Fireworks went off, thunder roared, and lightning struck in my heart.
At the same time.
Seriously! I'm not exaggerating.
Two things were filling me at this moment. Triumph. Because I'd finally done what I'd wanted to ever since I was a little girl at summer camp. And sorrow. Because when I opened my eyes, it would be over, and he still wouldn't understand.
Ash was just so, so dense...I didn't know if the kiss would even mean anything to him. So I didn't dare blink.
Too bad it wasn't me who decided when it was time to go. The escalator did.
Why, oh why hadn't I taken another step onto solid ground?
It ripped me away from him, and I couldn't help but look back up.
The expression on his face was not that of confusion, but of realization. Though there was some hapinesss mixed in, it was bittersweet-a sad smile that wasn't full of sorrow...closer to regret.
Regret?
I hadn't seen Ash Ketchum regret anything...ever. (well, maybe his first Snowbelle City Gym battle, but that was it)
Why regret?
There was no time to ponder it-I'd reached the middle of the escalator. My cheeks were still tinged pink as I shouted out "I'll miss you all! Keep in touch, all right? See you soon!"
As I was carried down further, I was already filled with flashbacks of our journey. Finding and sometimes catching Pokemon, meeting new friends-I even missed Miette now, joining in on more random events than I could count, and having battles huge and small...
By the time I stepped off, I was blinking away tears. And Ash was too.
At the moment I turned to leave, something in him snapped. I could only watch as he charged down, taking the moving stairs two at a time and completely ignoring Pikachu, who was clinging on for dear life.
"Serena..I...I..."
Iron Tail, Pikachu immediately popped into my mind. The memory definitely didn't help my racing hearbeat.
"I wanted to tell you that..."
Oh, that escalator. It pushed him right off-right into me.
Beads of sweat rose on my forehead. This was looking like a complete replica of-
Suddenly, he grabbed my hand. And our lips met.
He was definitely, definitely not as dense as I'd thought.
If the first time-when I had just been trying to get my feelings out-was amazing, this made it feel like nothing.
This was at the same time both better than and completely unlike it. Now the fireworks, thunder and lightning were magnified over tenfold...
This was...honestly, indescribable.
But it only lasted a second.
Ash was the first to talk. "Uh...well...until next time, right?"
I nodded. "Until next time."
There was no need for other words. What was unsaid had already been conveyed.
He took a step back up. And I finally caught a glimpse of Clemont's uncomfortable face and Bonnie's excited one.
I started to laugh. Ash gave me a strange look at first, but when he saw them, he couldn't hold it in either.
How fortunate that my last memory of traveling with my friends would make me giggle, no matter where I was.
"Love you, Ash." I whispered up at him with a smile. He was going on to his next adventure.
And as I headed off to mine, I could have sworn that I heard a faint "Love you, Serena." coming from the top of the escalator.