The next day started a lot like the one before. It was a lovely and sunny Sunday and May was anxious as she got ready. She was actually going over to THE Ash Ketchum's house to continue working on their project. If anything else exciting happened to her today she felt like she was going to burst.

"Do I look ok...?" she asked her mother as she tried to straighten out every hair on her head so it would be perfect.

"You do. Honey relax." Caroline assured her. Despite her mother's encouragement, May still took another nervous breath as she continued checking her every feature in the mirror. Caroline sighed and looked out the window just as Ash pulled up to the house and honked his car horn, signaling that he was ready to pick May up. May jumped in surprise at the honking.

"Oh boy…" she gulped.

"May calm down. You guys are friends working on a project right?" Caroline reminded her.

"Right…" The younger woman nodded as she took one more deep breath, and then headed outside, finding Ash waiting for her in the driveway in his car. "Good morning…"

"Morning!" he greeted her with a cheerful smile. "Hop in and let's do this."

"Right…" she nodded as she timidly opened the passenger's door and climbs in. Once she buckled herself into the seatbelt, Ash smiled at her and droves off, taking the two of them back towards his house. "Thank you for picking me up…"

"No problem. I'm happy to do it." he assured her. His kindness made her smile a little and he smiled back. She had no idea that a part of him was still a bit uncomfortable around her after what had happened the day before. He was just better at hiding his emotions it seemed.

"So...how are you...?" she asked, hoping to make some conversation to pass the time.

"I'm fine for the most part...though…" his voice trailed off slightly and May took notice.

"Though what…? Is something wrong…?" she asked, silently hoping it didn't have anything to do with her. Ash wasn't in the habit of telling people he didn't know well about his personal problems, but something about May made him feel like he could tell her.

"It's just...yesterday after I got home I found out that Luna thinks that Leaf doesn't like her…" he explained.

"Oh…" May replied quietly, hoping that he didn't notice her nerves as she had already answered his question under her alias. "I-I'm sorry to hear that…"

"I just...I don't know what to do...Luna wouldn't lie about something like that but…I can't picture Leaf doing anything like that to her either…guess I'm kinda feeling like I'm in a bind…" he continued.

"I see…" May whispered as she rubbed her arm, unsure of what to say. She wanted to help, but how could she do that without quoting what she wrote to him as Paper Princess? If he read her response tomorrow and it was the same as the one she gave now, he could put two and two together and figure out who she was. Then all heck would break loose. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her mind, she then turned back towards him and spoke up. "I can't say I know Luna or Leaf very well, but I do know what it's like to feel like other people are putting you down…so if that's how Luna feels I'm sure it hurts a lot…"

"Wait, people have put you down? On purpose?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as May blushed hard, suddenly realizing she revealed far more about her past than she intended to.

"W-Well I…well i-it's nothing really…" she answered, quickly trying to brush off the topic and move on, but Ash wasn't about to just let this one slide.

"No it's not nothing." he said firmly.

"Ash-"

"Look if someone has ever been that cruel to you then they're idiots. You're a lot of fun to hang around with and I'm really glad that we've become friends. You can't let yourself be ok with people treating you like that May. You're worth so much more than that." he explained, causing a bright blush to cross her cheeks. The tone of his voice was undeniable proof of the sincerity of his comment, which only made her blush deepen.

"We-We're really…friends now…?" she asked, trying to find the right words to respond.

"Absolutely." he nodded without a hint of hesitation. May couldn't help but give a shy smile under her blush as she looked down at her lap.

"Well...thank you...I'd be honored to be your friend…" she said in a soft voice.

"Sounds great to me." Ash smiled back as he pulled into the driveway of his house. May felt the car stop and looked up, taking in the view she had up until this point, only dreamed of.

"This is where you live?" she asked. "It's lovely."

"Thanks, May." he replied as he turned off the car and climbed out. She smiled a little and followed his lead, walking with him to the front door where he used his key and opened the door for her. She knew she shouldn't be surprised by his chivalry at this point anymore, but it still put a smile on her face. She walked inside and made her way to the living room, looking around the room curiously.

"Your house is very nice." she complimented as she sat down on the couch.

"Thanks, May." he replied as he sat next to her and grabbed his bag, looking through it for his copy of the script. May smiled a little to herself as she got out her copy as well and waited for him to be ready, again deciding to try and strike up a conversation.

"So...where's your sister-"

"Hi!" Luna suddenly greeted her, bounding into the room without warning. May jumped in surprise at the sudden entrance as Luna giggled and Ash just rolled his eyes with a smile.

"I'll give you one guess." he joked, finally finding his copy of the script.

"H-Hi Luna…" May greeted her.

"Hi, May!" Luna replied with a bright smile. May couldn't help but smile a little back at her. The younger girl was like a ray of sunshine and her enthusiasm was contagious. She was definitely related to Ash. "So what are you and Ashy doing?"

"Just working on our project...we're running lines today." May explained.

"Cool!" Let me see it after you two get better!" Luna giggled.

"Yeah yeah, we'll have to practice doing it in front of an audience eventually anyway." Ash chuckled. "But until then can you give us some time to work?"

"Fine. See ya!" Luna grinned, dashing out of the room just as abruptly as she had entered it. May took the opportunity to take a deep breath to try and calm herself down. Despite the enjoyable day they had yesterday, reading aloud how in love she was with him and leading up to a big kiss was definitely not something she was eager to do. Or even practice for that matter.

"Ready?" Ash asked.

"Yeah…" May nodded before she began reading her lines. Ash read his lines back to her, trying to work in the emotions of his character as best he could. A few lines into their rehearsal, May stood up from the couch and started reading her lines toward him, trying to vary her voice with the emotions of her character. Ash followed her lead and stood up, working off her performance until finally, they each read their last line and froze, having reached the part where they need to kiss. Their eyes met uncomfortably and a blush crossed their faces before they both looked away from each other. "O-Ok…"

"Well uh…I feel like we're getting a good handle on the dialogue…" he answered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Yeah…we should uh...practice our actual acting...we can't just stand up there and read the script…" May reminded him, getting more and more nervous with each suggestion. "We have to memorize it after all…"

"Y-Yeah you're right…let's try taking it from the top…" Ash nodded, feeling a batch of nervousness himself. Both of them put their scripts down on the couch and spread out in the living room, trying to put themselves back into character. May took a deep breath to try and focus on the character, while Ash was focusing on remembering his lines. After a moment to compose herself as best she could, May started off with her first line. Ash waited for his cue and then spoke his response, trying to portray Romeo's emotions. May winced in surprise at how good he was. If she didn't know better she would've sworn he was confessing his love to her. However she did in fact know better, so she still managed to force herself to look into his eyes as she spoke her lines. Ash then spoke his final line as he looked into her eyes, taking her hands in his, meaning they had arrived back at the kiss once again. May blushed heavily as she tried to keep her body from trembling in fear. Ash blushed hard as well, but mainly because in his mind, he saw her once again in her towel. And no matter how hard he tried to banish these thoughts, the image was stuck there. For several seconds neither one of them moved a muscle, as if they were stuck in time and no one knew how to get them out of it. Finally, May broke free and quickly looked away from him.

"S-Sorry...I can't…" she whispered, physically unable to go through with the kiss. Her body just wouldn't let her lean in. Ash's face fell slightly. He knew it was uncomfortable, but they still had to do it.

"Why not...?"

"I just...I can't...I'm sorry…" she repeated, feeling a wave of anxiety quickly moving through her body. She had to get out of there and quick. "D...Do you have a bathroom...?"

"Yeah...Down the hall…" Ash answered, pointing to the correct hallway for her. May quickly ran off and closed herself into the bathroom where she broke down into tears. Ash sadly sighed to himself and that was when Luna returned to the room, having heard May bolt down the hall.

"Ashy…?" she asked carefully. "What happened…?"

"We couldn't do the kissing scene…she's too nervous…and to make things worse I still can't stop imagining her in a towel…" he grumbled. Luna looked at her brother worriedly and sat beside him on the couch.

"Well maybe…maybe you two are going about this the wrong way." she offered.

"What do you mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean you two still don't know a lot about each other. It's like trying to kiss a stranger." she explained.

"But we've become friends now. I hoped that would make it easier." he countered.

"Sure, but in reality you've only spent less than two days getting to know each other. And given how shy she is, probably one of her worst nightmares is having to kiss someone she doesn't really know." Luna added.

"I guess I didn't think about it that way…" Ash admitted. Maybe that was what was wrong with him too. After all, seeing a stranger in a towel would be enough to freak out anyone.

"So...maybe you should forget about working for a little while and just...try to be friends rather than just partners. It might make things easier for both of you in the long run." she explained.

"It's definitely worth a shot…" he replied with a nod. Luna nodded back to him as finally, May walked back out of the bathroom, having calmed down a little. Her entrance drew the siblings' attention and she nervously folded her hands together.

"I'm so sorry for running off Ash…" she said, knowing that she could've handled it better.

"It's alright...and I'll tell you what. Let's forget about doing the project for right now." he announced, standing up from the couch.

"What...?"

"We need a break. Let's hang out and do something fun." he announced, causing May's eyes to widen in shock.

"H-Hang out...? You...and me...?" she stammered. Ash nodded and her blush only got deeper. "I-I don't know…"

"Come on May. It's what friends do for each other. And as a bonus, if we know each other better, we'll be able to work better together." he explained, flashing her a warm smile. "Please trust me?"

"W-Well...maybe…" she admitted as she rubbed her arm and tried to think. Eventually, seeing no alternative for getting past this, she conceded. "O-Ok…"

"Great!" he grinned, which earned him a nervous smile from her in response.

"So...what do we do...?" she asked.

"Well, how about you pick this time? Where do like to go when you have some free time?" he wondered.

"Well, I...I like going to the park. It's always peaceful there…" she commented.

"Sounds perfect. Let's go. Luna, we'll be back in a bit." he announced. Suddenly, he then grabbed May's hand and led her out the door. May blushed heavily and follows him, suddenly nervous once again.


After a brisk walk together, Ash and May soon arrived at the city park. It was a peaceful place with a few basketball and tennis courts, a well-maintained playground, and plenty of open spaces and paths to walk between them. May often came here to be alone with her thoughts when she needed a change of scenery. The only other person she'd ever come with was Dawn. So as one would expect, being here with Ash was a big change for her. She gulped nervously, but Ash smiled gently at her and she couldn't help but give a nervous smile in return.

"So what do you typically do here?" he asked her.

"Walking mostly...it's really peaceful...and I guess someone like me finds comfort in that…" she admitted.

"That's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. We can go for a walk if you want to." he insisted.

"Ok…" she replied as she blushed softly under his gaze. They found the starting point of the walking trail and soon enough were on their way down the winding walking path, enjoying each other's company and the nice weather. "So…do you ever come to the park to relax?"

"Yeah sometimes." he answered with a small smile. "When Luna and I used to come to the park more often, we usually go to the swings near the playground."

"That sounds nice…" she commented with a small smile of her own.

"It was the best. I always pushed her so she could swing higher." he chuckled.

"That's really sweet of you…" May replied. Ash nodded with a small laugh, but then his thoughts drifted slightly. When was the last time he and Luna had just gone out to have fun like that again? He honestly couldn't remember. In fact, the last time he could remember doing that, was before he met Leaf.

"Wow...I guess we haven't done it since before I met Leaf...gosh I didn't even realize it's been so long…" Ash realized and suddenly felt a bit guilty. Was Luna right about him and Leaf after all?

"Oh...? I'm sorry to hear that...I guess you can get pretty busy…" May commented, feigning as though she didn't make the connection Ash had just made.

"Gosh, maybe I…maybe I really have been getting carried away…" he said, glancing down at the ground as he tried to think things through.

"...You don't know that for sure...maybe...maybe that's just a misunderstanding…" May tried to encourage him as best she could.

"Maybe...and I do trust my sister but...could I really be that blind…?" he asked, looking at May for a genuine answer. May blushed heavily under his gaze, trying to quickly think of something to say that would help. She knew she could give Luna her support and possibly make Ash single for the first time in years, but what kind of person would do that? Let alone someone that now considered her a friend. No. She couldn't stoop to that level.

"Well...I guess all I can say is just don't rush things...there are two sides to every story…" she reminded him gently, though it pained her greatly to do it. "You should give Leaf a chance to explain her side of the story too...after all, she is your girlfriend…"

"I guess that makes sense…thanks May." he answered, giving her a small smile and then wrapping her up in a hug. May looked at him in surprise and blushed heavily as he looked into her eyes, noticing for the first time how deep and blue they were. The two of them stood in the embrace for several moments before Ash broke eye contact, reminding himself that he didn't want to be weird around her. "Well, how about we go to the swings? Lighten the mood?"

"Sure...that sounds fun." she nodded. He nodded back to her and then walked her to the swings at the edge of the playground. He gestured to the nearest swing, inviting her to sit down, so she did just that. Ash smiled a little and moved behind her, pulling back on the chains of her swing and earning a confused look from May. "What are you-"

"Hold on tight." he instructed her as he then ran forward, pushing her high into the air with an underdog push. She gasped in surprise and hung on tight as the swing rocked her back and forth. Ash laughed softly as he got back behind her, starting a gentler rhythm of pushing her each time she came back. May blushed deeper and deeper each time his hand touched her back, feeling like she was in a dream more than she was in reality. Ash's gentle rhythm made her happy and she couldn't help but laugh a little as the wind rushed by her face with each pass. There was a look of joy on her face, similar to the one Ash noticed the day before. He blushed a little as he watched, surprised by just how much of a different person she seemed to be when she was happy and unburdened by her own shy nature. It was almost…intoxicating.

"Heh heh…alright, I think I'm good for now." she chuckled, snapping Ash out of his thoughts.

"Oh right. I'm on it." he replied, grabbing the chain of her swing and her waist as he carefully slowed her down. May blushed harder than ever as his hands grazed her waist, and Ash couldn't help but blush as well. "There we go…"

"That was...that was fun." she stammered, blushing as she slipped out of the swing's seat.

"It sure was. How about we try a different one?" he offered.

"Well…" she stalled, looking around the playground until she spotted the merry-go-round. "What about that?"

"Great idea! That was always one of my favorites!" Ash cheered, surprising May with his burst of enthusiasm.

"Heh. Then I guess we have to do it." she replied with a light giggle. The two teenagers made their way to the spinning wheel and they sat together on the edge, dangling their legs over the side so they could push together.

"On three?" he asked. With a nod in response, Ash started his countdown. "Three…two…one…go!" both of them dug their legs into the ground and pushed, sending the merry-go-round into a fast spin. The spin was fast so both of them had to hang on tight, but they were laughing all the while. Eventually, the contraption started to slow down, letting the two of them start to really experience just how dizzy they had become. May was the first to try and move from her spot, but it didn't go well.

"Eek!" she yelped as she tried to take a step, but ended up stumbling off the merry-go-round instead.

"Whoa!" Ash gasped as he barely managed to catch her by the waist before she landed on the ground. Both of their faces turned bright red with blushes as their eyes met and they both struggled to piece together a sentence.

"I-I…"

"U-Uh...are you ok…?"

"Yes…Th-Thank you…"

"You're welcome…" Each of them knew that was the best they were going to get out of this awkward situation, Ash helped her to her feet while May steadied herself against him as she stood back up. All this of course did nothing to fade their blushes away.

"I-I'm sorry about that…" she said nervously.

"It's alright really…" he assured her, putting on the best non-nervous smile he could muster.

"Thank you for the save…" she continued.

"You're welcome May." he replied. The two shared a small smile and Ash cleared his throat slightly. "Well uh…shall we continue on?"

"I'd like that…"


A few hours later, Ash and May had migrated from spending time in the park to an ice cream shop not far from Ash's house. May was enjoying a strawberry cone while Ash was scarfing down a double fudge cone.

"You really didn't have to buy mine…" May commented as she delicately licked the soft ice cream.

"May for the last time it's no big deal." he replied before chomping down on his cone, having already gone through most of his scoop.

"Well…thank you anyway…" she replied as she blushed softly.

"My pleasure." he smiled. She smiled a little back at him as a comfortable silence passed over them. As she thought to herself, a question came up in May's mind that she genuinely wanted to know the answer to.

"Ash can I...ask you something?" she wondered.

"Sure thing. What's up?" he questioned her.

"...How did you and Leaf get together...?" she asked nervously.

"Oh. Well, it was after one of my games during freshman year." he explained, diving into his story. "After the game was over, she asked me to go somewhere with her so we could talk alone."

"Wow…sounds pretty bold…" May commented.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. All she said that night was that she liked me and she wanted me to be her boyfriend. Then she kissed me straight up." he continued.

"Wow…" May whispered. She felt like she could only dream about being that confident in herself.

"Heh. That was exactly what I said. It was the first time I ever kissed a girl and we've been going out ever since." he finished, popping the last of his cone into his mouth as well.

"So you felt something for her...in that kiss...?" she asked timidly.

"What do you mean?" he wondered, tilting his head.

"I mean…that's what they always say right? If it's with the right person then you'll feel it in the kiss…" she clarified, suddenly hoping he didn't think she was stupid for believing in "the power of love" or something stupid like that.

"Well, I...I don't know about "feeling" anything in the kiss…it was just more this strong intensity that I really liked and wanted more of…" he answered, scratching behind his head awkwardly.

"Oh...I'm sorry...I shouldn't even be asking this…" she said, avoiding his gaze as she took her first bite of her cone.

"Don't be." he said, waving off her concern. "It's no big deal."

"I guess I…I just wish I knew what that felt like…" she sighed, catching Ash's attention.

"You've never kissed anyone before...?" he asked.

"No…" she admitted, clearly embarrassed. Her openness seemed to resonate with Ash. No wonder she was so nervous to kiss him for the play. It would be her first-ever kiss. For someone like her, that really was like a nightmare.

"May…I'm sorry you haven't experienced that kind of thing with someone…but mark my words. You're an amazing person, and someday some guy is going to find that out and be so lucky to have you in his life." he assured her, taking her hand. May blushed bright red, stunned to hear him say these things about her. The only way it could've been better was if he had told her he could be that person. But she knew she'd never be that lucky.

"Y-Yeah...maybe someday…" she stammered.

"That's the spirit." he smiled softly. She blushed a little bit more and gave him a small smile in return.

"Well…the sun's starting to set...I should probably get home." she commented as she finished her cone.

"Good idea." he nodded, getting up from the bench they were sitting on. "I'll take you back home."

"Thank you…" she replied, following his lead.


Within a few minutes, the two had walked back to Ash's house, gathered their things, and driven off in his car, heading back towards May's house. May watched the scenery pass by her window quietly, just enjoying the comfortable silence as Ash focused on the road, also comfortable with the silence. Soon enough he pulled into her driveway and turned the car off, finally drawing May's attention back to him.

"Thank you, Ash...for everything…" she said, blushing shyly.

"You're welcome May. Thanks for such a great day." he replied, flashing her a genuine smile, which she was happy to return.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to rehearse much." she said, realizing that aside from earlier in the morning, they hadn't actually spent much time focusing on their project.

"It's alright. We still got till Thursday to get it all done." he assured her.

"Maybe…we can try again some other night this week?" she offered, surprising even herself with her forwardness.

"Sure thing. I'll text you and we'll work something out." he nodded. May smiled a little and then climbed out of the car.

"Ok…I'll see you tomorrow at school then." she replied.

"See you then." he smiled. With that, May headed inside where she quietly closed the door and peeked out the window behind the curtains, watching him pull out of her driveway and speed away. She took a deep breath and smiled a little to herself. Somehow that day had gone even better than the one before. She had so much fun, and she felt like he had too. Maybe they really were becoming real friends after all.

To be Continued...