You Want to Make a Memory
It was odd. Calem wasn't exactly sure what to think in this kind of situation.
Here he was, waiting on the balcony of Parfum Palace overlooking the gardens. So much happened so quickly that his brain had literally fallen behind his body's movements by at least an hour. First Shauna caught him at the castle, the two ran into a man who lost his Pokémon… and then, with team work and Shauna's incredible puzzle solving skills, they find and capture the lost Mon, only to find out the man who owned it was the master of the castle.
And then he invited both Calem and Shauna to privately sit on the highest balcony of the palace alone and watch the fireworks. Alone. Just the two of them. Two teenagers at that time in life where they start blushing a bit more. Did he mention that they were alone up there?
"Guess you beat me up here."
Calem spun on his heel to face the girl. He had met her only but two weeks ago when he started his journey, yet he couldn't deny the fact that being alone with her made his heart skip a beat. "Yeah, I just… wanted to get a feel for the heights before I started looking even higher."
That giggle of hers. He hadn't realized he was blushing earlier, but now he felt the heat, and it was increasing quickly. He couldn't describe why he felt this way all of a sudden. He had to admit she was cute, heck, absolutely adorable. She was just so giddy and bubbly! Sure, Serena had that refined aura about her, and she was admittedly more attractive than Shauna, but… That cuteness factor overcame Serena by miles.
"You ok? You're cheeks are flushed. Better not go getting sick on me!" Shauna laughed before walking up to him, stopping at his side. She looked up at the sky and sighed happily, "I can't wait. It's been a long while since I saw fireworks, and I have never had such a great place to watch them from!"
"When my mother used to race, there used to be fireworks after pretty much every competition, but I never really paid much attention." Calem admitted. He was desperately trying to keep his blush under control, but he just couldn't seem to get it to die down.
"Why not?" Shauna tilted her head and widened her eyes. He felt that she was trying to be cute, but he knew it just came naturally.
"Well, after seeing them so many times, it loses the thrill."
"So are you not excited about this?"
Calem looked at her; her eyes were quivering just as his heart quivered from the seriousness of her question. He smiled and shook his head, "I'm excited because I've never had fireworks for me. My mother always had them shot off for her victories." He smiled even brighter, "And knowing that I'm sharing them with someone makes me even more excited."
Now Shauna blushed deeply. He didn't really think about what he just said. The words rolled off his tongue so smoothly that he didn't even think twice. He quickly followed suit, blushing and looking toward the sky just as the first booms went off.
He was in awe. He had never been so high up when the night sky lit with the bright colors. Seeing it like this…. He couldn't help but walk up to the edge of the balcony, leaning on the railing. The heights didn't mean anything to him. He felt pride… and something else as Shauna mirrored him.
"You know… I think I'm going to make a special place in my heart for this memory."
Calem looked at her, blushing once more as he realized how close they were. The way the light of the fireworks glowed on her features once more brought his heart into overdrive. She truly was cute, but the look she had… carried a beauty as well. Something he had yet to see from her.
"I can never forget this moment… Because I spent it with you, Calem. This… it just feels so special."
He didn't think about his next action, though as he did it he realized he didn't have to. He placed his hand on hers, gripping it reassuringly as she gasped. Her eyes locked with his, and despite the burning blush, he smiled. A warm, caring smile that brought an even brighter, if not more embarrassed, smile from Shauna.
"I'm glad we're friends, Calem."
"I'm glad we got to meet…"
Shauna giggled and gripped his hand more tightly, "I'm glad we got to spend this moment together."
They were so close… Yet at the same time he felt so far from her. He released her hand, feeling an odd sense of bravery take hold. He extended his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders and brought her in close to his side. She didn't gasp, she just stayed quiet; had he gone too far? The bravery he felt suddenly melted away as fear suddenly took him.
Until she relaxed into his embrace, leaning her head onto his shoulder and sighed contently.
As each firework boomed, as each color bloomed in the sky, each and every second of this night was being etched into his memory as well. This night he spent with Shauna… the very memories that could spark even more… He would hold this memory dearer than anything else.