Chapter 8
"Don't wait for the one you can live with, wait for the one you can't live without."
--
The loud music beat fiercely and pulsated against the eardrums of all those who were located in the club. It was a busy night with dozens of people all over the place, drinking, dancing, sitting, etc. Throughout all of the commotion around him, Ash was able to be completely in depth with his own thoughts as he gazed at the three people who were amongst the table he was seated at.
He felt Lily go to stroke his arm and reached for his beer as an excuse to move away from her. He shook his head to himself, feeling more out of place than ever before. Here he was out on a date with the sister of the woman he secretly loved, as well as herself and the man she was marrying. Lily had briskly strode in his office a couple of days ago, asking that he go out with her the upcoming weekend which he felt like was more of a demand than a question. Ash, being the polite guy that he was did not have the heart or courage to turn her down so he reluctantly went along with it, silently wondering what provoked this woman to develop a sudden attraction to him. It really did not make any sense in Ash's mind.
It was not as if he didn't like Lily. She was a very fun person to be around, but in his opinion... she was a little too fun. Her more than obvious gestures did make him slightly uncomfortable and a tad grossed out. This was Misty's sister he was going out with. They were way too alike in so many ways, personality and appearance wise. Both sisters had the pale skin, big blue eyes, and bright hair and if someone had not known better they could have been mistaken for twins. Each of them had that determined, stubborn personality which Ash was very much drawn to. But of course they had their differences.
Lily was about a million more times superficial than Misty ever could be and more forward. Her comments and not-so-subtle motions were hinting and provocative much like her personality was; a fact that she was very well aware of. Although, Misty did have a natural promiscuous side which was evident in every woman, especially one of the Waterflower family, she did not usually act on it except for several times in the past which Ash had all considered a lapse of her better judgment. They each had their similarities they were two very different people. And Ash found himself pathetic at the fact that he was only attracted to the parts of Lily that could be compared to her sister.
"So..." Misty continued to speak, disrupting Ash from his current musings and making him aware of the fact that he was still in their presence. For about an hour or so the four of them had engaged in nonchalant conversation, informing one another of stories of the past. Misty had the most to tell considering she had a very close relationship with Ash, Rudy, and Lily and she was currently telling her sister and fiancé one of the many tales that she and her best friend had experienced during their years of traveling. "It turned out that the 'Chosen One'..." Misty made air quotes with her fingers as she went on. "...was actually Ash himself. And a couple of lifesaving moves, legendary Pokemon, and songs later the world was saved." She displayed a cheeky grin and popped the olive for her martini into her mouth.
"Wow," Rudy commented in response. "That's impressive."
Ash forced a grin. "Uh, thanks," he replied politely.
Lily smiled coyly and moved her chair closer towards Ash's, running a hand down his chest. "Definitely impressive," she repeated in a sultry tone. Rudy smirked at the scene before him and Misty moved her gaze downward, unable to handle watching such a thing.
Ash displayed an awkward laugh and stretched his arms high above his head, trying to move himself away from her. "Whew, it is like an inferno in here," he remarked, hoping to change the subject while fanning himself for effect. "You guys think so?" Misty and Rudy shook their heads and Lily inched her way closer to him again.
"I think the only thing hot in here is you," she murmured seductively.
"Mm, that's good," he stammered uncomfortably. "Thank you very much, heh."
"So, Ash, how's everything in the League going?" Rudy spoke up. "Life as a master treating you well?"
Ash managed a smile, thankful for the escape. "Everything's going good, a little hectic with the upcoming tournament and all but still things are under control. I'm right where I should be in my position." He paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should inform them of his next fact. "Actually, uh, funny story. The other day, Lance, of the Elite Four, came into my office and told me that..." Ash trailed off, unable to continue for some reason. He saw Misty's face contort in confusion as he did not finish his sentence.
"Told you what?" she questioned. Ash bit his lip, quickly making the decision of not to bring up a topic that he would much rather discuss in private.
"Nothing," he spoke, waving his hand dismissively. "It's not important."
Misty stared at Ash, unsure, for a moment but soon gave in and believed his information was actually nothing she needed to know.
"I have to go to the bathroom," Lily suddenly announced, finding it necessary to share it with everyone at the table. Misty noticed her sister shooting her a look, obviously trying to tell her something in silence. She took the hint and stood up to accompany Lily, inwardly dreading the gushy details about Ash she knew her sister would force her to listen to.
"We'll, uh, be back in a sec," Misty informed the two men still sitting.
Lily blew Ash a kiss before coyly murmuring; "Don't miss me too much." Ash displayed another awkward chuckle and let out a relieved sigh as they headed in the other direction.
"Ah, sisters," Ash found himself muttering to break the ice as soon as Misty and Lily were out of sight. He turned toward Rudy and tried as hardest to make pleasant conversation. "Thank God, I never had one."
Rudy smirked in agreement. "Consider yourself lucky, dude," he remarked, thinking back to Mahri's more annoying times.
"Uh huh," Ash mumbled, finding no other response. He took a sip of his beer and shifted somewhat uncomfortably. He would have much gladly preferred Lily hanging all over him than this. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with the man who would get to spend the rest of his life with the woman that he wanted to. It brought Ash's jealousy to a broiling point and he had to contain himself from allowing his envy to filter through.
"So..." Ash started, trying to desperate find something to fill the awkward silence. "Only a couple of months until the big day, huh?" he queried, inwardly asking himself on why he had chose to bring up the topic that killed him to speak of.
Rudy nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Yup."
"Are you excited?"
"Yeah, Misty's paid her dues, been with me long enough. I owe it to her to get married."
Ash frowned at Rudy's last statement, not pleased with his reply. "Plus, you know, you probably, uh, you wanna get married," he tried to remind him, hoping that was what he had meant to say.
Rudy shrugged aimlessly. "I don't wanna break up," he simply responded, and the frown on Ash's face deepened.
He watched the other man for a moment, pensive thoughts that had never occurred to him before running through his mind. He noticed as Rudy's gaze shifted over to a buxom brunette, who was leaning over a table, her skirt way too short and tight for anyone's standards. Ash could not ignore Rudy's lingering stare and decided to gather more information on what he was beginning to suspect.
"Wow," Ash muttered, forcing an expression usually only seen on Brock's face to form on his own. He moved his own eyes in the direction in which Rudy was staring at the other woman. "Nice, huh?" he queried in a vulgar tone.
Rudy smirked, nodding his head lewdly in agreement. "Oh, yeah."
"You know it really sucks," Ash remarked causing him to look over confusedly. "The way everything ends. Once you're married, the fun is all over."
He snickered, shaking his head to himself. "Speak for yourself, man," he laughed. "I've had lots of fun."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah, like three years ago when you were single."
A mischievous smile formed on Rudy's face and he lowered his voice to the point where Ash had to strain to hear him over the music. "Try three days ago."
Ash stared at him for a moment, unsure if he had heard him right. "W-What? Three days ago?" he asked stressing the 'days' part. Rudy just nodded in agreement with a proud expression on his face. Ash observed him in shock before asking the dread question. "What about Misty?"
"What about her?" Rudy shrugged aimlessly and once again the other man was stunned into silence. "She's too wrapped up in the wedding to even notice what's going on."
"You're not planning to keep doing this after you still marry her... are you?"
"Why not?" he asked with another shrug. "Look, Ash, I know you and Misty are real close, but as a guy, you have to understand where I'm coming from. I mean, be with only one woman for the rest of my life?" He let out a snicker at what he interpreted as absurdity. "Come on, who the hell would want that?" he continued to laugh.
Me, Ash inwardly answered to himself immediately.
"I mean, it's not as if I don't care about Misty, I do," Rudy continued. And besides, everything is better off if she doesn't know. Everything will just stay the same as it is now even after the wedding," he shrugged nonchalantly and took a sip of the beer in his hand.
Ash stared at him blankly, his expression holding one of disgust and disbelief. He could not comprehend what he was hearing at the moment and how casually Rudy spoke of cheating on Misty. He had to physically restrain himself from jumping up and beating the living crap out of him right then and there. He managed to regain composure and cleared his throat to carry on the conversation.
"How the hell do you do it?" Ash asked, questioning the other man on how his conscious could handle being so deceitful, not about how he could do it without getting caught.
Rudy smirked, thinking that Ash was impressed with his clever tactics. "Easy, man. I've got years of practice of practice under my belt."
Ash could do nothing but stare at Rudy with his mouth agape, his mind a whirlwind of utter shock. Just then, Misty and Lily returned toward the table.
"Back," Lily informed them of the obvious fact.
Misty forced a smile and tried to ignore the annoyance running through her veins. Like she suspected the only reason her sister dragged her to the restroom was to reapply her makeup and blabber about how well everything was going between her and Ash and how she planned to spend the night with him. Misty cringed at the last thought and tried to put it behind her. She then turned to Ash and Rudy. "So did the two of you learn a little more about each other while we were gone?" she asked in a somewhat hopeful tone.
Ash nodded, with his eyes still wide. "Oh yeah," he answered. He let a heavy sigh escape his lips as he took a large swig of a beer. "I've learned more than I ever wanted to know."
--
Ash kept his gaze fixated on the ground as he dragged his feet up the pathway to the Cerulean Gym. His mind was a whirlwind of immense shock and anger for he was trying to process what Rudy had so carelessly informed him of not too long ago.
He still could not believe what he had heard and especially how nonchalantly Rudy referred to it, like taking complete advantage of Misty was no big deal. He had absolutely no idea how lucky he was, because to Ash he had the perfect woman to be his wife and yet he just neglected that fact and went around not being appreciative of what few were fortunate to have. There was one thing he could not stand, other than seeing Misty with someone else was having that someone else being unfaithful to her. She deserved only the best and even if she wasn't with him, Ash wanted her to be with someone who would even love her with a fraction of what he felt for her.
He was so deep in his pensive thought that he did not even notice Lily, who was hanging onto his arm and expressively explaining some topic to him which he had absolutely no idea of. He turned down toward her suddenly, a semi-quizzical expression on his face which formed with the wondering which caused him to ask his next question.
"So, Lily, what do you think of this Rudy guy?" he inquired, curious to know what she thought of her future brother-in-law and if she had any idea of what he was doing behind her sister''s back. "You think he's trustworthy?"
"Yeah," she replied in her usual chipper tone. "At least, he better be."
"Yeah," Ash scoffed under his breath, shaking his head to himself.
"But, you know, who cares about Rudy?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders. "You know who I keep thinking about?"
"Who?" he asked somewhat warily.
Lily took a step closer toward him and moved her lips so they were breathing right into his ear. "You," she whispered in a sultry tone. Ash shifted uncomfortably and forced a laugh, moving away from her slightly.
"Um, th-thanks," he found himself spluttering out and Lily had to smirk at his obvious awkwardness. She raised her eyebrows suggestively and twirled a ringlet of pink hair around her finger.
"So, you know, Misty's staying at Rudy's tonight," she informed him with the same seductive demeanor.
"Oh?" Ash inquired, trying to desperately avoid her obvious tactics.
Lily sighed. "Look, Ash. I know that you're shy and I know you've been hurt. So I'm going to make this really easy on you, okay?" Again, she approached him and allowed her lips to linger in the position near his ear while she ran her hands down his chest. "If you come inside... you're going to be one very happy camper."
At this point Ash had gone beyond uncomfortable to completely freaked out. Had this been another person and had he had not been informed of such disturbing news beforehand, he most likely would have been aroused by the situation and his male ego would be quite pleased by how forward the woman was being. But there was no way in hell he could imagine sleeping with Lily. She was very attractive, he'd admit but there was no way he could be with Misty's sister that crept him out way too much.
"W-Wow," he stammered, scratching the back of head like he always did when he was embarrassed. "No one's ever been that forward with me before," he managed to laugh and Lily had to smile at his innocence. "Um, I just, I'm telling you my head's kind of a mess right now," he told her, hoping that would cause her to lose interest but was unsuccessful in doing so.
"Honey, your head isn't what really concerns me," she informed with a smirk and Ash turned beet red.
"Heh, yeah," he forced himself to giggle, trying to hide the blush that had furiously colored his cheeks. "So, Misty's staying at Rudy's tonight, huh?" he suddenly inquired, trying to change the subject as well as get more information about the two of them.
Lily nodded. "Yeah."
"Does, does she stay over there a lot?" he continued to question, trying to sound more genuinely curious than nosy.
"Uh huh."
"Really?" he asked again, clenching his teeth and allowing some of his jealousy and annoyance to falter through. "That's... nice," she muttered sarcastically while shoving his hands in his pockets. Lily's eyes narrowed as she watched his obviously agitated expression, a gasp escaped her lips as a revelation suddenly dawned over her and she began to wonder how she could have never realized it in the past.
"Oh my God," Lily murmured staring at him intently. "I can't believe I never noticed it before," she continued shaking her head
Ash stared at her quizzically. "Noticed what?"
"You have a thing for Misty," she stated bluntly.
"What?" he exclaimed, once again putting on the usual routine of denying his feelings. "No, I do not have a 'thing' for Misty, okay? She's my best friend... nothing more, nothing less." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and cast his gaze down toward the floor as he finished.
"Okay. I'm sorry, you're right, you do not have a thing for Misty," Lily agreed flatly and Ash became somewhat confused by her suddenly taking his side. "You're completely and totally obsessed with her."
Ash's head shot up at her last sentence and he opened his mouth to disregard her accusations once more. "Lily, please, I don't..."
"I must be blind," she exclaimed toward herself incredulously, abruptly cutting him off. "It's beyond obvious you have feelings for her and I am now really beginning to believe those dozens of people who have called me a ditzy airhead in the past." Ash made a grunt of agreement at her last statement. "You love her," Lily continued to conclude what many people who had been in Ash and Misty's presence for a mere few seconds were immediately able to. "You always have," she went on intensely before a laugh escaped her lips. "Talk about your classic ironic situation."
"Ironic situation?" Ash finally spoke up upon hearing her last sentence. "What are you talking about?"
Lily bit her lip to keep herself from blabbing out the same words that her sister had spoken to her earlier. In her mind, she had two options; to either tell Ash that his emotions for Misty had been mirrored this entire time or to keep her big mouth shut and brush off the comment. Misty had never told her that she was actually still in love with Ash, she just said that her feelings for him that she had been forced to bury, had risen back up to the surface with what he had said to her. She did seem happy with Rudy and they were already engaged, the last thing Lily wanted to do was deprive her sister's chance for happiness so she took a deep breath and made the choice of how to respond to Ash.
"Never mind," she shook her head, dismissing the comment before looking up toward Ash again. "I'm sorry I pushed myself on you," she apologized sincerely. "But I still had fun tonight, nonetheless."
He forced a smile. "Sure, me too," he lied.
"Goodnight, Ash," she uttered before moving to kiss him on the cheek. She turned and began to unlock the door to the gym and Ash spun around and began to walk away. "Hey!" Lily called out just as he was getting to the sidewalk, causing him to face her again. "For what it's worth, I think you would have been a much cooler brother-in-law than Rudy any day."
Ash let out a small snicker as recognition to her comment and with a grin Lily closed the door behind her. He shook his head to himself longingly as he returned his pace down the street. Lily's impish remark had actually been what he fantasized about all of these years, but in a few mere months, his dreams would be completely shattered beyond repair.
TBC
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A/N: Sorry, this took me so long to get up, I've been a little busy lately. So, the big secret is out, although, I'm sure most of you naturally assumed what it was gonna be ;) I'm sure you guys have noticed but I did steal a bunch of stuff from the Wedding Singer and inserted it in here, lol, I apologize for the unoriginality. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, review please =)
