I've been focusing a lot on MLB lately, so I decided to write this one-shot. Enjoy! :)

Maybe Next Time

Genre: Romance

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon

Pairings: Amourshipping

"Dance with me," he said.

The honey blonde blinked. She rose her head slightly, her gaze fixated on the hand that gleamed beneath the moonlight.

"Dance with me," he urged, eager for her to grasp his fingertips. "It'll make you feel better."

"But there's no music," she said. She reached for the blue ribbon that hung on the collar of her pink dress. She twirled the material between her fingertips, the small act easing the relentless race of her heart. "A-and it's dark out… what if I injure myself?"

Serena closed her eyes, mentally taking a breather. She then heard the grass crunch with each step that was closing in on her.

"That's why I'm here." He chuckled softly. "I'll make sure you won't."

She quietly exhaled as she felt the warmth of his breath emanate to her forehead. She scrunched the ribbon into her palm knowing that she was going to have to smooth it out later. Her eyes were still shut tightly, but she felt his presence. It was close. Closer than ever.

"I do owe you one." He chuckled again. "Remember that dance party?"

A small smile crept onto Serena's face. She remembered that day so vividly. She really wanted to dance with him, and when it was finally her turn, her chance was pulled away by the music coming to an abrupt halt.

"Yeah, I do," she finally said after a short moment of reminiscing over the past. "I didn't think you'd notice that I wanted to dance with you…"

"You did say that you wanted to keep dancing."

Serena pursed her lips before mustering the courage to open her eyes. Her eyes fluttered open and she was immediately welcomed to Ash's warm, inviting gaze. They weren't as vibrant as they were in the daylight, but they were just as beautiful in the dark.

Serena took a step back, suddenly noticing how close they were standing to one another. She felt her cheeks burning, but she was lucky that it was too dark for him to notice. She looked down to see his hand being held out to her again. This time she took it and Ash pulled her in close, sending shivers up her spine.

She bit her bottom lip as Ash repositioned his left hand on her body while comfortably lacing the fingers on his other hand around hers. "I'm no expert, but I hope I don't end up stepping on your feet," he said before leading her with the waltz.

Serena smiled, taking small steps forwards and backwards, making sure that her feet weren't to get caught up with his. If she remembered, him and Miette were having such a hard time that day.

"You know, I think I finally have the hang of this thing!" he said in his usual upbeat voice. "I bet I'd be better than Tierno!"

Serena felt Ash's hand relax around her waist. As he got more comfortable with the steps, his moves were no longer robotic. Serena found herself loosening up, and even felt confident enough to take wider steps.

Ash slid his arm from Serena's waist, pulling it away from her. His grip on her hand then tightened before loosening up as he sent Serena into a twirl. And then another. And another.

Serena felt the rush of the wind against her skin. It was exhilarating, and suddenly her problems were nothing but a doting blemish in her life. She felt like she could conquer anything. Everything negative was suddenly positive, and her spirits were lifted once more.

She took another turn before feeling Ash grabbing onto her again. She blinked several times, falling forward, feeling safe in his arms as she tried ridding herself of her dizziness. She looked up for a second, seeing two Ash's in front of her. It took her a moment, but within a minute, she was back to seeing one.

"I think you're great Serena," said Ash as Serena stood up straight.

"Huh?" she asked, still feeling slightly woozy. She shook her head before refocusing her attention on him.

"I mean, you'll do great." He sounded somewhat nervous.

"Thank you so much, Ash," she said with a bright smile. "You always know what to do when I'm feeling down."

"No problem," he said before meeting her gaze.

For a moment the two of them stared into each other's eyes. She reached for the ribbon once more, contemplating whether or not it was a good time for her to confess to him. She then looked down, breaking away the contact.

No. It wasn't a good time. She just wasn't ready yet. Maybe next time.

"We should go," she said quietly. "We don't want the others worrying about us." She smiled at him once more before walking pass him to join the others.

"Se-Serena? Wait, I-" She felt his hand grab ahold of her wrist.

Her eyes widened, and Serena slightly turned her body to look at him.

It was dark, so she couldn't really see his expression. The only thing she noticed was that he was looking down.

"I… I just wanted to let you know that…" He raised his head and let go of her wrist to rub his nape.

"That what?" she asked, her heart pounding through her chest.

"I… uhm…" He took a deep breath. "…the… the stars look awesome tonight."

"Oh?" Serena looked up, noticing all the stars twinkling up in the night sky. "They really do, don't they?" She turned her head, taking in each different speckle that hung in the night.

She's been having such a hard time lately, and her sadness always lead her to looking down at the dirt. She forgot that sometimes all she needed was to take a second to look at her surroundings. Whether it was the stars or the forest, everything was beautiful.

She looked back down to Ash who was enjoying the sky as much as her. She was grateful to have such an optimist in her life. He was truly a keeper and she never wanted to let him go.

And as she continued to stare at him, she noticed that he was fighting his own inner thoughts. Something was also bothering him, but what?

She knew that most of her problems revolved around wanting to tell him about how she felt, but what did he want?

What was he thinking while gazing up at the star speckled sky?

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