91.
chapter ninety-one:
broken gases and
shattered hearts.
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When they returned home, their identical, happy smiles were wiped clean upon seeing the mess I had made of the home.

The vase had tumbled over and broken into a thousand, uncountable pieces of ceramic when I tried to sink into the sofa.

Flowers lay, torn petals softening, on the pool of water that had spilled from the said ornament, coloring in the red substance of my lifeblood that had oozed out when I tried to gather the shattered pieces. Just like the splinters of my heart.

It felt like I had taken an arrow to my heart when those concerned eyes turned on me.

"Were you hurting yourself?" Mum was at my side at once, examining my fingers.

I let out a guffaw in disbelief. "I'm well past that, Mum. I just tried collecting those shards of glass but ended up hurting myself. It was completely unintentional, and I apologize for having broken this vase.

"Truth be told, I had no idea such an artifact existed within these confines, but what do I know?" I blabbered, feeling my words get lighter with each extra weight added to the thief of minutes that was time.

Her brown eyebrows arched together. "You don't ramble, Ash," she assessed, then her face suddenly brightened as if a light had been turned on. "Do you need hot chocolate?"

Although my stomach had been complaining about not having eaten breakfast, I simply discarded the pain of heating up the bagels and stuffing them down.

"I'd appreciate that, Mum."

Mum clapped her hands and was off in an instant. Her presence was replaced by Dad sitting beside me on the sofa. Beads of sweat gleamed on his forehead as his face turned pained.

"I take it that it did not go well?"

There it was again, the pain in my chest ever since my world had slipped out of my hands.

I nodded nonchalantly and heard a sigh.

"Ash, I don't think you'd get this worked up if you put Gary in Serena's heels." An alarm went off in my brain as I turned sharply to him. He looked thoughtful, fingers tapping against each other in contemplation. Then, he met my gaze with a smile.

"You like her, don't you?"

I pressed my lips into a tight line to keep them from trembling. Nevertheless, I blurted out from the bottom of my heart: "I love her."

A soft, proud smile broke out despite the chains tying me back; I had finally come to terms with my feelings and even managed to admit it aloud.

A cold wave of dread washed over me when I realized the confession hadn't been to her ears. She would never like to hear it from my lips.

"Then, why did you let her go?"

Silence reigned as I tried to come up with an answer, a lie, but I gave up when I noted the earnest concern in his eyes.

My voice cracked, but I kept going; I told him everything, starting from how I transferred from the University of Unova to Kalos High for my second year, specifically because of the existence of excess bullies, how I met Serena again for the third time and rekindled our friendship only for things to go south because of unbottled frustration, how we managed to make ends meet just as the year came to a finish, and how she had found me in the Saffron City Airport and offered to be my pillar of support.

He listened patiently and did not probe for details I left behind, creating many a loophole just because I didn't wish to share something of everything.

Mum had joined in midway, holding out a cup of hot chocolate for me. She settled into the loveseat in front of us after forcefully wrapping a bandage around my palm.

"You tell all your high tales but let me patch you up!" she had warned, her voice dangerous but still holding concern that had me in her wraps.

"And where's she gone now?" Mum asked as I took a slow sip from my beverage. It was sweet and steaming, perfectly fine to warm up the chillness in my chest.

"She said she's heading over to Misty's for today, maybe catching a flight tomorrow to Kalos."

"Why don't you go over to Misty's, then?" Dad suggested. When I quirked an eyebrow at him, he continued.

"Serena is a nice girl. She only wants you to keep the hazardous emotions under check, even if it means going out of her way and hurting herself in the process.

"All she needs now is reassurance that all the pain will not go down the drain. Son, she needs your word: a simple sentence in your honor that you will change for the better."

I nodded slowly, letting his words sink in. He gave out a huff before going on.

"I think that's what convinced your mum to keep holding on, if I'm not right, dear?"

My eyes slid to my mum, who smiled softly, her eyes lighting up.

"When Giovanni wanted to marry me, I stood up against him. He was furious, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me, nor would he forgive me for defying a mafia boss. Besides, men in general just don't like forgiving."

Dad laughed, and I found myself joining in for a split minute before she went on.

"Years later, when I met your dad and fell in love, I feared he'd come for me, but I held onto the hope that men forget. How untrue it had been.

"He found out, through his lackeys, and when you were born, the two of you were sent death threats until one of you was out of his way.

"It scared me sick, and that's when your father promised to one day come back to me when Giovanni was done and over with. Neither of us knew when that would be, or whether such a time would ever arrive.

"It was all a hope, and I'm glad I clung onto it despite everyone around mocking us for the decision. Look what that's got me—my wonderful husband back in my arms, and my beautiful boy all grown up."

A fond smile graced her lips, although her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Ash, this is your chance," Dad spoke up, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. Surprisingly, I didn't flinch and grimace away. His words hung over the air, heavy with the weight they carried.

"Prove to your girl that you are a Ketchum, a man of his honor. Make an effort. You're not alone, of course, but you must break a leg. Else, I'm afraid to state you'd lose her forever."