SERENA

"It's tastes good, doesn't it?" Dawn asked as she took a big bite of her pink cottin candy. Serena nodded, enjoying the sweet taste melting in her mouth.

"This is my first time eating cotton candy" She admitted bashfully. There used to be a cotton candy seller that would pass by her orphanage every Sunday. Serena and May would gather round the big window panes, pressing their faces on the glass to catch a glimpse.

They would watch the cotton candy seller hand out different colors of the fluffed candy cloud to parents who would in turn pass it on to their excited children. For some reason, Serena couldn't get that image out of her head for most of her childhood.

"Once Palermo, who owned the orphanage, bought cotton candies for all the children. All of the children were eating theirs but I gave mine to May. Looking back at it, I think I used to believe that cotton candies were some sort of privilege only meant for kids who had parents."

"It must have been tough; growing up without your parents" Dawn said sympathetically. "I never got a chance to meet my dad and I used to feel that I was very unlucky for it. Growing up I realised how lucky I really am to have Mum."

"I have heard about Mrs. Bertliz." Serena said, remembering all the magazines that featured the iconic fashion designer. "I love all the designs she has made."

"Well, I am sure Mum is a very good designer" Dawn giggled. "But wait till you see my designs! I am sure you are gonna like them more!"

"I don't know" Serena smiled slyly. "Her designs have set the bar way too high. They are kinda hard to beat."

"Oh please" Dawn scoffed playfully, nudging her. "Once we are back in Paris, I am going to take you to my exclusive high-end boutique, Voeux. I wonder you will say the same after I show you the new dresses I had designed for fall."

"Can't wait" Serena smiled. "And I am sure they would be wonderful."

Dawn smiled back. Suddenly Dawn's phone rang, Lavender Haze sounding a faint buzz through the crowded Hawaii.

"It's Paul" She said, looking at her caller ID which read My Ice Cube. Serena bit back a giggle. Dawn was so real for that.

"Yo" Dawn greeted as she picked up the phone. "Wha -? Yeah no . . . No wait, seriously? . . . Alright."

"What's wrong?" Serena blurted out as she watched her friend's face turn gloomy.

"Well, I have to run back to the hotel" Dawn muttered, rolling her eyes.

"But we were going to watch the sunset on the beach" Serena frowned, disappointment creeping in her words. She didn't hesitate to show how upset she was, if it meant that Dawn would change her mind.

"We are still down for it" Dawn assured her. "You should go ahead and Paul and I will catch up to you later."

"What about Ash?" Serena questioned, feeling heat rising up her neck. Her face flushed when Dawn gave her a Chesire grin.

"He will be at the beach" She said, her tone making Serena uneasy. "Don't make him wait, baby."

ASH

"Do you have to go?" Ash asked Paul, her voice wavering uncharacteristically. Paul gave him a are-you-okay look as he was climbed in the passenger seat of Porsche.

"Would you rather have me standing between you two, staring as you both confess to each other? No thanks" Paul said flatly.

"What confess -" The auburn-eyed man clamped his mouth shut when his old friend gave him a pointed look.

"Good luck. It will end well" Paul said, revving the engine. Then as an afterthought "Or maybe not. Not my problem."

Ash watched stupified as Paul sped away, leaving behind clouds of dust. Ash had never felt more betrayed than at the moment. Even though his gut wrenched, he had no choice.

He sat on the warm sand, watching the emerald-turquoise waves rhythmically rising and falling back. The crystal clear water lapped on the golden shores, only to recede and come again in a never-ending cycle.

He felt a wave of nostalgia rush over to him; his father would always take him and Calem to the beach whenever they visited Florida. They would spend the entire day building sand castles and swimming in the water. At dusk, they would set up the bonfire and roast marshmallows.

He missed those times. And he missed his older brother who always looked out for him.

'No, don't think about him' Ash shook his head. 'He left and he isn't coming back so stop thinking about him.'

The sun was setting on the horizon in a whimsical fusion of cantaloupe and pink. The sand illuminated golden hues, and the turquoise waves slowly faded into shades of carmine.

A smile crept on his lips. It was beautiful.

"Ash?"

He turned around and for a split-second, he forgot how to breathe. She was there, looking tenaciously bewitching and alluring and breathtaking all at once.

Her hair sailed with the gentle breeze, looking as though the golden rays of the sun had seemingly woven themselves into wisps of her honey blonde. Her blue eyes resembled the ocean waters, the spring skies and the baby blue hyacinths and nothing, to Ash, had ever looked so beautiful.

"Ash" Serena smiled, nearing him and making his heart somersault. He didn't care if he looked ridiculous, sitting on the sand and staring at her like a fool.

Or maybe I am a fool, a fool who is madly in love, He had never felt so stupid. How did he not realise?

All those butterflies in his stomach, his heart skipping beats and the things he did to make her happy. Just to see her smile.

"Sere" He breathed out. He didn't realise when he had stood up from his spot and started walking towards her. The distance between them decreased and then they stopped.

"Dawn told me you would be here" Serena smiled, nervously fumbling with at the ends of her oversized t-shirt.

It was then that Ash noticed that she had changed outfits; wearing a comfortable cadet colored oversized tee and a pair of faded blue jeans.

"Y-yeah" Ash stuttered, immediately becoming quiet. He groaned internally. 'What is wrong with me?'

Silence hung between them. But it wasn't awkward. It was almost . . . comforting in a way.

For the first time in a while, Serena felt at peace. No conflicting thoughts. No hustle and bustle of the city. Just both of them. Together.

"What did you do today?" Serena asked after a moment of silence. They both sat side by side on the shore, with the honey blonde hugging her knees to her chest.

"Nothing much" Ash replied as casually as he could. "Paul and I met up with Lusamine, the CEO of Aether Foundations."

"I have heard of her" Serena smiled. "Her name is often mentioned in the list of top hundred most influential women of the world. Oh and her daughter Lillie Aether? She is a world renowned photographer."

"Yeah" Ash trailed off, unsure if Lusamine actually deserved the recognition she has. He hesitated, before adding "I met Lillie Aether today. Lusamine wanted us both to get married."

He didn't know why he said that; maybe he wanted to see how she would react to this. Maybe he wanted to see whether she would show signs of jealousy. Or maybe it was both.

Serena blinked slowly, the information slowly sinking in and weighing down on her. Her heart twisted but she recovered quickly.

"Oh, really?" She admired how steady her voice sounded. She had become good at disguising her emotions over the years. "That is good. I mean, this is great."

Ash's eyes widened in surprise, his brows furrowing together in bewilderment. He hadn't expected that.

And Serena, who had rarely hoped for anything in her life, had believed in it all along in her heart. She knew that their worlds were thousands of miles apart. They ran in different social circles, lived lives way different from one another.

Why would he - Ash Ketchum who can have anyone - give his heart to her?

Serena was too much of a coward to love one-sidedly. All she wanted was to live a normal, happy life. She did not wanted to wait for someone who will never look at her. A life of loneliness and longing - Serena was terrified by the thought of it.

The honey blonde swallowed a lump in her throat. Yes, she was scared of giving a name to her feelings. But that didn't mean that she didn't knew how she felt.

And yet, the only thing that mattered was how he felt. But the honey blonde had no intentions of finding out; risking whatever they had to find out that all of it were nothing but vain hopes.

Ash stared at her a minute longer before he looked away. What was he expecting anyways?

The atmosphere between them shifted. The initial comfort and warmth gave way to clouds of unease and apprehension.

The honey blonde finally mustered up the courage to ask the question that had been lingering in the back of mind. She asked tersely "What - What did you say?"

"What do you think?" Ash asked, his tone matching hers. Then he looked at her, his auburn eyes piercing into her soul.

Serena didn't understand why he was asking her. He had no reason to. And yet, instead of saying out her thoughts loud, she decided to settle for a more diplomatic answer.

"Well" She sucked in a deep breath, closing her eyes shut. "I think it is good. Lillie Aether is beautiful, smart and excellent at what she does. She is most suitable to stand by your side."

"Thats it?"

"Yea" Serena nodded, not meeting his eyes.

Ash gritted his teeth, clenching his left hand into a fist. What was he doing? This wasn't like him, this wasn't the plan. Everything was going wrong.

"I don't love her" Ash said coldly, his sharp gaze like daggers to her heart. "I don't love Lillie. Tell me, should I still go ahead and marry her?"

Serena's breath hitched in her throat, suffocating her and squeezing the oxygen out of her lungs.

"Ash I -" She started but stopped short when her eyes met his. Those caramel brown eyes that had turned golden in the dusk and morphed into an eclipse of honey-hued rings, seemed so broken. Her heart cracked.

She was so stupid; it was as clear as daylight. It was in his eyes, in his every gesture, his every sentence. Maybe it was a fleeting feeling, maybe an ephemeral oblivion. But at the moment, she could see it; he loved her.

And she stupidly told him to marry someone else.

"Ash, wait" Serena desperately called out to him, just as he stood up. Her heart hammered against her chest as she reached out to him, to grab his arm and tell him that he wasn't the only one who was in love.

"What? What is it?" Ash's voice cracked as he evaded her touch. It was the first time Serena had heard  his ever-confident voice waver. Sound like it was on the verge of breaking down.

"I didn't mean that" She pleaded with him, ignoring the hurricane of emotions in the pit of her stomach. "Just listen to me -"

"Ash! Serena!"

They both simultaneously spotted Dawn and Paul, standing a distance away from them. Dawn was yelling at them.

"We have to go!" Her voice echoed with worry. "A storm is coming through. Hurry!"

Serena casted a glance at Ash. She didn't have much time. And she only needed a minute.

"Ash, you have to listen to me" Serena tried to persuade him. "Let me explain to you -"

"We can do that later" Ash said, not even looking at her once. "Let's go now. Please."

Serena didn't say anything else, realising that it will hardly fix anything. The timing wasn't right; he was in no mood to hear her out and her thoughts were too tangled.

'Yes, it is better if I sort out my own feelings before speaking to him again' Serena looked after him as he walked past Dawn and Paul.

She followed his steps, her heart aching. 'I don't care if I get hurt. The only thing I want is for him to not get hurt. But if he might get scarred by my stupid choices, then it is better for him to be wounded for now.'