(A/N - okay, so this is actually a Dez/Ally one-shot... I don't ship them, I just wanted to try something a bit different. I don't think it turned out very well though, because I couldn't write it realistically. But... you should read it anyways, because it's sweet.(: )
I sat at the piano in the practice room, aching to write a new song. Lately, I have been having a lot of trouble with writing. It all started when Austin got a new girlfriend, Cassidy. I will admit, that I had a few supressed, more-than-friendly feelings for my little rockstar, and when he started dating this girl, it was hard to be supportive of him. However, that's what best friends do, they support each other throughout their decisions - even if it does break one of the best friend's heart.
Austin is my inspiration for a lot of songs, whether they are for him, or about him. He has been spending a lot of time with Cassidy lately, meaning less time with me, and I feel as though I am losing my creative juices as I slowly lose Austin.
The door to the practice room flies open, startling me. I'm not sure who I was expecting, but I surely wasn't thinking that Dez would be the one to walk through that door. "Ally, have you seen my icing?" he asked frantically, almost dropping the gingerbread house in his hands.
"It's in the fridge," I replied, lacking my usual enthusiasm. Dez, although crazy, is a really sweet guy, and I can't help be in a good mood around him. Right now, however, I was too bummed out to respond with any zeal.
He retrieved the icing from the fridge, sighing happily, and getting to work on his house of sugar. "Here you go, Benjamin," he said, picking up one of his gingerbread men. "Good as new. And don't worry, Carlos, I'll find a wife for you soon."
I smiled softly as my ginger friend mumbled to his cookies. Dez's antics are hard to not find cute, as he is like a six year-old in a sixteen year-old's body. Now that I think about it, Dez is just a generally adorable guy, with his caring nature, and ability to make anybody smile. Sure, he has his flaws, such as being destructive and quite clueless, but he is an overall great person.
"Ally?" a voice said, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up to see that Dez was squinting at me, his head cocked to the side. A small smile was playing across his lips, and when he noticed that he got my attention, he made a funny face. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," I said, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. I think I just had a few feelings for Dez appear - even if they are small, they were there. "I was just thinking."
"About what?" Dez asked curiously, shaking his red hair out of his eyes. "You seemed kind of sad when I walked in." That's another thing about Dez. Even though he is so completely oblivious to the most obvious things, he picks up on emotions well, no matter how hard the person tries to hide them.
"I guess I am a bit bummed," I said, letting my shoulders slump a bit. I looked over to see if Dez was going to listen, and he was watching me with an expectant face, so I continued. "Austin and I were supposed to go eat lunch together today, but he blew me off for Cassidy again. I guess I'm just sick of being tossed to the side. Plus, it's affecting my music - not that Austin really cares about his music anymore."
I'm really not trying to trash Austin, or make him sound like a bad guy. He is still my best friend, deep down, no matter how distant he is becoming. The only reason I am telling Dez all this is because he is Austin's best guy friend, and is probably going through a similar situation.
Dez nodded his head. "I totally understand," he said, sighing and running his hands through his hair. "Austin has been blowing me off quite a bit since he started dating Cassidy." We shared sympathetic looks, before Dez turned back to me. "Austin is my best friend," he said seriously. "But I think it was a pretty idiotic move of him to pick Cassidy over you."
This side of Dez was so serious, it scared me a bit. But at the same time, I enjoyed this side of him, because it shows that he is far more observant and intelligent than people give him credit for. "What do you mean?" I asked with a curious glance.
For a moment, Dez looked torn, as if he should continue. Finally he took a deep breath. "Austin liked you for a while, Ally," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. I perked up a bit at that news, but then got a bit bummed again when I realized it was past tense. "But he didn't think you felt the same way, no matter how much Trish and I tried to convince him. He said that you probably thought you two were too different, and that you would never see him as anything more than a best friend, so he went for Cassidy."
"That's exactly how I felt about him," I said, sighing. "I never thought he would like me back though." Knowing that I had a chance with Austin that I blew was a bit rough, but I sighed, knowing that I missed my chance. He seems happy with Cassidy, and I don't want to be the jealous type.
"Why wouldn't he?" Dez asked, looking at my eyes. At this point, I noticed how blue his eyes truly are, with the little flecks of green and gold. His eyelashes are long and a bit darker than the rest of his hair, which was swooping over his face. Wait, am I romanticizing Dez? I shrugged my shoulders and tried to look away, but Dez turned my face so I had to meet his gaze again. "Ally, you're beautiful, so much more than you know. You are a truly good person, who always puts others ahead of yourself, and you are so talented. Anybody who doesn't like you would be crazy."
"Thanks, Dez," I said, leaning over and hugging him. It was more of a hug that I used to have with Austin, long-lasting and comfortable. As friends, Dez and I have hugged before, but they were usually short and friendly, not long and intimate. The fuzzy feeling growing in my stomach pulled me from the thoughts, in turn, pulling me from the hug.
He smiled down at me. "Well, since Austin ditched you for lunch, do you want to go grab something to eat with me?" he asked. "I'm starving." I gladly accepted, and we walked to the food court, ordering meals and sitting next to each other at one of the metal tables.
"Wait, so tell me again," I said, bursting out laughing. "What did the monkey do?"
Dez grinned, grateful that somebody wanted to hear his stories. "So I walked into my room," he said, explaining once again his odd encounter with a chimpanzee. "And I see this banana sitting on the floor, so I pick it up to eat it. And when I was peeling it, a monkey came at me, swinging from the vine I used at Trish's quincenera. Let's just say, I haven't eaten a banana since that day."
I clutched my stomach in laughter, as Dez and I have been exchanging funny stories for the past hour. I have to admit, I like talking to Dez. Once you get past his seemingly mental exterior, he is actually a really fun, sensitive, understanding guy. He knows exactly what to say, and is really good at perceiving emotions.
"Okay, now it's your turn to tell a story," he said, taking a bite of his burger. I doubt it has ever taken this long for Dez to eat a burger - he did win the twenty-pound burger competition after all. That must mean he is interested in what I'm saying, if he hasn't been eating that much. Or maybe he just isn't hungry.
"Okay, well one time," I said, struggling to tell the story, because I was already laughing. "Trish and I were camping in her backyard, and I swore that I heard a bear. Trish tried to tell me that it was impossible, because she lives in a fenced in back yard, in a Miami suburb. But as my best friend, she checked anyway, and I heard her screaming. I ran outside to see if she was okay, and it turns out it was her little brother playing a prank on me. The funny part is that he wasn't even in a bear costume. He was in a chicken costume, making bear noises."
Dez doubled over laughing, even though the story probably wasn't that funny. His stories were way funnier. Suddenly, Austin ran up to us. "Ally, I am so sorry that I blew you off earlier, I just had a date with Cassidy, and..." he trailed off, as if just noticing Dez. "Oh, hey buddy."
Dez nodded at him and they did their handshake, before Austin turned back to me to apologize again. "Austin," I said, putting my hands up to stop him. "It's fine, really. Dez came by and took me to lunch instead."
"We've been here for the past hour, laughing it up," Dez added, smiling over at me. I grinned back and nodded my head in agreement, giggling quietly while remembering one of Dez's stories.
"Oh," Austin said. Did he sound disappointed? I shook the feeling and turned back to Austin. "Well, do you mind if I join you guys?"
"Sure, that's cool," Dez said, after looking to me for confirmation. I agreed, and I was glad that Dez wanted to make sure it was okay with me first. That was really sweet of him.
Austin grinned and sat down, but moments later, Cassidy skipped over to us. "Hey guys," she said chirpily. It was hard not to like Cassidy, since she gives off such positive energy. I wish I could hate her, since I liked Austin, but I just can't. They seem so happy together, too. "Oh, Aus," she said, shaking her head at Austin in mock-disappointment. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt two people on a date? Let Dez and Ally have some time together."
She winked at me before dragging a confused-looking Austin off with her to another table in the food court. Date? I looked over at Dez, who was fiddling with his fingers in his lap. "Dez?" I asked him.
He looked up and smiled at me. "Yeah, Ally?" he asked, glancing at me curiously.
"Is this a date?" I asked, actually kind of hoping that it was. I think I'm falling for Dez pretty quickly, whether I want to or not.
"Do you want it to be?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. I nodded my head slowly and cautiously, not sure how he would react. He broke into a wide grin. "Good, because I was hoping it was, too. Sorry I never officially asked you on a date or anything, though. I meant to earlier when I asked if you wanted to come get food with me, but I know you were still a bit hurt about Austin ditching you."
"I'm over that," I said, waving my hand. "And I'm over Austin. I mean, I'll still keep him as a friend, and stuff, but I don't like him any more."
"Is that because you now like you best freckled friend?" Dez asked hopefully, smiling at me nervously.
"Something like that," I winked, nudging him with my elbow and allowing him to sling his arm around my shoulders. We walked back to the Sonic Boom to watch a movie, and I can't help thinking how much I love seeing this new side of Dez. I mean, of course I love his fun-loving, quirky side. But, I also love the sweet, romantic side of him.
And to top it all off, everybody was finally happy. It may still be hard without having Austin being as close as in the past, but he is happy with Cassidy, and now Dez and I are happy.
(A/N - well, that was it... I'm pretty sure the rest of these are going to be Auslly...)