Chapter 4
"You know you're in love when you can't sleep because the reality is better than the dream."
--
The morning sun shone through the thin curtains that lined the bedroom windows, warming up the room, and casting a yellow glow onto the bed. As the rapidly moving sun hit her face, she stirred, and let out a tired groan, before pulling the pillow over her head. Soon afterward, her alarm clock let out a tremendous blare, and she reached her arm out from under the blanket just far enough to hit the snooze button, promising herself she would get up in five minutes.
Misty stretched her arms high above her head, trying to wake up a little bit. She rubbed her sleep filled eyes and rolled over on her side only to see Rudy lying next to her, sound asleep, and naked. It took her a moment to register that she was in fact without clothes as well as soon and then the events of last night suddenly came flooding back to her.
After she said goodnight to Ash and went over to Rudy's apartment to see what he wanted, it was clear he only wanted one thing. He had talked to her for a decent amount of time, letting the two of them exchanging the events of one another's day and having some discussion about the wedding. And then, without even asking Misty is she was up for it, Rudy kissed her hungrily before dragging her into the bedroom and indulging in much deeper actions.
Misty shook her head to herself as she stood up from the bed, donning a nearby robe. If there was anything that confused her tremendously it was the way Rudy regarded her. He would have his moments, where he was so sweet and caring where she began to contemplate on whether or not she could force herself to love him. And then that would all change so quickly. He would constantly blow her off, saying he had to work every single time, and then meet up with her later, only wanting to sleep with her. Misty had told herself that Rudy was not using her for sex. He could have picked anyone to do that with and if he was using her, she highly doubted he would go as far as making her his wife. She knew he could be shallow, but he wasn't that pathetic, or so she hoped.
She entered the bathroom, running the faucet and splashing cold water over her face as her musings continued. The worst part about Rudy not treating her the way he was supposed to was that Misty constantly went running to Ash whenever he cancelled on her or they an argument. Just like she had did last night.
Misty stopped washing her face for a moment as she was reminded of yet another important event of the night before that she had yet to try and make sense out of. There was only one thing she was sure of.
They had almost kissed. Again.
This wasn't the first time that she and Ash had one of their little moments, where they would stare deeply into one another's eyes, their faces way too close for friends. She recalled one time where he actually began to lean in toward her. She remembered the way his soft breath felt over her mouth and how the space between them began to diminish by the second. They had been interrupted, however. By Brock, nonetheless. Misty wasn't sure if that had been a good thing or a bad thing. And the fact that she didn't know what would become of them kissing, she never initiated it. Because if there was one thing Misty had taught herself after fourteen years of secretly being in love with her best friend, was not to take any risks unless you knew what the outcome of them would be.
Unfortunately, however, without taking any risks, Misty would never get to be with Ash. And therefore, she would never get to live the life she dreamed of and would simply be stuck in the one she had been forced into.
--
Ash stared straight ahead at the open road, observing the characteristics of
the geography between him while paying attention to what was in front of
him. He gazed at the several trees and grassy knolls that were located in
some places. From his position the distinct geography and characteristics
before him looked as nothing but a surreal blur, all mashed into a hazy mix of
blues, greens, and grays.
His silver convertible was the only car on the seemingly empty street; the wind
blew through his ebony hair as he sped down the cement path. No other
sound of human nor Pokemon life was recognizable to him. All he heard was
the wind blowing, the engine roaring, and the radio blasting, he was all on his
own. Suddenly, Ash dismissed his last inward statement as he came to a
realization; Misty's voice from the passenger seat disturbed him from his
tranquil state and made him aware that he in fact did have company.
"Thank you so much for coming with me," she repeated yet again in a
sincere tone. "I would not have been able to do this by myself, I
know nothing about money. If you weren't coming with me I would have
somehow been tricked into paying twice the amount." She let a laugh
escape her lips and Ash closed his eyes as he realized that they were not on
one of their typical drives together.
He remembered the destination Misty had asked him to accompany her with.
She needed to go to the hotel where her and Rudy's wedding would be at to make
the final payment, and for some reason or another, her fiancé was not
available. She had gone over to Ash's apartment and begged him to
come with her so she would not let her naivety force her to pay an unfair
amount. His first instinct was to decline, not wanting anything to do
with joining of the woman he loved and another man. But then she looked
at him with her aquamarine eyes that captivated him so, and Ash could not find
the heart to refuse.
"Don't worry; I'll make sure you pay the fair amount for the room. I
won't let any sneaky managers make you overpay," he reassured her, taking
his eyes from the open road to flash a smile at her. Misty returned the
gesture, touched by his kindness and generosity.
"You're so sweet," she told him tenderly and he felt his heart
increase a beat at the statement. A displeased expression then formed
onto Misty's face and she leaned back into her seat, muttering to
herself. "Ugh, God, I can't believe Rudy had to work, he should be
the one coming to look at the place. I mean it's his wedding too."
Ash tried to hide the grin forming due to Misty's irritation with Rudy at the
moment. She looked back up toward him and he immediately made his happy
expression turn into a sympathetic one. "Hey, don't worry about
it," he told her, sensing her sadness. "You've still got
me."
She smiled at him tenderly. "What would I do without you?"
"Suffer endlessly, no doubt," he replied in a joking tone which Misty
felt obligated to laugh at.
"I'm serious," she told him through giggles. "You are the
only person who is ever there when I need something. I mean my own fiancé
can't make it to see where he will be getting married and here you are..."
she stared at him longingly before finally continuing. "...rescuing
me. At my side like always," she continued and Ash had to physically
tighten his grip to the steering wheel to contain himself from leaning over and
kissing her right then and there. "You're like... my
super-hero," Misty finished, a smirk escaping her lips.
Ash began to laugh slightly as well at her reference toward him, although, in
reality it was very true. "Except without the tights and cape,"
he commented with a grin.
"Oh, believe me, honey, I can deal without that," Misty joked and
again Ash had to control himself even more, especially due her previous
reference to him.
Neither of them spoke for a moment, lingering in the melancholy that was taking
place. Misty let her eyes drift to Ash, his own gaze fixated on the road
before him. She felt a pang in her chest as she stared at his handsome
face, observing each feature of perfection. She studied his chocolate
orbs, filled with such intensity at the time being. Her eyes drifted to
the features of his smooth skin and his dark hair until they fell upon his
lips. His lips which seemed so utterly kissable to her, the lips which
she had wanted no more than to press against her own very own and then...
No! Misty's mind screamed at her, interrupting her own
thoughts. No, you can't think of him like that anymore, her own
subconscious began to remind her and she knew her inner self was right.
Although, her feelings for Ash would always be within her heart there was no
use in dreaming of this fantasy. It was obviously not coming true and she
had learned to accept that he would never look at her as more than a friend.
She let her gaze intensify on Ash who was still oblivious to her musings she
was having about him. Getting over the fact that he would never return
her love had been the hardest thing she ever had to do. So many times the
words had been at the tip of her tongue but as usual her fear and pride
prevented her from speaking what she so desperately wanted to. But she
had come to the conclusion that it would be okay even if he never knew how she
felt. Because Ash would always be her best friend and an influential part
of her life.
Misty had thought that particular fact would always be true up until
recently. She knew that after she were married there was no way the two
of them would hang out the way that they used to. As much as she hated to
admit, she knew she'd be living in this new lifestyle which she would need to
grow accustomed to rather quickly. She would not have time to do the
things she used to do or have fun with her friends without Rudy there.
She would feel guilty for spending more time with Ash than him. And Misty
was becoming very aware that even though she would be gaining a husband... she
would be losing a best friend in the process.
"You know..." she spoke up, finally breaking the long silence.
Ash shifted his glance over toward her, awaiting whatever she were about to say
next. "I'm really going to miss you being my savior."
Ash's face contorted in confusion. "What?"
Misty sighed. "Ash, as much as we might hate to admit... we both
know that things aren't going to be the same once I'm married. I mean, I
know we'll still be friends but we won't be able to hang out as much
anymore." Every word she spoke had an added tone of sadness and
disappointment. "I'm... I'm afraid... that this marriage may cause
us to drift apart," she confessed, bring her gaze to meet his attentive
one.
Ash felt panic arise within his body as she awaited his reaction to her
admittance of what she feared she was going to lose. This concept had
never dawned on him before. He had always assumed that no matter what
happened, no matter what lovers either of them became committed to that they
would always be together. Hell, they had stayed together fourteen whole
years with many outsiders getting in the way. They would always be the
best of friends and that was Ash's rock. That fact assured him to know
that Misty would always be a part of his life even if he could not be with her
in the way she wanted to be. The very real possibility of not being able
to see her whenever he wanted or the two of them actually drifting apart
terrified Ash beyond belief. There was no way he could ever let that
happen; he had to hold on to what he had left of her.
"Myst," he started, shifting his gaze toward her but from the corner
of his eye he was still concentrating on driving. "Nothing in this
world can ever cause us to drift apart." Misty looked
doubtful. "Seriously. I mean, we've been best friends for over
a decade... how many people can say that? No matter what happens, we will
always be a part of each other's life, I promise you that."
A childish expression formed on her face. "You swear?" she
pouted and Ash laughed at her playful demeanor.
"Yup," he nodded and held out his pinkie finger. "Pinkie
swear."
Misty giggled at his immaturity but regardless, linked her own pinkie around
his, binding their promise, a pact they sometimes engaged in back in their
childhood days. "You better not break, your promise, Ash
Ketchum," she told him warningly. "Or else you'll have an
appointment with my mallet."
Ash looked frightened. "I promise, I promise," he repeated,
obviously scared from her temper. The two of them smirked at this but the
playful atmosphere was reverted back to a serious one as Ash entwined all of
his fingers with Misty's tightly holding her hand. "Don't
worry," he reassured her gently. "Nothing is going to
change. It's always going to be you and me."
Misty's gaze lowered to where their hands were grasped and then moved back up
to Ash's own stare. "You and me?" she repeated, as if trying to
make sure that he sincerely meant what he was saying.
Ash nodded and lifted their attached hands to his face, kissing the top of hers
and then massaging the soft skin with his finger. "You and me
always," he assured her in his most softest and meaningful tone.
Misty said nothing. She just simply stared at him for a moment, touched
and her heart melting at his kindness. A relieved laugh escaped her lips
and she leaned her head against his shoulder, hugging him slightly. Ash
managed to move one of his arms off of the steering wheel to place it around
her frame. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head softly, a gesture
which she just grinned at in response. He averted his gaze back toward
the open road which he had been paying too little of attention to for the last
few minutes. Misty's previous reference toward him returned to his mind
as the words of the song on the radio fled to his ears.
I am so high, I can hear heaven
I am so high, I can hear heaven
Whoa but heaven
No, heaven don't hear me
And they say
That a hero could save us
I'm not gonna stand here and wait
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles
Watch as we all fly away
Someone told me
Love would all save us
But, how can that be
Look what love gave us
A world full of killing
And blood spilling
That world never came
And they say
That a hero could save us
I'm not gonna stand here and wait
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles
Watch as we all fly away
Now that the world isn't ending
It's love that I'm sending to you
It isn't the love of a hero
And that's why I fear it won't do
And they say
That a hero could save us
I'm not gonna stand here and wait
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles
Watch as we all fly away
And they're watching us
They're watching us
As we all fly away
And they're watching us
They're watching us
As we all fly away
And they're watching us
They're watching us
As we all fly away
TBC
--
A/N: From the reviews I've gotten I can see that people don't like me being too critical of my writing so I'm going to keep my mouth shut this time ;) Heh, I just happen to be kind of a perfectionist and self-conscious of my work so that's why I always have my little explanations at the end, but thank you to whoever has reviewed telling me I have no reason to be. Anyway, the song is Hero by Danny Elfman, it's from the Spider-man soundtrack, lol. I hope you enjoyed and please review =)
