her friends at once. "Right. Unfortunately, I have to go back and talk to the rest of the guests here. You guys should have fun! There's food in the kitchen, drinks at the bar outside, and if you need to use the bathroom it's just down the hall." Smiling, she turns around, but not before saying, "can we meet after the song releases? I want to keep talking with you guys."

They all nod in agreement, and though Austin's was short, she tries not to read into it too much.

Dez has already made a beeline towards the food, with Trish following with annoyance behind him. Austin, however, decides to wander around, with his hands shoved in his pockets, taking his time to observe the art and the photos on the walls. He recognizes some of it to be her mom's paintings of the jungles she's lived in. There are family photos from when Ally was a kid and some sculptures worth more than his first car. Lastly, he finds one of the first photos the four of them ever took together. It's tucked away in the corner of the room, that if you weren't looking, you'd never find it. She was on his left side, wearing a pink tutu and a tiara, while Trish and Dez were on his left wearing various pink articles of clothing that match hers. He's wearing a party hat and the biggest smile you've ever seen. They were just fifteen, unaware of the life that was ahead of them.

The photo is sitting upon a book of some kind he recognizes. Lifting up the book, he realizes it's the photo album he made for her. His heart feels warm as he absentmindedly flips through it until he is interrupted by Ally's voice over the microphone. He turns around to see her standing on the makeshift stage. She looks so confident up there.

"Thank you all for coming! I really appreciate you guys taking a couple of hours out of your holiday to come celebrate with me." She makes eye contact with Austin but quickly looks away, afraid that it might make her regret what she's about to do. "As you know, I haven't released music for a very long time. I actually haven't even touched a piano for years. But recently I felt inspired to do so and it felt amazing. And, without Ronnie, I don't even know if you'd be hearing this song at all, so I'm incredibly grateful for him." She takes a deep breath. "Anyways, I know my song will be playing over the speakers in a few minutes, but I was hoping that it would be okay if I sang it for you first." Cheers are heard throughout the room and she finally says, "Oh, the song is called 'I Wanted the Rain But Now I Want You.' Thank you."

She sits down at the piano and slowly opens the lid. Taking another deep breath, she gently places her fingers on the keys. Ally feels his eyes on her, but if she wants to make it through this song, she has to ignore him.

"Will you still love me if I stay in the rain?

Will you wait for me if I ever want to be dry?

I really don't wanna be a pain

I think I just need some time

I'm not quite ready to let you go

But I'm not ready to let the rain go either"

She already feels her eyes welling up, but she keeps singing,

"Can I ever have both?" As she continues playing the piano, the warm feeling in Austin's heart turns into a heavy sadness.

"I know you told me that maybe we could

But I need to hear you say it again

I know I was the one who fucked this up

But do you think we could ever be more than friends?"

Tears slowly fall down her face after singing the chorus. She's glad she can't see his face right now.

"I don't regret sitting in the rain alone

But rain doesn't keep falling

I really should have known

Clouds aren't forever pouring

And thunder won't heal my broken bones

Baby, I still miss you, did you know?

I know you told me that maybe we could

But I need to hear you say it again

I know I was the one who fucked this up

But do you think we could ever be more than friends?"

Should he let himself feel hopeful? Does this mean what he thinks it does? He can't believe that she doesn't know that he would take her back in a heartbeat.

"A million things running through my head

I'm wishing it was your hands in my hair instead

I've got stars in my eyes

But they're scattered for you

What happens when mirages die?"

A few tears fall onto the keys, but her voice is still steady, and her fingers are still playing the piano perfectly. Maybe no one will notice she's crying.

"Hey, can you hear me calling you?

It's been some time since I've held you

Can I hold you again?

I think you might like feeling the rain on your skin"

Ally thanks god that the song is almost over; she doesn't know how much longer she could stand his eyes on her.

"I know you told me that you would

But I need to hear you say it again

I'm at your house, knocked three times like you said I should

Will you let me in?"

She wipes the tears from her face, closes the piano lid, and stands up. All the guests start clapping and cheering for her as she takes a small bow.

"Thank you! It means a lot that you guys would let me preform for you. It should be releasing any minute now, so until then and after that, please enjoy the rest of the party!"

Austin watches her as she steps off the stage and sneak upstairs, seemingly crying once more. Without even thinking about it, he starts to run after her. He doesn't hear Trish and Dez calling after him, probably telling him it's a bad idea. It's as if its muscle memory. He has to go help her, hold her, and tell her it's all okay. That she's not alone.

It's what he's always done: comfort and take care of her. Instinct doesn't seem to go away even after not being used for years.

When he gets upstairs, he guesses which room is hers and knocks on the door. He doesn't wait for answer before he opens the door and sees her curled up at the top of her bed, crying, with Pickles snuggled up close to her.

"Ally?" he says softly. She must have not heard him knock because she seems startled when he comes in. Closing the door behind him, he apologizes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just came to check on you."

She sniffles. "You did? Why?"

"Well, um, 'cuz I was worried about you."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"For making you worried. You don't need to be, it was just an emotional song and I was nervous is all. You should go back to the party. I'll be down in a second."

He steps closer to her, sitting at the edge of the bed. "Ally, I'm always gonna worry about you. Not because I don't think you're strong or capable or anything, but because I care about you."

Austin starts to panic because she's now crying harder, and he probably said all the wrong things. He scoots towards her and pulls her into a hug as her tears start to wet his shirt.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. That was dumb to say it just made things worse, I'm such an idiot and I-"

"Austin! You didn't do anything wrong. You're just being so sweet and caring and you and I don't even deserve it."

He pulls slightly away from her to look at her face. "What do you mean you don't 'deserve' it?"

"Because I left you! All of you! I got scared and hurt you guys and-" she's barely speaking through her sobs. "It's like who do I even think I am writing that stupid song about you and inviting you to this stupid party when you're better off without ever seeing me again."

Even though they both knew that the song was about him, she probably didn't mean to admit that. He doesn't even think she noticed that she said it through her rambling, so he ignores it for now to not make things any harder.

"Ally, that's crazy. I love you- seeing you I mean. Being around you was and is amazing; nothing could ever change that. And yeah, I mean what happened really sucked. But it wasn't your fault."

"Why do you guys keep saying that?"

"Saying what?"

Quieter, she says, "that it wasn't my fault. I could have stayed. You guys were right. It was harder not being around you than it was being around you and getting all that horrible stuff thrown at me." She sinks further into his chest and he tightens his arms around her.

He matches her volume now, trying to calm her. "Anyone would have done what you did. Looking back, me and Dez and Trish realize that there weren't many options. We were still kids, barely in our twenties. Nobody knew that stuff was going to happen, but you were the only one to find a way out of it. I hated, really hated, being apart from you. But I hated even more everything that was happening to you. It killed me." Austin starts crying too. "It hurt so much seeing the horrible and untrue things that people were saying about you. I was so scared." His voice broke.

She's the one hugging him tighter this time, using her other hand to wipe the tears from his face. "I know you were. You tried your best and I appreciated that so much. Even if at the time I didn't know it, there was never a point where I felt unloved by you. You always took care of me, in whatever way you could."

Emotions are high and lines are blurring because he kisses the top of her head and gently rocks her and neither of them says anything about it. Though, the silence is short lived because Pickles starts loudly meowing at them. If it weren't for the party downstairs, Austin swears all of L.A. could've heard this cat.

Ally breaks away from the hug to help Pickles onto the bed. "Sorry about him. This is Pickles. He's sort of become my best friend over these past few years. Oh god, is that lame? That sounded so lame."

Pickles purrs against Austin's leg and he smiles down at him. "I don't think its lame at all. Animals are so cute it would be hard not being best friends with them." He leans down, getting a bit closer to Pickle's face. Quietly, he says, "hey little dude. I'm Austin. I used to be Ally's best friend, too."

"Still are." She smiles at him and he returns it.

Her bedroom door opens and they both look to see Trish and Dez standing in the doorway.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Trish elbows Dez, obviously not reading the room. Ally laughs.

"We were just talking. Do you want to come sit with us?"

Trish and Dez agree and sit down on Ally's bed and offering their hands for Pickles to smell. He happily accepts them and sits in Trish's lap.

"I just wanted to say to guys that I'm sorry for what happened and how it happened. And I would really love to be friends with you guys again." Ally holds her breath, anticipating their answers.

Trish answers for all of them. "Of course, Ally. We never stopped being friends. We were just apart and now we're all together. That's all that matters. Anything else is unrelated."

They form a group hug, with Pickles in the center, knowing that there wouldn't ever be a time where they weren't together again.

They were walking home from school and Trish and Dez had already separated from them. To Trish's dismay, she and Dez lived on the same street but Ally and Austin lived on a different street to them. Which meant that until someone gets a car, she was stuck walking with Dez every day.

But Ally didn't mind. She liked spending time alone with Austin.

"So then, Mr. Grant accidentally picked up the wrong vile and poured it into the solute and it caused a massive explosion! It was totally epic!"

"Solution."

"What?"

"He poured it into the solution. You called it a 'solute.'"

He waves off her correction and continues with his story. "Whatever - the point is I got hit with gross green foamy stuff! Best day ever!"

"That sounds so stressful." He gives her a pointed look. "But fun for you! Hey, I'm trying to loosen up! Today I didn't correct Dallas when he said 'lib-ary.' See? Progress!"

Austin gets that uncomfortable feeling in his stomach when she says Dallas, but he doesn't know what it is, so he ignores it.

He scoffs, "that's hardly progress. This morning you yelled at me for spilling my water all over you."

"That is completely different."

"What? How?"

She rolls her eyes, "You ruined my outfit. I had to go home and change. Also, I don't know. It's Dallas. It's, um, it's different."

"Oh. Sorry about that." He gets that uncomfortable feeling again.

They arrive at Ally's house. "I don't care, I liked this dress better anyways. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah! See you tomorrow."

"Bye!" She walks into her house.

Austin walks to his house feeling a little bummed. They've never really talked about Dallas before. He knew she liked him, but it didn't feel real until she spoke about him out loud.

Hours later, he's wide awake in bed trying his hardest to fall asleep. But he can't, so instead he finds himself outside Ally's window at 2 A.M., knocking quietly so he doesn't wake up Lester. He sees her slowly get up, annoyed, but used to this routine.

She opens up the window. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No. Sorry to wake you."

"Hey, don't apologize. I told you whenever you need me, you can come over."

"I know. Thank you." He looks into her eyes and feels so safe. "Want to go to the beach?"

"Sure, let me just put on a sweatshirt." She turns around, puts on an oversized sweatshirt that she may or may not have stolen from him, and exits through the window as he helps her down.

The beach is just down the street, so it only takes them two minutes to get there. He puts down a towel he brought from his house and they lay down with her head on his chest and his arm around her shoulders. Like they usually do. As friends do.

"Are you okay Austin?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You've been really quiet ever since you dropped me off at my house."

"I promise. Just tired is all."

"Okay." She snuggles into him and they just listen to the waves crashing into the shore that Austin hopes cover the sound of his beating heart.

He thinks about how happy he is right now. He's with his best friend in the whole world (don't tell Dez), in his favorite place in the world (don't tell IHOP), snuggling his favorite person in the world (don't tell Dougie the dolphin). He hopes never loses this.

"Hey Ally?"

"Yeah?" she replies sleepily.

"We're always going to be best friends, right? Nothing will change that?"

"Austin, you know that we'll always be in each other's lives. You're my best friend. Why would you even question that?"

"I don't know. I guess I just have a fear that maybe someone-" that's not what he wanted to say. He can't let her know whatever his feelings against Dallas are, especially since he doesn't know what they are either. "I mean something. I'm afraid that something will come between us one day."

"That could never happen." Ally can feel that he's still unsure about it. She sits up, leaning on her elbow, and looks down at him. "Here, I know. Let's pinky promise."

"Pinky promise? Like we did in preschool?"

"Hey!" She slaps his chest. "I take pinky promises very seriously. I never break them. Ever." She looks him dead in the eye and Austin is actually a little afraid of her.

"Okay, geez, sorry! Also, that hurt."

She smiles sheepishly before holding out her pinky towards him. "Let's promise to never stop being best friends, no matter what."

He loops his pinky around hers. "Promise." It feels a little too real and serious for him, so he starts tickling her. Squealing, she wriggles around trying to avoid the tickling.

"Austin!" She giggles but manages to say through her laughs "you know I hate being tickled! Stop or you're gonna regret it!"

"Oh, will I?" He stops tickling her, looking into her eyes.

"Yeah. You will." They stare at each other for a moment and Austin can feel his heart beating against his chest, again. He doesn't know what's happening and starts searching her eyes for answers, but suddenly she's tackling him and they're wrestling and giggling on the ground.

"Okay! Okay! Truce! You win!"

"Yay! I'm the victor! I'm stronger than you! Admit it!" She stands up and starts bouncing around the sand.

"Never, you dork!" He watches her from the ground and hope life stays this good from here on out.

It's two months after the release party, and both Austin and Ally are sitting in his backyard in the middle of the night watching the stars. As friends do.

"Austin?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

He's a bit confused, and doesn't want to assume anything, so he replies causally. "I love you, too."

"I mean like, I love you, love you. I'm in love with you. And I want to be with you. But I understand if you're not ready for that. Or if you don't even want that. I just had to get it off my chest."

He turns towards her, taking her hands that fit so perfectly into his, and looks into her star-filled eyes. "Ally. I've always been in love with you. I've never stopped. You're the only person for me. I've never not been ready for you."

"Promise?" She holds out her pinky to him.

He loops his pinky around hers, kisses her hand, and replies, "Promise."