May pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders in a futile attempt to ward off the chill in the room. She cursed her luck once more as she sneezed into her arm. Her conversation with Drew over the phone went about as well as she had expected it to. He started by teasing her before scolding her for being careless and then asked if she was okay. After he made sure she was not going to die they discussed the contest and, along with it, her withdrawal. She had protested as much as she could manage, but in the end, she knew he was right. It wasn't fair though. This was her chance to prove to Wallace she was ready for an exhibition performance and she blew it. Drew knew how much this had meant to her and tried to reassure her that there would be other opportunities. She knew he was right again, but the feeling of failure was firmly rooted in her heart. That is how she found herself now. Watching the contest on TV with Solidad and Drew texting her, promising to come over after the contest with food and a movie. Something about not wanting her alone when she's sick and heartbroken on her birthday. They didn't need to bring that up too. Sure, she planned to confess her feelings to Wallace after she won today's contest, but now she wasn't even competing. Her phone went quiet as her two friends began preparing for their turns on the stage. This left May to her thoughts. Wallace had done the exhibition performance without her and it was flawless. He didn't need her to make him or his Pokemon shine. In fact, she was sure that he had practiced that. He had to for it to look as good as it did. That meant he was ready to perform without her. The roaring of the crowd drew her attention back to the TV. Drew and Roselia were up and Roselia was dancing around the stage beautifully.
May opened her eyes to the sound of knocking at her door. She wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep, but she was positive that she hadn't meant to. She crawled out of bed and stumbled over to the door. It was probably Drew and Solidad. Not caring what she looked like, May opened the door. Her eyes widened when she was greeted by Wallace standing there.
"Hey." Wallace smiled sympathetically.
"H-hi.." May stuttered. She could feel the heat in her cheeks at the realization of the situation. She was a total mess and Wallace was standing in front of her. That was her luck for sure.
"Are you going to make me stand out here all day?" Wallace teased lightly as he held up a shopping bag from the Pokemart down the street.
"I-I mean…If you really want to then sure…" May mumbled as she stepped aside, looking at the floor and allowing her long hair to hide her face. As Wallace strode into the room she added "Are you sure you should be here? What if you get sick too?"
"Don't worry about that." Wallace chuckled "Who do you think drags Winona out of her gym when she's sick? Steven too. They are hopeless workaholics."
"Yeah, but…" May started to protest but the words caught in her throat as she looked up to find Wallace sitting on her bed.
"Don't worry so much," Wallace reassured the younger coordinator as he patted the bed next to him. "Besides, you look exhausted."
"I'm fine. It's just a cold." May's words were reinforced by another coughing fit. She felt horrible for it just being a cold, but she was certain that was what she had.
"Your hair is a bit tangled." Wallace remarked as he pulled May's hair behind her neck "Let me put that up for you." He reached over and took her hairbrush from the nightstand.
May could only sit there in stunned silence. Her mind was racing and she was certain Wallace could hear the pounding of her heart. She certainly could. She felt Wallace's fingers tug at the tangles as he ran through her hair. He worked the tangles out the best he could before he started gently running the brush through her hair. She wanted to tell him that she was capable of doing that herself. That she didn't need help. She felt the words heavily on her tongue. All she had to do was say it. It wasn't hard. She opened her mouth as Wallace started to gather her hair and tie it up. She closed it after a quiet "Thank you." The truth is she liked this. Wallace was giving her attention. It was what she wanted. She couldn't bring herself to ruin this moment. She felt her stomach drop as Wallace's breath tickled her neck.
"I missed you today."
May's mind was screaming now. He was so close. He had said he missed her. There was no way this was real. This couldn't be.
"Milotic and I had to improvise," Wallace murmured as he pulled May's hair to the side.
"I...I'm sorry." May squeaked as she felt Wallace's lips brush against her neck. What was happening? "Um...Wallace..."
"Yes, my little princess?"
"Well...I...it's just..." May stuttered. She wasn't able to think as Wallace's lips brushed against her neck again teasingly. Something in her voice must have alerted Wallace to her hesitation because after that he pulled away and cupped her warm cheek in his hand. There was a knock at the door. She had completely forgotten about Drew and Solidad. She turned back to Wallace, but he was gone.
May opened her eyes groggily as the knocking continued to cut through the fog of sleep. She sat up and reached up to feel her hair. It was a tangled mess still. It had been a dream. She climbed off the bed and stumbled over to the door, her body feeling unusually stiff, and cracked it open. Solidad greeted her cheerfully with Drew standing behind her. She smiled back the best she could but she couldn't help the pang of disappointment in her heart.