"So what did you say?"

I was behind the counter at Sonic Boom. Trish was standing on the other side. I was just telling her about my day.

"I told him yes." I put my chin in my hands.

"You know I can't say no to people. If I could, I would've never began with this whole thing. And he just looked so sad, Trish! I don't like seeing people sad."

Trish nodded. She knew all of this. She used it against me all the time.

After cleaning my face, Austin had sent me home. He told me there wasn't much else to do anyway and I needed to rest. Especially since I had a big journey to survive in two days!

I didn't even know why I'd said yes so easily. If Trish would've asked me to go to New York with her in two days, leaving the store behind, I would've laughed in her face. And if I would've gone with her, it would've taken her hours to convince me.

And when Austin asked me, I didn't even think about it. Just one look in his pleading brown eyes and I said yes.

He didn't even respond to my confirmation. He just smiled and sent me home.

It helped that I was over my dislike for Austin. I actually kind of liked him. He was being nice to me, and when I'd seen him other side, the side that was almost crying because some people on Twitter were being mean to him, it reminded me of something.

That he was just a 24 year old boy, who didn't have anyone in his life except his mother and his best friend, who was just as insecure as any other person. Except he had to live his life in the spotlight, people judging his every move.

I could never do it. It was the reason why I didn't mind not being a performer. I just wanted to be a songwriter. Because no one knew who you were then, and nobody cared.

There was also my stage fright. I hated to sing in front of people. When I was 4 years old, I sang in front of my classmates. I tripped and fell.

It wasn't really bad, nowhere near as bad as the day I broke my nose or the day I met Austin, but 4 year old me couldn't get over it and promised herself she would never perform in front of anyone again.

I'd kept that promise.

Nobody had ever heard me sing since then. Not even my dad or Trish. And I wasn't planning on ever letting anyone hear me sing either.

I focused on Trish again. She was telling me what to pack.

"Now remember, you think it's cold in Miami in December, wait until you're in New York. Take lots of warm clothing, or you will freeze to death. Okay? Are you going to be in New York on Christmas?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But it doesn't matter. My dad will still love to have you at his party."

"Good." Trish came to my dad's Christmas part every year. She loved them.

Mostly because it meant free food and my dad never asked anyone for Christmas presents.

"I will miss you, though, Ally."

"I'll miss you too."

I talked to Trish for a little while. When the store closed, I went upstairs and started packing. I smiled. I would miss hanging out with Trish and my dad on Christmas. But I did that every year.

And I was actually really looking forward to being in New York with Christmas.

And to being with Austin with Christmas.

Wait, what?

"Good morning!" I called. Austin's room seemed empty, so I sat on the couch. I was a little early, so perhaps he wasn't ready yet.

I stared at his guitar, which was sitting right in front of me. I could play guitar, but I preferred piano and I hadn't played guitar for a while.

I looked around me. Austin didn't seem to be here. I got the guitar.

Slowly, I stroked the strings. It was already tuned.

Of course it was.

I strummed the guitar a little more, and suddenly I realized I was playing a familiar tune. I smiled.

This song always made me smile.

I wish I was brave.

I softly sang the words, making sure no one outside of the room could hear me.

"You can be amazing, you can turn a phrase
into a weapon or a drug.
You can be the outcast,
or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love.
Or you can start speaking up.

Sometimes a shadow wins,
But I wonder what would happen if you…"

Another voice started.

"Say what you wanna say,
and let the words fall out.
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave."

I made a weird noise that sounded like it was supposed to be a scream and jumped up.

Austin was standing in the door opening of his bathroom, smirking at me.

He wasn't wearing a shirt.

Blushing, I turned around, facing my back towards him.

"Oh come on, don't stop! I love that song." Austin walked over and sat on the couch next to me.

If he would just put on a shirt, I might be able to stop blushing.

"Come on, continue!" he said. I started playing again, in the hope of feeling a little bit less awkward.

Austin started singing the chorus.

"I just wanna see you,
I just wanna see you,
I just wanna see you,
I wanna see you be brave."

I smiled. He did sound good on the song and I fought back the urge to sing along.

"Innocence, your history of silence,
Won't do you any good.
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty,
Why don't you tell them the truth?"

Austin started bobbing his head and I laughed. Suddenly, it didn't feel awkward any more.

"Say, what you wanna say,
And let the words fall out.
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave."

The song finished and I put the guitar away. Austin cocked his head to the side and looked at me.

"Why didn't you sing along, Ally? I could tell that you wanted to." I shrugged.

"I don't sing," I answered. I could've told him the reason for that. I could've told him about my stage fright. I could've told him that this song was one of the few things that would make me wish I was brave enough to sing in front of somebody.

Anybody.

But I didn't tell him anything. Because I wasn't sure if I trusted him enough for something like that.

He didn't press the matter. Instead, he got up and stretched.

I quickly turned my back towards him again, hoping to hide the blush that was creeping up on my face.

"I'll go find a shirt." He disappeared into the bathroom.

I sat there for a little while. I had to remember why I was actually here, which was writing an article about this guy. I didn't actually have a lot. I took out my notepad, in the hope of adding some things to it.

Very talented. Well, I had to give him that.

"What's that?" The voice was really close to my ear and again, I produced a noise that resembled a scream.

"Will you STOP scaring me?" I yelled.

Austin rolled his eyes.

"What is that?" He pulled the notepad out of my hands. I jumped over the coach, reaching for it, but he held it above his head and I knew I could never reach it, so I stopped trying.

"It's a list. About you. For my article." He furrowed his brows.

"That's not a lot of good qualities." He turned around and grabbed a pen. Then he started scrabbling in my notebook.

"What do you think you're doing?" I ran over to him, trying to grab the notepad back, but he blocked my way with his body and I was too small to go around him.

"I'm adding to your list." He moved a little bit.

Not enough for me to take the notebook, but enough for me to see what he was writing.

Funny. Loveable. Great cook. Nice. Great music taste.

He had also underlined Handsome.

When I finally got my book back, I wrote something under it.

"Hey, that's not fair! You can't put that in your article!" he said mock-angry.

Cocky.

"And why not?" I moved a little closer to him, daring him, my nose almost touching his.

"Because that's not a positive thing!"

"Well, I don't have to be positive, I just have to be truthful," I teased. He came a little closer, and now our noses were actually touching.

But I didn't back down, because I knew that was what he wanted.

"Well, then I guess you should write something else in that little book of yours."

"And what would that be?"

"Tickler." And with that, he started tickling me.

I immediately doubled over, gasping for air, laughing. Now I'm very, very ticklish, and I don't do well with being tickled.

I tried to smack his hands away, but he was too big and strong for me to take on. I fell to the floor, barely able to breath.

"So, do you think you could remove that last word of your list?" he said laughing.

"Never!" I screamed. He rolled on top of me, still tickling me. I tried to roll away, but I couldn't.

And then he stopped.

I wanted to move, but I couldn't. Not just because he was very big and on top of me.

I couldn't move because he was so close. His face was only inches away from mine. I could kiss him if I wanted to.

And boy, did I want to.

It seemed like he was slowly moving closer to me, but maybe I was just imagining things. Or was he actually going to…

"Austin? What are you doing on the floor?"

Mimi's voice scared me out of my trance. I squeaked, shooting up, hitting my head against Austin's.

I could hear him yelp in pain, but I could only focus on Mimi. Her expression bordered between shocked and amused. I shot up, smacking some imaginary dust of my clothes, and walked up to her a little too cheery.

"Good morning Mimi, are you okay? So, what's the plan for today? I'm really looking forward to today!"

God, I needed to learn to stop talking when I was nervous. I wasn't helping myself.

I pushed past her, out of the room, but not before throwing one look back at Austin.

He was sitting on the floor, looking a little sheepish, holding his hand on his head, and I wasn't sure whether to laugh or to cry.

Song: Brave by Sara Bareilles