Derailed chapter 14
. . .
Austin walked up to Ally's door the next afternoon and took a deep breath before knocking. Katie answered and let him in. He went into the familiar front room and sat on the couch, going over what to say again. Ally appeared a few seconds later and went straight to him. He shot off his seat and met her hug.
"Hi. I wasn't expecting you today. Did I forget something?" Ally rambled off as they sat down together, hands linked and bodies angled toward each other on the couch.
"No. This wasn't planned." Austin answered.
Ally looked at him, studying his face. "Are you okay?"
"Um. I don't know. I'm still processing." he said.
Ally waited and held tight to his hand, afraid of anything that could shake Austin like this.
"I talked to my Mom last night." he began. "There's a problem with my Dad's heart. He's in the hospital. I'm going home to help them."
Ally nodded as tears pricked her eyes. Mike Moon was like a second father to her.
"Will he . . . will he be okay?" Ally knew it was a pathetic question.
"He has good doctors. I'll go and make sure he has the best." Austin said.
"When?" she asked.
"I told Mom I'd be home in two days. I've been packing this morning and taking care of stuff with my apartment so I can fly out in the morning. I had to Ally." Austin said.
"Of course you did. That's where you should be." she affirmed. It was true, she did believe that, but it didn't stop the ache that settled into her chest to find out he was leaving.
"You're not mad?" he asked in surprise.
"When your family needs you that's where you go. How could I be mad at that?" Ally asked.
Austin nodded, still a little overwhelmed by it all. His dad was sick. He was going to move home. He and Ally would be separated by an ocean - again. For a moment it was too much. Then Ally wrapped her arms around Austin and he collapsed into her, leaning his head on her shoulder and slipping his hands around her back to hold on. One of Ally's arms held him firmly while her other hand stroked his hair and her fingertips ghosted over his cheek. And just like when they were children and she soothed him to sleep during a storm, her touch calmed him.
"You're mom will be so glad to have you home. I know it will help." Ally spoke after a while. Austin straightened up so he could face her.
"I'll work dad's shifts so he can rest, and be more involved in running the company like he always wanted."
"Will you tell him about your classes?" she asked.
"I don't think I can hide it now: I have finals in two weeks. I was planning on telling him for Christmas since I'm close to finishing my degree. I guess he'll get his present early." Austin said.
"He will be so happy."
"I hope so. Maybe it will cheer him up."
"You will cheer him up. I could tell this summer that he missed you." Ally said.
"Well all he had to do was ask me to visit if he wanted to see me more, not get sick." he joked and then frowned again. "I'm going to miss you. I promised myself months ago that I wasn't going to let anything happen to us now that we're finally together, but I need to do this." Austin said.
"I'll come home next month for Christmas. After that when I come back here we will talk all the time. And in six months I'll graduate and I can come back to Miami to be with you." she said.
"You will?" Austin asked hopefully.
"I don't care where I am, I just want to be with you." Ally said.
"You are my perfect woman, do you know that?" Austin asked and leaned in to kiss her.
When Austin left that night, nothing had changed. His dad was still sick and his mom needed him. He was going to hate being away from Ally, and he had an apartment lease he couldn't get out of. But Ally loved and supported him and that meant the world to Austin.
. . .
The day after Austin arrived in Miami Mike Moon was released from the hospital. He was there to help and support his parents every step of the way, listening to the doctor's instructions on Mike's care alongside his mom Mimi so he could be helpful. Austin stepped into the role of manager at Moon's Mattress Kingdom with little trouble and no ceremony. Once he arrived he simply unpacked his bags and went to work. It was a huge relief for Mimi to not have to worry about the store and focus on her husband.
A week after his arrival Austin was sitting in his room late at night with his laptop struggling to get through some reading after spending a full day at the store. He was tired and nodded off a few times. Other moments he found himself staring out his window at the house next door and the darkened window of Ally's old room. He had done this countless times over the years since she left and before the action only brought sadness and heartache. Now he felt a different ache and longing as he thought how she would be there again, next door, in only a few weeks to spend her school break here.
Austin was pulled from his thoughts by a light knock on his open door. He turned his head to see his father standing in the doorway, leaning on the jam for support.
"Dad, do you need something?" Austin asked, quickly setting his laptop aside.
Mike shook his head. "Just out for a little stroll in the hallway. Don't worry, I'm being careful. I'd apologize for interrupting something but I don't think I did. You looked far away there son."
"I guess I was. I was thinking about Ally coming back for Christmas in a few weeks." Austin admitted.
"I'm sorry I pulled you away from her. I'll be back to normal soon." Mike said.
"Don't worry about that. I've got everything under control at the store so you only have to worry about taking care of yourself." Austin said.
Mike nodded to the laptop. "Were you surfing the latest viral videos?"
"No. I was trying, and failing, to study."
"Study?"
"I was going to tell you for Christmas, like an extra present or something: I've been working on a business degree for a few years now. I had to limit my classes when I was touring and things but I've got a full load right now and finals are next week." Austin said.
"But how can you take classes if you travel so much?" Mike asked, clearly shocked by this news.
"They're online. It doesn't matter where I am as long as I can log on for lectures and assignments."
"And you are getting a business degree? I thought all you cared about was your music."
Austin rolled his eyes. "That's not the only thing I care about. But my singing career has made it possible for me to pay for my own schooling and save up a bit and still have fun. And lately I've been happy I can afford to fly Ally wherever I want."
Mike shook his head. "I'm surprised, but I guess I shouldn't be."
"I knew at some point you and mom might need help with the store. I wanted to be ready for that so you two don't lose your dream. The store means as much to you as performing means to me. Nobody ever said I couldn't protect both our dreams."
Mike nodded his head but looked a little shaky. Austin was on his feet and by his dad's side the moment he faltered and began to sway. He grabbed his dad's arm to help steady him. Mike suddenly leaned forward to give him a hug and Austin caught him and bore the majority of his weight. Mike clapped him on the back.
"I'm proud of you. Maybe I never said that enough, but I've always been proud of you son." he said.
Austin hugged him in return. "Thanks dad. And now you know I don't hate the store. It's just not my first choice for a career."
Mike huffed. "Your loss."
Austin laughed. "Come on, lets get you back in bed old man."
"Who are you calling old?" Mike said but he allowed Austin to slowly help him back to his room where he sat heavily on the bed, slightly winded from the exertion.
Mimi walked out of the master bathroom in her pajamas and stopped short when she saw Austin. "What happened?" she asked in worry.
"It's fine mom. Dad and I were just having a chat and now he's going to sleep for a while." Austin said.
"You two boss me around like a child. It's just my body that won't do what I want." Mike complained.
"Well, I want that body to stick around for a while so do us a favor and stop putting up a fight. Let's go to sleep dear." Mimi said. She kissed Austin's cheek as he wished her goodnight and left the room.
. . .
Austin was irritated and he had a headache. Finding good times to call and speak with Ally was getting frustrating. He had enough on his plate between completing his finals, managing the store, and helping his parents. He had one more week to wait until Ally could come to Miami and he was anxious to hear which day she could come so he could buy her a plane ticket. It would get him one step closer to holding her in his arms again. He had made a good life for himself and he could get by without Ally, but the simple fact was that he didn't want to be without her anymore.
Moon's Mattress Kingdom was a huge source of Austin's headache tonight. Some of the younger employees were infuriating because they weren't reliable. The older ones knew Austin as the boss's son and either didn't take him seriously or were a little resentful of him showing up out of nowhere and taking over the running of things. Austin simply didn't put up with any of their crap and made it clear that he was in charge and had his parent's blessing. He implemented a new ad campaign to generate more business and worked hard to prove himself in this new role. Mike and Mimi couldn't be more proud.
Austin had taken his last final that morning then worked the afternoon at the store while Mimi took Mike to the doctor. He was currently avoiding calls from Jimmy Star who wanted to get him back to work on a new album but he didn't have the time or energy to deal with that at the moment so he wasn't dealing it at all. Now, at ten o'clock at night he wanted nothing more than to hear his girlfriends voice over the phone. It was morning where Ally was and she would be happy and upbeat and everything he needed to cheer himself up for a moment before going to sleep.
His phone began to ring right then and he picked it up only to be disappointed that it wasn't Ally.
"Hi Scarlett." he answered dully.
"Nice to hear your voice too." she commented dryly.
"Sorry. I was expecting someone else."
"It's fine. I do have good news though: I've been able to sublet your flat in London."
"You did?"
"Yes. An agent I know has a client from the area who wants to be home for December so he will use it that month. Then a manager friend of mine has a band who will be recording part of their next album there and will use it from January through mid March. So almost four month's rent will be covered by what we get from them." Scarlett explained.
"Great. Just remember to keep it free in June so I can be there for Ally's graduation. Thanks for taking care of this for me Scarlett." Austin said.
"I try take care of you. Now you sound exhausted, so try and get some sleep okay?"
"I will. Thanks again." He ended the call and lay back on his bed in relief. He spoke with his father's doctors the other day and was planning on paying for most of the medical expenses so his mom didn't have to worry about it. Austin made plenty of money, but the bills would be high and it was nice to know the flat would at least partially pay for itself this way.
Austin didn't wait long to dial another number. He held his phone to his ear, counting the rings. 3. 4. 5. "Hi this is Ally. Sorry I missed you. Leave a message and I'll call you back." Austin groaned when he heard the voice mail message. He composed himself just in time.
"Hi Ally it's me. I was really hoping to hear your voice right now. It's been a long day. I miss you. Give me a call later so we can pick a flight to get you here with me as soon as possible. I love you." he said, trying to sound more upbeat than he felt. She was busy getting ready for her own finals and he didn't want to bring her down. He just really needed an Ally fix right then.
He waited a half hour for her to call back and then passed out still fully clothed on top of his bed.
. . .
In the morning Austin woke up and panicked for a moment. His phone was still in his hand instead of charging and the battery died. If Ally tried to call him back he wouldn't know it. He put his phone on the charger and quickly showered. He had to open the store that morning and then would hand everything off to one of the other managers for the late shift at 2pm. He rushed downstairs to quickly eat something while his phone finished charging before going to work.
Mike and Mimi were at the table having breakfast already. Austin did a happy dance inside when he saw the large stack of pancakes on the table and he hugged his mom.
"You are my favorite person on the face of the planet right now." he said as he sat down and began filling his plate.
Mimi laughed. "Thank you Austin." she said.
He took a huge bite of pancake and closed his eyes for a moment as he savored the flavor. "I needed this so bad this morning."
"What's wrong?" Mike asked.
"Just busy. And I wasn't able to talk to Ally last night. It's been four days and I really wanted to hear her voice." Austin said, stuffing his mouth again.
His parents exchanged a look and smiled at him. "You really love her don't you?" Mimi asked.
Austin merely nodded and kept eating.
"So when do you think you'll make her part of the family?" Mike asked.
Austin coughed a little and drank some milk from a glass his mom handed him.
"She would be an incredible daughter in law." Mimi pointed out. "And you two are so cute together. Can you imagine their babies Mike?"
"Mom!" Austin said in embarrassment. He wasn't about to admit to anyone that he'd imagined having kids with Ally and what a cute mom she would make.
"You are 23 now. By your age we had been married for two years already." Mike said.
"I was pregnant with you at 23. Oh, can't you just picture Ally pregnant? She'll be so cute!" Mimi gushed.
"Whoa! We've only been dating 8 months. And we're kind of having a hard time staying on the same continent right now, so give us a little time before you start naming grandchildren." Austin said.
"You are right on that one: you two are too far away from each other. Has Ally figured out her plans for after graduation yet?" Mimi asked.
"I, well, the day before I flew home she said she would move to Miami if I was here." Austin said.
Mimi beamed at him. "Awww. Don't let her go sweetheart. You won't find another like her."
"I agree son. You make sure she knows how you feel about her." Mike said.
"Okay. Well, I better go." Austin said and ate the last bite as he carried his plate over to the sink.
"Don't be late opening the store." Mimi said.
"Have a good day and sell lots of mattresses!" Mike called after him.
Austin grabbed his charged phone and was disappointed to see that he hadn't missed any calls or messages. Where was Ally?
He drove to work, opened the building, and got the workers set on the sales floor. Then he went into the back office to look over the new order he needed to make and some bills that came in the day before. He glanced at his phone several times that morning and was disappointed by its continued silence. No calls, no texts, nothing from Ally.
"Austin, uh, Mr. Moon?" Tom's squeaky teenaged voice pulled Austin from his brooding at 1:50. He shook his head to clear his stupor. Had he just fallen asleep sitting at his desk? He was so tired he wasn't quite sure.
"What is it Tom?" he asked, sitting up straighter in the desk chair. "Is Carl here to manage the rest of the day?"
"Yes, he just got here, but there's something else." Tom said nervously.
Austin considered the fifteen year old standing in the office doorway. "What's wrong?"
"There's a girl. She walked in and looked around for a minute and then she laid down on one of the mattresses and went to sleep." Tom explained.
"Did you try to wake her?" Austin asked.
"We did. We spoke quietly and then louder, nudged her arm, I jumped on the bed but . . . nothing. She doesn't move or make a sound." Tom explained. Then he lowered his voice and leaned further into the room. "What if she's dead?"
Austin stood up and Tom quickly moved back. "I'll deal with it. Thanks for letting me know Tom. And I'm sure she's not dead." He added.
Tom followed Austin onto the sales floor while he quickly scanned the room. He saw Carl speaking to some customers and across the room in the very center of all the displays he saw the occupied mattress. Austin blinked and rubbed his eyes. It looked like Ally, but it couldn't be because she was in England. He really needed to talk to her soon. He walked closer and his heart thundered in his chest. This girl looked exactly like Ally! The same gently curled brown hair, the fair skin and plump lips, the same petite body with perfect curves.
"Ally?" he whispered as he stopped next to the mattress.
The girl didn't move. She lay completely still on her back with her hands folded neatly over her stomach and a soft smile on her face.
"Um, excuse me miss. Sorry, you look just like someone I know, but that's beside the point." Austin muttered. "Here at Moon's Mattress Kingdom we are proud of the mattresses we sell. We offer a 30 day in home trial for new mattresses, so there's no need to sleep here in the store. We have some very affordable payment plans if you need. I'd be happy to get you on your way to taking this mattress home but I'll need you to get up." Austin said in his most official salesman voice.
Still the Ally clone made no move. Austin stared at her for a moment and then realized that Tom was still standing beside him. "Um, why don't you go wash the front windows while I handle this?" he suggested.
Tom went away and Austin returned his attention to the girl. She seriously looked exactly like Ally and what he wanted to do more than anything in that moment was lay down beside her and pull her into his arms. Then again, he could be hallucinating from stress and lack of sleep due to his finals and this was a sign that he was losing it. This was probably just some random girl. His parents kept talking about Ally this morning and how he should marry her which was a really good idea. Why hadn't he married her already? Then he could curl up and sleep with her any time he wanted. Sleep was good. Cuddling with Ally like in Madrid. Unbidden, an image of Ally with a large belly carrying his child popped into Austin's mind and he almost groaned out loud with longing. Why didn't she answer her phone last night? Why didn't she call him back? Why were they so far apart again? He just wanted his Ally!
"Austin." Carl spoke nearby and made Austin jump.
"What?" he turned from the sleeping figure who was driving him mad and focused on the other manager.
"Whoa, you look really tired, why don't you go? This girl is just a trouble maker. If she doesn't move soon I'll call the cops and let them deal with her. I've got this." Carl said putting a hand on Austin's back to guide him away. "And tell your mom and dad I say hello."
"Where are your clients?" Austin asked, looking around the room and resisting Carl's urging to move.
"I made the sale while you were over here staring." Carl said. "This is all kind of creepy if you ask me. I'm going to call the cops."
"You don't need to call the cops, I mean, just look at her. She's so peaceful and . . . beautiful, . . . and kissable." Austin argued, gesturing to the girl before trailing off as he stared at her again. Then he added quietly, "Man I miss Ally."
"She moved! Did you see that?" Carl said. "Ha! I knew she was faking."
"What?" Austin asked, slightly dazed from the track his mind was taking.
"She moved?" Tom came running up at the news.
"When you complimented her and said she was kissable." Carl said.
The girl stirred slightly again and Austin saw it this time. The corner of her lips twitched as if she was trying not to smile.
"There, she did it again!" Tom pointed excitedly. "Oooh, I know. She's sleeping beauty and she'll only wake up if she's kissed."
The girl nodded ever so slightly and she couldn't hide her smile.
"What are you, a six year old girl?" Carl asked the teenaged boy.
"We're doing this play for drama class. What? Everyone knows actors are the ones who get the girls." Tom said when Carl looked at him strangely.
"Hold on. I thought I was imagining it but. . ." Austin said as a thought occurred to him. He didn't know how, but this had to be Ally. He pressed a button on his phone and a few seconds later his song "I think about you" began to sound from the small purse at the girl's side. It was the ringtone Ally set for him on her phone shortly after they reconnected.
Austin grinned and a tightness he'd felt in his chest for the last few weeks loosened. "So you want to play sleeping beauty huh? I can deal with that." he said.
The small smile on Ally's lips grew and she giggled slightly but she kept her eyes shut tight. Austin sat on the edge of the mattress next to her and leaned close. He stopped about an inch away from Ally and held still. He could feel her breath on his face and it was sweet torture to wait. After several seconds her eyes popped open. He grinned at her and then she surprised him by rising up the last inch to kiss him. One of his hands moved into her hair automatically as they kissed, gently supporting her head and holding her to him.
Then Ally began to laugh and Austin joined in.
"What are you doing here? What about your tests?" Austin asked as he sat back and helped Ally sit up to face him.
"I got my teachers to let me take them early because a man who is like a second father to me is sick and I needed to get here as soon as possible." Ally said.
"You did that for us?" Austin asked.
"Of course I did. I've been worried about Mike and I won't feel better until I can see him with my own eyes. And Mimi's stuck with you two so no doubt she needs a lot more hugs and some girl time. And I just might have missed my boyfriend a little too." Ally said.
Austin kissed her again. Ally's surprised laugh was joyful.
"I love you." he said.
"I love you too. I'm just sorry I have to go back in January. Being away from you gets harder and harder all the time."
"I know." Austin agreed.
"Wow." Tom breathed from the foot of the bed.
"You said it kid." Carl agreed.
"This is way better than the play. I've got to tell my teacher about this." Tom said.
"Sorry I scared you earlier." Ally said to Carl. "This whole prank was my friend Hailey's idea. I almost didn't go through with it but I checked with Mimi when I left the airport and Austin was here so . . ."
"Is that why you didn't answer the phone last night?" Austin asked.
"I was on the plane." Ally confirmed.
"That's the best reason I've ever heard for not returning my call." Austin said.
"So you're the reason he's been a zombie the last two days." Carl guessed.
Ally raised her eyebrows at Austin. "Guilty." she claimed.
"Alright. Shows over: I'm taking you home right now." Austin said as he stood up.
"What about work?" Ally asked.
"He's been off duty for a half hour. I've got it covered miss." Carl said.
"Thanks. See you tomorrow." Austin clapped Carl on the back and grabbed Ally's hand now that she was standing as well. He led her through the back door toward his car before he stopped.
"Car?" he asked.
"I took a taxi."
"Perfect." he said as they reached the passenger door of his car. Instead of opening it he backed Ally against the side of the car and kissed her for a moment. Eventually Ally began to giggle and he released her, opening the door for her to get in before going to the driver's side.
When they got to the Moon house Mimi was thrilled to see them and gave Ally a perfectly tight Mom-hug. Mike was happy to see her as well and Ally gave him a big hug and sat to talk to him for a few minutes.
"Did you know about this?" Austin asked his mom.
"Not until she called after she landed today." Mimi answered with a shake of the head. "I told you she was special. If you mess up this second chance with her I may never forgive you."
Austin shook his head but stayed quiet because Ally was headed his way. He slung an arm around her, pulling her close to his side.
"It's so good go see you guys again." Ally said. "I never knew Miami would still feel like home after being gone so long, but it's because of the people, because you are here."
Austin just grinned at his mom.
"Well, I'll make you a proper welcome home dinner tonight. Have you talked to Lester yet? He should come too." Mimi said, going into planning mode.
"He knows I flew in today because I'm staying with him. I'll make sure he's here for dinner tonight." Ally promised
"So, what are your plans this afternoon?" Austin asked.
"I didn't really think beyond getting here."
"Good. Come on." Austin said and they left on an impromptu date to the amusement park until they had to come home for dinner.
. . .
So did you like it? There are another 2-3 chapters left in this story and I think you'll like them. Let me know if what I'm doing here works. I love to hear from you guys! Thanks so much for reading.
weesh