73.
chapter seventy-three:
she called me
upstairs to her
room at the
middle of the
night, but I
swear nothing happened!

"Ash? Are you alive?"

A muffled hiss shook me out of my trance. I blinked my eyes a couple of times. Who is Ash?

Oh, wait, it's me.

"Yeah?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes wearily.

"Um, wanna come with... me?"

At that, all the sleepiness left my body as if a mosquito repellent were sprayed all around me, a mosquito—

"Pardon?" Turning to lie on my stomach, I squinted at the darkness. Moonlight streamed through the screens in a very narrow beam, illuminating the room and all its paraphernalia in an ethereal glow. Vaguely, I could see Serena mirroring my action and propping herself up on her elbows to look at me.

"Wanna... come with me? Oh, please don't make this awkward, and ask me to repeat it again," she sighed, exasperated. I bit my tongue to keep from chuckling.

The room remained dead silent, the only sound being Gary's and May's obnoxious snores, as another tense minute passed for the girl. Sitting up swiftly, I nodded. "Yeah, okay. Take me where the poets die."

"Ash!" she hissed, and I felt something soft tickle my arm.

"What, I am a poet, and I suppose you're gonna throw me off your first floor because I'm a mess?"

"Oh, Ash!"

"Or maybe I'd just walk off the balcony—"

"Ash!"

I chuckled in ecstasy. Even though she called me in exasperation, the monosyllabic name rolling off her tongue made me feel warm inside.

"Alright, alright. Behind you."

My blood-pumping organ was skipping several precious beats as we bolted to our feet and ran upstairs to Serena's room. What did she want at this hour?

She let me in, and the door locked with a gentle click. Unlike the living room where our sleeping bags were laid, Serena's room was the epitome of something taken straight out of a fantasy novel.

Her room was a wasteland, full of books, cupboards filled with dresses and apparel. For her, and by extension me, it looked like a paradise bathed in the halos of the nightfall's blessing, the Moon.

"So, Serena?" Curiosity poked my gut, and I prodded her. "What's up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Serena replied, matter-of-factly. She gave me a half-smile before opening the curtains wide and pushing aside the glass door to her balcony. She beckoned me over with her head, but left first. I fumbled to follow her, maneuvering through the scantily lit room.

My eyes wandered to a piece of paper—Butterhead's letter—lying on her study desk. A pen and a framed photograph of us, the one we took before everything crumbled apart, were its paperweights, holding it down from blowing away with the wind that rushed in as soon as the sliding doors were opened. I felt my stomach being tickled by butterflies— or rather, Butterfrees.

I stared at the frame, feeling the wood in my hands. It was all real; the Fennekin plush sat beside the Sylveon one, smiling into the distance. I was reminded of the Fairy-type Pokémon assorted tee set that I had brought as an apology gift for the girl. So much had happened that it really slipped my mind. I made myself a mental reminder to hand it over to her before departing for Kanto.

A chill gust blew, and I snapped out of my train of thought. Serena was nowhere in sight.

Concluding her to have headed out to the balcony, I put on the extra pair of slip-ons and placed a foot out.

The weather was perfect. It was the beginning of the end of another year, another winter. The air was crisp with the freshness that trees could only bestow. It was a growing crescent, fixated amongst clouds that tried to hinder its shine. Nevertheless, it glimmered like a diamond in the sky.

The moon lit her silhouette, beautifully bringing out the serenity and grace she held within. I took careful steps towards her, watching every single action of hers. My stomach did flip-flops when she wheeled around, her hair following the movement with poise.

If I had been mesmerized by her eyes, now I was down bad for them. The celestial light glinted off the blue of them, the deep swirls settling within, inviting me maliciously. Teasingly. When she gestured to sit down on the bench, I wasted no moment.

Serena swayed her legs back and forth, her hands just beneath her thigh as she gazed above. "Whenever I feel lonely," she started. Her voice cracked, so I placed a comforting arm on her shoulder. The girl flashed me a smile, waking another tide of Butterfrees within my stomach. "I used to come here."

"Why?"

"Because," she dragged, and leaned back before turning to look me in the eye. I could sense the sincerity behind her actions. "You and I, we live under the same skies. There was always a minuscule chance that you would be gazing at the same stars that I was enchanted by."

The corners of my lips quirked up in a smile. The breeze gently ruffled our hair and clothes. "You brought me up here to confess that?" I asked her, amused. The girl fiddled with the hem of her frock, as if nervous.

"Yeah, no."

"Then?" I pressed, amusement growing inside me when she turned crimson. She looks adorable blushing!

"Well, remember when you told me that... I liked an owl because nobody cannot?"

I nodded, perplexed. "Yeah?"

The girl's hand flew to her hair, and she started twirling it into curls. The action was extremely mesmerizing.

"I, just, um," she stammered. "I realized that I don't wanna look at anyone else this way now that I saw you... got to know you." My heart hammered against its enclosure, as her mouth moved to speak more wonderful words. I watched her, stunned; the next sentence was predictable. In fact, too predictable as another unbidden memory superimposed the scenery. 

"That's why I wanted to get this off my chest. Ash, I think I'm in love—"

— 💌 —

Hey guys,
Just wanted to post the photo of Ash and Serena here. How does it look? ;)

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x