(A/N - hey guys! I wrote most of my next chapter for my story, "Miami Arts", but I didn't complete it yet. I decided not to spend the day holed up in my room writing, and instead spent some time with my dad, as it is Father's Day. (: I would feel bad if I did not post anything, however, so I decided to upload a one-shot I wrote a while ago. Sorry, it's a bit rough, but this was from a few months ago. :P)

December 24 - Christmas Eve

"Why am I so short?" I groaned to myself, still stretching. I am currently hanging up decorations, and even on my tip toes, I can not reach the spot on the wall of which I am trying to pin a strand of garland.

"Because you're fun sized," a voice said from behind me. I spun around to see my best friend and partner, Austin Moon, grinning cheekily at me. He took the garland from my hands and pinned it up with ease. "It's cute."

I blushed, and turned away from him so that he wouldn't see. The chuckle that came from him, however, let me know that he saw the tinges of pink in my pale skin. "Thank you for pinning that up, Austin," I said, finally recomposing myself enough to face him again. "I never would have reached that myself."

He nodded his head and pulled me into a hug, which made my head swim. I have been feeling like that a lot around Austin lately. Everyone knows that I stopped liking Dallas a long time ago, but nobody knew why. I told everyone that my feelings just faded, but the truth is - I have developed a humungous crush on my best friend. Right now its five in the afternoon, and we are at Austin's house, decorating for the Christmas Eve party his parents are throwing tonight. It is mostly friends from the neighborhood and his parent's offices coming, but of course they let me come.

"Okay, so the party starts in an hour," Austin said, rubbing his hands together and scanning the room to make sure everything was set up. "The only thing missing is the food, but I think my mom is almost done with that. So what do you want to do?"

"Well, we need to get ready," I reminded him, pointing towards our casual clothes. Whenever the Moons throw a party, it is pretty formal.

"Ally, there's an hour until the party," he said, rolling his eyes. "Oh, right, girls take a long time to get ready. You have to make your hair pretty and stuff." He teased me by messing up my hair.

I scowled at him before grabbing my bag and running up to use his bathroom. After locking the door, I slipped on the bright red dress I found in my closet. It has spaghetti-straps and a heart neckline. It is tight at the waist, but flowy everywhere else, and ends a few inches above my knees. I combed through my natural curls, placing a red headband in my hair. It stood out against my chestnut colored locks, and matched my dress perfectly.

I applied some mascara, eyeliner, and lipgloss, before smiling at my reflection in the mirror. And, there was still twenty minutes left before the party. Austin says girls take a long time, psh! I walked out of the bathroom back into his room, only to see Austin standing in front of his closet. He had a pair of dark black jeans on, but no shirt, as he was trying to pick one.

"Hey, Ally, whi- woah," he said, turning towards me. "You, uh, look, um... Wow." He blushed and scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his. Why is he nervous? I blushed as well, but more so because he was standing shirtless in front of me. Of course, I have seen Austin shirtless before, since we spent half the summer at the beach. But I know he has been working out a bit lately, and let's just say - it shows.

"Well, I guess I'll wear the red shirt, then," Austin said, grabbing a long-sleeved, red dress shirt and buttoning it quickly. He rolled the sleeves up to his elbow, and grabbed a black skinny tie. "Now we match," he said, grinning.

I smiled back and fixed his tie for him, before stepping out of his room to head downstairs, to where some party guests were arriving. "Wait, Als," he said, catching me in the hallway. "You look really beautiful." I met his gaze, which was soft, yet determined. He shot me a shy smile. "You know what would really pull that outfit together, though?" I raised an eyebrow, and he pulled a small box from behind his back.

"Austin, what is this?" I asked, taking the box and unwrapping it quickly. Inside, was a thin silver chain, with a large black music note on the end. It was engraved to say 'A&A, Never stop the music.' It was so simple, yet so beautiful. "It's amazing, Austin," I said, giving him a hug. I had given him his present earlier today, a new pair of shoes. I customized some Converse, with electric guitars printed all over them, and he seemed to love them. He was actually wearing them right now, despite the formal attire.

He clasped the chain around my neck, making me shiver when his fingers brushed against my skin. "I thought you would like it," he said, smiling down at me. "Now come on, let's go, because I think people are showing up."

I followed him, and we went through the usual routine - smiling at people, making small talk, and occasionally sneaking food upstairs, just to get away for a while. Right now, we were sitting on his bed, devouring finger sandwiches. "Let's go get some more food," Austin said, standing up. He stopped in the doorway, and waited for me to join him. "Um, Als," Austin said, pointing above our heads.

Hanging from Austin's bedroom doorframe, is a piece of mistletoe. "Austin?" I asked, gazing up at him curiously. "Why is their mistletoe hanging in your bedroom?"

"Hey," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm a festive guy. And as a festive person, I obey the rules of the mistletoe, which is to kiss whoever you're standing underneath it with." I shot him a questioning glance, but he just shrugged, smiling cheekily. "Rules are rules."

I rolled my eyes and we stood there a few more moments before both leaning foward, and connecting our lips for a few seconds. I pulled away and glanced up at Austin, my mind whirling. "Merry Christmas, Austin," I whispered, my thoughts a bit hazy.

"Merry Christmas, Als," he said, grinning at me.

December 31 - New Year's Eve

Ah, today is the last day of the year. I must admit that this is easily my favorite year so far, probably because I have met two very important people. The first is Dez, my eccentric, ginger friend who has a sweet side deep down. The other, is my best friend, Austin Moon.

I write songs for Austin, so we have a musical partnership. Throughout that partnership, we have become best friends, and it seems like we could be something more. I, of course, have developed feelings for Austin - how could I not, when he is so amazing? He is cute, sweet, caring, hilarious, and talented. I feel as though he could never like a girl like me, but the increasingly frequent flirty moments that we share tell me otherwise.

In fact, just last week at the Christmas party Austin's parents threw, we kissed each other. Granted, we were standing under the mistletoe, and those are the rules, but it seemed as though Austin really wanted to kiss me, and I definitely felt sparks flying in that short kiss. We haven't talked about it since then, though, and I feel like it was a one time thing.

"Ally," a voice said, interrupting my thoughts. I turned to see Austin watching me from his spot on the couch we are sharing. We are celebrating the new year tonight with our other best friends, Trish and Dez. "Look at them."

I looked up to see that Trish was sprawled out in one corner of the room, her black curls sticking out in every direction. She was fast asleep, and snoring lightly. On the other side of the room, in a beanbag chair, Dez was curled into a ball, sleeping soundly. "Aw," I said, laughing at them. It is almost midnight, and I guess they couldn't stay awake long enough to ring in the new year.

"What time is it?" I asked Austin, feeling a bit sleepy myself. I really wanted to stay up to see the ball drop on television, in Times Square, but I don't know how much longer I can stay up.

"Three minutes until midnight," Austin said after checking his watch. "Should we wake them up?" I shook my head, telling him that we should let them sleep. Trish gets cranky if she is woken up, and Dez needs as much sleep as she can get, being the crazy guy he is.

I snuggled deeper into the couch, leaning on Austin's shoulder a bit. I have been trying to send him secret signals on how I feel about him, because there is no way that I am making the first move. Although I am an independent girl, I am also very traditional.

He grinned over at me laying his head on top of mine. On the television screen, a fireworks show was just ending, and the camera flipped to Times Square, where people were anxiously waiting for the clock to strike midnight. "Okay," an announcer said. "With less than thirty seconds until midnight, grab that special someone for your New Year Kiss."

I glanced towards Austin, only to see that he was watching me as well, making a blush spread across my cheeks rapidly. The ten second count down began, as the ball slowly began descending. "Three," Austin said quietly, not breaking eye contact.

"Two," I said back, still unsure of what was about to happen.

He leaned foward and whispered against my lips, "One." He then connected our lips, making me smile into the kiss. I felt him smile as well, and we both broke apart, happy. "Happy New Year, Als."

February 14 - Valentine's Day

Oh, yay. It's time for my least favorite day of the year - Valentine's Day. Also known as "Single Awareness Day", the holiday was not ranked highly in my books. I love romance, don't get me wrong. But I hate not actually having any romance - instead, I just read, write, or watch it.

I do not have a boyfriend, although I do have a flirtatious best friend of the opposite gender. Well, the flirting has picked up quite a bit recently, and we have kissed twice. The first time, was Christmas Eve, under the mistletoe. Austin claims that it was because he was a festive guy, and had to follow the mistletoe rules, but I don't understand why there was mistletoe above his door in the first place. We only decorated the downstairs of his house for the party.

The second occasion was on New Year's Eve. Trish and Dez had both fallen asleep already, and at midnight, Austin and I rang in the new year with a kiss, just as the announcer on television said to do. I know that both of us fell asleep shortly afterwards, since it was so late, and we haven't spoken about it since.

And now, I get to watch couples walk around all day, being cute while I have nobody to be that way with. I will see girls clutching stuffed animals, carrying flowers, and eating chocolates that they received from their boyfriends, or even admirers. But no boy will ever do something like that for me.

I sighed and lifted the lid that is sitting on top of the piano keys in my practice room above Sonic Boom. I was shocked to see a single red rose sitting there, with a note attached.

'Just forget every last care, go and check the bottom stair.'

I walked downstairs, still clutching the rose, only to see another one, laying on the bottom step. This one had a note attached as well.

'By the register, you'll find something that will blow your mind.'

I made my way over to the cash register, where a third rose was sitting. Who was doing this? Do I have a secret admirer? I sensed a pattern, that there will be a line of roses, each with a note attached, leaving a clue as to where the next one will be. The rest of the notes went like this:

'To find the fourth rose, go to where the flowers grow.'

'Children large and small go to this place in the mall.'

'You must want to know who I am, but first, go talk to Mrs. Pam.'

'If you check under a tree, a rose is what you shall see.'

All of those notes were sweet and poetic, leading me to the next place. The note on the eleventh rose said, 'Come to see you favorite bird, and hear me speak important words.' My favorite bird is Pickles the goose, who lives at the mall pond. According to the note, the mystery person leaving these roses will be there, with something important to tell me. I clutched the eleven roses and raced to the pond, anxious to meet whoever this was. What if they are a stalker? What if this is all some cruel joke?

I sat down on the bench at the pond, searching the area around it. I didn't see anybody, so I was beginning to think that this was a horrible joke after all. As I stood up to leave, I heard a voice behind me. "I see you found all the roses," they said.

I turned around to see Austin standing there, a nervous smile playing across his lips. "Austin?" I asked him. "Did you do all of this?" He nodded his head, and I patted the seat next to me, wanting him to explain.

He sat down and began to run his hands through his hair nervously. "Okay, Als," he said, his voice cracking with nerves. "I really really like you - as more than a friend. I have for a while now, and I keep trying to show you without telling you. First, I tried with the necklace and the kiss under the mistletoe, but I couldn't bring myself to talk about it afterwards. Then, I tried again on New Year's Eve, but after the kiss, we were both so tired, and I just didn't know how to tell you-"

I cut him off by leaning foward and kissing him on the lips. He looked at me curiously, and I smirked. "And you say I talk a lot," I teased. "I really like you too. No, actually, I love you." I never broke eye contact, making sure he knew I was serious.

"That's a relief," he said, taking a deep breath. "Because I love you too." We both sat there, grinning at each other. "Actually," he said, pulling a twelth rose from behind his back. He handed me the rose, and I immediately noticed that this one was different. It was made of plastic, and stood out from the others, which were already beginning to wilt from lack of water. I glanced down at the note, and Austin recited it as I read it out loud. "I'll love you until the last rose dies," he said, taking my hand in his. "And I'm no botanist, but I'm pretty sure plastic flowers don't die."

"You're right," I said, leaning foward and kissing him again. "They don't." We kissed for a few more moments, before I pulled away, trying to catch up with what is happening.

My best friend, Austin Moon, just admitted his love to me, and told me that he would love me forever. Even though we are sixteen, I know that he is being serious. Even if we are not always together, which I hope we will be, he will always love me, and I will always love him.

"Als," Austin asked, pulling me from my thoughts. "I can't believe it took me three holidays to say this, but I'm glad I chose this one. Will you be mine?"

"Absolutely," I said, leaning over and kissing him once more. "And I might even start liking Valentine's Day," I mused happily, intertwining my fingers with Austin's.

(A/N - well, that's it! It was a bit all over the place, but I thought the idea was pretty cute. (: what did you think?)