"Tell Me That You Love Me"

AN: This is a prompt coming from a friend and fellow fanfic writer. A fluff fic featuring Tori/Andre. This is one of my favorite songs these two sing together, and I hope you enjoy.

Andre arrives in the studio, setting up his keyboard, and lays out his song sheets as he prepares to meet with Tori to record a studio version of "Tell Me That You Love Me". He's going around the room adjusting power cords, checking sound equipment, and anything else he can think of to avoid thinking about what has been on his mind for the past few months.

Since meeting Tori, things have been great between them. Andre has been able to tell her anything, and go to her for advice no matter the situation. They have written and sang many songs together, and her vocals have never ceased to amaze him. The two have always had great musical chemistry, and Andre hopes that there may be some emotional chemistry there as well. The more time Andre has spent with Tori, the more he realizes that she is exactly what he wants in a girl. She's sweet, she's passionate about music, and is an unfailingly generous person, and Andre couldn't imagine anybody better to be by his side as his girl. He just had to figure out a way to tell her how he feels. The last thing he wanted was to mess this up, and lose her as a friend. As he is tinkering on the keyboard, Andre is surprised by Tori coming in behind him.

"Hey Andre."

"Oh, hey Tori. How are you?" Andre asked, swinging his arms and rocking back and forth.

"I'm okay. Are you doing alright?"

"Me, oh yeah, yeah I'm good. Are you ready to record?"

"Ready when you are." Tori said.

Andre sits down at the keyboard, while Tori stands by the mic. He preps her before hitting record, and she starts to sing. Andre can't help but smile while he plays along to her beautiful voice, and the song's lyrics were resonating with him, and how he is feeling right now.

So tell me that you love me yeah

And tell me that I take your breath away

Maybe if you take one more than I would know for sure

There's nothing left to say

Tell me that you love me anyway

He kept playing and singing along with her, completely mesmerized. Andre has always seen music as a great storyteller, and a way to express yourself, to share your dreams, and to give to others. He hoped that in some way, Tori could see that this song was Andre expressing his heart to her, and that maybe she would feel the same. Before he knew it the song was over, and Andre sat lost in a haze.

"Well, how did that sound? Do we like it?" Tori asked.

"Uh, yeah…yeah, it was great. You sounded wonderful."

"Thanks, and you sounded perfect as always." Tori told him.

"Thank you." Andre nodded.

After that they did one more take for good measure, and Andre was still amazed by her. He had everything he needed for the editing process, and the recording session went off without a hitch. Now hopefully Andre could get through putting the finishing touches on this song with all the feelings he has floating around in his head.

Later the gang were all having lunch together. Andre got his lunch, and sat at the table next to Tori. At the moment, they were all listening to Robbie tell a story about when he was a kid, his sister would try to scare him after they went to bed by running in his room wearing a large, feathered, chicken mask, and that's why he doesn't like when the mascot comes out at sporting events.

"I'm serious. The thing freaked me out, and she'd do it all the time." Robbie told them.

The gang were trying to hold back laughter, while Beck raised his hand, attempting to stop them.

"Okay, well why don't we move on to talking about something else." Beck said. "Andre, how did it go with the song you and Tori recorded together?"

"It came out great; Tori sounded amazing."

"Aww thanks, you sounded amazing too." Tori said, leaning into his shoulder.

Andre smiled, looking away and hoping no one at the table would notice how flustered he was whenever Tori would compliment him. The young songwriter has always been able to express himself best through song, and let the lyrics do the talking, but Andre knew that at some point he would have to be more direct, and tell Tori how he was feeling if he ever wanted the two of them to be more than friends. It wouldn't be easy, but maybe someone could help him figure out where to go from here.

After their improv class at the Black Box Theater, Andre stuck around tinkering on the piano. Beck also hung back, noticing that his friend seemed distracted. They ran acting exercises with Sikowitz as usual, and Andre is almost always on point, but today anytime he was on stage, he couldn't stop staring at Tori. He had forgotten the prompt twice when it was his turn, and Beck wanted to see what was on Andre's mind that had thrown him off today. Beck sat at the edge of the stage, while Andre stopped playing, and turned to face him.

"Hey."

"Hey, you doin' alright, Man?" Beck asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Cause you don't usually mess up so bad when we're doing improv. Is something going on with you?"

"Well, it's Tori. I've been thinking about her a lot, and I think I really like her." Andre explained.

"Have you told her?" Beck asked.

"Nah, I don't even know where to begin." Andre said, standing up from the piano. "I don't want to mess this up. I mean, what If I tell her how I feel, and she doesn't feel the same way. We've been friends for so long, and…I don't know if she'd be interested in being more than that."

Beck stepped up on stage, placing a hand on Andre's shoulder.

"Listen, you're not going to feel better unless you find out for sure. You're a great guy, Andre. Tori would be lucky to have you."

"You think so?"

"I know so. You should ask her to hang out sometime, just the two of you. See where it goes." Beck told him.

Andre nodded, and thanked Beck before they headed off to class. He knew Beck was right, and while he didn't know yet what he was going to say, Andre did have an idea for how they could spend an evening together.

Meanwhile, Tori is at her locker talking to Trina about a part Trina is looking to audition for. It's about a woman who has captivated every man she meets by her singing. Tori knew her sister's singing was everything but captivating, but her acting wasn't so bad in the right setting so maybe that would win the play director over.

"I've been practicing the song all week, and I know that part is as good as mine." Trina said.

"Isn't Lindsey Kane auditioning too?" Tori asked.

"Yeah, but she had bronchitis two weeks ago. Plus she's not as good a dancer as me." Trina said, while Tori bit her lip, not making eye contact.

"What, you don't think I can beat her?"

"Well, didn't you tell me she starred in almost every musical last year?"

"Yeah, so maybe she did, but this part is definitely mine; trust me." Trina said, walking away.

Tori shut her locker as Andre came from behind her. She was mildly startled by him for a minute, but still greeted him with a smile.

"Hey Andre."

"Hey, I couldn't help but overhear; Trina wants to sing in a play?"

"Yeah, I just hope she's not too discouraged by Lindsey's audition." Tori said.

"Well no matter how it goes, I think It's good Trina has you to support her."

"Yeah, sometimes I think I'm too supportive for my own good." Tori said, and they both laughed.

"So, listen, a friend of mine from my RB vocals class is playing with his band at a café tomorrow night. I was wondering if you'd be interested in going with me."

"Yeah, sure. That sounds like a lot of fun." Tori said.

"Okay great, I'll pick you up tomorrow around seven."

They wave goodbye heading in opposite directions to class. Andre couldn't wait for tomorrow night, and he'd be practicing what to say for the rest of the day.

Andre and Tori arrive at the café, while the band is still setting up. He sees his friend on bass, Ricky who waves to them, and Andre guides Tori over toward the stage. They grab a table at the front, and Andre and Ricky greet each other, shaking hands.

"Hey Man, glad you could make it tonight." Ricky said.

"Hey Ricky. You remember my friend Tori, right? She goes to school with us."

"Nice to see you again, Tori." Ricky says, shaking her hand.

"Nice to see you, too."

Andre and Tori take a seat, and they order coffee and cinnamon buns as more people start to arrive. After the place fills up, the band is finally announced, and they begin their set. Andre has known Ricky since they both started at Hollywood Arts, but the rest of the band he has only met this year. The band has been playing gigs for a little over a year now, and the gig they are playing tonight is one Andre hooked up for them. As a thank you, the band invited him to come and they paid for the food for him and Tori. Tori seemed to be really enjoying herself, and so far it's been the best night out with her that Andre has ever had. Normally when they would hang out it was with the whole gang or they would be at Tori's house doing homework or working on a song. This time, Andre got to hang out with Tori alone, and they got to let loose, have fun, and enjoy each other's company. At some point, the band took a break, and Ricky sat with Andre and Tori, while they talked a bit about school.

"So you guys are in Sikowitz's class together?" Ricky asked.

"Yeah, he's still pretty much the same." Andre said.

"Is he still drinking coconut juice?"

"Oh yeah." Andre said, and Tori laughed.

"So what else do you have going on with music?" Ricky asked.

"Me and Tori just finished recording a song this week. We sang it while out to dinner with friends, and thought it would be good for a recording session."

"Oh okay, I'll have to hear it sometime. If she's as good as you say, then we'll have to play a show together." Ricky told them.

"Well, thank you." Tori laughed. "I'd love to sing with you guys."

Ricky rejoined his bandmates, and they got up to finish their set. The show came to an end, and Andre thanked the band for inviting him, and paying for their food, before he and Tori took a walk by the water across the street. The evening couldn't have gone better, and Andre enjoyed every minute with Tori, listening to some good music and joking around all evening. He wanted so badly to take her hand while they were walking, but he didn't want to rush things. For a moment, while they were watching the band play, it seemed like maybe Tori was enjoying Andre's company as more than just friends. She smiled the whole time they were talking, and Andre noticed Tori tuck her hair behind her ears when laughing, like he'd seen her do many times before when she liked someone. It's possible that she was trying to tell him something, and now was as good a time as any for Andre to come forth with what he's been wanting to say.

"Tori, there's something I've been wanting to tell you." Andre said, stopping in front of her.

"What is it?"

"Well, ya know, we've been friends for a while now, and…well, I'm really glad I met you."

"I'm really glad I met you, too." Tori told him.

Andre stood there clearing his throat, and took a deep breath before continuing.

"And since you came to school here, and I've gotten to know you, I think we've gotten along pretty well. I like being able to talk to you about anything, and you've always encouraged me, which is why, uhm, well why I've been feeling different about us lately…" Andre sighs. " Tori, I like you. If you want to just stay friends, that's okay too —"

Andre was interrupted by Tori placing a hand on his arm, and she said. "I like you, too."

"...but I just wanted you to know, and…what'd you say now?"

Tori laughs. "I said, I like you, too."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Tori said, taking his hand.

Andre squeezes her hand back as he brushes Tori's hair behind her ear, laying a soft kiss on her lips. They kiss a little longer, and Andre can feel Tori smiling as she wraps her arm up behind his shoulder. They break apart, still smiling as Andre takes Tori's hand, and they walk back to the car. He drives her home, having had one of the best nights he's had in a long time with a girl he likes, and now he knows she likes him back. Andre didn't know yet where things would go with Tori from here, but he is excited to find out.

The two of them walked up to Tori's front door, still holding hands, while Andre wished this night could last forever. Alas they would have to wait until tomorrow, and Andre bid her goodnight.

"Can I give you a ride to school tomorrow?" Andre asked.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning, then."

They both lean in for another kiss, before saying goodnight. Neither of them knew when they were going to tell the others, but this was definitely the beginning of something better, and Andre couldn't wait to see what happens next.