Chapter 12:

One Month Later…

Austin's POV:

Ally and I have slowly gotten back into our old schedule. She went back to school and has been doing really good. We have gone back to hanging out at Sonic Boom all the time too, messing around and making music. It's like the old Ally really is back. But then there's today, and I don't know how it's going to go.

After talking with my parents and Ally's father, I invited Ally over to dinner. She was skeptical at first when I asked her, but she agreed nonetheless. Her father thought it'd be good for her it just get it over with. She can't avoid my house or family forever. I also told Mr. Dawson how I feel about his daughter, and he trusts me more than anyone to keep her safe; and I will do just that.

I've been packing around my living room, looking from the window to my watch. My mother and father are seated on the couch, staring at me with concern, "Austin, you are going to scratch up the hardwood floor if you keep walking over it like that." My mother says.

"I can't help it. What if this ruins all the work we've done on our friendship this past month?" I ask.

"How would it ruin it? You know we will be on our best behavior." My father says.

I sigh and sit down next to them, "I know that. It's not you guys. It's just what if coming in here freaks her out and reminds her of what happened. What if she can't ever be around me outside of school and sonic boom? I'll never be able to tell her how I really feel." I say.

My mom puts her hand on my, now sling free, shoulder, "Everything's going to be fine Austin, trust me." She says.

Just then, there is a soft knock on the door. I stand up fast and run my fingers through my hair, "She's here." I say.

"We'll meet you in the kitchen for dinner." My father says as they both stand up and walk away.

I take a deep breath and straighten up my collar on my shirt. I walk over to the door, grab the door knob and exhale as I open the door.

Ally's POV:

I'm beyond nervous to go to Austin's. I don't know what will happen when I go into his house, or see his dad. Is it going to be awkward? Are things ever going to be the same again? I really hope so.

The door slowly opens, revealing a very nervous looking Austin. He's wearing a striped collared shirt, his usual ripped jeans and black converse. His hair is all messy, but in the most adorable way ever. I can't help but grin when I notice how nervous he is. We really do feel the same emotions a lot.

When he notices my smile, he smiles too, "Hey Ally." He says.

"Hello Austin." I reply.

He motions for me to come in. I take a deep breath and walk into his house. He shuts the door behind us and I look around. His parents must be in the other room. I turn around and he's closer than I thought. I almost bump into him, so I take a slight step back, looking up at him.

"Are you okay?" he asks, sincerely concerned.

"I think so." I say with a smile.

"That's good." He replies.

I notice his arm, the sling is off. I look at it, and then into his eyes. His face is blank, he just watches me. I move my hand slowly over to his sleeve, lifting it up so I can see. There's a small scar where the bullet hit him, but it doesn't look terrible. But it is a hard memory of something that I don't want any of us to remember. I rub my finger over it slightly, feeling the bump. I look at him and he doesn't even flinch, "How does it feel?" I whisper.

"Better than ever," he says, "Are you ready for dinner?"

I take my hand back and let it fall to my side, "I think so."

Austin's POV:

I guide her into the kitchen, where my mother is putting the last plate full of pasta on the table. My father is already seated, and they both turn to us when we walk in. My mother walks over slowly and stands in front of Ally, "Hello dear, it's so nice to see you." She says with her warm motherly smile.

Ally then smiles back, not a fake smile either. Ally has always had a soft spot for my mother, "Hello Mrs. Moon. It's nice to see you too."

My father stands up then, and walks over slowly. I can see Ally tense a little, and I feel like it's because of the resemblance between him and my uncle. My uncle has been in jail since, and that's where he's staying, "I'm glad you are here Ally." My father says.

"Thanks Mr. Moon. Thanks for having me." She says. After the greetings, my nerves calm down a little. But just a little.

We sit down to eat, and the dinner consists of a lot of silence while we chew, and a lot of small talk. It went a lot better than I thought, but Ally has that look on her face, which means she has something she wants to say. I know Ally well more than anyone, and I know it's coming soon.

After my mother serves dessert, chocolate cake, Ally's favorite. There is a growing silence, and that's when Ally sets down her fork. Everyone's attention turns to her, and she looks at me and smiles. She then turns back to my parents and clears her throat, "If you don't mind, there's something I'd like to say."

I freeze then, staring at my half eaten cake. I may know that she had something to say, but I had no idea what. My father holds on to his coffee cup tight, waiting for her to speak. My mother smiles and nods "Go ahead sweetheart."

"I know everything has been hard for all of us." She starts. How can she even say that? It's been a lot harder on her than any of us.

"But I want you to know that after everything, and a lot of thinking, that I don't and never want anything to change between any of us. What happened was out of our control, and I know that it's probably going to be a little awkward for a while, but I want you to know that my view of you guys hasn't changed. And I'm sorry that you had to go through what you did." She says.

"Are you kidding me Ally?" I say. It makes them all turn to me with shock in their eyes with my tone, but I couldn't help it, "What you went through was a thousand times worse than what we did. There is no need for you to apologize or anything." I tell her.

"Austin's right. What my bro- what happened was uncalled for and ridiculous and I'm so sorry that it had to be someone in our family. We would never wish that on you or anyone else, and we are so lucky that you are an amazing woman with such a kind heart." My father says.

"Thanks Mr. Moon." Ally says.

Even my father realizes how amazing Ally truly is. That's why I love her so much, and why I need to tell her. My nerves start to form again so I just play with a bracelet on my wrist. My parents know that tonight was when I wanted to tell Ally how I feel, so when they see my change in my mood, my mother thanks Ally and starts to clean up. My father gets up to help her also.

Ally stays seated, playing with a button on her dress. I stand up and look at her, "Would you go for a walk with me?" I ask.

She smiles, "Sure."

She follows me through my back yard, and I guide her to a spot near the river. It's the place she and I went swimming a few years ago. We came out here after a family barbeque and I taught her how to swim. I walk over to a big rock on the sandy part and sit down. She stands for a few moments and then walks over and takes a seat next to me.

"I remember this place." She says, "You taught me how to swim here." She says with a smile.

"Yeah I did." I say.

"We've had so many good memories." She says. I just nod in response.

I turn to her, and realize she was already looking at me. I turn away for a moment, but look back at her again. The sunset is reflecting off of the water and making Ally glow. She's the most beautiful girl in the world, that's a fact, "Ally?" I say.

"Yes Austin?"

"There's something… I want to…" I start, but I don't know how to say it. Yeah, me, Austin Moon, gets completely tongue tied talking to a girl.

"What Austin?" She asks.

I remember that whole, actions speak louder than words saying at this moment, and I decide to do the only thing I can. I lean in and press my lips to hers.

Ally's POV:

All I could think about as he leaned in to kiss me was; finally. He kisses me softly, and I kiss back right away. It felt like how all those cheesy romance movies describe it, fireworks, etc. We don't break apart though; we deepen the kiss for a few moments.

When we do break apart, he smiles at me, causing me to match it automatically, "Ally, I'm so in love with you. I love you more than anything I've ever owned, or anything else I've ever loved. You mean absolutely everything to me." He says, blushing.

"I love you too Austin, more than anything. You're all I thought about and dreamt about when I was gone, you're all I wanted, and want." I tell him.

"I want to keep you safe, and I promise I will." He says.

"I know." I tell him. He wraps his arm around me and we stare at the sunset that's about to disappear, and that's when I realized, I feel safer than i ever have.

Author's Note: I think this is it folks! I may write another chapter if you guys want me to but i kind of like it ending right there :) i hope you enjoyed my story and thank you SO MUCH for reading it, it means so much!3