Chapter 3: Significant Moments

A/N: I'm so excited for this story. I have a lot of good ideas, but I'm just not sure which ones to use! Thanks again to yall who reviewed, I really appreciate the supportive comments. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Ally's POV

"No, Trish, I don't believe you've told me about that." I yawned, trudging sleepily beside my excited friend. She was rambling on about some new celebrity couple that I honestly did not care about one bit.

"And then boom! I killed my math teacher." Trish exclaimed and I continued walking.

"I knew it! You weren't even listening! What's wrong, Ally?" She grabbed my arm and pulled me back to her. I rubbed my eyes, in a confused daze.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just so tired. I was up so late last night, and I completely…" My words trailed off as I realized I couldn't really remember much, I was so exhausted. Trish patted my arm, and pulled me towards Sonic Boom, muttering something about finding a bucket of icy water…

I was leaning on the counter behind me, absentmindedly pushing buttons on the register, when a hand waved in front of my face unexpectedly.

"Ah!" I yelped, and turned around to see who my attacker was. Austin. Who else?

"Hey, Ally! Wanna practice a song?" The blond boy was practically hopping up down with excitement. His eager, toothy grin brought a small smile to my face, and I yawned again.

"Hi, Austin. You scared me there. Sorry, what was it you wanted to do?" I asked, not comprehending anything he was saying. He sighed, and took my shoulders with both hands, looking deeply into my eyes. Austin leaned in close to my face, and my breath hitched. What was he doing? My eyes slowly closed, and I leaned forward a little, expecting… who knows what.

"WAKE UP!" I jumped a mile high, knocking the cash register off the counter beside me. My eyes flew open, and I smacked Austin in the arm. He snickered.

"What was that for?" I yelled.

"You were still half asleep! I want to practice a song with you but you weren't paying any attention!" Austin explained. I sighed, wishing I was in my bed, with a nice cozy blanket. For a second there, I almost thought he was leaning in to kiss me. And I probably wouldn't have pulled away. Wait, what? Austin is my best, best friend. Why would I ever even consider kissing him? But his lips were right there, and his body heat was radiating off of him, and I just couldn't think clearly. That's it. I'm just tired, that's all. No need to worry, Ally. Just calm down.

After napping for a very long time on a couch in the practice room, I felt refreshed and awake. I jogged down the steps, to find my three best friends dancing happily around the store. I rolled my eyes, wondering if I even wanted to know what was going on.

"What's up, you guys?" I tried to get someone's attention, but they were still dancing. "HEY!" I finally yelled. They all stopped and turned to look at me in confusion. I giggled at their expressions.

"Guess what, Ally? Guess what? Guess what?" Dez ran over to me like a little kid, tugging on my arm.

"What? What is it?" I asked, smiling.

"We're all going to go camping!" Trish shouted. My jaw dropped. Trish was excited about camping? She is definitely not an outdoorsy type. She didn't even like going strawberry-picking because it was outside in trees and plants and dirt.

"Trish? You actually want to go camping?" I said in disbelief.

"Well, it's going to be in a really nice park, and we're getting cool tents and sleeping bags. I'll just make sure to bring a ton of bug spray! It's gonna be so much fun!" My small latino friend explained happily. I shrugged, still not really understanding why she wanted to go camping. Everyone resumed their goofy dancing, myself included this time.

Dez and Trish had left, and Austin and I were alone. I had closed Sonic Boom. We were wiping down counters and polishing instruments. My dad was coming back tomorrow, and I wanted him to think I did a good job with the store while he was away.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of strong arms loop around my body, lifting me up off the ground. I laughed, knowing it was Austin. He turned me around so I could see his face, and our eyes met. I knew exactly what he was feeling. We were both excited for camping and being able to spend more time together. His warm brown irises bore into mine, and I could feel his breath on my face. A lock of soft blond hair concealed one eye, and I gently reached up to move it away. He leaned into my touch, and I heard my breath intake with surprise at how much I was feeling at that moment. I loved Austin. So much. And I was going to tell him.

"Austin, I love you." I whispered, without any fear. I knew I was safe with Austin, and I knew he wouldn't ridicule me or reject me.

"I love you too Ally. More than you know." He whispered back, and brushed a thumb across my cheek, a blush creeping up behind it. His hand found mine, and we stood like that for what seemed like an eternity. I was mesmerized by him. Austin overwhelmed my senses entirely, and I loved it. Forget best friends. I didn't have a care in the world.

"Hey kids, I'm back!" The door burst opened to reveal my cheery father, with his new cello t-shirt and silly matching tie. I stepped away from Austin immediately, and Austin threw his hands up in the air as if being arrested. A nervous laugh escaped from my mouth, and I went over to hug my dad.

"Welcome back, Dad! I missed you." I said as he hugged me. I could see Austin loitering awkwardly in the corner, unsure of what to do.

After a few more minutes of chatting, Austin got up to leave.

"Sorry." I said sheepishly and gave him a hug. He shrugged and gave me a small smile as he walked out.

(A week or so later)

I had extremely mixed emotions about what had gone on between Austin and I. I felt confused, embarrassed, and I just wished I knew what we were anymore. I meant everything I had said, but I had no way of knowing if he felt the same. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to date him. That would just be so strange.

It was the morning of the day we left to go camping. We had loaded up our tents and sleeping bags, and coolers of food. We were staying at a nice park for 2 days. I was worried about what would it be like between Austin and I.

Suddenly my phone rang, and I answered to hear Austin's voice. His sweet, musical voice…

"Hey. Bad news." He said.

"What is it?" I asked nervously. Was he going to back out because of me?

"Trish and Dez can't come. Dez sprained his ankle skateboarding in his bedroom, and Trish has a really bad cold. Looks like it's just me and you! If you still want to…" He told me.

"Of course I still want to. I'll see you at our original time, ok?" I said, happy I would be with Austin. Wait. Dez was skateboarding in his bedroom? How on earth….?

Freezing, rainy weather. Disfunctional tents. Horrible bathrooms. Our camping trip was not going well.

We arrived at the park in the truck we had borrowed from Trish's dad. There was a combination of drizzle and sleet, and it was freezing. We attempted to set up our brand new tent, but apparently German directions do not provide much help. I went to look at the bathroom facilities. You don't even want to know.

We ended up sitting in the truck with dozens of blankets covering us, and listening to a Spanish radio, since there were no other available stations.

Austin and I had made small talk, and we made an effort at our friendly banter, but there was still tension. All I could think was, "This is all my fault." I was the one who had started the proclamations of love and the… intimacy. I wish we were still just best friends. I felt comfortable there.

Out of the blue, Austin looked up at me, piercing me with his deep chocolate brown eyes. I bit my lip, holding back my emotions. Then he asked me a question I was not prepared for.

"What happened with your mom, Ally?" His innocence was outstanding, and I resisted the urge to hug him fiercely.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked him cautiously, afraid to say much.

"I was just curious, and I want to understand you and know you completely." No joke, my heart melted. Seriously. I could've sworn I felt it melt like an ice cube in the hot Miami sun.

I stuttered nervously, "Well-I-uh-I…" I took a deep breath. You can do this, Ally. Tell him. Tell him everything. Just let it out for once. Come on.

It felt so sudden and abrupt, that the words tumbled out all at once. My whole story. Laid out for him to see.

"My mother left when I was five. My dad loved her a lot, and he didn't know anything was wrong. I looked up to her so much, and I wanted to be just like her. She had an affair. I didn't find out the reason for the divorce until about four years ago, when I was eleven. All that time, she had gone on as if nothing was wrong. She married the man she cheated with, and I visited her sometimes. I felt rejected and mad and just really confused. I was mad at her, and I would cry a lot. No one knew. They thought I was fine. One day, I blew up at her. I yelled at her for leaving me and not caring about anyone but herself. How could a mother leave her own child like that? I cried and ran from her, and thought I could forget everything. Ever since then… I've just been so scared everyone will leave me. I can't trust people not to go and leave me behind. It scares me that I need people so much, but they don't need me at all."

The tears were flowing, and I could feel his eyes watching me. I was ashamed of my tears, and I tried to stop them in vain. I wished I was strong and could say this without breaking down. A comforting arm wrapped around me and pulled me towards Austin's warm body. I leaned my head on his shoulder and cried like I never had before. Why did he have to see me so weak and vulnerable?

Austin said nothing for what seemed like forever. I was grateful, and just wanted to let my feelings out. His silence was oddly reassuring and comforting. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve, and reached over to hug him.

"I'm sorry. I am so sorry, Ally. I love you." He said in a steady, calm voice. I tried to pull away and reply, but he pulled me back. "Don't. Just come here." He said, and I obeyed, absorbing his warmth.

"Thank you, Austin. I really… I just really needed this. I love you." I told him, meaning every single word.

"Look, Ally, I want you to tell me everything. Don't be afraid to talk with me. I'll always listen." Austin's words put a smile on my face. "And I want you to know that I will never leave. I need you so much. I couldn't be without you. You are my best friend, no wait, you're more. I won't leave you, Ally." He spoke quietly, and I understood.

"I know." I replied, suddenly happy we were trapped in a truck with a Spanish radio playing in the backround. I just wanted to be there with Austin.

Suddenly, Austin Moon leaned over slowly and pressed his warm lips to my cheek, and held them there longer than an ordinary kiss. When he pulled away, I met his eyes, and the answer to all my questions and worries were there. Austin loved me, and I loved him. It was special, and nothing else mattered in that small, yet significant moment.

A/N: So, how was it? I loved writing this. I actually got a little emotional :) Please review and tell me what you thought!