They arrived back at Ash's house and his mom greeted them when they came inside.

"How was the movie?" she inquired, brushing her hands on her apron.

Ash and Serena shrugged off their coats, hanging them on the nearby coat rack. Ash turned to face his mom with a scowl, recalling the frustrating incident at the movie theater. "Not too bad. Some kid threw popcorn at my head, but the movie was good."

"I agree," Serena added, nodding fervently. "The action was amazing and the storyline really threw me for a loop. Don't you think so?" Her arm brushed his sleeve.

"I do."

A waft of sugar and vanilla tickled Serena's nose and she turned her head towards the kitchen. "Are you baking something, Miss Ketchum?"

"I am! I hope you like cookies, Serena." She spun on her heel and strode back into the kitchen. "They should be ready soon," she called over her shoulder.

"My mom makes the best cookies," Ash said with a grin. He motioned to Serena to follow him and they entered the living room, sitting down on a cozy looking couch faced towards a window open to the outside. The rain had let up and the sun now shone brightly overhead, reflecting off the tiny droplets of rain, glistening against the window. "You're going to love them, I just know it."

Serena felt her lips turn up in a small smile. "Cookies happen to be my favorite dessert, so I have no doubt that I'll enjoy them."

A comfortable silence fell into the room. Cars revved by and Starlys chirped happy tunes high in the trees. There was a sound of crumpling foil and Ash's mom entered the room with a large tray of sugar cookies laid out in an orderly fashion. Some were frosted, others were not and all in different shapes. She walked over to them and held down the tray to them. "Here you go, enjoy!"

"These smell amazing!" Not one to turn down a sweet treat, Serena reached over the tray and grabbed a cookie shaped like a coffee mug, frosted with a fluffy, whipped icing. She brought the cookie up to her lips and took a bite. Hints of spice and sugar danced across her tongue, waking up her taste buds and reminding her of being home with her mom and baking sweets during the holidays. "Oh my gosh, these are so good!"

"Thank you, hon! I appreciate it," Miss Ketchum said. "Ash just loves my cookies." She winked. Razzing her son every now and again was a mother's job, especially when a nice young lady friend was around.

The two women laughed when they looked to Ash who had half a cookie stuffed in his mouth. He swallowed, blushing in embarrassment. "They are just so delicious. I can't help it," he said and took another bite of his cookie.

"Well, I'll leave this right here and you two eat as much as you want. If you need anything, just yell." Miss Ketchum put the plate on the wooden coffee table that sat in front of them and walked back to the kitchen. Ash reached down, retrieving another cookie and Serena continued savoring the one in her hand.

Outside, the sun's orange glow crested behind rooftops with a beautiful yellow, red hue flood the sky, giving a warm glow to the leaves of the trees. "I think I should be going home now. It's getting late." She stood to leave and the touch of Ash's hand catching her own made her stop. She turned to him, brows furrowed and head tilted in confusion. "Ash?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, quickly withdrawing his hand, placing it in his lap. Had he gone too far? Many people would say he was dense. Maybe so. But not oblivious. He inhaled sharply then said, "I just wanted to know if you'd like to go out again sometime."

"I would really like that." Serena took a small step towards him and leaned over the edge of the couch and gently kissed his cheek. "Call me, OK?"

He turned to her, wide eyed, smiling brightly. "I will. Have a good night."

"You too, Ash."

Her shoes clicked against the wooden floors through the long hallway leading to the front door. She bid his mom goodnight and raised her hand, waving quickly back to Ash before closing the door quietly behind her.

Well, this story has come to a end. I hope you all enjoyed this story. It was fun to write :) Thanks to icearoundthemoon and popdiva24 for being such amazing betas.

Thanks again for reading!

SF15