La Serenissima

Making It Work

After Santo heard it, suggested looping Italian into it and once they did, it just all clicked. It was one of his favorite songs on the album and he couldn't wait for his fans to hear it. He definitely couldn't wait for his parents to hear it, or Dez, and definitely Ally. Maybe after she heard that song, or the secret one that was on the tail end of "Iris", would be her new favorite.

"Have you heard about the rights yet?"

Santo shook his head. "Nothing yet. I passed all the information you'll need for that to Adam. He's going to be point on this and you should hear back by the end of April. Still going to record it in Italian?"

"Why would I not? It loses all it's meaning in English."Santo smiled at him.

"It kind of does. You know, none of your fans will even know who you are anymore with this song. No one has covered this song in a long long time."

"It's Achille Togliani. I have to cover it."

The two friends talked about the rights for the songs they were trying to get for a bit longer, while eating a delicious meal before the two headed back to the city. Santo was off on another lesson (music was actually his entire life) and Austin was headed to Santoli's, to pick up some coffee before meeting Ally at his apartment. The Nicoletti's had come back the day before, but somehow, Ally was still staying with him and he wasn't minding one bit. He loved every bit of having her stay with him before he left. He loved waking up with her in his arms in the morning, he loved her making him pancakes and he loved coming home and seeing her dance all over the place with the music on...or at least try to.

They had only been "living together" for a few days, but he liked it. He liked it a lot and he wasn't sure he was actually going to. Living with Dez when they first moved to Los Angeles was something out of a Zaliens movie so he wasn't actually sure how living with a girl would be. Again, it was only three days, but he wouldn't mind trying it for longer.

He was halfway to Santoli's when he said goodbye to Santo. His friend was off to Austria tomorrow and with a bro-hug and hearty handshake, Austin watched him pick up his step back to the conservatory. Austin spun on his own heel and made a mental note to pen a major thank you to Santo in his album notes. If it hadn't been for him offering or even suggesting he come to Venice for this record, Austin probably would've been stuck in Los Angeles trying to figure how he would be pulling this off. Santo was a good friend, one of the best.

Austin had a great support system in the States. His manager, his publicist and the people at the record label were a huge part of his success and he would be grateful for them every day...even if arguing with Scott, his manager, was a daily thing. Still, without them he would still just be a guy in Miami who was trying to get a billion hits on his first and only video. Austin would be citing Santo as a part of his team for a long time after this.

Stepping inside the warm cafe, he took a whiff of the pastries Suzetta was baking in the kitchen. There was a cherry and a strawberry, he could tell right off the bat and was still sniffing around and hoping she made a few blueberry ones that he could take back to Ally. Apparently, this is what love was. Love was not hoarding all the cherry tarts and making her eat them. It was letting the other customers have them in lieu of the blueberry ones, which were not his favorite, for her. Even if that wasn't the definition of love, he was still going to count it as a major boyfriend thing to do.

He hadn't been a boyfriend in a very long time and navigating that, plus deciding what to do about their relationship all while handling a music career was now starting to really worry him. Santo had brought it up during lunch and Austin hadn't known how to answer him at all. He was speechless about it really, and as he thought and thought about it in the back of his mind, the more he realized he really did not know what do to. Austin wanted to be with Ally more and more; and he was going a bit mad about how to work everything out.