Say You'll Stay

Chapter 3

Austin's POV

Remember when I cried to you a thousand times
I told you everything
You know my feelings

-Avril Lavigne Remember When

Friday ends and Saturday morning comes before I can even think about it. What was there to ever think about? Nothing, absolutely nothing.

I sit up in the bed and rub the sleepiness out of my eyes. After sighing out loud and groaning, I throw the comforter aside and put my feet down on the soft carpet. I could shower and go eat breakfast, or I could lay in bed for the whole day and ignore everything else. I could also get ready for one of my dearest friends engagement party. Yep, that's what I am going to do.

After showering and burning my skin with the temperature of the water, and eating breakfast, I find my way back to my room, sitting down on the surface of the bed. The time is one in the after noon, I'm a late sleeper after all, and the dinner starts at five.

Something snaps in my brain at the thought of tonight, my legs find their way to hop off of the bed and walk to my top drawer. The dresser seems like it's a million miles away but eventually I reach it and pull the drawer open. Once opened, I dig through the contents till I find what I want. The letter.

Not just any letter, the letter that Ally sent me. Three and a half years ago. The letter is still in the same white envelope and if I allow my mind to drift far enough, I can still smell a bit of her perfume.

I take the envelope in to my hands and walk over to the bed. I allow my self to get comfortable before taking the letter out.

Why am I doing this to my self today? Because I can't help it.

The letter is in good shape considering how many times I have read it in the last three years. The white stationary, (She did go to calligraphy camp after all) was still the same, the little pink flowers were still on the corners. The hint of tear stains are still on the paper, a mixture of mine and hers.

When the paper is out of the envelope, my eyes start to read over the words for the millionth time.

Dear Austin,

Gosh, I don't even know why I'm doing this. Oh, I know. Because I miss you. I miss you so much that it made me write a letter on my brand new stationary that I've been trying to save for a special occasion. Enough about that, back to why I'm writing this. It's been six months since you left and it still feels like you're here but you're not, and that doesn't help the missing you. After what was said that night, no I'm not going to bring it up.

Any way, it's mid April now and my professor has started to take interest in my songs. It's an incredible honor and I'm trying my best to come up with the best songs that would impress him even more. But, every time I attempt to write a new one, I get distracted. I guess you could say I have writer's block. Well I did. I don't any more.

Why don't I have it any more? When I was flipping through my old song books while looking for inspiration, I found the song that I wrote for you when we got back together. Parachute. Remember that? Yes, I'm sure you do. Well, I found the song and after allowing my self to think about everything, I got inspiration for a song. A song for you. And me. After writing the song and bursting into tears, I knew that I had to send it to you so you knew how I was feeling. I don't expect you to send a letter back, I would prefer if you didn't. This is my official good-bye. So goodbye Austin Moon, what we had was nice but, like everything else in life, had to end. This is called Remember When.

These feelings I can't shake no more
These feelings are running out the door
I can feel it falling down
And I'm not coming back around
These feelings I can't take no more
This emptiness in the bottom drawer
It's getting harder to pretend
And I'm not coming back around again

The song was beautiful, just like every song Ally wrote. It meant so much to me because it was a goodbye.

After reading over the letter, I put it back in the envelope and walk over to the dresser to put it back in the drawer. Reading her last words to me, gives me enough strength.

So I get my self dressed in a blue button up and black slacks after styling my hair. I'm not going to brood any more, nope I'm going to put on some dress shoes and drive to the party while thinking about the yummy food that I would get to eat. Food's the only thing that gives me joy.

Ally's POV

I'm late. I'm so late for the engagement party. The party started at five, I don't pull into the parking lot until six thirty. I can blame it on the fact that I got inspiration for a song or that I really didn't want to show up on time.

I walk into the dining hall, welcomed with a big picture of Trish and her fiance Jace. Classic Trish. Everyone is mingling, I don't see a blonde, that has been in my head all day, any where. As I walk to where Trish is standing with her fiance, Dez and his girlfriend, I can hear my heart beating at the idea of Austin popping up. Before I reach my destination, I look over at the clock. I put a smile on my face when I see that I only have a half hour until my guest shows up.

As soon has Trish spots me, she raps me in a hug. "Ally! Where have you been?"

Once Trish loosens her group, I respond. "I'm sorry, I got an idea for a song. So I was working." After rolling her eyes, Trish introduces me to Jace.

"It's nice to meet you." Trish drags me to the bath room after I say hello.

When we reach the room, I turn to her and rub my wrist. "Ow! Why did you drag me in here?"

"Sorry, but why were you actually an hour and a half late?" Trish gives me her signature, 'I know all' look.

"I wasn't lying, I had to write a song."

"You sure? It didn't have anything to do with the blonde?"

"I'm positive." I decide to take the opportunity to look in the mirror. The red dress I was wearing reminded me of teenage Ally, but I wasn't that Ally any more.

"Okay, well I guess I should get back out there." Trish starts to walk out the door then turns back to look at me. "You coming?"

"I'll be back out in a second." I give her my signature, 'I'm okay but I'm not fine at all' smile. I know that she doesn't buy it but she leaves the bath room.

Once Trish is gone, I turn back to the mirror before checking my test messages.

I'm about twenty miles away, can't wait to see you.

I fix my hair and smile back at my reflection. I can do this.

Ten minutes later I find my self standing with Dez and his girl friend. "Ally, this is Carrie." I shake the pretty blonde's hand.

"Nice to meet you Carrie." Dez hands me a flute of champagne from the passing waiter, I gratefully accept it.

"So Ally, why am I just now meeting you?" Carrie asks me, not knowing everything about the past.

Why haven't I been back to Miami before this? A lot of reasons. My career is one of them. Between writing songs for my self and other people, I haven't had the time to come back nor have I wanted to. But I'm back now, have been for a week. I turn my head a little to see the main reason that I haven't been back before now. Chills attack my body as our eyes lock. His eyes are still that soft brown color, reminding me of chocolate. His hair is still blonde, maybe a little longer. He's wearing a blue shirt that reminds me of the old Austin.

They don't lock for long because the person I had been waiting for has arrived. "Ally!" Gavin, my boyfriend, says as he walks over to where I'm standing with Dez and Carrie.

"Hey!" Gavin takes me by surprise when he puts his lips on mine. Usually kissing him makes me relax but this kiss makes me tense and nervous. The feeling that I have had in my stomach is still there and even worse.

Dez gives me a weird look as I pulled away. "Dez, Carrie, this is Gavin. My boyfriend. He is a new country singer."

"It's nice to meet you" Gavin says in his country accent. "Ally's told me a lot about her friends from Miami."

"Nice to meet you too Gavin." Dez gives me his look that says, 'what are you trying to do?'

"We have to go meet Trish!" Gavin starts to walk away but Dez grabs my arm.

"Ally, what are you doing?" As long as I have known Dez, he has always had a certain stupidness to him that made him smart.

"What do you mean? He's my boyfriend."

"What ever you say." Dez looks back to where Austin stood before. "What ever just happened caused Austin to disappear."

I turn my gaze to where Dez is looking. He's right, Austin isn't standing there any longer. Great, now the curious, and worried part of my brain has to know where he went. But no one can know that.

Austin's POV

My eyes are burning, they are burning. I'm surprised that they haven't fallen out at the sight of Ally kissing a guy, a guy that was not me. I almost had the courage to walk over to her, but not now. Not after seeing the brunette kiss some one with brown hair. She wasn't supposed to kiss people with brown hair.

I can't stand here to watch the scene unfold so I move my feet to the open bar to get a drink. The bartender asks what I want, I respond with what ever will make me forget. She slides me a glass of scotch. I've never had it before but there's a first time for everything.

I think I've died and gone to hell as I look at my reflection in the mirror that's behind the bar. I can see Ally's reflection, standing with the mystery boy and Trish. Trish looks just as confused as I do. Ally's wearing a red dress that reminds me of the old Ally. Her hair is different, darker. But she's as beautiful as ever. She's not my beauty, she's that other guy's beauty.

You would think that I would know that she has a boyfriend. I did follow her on every social media account after all. Guess that he wasn't social media worthy.

Great, another memory pops up in my head as I gulp down the rest of the drink.

It was in July, the summer before senior year. Ally and I were going strong and were actually happy. We had sat on Ally's bed on an afternoon, looking at her computer. Ally was weighing the pros and cons of changing her relationship status from 'single' to 'in a relationship with Austin Moon'

"Maybe I shouldn't." Ally said as she stared at the computer screen. She was trying to stale the inevitable and I knew that.

"Ally, it's just Facebook!"

"It's not just Facebook!" She yelled. "It's an important step in a relationship and I don't want to mess this up."

"How could we mess this up?" I asked her and she gave me a pointed look.

"We mess everything up."

I decided to ignore her statement and push the send button for her. "There. Now Ally Dawson is in a relationship with Austin Moon. Can't take it back, it's Facebook official."

I take the last gulp of my second drink as I remember when she changed her status from 'in a relationship with Austin Moon' to 'single'. I find my self getting off of the stool and walking to the balcony. I open the door to step out into the fresh air.

The chilliness of the spring air catches me by surprise. I tighten the jacket over me, shaking my blonde hair. The air feels nice. I decide to stand out in the open to brood. I know that I told my self that I wasn't going to do that but everyone lies. Especially to them selves. Just like how I lied when I said that I was going to be okay.

I'm too busy thinking that I don't hear the door open and quietly close. Nor do I hear the click of the person's heels, or that it's the girl I'm trying so hard to forget.

"Hey" The softness of her voice with the little quiver of nervousness, causes the hair on my neck to stand up. I wonder who's going to end up pushing the other away this time.

Ally's POV

My heart beat is fast, too fast for my liking. But no one around me needs to know that as I stand with my hand in Gavin's.

Gavin. Gavin Young. Sweet, country Gavin. I met him back in winter when I was visiting a record label. The label said that Gavin was a new country singer and that he would be the perfect match for me and I guess that he was since we've been dating for two months, I think. When I told him that I had to go back to Miami, he, of course, insisted on coming with me. So here he is, making small talk with my best friends. And here I am, wondering where Austin is.

"So, how did you guys meet?" Trish asks us. Gavin answers her question in a long drawn out way. Including everything from the first word he said to me, 'hello ms. Ally.' to our first date at some restaurant. I stand still at his side, hand still in his. "That sounds so sweet!"

Trish gives me another one of her signature look that says, 'we need to talk'

I give her one back that says, 'later'

I look around at my surroundings, the surroundings that include people who I haven't spoken to in a long time. This is the wrong time to have a flashback but my mind still flashes back.

It was in December of senior year. Austin's parents invited me to go to their company Christmas party. So, I dressed in a red sparkly top with a green skirt. When Austin picked me up he said, "Well don't you look very proper for the season." I rolled my eyes as I got into his car.

Once we had gotten to the party, I stood by his side, hand in his, while talking to random people. "You guys are simply adorable!" An old lady said to us.

Austin and I rubbed noses, not even noticing the attention we had got.

"Ally, you okay?" Gavin's voice brings me out of the distant memory.

"Yeah I'm fine." But I'm not fine. I shake the memory away and excuse my self from the group. I need to do this.

I walk around the crowed room of people that are all celebrating the newly engaged couple. I can't think about that right now as I look for the blonde who was wearing blue. When it doesn't seem like he's talking to any one, I walk over to the empty bar. "Hi." I smile at the bartender. "Have you seen a blonde, about six foot, wearing a blue shirt?" The bartender nods her head while cleaning off the counter.

"Yes, he just left a few minutes ago."

"Where did he go?"

She thinks it over while pouring someone a drink. "I think the balcony. He had seemed distant, asked me for a drink that would make it forget. While gulping two drinks down, he seemed like he was having flash backs."

I tell her a thank you before making my way to the door that goes to the balcony. Now, I could open this door and have a civil conversation with the man who used to be my best friend. Or I could open the door and have an argument with the man who broke my heart a few times. What ever I decide, I need to do it now. So I grab the door handle and twist it.

I'm hit with a gust of cold air. And the sight of Austin standing with his elbows leaning on the railing and his blonde hair disheveled. I think over some more options before finally just getting out a greeting. "Hey." My voice is soft with a hint of nervousness. I know that he hears me by the way the hairs on his neck stand up, like he's heard a ghost.

My feet find a way to move closer to him. "Hi." The hairs on my neck stand up as well. I stand beside him, our shoulders almost touching, but not because that would be wrong.

He keeps his gaze focused on the dark sky, the moon being are only form of light. "How are you?" That's all you have to say, how are you? Really Ally?

He shakes his head, still refusing to look at me. "Could be better, could be worse. Obviously not as good as you." Then he turns his focus to me. I see that his eyes are sparkling in the moon, wait isn't this what the boy is supposed to notice? Any way, he turns his attention to me and I can see that he's trying to keep up his smirk but it's slowly slipping once he sees me.

"I have done pretty good haven't I?" My dress is red, it goes a little above my knee and flows just a little. My hair is darker than the last time he saw me and it's straighten. I look different, he looks the same.

Austin nods his head before responding. "How many awards do you have now?"

"I've lost count." I say jokingly.

He throws his head back laughing. "Is it easier to write the songs and not have to sing them?"

I consider his question. "In a way, yes." He looks down at my hand that is gripping the railing of the balcony. "Look, Austin, about what you saw, that was-"

Austin cuts me off. "You don't have to explain. I lost that right four years ago" His words sting a little but I ignore them. I move my hand from the railing to run it through my hair.

"I'm going to be back for a while, I figured that we should talk."

"There's not much to talk about." He says the statement with so much ease that it breaks a little piece of my heart that's been broken for a long time now.

"I guess you're right." We're both looking at the sky again. The tension in the air as risen since I first stepped out. "I just wanted to make sure that everything would be okay between us. I don't want things to be awkward."

"Things don't have to be." Austin turns back around again, this time he moves closer to the door. "Ally, your best friend is getting married, I'm not going to do anything to ruin that."

He doesn't say anything else, nor does he give me the chance to say anything. Austin opens the door and leaves just as quickly. I'm left leaning on the railing, chills on my arm from the cold and something else. I sigh as I look at the message on my phone.

Ally, where are you sweetie? The party is almost over and I miss you.

Sweet, sweet Gavin. I'm about to step away from the balcony to go back down to the party when my phone dings again.

You always looked good in red. Nice to see you again Ally.

Austin, Austin, Austin.

Before walking out the french doors, I respond to one of the text messages.

Nice to see you too.

Hey! Originally this was going to be two separate chapters but I decided to combine them. I personally really like this chapter so I hope you do as well. Thank you for reading and please leave a review :)

I do not own Austin and Ally or Remember When by Avril Lavigne.