"Hey," Austin says as he stands in front of her door, smiling at the dress she's wearing whilst his hands rest snugly in his pockets. "Ready to go?"
She nods and her honey coloured locks bob as she does so. Instead of grabbing at his hand, she slides her arm through his so they link. Austin scrunches his nose, he's always been more of a hand-holding kind of guy, but he says nothing.
Julie doesn't thank him when he opens her door, but Austin just shakes his head as he walks around to the other side of the car. He wanted this date ―he wants this date ― badly. He's not going to screw it up now.
They drive in silence to the diner he's taking her to, and every time he tries to talk she doesn't respond. It drives him insane to say the least.
He almost feels as if she's acting ungratefully and the date hasn't even started.
Although, his spirits are somewhat lifted when she gets out of the car upon their arrival. Clutching his arm, she says, "Sorry I've been so off. I've got something on my mind."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No I'm okay, just waiting for an answer to something."
Then she smiles radiantly at him and Austin remembers why he wants to take her out in the first place.
They sit opposite each other in their booth across from the counter. The place is a little retro diner that Austin had only been to once before and loved. It played good music all day and he thought it was the perfect place for a first date.
Julie says nothing, so he grasps her hand in his across the table and sends her a charming smile. She doesn't blush, just smiles back and then retracts her hand.
Austin tries to make conversation but she just stares at her menu and Austin feels like drowning himself with the complimentary water. He can't quite remember if he wanted this date or if he did it just to impress his friends.
Her mind is evidently in some faraway place and Austin nearly rests his chin in his palms when a cute girl bounces over to their table and his lips are automatically curving up into a smile.
She's wearing a red dress that stops just above her knees and the short sleeves on her shoulders are slightly puffy. The girl grins at him as he admires her dark chocolate hair, the white pin clipping her fringe back matching her crisp white apron.
The colours of her uniform are block and simple, and she bears no name-tag. Austin still thinks she's the prettiest girl he's ever seen in his life.
This evaluation happens in a matter of seconds, but then he coughs and looks over to Julie to see if she's caught him ogling this other girl. Thankfully, her attention is solely captured by her phone.
He turns back to the cute girl who looks about his age and grins brilliantly. She smiles back, tongue clasped cutely between her teeth.
"Hi, I'm Ally, and I'll be your waitress. May I take your order?"
He orders for Julie when she responds to his question ("What would you like?") with a non-committal shrug. Ally's brows furrow ever so slightly at the display, but she doesn't ask, considering it's none of her business.
The boy she is serving talks to her with charm but also a hint of shyness. If Ally hadn't been doing this job for some time, she probably would've blushed. Luckily, she'd learnt how to compose herself and just took his order with a grin, promising to bring it over as quickly as possible.
She turns her back to him to skip off, when he calls, "My name's Austin, by the way."
Ally turns around to face him, skilfully walking backwards toward the kitchen. "Noted."
Austin sighs a little more contentedly back at his table. He manages to get Julie off of her phone long enough to have a fairly entertaining conversation with her. Just as quickly though, she is back to pressing buttons on her screen.
He glances toward the counter where he sees Ally, sitting on one of the tall chairs talking to an older boy whilst he makes milkshakes for some other customers.
One part of him feels the jealousy flare, which is utterly ridiculous because he doesn't even know this girl, but his other, more rational half wins. He realises the Milkshake Guy must have been at least twenty, and since he was guessing Ally was sixteen like him, they were probably more like brother and sister.
Discreetly, he watches her laugh in-between his conversation, or help out and make perfect milkshakes for people. It makes him smile when she realises she has to take a new order or deliver one, so she hops off of her seat with a bounce in her step and a bright smile on her face.
When she's sitting at the counter smiling again ―and his conversation with Julie is on pause― he calls her over. "Hey, Ally!"
She turns to look at him, swivelling in her seat. "Sorry, Austin. Your food isn't ready yet."
"It's okay," he says and means it. "I just wanted to talk. How old are you?"
Ally decides it's best not to go over there, considering he's probably on a date. She would assume he's some kind of player, talking to her when his date is sitting right there, but she knows he's not.
She watched them whilst on her rounds, taking into account how hard Austin was trying and how blatantly he was being ignored. It made her sad that such a cute boy like him could be treated like that, so she readily talked to him.
"Sixteen, you?"
"Same," he says, smiling softly. "I like your uniform."
Ally couldn't stop her blush this time. "Thanks," she looks down at her plain uniform, which she had to admit did fit her perfectly. "I like it too."
"Ally!" someone calls from inside the kitchen and Ally's hair flies as she spins her head to look at Milkshake Guy, his head poking around the door.
"That's my cue," Ally says apologetically as she gets up and waves, walking quickly toward the kitchen once again.
Austin turns to Julie, who has seemingly missed the last five minute's events. She's still tap tap tapping away at her phone and it's starting to get on Austin's nerves. He slumps back in his seat and huffs. Julie looks up at him briefly just as he's crossing his arms, but chooses not to comment.
He can't bring himself to feel guilty considering how deliberately he's being ignored.
Ally brings their food over with a grin and then retreats to her seat, smiling gleefully when a milkshake glides gracefully down the counter toward her. She starts sipping (what Austin suspects to be) her banana flavoured drink and Milkshake Guy just shakes his head with a fond smile, his red swishy hair falling over his face in the process.
Austin watches this exchange intently, deciding Milkshake Guy is definitely more of a brotherly figure than a boyfriend.
He turns to his own food. Austin and Julie had ordered a large portion of fries between them, deciding if they were still hungry they could have desert afterwards. Austin dips a fry into his own chocolate milkshake with a content smile and Julie splutters.
"Ew, gross."
Austin rolls his eyes as she eats a fry a minute, still typing away on her phone under the table.
Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it, Austin kept missing Ally's constant, upset gaze.
She was having an internal battle, whilst trying desperately not to develop a crush on Austin.
"Someone likes him," Dez teases across from her and Ally swats his arm half-heartedly.
At twenty-one, he still acts like a fifteen year-old. "Hush, you."
"Well you do!" he says and his red hair bobs as he nods.
"Go back to making your smoothies, Dez," Ally says grinning around her straw and Dez looks indignant.
"How many times have I told you smoothies and milkshakes are not the same!" he scoffs and places his hand on his hips in mock-offence and Ally giggles at the display.
"Yeah, yeah," she ruffles his hair and then pouts, "I don't like him."
"Sure," is all Dez says before he turns his back on her to serve a customer.
Ally hums to herself for a while and suddenly her ears perk up at what the radio presenter is saying.
"That was another classic! Next up, we have a really great song, recommended by a lot of our listeners. This one is to anyone having a good day, or anyone having a bad day that just needs a good song: Breathe, by Ryan Star."
She squeals, making Dez laugh and Austin focus on her rather than Julie, who wasn't even listening to him anyway. "Please turn it up!" she says before getting up off of her stool.
Dez ―whose name Austin had learnt whilst listen to him and Ally bantering― turns the radio dial and Ally's smile widens.
The first few strains of the lyrics ring through the diner and Ally starts to sway. "She's fine, most of the time. She takes her days with a smile. Moves like, a dancer in lights, spinning around to the sound."
Dez takes this as his cue to jump over the counter and start to dance with Ally. They attract the attention of a lot of the customers, but none of them seem surprised. Austin figures this must be a regular occurrence.
The words, "She likes, New York at night," play out and Austin can't help but imagine Ally to be exactly the type of girl the song is describing.
The two slow dance goofily to the music, joking with each other and Austin still finds himself smiling, his eyes never leaving Ally as she twirls and her hair fans out; the way her dress does the same and she breathes happiness.
Her smile is so large it might spilt her face and when Dez starts to chuckle, she giggles in response and Austin wishes that it could be him dancing with her.
Austin listens to the strong guitar in the song and finds himself liking it; he thinks he might like her music taste quite a lot actually, if the rest of it is as good as this.
The song slows for one chorus, Ally is laughing and the drum beat is building up, ready to be blared out one final time. What Austin doesn't expect, however, is Dez to spin her out from him and let her stand, watching her as she begins to sing.
"Breathe, just breathe, take the world off your shoulders and put it on me," Ally sings and he finds himself mesmerised by her angelic voice. "Breathe, just breathe, let the life that you live be all that you need."
She sings with passion and the proud smiles worn by the regular customers and her fellow employees make her stomach feel fuzzy.
"Take the world off your shoulders and put it on me," she belts out as the song cuts off. Her breathing is slightly laboured and Ally hugs Dez to the sound of applause. Austin claps the loudest, even whistling loudly to which Ally sends him a glowing grin.
Everything settles down again and the diner fills with the buzz of chatter, and Austin finds Julie's annoyed face unsettling. "What is this, a karaoke bar?"
She scoffs and Austin is less than pleased with her attempt at a snide comment, but says nothing. They are silent for a few moments where Austin slides around the bench so he is sitting adjacent to her as oppose to opposite.
Her phone buzzes as he does so and she lets out a high pitched squeal. Austin huffs and her hands start to shake as she eyes her phone with a gleeful expression.
"What is it?"
"Oh nothing, nothing," she says happily in a tone that indicates whatever it is far from nothing.
Honestly, Austin knows what makes him do it. She's been on that damn phone all night and he wants to know what it so much more interesting than him.
He moves to grab the phone but her hold on it is strong. They squabble for several seconds, their sides bashing and hands scraping as both attempt to hold the phone. Austin finally grabs it and leans his long upper body away from her, his front almost on the booth's seat as he shields the phone.
It only takes a few seconds to read the text.
To: Julie
From: Derek
Sent: 6:48PM
Okay, fine, I'll go on a date with you :) Pick you up tomorrow at six?
Austin tosses the phone onto the table and looks at her with disbelieving eyes.
"So you're on a date with me today, but you ignore me in favour of planning a date with another guy tomorrow?" Austin isn't as upset as he thought he may have been, but the action still stings.
"Look Austin, I―"
"Just go, Julie," Austin says exasperatedly and doesn't meet her eyes.
She doesn't need to be told twice, grabs her purse and leaves. Austin puts his hands on the table and his head in his hands, groaning.
Austin grabs his half full basket of fries and his milkshake, going to sit at the counter so someone else can take the booth.
"I'm sorry, Austin," Ally says as she moves to sit next to him. "She wasn't worth it; you deserve someone who gives you their undivided attention."
Austin gives a rueful smile.
"Are you okay?" she asks and he nods with a tired sigh.
"Yeah, it wasn't really that important anyway. Plus, I've kind of had my eye on someone else for the whole night," he looks pointedly at her and she smiles softly. "Why is such a pretty girl like you working here then?" he asks, looking at her openly.
"Dez, he got me a job here. I'm saving up for college," she sees Austin's face and adds: "Dez's like my older brother, I've known him since I was ten and he was fifteen."
Austin perks up considerably and Ally mentally high-fives herself.
"But on the other hand, I actually really like working here. It's easy going, good fun, the atmosphere's brilliant."
"Don't forget the impromptu concerts," Austin comments, smirking and Ally blushes lightly.
"Yeah..."
"Don't worry, you're really good."
Her blush deepens and Austin relishes in it. "Thank you," she sighs, "Anyway, working here, it's not forever, is it? There will be something new soon enough."
"Of course," Austin smiles, dipping a fry into his milkshake and Ally mimics him, chewing thoughtfully. She goes to dip another fry into her drink but thinks better of it, dipping it into Austin's instead and grinning defiantly when he looks at her.
"Cheeky," he says shaking his head and eating another fry.
Ally doesn't get up for a while and Austin's expression becomes more puzzled as she just sits and talk to him. He loves getting to know her better (her name is Ally Dawson, her phone number is safely tucked into his right, back pocket) but he wonders if she could get fired.
"Do you not need to be serving someone right now?" Austin inquires when their conversation has lapsed into comfortable silence.
"I clocked off ages ago," she says. "I'm just waiting for my ride." Ally gets a text and she reads it quickly before putting her phone away. "Speaking of which, I better go."
He watches her throat as she swallows the last of her drink and licks his lips subconsciously.
Ally stands up and smiles at him. "It was good to meet you Austin, I'll see you soon, yeah?" he nods as she starts to walk away, but then he has an idea and springs out of his seat.
Austin grabs her wrist, spinning her around to face him. Her flat shoes mean she is her normal height and a lot shorter than him, but it's something Austin really likes about her and he dips his head to capture her lips in a soft kiss.
He sucks at her lips gently as she nips at his and he never would have expected his night to end this way, but he's glad it did.
When they pull away, Austin's breathing is shallow. "I couldn't resist. I haven't been able to keep my eyes off of you all night." Ally beams and Austin speaks again. "I think I'd like you to be my girlfriend."
She smiles and stares up at him adoringly. "Well, I don't know about that," Ally pecks his lips and removes herself from his grasp. "But what I do know, is that I have another shift tomorrow. Same time."
He watches her red dress sway as she walks out and knows exactly what he'll be doing tomorrow night. Austin turns to Dez, who had been secretly watching the pair, trying to hide his match-maker's grin.
"Hey dude," Austin says cheerfully, "think you could get me a job here, starting tomorrow?"
Dez winks. "I'll see what I can do."
Hope u enjoyed