La Serenissima

Defining The Relationship

There was a melody in his head and it was one that he couldn't get out of his mind for the past week. Austin could blame, or more thank, Ally for it. After their kiss at the ball, he'd been stealing many more from her each and every day after and could not get enough of them. Her lips had tasted of strawberries the night of the ball, and they changed each day. At first he could still taste the berries, but then there were oranges, and grapes and the latest flavor he was still licking his own lips over was caramel.

They had met up every day between her classes and in between his own time at the conservatory at Santoli's and in Campo Santo Margherita and outside his apartment and basically, wherever they could to spend time together. Austin had found out even more about the girl who he'd become captivated with - she could talk about music just as much as he could, she had an unhealthy addiction to pickles and was very, very proud of her role as president of a cloud watching club. He laughed so hard at the last confession from her. He figured she'd be having the best time right now in Venice, seeing as the entire sky was filled with gray ones. But the biggest thing he found out about her was that she had grown up in Miami, just like he had. It was still amazing to him that they were from the same hometown and he hadn't known about her his entire life. Miami was a big city...but not that big that you didn't know about the cool kids at a different high school down the road.

Austin leaned up against the sound booth while Santo made the final adjustments to the song he had just recorded and waited for the playback. While the lyrics and music were all him, and very much all about Ally, this wasn't a song for the album he was making for himself. This was a song for someone else, someone who was still looking for love.

There's something in the air tonight, something electric. The point where love ignites, the center of the heart. You never see it comin', no. There isn't a warning, no reason, not a sign, but you can feel it everywhere. There's something in the air.

Even his voice didn't match the song, but it didn't mean that it wasn't a good song. Austin smirked as Santo leaned back further in his seat and smugly smiled up at him. "You like this one."

"I do," Santo nodded. "I just wish your voice matched it."

Austin laughed right back. "Yes, because I'm going to be that sappy artist now," he shook his head. "This is more for The Magnolias or even that new artist my label just signed. What's her name..."

"Greycen Mars," Santo finished for him and Austin snapped his fingers, pointing at his friend. "This would be good for her. It's a slow ballad she would be amazing at."

Austin hopped back into the booth again, and dove head first into the other track he had written that he knew for a fact wouldn't be on his album, or the next. This was another one that he had to get out of his head before it exploded and to move on to the next song. This one was faster, and definitely something you could've found on his two previous albums; full of sugary pop about running after a girl and getting her. It was a good song, he was biased on that part, but again, he knew it wasn't for him. It was for another artist, but he had to get it out of his mind so he could work on the other tracks he was sending off to his label tonight.

Talking with them earlier in the day, along with Santo, they all loved the first two songs he had sent them a few weeks ago and were anxious to hear the rest. In fact, they were so excited, they had already pre-booked him for appearances on The Today Show, and Good Morning America and so many late night talk shows that he had lost count. Together, they had ball parked for a fall drop date and to him, that meant that as soon as he was finished with the last song in Venice, he would have to head back to the States. A part of him was excited, getting to promote an album he was insanely proud of, and another part of him was saying, no, don't go just yet. You just met this girl may well be the love of your life.