Two in a Million | Auslly

Thirty: Stories & Surprises

Austin raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oh, so now you're admitting I was right?"

Ally rolled her eyes. "I'm not admitting anything. I just...I don't know."

"Well, I think you're in denial because I'm the one that was right."

"Nobody was right or wrong, Austin," Ally said, picking up a rag and wetting it down. "Let's just drop it." Austin frowned.

"Are you okay?" Ally shook her head.

"I don't know, honestly. I talked to Trish earlier today and she took your side on the whole therapy thing, saying I should make an appointment. So, I did..."

"That's great, Ally! I'm proud of you." Austin gave her a side hug and she grinned.

"But then I cancelled it."

"Wait, why?" Austin asked, wrapped his arms around Ally's waist and rested his head on her shoulder. "Als, we've talked about this. You can't just push it away forever. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me."

Ally grinned, pulling away from his grasp. "As sweet as that is, I'm still not sure. It's been so long, maybe it's best to just try and move on as much as we can. I don't need anybody's help to do that."

"It'll be good for you, trust me," Austin argued, grabbing her hand and pulling her back towards him. Ally sighed. "What if I go with you?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?" Austin nodded.

"Yeah. I want you to be able to cope with this in a healthy way, Ally." He paused. "Do it for the kids?" Ally looked down at the floor.

"Okay." She paused. "I'll do it for the kids, but not for you," she teased. Austin grinned as he wrapped her in a bear hug from behind, lifting her up in the air. Ally shrieked and let out a belly laugh, making Austin laugh just as hard. He swung her around in a circle before she begged to be put down in between wheezing laughs. Ally leaned on the counter with both hands, trying to steady herself. Austin leaned in and wrapped his arms around her. He pecked her on the cheek and Ally blushed. They were both silent for a minute until Austin leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips. They lingered in that for a moment but quickly pulled away when they heard shrieking from outside. Austin ran out to the deck to check on the kids, then came back inside.

"They're fine," he said. "They're both gonna need to be hosed down after this, but they're fine." Ally grinned. "So, what do you think about...me coming with?" she shrugged.

"If you want to. There will probably be a lot of ugly crying, but it's nothing you haven't seen before."

"Great." He pecked her on the lips one more time before grabbing his phone off the counter. Ally frowned.

"Great that I agreed to let you come with, or great that there will be ugly crying?"

"The first one," Austin replied. "I want to be a part of this and help you get better."

Ally looked down at her feet. "Thanks, Austin."

"You know I'd do anything for you, Ally." He pecked her on the forehead. "I'll be right back," he said before disappearing into the other room.

/

one week later

Ally paced the length of the small waiting room at the counselor's office while Austin pretended to read a magazine in one of the chairs in the corner. After watching her for a few seconds, he sighed and put the magazine down.

"It's gonna be fine, Als. There's nothing to worry about." She looked at him but continued pacing, biting her lip. "Ally," he said again. He patted the seat next to him. "Sit down." She did as he said, coming over and sitting down next to him. A couple of seconds later, her leg started bouncing involuntarily. Austin reached over and put his hand on her knee. She looked up at him, then back down at her lap.