Hey guys! I'm finally back! I'm SOOOOO sorry I haven't been able to update. My iPod had a lot of problems and I keep my stories in my iPod and upload them from there, so yeah. Lots of problems. I had to completely restore my iPod and rewrite the story and log back in and so on. But I finally got around to updating this chapter and I hope you love it! This is the last chapter, so Read & Review! :D
AUSTIN'S POV
My mind raced for an explanation as I waited for Ally at the stairs. One minute we were laughing and playing games, the next minute, silence was cast over us. I have no idea what it was. I felt as if I should've said something, but I was mesmerized by her eyes. I don't know what I wanted to say anyway. I don't know how, but some connection was holding us captive in that moment.
The mere fact that she could put a spell over my brain like that, reminded me why I loved her so much. She finally seemed to snap out of the trance as well and followed me up the stairs. I sat next to Ally at the dinner table and my mom served our food.
"Not very talkative this evening are we? Everything alright?" My mom asked.
"Yes mother, everything is swell. The breathtaking aroma of your cooking just leaves me speechless." I said properly and sarcastically to be funny and try to break the ice.
It must've worked because Ally coughed and began to spit her drink out. At first I thought she was choking, but she was actually laughing. She looked at me with a confused, yet happy face. I then understood that she was laughing at my sarcastic attempt to be proper. After her drink had been completely released from her mouth, she just began to openly giggle. It was actually really adorable.
My mom handed her napkins and she wiped up her mess. I began to laugh at the sound of her laughter, and soon, everyone was laughing. There was no more strange tension in the air and we had a good dinner. My mom asked if we wanted dessert, but we denied considering we had plans to accomplish tonight. I needed my parents sound asleep as early as possible so Ally and I could get up to the graveyard.
I could tell that my mom was wondering why Ally was still hanging around. I debated on asking if she could spend the night, but I knew my mom would begin to assume that I'd be doing more than sleeping in my room. I didn't have any intention of that happening, but my mom just wouldn't let a girl sleep over.
Though, I didn't want Ally to have to sleep in the shed in her backyard either. I knew the inside of her house was a definite no, so I'd have to think of something else. I immediately remembered the fort in the woods. I had already cleaned the spray paint off not too long ago, and all furniture and other appliances were installed and fully functional.
"Mom, I'm gonna go walk Ally home, I'll be back in a few." I informed her.
She just nodded and told me to be back in no longer than twenty minutes. I grabbed Ally's hand and walked her out of the house.
"Remember that surprise I told you that you'd get to see when you got back from the beach?" I asked Ally.
"Mm-hm." She hummed.
"Well I think it's time for you to be surprised." I told her.
She giggled like an excited little kid. "Yay!"
I laughed at her giddiness and guided her down the familiar path in the woods. Once we approached the fort, I told her to close her eyes. She closed them.
"Now, no peeking okay?" I instructed.
"Okay..." She smiled.
I walked over and fixed a little flower in the garden very quickly, and stood in front of the fort in my best presenting pose.
"Open your eyes." I instructed.
I watched as Ally lowered her hands and gasped deeply. Her eyes sparkled in delight at the renewed view.
"Ta-Da!" I smiled.
"Oh my god, Austin, this is beautiful!" She gushed.
"So you really like it huh?" I asked, admiring her excitement.
"Of course I do! How did you do all this?" She asked, her smile growing wider on her face.
"Just a little renovation, that's all. The stuff inside was provided through a friend." I explained.
"There's more inside?!" She asked, her excitement level doubling.
"Yeah, come check it out." I said, guiding her to the door.
We walked in and she was awestruck at the design and the furniture. I showed her the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and living room area. It was getting late and I knew the stars and moon were beginning to appear in the sky. It was the perfect time for me to show Ally the upstairs viewing deck thingy.
"Come on, there's one last thing." I told her.
"There can't possibly be more." She protested.
I just laughed as I opened the hatch to the upstairs. I let her walk up first and I followed close behind. The bright stars came into full view as we walked out on the deck.
"Wow..." I heard Ally murmur under her breath.
I've seen her beauty in daylight and sunsets, but the stars are definitely her setting. Her chocolate brown eyes were like mirrors to those stars. Every single one reflected clearly in her eyes. Her ivory skin seemed to glow under the light of the moon. She turned to look at me, the smile still covering her face.
"Thank you so much Austin, this is amazing. You really went all out." She said quietly.
"Hey, for you? Anything." I smiled.
She shook her head at my cheesiness and leaned into my side, wrapping her arms around me. My heart still fluttered at her touch and I gladly returned the hug. I began to step away after a minute, but I noticed Ally was still snuggled up to me, holding her grip around me. So I settled back into the hug. I turned my head to look down at her, and her eyes were closed and she had subtle smile playing on her lips. I watched her for a few more moments then went back to just holding her. I kissed the top of her head as we swayed back and forth under the stars.
I heard her giggle after I kissed her, though our position was still unchanged. I didn't even bother to question it right now because I was too comfortable. I had been longing for this type of feeling with her again. With everything that had been going on, I haven't had a chance to feel like this. But now that the opportunity is here, I'm not going to waste it.
"Hey, look up here." I whispered into her hair.
She turned her head slowly to face me. The stars were still being reflected in her eyes, and that smile still hadn't faded. My lips curved slightly into a smile as well as I began to lean down. I wondered if Ally would be okay with this, because we haven't
acted very 'coupley' in a pretty long time. She didn't seem very intimidated, in fact, her smile seemed to grow wider. So I continued.
My heart buzzed and my mind went numb when her warm lips connected with mine. All this chaos was happening inside me, yet I felt perfectly calm and at ease at the same time. Something was different between us during this kiss. It was stronger, more serious. This wasn't just puppy love anymore. Not a crush. No more simple high school romance. This was love. I was in love with her.
I've said that before, but I was always unsure if it was really true. But at this point, I've been through too much and experienced more than most seventeen year olds. I've witnessed crime, death, and murder firsthand. Seeing and experiencing these things in the world makes you realize the maturity in situations. It makes the witty childish thoughts go away. Once you enter maturity, you know that if you think or know something, its not just your young conscious making you believing things. So now I can rightfully and truthfully say that I am in love with Ally Dawson.
There was no other way to explain it. The amount of fear and protectiveness I had felt when Ally was in the woods and at the beach, the way I felt when she laughed or smiled, the constant feeling that I need to be by her side. What else do you call that?
Whatever you want to call it, this girl in my arms is my life, the reason I am who I am. And if she were to ever disappear, my life wouldn't be worth living. I no longer have the strength to walk away or leave her alone. I belong by her side and she belongs next to mine.
As if reading my thoughts, Ally spoke up and whispered, "I love you, so much. More than you even know."
I chuckled. "Trust me, I know the feeling."
She laughed a little as she rose on tip toes and kissed me again through her laughter. "C'mon loverboy, I think it's time for you to go home."
I instantly remembered my mom's twenty minute rule that I just blew out of the water. "Oh yeah, I gotta go. Get some sleep if you want, I'll be back in a couple hours or so, depending on how long it takes for my parents to go to sleep. Okay?"
"Got it. So this is my new home now?" She asked, like a shy child.
"Yep, all yours. Don't worry though, you won't be alone here for long. I'll turn eighteen in a month." I said, winking at her.
"I know, I turn eighteen in a month too remember? Our birthdays are only a day apart." She laughed.
"How could I forget? That's my second favorite day of the year!" I proclaimed.
"Second favorite? What's your first?" Ally asked curiously.
"My birthday." I said with a smug grin on my face.
"Oh go home already!" She chuckled, pushing me out the door.
She kept pushing me until I was out of the front door and out in the dark woods. I attempted to turn and hug her goodnight, but she had beat me to it. I wrapped my arms around her, told her goodnight, and gave her a small kiss. It hurt for me to leave her alone in the woods, but I knew she was living in the safest place possible. So I convinced myself to take the final steps to my house.
I knew as soon as I walked in, my mom would yell at me for taking about forty minutes to walk out with Ally. I smoothed out my hair and my clothes so she wouldn't get any crazy ideas. I walked in and didn't see or hear my mom, so I just walked straight to my room.
But to my expected surprise, my mom was already in my room, sitting on my bed, giving me a firm look. I huffed a sigh, knowing I'd have to wait through some sort of lecture before I could sleep.
"Do you know what time it is?" My mom asked calmly.
"Yeah I know I'm later than I should be. Can I just go to sleep?" I complained.
"I don't make a curfew just because its fun, Austin. I need you to be back home and not wandering around late at night with some girl." She scolded.
"But it's not just some girl Mom! It's Ally! You've known her as long as I have, we've been best friends growing up together our whole lives! It's not just some stranger, you can trust us." I protested.
"But you are getting older, and you're dating and...I don't need to give you this speech do I?" She told me.
"No, you don't. But if you trust me, then just know, that that's not at all what we have in mind. Okay?" I explained.
"I do trust you Austin, but you make it so hard for me to trust you sometimes." She claimed.
I walked further into my room, hoping my mom would get the memo to leave.
"Well, your dad's already asleep, and I'm about to go join him. Goodnight Austin." My mom finally said, shutting the door on the way out.
I looked at the time and the clock read eleven thirty. I figured it would be safe to wait an hour before I left. Plus I'm actually pretty tired and I could use a good little nap. I set the alarm on my phone for an hour from now and I was out like a light.
...
It didn't feel like much longer until I was groggily turning over to silence the sound of my alarm. I rubbed sleep out of my eyes and looked at the time again. It was twelve thirty five. I knew I had to get a move on cause we only had so much time to get this done and over with.
I walked up to my door, and opened it as silently as possible. I creeped down the stairs and through the back living room door. I was hoping my parents didn't hear me. Once I was free of the house, I ran through the darkness to get to the fort. I walked in the front door and went towards the bedroom where Ally was most likely sleeping.
I pushed the door open silently, and walked up to her bed to find her sound asleep, curled up under the covers. I smiled as bent down on my knees to her level. I rested my arms on the side of the bed and began to try and wake her up.
"Ally. Ally wake up." I whispered, while nudging her shoulder.
After a few more attempts of this, her eyes slowly opened. She looked around a few times as if unsure if she was awake or in a dream.
"Ally, it's time to go. You gotta get up if you wanna do this." I informed.
She sat up and stretched, eyes still glazed with sleep and fatigue. After a few minutes of waking up, she followed me out the door and up to her house. She stood back as I reached into the doorway and pulled out the box holding her deceased father. I lugged it across the street and into the bed of our truck. I had the back of the truck already stocked with shovels and some flowers. I even had a big rock on which I wrote: "Lester Dawson, 1968-2013"
I made sure to keep my headlights off while backing out of my driveway. Once I got out on the road, I clicked them on. The whole way there, Ally didn't say a word. She gazed out the window with a distant look on her face. She might've just been tired, but I knew that emotions were probably running high right now. I understood her feelings, so I just left her alone at the moment.
I parked on a little trail around the outside gate at the cemetery. The fence around the area wasn't more than about three feet high, so I was able to lift the box up and over to the other side, then Ally and I stepped over. I had a shovel for each of us. Ally took one from my hand and we spent a little over an hour digging a hole deep enough and wide enough for her dad.
We were muddy and exhausted, but we had Ally's dad placed perfectly in the ground. I walked to the truck to get the gravestone and the flowers. I returned to find Ally sunk to her knees in the mud, crying over the makeshift grave. I laid the stuff next to her and placed an arm over her shoulders while she cried. She began to talk, not to me, but to her dad.
"Dad, I don't know if you are watching over me to hear this right now, but I hope that you are." She began, sniffling profusely. "I don't blame you for this. I know that times were hard when mom died. I guess you just thought I didn't care because I always kept my feelings inside. But I understand the pain. I felt it too. Drinking may not have been the best way to deal with the problem, but trust me, I've had my share of dumb ideas too." She chuckled before continuing. "I hate that our last years together had to be filled with pain and sadness, but just know that even through all that, I still loved you. I still love you today. And I always will. And most of all, I hope you have a better life up where you are now. You have mom back now. And one day, I'll meet both of you up there too. I love you mom and dad." She finished.
She stared into the grave for a few more moments, then broke into sobs again. I continued to hold her while she cried. I immediately felt a pang of hurt in my chest. Tears soon formed in my eyes as well. I don't know why or how, but it felt as if I was literally feeling her pain. Seeing her in such a terrible emotional place, was making me feel just as bad.
Ally had found her way to my side, leaning on me. Her sobs were silenced, but I could still see the pain in her eyes. After a few minutes if us kneeling silently at the grave, Ally spoke up.
"I'm ready to go now." She said, barely over a whisper.
I nodded and told her to wait at the truck for me while I finished up. She got up and walked over as I had told her. I turned back to the grave. I laid the gravestone in place and set the flowers close beside. I waited before leaving, but then stopped and kneeled back down.
"I know you probably don't know me that well Mr. Dawson, but I just wanted to let you know something." I started, speaking quietly. "Your daughter means the world to me. I know you might feel like there's no one left here to protect her, but trust me, I'll always be here for her. I'll always be by her side. I'll always watch over her. Her life will always come before mine and I promise you that. I understand that you've lived with lots of stress at times, but now is not the time to stress about anything anymore. Just relax, cause I've got her back." I finished.
I rose up and grabbed the shovels to head back to the truck. Ally was there, leaning on the door waiting for my return with a small smile on her face.
"What were you doing?" She asked me knowingly.
"Just paying my respects, that's all." I said with a grin.
She shook her head and turned to open the door. She stopped and turned back to me though.
"Hey, thanks for all of this. I know I may not have seemed that happy, but this really meant a lot to me. So thanks." She said.
We both got in the truck and rode back home. I drove down to the fort first. She got out of the truck, but asked me a question before shutting the door.
"Do you think you might want to stay here tonight?" She asked me.
I smiled at her before answering, "Absolutely."
...
Little did I know, that night changed my life forever.
ALLY'S POV
So maybe my life wasn't perfect. It doesn't matter. Because life isn't supposed to be perfect. My life started like a fairy tale. Then it turned to a nightmare. But my guardian angel woke me up from that nightmare. That angel's name is Austin. Austin Moon.
Sometimes when things aren't going your way, and you're about to let go, to give up completely, you have to think of that one reason why you're still hanging on. Because that one little reason can change your life. Life is like a bow and arrow. When you feel things are just getting harder, and you just keep getting pulled farther backwards, just know, that you are just preparing to get shot forward to your goal.
The point is, I went through a lot of crap in my life. But by the way it ended up, I don't know if I'd go back to change it if I could. There might be a time when things get rough again, but as long as I'm going through it with my guardian angel, my shoulder to lean on, my everything, my Austin Moon, then I know I've got nothing to worry about.
...
Oh no! It's over! I cried when I realized this because its my first real story and I'm glad you guys have been supporting it so much. I know that may not be the best ending, but I did the best I could with all the technical problems. And don't worry! I'm making an epilogue! I had is few loose ends I wanted to tie up so there will be that. Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your final review of the story :) maybe after the epilogue I'll let you guys know what other stories will be working on! :)
