Picnic in New York

**Picnic in New York** is seventy-third chapter of Push to the Limit and the four hundred and forty-eigth chapter of the series overall.

Alex takes Julie on the date of her dreams and discovers that maybe he's got the dream mixed up. Luke moves on.

## Plot

Kitty and the twins wake Julie up after she has slept in through half of the day. Kitty wants to know what happened with Julie and she says nothing has happened but that she is going to give it a chance. She is flying out to New York for the Country Music Awards, which she had planned to use as an opportunity to go see Caleb, but now that her answer for him may have changed she might just spend that time with Alex instead.

Albany returns home for the day to find that Luke is in his bedroom with his one-night stand from the night before. He urges her not to wake his guest, so Albany smiles and leaves glad to have Luke back.

Alex shows up at Julie's while she's cleaning up in preparation for dinner and they are awkward and smitten with each other until Alex breaks the silence to ask what the rest of her plans are. She tells him that she's packing because she's flying out for New York, which makes him a little nervous about her seeing Caleb, but she quickly says it's not to see him and reminds him about the awards. Relieved, he asks if the plan for attending the CMAs together still stands. She tells him that it does as long as he's ok with it, to which he responds that of course he is, saying he won't be able to fly out until Tuesday and would like to spend that afternoon with her. She accepts, her stomach fluttering at the idea of spending time with him now as more than friends. He tells her that's all he really needed and that he just wanted to see her and tell her that he is going to give her the perfect day. He leaves eagerly and Julie is pleasantly overwhelmed.

Luke is recording a video for his YouTube channel and introduces his guest, model Cleo White. They do a lot of silly games and then he decides to upload it without editing it too much, liking all the material they had together. It doesn't take long after posting it for people to start wondering if they are dating.

Julie talks to Bree, having dinner with her, Stefan, Sam and Kitty that night. Bree thinks it's amazing but Kitty says that they could run into Caleb or Haley and then it would just be a disaster. Stefan adds that maybe they'll kiss and it'll be really weird or they'll have sex and it won't be good. Sam tells Julie that he's sure what Alex has planned will be great and Julie asks if he already knows but Sam refuses to spill the beans. All he knows is that Alex is going all out.

Sam is with Alex, who is packing the next morning and asks him why he would say that to Julie, since it's not true and he wanted to do something simple and understated, not 'go all out' as Sam told Julie. Sam tells him he has all day to plan something perfect for her and that he can help. He knows what Julie likes. And in case that's not enough, there are other guys who know how to keep Julie happy on a date that he can go to. Alex refuses to talk to any of Julie's exes about how to date her, seeing as they didn't work out, but Sam shrugs telling him he could always try to come up with something on his own and risk it failing.

Luke and Albany meet for lunch at Amelia's and run into Travis, who has just gotten into town and was picking up some food. They make small talk and Travis mentions he saw Luke's new video and the rumors of him dating Cleo, laughing at how ridiculous people can be. Luke says that while he wouldn't call it dating just yet, they are hooking up and maybe something will come of it. Albany feels very uncomfortable, especially when Travis brings up that Luke can't possibly be serious about dating Cleo. Luke asks why not and he says that Luke doesn't date girls seriously but Luke says maybe now he might, as he has before in the past. Travis doesn't buy it, saying Luke doesn't do relationships with women but Luke says he sure as hell does and is a bit offended that Travis doesn't seem to believe his bisexuality, reminding him that he's been in relationships with both men and women before and he enjoys being with one as much as with the other, regardless of what he has said in the past about his preferences. He breaks into a performance of Gettin' Bi, embarrassing Albany and frustrating Travis, who apologizes for offending him but leaves without saying anything else.

Alex goes to Adonis, where Ryder is talking to his bartender on duty, and asks to talk to him alone. He tells Ryder that he was Julie's most competent boyfriend when it came to the romantic stuff and asks what she likes. Ryder curiously wonders why he wants to know and then realizes that Alex is going on a date with Julie. It is awkward at first but Ryder wants the best for Julie so he says that she should always be fed before the date, or else she'll be cranky and they'll risk an unnecessary argument.

Luke decides to collaborate with more celebrities after seeing the success of his new video with Cleo and decides to reach out to any YouTubers in the area, remembering that Isaac is living with Sarah. They meet up at the park to do a prank video with Cleo and catch Jeremy on his way to a coffee run for Sebastian, inviting him to join. As they set up the prank, Isaac flirts with Jeremy and makes him uncomfortable, so Luke speaks to him privately and asks if he has a problem with Isaac. Jeremy says he doesn't, but he would appreciate not being hit on like that by someone he barely knows who happens to be best friends with his ex-girlfriend. Luke tells him not to worry and that it won't be a problem anymore but Jeremy leaves.

Jake is about to go on stage to promote Leavin' on Sirius XM when Alex calls him saying he has a quick question. When Jake agrees to give him the time, Alex asks what he did to keep Julie interested on a date. Jake is confused by the question and then asks if he's taking her out. Alex's confirmation surprises Jake, who asks about Caleb, but Alex just says it's complicated. Jake has to go so he quickly answers that he didn't really date her since high school and his date strategy was a little sketchy. He would make sure it ended in a heavy make out session that got as close to sex as it could so that she would be left unsatisfied and wanting more the next time they saw each other. Alex says he appreciates the TMI but he wanted something a bit more romantic and Jake says Julie always loved being serenaded.

Alex arrives at Sebastian's office and says he can't believe he's coming to him but he needs to know what Sebastian did on any date with Julie. Sebastian laughs and asks if he's taking her out. When Alex doesn't respond, Sebastian laughs again and asks why he had a feeling they would hook up at some point. Alex urges him to give an answer and Sebastian tells him that they just had a lot of sex. Alex rolls his eyes and leaves, as Sebastian laughs more.

Alex is back home with the twins and considers giving Shawn a call, seeing as he was the only guy who got Julie to agree to marry him, but just as he's going to do it, he is saved by Sam arriving. Sam thanks him for watching them while he was out and Alex says he didn't want it to come to this but he's going to need help from him on figuring out what to do on his first date. Sam is pleased to be asked and tells him that he got all his advice from Finn, who convinced him to do a picnic on the auditorium and that's when they had their first kiss. Alex thinks about the idea of a picnic and remembers something Julie always wanted to do.

The next day, People's Choice Nominations go out and Travis is nominated for Favorite Male Singer, but as he tells Sebastian, he is nervous about losing this one to Nick Jonas, who is probably more popular with an older audience. He is also going up against Julie and Santana for Favorite Pop Artist, against Julie for Favorite Song and against Crystal Army and Julie for Favorite Album. Sebastian tells him that he will not let him lose, as all he wants for him is success. He also says that since his song with Julie has probably peaked, they should start thinking of what the next single is going to be and that he has a suggestion for him.

Julie is trying on her gown for the CMAs when someone knocks on her hotel door. Her assistant goes to get it and Alex walks in, asking her if she's changed assistants. Julie says the last one quit and sends this one and her stylist away. When they are alone, she and Alex try to greet each other but manage only an awkward hug. He asks if she's going to be free soon and she says that she just has to get a few arrangements made to her dress and then she will have the whole afternoon. Alex says the arrangements for their day are all done so she tells him to wait in the hotel and she will be ready soon.

Amity is having lunch with Christopher and tells him that she has received a nomination for Favorite Breakout Artist but once again she is up against Jake and Rhythmix. She complains that they were three of the biggest artists to pop out in the same year because she is now having to compete against them for everything, but Christopher says that in his eyes, she is the top artist. Amity is flattered and says unfortunately he is not her demographic, but Christopher says she's still the top girl and he's really enjoying getting to know her. Amity blushes especially when he leans in and gives her a kiss. She pulls away, not sure this is what she needs to be getting into, but then changes her mind and kisses him back.

When Julie meets Alex in the lobby, she is wearing jeans and a simple blouse, telling him that she would've dressed up nicely but for all she knew they were going motorbike riding. He laughs and tells her she looks perfect now before indicating for her to follow him. They are going to walk to their destination and talking. Julie doesn't know what to say to him so she brings up that she was nominated for four People's Choice Awards and that she has won all four awards she's been nominated for in the past, so she's hoping the double that, even if it means beating him out for the one award that they share a nomination for, which is Favorite Album. Alex tells her not to be too sure about that because Travis is also nominated and Blackbird will probably make sure he wins. Julie laughs and asks where they are headed but he tells her to wait and see.

Rhythmix are in town and Kayli and Zoe have a meeting to discuss their nominations and the plan with the label. As they head out of their meeting, they run into Sam and John, who are there on behalf of their band, and Sam and Kayli start to argue over who will win the Favorite Group award. After a bit of fighting, John reminds Sam that he has to go pick up his daughters so they leave. Zoe asks Kayli why she's smiling but Kayli says that she isn't and walks away.

Julie and Alex are walking by Central Park talking about how cold it is when Alex says he hopes that the cold doesn't stop them from enjoying their date, leading her to a recluse location where a few security guards are surrounding a beautiful picnic set up. Julie is amazed, telling her she's always wanted to have a picnic in Central Park and he says he knows, and now they can. He tells her to sit down and signals the guards to give them a little more privacy, explaining to Julie that they are there in case they get spotted or something. He indicates that he has brought a lot of food to keep her stomach happy and Julie laughs, thanking him and saying she's really glad they are there.

Still on their picnic, Julie and Alex are drinking wine and laughing. They have been there for some time and start talking about how beautiful the park is as it gets darker outside. Alex says he wanted it to be something that she would enjoy and was different from what they usually do together. She says it's definitely not something she ever envisioned happening between them under these circumstances and Alex says it's just about to get even odder, taking out a guitar that was hidden under blankets. He hands her the blanket to cover herself with and says he worked on this before leaving Lima and even got some help from Sam. However, this isn't where he wants to play it.

Sam walks into the Lima Bean with his twins and sees Kayli in a corner, writing, so he goes over and knocks her pencil out of her hand. She calls him immature but his attention is on the writing. After he asks what she's working on, she hides her lyrics and says it's a song but it's not finished. Sam says he didn't think she was the one that wrote anything in her group and Kayli is offended, saying she took a heavy part in the process for the first album and wants to do the same for the next. He asks if she can see what she has so far but she tells him that it's private and he reminds her that he has many years of songwriting experience. She jokes that he has many years period and he laughs, suggesting that maybe he can be of help to her. Kayli gives in and weighs Crystal Army's success against her own, figuring that perhaps having him involved wouldn't be such a bad idea.

It is dark and Alex has led Julie to a carriage, helping her get on. As it moves through the park, he sings One and Julie finds herself enticed, seeing him as a viable option to have a romantic future with for the first time. She tells him this after the song ends, adding that she certainly never would've expected to see him on a similar light as she has Caleb, Ryder, or any of the other guys she's dated but maybe now she can really take him seriously. Alex is offended, asking if he was not taken seriously before when they were just friends, because he's always taken her seriously. Julie says she didn't mean it that way, just that she never really thought that Alex would take a relationship seriously, not since Amity, and that she couldn't picture him ever really settling with anyone because of the way he is but maybe that's changed. He asks what 'the way he is' means and asks if she's expecting him to change because he thought he'd made it clear that what he liked about her was that he got to be himself with her. Julie says she knows that and she likes him the way he is but everyone has to change to be in a healthy relationship and it takes sacrifice and compromise. Ryder had to learn how to give her space and let her be her own person and Jake had to learn to open up more and be a patient guy and Sam had to be more responsible and self-accountable and Caleb had to do a lot of opening up and become less shy and meet all these new people for her. Alex stares at her, disappointed as he tells her that maybe she'd be better off being with one of those guys who's willing to become a brand new person for her. She asks why he's being such a jerk about such a simple thing and he says that maybe she should be the one to change instead of asking every guy to become someone else for her and that's why her relationships haven't worked out. Julie is appalled and says she suddenly wishes she hadn't agreed to do this whole day and Alex says that maybe she should just go see Caleb and go back to him for good, instead of leaving him for Alex, since he's clearly not good enough and can't compete anyway. He stops the carriage and gets off, telling the driver the name of her hotel so that he can get her there safely. Julie is more brokenhearted than she thought she'd be.

Kayli and Sam are writing together and making some progress. He compliments her writing sincerity and says she has written something very raw and the song has a lot of potential. He could see it being a hit single. She is flattered by this and about to ask something when Izzy starts crying and Sam has to tend to her. Kayli is annoyed by this and says that maybe they should just call it a night. Sam says that he just has to let her move around a little because Izzy gets very restless in her stroller but Kayli doesn't want to be there anymore. She gets up and goes home.

Alex has finished collecting the picnic stuff and finds the bottle of wine he had planned to drink with Julie. He begins to drink it too and sings Bloodstream as he walks through the streets of New York, getting to his hotel room. He is disappointed in himself and angry at Julie for making him feel like he wasn't enough for her. He decides that perhaps he just isn't enough and sees a bunch of fans and groupies in his hotel lobby who have discovered his location and are waiting for a chance to be with him.

Julie wakes up to prepare for the CMAs and tries calling Alex but he does not answer her. She does not know where he is staying and has no choice but to go to the awards by herself.

At Adonis, Kayli, Zoe, and Riley go out for a girls' night out but see Sam, John, and Tyler there. Kayli is annoyed immediately and does not participate as Riley teases Sam, asking if he shouldn't be with his daughters about to go to bed. Sam tells them that the girls are at Julie's watching their mom at the CMAs with Kitty and that despite how old they think he is, he does still go out and enjoy himself. Tyler reminds them that they are underage and maybe Zoe should take them home. Zoe says the only place she's taking anyone is herself to is to the bar. John agrees with that and goes with her, while Sam asks Kayli how the songwriting went. Kayli says it was fine and ignores him, which seems weird to Sam though he tries to continue acting normally.

At Adonis, Lyric, Sarah and Cleo arrive in celebration of Sarah being nominated for Favorite Female Country Star at the People's Choice Awards. While they get drinks, Lyric tells them she will find them reasonably aged, available men to channel all their energy into. Cleo says she's already seeing someone and Sarah says she doesn't need a man but Lyric says it never hurts to have one. The DJ reminds them that it is Open Mic night at the club and the girls egg Lyric on to sing. After taking a big gulp of tequila, Lyric agrees and goes up to sing her favorite Sarah Linley song, dedicating Summer Girl to her. During the performance, Ryder arrives with Rory and Stefan, getting the attention of both Sarah and Cleo, who ask the guys to join them. Lyric watches them, disappointed, but cannot do anything to stop them from flirting.

Cleo is partying with Stefan when he decides he should head home before Bree kills him for getting in so late and missing the CMAs. Cleo begs him to stay, telling him he has to help her. When she fails to think of something she would need help with, she makes up that she likes Rory and can't talk to him without Stefan being around. Stefan is surprised but happy for Rory, who has been single a while, and agrees to help them out. He tells Bree he's staying out a little longer to help Rory with the diner but really it's just to be wing man while Cleo wants to spend more time with him.

Kayli is acting normally again but goes to the bathroom and Riley follows her, asking her why she was so weird earlier when the guys arrived. Kayli shakes her off, saying everything is fine, so Riley asks if she gets offended when the guys tease them for their ages and such. Kayli denies this, saying she can take a joke, although it'd be nice to be taken seriously by those guys every now and then. Riley says they just need to show them that they can keep up with their jokes and be just like the guys are and they'll be taken seriously then. Riley walks back out and Kayli begins to sing One of the Boys, realizing that the reason she teases so much and gets worked up about Crystal Army is that she has a crush on Sam, which seemed to force her away from him after songwriting with him. He is far too old for her, however, and has two kids, so she chooses not to think about him in that way anymore. Instead of continuing with their clubbing, she decides to go home.

After the CMAs, Julie finally finds out where Alex was staying and goes to see him, carrying with her an award for Song of the Year, which they have won. When she gets to his hotel room, she knocks for him, concerned, and a girl opens up, in her underwear and wearing one of Alex's shirts. Julie looks inside, where a bunch of girls in similar outfits are dancing around and drinking. Alex, who is clearly drunk or high, looks up from his bed and asks who it is, but Julie shakes her head and starts to leave. Alex sees her and follows her out. He asks her what she's doing there and she says she came to give him his award, shoving it onto him and saying she sees that he's busy so she'll leave. Alex is confused and then realizes he has been so busy getting drunk that he forgot about the CMAs. He begins to apologize but Julie interrupts, telling him she was there to say sorry for the date because she thought about it and what she had said was wrong and she didn't mean it. However, now that she's found him like this, she's glad she didn't get the chance to grovel for him and his friendship because she doesn't want it. She leaves and Alex feels even worse now.

Stefan is on his way out of the diner when Cleo bumps into him and says hello. He tells her that he's late to meet Bree at Julie's for Mia's play date with the twins so Cleo says she will make it quick and thanks him for being so supportive the night before. She loves having him as a friend. Spotting Rory inside, Stefan says he will be an even better friend and asks Rory to come over. Cleo tries to stop him but Stefan suggests that they go on a date together and Rory is surprised that Cleo is interested in him. Stefan is very blunt about them liking each other so he sets them up for a date but Cleo says she's busy over the weekend. Stefan tells them they can go out the next week and Cleo has no choice but to accept.

Julie is back in Lima and having a terrible time while supervising a play date between the twins, Ben, Mia, and Nate. Alex arrives and asks to talk to her privately but she tells him that she doesn't want to hear what he has to say. She calls him an irresponsible drunk and tells him that he should clean up his act but he's so resistant to changing that he never will, not for himself let alone for her. She was dumb enough to think that they could work but maybe they are just too different. He tells her that he got scared and pushed her away but missed her immediately after and that they both have a lot of work to do but they can make it work. She refuses, however, and Alex asks if she's just going to go back to Caleb after everything and she says that's what he told her to do before going off to get drunk and missing one of the biggest nights in their careers.

As Alex leaves, Bree catches up to him and asks what on earth happened in New York. He tells her that he should've known it would never work and he liked it a lot better before when he didn't care. In fact, maybe he doesn't care still, he's just tricked himself into thinking he cared because that's what everyone wanted. Bree is confused, but he just says that he's not going to please anyone other than himself because that's all that matters and starts to leave, singing I Could If I Wanted To on his way out.

## Songs

### Billboard 200

* "Black Roses" - Juliet Vasquez
	+ Number 11
	+ Last Week: 10
	+ Peak Position: 1
	+ Weeks on Chart: 33
* "Who I've Been" - Crystal Army
	+ Number 13
	+ Last Week: 17
	+ Peak Position: 1
	+ Weeks on Chart: 44
* "Don't Look Back" - Travis Hilton
	+ Number 14
	+ Last Week: 16
	+ Peak Position: 1
	+ Weeks on Chart: 18
* "No Pressure" - Jake P.
	+ Number 35
	+ Last Week: 30
	+ Peak Position: 6
	+ Weeks on Chart: 8
* "Generation Love" - Sarah Linley
	+ Number 68
	+ Last Week: 47
	+ Peak Position: 25
	+ Weeks on Chart: 3
* "Stand Down" - Rhythmix
	+ Number 105
	+ Last Week: 121
	+ Peak Position: 4
	+ Weeks on Chart: 31
* "Amity Hills" - Amity Hills
	+ Number 184
	+ Last Week: 166
	+ Peak Position: 3
	+ Weeks on Chart: 34

### Billboard Hot 100

* "Airplanes" - Travis Hilton featuring Juliet Vasquez
	+ Number 3
	+ Last Week: 2
	+ Peak Position: 2
	+ Weeks on Chart: 7
* "Chains" - Nick Jonas
	+ Number 11
	+ Last Week: 10
	+ Peak Position: 8
	+ Weeks on Chart: 11
* "Jet Black Heart" - Crystal Army
	+ Number 13
	+ Last Week: 9
	+ Peak Position: 5
	+ Weeks on Chart: 12
* "Ride" - Travis Hilton
	+ Number 17
	+ Last Week: 16
	+ Peak Position: 5
	+ Weeks on Chart: 32
* "Here" - Amity Hills
	+ Number 26
	+ Last Week: 21
	+ Peak Position: 5
	+ Weeks on Chart: 30
* "Me and My Broken Heart" - Jake P.
	+ Number 28
	+ Last Week: 20
	+ Peak Position: 14
	+ Weeks on Chart: 14
* "Hair" - Rhythmix featuring Sean Paul
	+ Number 29
	+ Last Week: 27
	+ Peak Position: 25
	+ Weeks on Chart: 5
* "Leavin'" - Jake P.
	+ Number 36
	+ Last Week: 45
	+ Peak Position: 36 (NEW)
	+ Weeks on Chart: 2
* "He Could Be The One" - Juliet Vasquez
	+ Number 39
	+ Last Week: 30
	+ Peak Position: 10
	+ Weeks on Chart: 16
* "Heartbeat Song" - Santana Lopez
	+ Number 46
	+ Last Week: 44
	+ Peak Position: 37
	+ Weeks on Chart: 6
* "I Got The Boy" - Sarah Linley
	+ Number 71
	+ Last Week: 70
	+ Peak Position: 70
	+ Weeks on Chart: 9
* "Hollow" - Lyric Heron featuring Travis Hilton
	+ Number 84
	+ Last Week: 68
	+ Peak Position: 68
	+ Weeks on Chart: 11 (non-consecutive)