He'd been staring at her for way longer than necessary, Ally had reasoned that out quickly. She shifted uncomfortably in his gaze. He still didn't look away. Ally bit her lip, feeling her stomach flipping under his stare.
He must be one hell of a competition during staring contests, Ally thought to herself.
Ally cleared her throat and sent Austin a look, with a pretty reasonable message that was in between the lines of: Stop staring at me and What are you looking at?
Austin tapped his fingers lightly on the arm of his chair. Something twitched behind his chest bone at the sight of her teeth sinking into her pink lips. He'll bet those lips are soft - No, no, no. They're probably dry. Or smooth. But definitely not satisfying. Or completely desiring.
She played one hell of a game on him and she probably didn't even know it. One moment he felt himself hating her with every fiber in his being, the next she was this cute little thing that he wanted to spend hours on the couch with. There really was no in between.
Ally's prominent eyes bored into his. Her lips were pressed in a thin, crooked line. He smirked as she continued to smirk behind his line of vision. She let out a cute huff and focused over at Jimmy who was continuing his positive lecture to Austin.
With Austin's Single having sold 1.2 million sales within the second week of its release date, Jimmy was pleading God for a writer to appear sometime soon. There was no way Austin's career could go down the drain. Austin was Jimmy's most successful musician. Austin reserved a golden spot on Jimmy's name, on his label.
"Don't worry, Jimmy. I'm sure we can find someone to write for me. Maybe the writer is even closer than you think." Austin said with confidence. Austin glanced over to Ally who nodded at Jimmy reassuringly.
Austin rolled his eyes. She was too damn naive to even notice that Austin had been referring to her.
"I hope that's true." Jimmy pinched the bridge of his nose, transparent grief in his eyes. He then narrowed them down at Austin. "Let's hope you keep this one."
"Oh, trust me," Austin grinned crookedly, staring openly at Ally, "this writer will stay."
"You better not be fooling me this time, Moon." Jimmy warned, firmly. He checked his watch. "I've got a meeting. You two can walk yourselves out, can't you?" He waited for the two kids to nod and when they did, he dismissed himself in a hurry, mumbling about being late.
Austin turned his head to Ally again as she got out of her seat. "Not so fast." Austin leaped up, grabbing her wrist.
Annoyed, Ally tugged her arm from his grasp. "You've already had your coffee - two actually! Careful, that's bad for your digestive system." she casted him a witty look.
Austin rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I don't need a coffee." he told her. He grinned slyly. "I want you to pass along the news that I found myself a new songwriter."
Ally's eyes bugged slightly in surprised. "You did?" she gaped at him. Austin nodded his head, the crookedness of his grin becoming more noticeable. "Oh." She gave him a relieved smile, "That's good, Austin. I can tell Trish to cancel those appointments with the other writers she found. This will be such a relief, on all of us. No more worrying."
Ally pulled out her phone getting ready to tell Trish the ohsowonderful news. "Alright, so who is it?" she questioned him, glancing over.
Austin smirked. "You."
x
"You have to do this, Ally." Austin said, sternly, following her as they walked through the building.
"I don't have to do anything." Ally snapped. She turned around and looked at him. She's stated a million times that she will not be his songwriter. She didn't care what he said or what he proposed, she would not write for him. Her music was hers.
"What makes you think I would ever write for you?" Ally snarled.
"Simple. You would do anything for somebody to hear your music. I'm the one who can do that for you." Austin smirked at her easily, reaching out and grazing the music note charm that hung from her necklace. Ally flinched back.
Ally shook her head. "I'm not writing for you. My music is for me and only me."
Austin stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you're right," he obliged, "Who would want to help me anyways? I deserve to be just another wasted dream, another wasted talent. Oh, and Trish..." he sighed, turning around and starting to walk away very slowly, "I'll just have to tell her it's back to living in homeless shelters." He kept enough distance to travel further away, but stayed close enough for her to hear him.
Ally rolled her eyes.
"She grew up in one, I'm sure she won't have a problem getting back to her old routines." Austin said, "And Cassidy, poor Cassidy. She'll probably have to go back to school. What about me? I'll just...I'll have nothing. Just the spotlight of a showerhead." he paused, "Even Ally," he tried not to smirk as he shook his head, "Ally will just have to go back to Miami and work in her father's music store only ever wondering about what could've been. But that's okay, I guess."
Ally's eyes widened, "You read my file."
Austin turned, "Oh, Sorry?" he gave her an innocent look, "I hope it won't hurt when you remember you were the reason we all lost our jobs."
"You read my file." Ally repeated.
"Of course I did, honey." Austin crooned, mockingly. "You lived in Miami and worked at a small little music store. You and your father had a decent income but it's nothing compared to what you're getting now. Damn, Ally, and that apartment, you were really just getting cozy." Austin said tauntingly as he walked closer to her.
"You won't lose your career. Somebody will have to come along." Ally narrowed her eyes at him.
Austin shrugged his shoulders. "I'm afraid not. Trish has interviewed many people and none of them have what I've been looking for. You were the first." Austin said, a pitying tone inside his voice. Ally shook her head.
"You heard one song." Ally said.
"Then play me another." Austin suggested, "And if I like it, you have to be my songwriter."
"That's stupid." Ally said, shaking her head, "You're going to make me your songwriter just to spite me."
"I won't. Promise." Austin said. Ally stared at him, unsurely. He shrugged. "You know, Ally, I don't care if you want to be my songwriter or not. If it's not for me, do it for Trish or Cassidy, so they can keep their jobs. They're good people, Ally. They don't deserve to lose their jobs because of me."
Ally saw honesty in his eyes. With those words, she thought about it. Trish and Cassidy had become close friends. Ally was a songwriter and Austin was a successful musician, together these two could make something of themselves. They could allow for Cassidy and Trish to keep their jobs, it could allow her to keep her own job.
Ally looked at him with apology and sincerity in her eyes. "I'll play you one song. You have to be honest. If it's what you're looking for, fine, hire me, if it's not, don't hire me. But don't hire me for them, or anybody else, hire me because you believe in my music."
He took a step closer, making Ally's chest feel tight. His face was so close she'd even felt his breath fanning her nose. He was intimidating, intoxicating, and annoying, all wrapped into one. "And that right there," he whispered, "is exactly what I'm looking for."
Ally stared up at him with beady eyes. She slowly turned around on her heels and started off in the direction of the music room, practice room, whatever the room was called. She felt Austin following behind. Her heart was beating fast. This just might be it, this just might not be it.
Austin shut the door behind him and Ally felt a little bit uncomfortable being hidden away in a room with him. Ally glanced over at him as he gestured for her to sit down at the piano. She took a deep breath and found herself sitting in front of the keys without even remembering getting there.
Austin grabbed a chair and sat down next to the piano. "Show me what you've got." he smirked at her. Ally gave him a look. "I'm all ears, for real." he assured her.
He knew that Ally had no idea how much Austin needed her truly. He knew from what he'd heard at Cassidy's party last week that Ally had something he needed. Her music was different, it was real. She wrote songs and she meant them. Something he needed to have. He'd worked up the nerve, thought through different ways of asking for Ally to be his writer over the last week and he wasn't going to stand for the answer no.
Ally set her fingers on the keys and began to play a soft melody that he already liked.
"My lover's got humor
She's the giggle at a funeral
Knows everybody's disapproval
I should've worshipped her sooner
If the heavens ever did speak
She's the last true mouthpiece
Every Sunday's getting more bleak
A fresh poison each week
'We were born sick, ' you heard them say it
My Church offers no absolutes
She tells me, 'Worship in the bedroom.'
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you—
I was born sick,
But I love it
Command me to be well
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[Chorus 2x:]
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight
To keep the Goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice
Drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful
That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work
[Chorus 2x:]
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
No Masters or Kings
When the Ritual begins
There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene
Only then I am Human
Only then I am Clean
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[Chorus 2x:]
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life."
Austin stared at her, not saying a word. She left him speechless once again, and he was never speechless often. She let her hands fall away from the keys, feeling content with her music until she remembered that Austin was still there. She looked over at him.
Austin stared at her for a minute longer. "You need to write for me, Ally. I'm not lying; You have what I'm looking for, what I need in my career." She wasn't used to such a sincere voice. She took a deep breath and finally nodded her head.
"Don't look at me like that." Austin said. Ally frowned. "Like I'm ripping your heart out. I'm doing you favor, Ally. Please, trust me on that." Ally never replied as she looked away. "You're an excellent writer, Ally, and I know I'm a good performer. Together we could do something incredible."
Ally looked over at him again. She recalled the night with him at her apartment. The look on his face, the things he said to her. "Only because you told me your career was your everything." Ally said, gently. She didn't want for his response. She got up and left the room, leaving him in there alone.
Austin frowned in confusion, before recalling the moment: "Ally," Austin said after a moment, "If my career ends...I will have literally lost everything."
"It won't end." Ally said.
He looked back at her again, "Are you one of those the-glass-is-always-half-full types?"
She cracked a smile, "You could say that."
Austin blinked away the memory. Then, - get this! - he smiled.
x
not caring too much about this chapter. it was short, apologies. it's kinda late. i wanted to write another chapter so this just kind of horribly happened. don't let austin fool you, he hasn't changed just yet, but he will...in time...in good, precious time.