Unrevealed Affection

Dawn's POV:

We decide to camp outside for the night considering we're in the middle of nowhere and by the time we reach a Pokemon Center, it will be around noon - according to Brock at least. Luckily, it's not raining so we don't have to pitch up a tent. Actually, it's pretty warm for an Autumn night. The moon is full and the stars are shining and it's around midnight and I'm still awake.

I toss and turn in my sleeping bag, unable to fall asleep for some reason. I sit up and stare up at the night sky. It sure looks different when there are no city lights around for miles.

Soon, I get bored, wishing that someone - anyone - would wake up and talk to me. I lay back down and close my eyes for a while but they don't grow heavy. Suddenly I see a movement in the corner of my eye. I shoot up into a sitting position and look to the left. It's dark but there's enough light so I can see Ash's gaze fixed on me. I stare into his eyes. How long has he been awake?

"Dawn, I can't sleep," Ash whispers. I break the stare by looking down. Thankfully, the moonlight isn't light enough to show my blushing.

"Me neither," I whisper back as Ash sits up. I get out of our sleeping bags and walk a few meters away from Brock, Lyra and Khoury who are sound asleep. Ash follows behind me. We sit in silence for a while before he breaks it.

"D-Dawn... why do you support Khoury all the time? It's like... you like him..." Ash says awkwardly. I play with my hands. He just made the situation a lot more awkward.

"Look, if this is about earlier..." I trail off. Do I really act like I like Khoury? "If it's about earlier, Lyra asked me to say that. She said that you'd tease her about liking Khoury,"

"Wait. You know about her crush on Khoury?"

"Please! I knew since day one!" I laugh. "It's so obvious that he likes her back too," Ash nods.

"But seriously, Dawn. Do you like Khoury?" he asks, his expression stoic.

"No, I don't," Ash smiles.

"Cool. So, do you like anyone?" he asks. Now is probably not a good time to tell him the truth. I will, someday, but not now. He can't know now.

"No," I say, shaking my head. "What about you?" Ash shakes his head. Yes! So he doesn't like Lyra!

"None of the girls really appealed to me. So, what about Barry?"

"What about Barry?"

"You guys are both from the same town... I thought maybe you'd like him," Ash says.

"No... I mean, he's my friend and all and we were pretty close in our first years of school but then we kind of went separate ways... you know?" Ash nods.

"Yeah... I'm kind of scared that it will happen to us..." Ash says. I look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Our adventure in the Sinnoh region has to come to an end someday... I'm scared that when we go off in different ways to continue our journey... we'll drift apart..." Ash pauses. "Like, we won't see each other and eventually, we'll just forget each other. You're my best friend... I've never had a companion like you," I blush at the compliment.

"Okay, how about this? I'll carry on travelling with you!" Ash tries to object, but I stop him. "No need to worry! After the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League, there's not really much in Sinnoh left to do, so I'll continue travelling with you!"

"Thanks, Dawn, but I know that somehow, something will ruin that plan..."

"Don't be so pessimistic!" I say.

"I'm not being pessimistic! I'm saying the truth!" Ash protests.

"You can't read the future, Ash,"

"Bad stuff always happens to me!"

"At least you've never..." I pause. Is it a good idea to tell him about my horrible nickname, Dee Dee also known as Diamond Dandruff? I decide not to.

"At least I've never what?"

"Forget it, it's nothing,"

"Dawn..."

"I said forget it, Ash!" Ash sighs in defeat. My eyelids finally start to grow heavy but I'm too tired to walk back to my sleeping bag. Ash somehow senses this and moves closer to me.

"Just sleep," Ash says.

"I need a pillow, you know,"

"Who needs a pillow when you've got my lap?" Ash smirks. I look down.

"Okay, well, what about you?"

"God, Dawn! You make everything so complicated!" I smirk.

"Yeah, that's just me!"

"Fine," Ash says laying down and stretching an arm out. "Lay down and put your head on my arm," I blush a dark crimson color.

"Seriously?" I see Ash blush.

"Yeah... but if you don't want to, I guess that's fine..."

"No, it's fine!" I say. I lay down, putting my head on his arm. He pulls me close. My heart starts hammering like it did earlier in the cave when he hugged me.

The last thing I feel before I fall asleep is Ash's other arm around me.