Sorry for not updating in like months but I had a huge writers block. To tell you the truth I have the ending done I just got to get the middle parts written down, but here it is chapter 3! There should be about 2-3 more chapters I think. Thanks for waiting- hope it's worth it =D
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"So, tomorrow?" Ash asked with a little hesitation in his voice as him and Misty stood up from the beach, brushing the sand of their pants.
"Tomorrow it is." Misty said with a smile on her face. They walked side-by-side back to Ash's apartment where they then went their separate ways after sharing an awkward hug goodbye.
-*-
Misty hummed happily along to the radio as she drove back from the apartment. She felt as if a burden had been lifted off of her. She couldn't remember the last time she sang along to the radio and it seemed like now everything was falling into place. She was to be married to one of the sweetest guys she knew, the type of guy she always wanted to marry since she was a kid, and now had regained the friendship of her old time best friend. Life couldn't be better right? She pulled into the driveway of the gym and pulled around to park her car in the back. Her car beeped as she locked it and began to open the backdoor.
"I'm home!" Misty yelled as she entered the hallway and dropped her bag and keys on the small table. She began to take off her sweater when she felt a warm pair of hands cover her eyes.
"Guess who." said the stranger.
"What?.." asked a confused Misty as she turned around and met a soft pair of lips on her own. It was a sweet kiss like it always was but yet still felt different. Misty awkwardly broke the kiss a bit confused.
"You ok babes?" asked the man as he swiped a stray strand of her fiery orange hair from her soft white face.
"Yeah just had a long day" Misty quickly lied. "Mark, what are you doing home so early?" she continued eyeing the clock and realizing he wasn't due home for quite sometime.
"I ended work early and thought I could make my soon to be wifey a nice home cooked meal." Mark responded as he led her into the kitchen.
"Oh Mark you shouldn't have gone through all that trouble." Misty said as she took in the warm aroma of his meal.
"It was nothing." He replied. "And now if you'll take your seat." He said as he gently walked her over to the table, set exclusively for two. She took a seat and couldn't help but smile at him and the little stuff he did that made her love him. "Now I know it's a little early to eat but you have to try this." He told her as he held a spoonful of red sauce to her mouth.
"Has it been tested for poison?" she joked as she leaned forward.
"Hey," He said pulling the spoon back." Who said I couldn't cook?" Misty gave him a small smile as she took a sip off the spoon.
"I'm just kidding- it really tastes great!" she exclaimed as she savored the tasty tomato sauce.
"Well thank you." He responded as he headed back to the stove, "And now here's your favorite meal cooked to perfection, spaghetti with a tasteful marinara sauce." He placed the warm plate of pasta in front of her and she twirled her fork to take the first bite. Mark gave her a smile and followed her actions. "So, how was your day?" He asked her as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Hm? Oh it was fine." She replied with little enthusiasm as she lightly twirled her fork in the pasta. "You?"
"Um it was good, got some research done. I was on the phone with some people coordinating the wedding; we have a lot to do before the wedding you know. But I really can't wait." He said as he held her hand admiring her engagement ring.
"Yeah." Misty said with a smile, directing her gaze back to the pasta in front of her.
"You ok? You seem a bit stressed." Mark asked her.
"I'm fine, just not really hungry." She replied.
"You know your sisters told me about your run in with that guy from your traveling days."
"They did?" Misty said a bit alarmed. I'm gonna kill those three She thought to herself through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, I think its good that you guys tried to fix up your friendship, he's a lucky guy if he got to be friends with you so long."
"Hm." Misty said with a chuckle. "He wanted to meet up tomorrow for lunch or something." She continued.
"I think you should, and then bring him around here, I'd like to meet him." Mark responded as he picked up her plate and his and placed them in the sink.
"Really?" Misty asked surprised at him being so cool about it.
"Yeah sure, I mean you guys are just friends right? I don't have to worry about losing my fiancée or anything right?" He added with a laugh.
"No, its just a meeting between to friends" She assured him. "If you don't mind I'm going to go into the study, I have some gym paperwork I need to fill out since the end of the month is coming near and I have to call to schedule the fitting of my wedding dress. Thanks again so much for the lovely lunch." She said standing up.
"No problem." He said smiling at her while he rinsed the dishes.
"I don't know what I did to get someone as great as you Mark." Misty told him with a smile.
"I don't know either." Mark replied as Misty elbowed him in the side. " Now come on get outta here." He told her pushing her with his side towards the door.
"I'm going, I'm going." She replied, and couldn't help but show another smile again. Before leaving she walked up close to him and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead before disappearing through the kitchen door.
-*-
"What should I wear?" Misty furiously asked herself as she dug through all the clothing in her drawers, tossing shirts in every direction.
"What's up with you?" Lily asked as she came in and observed the pile of clothes forming on the floor.
"I can't find anything to wear." Misty sighed as she collapsed onto her bed. "I don't want to look like I just rolled out of bed but I don't want to look like I'm dressing up for him either." Misty explained as she rested herself on her arms.
"Well if you ask me, I think you would look great in this." Lily exclaimed as she pulled out a light aqua colored top that covered Misty up to her stomach with a long white tank-top with lace at the bottom underneath the top. "Wear that and some dark jeans and you'll look almost decent." Lily said flashing Misty her pearly white teeth.
"Thanks." Misty replied sarcastically.
"Why are you bugging so much about this whole meeting with Ash?" Lily asked as she sat down on Misty's bed while Misty went to her closet to change.
"Because", Misty replied from behind her closet door, " We aren't the same people we were before and I don't know what to expect." She finished walking out of her closet and pulling down her tank-top. "It's been a while and he might not be the same guy he was before and I'm engaged and it's just weird." She said with a sigh as she glanced at herself in the mirror.
"Well like you said, you are engaged so there shouldn't be any feelings there, right?"
"I guess." Misty replied not completely convinced.
"Want my advice?" Lily asked as she stood up facing Misty.
"Not really."
"Well I'll tell you anyway. This is a fun outing for you two, an opportunity to reconnect. In 3 weeks you will be standing in church saying 'I do' to a man you love and a man who clearly loves you. So just enjoy yourself, don't think about the past. You can't do anything about it now, just live in the present. You won't see much of Ash for a while anyway since he goes back to the league in a couple weeks, so just have fun." Lily said with a smile.
"You're right." Misty said with a sigh.
"And now about that bird's nest of a thing you call hair." Lily said pulling Misty into the bathroom.
-*-
As Misty drove down the road with Ash as the passenger she kept thinking of what to say but kept drawing up blanks. The first five minutes were filled with silence, the only sound coming from the wheels smoothly jetting across the hot pavement and the soft melody coming from the radio. Misty let out a deep sigh and tapped her nails against the headboard of the wheel, her engagement ring catching the light of the sun.
"So how'd you meet that fiancée of yours?" Ash asked finally breaking the silence.
"Mark? Um well I met him through a battle a few years back. He made a bet with me that if he won he'd get a date with me. I agreed thinking that my Pokemon could take him but not only is he a smart researcher; he can give one hell of a battle. So following my word, I went on a date with him and he called me a couple times after that for dinner or movies and one thing led to another and here I am now a soon to be bride. That answer your question?"
"Just like you always imagined right?" Ash asked.
"Well he comes pretty darn close. He's smart, charming, sensitive, caring. The whole package."
"I've got all that too ya know" Ash said with a grin.
" Yeah except you're a little short on that first one." Misty countered with a small smile.
"Yeah I, hey!" Ash replied giving her a light push.
"Hey no attacking the driver." She replied shoving him back. A sense of normalcy was back as they acted like they did during their traveling days.
"Nice wheels by the way Mist." Ash commented sliding his hand against the cool metal of the armrest. "How much did this little puppy cost ya?"
"Um well I don't know. It was a gift from Mark."
"I'm no car expert but a car like this had to cost a quite some cash. I think you forgot to add to your list that he's also a rich boy."
"Well he's wealthy from his research but that's not why I like him." Misty replied defensively. The silence then returned.
-*-
"So this place any good?" Misty asked as she shut the door of her car and walked toward the restaurant's main door.
"Not sure, lots of people told me so." He replied opening the door for her.
"Thank you." She said with a smile as she proceeded in with him closely behind her.
"How many?" The waiter at the podium asked.
"Two please." Both said in unison. Misty gave a small laugh and then looked around the restaurant. It was nicely decorated. The walls looked like it was composed of bricks and paintings of Italy were displaced all along the walls.
"This way please." The waiter said directing them quickly towards a table.
"Here's the list of specials." He said as he placed Misty's napkin on her lap and handed Ash the menus. " Please call me when needed." He said and quickly left. They opened their menus and began examining the list. They would steal glances at each other but those glances were ended quickly when the other person looked back down at the menu. As they ate they soon began to reminisce of how their lives were, the ups and downs. Misty forgot how easy it was to talk to Ash and felt more comfortable spending the day with him. As they ate the last bites of their meals, Ash abruptly spoke.
"I'm sorry I didn't call you after we separated."
"I know." Misty said giving him a genuine smile, which he reflected.
-*-
"So where to now?" Misty asked as they walked aimlessly side by side
through the peaceful streets.
"Ice-cream sounds really good." Ash said as he observed an ice-cream shop down the block.
"After that huge meal you're still hungry?" Misty asked. "Your huge appetite is still intact I guess."
"I'm a growing boy I need food." He said with a smile.
"Whatever you say." She said as they walked in. The two sat down in a small booth and ate away at their melting ice cream. "So how long till you leave for the big league?" Misty asked as she took a lick of her vanilla ice cream.
"About two weeks." He said taking a bite out of his chocolate ice cream.
"Oh, so you wont be here for my wedding." Misty said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"No." He replied feeling a bit bad, "But I do wish you two the best."
"Thanks."
"You know what this reminds me of?"
"What?" Misty asked.
"That one time you tried to cook that chocolate cake for my birthday and it exploded all over your face." Ash said with a chuckle.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Asked a puzzled Misty.
"Well you looked like this.." Ash said with a devious smile as he picked up some of his ice cream and spread it all over Misty's face to which she responded with a squeal.
"Ash!"
"Awh, now don't you look pretty." He said sarcastically as Misty began to turn as red as her hair.
"Find that funny?" She asked.
"You know what, I do." He replied scraping a bit of the ice cream off her face with his finger.
"Then you'll love this." She said as she hit him square in the face with the remains of her ice cream. She passed her cone all around his face till he looked white as a ghost. "Now don't you look lovely." She mocked him as she licked her finger. Both took a look at each other and laughed at how ridiculously the other looked as the other customers looked at the strange couple with ice cream dripping off their faces.
-*-
"You know I'm going to have to take like 4 showers to get this ice cream out of my hair." Misty commented as she drove back towards the gym.
"You're such a baby." Ash replied as he slid a bit in his seat.
"Well apart from being attacked by ice cream I'd say today was a success." Misty continued.
"How so?" Ash asked turning his gaze to her.
"Well we got to know each other again, we had a nice meal, we had laughs; it was fun right?"
"Yeah it was." Ash said with a smile as Misty pulled into the driveway. "Um Misty weren't you going to drop me off at my apartment?" Ash asked a bit confused to see the big gym in front of him.
"Yeah I will, but um Mark wants to meet you." Misty said nervously. "You don't mind right?"
"No why would I?" Ash said not knowing what else he could say. Misty walked up to the door and realized she left her house keys on the kitchen counter.
"Damn." Misty said as she rang the bell. A tall blonde answered the door with dark brown eyes.
"Forget your keys again?" asked the man with a smirk.
"Yeah." Misty said sheepishly. "Ash, this is Daisy's fiancée, Sean. Sean, this is an old friend of mine, Ash. The two shook hands after greeting each other and they walked into the house. Misty realized that all the fiancés were lined up sitting on the couch along with Misty's sisters. "What are you all doing here?" Misty asked with Ash standing awkwardly behind her.
"We've decided that we are going to do a quadruple wedding-all four girls on the same day, isn't that exciting?" Violet asked.
"Are you serious?" Misty exclaimed.
"No silly, we'd never." Daisy continued, much to Misty's relief. " We just had a barbeque and the guys stayed a bit. So how'd it go?"
"It was fun." Misty said and then continued to introduce the other two fiancés to Ash.
"So where's the lucky man?" Ash asked.
"I hope you're talking about me." Mark said as he walked into the room. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Ash. Misty's told me lots about your traveling days and how you're now the Pokemon Master. I feel like I'm meeting a celebrity." He said as he gave Ash a strong handshake.
"Thanks, um Misty's done the same for you." Ash lied. Misty just stood looking at the two men feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"Yeah, alright Ash I'll drive you back now." Misty said trying to head towards the door.
"What's the rush baby?" Mark asked. "Stay for a bit Ash. Here sit down." He offered as he pulled up another chair to the coffee table. Misty inwardly sighed and walked back and took a seat next to Mark on the couch. The group talked for a couple hours, about wedding plans, and the meetings of the triplets and their fiancés. Misty just stared at her drink since she heard the stories countless times and looked up to see Ash rather intrigued.
"I'm really happy for you guys." He commented to the triplets. "And you guys." He said towards Mark and Misty.
"Thanks Ash." Mark said giving him a pat on the back. "Hey you know before this whole wedding thing we should have a big day out. Like a camping trip or something." He said with excitement as he set his glass down.
"My sisters camping? Yeah right." Misty commented.
"Hey we can be all outdoor-sy and stuff." Lily scoffed. "We'll so do it."
"Yeah we're in too." Kyle, Violet's fiancée, said.
"Sounds like fun." Lily's fiancée Daren pitched in.
"How about you Ash?" Mark asked turning to face him. "You in?"
"Um sure why not." Ash said.
"You Mist?" He asked patting the top of her leg.
"Sure." Misty said with false enthusiasm.
"Great, we'll load up the cars with the supplies and drive out there this weekend. It'll be a great way to de-stress a bit about the weddings." Mark said.
Oh yeah great idea, Misty thought to herself sarcastically. My sisters, their fiancés, my fiancée, and the boy I used to be in love with all camping together. What could possibly go wrong?
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Haha done. Ok not the most exciting but it's setting you up for the climax. I hope the lunch scene wasn't to stupid, I really couldn't think of anything. Reviews always welcomed and appreciated =)
