"Alright, Paul, you don't have to be scared to tell me how you're feeling about Drew's little stunt tonight. I want to hear your thoughts about this." May sat on the bed next to Paul's, eyeing him with a gaze that could practically bore though anyone's skull.

  They ended up sharing a room together, in the end. Drew and Dawn were sharing one, too. It took convincing from Drew to not just pair the girls and the guys together, but they finally came to their decisions and agreed.

  "If you wanted me to be honest, I guess I felt... unsettled." The words slipped Paul's mouth before he even realized. This was not like him at all, to talk out his feelings with another human being, most especially a girl.

  "I guess that's how I felt, too. You see, ever since I met Drew, he's given me red roses, claiming they are "for my Beautifly". He's never done this with anyone else but me, and I guess what I saw tonight just startled me," May admitted to him, still searching for why she felt that way. It eventually dawned on her why, "I guess the reason that startled me is because, because...," She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out through her nose, "it's because I like Drew. I just do. Whether he feels the same, I don't know." She finally confessed. Paul snorted at her last sentence.

  "You don't know whether he feels the same? Give me a break. You said he's been giving you red roses ever since you met? Red roses mean love. He loves you, May, not Dawn. There is no reason you should be sweating bullets over this. Him giving Dawn that rose was just him trying to get a reaction out of you, I'm sure of it," He took a small pause and stood up, "Either way, I just don't like the thought of those two together. It just doesn't seem right. I don't think Dawn should be with someone like him." He walked to the open window, resting his arms on the sill and looking across the city streets.

  "We need to come up with a plan to get things back to normal, to clear the air, even if that means the two of us teaming up despite our differences. We do it tonight. We just need a plan." May looked at her lap, where her hands currently sat. The rose from tonight was in her grasp. She softly ran her fingers over a petal, the fragile object breaking loose and fluttering to the ground.

  "A plan, huh?" Paul looked down, walking back to his bed and sitting adjacent to May. She looked up and met his gaze.

  "Well, I've got us the perfect plan right now." His lips curved up into a small smirk.

* * * * *

  The only sound breaking the silence of the halls was the clanking of May's orange shoes against the hard carpeted floor. She found the room number she needed. 216. She knocked softly, her nerves sky rocketing. She breathed in deeply through her mouth, slowly exhaling through her nose in an attempt to calm herself. 'Just go with the plan. Be straightforward. Just go with the pla--'

  "May, what are you doing here?" Drew's voice snapped her from her thoughts. He was in blue pajama shorts and a white t-shirt, obviously getting ready for bed. Faint humming could be heard from the bathroom, where Dawn was currently brushing her teeth.

  "Can we talk? Like, somewhere that isn't here?" She asked awkwardly. Drew nodded.

  "Yeah, just give me a minute." He closed the door. After a while, she was about to head back to the room, thinking he had ditched her, when he opened the door fully dressed in his daily outfit.

  "C'mon, we can go to the park." He motioned for her to follow him. When she passed her and Paul's room, she quietly stopped and made a pattern of soft, quiet knocks with her knuckles against the door. That was Paul's signal to talk to Dawn. She sped back up to her spot right behind Drew as they meandered down the stairs. She heard Paul exit their room and head the opposite direction of her and Drew.

  Was May nervous? Heck yeah, no doubt. She hadn't felt this way since her first contest. She was on the verge of a full blown panic attack right then and there. She tried to not let it show, but it was messing her up on the inside.

* * * * *

  Paul showed no emotion as he walked to Drew and Dawn's room. He didn't get what May was so nervous about. After all, what she had in mind to tell Drew was nothing that should put her outside her comfort zone. Paul didn't even help her come up with her words; she did herself.

  When Paul reached the correct room, he knocked on the door, greeted by Dawn saying that she would be there in a second. She opened the door swiftly, only to be surprised to see Paul there. Nevertheless, she politely invited him in. She ran back to her bed, while Paul only walked a small distance into the room.

  "Troublesome, May was just curious about how you felt after what Drew did tonight. You know, the whole thing with the rose?" He lied slightly. He was also curious. If he wasn't, why would he be here in the first place?

  "I thought it was a sweet gesture, but why give May a rose also? And that whole part about it being for our pokémon, what was up with that?" At that point, she wasn't even asking Paul, just herself. Why did he do that?

  "May told me that Drew has been giving her roses ever since they met. More specifically, for her "Beautifly", as he tells her. That's the biggest trick in the book. Seriously, what kind of idiot falls for that?"

  "I think why he gave you a rose, too, was to get a reaction out of May. That's where they are. They left to go talk it out somewhere."

  "Why is she so dense? I'm sure he likes her, yet she can't see it." Dawn sighed.

  "I'm not sticking my nose up in other people's love lives, so I'm not staying here and gossiping with you anymore. I've already talked more today than I do in a normal week, especially more than I ever have on the subject of feelings in my whole life. I'll possibly see you around, who knows. Later." He quickly walked to the door. Just as his hand grasped the handle, an hand grabbed his wrist.

  "Please, don't go just yet. Stay."

* * * * *

  May and Drew had found a secluded place outside the city. The moonlight glistened on the waters on the small pond, and leaves from the trees rustled in the wind. Even though the flowers in the area had closed their blossoms, they still let out a soothing fragrance. Night flowers had already opened, and luminescent mushrooms illuminated the spots under the trees, emitting a soft orange light.

  May was shaking badly. Why was she so scared? Even she had no idea. It was just Drew. She had nothing to be scared about. She did what she had done for the past thirty minutes once again; she breathed in and out in an attempt to calm her nerves. Somehow, though, it only made the anxieties bubbling inside her worsen.

  "May, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Drew broke the silence. May's head shot up, fear rising. She breathed in the crisp air and spoke.

  "It's about what happened tonight, on the way to the Pokémon Center. It's just... I was slightly surprised to see you giving someone else a rose at the same time as me. I know I shouldn't be unsettled by that, but I just... I'm sorry, this was a stupid idea." May was on the verge of tears as she abruptly stood up and tried to walk away. Drew gently grabbed her arm before she could.

  "Don't feel like you're invading or wasting my time. You're not. You can tell me anything, but if you don't want to, don't feel like I'm forcing you." His words caused May to relax slightly and turn to face him again. She didn't dare lift her face to where Drew could see her watery eyes, but it was too late. A single tear rolled down her face, and the moonlight made it glisten. At the sight, Drew's eyes softened and guilt washed over him. He shouldn't have acted on his jealousy. He should've kept it to himself.

  "I'm sorry, I don't know why I even feel this way," She let out a hollow chuckle and wiped her eyes, "I'm just completely freaked out right now. I guess part of me just was startled to see you do that. Paul said that you were trying to get a reaction out of me. Is that true, Drew? Is that why?" She looked up at him, tears still brimming at her eyelids.

  "I'm sorry that messed you up emotionally, May. I wasn't thinking right. Truth is, I saw you traveling with Paul. I didn't trust him. Something about the air surrounding him was not right. He didn't see trustworthy. I was scared for your safety with him. I was worried that either you liked him or he liked you in a more-than-friends way, and even though it's up to you who you like and not up to me, I was worried that he would hurt you, physically or emotionally. In the end, though, I was the one to hurt you. I gave Dawn a rose to see if I could get a reaction out of you, Paul was right there. Look, I'm really sorry that messed you up inside. I acted on my jealousy at an inappropriate time for an incredibly childish reason. I'm deeply sorry, May. I hope I can make up to you for it." He put his head down as he held out a new rose. May was stunned by this new side of Drew. She could tell he was being sincere. They had both never seen this side of each other before. Drew had never seen May cry, nor be be as emotional as she had previously been minutes before, and May had never seen Drew in an state of guilt like he was right now. It was all new to them both.

  "Hey, don't keep your head down. Look here." May said softly. Drew lifted his face to where it was no longer shadowed. His frown turned into a soft smile as May gently took the rose from his hand and looked him in the eyes.

  "You know that you don't have to be worried like you were. There was nothing to be worried about. I'm here, I'm still all in one piece, and I don't like Paul and I'm pretty sure he despises being in my presence," She softly giggled, "There's nothing to get worked up about." She shot him a smile. He smiled back.

  "I better get back. I've got training to do tomorrow for the contest in a few days, and I'm sure you do, too. See you later." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and left the forest, leaving Drew to stand there in shock. He shook it off and replaced his shock with a grin. Maybe he wasn't so hopeless after all.

~*~ F I N ~*~

A/N

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this three-shot/short story or whatever you want to call it. This is my first Pokémon fanfiction, so as I think all fanfic authors have said at some point, this is of course not the best writing, but I tried. Paul and Drew were maybe a little OOC (especially Paul), but I needed them to be for the plot. So I hope you enjoyed, constructive criticism is always welcome, and have a great day! Bye!

-Mattie

Book published: 9/4/16
Book completed: 9/8/16
First edit: 12/25/17
Second edit: 5/7/18