85.
chapter eighty-five:
I'm down bad,
crazy and fallen
for her.
<3

"I'm supposed to be the man here—"

"Just add the 'W-O' before, and I become one too. So why don't you shut it and just sit down?" For some reason, her tone, plus her posture, gave me shivers. So, I obliged and sat down in the chair she had pulled. Looking to her to sit beside me, I gave her the best adorable eyes I could muster then. It might as well be emo, what with the dark circles. She crossed her arms across her chest and quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Sit beside me, please?"

Serena's gaze softened, but she shook her head. "I just need to use the washrooms," she whispered, ruffling my hair. I smiled at the touch, feeling the warmth of her fingertips. "I'll be back."

While she was gone, I took a good look at my surroundings. The Jazz Café, a place I used to visit often before everything went south, was renovated with new and lavish interiors, painted walls, graffiti for aesthetics, and a brand-new Italian menu.

My mind reeled back to how I was going to face the man I called my father. Serena's words had been reassuring, sure, but it took a lot to look at Gary after his redemption. How long would it take to meet the real traitor's gaze?

I didn't notice Serena returning in a rush. She took a seat right in front of me, much to my dismay. "This is much better." My face fell, and she added, "Not that I don't wish to sit by you, but isn't this actually better?" Goosebumps raced up from my calves where hers caressed gently.

A smile broke out before I could make-pretend annoyance. "Fine."

Serena giggled, but something seemed off, as if she was scared of something. She leaned forward spontaneously. "Hey, do you know those people to your right? Don't look immediately!" she sussurated. "They've been staring at us ever since we arrived."

Following her words, my eyes slid to my right cautiously. There was a group of teenagers, probably around the same age as us, sitting around a table with drinks and food. One of them caught my eye, and I quickly averted my gaze, my heart thumping hard against its enclosure. Oh, my Arceus!

My mind screamed, Get away with Serena, but my feet stayed rooted as the brunette approached us with an exaggerated gait. "My, look what we have here, AJ. It's Ash!"

"Excuse me?" Serena's voice came; my eyes stayed glued to my sneakers, each particle of the sand suddenly interesting to inspect.

"We ain't talking to you, girlie girl."

A chord snapped at the joke at Serena's expense, and I turned sharply to those stormy gray eyes that had once been filled with deceit; nothing much had changed, I noted.

"You've no right to talk to her that way, Melody," I gritted through my teeth, fists clenching at the sides the minute AJ, her second-in-command, sloped down beside my girl. Macey followed his lead and took the empty one by me.

"Oh, come on, Ash." The girl pretended to be dizzy, brushing against my shoulder. I flinched when she muttered in my ear, "You can't forget your first love's name, can you? It's a memorable one—Macey."

I tersely looked at Serena. She was chewing her lip, sweating profusely at the sight of Macey. Nothing scares you anymore. "Pardon? I remember all too well the name of my first love, and it does not start with an 'M'. You must be mistaken."

Macey frowned, but the hint of mischief did not vanish from her eyes. "Is that so? Should I show how I felt for my first love? Especially now that he has nothing lacking. Good looks, probably a graduation from college underway, and his father."

The chair screeched as it was pushed back. I was looking down on the girl with looks that I hoped could kill. However, she remained nonchalant. With a silent voice, I threatened, "You must be utterly delusional if you think I even remember you as my first love when I don't even remember your name."

"Ash," Serena began and stood up as well. "Why are ye talking to this old geezer?" I smiled at her when she switched to her thick Kalosian accent. "I say we pick another table and leave them this one. An empty table is all they deserve, right?"

"You are right—!" I started but was cut off by Macey's embarrassed shriek.

"The nerve! AJ, let's go!" This time, the chair toppled over as she burst out of the café, her sidekick hot on her tail, whining about his unattended meal. With identical smirks, I righted the chair, and we resumed our seats.

Our orders came in right after the commotion, and gossip erupted all over, but I couldn't bother less. As much as Serena was smiling at me, I could feel her shifting in her seat and glancing back at the door over her shoulder as if someone terrifying might just enter the café.

"M'lady, you okay?" I voiced when she didn't touch her food for a long time. "Your food's growing cold. You like cheesy wraps, don't you? Or don't you like the Kantonian styles?"

Serena's face fell, and her lip trembled. The next thing I knew, I was being pulled across the table by my collars. Her warm mouth collided against mine, the taste of the tomato soup still tangy on my senses. It was a short kiss but passionate nevertheless. A moment later, I was released, and I noted a faint blush etched across her cheeks.

Amusement tugged at my lips. "What was that for?"

Serena turned even redder and buried her face in her hands. "Nothing," came her muffled voice.

I brushed the lower half of my leg against hers under the table, and she finally met my eyes. Stars of insecurity lined the irises of her cerulean eyes. My guard shot up as a list of possible scenarios graced my mind.

"Hey, did anything happen in the refreshment rooms?"

Serena started playing with her hair, hesitant. After a long pause, she whispered, "I met Macey and Melody. They said... that I should probably let you go because you're a real tough, ragged guy who will never see a girlie girl like me. That's why... I wanted to know if you'd... k-kiss me back."

Anger boiled my blood. "What, and you believed them? Serena, I might be ragged, but according to physics, opposites attract, right? A bad boy needs a gentle angel. An angel with a shotgun, L-O-L, and that's you. I let myself be chosen by you, girl."

The honey blonde looked at me with wide eyes, then blushed. "You're no ordinary bad boy," she mumbled shyly. "You're a bad, bad boy, Ash, and I'm all in for you."

A toothy grin spread across my face. Before I could realize it, I blurted out what had been gnawing at my insides every time I heard her voice or saw her blush at something I did. "Serena, this is it." Puzzlement spread across her face, but I continued. Nothing scares you anymore, remember?

"Huh?"

"Girl, I'm down bad, fallen, and crazy in love with you."

A heavy thud of my heart later, she responded as softly as the wind rustling a leaf. However, it was dripping acid with sarcasm, both her tone and her expression. "What a surprise." She clasped her hands together, as if in prayer, and spontaneously shrieked, drawing attention to us.

Had I been too quick?

"Hey, I'm sorry—"

"No, shut up!" When she looked up, my stomach dropped to my feet. Tears rimmed her beautiful eyes, and her breath came out ragged. "You're having real character development! Don't ruin it with an apology!"

My mind went blank, as if asked to remember the quadratic equation after being out of touch with math. "Huh?"

"I love you, you daft!" Serena squealed, the wrap in her hand squeezed to throw drops of cheese everywhere. My mind reeled, dizzying all coherent thoughts until she confirmed. "That's what I meant!"