Soledad stared at Drew, who was looking out of the window of her hotel room, emerald eyes dark and distant. She had invited him in after confronting him in the hallway, where he had told her that he was sorry – and for reasons Soledad already knew; for reasons he didn't need to remind her of because they had been haunting the both of them endlessly. Drew didn't look at her at all once they had entered her hotel room, and Soledad wondered if a small amount of anger towards her actions still lived within him. Then again, Soledad was just relieved that he had come – that he was talking to her after she had concluded that he would never want to see her again.
"Drew…" she said, her voice trailing off since she couldn't think of anything else to say. There were many things she could say, including rearticulating the anguish that was consuming her at the fact that she had hurt him; but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to speak anything other than his name.
Drew still didn't turn around, reminding Soledad of when she had confronted him earlier that morning in the patch of trees behind the contest hall. He remained silent, his gaze focusing itself on the objects in the outside world just so it wouldn't have to focus on Soledad, which made her shoulders sag. Perhaps he was still angry.
A few minutes later, though, he turned around, sadness swirling around in his eyes that was oxymoronic to what Soledad had just assumed he was feeling. He wasn't angry; he was…
…ashamed.
"I feel terrible for what happened between you and Harley," Drew said, turning his eyes to the ground. "If I hadn't involved you in my personal feud with him, then maybe this wouldn't've happened. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for expecting you to push away what you wanted so you could do what I wanted. You were right – your life was not mine to control – but I was just too stubborn to listen to you. Not skeptic; stubborn."
Soledad's eyes grew soft and she walked closer to Drew. "I understand why you were angry, though…"
Drew shook his head. "Just because I didn't like Harley, it didn't mean you didn't have a right to. You cared for each other, but I was too selfish to see that. I was too selfish to drop the past and leave it where it belonged – in the past. It was just that…"
Soledad perked her head up, waiting for him to finish.
"It was just that I loved you," Drew said, sighing. "You were always there for me, and I was just trying to be there for you. But I wasn't being there for you – I wasn't supporting you. I was trying to order you around. I thought I was protecting you, but instead I was doing the exact opposite."
At that, Soledad walked forward until she was right in front of Drew, wanting to embrace him and comfort him. The sadness in his eyes was too much for her to bear. "Drew…"
Drew didn't look up at her. "Harley…I accused him of being a monster…but I was no better. He changed for you…he nearly sacrificed himself for you…and he loved you…now I have to ask myself how someone like that can still be a monster…"
Soledad's eyebrows rose at his words.
"Like I told him," Drew said, finally looking up and meeting Soledad's eyes, "I'm never going to trust him, but what he did in the past doesn't have to affect the future. If you two want to be together, then you have every right to be. Such a thing doesn't need to involve me. Whatever you choose to do in life, I just want you to be happy.
"So…please…can you forgive me?"
Silence thrived between Soledad and Drew. Drew kept his gaze on hers, waiting in suspense for her response.
Suddenly, Soledad leaned down on one knee so that she was nearly eye-level with him. Then, she grabbed him by the arms, pulling him towards her and into an embrace.
"Of course I forgive you," she whispered into his ear, admiring how warm he was. "I love you too, Drew, and I'm not going to let you go – as long as you forgive me."
She could feel Drew smirk against her shoulder. "How can I not forgive you?" he asked. "I have no reason to be angry at you. I never should have had one, and I was an idiot for thinking that I did."
Soledad let out a laugh at that. She was happy to have her Drew back.
"Listen," Drew then said, pulling back and looking her in the eyes. His frown was firm – serious. "I told Harley to come to the café by my hotel tomorrow at noon."
Soledad's eyes flashed at the mention of Harley. "Why?"
"Because I want you to go there tomorrow – I want you to talk to him. Soledad, maybe it's not too late to fix all of this!"
Soledad's face fell, and she turned her eyes to the ground, her hold on Drew's arms loosening slightly. The thought of seeing Harley again after everything that had happened was both exciting and frightening. She longed to see him, but would he talk to her once he saw her?
She shook her head. "Drew," she said. "I…I don't know…"
"You love him, don't you?" Drew asked.
"Yes…"
"You want to see him again, don't you?"
"Yes…"
"Are you really going to let him go because he thinks he doesn't deserve you, or are you going to go prove him wrong?"
Soledad remained silent at that. Then, she looked up and met Drew's eyes, determination crossing her face.
Drew smiled, having not needed an articulated answer. "I knew you wouldn't give up. You're Soledad Sierra, after all."
Soledad smiled as well, standing up, watching Drew as he began to make his way to the door. Right before he opened it, though, she reached towards him.
"Drew, wait!"
Drew stopped, turning around to eye her bewilderedly.
She walked to him. "Before you leave" - her smile returned as she leaned down, planting a soft kiss on his forehead – "I wanted to thank you. Thank you for doing this – thank you for giving me your permission to be with Harley."
Drew sighed. "You should have never needed it in the first place."
And with that, he left.
The café that resided by Drew's hotel immediately reminded Soledad of the one she went to when she first arrived at Slateport City all those weeks ago, running into Harley after they had spent so much time apart and being introduced to his new side she had thought was his true side. After that, they had become partners in coordinating and eventually lovers when she had fallen in love with him. Then later, she had lost him, their relationship ending when he had concluded that her love wasn't something he deserved – that she should be with someone else who wasn't a so-called 'monster'.
Because this café reminded her so much of the one back in Slateport, Soledad couldn't help the depressed sigh that escaped her as soon as she walked through its threshold, being met with warm, coffee bean-scented air that contradicted the coldness outside, seeing people sitting down on soft sofas, sipping their cappuccinos while conversing with their friends or Pokemon. It reminded her of what had been – the start of that long journey she had shared with Harley; the journey she wanted nothing more than to bring back and continue.
She glanced at the clock that was sitting above one of the sofas. It was almost twelve in the afternoon – the time Drew had told Harley to come here. She looked back behind her – and not in search of Harley, but in the knowledge that after she had woken up early that morning, she had made a small stop on her way to the café. Outside, someone Harley had been needing to talk to for a long time was waiting for his signal to come in, having reluctantly come with her when she told him that it was time to let bygones be bygones.
But, first, she had to find Harley, and she had to talk to him.
She scanned her eyes over the various tables that sat around the café, searching for the said amethyst-haired man, somewhat worrying over the fact that perhaps he hadn't listened to Drew – that perhaps he was aware that Drew had asked him to come here so Soledad could confront him – and he didn't come, leaving for Slateport instead. If that was the case-
Wait!
Soledad's eyebrows rose when she spotted a flash of purple towards the corner of a room, belonging to a man who was sitting alone at a table that was isolated from the others. His back was facing her, yet it was evident that he was waiting for whatever he had been called here for. She could tell who he was at that very instant, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him.
"Harley…"
She made her way towards the table, her movement slow since she was afraid at the possibility that he would leave once he noticed her presence, acting like a monster that was guilty of terrifying people – guilty of making others hurt – and had arrived at the conclusion of running away from anyone who showed concern for its state, not wanting to get them involved in its pitiful life. But, no. Harley wasn't a monster in Soledad's eyes; he was the exact opposite – a person who had so much love to give but yet had never known anyone who was willing to accept it.
She suppressed her urges to just run into him – to just fall into his arms and request that he hold her, so she could feel his warmth again and the security it all provided for her. Instead, she slowly sat down on the seat opposite from his, the only thing separating them being the round table between them.
It was then when he turned his head, having heard someone's approach, and his eyes widened once he noticed that Soledad was staring right back at him.
"Soledad…" he said, his voice whisperlike from disbelief that Soledad was here, yet loud enough for her to hear both the wanting and the hurt in his tone.
Soledad said nothing, and silence lingered between them. Not even the various noises of a bustling café swayed their focuses on one another, because that was all that mattered in their eyes – each other.
"Wha-what are you doing here?" Harley asked, speaking louder this time, though he still sounded surprised.
"We need to talk," was all Soledad said, her voice soft.
Harley's eyes grew dark, and he turned them towards the floor – anything to escape Soledad's verdigris gaze.
That beautiful verdigris gaze.
"So that's why Drew told me to come here?" he concluded. "So we could meet?"
Soledad didn't answer that. She hoped that Harley wouldn't repeat what he said when he had broke them up after the contest the previous day – tell her that she deserved someone better than him and leave at that – and wouldn't be mad at the fact that Drew had brought them back together.
Then again, Harley didn't sound angry at all.
"I know that you want to take back everything you did in the past," Soledad said, keeping her eyes on him, "and you hate yourself at the fact that you can't. You can't dwell on the past, though."
Harley let out a short chuckle. "That's what Drew said…"
"And he was right."
Harley looked up at her, but then turned his head away.
"I love you," Soledad added. "I love you so much, even if you don't think you deserve it. What you did in the past, I'm willing to let that go – I'm willing to leave it in the past where it belongs. Can't you?"
"How can you love someone like me?" Harley asked. "What you fell in love with wasn't who I was. I can't take advantage of you like that. I love you too much to put you through such a thing."
At that, Soledad got up, walking over towards him. He eyed her with concern, but then got up as well, wondering what she was doing.
She then wrapped her arms around him, pressing against him. She breathed in his scent; she felt his warmth – the warmth a 'monster' could never contain.
Harley went rigid, but then relaxed beneath her hold. He wanted to hug back – to have her in his arms again – but he restrained himself.
"This," Soledad said, placing a hand over the middle of his chest, gesturing to the façade he had been wearing. "This Harley wasn't the one I fell in love with." She pulled back, nodding her head to the left, and Harley could tell that she was then referring to the past. "That. That Harley wasn't the one I fell in love with." She moved her hand over to his heart, feeling it thrive beneath her palm. "It was the Harley I fell in love with – the real one. The one who was willing to be there for me; the one who was willing to sacrifice himself to save me; the one who was willing to love me until the end of time. That was the real Harley."
Harley's eyes softened at her words, his mind contemplating them.
Soledad removed her hand and laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes, remembering the night when they first confessed, the night they made love, and all of the days in-between.
"I would never leave that car," she whispered, "if it meant I could be with you."
Harley could no longer restrain himself after that; his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him, and he buried his face into the crook of her neck.
"I would never leave it either," he said, his breath hot against her skin.
Soledad pulled away, but only by an inch, their arms still around one another. She looked him in the eyes, their faces so close she feel his breath caress her lips. She wanted nothing but to close the distance between them – to kiss him and taste him again – but she knew that if she did that, then she would never let go.
So, she pulled away completely, their arms sliding apart until their connection was fully severed when the tips of their fingers separated. Harley's arm remained somewhat outstretched, as if still reaching for her – as if not wanting her to leave – but he eventually brought it back down to his side, watching her back away towards the door of the café.
"Just. Be. Harley," she told him, finishing what she had said earlier.
And she left the café, losing sight of Harley when the door shut behind her.
She couldn't say anything else other than what she had already said, and she reminded herself of this as she leaned against the windowless wall of the café. She shivered at the coldness of the outside air, which also contained a scent of dampness from the rain that had fallen yesterday, and she longed to be back in the café and in Harley's arms, thriving from his warmth. But, no. She couldn't go back. Not now. She had said what she had wanted to say – she had done what she could do – and the last person who had a chance of fixing any of the anguish lingering between them was the very man that had started it all.
Soledad made her way to a car that sat parked not far off. She tapped on the glass, waiting for the window to roll down as the person inside answered her signal. She met a pair of sunglass-covered eyes, the storm clouds that still hovered above the city reflecting in their dark lenses, and their owner let out a sigh.
"I don't know if he's even going to listen to me…" Axel said, pulling his key from the car's ignition.
"Try," was Soledad's response. "It's time you talked to Harley again. It's time you told him what you told me."
Axel didn't say anything after that, a minute passing before he got out of his car and walked up to the door of the café, his fingers twitching as he debated with himself on opening it. He shot a look at Soledad, who only stared back at him, and he nodded.
He opened the door and walked in.
Once he was out of sight, Soledad wrapped her arms around herself to preserve heat, and then began to make her way down the street.
Harley didn't know if there was still a purpose for staying in the café. He had just watched Soledad depart, leaving behind words that were making him rethink over everything. His hand clenched into a fist; he was confused and lost, not knowing what he should do. His heart was telling him to do one thing, but his mind was saying another. All he could do was sit there and try to sort out his conflicting emotions.
He ran a hand through his hair, pondering on if he should just get up and leave. Drew had told him to come here so Soledad could talk to him again, and now that that was over there was no reason to linger around. Besides, the café brought back too many memories…
Suddenly, the door into the café opened, and Harley turned his eyes to it, wondering if Soledad had backtracked. However, who then walked through the door wasn't Soledad, but at the same time it wasn't someone Harley didn't know.
His jaw dropped as his eyes laid upon the one man he thought he would never see again – the man that, even with the fact that years had transpired since he had last seen him, it didn't take much for Harley to recognize him.
"D-Dad?"
Axel's head perked up at Harley's voice, which, despite the noises all around them, he could still make out among the crowd. Behind his sunglasses, his eyes softened as he gazed upon his son, who was standing in place by his table, frozen with disbelief and shock that was also clearly etched onto his face. It didn't take much for Axel to recognize Harley either.
Axel made his way towards Harley, stopping a few feet away from him so he could still grant him the space he undoubtedly needed. "Harley," he said, trying to sound unfazed by their reunion, though on the inside he was everything but calm.
Harley kept his eyes on his father's face, feeling his shoulders sag. Despite everything that had happened between them, the only thing he could say was: "It…it really is you."
"It's been a long time," Axel said. "Too long."
"What…what are you doing here?"
Axel gestured towards the door. "Your…friend, Soledad. We met, we talked, and she convinced me that it was time I talked to you – to tell you the things you have been deserving to hear for many years."
Harley turned his eyes to the ground, and he fell back and into his seat, almost forgetting to breath. "I…I can't believe…"
Axel sat down as well. "I know this is shocking to you. I wasn't expecting that we would ever meet again. I run Phoenix Industries; the main company building resides here."
"I should have known that," Harley muttered. "Why didn't I know that?"
"Because back then I wanted nothing to do with you as much as you and your mother wanted nothing to do with me. Our connection was broken."
"You hurt me so much, Dad," Harley said, avoiding his father's eyes.
Axel removed his sunglasses. "I know, son. I know. And I want to say I'm sorry."
Harley looked at him, his gaze still dark.
At that, Axel began to talk, repeating everything he had told Soledad. He explained how he had always loved Harley and his mother, but was too arrogant to show it. He explained how he realized he was proud of Harley when he began to watch him coordinate on the television. He explained how he had wanted nothing but to see him in person again, to tell him that he was a bigger part of his life than he thought. When he was finished, Harley's eyes were brighter, his mind trying to process all of the things about his father he never knew existed.
"I shouldn't've pushed you and your mother away," Axel said, closing his eyes. "I was selfish back then – I was a fool, an idiot, a bastard, and whatever other vulgar name under the sun. You didn't deserve any of the things I did to you."
Harley remained silent.
"I know asking for forgiveness right now and expecting it would be even more selfish," Axel added, "so I'm not going to ask for forgiveness. I just wanted you to know that I have always been proud of you, Harley. You're a bigger inspiration than I ever was, and I feel ashamed at the fact that it took so long for me to tell you that."
"Dad…" was all Harley could say. Half of him wanted to yell at his father, telling him that he would never forget what he had done to both him and his mother; but the other half wanted to forgive him, letting bygones be bygones, and help his father repair the connection between them that he was assuming was unfixable.
Letting bygones be bygones…
Harley's eyes flashed with thought.
"Soledad told me what happened between you two also," Axel said, breaking Harley from his trance. "I know that I have no place to say this, but I think you should go after her. You shouldn't let her go."
Harley's jaw dropped at that, but he closed it just as fast. He turned his head away. "But, my past…"
Axel shook his head. "Despite what happened in my past, I'm facing it – I'm attempting to move on. You have to do the same, Harley."
"Do you know the type of person I was back then?" Harley asked, clenching his hand into a fist. "I was a monster."
"And so was I."
Harley met his father's eyes, his voice soft. "You're not a monster anymore, Dad."
"And neither are you."
Harley didn't respond to that.
Axel leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "Harley…sometimes we have to forget who we were…to know who we are."
Harley rose his head, his eyes brightening at his words. He looked back at his father.
"Go after her," Axel repeated. "Don't let her go."
And with that, he got up.
Harley got up as well. "Dad?"
"Yes?" Axel asked.
"I…" Harley sighed. "Thank you."
Axel smiled. "Of course. I wasn't there for you for the previous years, but that changes now."
He reached forward, as if to place his hand on his son's shoulder out of assurance, but Harley stepped back and out of his reach.
"No," he said, his face stern. "Not yet. I'm not ready to restart our relationship. Not just yet."
Axel nodded, his voice soft. "I understand. I'll give you all the time you need."
He turned around, grabbing his sunglasses and making his way to the door.
"Where are you going?" Harley asked.
Axel stopped. "To apologize to your mother," he said, flashing a smile at Harley before leaving.
Harley stayed in place, nearly falling back again as his mind went over everything that had happened.
Sometimes we have to forget who we were to know who we are.
Harley's eyes brightened.
Just. Be. Harley.
He stared up and at the door of the café.
And he smiled.
