Ash was just about to unlock the door of his apartment when it suddenly opened from inside. He got startled.

"Hi Ash!"

Ash's eyes opened wide. He slowly got inside, watching the girl in front of him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Serena." Serena was petite. She had deep blue eyes and wavy caramel colored hair. Ash presumed she was in her early twenties. She was pretty but something felt not right about her.

"What are you doing in my house, Serena?" He asked, a little sarcastic.

"Your mom let me in before she leaves!"

"Right..." Ash nodded to himself. His mom was serious after all; if she left a woman in his house (since she wants to be the only woman in Ash's life), it means she was pretty serious about the marriage happening.

She gestured to the kitchen. "Do you want-"

"No, I don't want anything." He cut her off, his voice stern.

Serena could feel the anger in Ash's voice. After a silence moment, she said, "Okay." She slowly took a seat on the couch. "I'm sorry if-"

"Just don't talk, okay? I don't want to hear anything." Ash made his way quickly to his bedroom.

He stopped at the door and turned around when he heard Serena's light sobs.

Oh, come on...

He walked back to the living room and put his hand cautiously on Serena's back. "Uhm, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Serena wiped off her tears silently. "It's okay."

"It's just-mom told me nothing about this and I think it's rushed-I'm really used to living alone-I didn't know you'd be coming already."

Serena put her hands on her lap. "Are you going to send me back to the town?"

Ash sighed heavily. "How old are you, Serena?"

"Twenty-one."

Ash gulped. He took a seat beside the girl. They had fourteen years of age difference... "Do you want to go to college?" He pointed at himself. "I've been to college."

"No, it's fine, I don't want to."

"I'm thirty-five." He spelled his words slowly.

"I know." She nodded.

"Don't you think I'm... too old for you? A little?" He tried.

"It's fine by me. Guys my age are all still immature anyway." Serena smiled slightly.

"There is a university in Gol-"

"I don't want to study; I want to get married."

Ash licked his lips. He got up. "Okay." He looked at her. "You can sleep in the guest room." He was too tired to think about a solution to this problem.

"Thank you, Ash."

He flashed her a fake smile and headed back to his bedroom. It didn't take him time to put on his shirt and shorts and leave the apartment under Serena's puzzled looks.

Ash cracked the can of beer open and took a big sip. He was sitting alone at the bench outside of the store. He glanced at his wristwatch. It was ten.

How am I supposed to get back to that apartment... Ash sighed heavily. He was thinking seriously of sleeping at his office. He couldn't share his house with a total stranger. Other men would certainly love to spend the night with Serena but ... not Ash.

"Oh, hi."

Ash turned around. It was Misty, carrying a bag of groceries.

"Uhm, hi."

"What are you doing outside at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"You already have the answer." Misty put her bag on the bench table and took a seat facing Ash. "You look spaced out."

Ash chuckled.

"What?"

"You usually don't care if I look spaced out or not." He spoke after he took a sip of his beer. "What's happening to you, Williams?"

Misty sounded serious. "We may not agree on things when it comes to work but we can still check on each other. We're not in middle school."

"Sure, we're not in middle school." He stared at his can of beer.

"Is it the beer that's making you sarcastic?"

"It's just..." He looked at her. "Hearing it from you..."

"Hum?"

"It sounds weird and wrong at the same time."

She laughed a little and said, "Just because we have differences at work doesn't mean I'd want you to disappear in a hole, Ash."

He laughed a bit too. "Right."

"Not that I'd not enjoy the sight..." She grinned.

"I know you would. You'd throw the ropes to me instead of hanging them."

The two laughed a bit.

"So, are you alright?"

"Just..." Ash dropped his gaze to the can of beer. "Family issues."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Ash stared at Misty for a moment. Under the small bulb that was keeping the bench lighted, he could see her face without the usual make-up. Misty didn't put on a lot of make-up.  Anyone could see the slight freckles on the bridge of her nose and under her eyes. Her lips were naturally pink. Her only usual make-up was the mascara, to make her light orange eyelashes more prominent. 

The color of her hair was very special. It was a beautiful color. She didn't need to dye her hair to get a lovely color. Sometimes, she French-braided it; sometimes she let it down to her chest, and sometimes she curled the ends.

Her chest was freckled too. He could see the freckles on the center of her chest and the top of her cleavage because she was wearing a round-collar sleeveless shirt. Ash watched her chest. At every breath, this round part of her anatomy goes up and down, just like a wave. It makes Ash think of a vast ocean softly hit by rain; Ash, a solo sailor standing on the bridge; Misty is the sea. The sky is gray and the horizon before them merges with the sea. It becomes hard to tell between them from one another, hard to tell where the sailor is, and hard to tell fantasies from reali-

"I-it's fine. Thank you but it's not big deal." Ash cleared his throat, shifting a bit on his spot. "Thanks, Misty."

"Alright, Mr. Ketchum." Misty got up and picked up her bag. "I'll let you finish that beer in peace. Don't get drunk, though. Okay?"

"This is weird." He chuckled.

She chuckled as well and started walking away from the bench, making her way to her car.

Ash watched Misty's moves. He watched the fabric of her short leggings stick to her pale skin-

"What the hell?" He picked up his beer and finished it all at once. He slammed the empty can against the table and sighed. "What is this bullshit in my head? It must've been the beer..."

Ash grabbed another beer and opened it quickly.

"Ocean..."

He groaned and slapped his forehead.

"What the hell was that?!"