He thought he knew — Drew, May / Companion piece "multi-colored bloom" coming soon.
They would marry in summer, by the seaside of the city where they first met 15 years ago.
He would propose on New Year's Eve, after taking her aside at a countdown party with all of their closest friends. She would cry when she said yes.
He would take her to meet his parents after she introduces him to her family. He would take his parents to Petalburg for Christmas, to receive the same warmth he had for several holidays before.
She would accept the position on the Hoenn elite four after she spent a few years as gym leader in her hometown. Max would take the reins after her, tucking his own adventure away to enroll in university in Rustboro.
She would earn her title two years after his first win, the latter being the peak of their rivalry, and one for the books.
Their first date as a couple would be on his 19th birthday, during the same season she won her title. They would go to a small coffee shop and she would fidget about with her present for him — a keystone and a mega stone for his absol.
Their first kiss would be on the night of the closing ceremonies when he won his title, after they had the first dance of the evening and snuck away from the hub of events.
May would be flustered and ask for his patience, because she's always been a little slow, and because she's always needed a little push in the right direction.
Drew would not push her now, not in this moment, because he knew where they would go from here. He was confident in where they would end up — with each other.
She did not ask for his patience, but she did ask.
"What do you want from me, Drew?" May asks, her voice wavering as she speaks.
He chokes. "What do you mean?"
She repeats herself firmly, taking a step towards him and jabbing a finger to his chest.
"You spend 3 years putting me down, while I try to gain your respect, and just expect me to understand what you want from me," May takes in a cleansing breath. He notices her shoulders quiver ever so slightly.
They were no longer the shoulders of a girl just learning to find her footing, stumbling around with vivid curiosity and a big doe-eyed stare. She is leaner, stronger now, while he remains the same.
"To understand... when all you do is throw a rose at your problems and expect everything to magically work out in the end!"
This isn't how it is supposed to go. This isn't what they are supposed to be.
He knows how to lose, how to take his losses and turn them into opportunities for improvement. In this moment, Drew felt as if he no longer had anything to gain, not from the way he looked at her with eyes that were no longer just big, wide and blue.
Drew's mouth runs dry while he turns over her words in his head, and everything he wants to say about their future.
"I…"
He settles.
"May, I love you. I want to be with you."
She does not react in the way he was expecting her to — her eyes close, taking in another slow cleansing breath. He watches the way her hair climbs as her shoulders rise. Her mother must have curled them for tonight, he thinks.
She's looking into his eyes now, though neither side feels the slightest flush.
"I'm done, Drew." Her voice is crisp against the ocean breeze. She brings her right hand up to massage her left elbow before continuing, "Congratulations on winning the Grand Festival. Enjoy the rest of your night."
He thinks May will turn around to give him one final look.
She does not.