La Serenissima

Dr. Cupid Returns

"You met a girl? Is Dr. Cupid back?" Austin teased Dez, when he mentioned that he was seeing someone new.

"No, he is not. But I'm taking his advice with her," he told Austin before telling her every single thing about Christina Close, who Austin immediately knew was a model. She had starred in one of Austin's first videos, which Dez had also directed. He hadn't known they kept in contact all those years but he was happy for his friend. Dez deserved a little love after the hell his former girlfriend, Carrie, had put him through.

It wasn't a pretty story. They had dated for years after high school before she had ditched him for a modeling career, leaving him not only for fame, but for another model as well. While Christina was also a model, she was a good one; and one that Austin knew he could trust with Dez. Because if Austin didn't trust her, he'd be having some words with Dez right now.

"Speaking of Dr. Cupid..." Austin tried to subtly bring Dez's alter ego up again. "I could use some of his advice."

Dez smiled wide over the screen, reaching just beyond the monitor and pulling on his fake head mirror.

"I don't even want to ask why you have that handy."

"Then don't. Just tell me the girl troubles. The doctor is in the house."

And that's exactly what Austin did. He told Dez about meeting Ally, the amazing girl who was taking up more of his thoughts than music was these days. He told him about learning Italian to speak with her, about their nightly talks at Santoli's, about the underground party, the almost kisses and about Carnevale. And then, then Austin told him about her note and how he was still thinking about her now and wishing he could rewind time and risked it all that night.

"Damn," Dez said. "That's some love story."

"What am I supposed to do? I want this girl, Dez. I want her so bad, but I'm here for another month, tops, before I come back. I have no clue about her plans...if she's staying here or going somewhere else. And then there's the question of if we do do this and it's amazing and I never want to go back to Los Angeles or..."

"Hold up," Dez stopped him from his freak out. "First, breathe. Second, I think before you freak out even more and go insane, you need to tell her how you feel."

"How do I feel?"

Dez laughed at him. "Pretty sure you're in love with her. You learned a foreign language for her, dude. When has Austin Moon ever been girl shy?"

"I think you're thinking of another Austin Moon."

Dez was right of course, but Austin wouldn't admit that until he actually talked with Ally...whenever that might be. He had tried to see her at Santoli's for the past two nights, but always missed her. Suzetta had told him that she came in earlier and left before he arrived. He saw the worried look in Suzetta's eyes and assured her that they were still friends, but that's all he would say, and honestly, he wasn't sure if Ally wanted to be friends with him anymore. Not since he tried to do the right thing and be the gentleman after a long night at the ball. He didn't want to take advantage of the situation. He wanted their first anything to be something they would both remember and both want.

It wasn't long after Dez's advice that he had to go, citing a date night with Christina in an hour's time. Closing down his computer, Austin pulled the papers he was working on back to the center of the desk and stared back down at Ally's note. He knew what he had to do, he just didn't know how or when, but it had to be before Friday's ball, which was two days away, and he didn't think he could take two more days without seeing her. When he thought of Venice now, it wasn't just the music and mystery that popped into his mind. She did. She was his Venice.