CW/TW: suggestive material, subtle mentions of sex
fyi, if you aren't comfortable reading this kind of material, feel free to skip this chapter! the next one will still make sense!
-ej
/
seven: conversations & close calls
the next day
The following afternoon, Austin, Ally, Trish, and Dez were all gathered around a table in front of "Scoop, There It Is," reminiscing about the show the previous night and gearing up for the one that evening. None of them could wait to hop on the bus that night and head to Jacksonville, where the tour would really begin.
"Oh, did you guys hear that one girl that screamed 'I love you Austin!' during 'Superchute'?" Dez asked, licking his cone. Instead of referring to it as the Superhero/Parachute mashup, they'd come up with the idea of blending the two words. Ally had pointed out that it was a little bit of a mouthful to say both names all the time, and after Austin had suggested the name, they'd started referring to it as "Superchute."
"You're going to have to be more specific," Austin replied, chuckling. "There was more than one."
"No, I think I know which one Dez is referring to," Trish said. "And if I remember right, it sounded like Austin's mom." Everyone except Austin chuckled at the idea of Mimi being a crazed fan of her own son. Sometimes, Mimi was too perky for her own good.
Austin shook his head incredulously. "Of course, it was my mom. I'd expect nothing less from my biggest fan." He paused, trying to get the image of Mimi standing amongst a crowd of teenage girls out of his head. "At least she won't be there the whole tour, though. It'll be nice to spend some time with my friends," he put his arm around Ally. "And my favorite girl."
Ally blushed and leaned into his shoulder. Trish rolled her eyes and Dez put his hand to his mouth, fighting back tears. "It's just so romantic."
Austin smiled. "We are pretty cute, aren't we?"
"I'll say," Ally responded, standing up from her chair and planting herself in his lap. She leaned into him closer and sighed. "I love love."
"Me too," Dez said, taking another bite of his ice cream. "That's why they call me the love whisperer."
"No one calls you that," Austin whispered back, and they all cracked up.
"No, seriously, I mean, what would you do if I hadn't given you that advice when we were playing video games?" Dez mused. Austin's eyes widened.
"Wh-what advice?" He tried to play it off like he didn't know, hoping that Dez wouldn't reveal anything. He and Ally hadn't talked about their future since his Miami show, and he'd played it off like he wasn't planning to propose until years from now. He was afraid she'd freak out if she knew he was planning to do it in the near future.
Dez scoffed. "You know what I'm talking about! The advice about ma"—
"—aking pancakes!" Austin finished, feeling tiny beads of sweat form on his brow. "Yeah, I asked Dez if I should share my secret pancake recipe with you, and he said yes!" Ally frowned. Austin only acted this way when he was hiding something. What was that all about?
"Um, that's great!" Ally exclaimed. "That'll be fun, we can use it to make breakfast when we're on tour." She hopped off of Austin's lap. "I have to use the restroom. Trish, come with me?"
Trish nodded. Ally dragged her friend around the corner and behind a potted plant, where they peered out at Austin and Dez.
"Well, they're certainly acting weirder than usual," Trish whispered. "I wonder what that was about?"
Ally shook her head. "I don't know, but this isn't like Austin to keep secrets from me. Do you think he's hiding something?"
"There's only one way to find out." Trish nodded, and Ally nodded back. They peeked through the leaves of the plant and tried to pick up on the boys' conversation.
"Dez!" They heard Austin exclaim. "You almost gave it away!"
"Gave what away?" Dez asked, clueless. "Your secret pancake recipe? Which, by the way, I didn't know existed... talk about secrets." He crossed his arms and pouted.
Austin ignored him. "No, the fact that I want to propose to Ally!"
Trish's eyes widened, and Ally felt herself getting lightheaded. Though they had talked about it that night at Austin's Miami show and in the car afterwards, she was still caught off guard for some reason. Ally braced herself against the wall as Trish looked at her with concern.
"You okay?" Trish asked. "You're as white as a sheet."
"Yeah... I think." She slowly slid down the wall until she hit the ground.
"Are you sure? You looked like you were about to pass out."
Ally glared at her. "Trish, I'm fine."
Trish put her hands up in defense. "I was just asking," she paused. "So... if you don't mind me asking, why are you caught off guard?" She furrowed her brow. "I thought you talked about this before Austin's show."
Ally sighed. "It's not that I'm caught off guard... I just didn't really take his comments about marriage that seriously. You know Austin... he loves to joke around and part of me thought that this was just another harmless joke. Plus, I didn't think he'd be planning to propose this soon! I always figured we'd wait a few years before even thinking about that type of stuff." Her eyes widened. Maybe this is connected to the dream somehow! she thought.
"What?" Trish asked, noticing her sudden moment of realization.
Ally pushed herself out from the wall. "Well, I had this dream the other night. It was super weird— Dez was in a unicorn onesie, holding French bread, you were a mime, and Austin was on one knee, proposing."
Trish raised one eyebrow. "So far I'm not hearing anything weird."
Ally ignored her. "But he was acting super awkward and nervous, and I couldn't tell where we were. It didn't feel like we were on the ground. As in, on top of a building."
Trish put her hands on her hips. "Hmm, that is a little weird." She looked over at Austin and Dez again, who seemed to still be arguing.
Ally shook her head. "You know what? It was probably just one of those dreams where nothing makes sense. I mean, how could there be any significance in that?" she asked, referring back to the dream.
Trish nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it was probably nothing. We should get back before they get suspicious though." Ally agreed, and they took a few steps back before emerging from the corner they disappeared behind a few minutes earlier.
"Hey," Ally said as nonchalantly as she could, sitting back down on Austin's lap, wrapping an arm around his neck and leaning her had on his shoulder as nonchalantly as she could. "What've you guys been talking about?"
"The pancake recipe," Austin replied. "Dez said his mom might want it, so I gave it to him."
Ally nodded. "So... Trish, what time are we taking off tonight?"
Trish glanced at her watch. "It's up to you guys. Jacksonville is only a few hours away so we technically have all night to get there. We could probably play it by ear."
Ally shrugged. "That's true." Ally stood up and grabbed Austin's hand, pulling him up with her. "We should go get ready for the show tonight. You guys coming?"
"Yep," Trish responded.
"Right behind you." Dez stood up, followed by Austin and Trish. The four of them made their way back to the factory, where they had agreed to carpool over to the venue.
/
later that night
The four friends arrived back at the music factory at around 11:00, still reeling from the excitement of the show. The four of them grabbed their bags and followed Trish to where the bus was parked over on the west side of the mall. Ally yawned and checked her phone. It had been a long past couple of days and she was exhausted. I could go for a nap, she thought.
It didn't take long for them to find the tour bus; it was quite large and had both Austin and Ally's faces on the side, along with their logo. The driver was standing outside of the doors and smiled when he saw them coming. He looked to be in his mid-forties or early fifties, and he wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, despite it being pitch black outside.
"You must be Austin and Ally," he said, reaching out to shake their hands.
"That's us," Austin said. Each of them shook it, smiled, and nodded.
"Nice to meet you two. I'm Thomas, but most people call me Tommy. And you are?" he turned to Trish and Dez.
"I'm Trish and this is our friend, Dez. I'm their manager, I believe we spoke on the phone?" Trish greeted with a half-fake smile.
"Yes, I remember now," Tommy replied. "Well, everything is all set up in there. You can go ahead and make yourselves comfortable." They thanked him and ascended the steps of the bus, and immediately the memories of Austin and Ally's individual tours came flooding back. There was a small kitchen table with a cozy booth surrounding it right behind the driver's seat, and a mini flat screen sat across the aisle next to the brown leather couch. Down the hallway, there was a mini kitchen on the left and four bunks on the right. At the back of the bus was the bathroom and storage space. It was just as nice, if not nicer than the previous buses they had traveled on, and they spent a good five minutes just marveling at their home for the next few months.
"Isn't this nice?" Ally asked Austin, and he nodded.
"Yeah, it is." He plopped himself down on the couch and leaned his head back. "Ahhh..."
Ally sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Feels nice to relax, doesn't it?"
"I CALL BEING THE FIRST ONE TO USE THE BATHROOM!" Dez shouted from the back of the bus, and they heard the door slam.
Austin chuckled. "This could be a long three months."
Ally smiled. "At least we're here together, that's all that matters." She closed her eyes and within minutes was out like a light. Austin grinned and lay his head on top of hers. They were both fast asleep only seconds later.
Trish saw them sleeping and grinned. They might be grossly intimate sometimes, but they deserved a break because of the last few days they'd had. She even stopped Dez from grabbing the airhorn he'd brought for some odd reason to wake them up, and while he complained at first, he eventually just put it down and got ready for bed. Trish did the same and a half an hour later, all four of them were snoring happily and well on their way to Jacksonville, where the real adventure would begin.
/
Around 4:30 A.M., the bus pulled into the hotel. Everyone was still fast asleep, and once Tommy parked the bus, he turned the lights on low in hopes that it wouldn't wake Austin and Ally, who were still snuggled on the couch. A few minutes later, Ally woke up, and smiled when she realized that she was lying on Austin's chest. She still couldn't believe that this wasn't a dream— it sure felt like one. Ally wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. Realizing that they should probably start packing up their stuff and heading into the hotel, she tapped Austin lightly on the shoulder.
"Hey, babe?" she whispered. He fidgeted at the sound of her voice, then opened his eyes and squinted although the light was dim. Austin grumbled in response, and she giggled.
"Austin, we're here." He slowly opened his eyes all the way and put his arms up to stretch, but accidentally punched her in the face.
"Ow..." Ally clutched her cheek, wincing a little in pain.
His eyes widened. "Oh, my... shit! Are you okay? I'm sorry, Ally..." He pulled her into a hug and she smiled.
"Don't worry about it, seriously. It wasn't even that hard." Austin sighed in relief and sank back onto the couch. "Well, we should wake Dez and Trish up. Trish has all the check-in information for the hotel." He nodded and they made their way to the bunks, where Trish and Dez were still passed out.
Austin pulled back the curtain in front of Dez's bunk and Ally pulled back Trish's, and they gently shook their friends awake. Dez was up within a few seconds, but Trish wasn't budging.
"Hold on, I have an idea." Dez tiptoed into the living area and grabbed the airhorn that he'd left on the kitchen table. Austin and Ally both groaned, knowing that what was about to happen would probably result in personal injury to one—or all— of them. They both let it happen, though, because they knew Dez would be the main target.
Dez smiled excitedly and put the bullhorn just a few inches away from Trish's head, while Austin and Ally covered their ears. He pushed the button and, as they'd expected, Trish's reaction was not good.
Her eyes shot open and she glared at Dez. She reached out, grabbed the airhorn from his hand, and threw it at him. "You asshole!" She rolled out of the bunk and immediately started after Dez, chasing him out the doors of the bus. Austin and Ally peered out the window at the dimly lit parking lot and chuckled as they watched Trish chase Dez all around the parking lot of the hotel. Ally noted that it must be quite a site for the hotel guests who were awake, to see two supposedly mature young adults chasing each other around the parking lot at 4 A.M. Then again, none of them were really that mature quite yet.
"We should probably go stop them," she said, unable to tear her eyes away from the window.
"Yeah," Austin agreed, and they were both silent. "Or... we could grab our luggage and wait in the lobby for them while they work it out on their own." Ally glanced at him and they both busted out laughing.
"If we do that, they'll be out there chasing each other until the sun comes up," she noted. "Which will be in approximately two and a half hours, if my math is right."
"Let's just go stop them," Austin said, and she followed him out to the parking lot, where Trish and Dez were still going at it. Each of them ran after their best friend and when they were finally able to get Dez and Trish to calm down, they made their way back to the bus to start unloading. Ally insisted that Dez apologize to Trish for waking her up with the airhorn and Trish apologize to Dez for swearing at him. Both were reluctant to apologize, but eventually conceded, as Ally had told them that the four of them were going to stay on the bus until Dez and Trish worked it out.
The four friends made their way inside the hotel, gaping at the fanciness of it. None of them had stayed somewhere quite as nice as this, and they marveled at how good of a job Trish had done picking out the hotel as they checked in at the front desk.
"Eh, it was nothing. I figured the first few days were going to be busy and you'd need to unwind somewhere classy and comfortable, so I booked the nicest rooms in all of Jacksonville." She grinned, obviously proud of the job she'd done. "I hope you don't expect the rest of the hotels to be this fancy, though, because they're definitely not," she said. They approached the front desk, and the hotel manager handed her a sheet of paper to fill out and sign.
"I didn't expect you to get this fancy of a hotel at all." Ally gaped at the stunning glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the grand staircases to their left and right. On the floor sat stunning red carpet that looked like it belonged in a castle; and although it was nearly 4 a.m., there were a couple of guests milling about in the lobby.
Trish slid the piece of paper back toward the manager, who handed them their keys. "There is one catch, though," she said as soon as they started walking away from the desk. "Since this one is more money, we'll have to share rooms. At basically all of the other hotels, I got us our own rooms so we wouldn't get distracted by each other and can get full nights of sleep." She glanced at Austin and Ally, who were holding hands. Trish faked a cough. "Austin and Ally." Ally glanced over at her.
"You know," Ally said tiredly, fighting back a yawn, "normally I'd try to argue that, but... I'm too tired to try and come up with one."
A short elevator ride later, they reached the fifth floor and found their rooms after walking down the short hallway. Trish told them that their rooms were next to each other, so they'd technically be able to visit each other whenever they wanted. Ally and Austin grinned at each other.
"Don't get any ideas," Trish warned, sticking her key into the slot and entering the room. Dez did the same with his room key, which left Austin and Ally standing in the carpeted hallway, surrounding each other in a bear hug.
"I don't want to let go," Ally murmured into Austin's shirt.
"Me neither," he replied.
"So... let's not let go," Ally said, pulling away from his body, but still holding onto both of his hands. "Here, follow me." She opened the door to her hotel room and they both sauntered inside to find Trish passed out on one of the beds. Ally giggled.
"Well, that was fast."
"Here, let's go into my room," Austin suggested. He opened the connecting door and found Dez digging frantically through his suitcase, looking distressed.
Austin raised one eyebrow. "You looking for something, buddy?"
"Yeah, I can't find my lucky pants!" he exclaimed, whimpering.
"It's four in the morning, Dez! Why do you need them now?" Austin asked, exchanging looks with his girlfriend.
"I don't, I'm just setting out my clothes for tomorrow," Dez explained. "I could've sworn that I packed them." Austin put one hand on Dez's shoulder.
"It'll be okay, buddy. Go to bed and I'll help you find them in the morning." Dez nodded reluctantly and Austin and Ally couldn't help but laugh. They eventually agreed that both of them needed to get some sleep, and shared a quick kiss before Ally left through the connecting door.
/
about five hours later
The next morning (or rather, the same morning, just a few hours later), Trish was rudely awoken when Ally's alarm went off at nine o'clock. She grabbed one of her pillows and threw it in Ally's direction. It hit her square in the face and she groaned.
"Trish!" she exclaimed, sitting up immediately and giving her friend a hard stare.
Trish just groaned in response, and Ally shut her alarm off. She pulled out her suitcase and yanked some clothes for the day out at random. They wouldn't have to be dressed in their concert clothes until later, so she decided on a pastel yellow tank top and jean shorts. When she finished getting dressed and doing her hair, she came out of the bathroom to find Trish still snoring away. She smiled and shrugged, then knocked on the connecting door. Austin's voice yelled, "Come in!" on the other side, and she opened the door and made her way in.
"Good morning, beautiful," Austin greeted, pulling her into a side hug. Ally blushed.
"So, is that my pet name now?" she asked, unable to wipe the smile off her face.
"It can be," he replied, planting a kiss on her forehead. She blushed again, and they both stood there for a few seconds, staring into each other's eyes. Ally finally broke the silence.
"So, um, where's Dez?"
"Went to get breakfast," Austin responded. "I promised to meet him down there but"—
"But what?"
"But I think I have a better idea." With one swift motion, he bent down and kissed her. Ally closed her eyes and leaned into it, the kiss deepening and intensifying with every passing second. Austin put his hand on the back of Ally's neck, and she smiled and pulled away.
He couldn't help but laugh. "What?"
"Have I mentioned that you're a really good kisser?"
"I thought that was implied." He reached down to kiss her again, and immediately they both wrapped their arms around each other, using their bodies to deepen it further. Austin picked her up, wrapped her legs around his waist, and pushed her against the wall, being careful not to do it too hard. The last thing they needed was for Trish to wake up.
Their kiss became more heated and intense, both not wanting to let go. After about another minute, Austin picked Ally up again and brought her towards his bed, at which point Ally's mind started racing.
Wait...no, what? We're not— oh my gosh, we are! Ally pulled away, trying to catch her breath.
"Wow...that was...wow..." Austin breathed, until he noticed the look on her face. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just"—
"Don't want to go that far yet," Austin finished, looking disappointed. "I'm sorry. I should have asked."
Ally shook her head. "No, it's fine. Don't be sorry. I just want to—"
"Wait until we're married," Austin finished with a sigh. "Yeah. I know."
Ally raised an eyebrow. "How? We haven't discussed any of this stuff yet. We haven't been back together for even a year yet. If you haven't noticed, I can't even bring myself to say 'the L word', because the last time I said it, we broke up two years later. When I said it on the Helen Show, that was the adrenaline talking, it just came out." She paused. "Frankly, I fail to see how getting married is the answer to all our problems— to me it's just a recipe for disaster."
Austin frowned. "Where is all of this coming from?"
"Does it have to 'come from' somewhere, Austin? Can I not be concerned about the pace our relationship is going? Tell me, do you really think it's the best idea in the world to propose to somebody when you barely know them?"
"Ally, don't be ridiculous! We do know each other!" he shot back.
Ally stood up and marched over to the connecting door to her and Trish's room. "I'm not so sure anymore, Austin." She opened the door, disappeared through it, and slammed it behind her.
/
nine thirty a.m.
Ally put her back against the connecting door, leaned her head back, and sighed. Trish stirred in her bed, rolling over. When Ally felt the tears sting her eyes and didn't bother suppressing the sobs that quickly followed, however, Trish immediately woke up.
"Ally?" she asked groggily. "What's wrong? Did something happen with Austin?"
"Y-yeah." Ally walked over to Trish's bed and sat down, leaning her head on her best friend's shoulder. Trish rubbed her back, frankly still half-asleep, but asked Ally what had happened, anyways. She told her story through tears; Trish could tell she was pretty heartbroken. Finally, when Ally had finished, Trish sighed.
"This just sounds like a classic case of 'Austin is clueless,' which definitely has happened before. You guys both clearly have different ideas of where you are in your relationship, and you just need to have a conversation about it."
"You don't get it, Trish," Ally stuttered, swallowing hard, sniffing, wiping her eyes. "He wants to propose, but I can't even tell him I love him, because the last time I did, we broke up and I was crushed. I didn't even mean it when I said it on the Helen Show, frankly that was just 'cause we were on TV. He doesn't see where I'm coming from."
"And you don't see where he's coming from. You see it as, you just got back together and are getting comfortable with one another again— which is totally valid. He sees it as, you just got back together and he doesn't want to lose you so he wants to... seal the deal— also valid. It's all about perspective." Ally nodded.
"I... guess that makes sense."
"Yeah. That's why you just have to talk to him, give him a chance to explain himself. Then he'll do the same for you. I'd hate to see the world's greatest power couple break up because of this." This made Ally giggle a bit.
"World's greatest power couple?" she asked. "According to who?"
"Cheetah Beat. Saw it on the front cover the day after the Helen Show. Anyway, do you see my point? Maybe just go downstairs, grab some breakfast, bring it back up to the room, and talk it out." Ally nodded.
"That's a good idea— Austin never says no to pancakes. Thanks Trish, you're the best."
Trish grinned as Ally wrapped her in a hug. "I know."
/
fifteen minutes later
After she'd managed to compose herself a bit and put on some clothes, Ally left her and Trish's room, went next door and nervously knocked Dez and Austin's door. She heard footsteps coming closer, but her heart dropped when she heard Austin say "That's probably Ally, don't open it. I have nothing to say to her." Nevertheless, Dez still opened it anyway, just a crack, and stuck only his head through.
"How can I help you?"
"I need to talk to Austin."
"He told me he doesn't want to see you," Dez said. "Sorry Ally." He started to close the door but Ally put her hand straight out and pushed it back open.
"I really need to see him, Dez. Tell him I'm going to grab some pancakes at the breakfast bar and to meet me back in my room. Okay?"
Dez furrowed his brow, but nodded and shut the door again. He walked back inside to where Austin was laying on his bed, playing with his Nintendo Switch. "She wouldn't let up, buddy. She's going to get pancakes and wants you to meet her next door." Austin groaned.
"I told you to tell her to go away, Dez! I don't know what she wants, but it'll take a lot more than pancakes for me to forgive her this time."
"Oh, come on," Dez said, "It couldn't have been that bad."
"She told me that she can't love me because the last time she said the word, we broke up. Which means she was lying on the Helen Show when she said she never stopped loving me." Dez grimmaced.
"Yeah, that's... not the best." Austin nodded.
"I know."
"Don't you think you should give her a chance to explain herself, though?" Dez asked. "Maybe she's just going to apologize. Surely you guys can work something out." Austin shook his head.
"I'm not sure if we can, this time, Dez."
/
Ally knocked at his door again five minutes later, and was met by a very disgruntled Austin, who clearly did not want to see her. But he became entranced by the smell of the pancakes sitting on her plate and followed her back to her room, anyway. Trish, who'd been doing her hair by the bathroom mirror, shut the door, sensing they were going to need some privacy.
Ally sighed and sat on the bed, setting the plate down on the desk. "No pancakes until we're done talking."
"But—I—"
"More talking, less complaining. The sooner we get through this, the sooner you get to eat." Austin crossed his arms, sitting down beside her.
"Fine." Ally pushed herself further back on the bed and crossed her legs. "So... I thought I'd give you a chance to talk first. Then I'll go, and we can talk it out together." He nodded a little, sighed, then started talking, unsure of exactly what he was going to say, just making it up as he went along.
"I know that we've been through a lot together, Ally. We've been partners, then friends, then more-than friends, then back to just friends even though we were both kidding ourselves because there were obviously still feelings there... then we went back to more-than-friends, and we finally felt comfortable enough to be a couple after Jimmy released me from my contract. I know that you aren't in the place to get engaged, Ally. I get that. I never said I was proposing to you today. But now that we've both agreed to go independent and be done with record deals for good? It feels like we have a whole new level of freedom, Ally. It feels like we can both be ourselves without having to deal with all of the record label drama. And that's just... made me come alive again, I guess. I missed you while you were gone, while we were broken up. I was only talking about getting engaged because I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else." He sighed, looking back over at her. "You know me, I wear my heart on my sleeve. I literally announced that I loved you to the entire world on a music awards show. Why else would I be saying all of this stuff, if it's not that I'm genuinely happy when I'm around you?"
"Austin..." Ally suddenly felt guilty for being mad at him. She knew everything he'd said was genuine, and she believed him. "I know that you mean all of this. I do. But earlier, when we had that argument, I also meant everything I said about not being ready. Every time that you've mentioned it, I've gotten freaked out and my brain started doing this spiraling thing and playing worst case scenario. I hope you know that I'm only apprehensive about taking our relationship to the next step because if it doesn't work out, losing you is just going to hurt even more. I do really care about you Austin, and you know I'll be able to say that I love you too eventually, because I've said it before. But everything that happened between us when we broke up, all the nights I spent sobbing in my dorm room alone when my roommate was out partying— it all just came back to me. I can't lose you again, Austin. I just can't. I went through absolute hell when we broke up, it was miserable."
Austin didn't know what to say to that. He saw a tear slip down her cheek, and reached over, putting his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him, letting more tears fall, he pulled her in closer, planting a light kiss on the top of her forehead. The two of them just stayed like that for several more minutes. Words didn't need to be said in times like these. The mutual understanding of care and trust for one another was just enough.
/
While Austin and Ally had been talking, Trish had slipped out the front door of her and Ally's hotel room and banged on the door of Dez and Austin's. After explaining that she wanted to give them some space to work things out, Dez reluctantly let her in.
"Maybe while you're here, you can help me. I lost my lucky shirt." Trish rolled her eyes.
"You've got to be kidding."
"Nope. Normally, I'd ask Austin for help, but since he's got lady problems, you get to help me." Trish groaned.
"Fine. But the second those two make up and Austin's back here, I'm leaving."
"Deal."
"So, when did you last see your... lucky pants?" Trish asked, her voice riddled with annoyance. It was obvious that she would rather be anywhere else, but this was the first big fight Austin and Ally had had in a long time— and she wanted them to make it through this rough patch more than anything. If it took helping Dez search for his lucky pants to do that, then so be it.
/
five minutes later
Back in Ally and Trish's room, Austin was devouring his pancakes, which he had determined needed to be reheated in the hotel microwave and then drowned them in syrup. Ally watched him, a smile on her face the entire time.
"Do you think about our future together often?" She found herself asking. Austin looked up at her, face sticky with syrup and lip lined with whipped cream.
"Uhh, yeah." He grinned. "A lot, actually."
"Really?" Ally played dumb, trying to pretend as if she hadn't heard his and Dez's entire conversation about proposing the day before.
"Oh, yeah," he wrapped his arm around her and she leaned on his shoulder. "Since I fake proposed to you in Home Ec. Class."
"Wait...that was over four years ago!"
"I know," he said. "I guess I've always known you're the one I want to be with." Ally blushed.
"Is there anything else you've thought about?" she asked.
"Well, we'd buy a big house here in Miami so there's plenty of room for the octuplets," he said. Ally let out a laugh.
"What is it with you and octuplets?"
Austin paused, vividly picturing the dream he'd had all those years ago. "I dunno," he lied, shrugging. "I just want a lot of kids, so we can make a family band!"
Ally smiled. "Define 'a lot,'" she said.
"Just like... six or seven..." Ally rolled her eyes.
"You can't be serious..."
"Definitely. I want to make a family band!" Ally giggled.
"Well, good luck with that. I only want two. Maybe three, tops."
"I guess I could learn to live with that."
"You'd better, because you're not the one who'll be carrying them around inside you for nine months."
"But I'm gonna help make them," he said through a mouthful of pancakes.
Ally rolled her eyes again. "You're ridiculous." She motioned for Austin to look at her, took a picture of him mid-bite, smiling, and uploaded it to Instagram, using the caption "I think he's more excited about the pancakes than the show tonight. See you soon, Jacksonville! #TwoInAMillionTour," then hit post.
/
As soon as Austin was finished with his pancakes, Ally suggested they head next door to see what Trish and Dez were up to. She thought it seemed suspiciously quiet– too quiet, almost— for two of the loudest people they knew being in the same room together. They both got up and went through the connecting door to find Trish and Dez tearing through Dez's suitcase. Clothes were scattered all over the floor, across the bed, on top of the dressers, along with the contents of his backpack which included many items that made Ally raise a brow at, including silly string, several whoopee cushions (of various sizes), the bullhorn he'd woken Trish up with earlier, several comic books (including the electric avengeerrrrrr), and his favorite snacks. Ally didn't bother asking about what was in the backpack, but rather why it his stuff was spread out everywhere.
"Doofus wouldn't stop complaining that he 'lost his lucky shirt,' and I got roped into looking for it," Trish explained.
"Uh, Dez," Austin said, "Aren't you wearing your lucky shirt?" Dez furrowed his brow. "It's the blue one, with the turtle wearing sunglasses that says 'I'm turtley cool,' right?" He looked down, then back up.
"Huh. Guess I am."
"You mean, I just spent fifteen minutes searching for Dez's lucky shirt just to find out he's wearing it? You guys are impossible!" Trish left through the connecting door, heading back into her own room, probably to take a nap, Ally guessed.
"Well, my job is done here," Ally joked. She turned to Austin. "We've still got a few hours before the show, what do you wanna do?"
"I'm still tired from not getting much sleep... not sure if I'm up to do anything. Saving my energy for the show, y'know?" Ally nodded.
"That makes sense. Guess I'll see you down at the tour bus then?" she asked.
"Yep. What time did Trish say?"
"Two o'clock."
"Perfect." Ally planted a little peck on his cheek and bid him goodbye before heading back into her own room to relay the conversation they'd had to Trish, who thought it was a good starting point. Trish brought up the fact that this was better than nothing, and although there were still communication issues between the two of them and they both had different ideas of where they wanted to be with the relationship, it was better than them still fighting. After all, they had a show to do that night.
When Ally left his room, Austin told Dez about their conversation, as well, since he hadn't been briefed on everything that had happened between them. Ally lay down on her bed, admittedly still exhausted from the morning's events, as well. Trish had already fallen asleep about five minutes prior (which was really fast, Ally noted, even for Trish) and not long after, Ally drifted off, too, thinking about their concert in just a few hours. Before long, her alarm had woken her back up and she and Trish started getting ready for the show. As she applied her makeup in the hotel bathroom mirror, she couldn't help but think that, although some aspects of her relationship with Austin were still a little rocky. But she also thought about their conversation after the fight. How excited he'd been, talking about wanting a family band, a house, a career. This side of him, the funny, sweet, eager side, made her excited to take those cautious steps forward with him, into the future that she dreamed of.
/