Day 5: Kissing

“Leave it to you to find the weirdest place to muse before a contest.”

A great amount of self-control was necessary to prevent May from throwing her shoe at the smirking green-haired boy behind her. He would have easily recognized that such an outburst was good-humored and light-hearted, though. Instead, she simply replied, “I walk the path less traveled,” without turning her head. Her eyes were locked on the sky before her, blue gazing onward into a further blue. “Part of May’s Expeditions!”

Her companion seemed far less enthusiastic about the journey, but at this point he could not easily change his mind. At this point, they had walked so far that he would’ve considered turning around to be a waste of time. Aside from that, he seemed too deeply emotionally invested in this adventure. Maybe he had just resigned himself to his fate. He merely shrugged and kept pace with May, who now was practically skipping ahead with each step.

“We’re almost there!” she assured him, casting a quick glance over her shoulder. “Let’s speed up a little, though, so we can get there on time.”

“On time for what?” Drew asked, perplexed. She didn’t answer him, though; she just smiled and continued to glide forward, raising her pace to a light jog. The scenery of this spot looked beautiful at any time of day, but May had visited frequently enough to know that the cliff looked most marvelous during-

“This is a sunset,” Drew breathed, whistling quietly as he gazed around him in awe. May walked up next to him and allowed her gaze to sweep the surrounding area. She followed Drew’s eyes as well as she could, every now and then glancing back at his face to catch his reactions. However, she found herself a bit disappointed in that respect; as usual, he kept his cool exterior demeanor while his emotions and thoughts were probably swirling around inside his head.

Finally May broke the silence as she whirled around on her heel, grinning widely. “I just wanted to show you this place. I’ve gone on enough expeditions near Petalburg to know the best places for brief adventures.” She raised her hands to form a “camera” as she took a mental picture of Drew at her favorite spot for viewing sunsets. “Today’s expedition comes to a close!”

He chuckled and reached out to lower her hands. “All right, you win this time. This was a worthwhile venture. The narration was a little excessive, though.” That remark earned him a light punch in the arm, which he calmly accepted.

“This place really helps me relax when I need to decompress,” May told him, now peering over the ledge at the vegetation below. “I’ll just sit at the edge with my legs dangling over the side. One time I spent over an hour up here and Dad sent a Linoone to come find me!” She laughed, eyes twinkling with amusement as she recalled her mother’s nonchalance and her father’s overprotective terror. “I like to visit this spot whenever I can. It’s not always easy, since I’m traveling, but since we have the contest here tomorrow, I decided to seize the opportunity!”

Drew remained silent for a while, and May stood in silence with him. Finally he murmured, “This is your special place. You’re pretty worried about tomorrow, huh? Is it the Glaceon and Beautifly duo that’s vexing you?” Startled, the brunette turned to look directly at him, expecting a smirk on his smug lips. Instead, she found herself distracted by the emotion in his eyes. Concern? Sympathy? “I’m amazed that you took me here.” Now she could detect honor in his voice and humility in his eyes. Could he see the bewilderment in her own expression?

Before she even had a chance to ask, Drew had come up close. His lips brushed against hers for a moment that seemed to trap her mind in what felt like eternity, but then he pulled away just as suddenly as he had appeared. How could that moment have been so brief? Her face felt as if it were on fire, and she didn’t doubt for a moment that her cheeks were the same color as her bandana. He seemed just as flustered, though, refusing to meet her eyes and staring down past the cliff instead.

“I swear, Drew, if you tell me that was for Beautifly I will slap you silly.”