He had initially thought that the pounding would stop, but it had only continued. It took him a moment to come to his senses and realize that someone was actually knocking on the door. He got up from the great big chair in the corner and walked across the checkered floor to his studio door. He opened it, and Trish came falling in.

His jaw dropped in surprise. She was that close to ending up in a tangled heap on the floor. This was Trish. She liked to keep things classy; he'd never seen her fall down on purpose. What in the world was she doing?

She stood up and brushed her hair out of her face. He blinked and when he looked at her again he was surprised. Her hands were on her hips, and her face was angry. "Think I did that on purpose? Think again. You didn't answer the door, you doof," she scolded. "I just decided to take a short rest on it. How was I supposed to know you'd ever stop your daydreaming and actually open it?"

He might have been annoyed, but it had been too long since he'd seen the attitude he loved. He'd grown to appreciate her new found self-control, but there was something about the strength that came out when she was mad. It had made him feel happy to know that that strength was still there. The excitement inside could not be contained, and he felt a smile come to his face.

"So says the one who always slams the door on me," he chuckled. "Your office door, your house door, you're always slamming the door on me."

Her arms hung limply at her sides, and her face only showed traces of the anger of a moment ago. Perhaps his smile had made all the difference. Could it be that she didn't hate him after all?

"Only when you deserve it, doof," she replied.

Maybe she was right. He could be nosy after all. "Oh," was all he said.

She smiled, and her eyes sparkled. Yeah, he had to admit he liked that too. Sometimes she just too adorable for her own good.

"I wanted to talk to you," she began hastily and stopped.

"Talk on," he said, gesturing to his favorite chair. "I love talking to you. Actually, I believe that's what we're doing right now."

She sat down. "Dez….I…I….." she began and broke it off. She looked no longer calm but confused and even perplexed.

He felt puzzled. What was going on here? Had he said something wrong? They'd had conversations like this many times, but she'd never acted like this before. He would have said she looked like…a lost puppy. How had confident and assertive Trish turned into this? He was shocked when she just stood up and walked away without another word.

She wanted to run away and never come back. She'd just made a fool of herself—in front of Dez no less. What must he think of her? She got as far as the courtyard of the mall when she stopped. She knew she'd always regret it if she never went back. She'd missed too many opportunities; she would not let this one pass her by. She turned around and walked back in his still open door. She stopped right in front of him where she could see his face, feel his presence, and smell his cologne.

She took a deep breath; his nearness gave her courage."Dez…..Dezmond Hatfield Wade. I may or not have treated you like I hate you, but I really don't. I want to be your friend; I want to hang out with you. And no I'm not after your money. I just want to be friends…Snap, I promised myself I'd say it all….Dez, I know you're with Carrie, and this will never work. But you need to know the truth. I like you more than I'd ever be able to say. You're very special to me, Dez."

She closed her eyes. She had to hear the words she dreaded, but she didn't have to see his face as he said them. Please just let it be over quickly, she begged. She'd lived this out too many times already in her nightmares, but this time the words never came. Instead, she felt his arms pulling her close.

"Trish, it's over. Carrie and I are history, over, done. Oh, I didn't tell you, did I? Yeah, it didn't work out. Turns out, she wasn't the girl for me." She heard the smile in his voice. "Oh, and I like you too."

He had to be joking. There was no way that this could be true. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined this. She pulled out of his grip and stepped back, so that she could see his face. He had a cryptic smile there that she had never quite figured out.

She felt vulnerable and exposed. "Dez, don't tease me," she said. "If this your idea of a joke, you're not the half the man I thought you were. I told you my biggest secret because I trusted you. It's not fair for you to say you like me just so you can laugh at me."

At once, his hands were on her shoulders, and she felt herself moved closer. His gaze was on her face; she saw only the clear blue of his eyes. "Trish. I'm not joking." His eyes were serious and lost their twinkle for a moment. "You are so special to me, too….Like you, Trish?" he laughed. "I love you." He reached down and bopped her nose. "That's so much better. I love it when you smile and your eyes sparkle. They're such a pretty color. Have I ever told you that? I love it when you pretend to be annoyed when you're not. You may be a good actress, but acting annoyed just isn't your thing. Heck, I even love it when you get mad." He shook his head. "I can't tell you how many times I've almost told you this. I was just too afraid. There was no way you could love me; I'm pretty ordinary I'm afraid."

An "Oh, Dez," was all she managed. She was overwhelmed; she moved in and put her arms around him. "You've never been ordinary to me. I always thought I was the ordinary one."

"No, Trish, you shine. You make it all too hard for me to keep my eyes off of you." She felt his hand on her head. He grabbed one of her curls. "So I can't help wondering how long it's been?" she heard him laughingly ask as she felt the curl spring back against her head.

"That I've liked you?" she asked.

"Yeah. Come on, I know how long I've liked you. It's been like forever. Ever since you cast a spell on me with those chocolate brown eyes of yours."

"Oh that. Yeah, it goes back to that day at Austin's house, you know, way back then."

It was his turn to laugh. "This is crazy. We have both liked each other for years and didn't say anything. Why didn't we? This could have happened like way sooner."

"That's why it's called skinny love," she said quietly.

He was serious as he continued. "Skinny love? Our love is not skinny but fit. It's been stretching and growing and changing through hardship. And it's going to make it, you know. We've got some big challenges coming our way, but our love is strong and we'll find a way."

She laughed in return. Could he be any more adorably clueless? She looked up at his face high above her. She stretched up as tall as she could until her lips touched his cheek. "Yes, it's skinny no longer." As she said those words, she couldn't help but feel that he was right. Their love was no longer skinny. It was strong, and it would last.

Author's note: I just want to take a chance to say thank you to all of you Austin and Ally fans. You guys are the best! I really appreciate all of you who have taken the time to review, follow, and favorite my stories. You know you are! ;) A special thanks to each and every one of you. I hope that this chapter was a satisfactory ending to the story!