Lust, Love Not

"Welcome to La Rousse's finest, may I take your order?"

It's 10 am here in La Rousse city, fair weather, the perfect conditions to take a li'l R&R..

"Um sir? Excuse me...uhh sir?"

What better place to start a fine day by eating at the local La Rousse Cafe. I looked around and saw residents and tourists come alike..

Then I saw her.

"..anytime sounds good, sir.." The waitress is starting to grumble, impatient, obviously.

I'm still shocked. "I'll just have the bread basket please," I risked a glance again.

As the waitress disappeared, at the far edge of the cafe, I saw a faint glow of orange and that green bandana, sitting all alone. She looked into my direction.

Her eyes lingered, perhaps also looking at the people the way I just did and eventually, landing on me, the same way I found her.

Our eyes bore into eachother as cheesy as it sounds. And due to lack of restraint, I stood up heading towards her table. Still locked into our ambiguous gaze, I didn't see the waiter coming. He carried a pitcher of water by the way.

"Oof! Ooh la la! I'm terribly sorry monsieur! Please forgive me.."

I'm soaked, "It's alright, I guess.." I daren't look at her.

"Not to worry sir, I'll fetch a towel, pronto!"

As he zoomed off, without cleaning the mess on the floor, I felt the stares of people. Residents and tourists alike.. So I leave my bread basket and go.

As I took off my jacket, "Drew! Hey, Drew!" Her saccharine voice tingled me.

"May! I was just gonna get to you."

"Yeah, I saw that," she giggled but I only smirked at her.

"Never thought you could be alone, after all this time."

Giggles vanished, she looked straight at me, "I chose to.."

I'm not sure anymore, Drew..

Those were her last words before she left for the boat going to Sinnoh for the grandfestival. Meeting her again in Johto held many surprises for the both of us. The roses, I didn't explain much to her but she could sense it from the way I didn't pull a smug face at her. She also understood the degree of seriousness from the moment we wouldn't talk but just looked into eachother's eyes, to be mesmerized.

The morning of her departure was when she cornered me and dared me if I could try taking her seriously. I knew she meant something more sensitive.. with our friendship aside, I mean. And seeing her eyes watering and bulging a bit bigger than usual, sure tells a lot, yet I told her I didn't care, being the arrogant person I am. And as she looked down preparing to cry, I slipped a finger to her chin and kissed the side of her mouth til I couldn't believe myself. She stepped back and the next thing I knew, she was on her way to the boat. Lastly, she approached me after Soledad and Harley. I looked into her eyes again and began to testify that blue was and will always be a cool color to look at. So I just grinned and pulled out a rose in front of her.

Truce from what happened earlier, May. So are we friends?

I'm not sure anymore, Drew..

I didn't intend for that question to that possibility.. with again the friendship aside. I only had to uphold my pride and yet her smile back then had me thinking, thinking of what we could be..

Since then, I wanted to reassure her for real this time. It's tugging at my ego that I can't even at least confront to a mere woman. And here she is right now..

..Tugging at my shirt?

"You're wet, I'll help you get home."

"Uhh okay," no voice came out, my throat constricted on its own.

We walked in silence to my house. Mainly, I'm back here at La Rousse to pick up some books that I could use to review for contests, shelves of books concerning the trainers psyche in connection with their pokemon, et cetera. My family is out during this season to nurse my grandparents in another part of this city, which leads us to the conclusion that I would just be alone...with May.

I ran ahead of her, considering that I'm already quietly protesting about my drenched situation and as soon as I heard the door close, I threw off my shirt and grabbed a towel hanging by the coat rack. I felt the cold water beginning to numb my thighs making me take off my jeans –

And then the door creaked, followed by a sharp gasp from May.

"Oh umm.. I'm sorry!" She covered up her eyes like a kid.

I suppose this is an awkward moment as I just stood there half naked with only a towel and unzipped jeans to suffice. But then, my chemicals started reacting.

"I-I'll go now, I'm really really sorry, Drew –"

I cut her, mid-sentence. Tis another sharp intake of breath.

Another gasp escaped from her tiny mouth as I violated her will; mouth grazing her cheek and cornering her to the wall by the door as if I were an animal preying on his catch.

All those times of looking at eachother, it all converged to one thing at this point..

"..don't know what I'm doing, I'm sorry too.." I breathed at her.

"Never mind then.." She breathed back to my ear.

.. It meant lust.

Better yet, desire.

I could hear our synchronized breathing, I could feel the rise and fall of her chest and the soft groans which escape her mouth. Is this what we are supposed to be doing? As I backed her up to the wall some more, my fingers reaching up and above her, I began to wrestle with my conscience.

Is this right?

We are young indeed but we both feel. This could injure our friendship...or perhaps even nurture it. I might be pushing her too far but we both agreed to this, mutually..

So many doubts, though I'd rather flood them all with my shocking gestures upon her. And as I heard the rustling of her clothes, I couldn't stop myself from feeling anticipation.

Until she spoke.

"I really really like you, Drew...so.." With the gloves and bandana out, she was fumbling for my fingers which were unzipping her top.

" 'Like' huh? Doesn't justify what we're doing.."

"Hardy har har!"

Then she surged for my mouth.

All were fast. We were mere teenagers, attacked simultaneously by bubbling hormones. We were coordinators, harmonizing the aesthetics and beauty of pokemon altogether with our battling techniques. But in an instant, we were lovers whose desires had evaded their own senses, reaching beyond the temptations of the flesh to the boundaries of human emotion.

It was right to love but wrong to desire as much. But I could feel my whole body flush from all this energy and it was far beyond my imagination could carry. The anticipation was far too much.

Lust is not love.

My conscience spoke. And all of a sudden, I thought about the consequences in between kisses. But all were fast, indeed, and we were already on the couch, one leg was already wounded around me as I held onto her waist. We were fast naked.

Desire will soon damage us, like hidden thorns on a rose.

Before things would lead to what it may seem apparent, I probed the reasons my mind was throwing at me even further. Ironically, I was taking them into consideration as our kisses grew less frequent and more deeply.

I love May for who she is, for what she has done to change me and for what she has influenced to the people around her. She looked after her friends as if they were her family, aside from Max, of course. And even if I had misguided her at times and had even slighted her being, she never stopped caring for me and all the other trainers she had met and battled.

I can't just spoil her youth and principles for my own desire for her.

I love her so much that I've come to value reason.

Reason that our generation find difficult to grasp.

I grabbed her shoulder, then slowly removed my mouth off hers. Her eyes were already fuzzy and her lips swollen, but her expression was more intent on continuing the passion that had just elapsed between us. She felt my urgency and had placed herself comfortably on top of me to listen. I brushed the hair off her face. We are in so much mess.

"May, I'm in love with you."

She giggled, "I see that, buddy.." And off she laughed at our present state: her clothes draped all over our furniture; and her undergarments, thank arceus, simply loosened.

"Not even caring to say something relevant to what I had just admitted, hm?"

"I don't need to say that I love you too," she pinched my cheek, "Oops! Just did!"

"And that is why we shouldn't be here...doing this!"

That had taken her aback. She looked more intently at my face, scanning my expression.

"Well, whose fault was it to strip knowing that a girl was following and assaulting her half-naked?" She chuckled, expecting the same reaction from me. But I wouldn't budge.

"I-I'm sorry, Drew," she sighed, "What happened, happened for a reason, okay? Don't worry.. I'm okay, you're okay. We're even happy, right?" She laughed nervously.

"I know that but that's exactly what is worrying me.."

"What?"

"The reason we're here," I looked up to the ceiling, here goes.. "I love you May but I don't have the right to violate you like this.."

"Oh c'mon, Drew! You're not like raping me." She laughed some more.

"It's not like that.. I wish you'd understand. Well, I don't understand myself either. Just hear me out, May." She nodded as I prodded some more.

"I'm a guy and what I'm doing to you right now is casually leading to sex. Yeah, I said it but I'm not disgusted of you, oh mew, no way! I just thought that it would be better if we, y'know, cherish what we have right now. The love, I mean, as cheezy as it sounds. Because right now, I feel like I'm devouring you unfairly and I'm starting to get disgusted of myself because...uhh...bottom line is, I wanna fall in love with you, not for/with/through/because of sex. Not in lust with you, May. Just loving you for...you."

I gulped then risked a glance and saw how stunned she was.

"I-I don't know what to say.." She smiled as a tear dropped from the side of her face, "Thanks, Drew. I –"

I grabbed her clothes off the couch and off the floor then gave them to her, draping her top on her back. Even though that didn't help her in any matter, she comforted me with her warm smile. We sat on the couch in silence, seeming to digest the moment.

"Y'know, May...sorry to disappoint you," I chuckled nonetheless, "but I'll have you know that I really do care for you," I grinned at her, "I want to take care of you."

"Yeah yeah, sex is for after marriage," she rolled her eyes but they twinkled naturally.

I chuckled at the thought that we'd both get married, "Make sure it's me who'll marry you." I said without thinking.

"Now that...that is something we have to work on."

"Right.." I looked at her earnestly then –

"Nah! You're the one whose gotta handle the competition for li'l ol' me!"

Before I knew it, she pushed me off the couch.

"I was gonna say how sweet you were," she had her foot on my back, "thanks Mr. Perfect for stopping me before I even worship you! Hmph!"

"Love you, babe.." I sweatdropped as I sstruggled on the floor.

As far as sex goes, friendship gives off a stronger sense of love.

End.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Feed me comments if you must or suggestions or questions or ANYTHING! God bless your day.