Alan:
“Hey pretty lady, long time no see!” Austin chuckled as he flopped down on the couch next to Silver.
“How's the wedding planning, Mrs. A.P?” I asked plopping on her other side.

She laughed. “I have people doing it for me. Can you believe that? Aaron paid someone and this couple is planning our entire fucking wedding!” She shoved another handful of chocolate chips in her mouth. “It's fantastic! They stop by once a week to double check with us, but other than that, it's all being taken care of!”

Aaron emerged from the back with damp hair and a towel slung around his neck. “If I'd let her plan it we would have gotten hitched in Vegas the day after I proposed.”

Silver shrugged, denying nothing.

“So instead you hired someone to give you the wedding you'd dreamed of since you were a little girl, A.P.?” Austin burst into hysterical laughter. Sil joined him.

Aaron rolled his eyes and flipped us off before going into the kitchen. “You guys want anything to drink?”

Both of my best friends eyed me carefully for my response. I sighed. “I said I was done, didn't I?”

“Nah we're good,” Austin called, nodding in approval before continuing to avoid my gaze.

This has been going on for the past two months. Ever since I made the stupid mistake of kissing him on stage. After Silver left me alone, I took one look at Austin and bolted. I couldn't do it. I couldn't even stand the thought of him turning me down.

It's been two months since we've even been in the same room.

Silver sighed and threw a chocolate chip at Austin's head.

“Hey!”

I was attempting to stifle a laugh when she threw one at my face.

“What'd I do?!”

“You two nimrods haven't been talking since the day Aaron proposed. Don't lie to me, I have my resources,” she said eying down each of us in turn.

“It's getting ridiculous guys,” Aaron shook his head as he handed Silver a cup of tea before occupying the seat across from me, “neither of you showed up to the meeting last week because you didn't want to run into each other. This has to stop. Now.”

I kept my gaze on the floor and shrugged.

I felt Sil smack me over the back of the head.

“Hey!” Austin and I shouted in sync. We looked at each other for a brief moment before averting our eyes again.

“Look up when you're getting scolded, boys.”

I glared at the girl next to me as she popped another handful of chocolate in her mouth. “I'm not a kid.”

“Really? Cause you two fuck heads sure are acting like children. Aaron and I shouldn't have to sit down two grown men and reprimand them like they're five because they're ignoring each other instead of growing a pair and talking and asking one another out.” She popped another handful in.

Aaron nodded. “Guys, you know we can't have personal issues like this. We're all friends, but we're also business partners. If you two don't get your acts together the company will either fire one or both of you, or drop all of us. I'm not letting my career, Phil's career, Tino's career, and both of your careers plummet because you two are afraid of getting rejected.”

I swallowed. I hadn't thought about what we were doing to the band.

The most sane couple of our strange little family looked from my face to Austin's and nodded at each other. “We're going to go in the kitchen and make dinner,” Aaron put his hands on his knees to push himself up.

“You two are going to talk, and stop being stubborn assholes so that we can all get back to normal. Got it?”

Silence followed.

I was pelted with candy again, and judging by the way Austin's head snapped up to glare at Silver, he was too. “Got it?”

“Yeah,” we grumbled.

“Good,” She beamed and accepted Aaron's hand up.

I risked a glance at Austin as I heard them leave the room. He fidgeted uncomfortably, keeping his eyes fixed on the carpet.

I was thinking of everything I could possibly say to ease the unbearable tension in the room when Austin chuckled. I looked at him questioningly.

He blushed a little. “I-I was just thinking of the last time it was this awkward between us. Ya know, that first tour we did after you joined.”

I chuckled, too, as I remembered. Tino, Phil, and Shay went out to the club, taking with them the entire crew, even the bus driver. Austin and I hadn't even had a proper conversation yet, then suddenly we were left alone in a cramped bus. It took two hours of suffering through some horrible nature documentary before Austin turned to me and said, “This is fucking ridiculous, I don't even know what the fuck those things are. Fuck this!” I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. We talked for hours until everyone stumbled in at the crack of dawn. Austin's been my best friend since. I later found out he had to have three shots of whiskey before he got up the nerve to talk to me. On the latest tour I found out it was because he was crushing on me.

It got quiet again, but only for a moment.

I heard Aus swallow. “W-why'd you kiss me?” he asked sofly.

I shrugged.

His fist slammed into the coffee table. “Damnit Alan, yes you do!”

I bit my lip. Great, now he's angry.

He sighed and wiped a hand down his face. “I thought you were my friend.”

“I am your friend,” I said, utterly confused at how that was relevant to any of this.

“Then why would you kiss me, run off, and then ignore me for two months?”

“It's complicated,” I muttered patheticly.

“Bullshit!” he spat, slamming his hand down again. He's gonna break their table. “What the fuck, Al? Are you just getting off on fucking with my feelings? Cause it's so damn funny to watch the giant lanky fag look hopeful for one moment and then destroy him the next?!”

I felt my face heat up. “Are you fucking kidding me?! Do you think any of this is easy for me either?! I broke up with my girlfriend because she didn't love me, just to find out that – surprise! – I apparently prefer dick! Oh! And to make matters worse, guess what, I also apparently have a thing for my best-fucking-friend – who didn't even tell me that he was in the closet! I had to find out from our other friend! So fuck you, Austin! Not everything's about you!”

I could almost see the steam coming out of his beat-red face. Next thing I knew, I was tackled to the floor. “Fuck you, Ashby! If it wasn't for me you'd be dead right now! Did you happen to notice what a fucking mess you were after tour? I didn't go home for almost another month after being on the road because I was taking care of you!” He punched me.

I flailed and kicked until I was able to reverse our position, so that I pinned him to the floor, holding his biceps down to avoid further injury. “I didn't ask for your fucking help!” I let one arm go to take a swing at him.

He growled and flipped us over again, sitting on my flailing legs and pressing my wrists into the floor above my head. His face was no more than six inches from mine when he snarled, “Well you got it, because – guess what asshole – I'm fucking in love with you!”

We glared at each other, red-faced and panting, for what felt like an eternity before his words finally sunk in.

All that extra blood drained from his face when Austin realized what he'd just admitted. I simply stared at him, eyes wide and mouth open. There it was: words Austin Carlile knew would change everything between us, but could never take back.

He's in love with me.

My brain was in the process of crashing and restarting for, probably, the fourth or fifth time when my best friend scurried off me to stand, shyly at the other end of the room. I don't know exactly how long I laid there before I regained control of myself. I stumbled up and swallowed, taking a long look at Austin. “Really?” Nice asshole, he professes his undying love for you and all you can come up with is “really?” You fucking moron.

His cheeks heated up to a shade of red, that I decided was my favorite color, as his gazed dropped to the floor. “I, ugh...yeah, um...yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck.

I cautiously crossed the room to stand in front of him. “Aus?” He made a noise of acknowledgment. “Look at me.” Slowly, but surely, he lifted his head so that I could see red eyes brimming with tears. My heart broke. “Aus, please don't cry. I'm sorry.”

I wasn't really sure what I was apologizing for; possibly the bruise blooming on his cheek bone or maybe for the hurtful things I'd yelled. Austin took it as neither. He took it as me letting him down gently.

“I see.” He couldn't get two words out without his voice cracking as his eyes fixed themselves on the floor again.

It took me until the first tear dripped from his face to realize his conclusion. I gasped. “What? No no no!” I took his face in my palms, wiping away his tears with my thumbs like he'd done to me countless times. “Aus I-” I couldn't get the words out. The feeling was there, like lead butterflies slamming around in my gut, but I couldn't get the words to pass my lips. So I did the only other thing I could think of.

Austin let out a small surprised squeak when I crushed my lips to his. I forced him to understand what I couldn't put into words. I tangled my fingers in the back of his hair and pulled him closer. The words would come in time, I knew that, but he needed to understand now. He was everything to me, even before I knew I felt for him in this way. He was a constant in my life; never changing, always there. I counted on him on him being there, even when my actions and words said otherwise. I needed him like I needed gravity. Austin kept me grounded.

His initial shock quickly gave way, and before I knew it I was kissing Austin Carlile like I'd never be able to again, and he was kissing me back the same way.

A cough from the door way made us jump apart. I spun to see Silver smirking. “'S about time you two kissed and made up.” She winked. “Come eat, food's done.” She retreated back to the kitchen.

I turned back to Austin and smiled. He returned it before smacking me on the ass and following Sil. “C'mon Ashby, I'm starving!” he called.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't stop the smile on my face as I jogged to catch up with his long legs. “What am I getting myself into?”

Suddenly my back was slammed into the wall of the hallway and Austin's mouth was back on mine. He put his lips to my ear and whispered, “Me,” before shooting me a devious smirk.

I laughed so hard I snorted. I gave him a solid smack on the ass. “You'd better believe it! You're coming home with me tonight.” I winked.

“STOP FUCKING IN MY HALLWAY AND GET IN HERE BEFORE THE FOOD GETS COLD!”

Austin chuckled. “We'll continue this tonight.”

I smiled. Yeah, we would, and hopefully for many many nights to come as well.

Notes

That's it! It's done! Maybe I'll do an epilogue, but we'll see. I hope you've enjoyed! Thanks for all the views and getting this on the first popular page! It means a lot that you've all enjoyed. Thanks again for bearing with me! - Anna