Misty was in her dark blue swimsuit walking around the pool, checking if the pool was fully clean and if any swimming material was left floating. Her class was over and the girls were already in the changing rooms.

"Misty!"

She turned around when she heard her name. Leaf was standing at the glassy door, holding the hand of her four years old son. "Hey!"

"Hey Lee." Misty walked toward her and gave her a quick hug. She bent down to the boy's level. "Hello Miles! You grew up from last time I saw you!"

"Hello Miss Misty."

"Isn't he cute?" Misty giggled and stood up.

"So far." Leaf looked down at her son. She started following Misty inside. "How's work?"

"Pretty good." Misty and Leaf sat on the waiting chairs. Miles sat beside her, busy messing with Leaf's phone. "Have you found a job yet?"

"I stopped looking."

"Why?"

Leaf cocked her head left and right. She pointed to her abdomen.

"No way!" Misty gasped. She grabbed Leaf's hands. "That's so great! Congratulations!"

"Not sure if it's so great." Leaf chuckled. She turned to look at her son. "Since I'll get busier as months go by, I was wondering if you could teach this boy how to swim. I thought I'd check with you first before signing him up."

"Of course! Just make sure you write down my name on the application. They might put him with Danny if you leave that blank."

"Oh, Danny?" Leaf smirked.

Misty didn't catch the hint. "They automatically give him the boys, but I'm going to arrange Miles's lessons after the girls' class as a private session."

"No, I meant, Danny?"

"Yes, Danny."

"Danny, who asked you out before?"

"Yes, that Danny."

Leaf leaned back on her chair. "You should date him."

"We've had this conversation before." He was her colleague and she didn't really like him.

"I saw him on my way here." Leaf sighed heavily. "He's so gorgeous."

"I thought you were engaged."

"Doesn't mean I have to close my eyes every time I walk past a handsome muscular young man! Do you think Gary closes his eyes when he walks past women? All the girls he works with are in the no-bra movement!"

Misty bent her knee and put her arm on it. "Gary never closes his eyes."

"Daddy is so cool." Miles spoke while playing on Leaf's phone.

"Sure he is, sweetie." Leaf chuckled. She turned to look at the redhead. "And you need to use those eyes too, Misty."

Misty didn't respond. She kept staring blankly in front of her.

"I mean, look around you!" Leaf checked what her son was doing with her phone. He was Gary's son, after all.

"Lucy said..." Misty began.

"Hum?"

"Uh, a friend of mine said..." Misty looked at Leaf. "That... Ash might still want to be with me."

"I thought you were over him."

"Yes, yes, but, what if he wants to?" What if that time he asked her out was real? What if he wasn't joking around?

"But, you are over him." Leaf said. "How can you be with someone you don't want anymore?"

"I guess you can't."

"And Ash..." Leaf puffed her cheeks. She breathed out and said, "I don't knoooooow – he's like Gary. I mean, they're very alike. They live in their own world of anime girls and video games." Leaf looked at Misty. "I can't count the times Gary and I were getting all over each other and he'd jump out of the bed and go get his pad or his notebook because he just got an idea for something and he needed to draw it before it gets away!"

Misty laughed. Honestly, she thought that was cute. Ash did it often when they're watching TV together or having a meal. She and Brock were used to him bursting out of the bathroom with only his towel on running to get his pad.

"Yet, I'd always need a geek gamer guy in my life."

"Me too."

Leaf kept smiling at her friend.

"I need my friends." Misty corrected quickly.

"Or Ash."

Misty got up. "Maybe I should let Danny take me out now that you're mentioning it."

"I just mentioned Ash, not Danny."

"He might still be around." Misty looked at the door.

"Does the name Angie ring a bell?"

Misty blinked. She looked at leaf. "No. Why?"

"No reason." Leaf shook her head quickly. "Just thinking of..., uhm, baby names."

"It's a cute name."

"Uhm." Leaf got up. "I want to go home and cook something special to lure Gary with. I can't just tell him I'm pregnant without any food around."

"He doesn't know it?"

"And you can't go wrong with food." Leaf hugged Misty. "Keep me informed! I'm a big fan of Danny and you know it."

"Did someone call me?"

The two women pulled away from each other. Danny, the teacher Misty worked with, was standing by the door leading to the pool, smiling. "Anyone need me?"

"Hey, you're still here..." Misty played with her hair.

"Actually, my friend over here might have something very important to tell you and that's why I'm leaving."

Misty looked at Leaf, eyes wide in shock. She watched as the brunette walked her way to the door, giving her dirty looks – and looking Danny up and down as she walked past him. He waved quickly at Miles, making him giggle.

"What's it about?"

"Just a new student." Misty put her arms behind her. "The little boy."

"Oh."

"He wants private lessons – he's shy but I know him very well, so..."

"Alright." Danny nodded. "I'm heading home. See you tomorrow."

"Wait."

Misty walked towards him. She kept her distance from him. She wasn't comfortable standing close to Danny when she was in her swimsuit. "I was wondering..."

Danny nodded. "Uhm?"

"If your dinner offer is still up." She couldn't believe she just said that.

"Oh." He looked surprised. "Ahem... I didn't see that coming."

"Right..." Misty felt really bad. Did that sound clingy? He asked her out seven or eight months ago! Maybe even a year ago. She wasn't even sure anymore.

"Thing is, I'm seeing someone now."

"Okay." This was wrong in so many ways. Asking people out wasn't really a Misty thing. If it were her thing, she'd have asked Ash a long time ago. Misty was very bad with making the first step when it comes to men.

"I'm sorry."

And this is why she hated making the first step. Even if she had zero interest in Danny, it hurt her how he rejected her. It wasn't his fault since he was already seeing someone, but that counts as a rejection too. And it hurts.

"I'm very so-"

"Don't be sorry, okay? It's fine." Misty smiled weakly. "Just forget this happened. I don't want things to be awkward or anything."

"No, no, at all." He reassured her. "I really like you, Misty. That's never going to change."

Misty flashed him another smile and stormed out of the pool.

Even if she had only a few days to live, she is never going to ask Ash out.

Never.