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He really was nice.
May had her hands curled under her chin as she smiled at the man who was sitting across from her in a cozy restaurant in LaRousse City. Her coat was laid carefully over the back of her chair and the sleeves of her honey-colored v-neck completely covered her arms. The cream scarf she wore covered the necklace that was perpetually around her neck. Her jeans gripped at her legs and her black boots kept her toes warm.
She nodded at the story the man across from her was telling and moved one of her hands to toss her softly curled hair over her shoulder. His blue eyes were warm and cold simultaneously. It was nice to be dating again.
It was then that she realized she wasn't listening at all.
"Really?" she asked for the sole purpose of seeming regaled.
He let out a breathy laugh and broke eye contact with her. He met her gaze again. "Really."
Damn it. What had he said?
She continued to smile sweetly at him and faked a giggle. "Me too."
Complete guess.
He laughed again. "Oh good."
Her shot in the dark seemed to hit the target.
He really was cute. His dark brown hair contrasted nicely with the blue of his eyes. His smile was genuine, and he was pleasant to talk to.
He continued speaking. "I was worried you weren't having a good time."
She repositioned herself, re-crossing her legs in the process. "What? Of course I am, Rozin. Why wouldn't I be?" Her smile returned. "I did last time."
They'd dated once before and May had decided that she'd wanted to see him again. That didn't happen very often. Maybe he was different.
Rozin sat back in his chair. "And somehow I just can't believe that."
She raised an eyebrow and a smirk graced her glossed lips. "I'm still here, aren't I?" she murmured.
It was true. Their table had been cleared long ago and the once-busy restaurant was moving a bit more slowly. She really did enjoy his company. And his handsome smile.
"I guess you are."
May glanced out of the large window they were seated in front of and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She saw that the sun was almost entirely set. The buildings of LaRousse City glinted as the sun tossed colors around the avenues.
She also spotted a lovely chartreuse hat walking amongst a large crowd of people across the street. Her eyebrows knitted together as her eyes followed the hat-wearing pedestrian. That shade of green seemed to be a bit too familiar.
Her breath hitched in her throat.
It wasn't a hat.
"What time is it?" she asked Rozin frantically at the same moment he asked, "What's wrong?"
He wrestled his phone out of his pocket and checked the home screen. "It's… 7:42."
May pushed her hair behind her ear and started to hurriedly gather her things. "I'm late!" she cried.
"For what?" Rozin asked as he watched her stand and grab her coat.
She threw her coat on and tossed her mocha hair behind her shoulders.
"I had a meeting for work via webcam that started at 7:30," she lied as she donned her purse.
May's date stood as well. "Oh, right, right, right. I remember you mentioning that."
May stole another glance out of the window and, to her dismay, the dash of green traveling amongst the greyscale of coats was almost outside of her line of vision.
"I'm sorry for keeping you for so long," Rozin apologized.
"No, no. It's my fault. I should have reminded you." She kissed his cheek. "Thank you for everything. I'll call you later!"
He started to offer to bring her home, but she hurried out of the door of the restaurant. She brought out her phone, pressed it to her ear, and mouthed an imaginary conversation to her "boss" as she passed the window she was recently looking out of. As soon as she was out of view of the restaurant, she shut her phone and put it back in her purse.
Her pace quickened as she desperately tried to catch up to her target.
"Excuse me, pardon me," she muttered continuously as she wove clumsily through the crowd. She was not used to the hustle and bustle of a large city, being from Petalburg. She was only in LaRousse for the week and was to leave in a couple of days.
She wasn't making much progress in advancing her position on the street in relation to his. After all, if her target was who she thought it was, he'd been in this city all of his life; he would be an expert at navigating through a sea of people.
She decided to throw caution to the wind and she screamed his name.
"Drew!"
The moving green head noticeably stopped and turned around. She saw his face and her heart skidded to a halt. She watched as he mouthed her name in wonder, his eyes scanning the area where the sound had come from.
It really was him.
May beamed and caught her breath. She stepped to the curb of the sidewalk and saw his gaze shift to her face. He smiled and mouthed her name again.
He mumbled something to the people around him and pushed his way through without taking his eyes from her. She saw him start to jog across the street, and she ran to the cross walk, clutching her bag and dodging lampposts. When she finally reached the corner of the street, he was standing there with open arms staring at her with an expression she had rarely seen grace his face. His eyes were soft and the smile across his lips was so genuine that it could not have possibly been mistaken for a smirk.
She tackled him at full force and he swung her around to keep his balance through the momentum of her hug.
And she cried.
Drew squeezed her as tightly as he could and she reciprocated, but she desperately longed for more. There was an aching in her chest that could only be satiated by pulling him closer, but he couldn't have possibly been closer than he already was to her.
He gave up squeezing her and instead held her gently, peering down onto her teary face.
"Hi, May," he said softly.
The words echoed in her ears as she tried to savor the sound of his voice. She hadn't heard it in so long that it felt like a dream. How many years had it been? And she hadn't even thought to visit him while she was in his hometown. How stupid. She couldn't believe her luck.
"I’ve missed you," she said accusingly with teary eyes.
Drew wiped her cheeks with his icy hands and let his other arm slide from around her waist. He shook his head in bewilderment.
“So much,” May punctuated at the same time Drew said, "I've missed you, too."
She took a step back and let out a shaky laugh, her breath materializing in the cold air in front of her. She wiped her face embarrassingly with the back of her hand. "I can't believe I'm crying right now."
One corner of Drew’s mouth upturned slightly. "I can’t believe you’re crying, either."
May's face turned red, but before she could reply, Drew grabbed her hand and led her into the store they had stopped in front of. "Come on. Let's get out of the cold."
The door chimed as they stepped into the warmth of a local shoppe.
Drew turned to face his childhood friend and saw her frosted features in the well-lit room. May watched as his gaze danced across the contours of her face.
He ran a hand through his hair. "Wow," he said breathily. "You look— God. How long has it been?"
May tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and averted her eyes, suddenly embarrassed. She looked what? "A while, I guess."
"Your hair is longer," he noticed. He placed his thumb and forefinger under her chin and gently turned her head to face him again. He smirked. "Is that makeup? I don't even know who you are anymore, Maple."
Drew's eyes flicked up to something above her. Possibly a sign above the front door. He then glanced at the four walls of the space and dropped his hand from her face. There were vinyls hanging on the walls. Low aisles of the like filled the close quarters of the compact room.
"Hm," he said. "A record store."
He stepped away from the welcome mat at their feet and strolled lazily to the back of the store, thumbing through the racks. He was facing the front of the building, and May leafed through vinyl records as she faced the back. A couple of rows down from her, he met her gaze. He frowned and shook his head as if to say, "What? I wasn't looking at you," and turned his attention back to the rack of vinyls.
May stifled a giggle by covering her mouth with her hand. Not a second later, she looked back up at him and saw him jerk his head in the direction of the back of the store, beckoning her over.
She let her gloved fingers glide over the tops of the paper casings as she made her way to where Drew stood.
"Hey," he whispered, "wasn't this your favorite band?"
He held up a vinyl cover with a particular lettering that she was all too familiar with. He remembered.
She nodded and rested an elbow on the rack, looking up at him through her lashes. "Still is."
"Really." He stated, genuinely surprised.
Her smile spread to her cheeks as she nodded again.
Drew turned the paper cover over in his hands. "After all these years?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Drew. I thought you didn't know who I was anymore."
He shrugged. "I thought you'd changed." His eyes scanned the track listing on the back of the record. “Or at least that you would’ve by now.”
His gaze moved to meet hers, and murmured conversations along with sounds of rustling vinyls filled the air. May had never met anyone with eyes that were a shade of green quite like his. She realized that she vastly preferred them over blue.
Drew broke eye contact and flipped the record back over. "Glad to see you didn't," he said dismissively.
Before she could respond, he quickly stated, "I'm gonna buy this for you."
He left her there standing, dumbfounded, and walked calmly to the register, vinyl in hand.
She recovered. "No!" She moved to catch up with him. “You really don’t have to.”
His wallet was already out of his pocket by the time she reached the counter.
“Drew. Honestly.”
Drew paid her no attention and thumbed through his folded bills. "Just consider it an early Christmas present."
She could feel heat rushing to her face. "But I already know what it is."
"I didn't say it had to be a surprise, May." Drew shook his head and jerked a thumb in May's direction. "Cute, isn't she?"
The male cashier adjusted his cap and grinned at May. He looked to be about nineteen. He was a tad too young for her. She smiled back nonetheless.
"Yeah," the cashier agreed. "Adorable."
Drew's eyes flashed up to the teenager's face, his head's position remaining stagnant.
"Hey," he said sternly. "Not that cute."
Was that jealousy? May watched him exchange the currency for her new Christmas present. The male cashier looked as if he wished he could swallow his words.
"Happy holidays," Drew said before running his hands through his hair and turning in the direction of the door. "Come on, May."
The door to the record shop announced their departure with a bell. May clutched her purse even tighter as they emerged into the chill of the city. The sun had completely set and it had gotten colder. She struggled to keep pace with Drew, whose hands were shoved into his pockets to protect them from the cold.
"What are you even doing in LaRousse?" he asked her, when she caught up.
"Oh!" she exclaimed with a sniffle. "Um… I'm here on business."
Drew turned to her and lifted an eyebrow. "Are you lying to me, Maple?"
She scoffed, facing him as they walked briskly across the street. "Why would I lie about that?"
He shrugged. “I’m just checking.”
May eyed him in an attempt to read his expression. The darkness of the night made it difficult, but she knew there was something slightly frigid in his response. “Well, it just so happens to be true.”
There was a split second of silence before May asked him another question. "Where were you going earlier? Before I caught up to you?"
Drew ran his hands through his hair. "Oh, I was just headed home. But I guess I can allow for a change of plans."
“What were your plans?” she wondered.
He grinned at her before hanging his head slightly and offering a light chuckle. “Probably just… takeout. And a movie.”
“Big plans,” May said, earning another chuckle from Drew. “Mind if I hijack?”
He hummed to himself in thought. “In order to hijack plans, they have to be pretty solid. Those were rough draft plans at best.”
May bit her lip before offering him a smile. “Next time, then.”
“Yeah, next time.”
She could see his breath dissipate into the night air after he spoke. “Are we making new plans?”
He glanced at her again, his charming smile softening his features. “I figured we could improvise.”
May walked a bit closer to him to protect herself from the chill. "Where are we even going?"
She could have been imagining it, but May could have sworn that he leaned into her as well. "How about a park?"
May paused for a second before she answered. "But it's nighttime."
"Parks still exist at night, May."
She rolled her eyes. Why did she miss him again?
The two continued on in silence as Drew led the way to their newest destination. The click of May's heeled boots resounded through the streets as they began to empty. Periodically, the two would pass under a streetlamp, and she would be able to see the red tinge at the tip of Drew's nose as he withstood the cold.
"How do you like LaRousse?" he questioned.
May pursed her lips together in thought. "I actually really like it here."
"Do you?" he asked, half teasing.
They rounded a corner. May could see the outline of trees, and she assumed that they were approaching the park. Drew must've suggested it because he knew there was one nearby.
"I do," she said.
May reached up and placed a gloved hand in the crook of his elbow. She stole a glance at Drew from the corner of her eye, but he didn’t react. He kept his pace, with both hands still in his pockets, and did nothing to discourage it.
"Could you ever imagine living here?" he wondered.
May almost choked at how sudden his question was. Did he actually want her to live here? No, that wasn’t possible. Drew didn’t need her. He was fine on his own.
Still, it was a very good question, and something she’d even asked herself a few times during her trip. LaRousse was so different from the comfort of Petalburg. She didn’t know the layout or have the street names memorized, but there was still something about the skyline that was so alluring.
"I think I could," she admitted. "You know, for work or something."
Drew gave a hum and said nothing else on the subject. May frowned slightly. Was that the wrong answer?
They made their way across the street and had almost reached the entrance of the park when May realized that snow had begun to fall.
He asked her another question. "So, how long are you here for, Maple?"
May looked down and watched her feet make an imprint in the freshly lain blanket on the ground. "Only a few more days."
"And I'm guessing you're staying at the hotel."
"Yep."
Drew hummed and nodded again.
"Am I saying something wrong?" she asked suddenly.
He turned and smirked at her. May could see snowflakes clinging to his eyelashes. "What do you mean?"
She would have crossed her arms if one was not intertwined with Drew's. "You keep humming at me."
He chucked again. "I'm just thinking," he explained. "I swear."
The park was deserted. They continued down the main walkway, which seemed to lead right back out onto the street. There were many other paths that branched off in various directions, but none of them were comparable in size to the one they strolled along. Benches and streetlamps littered the sides of the pavement, and a light dust of snow had begun to cover everything, including the branches of the low-hanging trees.
Drew sighed. "I actually really love winter."
May drummed her fingers along the inside of his forearm as they continued to walk together, the bagged vinyl record tapping against her left leg as she moved. "Why?" she wondered.
"I just think there's something really calming about how the trees look," he said. "Everything is quiet and calm and ready to start over."
"The trees look like this because they're dead."
"Well I guess tree death is beautiful." Drew turned slightly to look at her, likely knowing that this would spark her temper.
She looked up at him, frowning. "That's really morbid, Drew."
"Really?" he shrugged, moving her arm along with his shoulders. "Some would say that was poetic."
May rolled her eyes for what felt like the tenth time. How long had it been? An hour? "Who would possibly say that was poetic?"
"Everything that comes out of my mouth is poetry."
May scoffed. "Try me."
Drew cleared his throat. "You, May Maple," he said with emphasis, "are as beautiful as tree death."
The comment took her a bit by surprise. She let out a hearty laugh and heard it ring through the night. Her childhood friend silently chuckled beside her. When her laughter died down, she rested her head against his shoulder.
Walking this close to Drew in this weather, she could feel the warmth radiating off of him. For the first time in a long time, he was no longer just a memory; he was finally tangible again.
"Drew?" May asked. She lifted the hand that was holding her new vinyl record and brought it to hang on Drew's arm as well, letting the handle of the bag slide down to her wrist.
"Yes, May," he replied softly.
"Do you remember how much you used to tease me?"
"No, of course not," he said sarcastically. "It was only my favorite thing to do."
"Can you believe I've kind of missed it?" she practically whispered. She allowed one of her thumbs to stroke Drew's arm briefly. "Over the years I mean?"
Drew didn't miss a beat. "Have you missed the teasing," he murmured, "or have you missed me?"
May smiled and closed her eyes, allowing Drew to lead her through the park. "The teasing. Only the teasing."
They reached the end of the pathway and began to exit the park. The entrance to May's hotel lay directly in front of them.
"Well, when you put it that way," Drew stated before looking both ways and crossing the street, "I believe you've missed only my teasing as much as I've missed only your Beautifly."
May lifted her head at this and stared at him in shock. Memories of roses and post-contest congratulations flashed across her memory. What did that mean? Had she naively misinterpreted everything?
He smirked and glanced at her quickly.
"Hey," he said, knowing that her mind was reeling. "Let's get you home."
"Why don't you come up?" May suggested, as he opened the door for her. She released her grip on his arm and passed through the entrance into the lobby. She turned around to face him and walked backwards. "Have a couple of drinks with me?"
Drew seemed taken aback by her offer but accepted nonetheless.
May tucked her hair behind her ear and made her way towards the elevator. She noticed that she would normally strut when she was around Rozin. However, she didn't feel the need to when she was with Drew. She began undoing the buttons of her coat as the elevator doors closed, and her gloved fingers pushed the button for the fifth floor.
Drew stood next to her, his hands still securely in his pockets, as he waited to follow her to where she'd been staying for the past week. May folded her gloved hands and once again looked up at the man standing beside her.
He met her gaze. "What?"
"The last time I saw you, we weren't of legal drinking age."
He lifted an eyebrow at her. "You're getting old, Maple."
The elevator chimed and May briskly walked onto the fifth floor, fuming. She left Drew behind in the lift, muttering under her breath. "I can't believe you just said that to me—"
May could hear him chuckle to himself as he followed her around the corner. She quickly swiped her card and walked into the single room, Drew closing the door behind them both.
May flicked on the light switches in the dark as if she had been in the room for her entire life. She removed her gloves and coat, draping them over the chair. She was in the process of removing her scarf when she felt Drew's eyes on her. When she turned to face him, his eyes flitted up to her face. His coat was already off and hung up in the closet.
"What?" she asked, lifting her scarf over her head and laying it over the chair as well.
"Nothing," he mumbled, running his hands through his hair and turning away from her to close the closet door. "What do you have to drink?"
May was already unzipping her suitcase and had bent down to reveal a bottle of wine.
Drew smirked at her and strode to the dresser, which was right next to May, to retrieve the wine glasses. He held out a glass and allowed her to pour the deep red liquid into it.
He shook his head and watched it fill. "Never thought I'd see the day."
She stopped pouring and moved to fill the other glass. "Neither did I."
May secured the bottle’s mouth with its cork and placed it on the desk. She took the glass Drew held out for her and clinked it against his.
The two of them stood there together, Drew smirking at her as silence filled the room.
"What are you toasting to?" he finally asked. He looked as if he was stifling a laugh.
"I'm not toasting to anything!" May said.
"You have to toast to something."
"Okay," she gave in, slightly annoyed.
Drew raised an eyebrow at her expectantly as if to say, "Well?"
"A toast. To…?" May trailed off in wonder. She took a second to gather her thoughts before locking eyes and saying simultaneously with Drew: "Us."
The two did not break eye contact as they took the first sip out of their respective glasses.
Before long, their glasses were empty and the bottle became fairly empty as well.
The two were laughing wholeheartedly on the bed, May cross-legged and Drew with his head in her lap.
"I can't believe," Drew said, "that you thought my hair was a hat."
"It's green!" May exclaimed, giggling. "What else was I supposed to think?"
May ran her fingers through his hair and their laughter died down to smiles. Drew looked up at her softly as she began examining the exact shade of his hair.
How had she never noticed how soft it was? Her thumb stroked where his hairline met his forehead. He didn't take his gaze off of her.
"May," he said.
"Hmm?" she hummed in response.
He lifted a hand slowly and fingered the rose pendant that hung off the necklace she wore. Her skin tingled under his touch. "You're wearing my necklace."
May continued to stroke his hair and smiled guiltily. "I never take it off."
Although Drew's fingers didn't move from the necklace, his eyes flicked up to meet hers. "Never? Since I gave it to you?"
"Never."
His eyes bore into hers relentlessly. "Why not." He said it as a statement.
May blinked and brought her hand from his head to rest on his chest. It happened to be over his heart. "I guess because it means a lot to me. I don't have a lot to remember you by."
Drew broke his stare and turned his attention back to her necklace. "That's really fucking sad."
She furrowed her eyebrows. "I think it's sweet."
He met her eyes again. "You think it's sweet that I abandoned you and left you with nothing but a rose pendant."
"No," she said firmly. "You didn't abandon me."
Drew moved his hand from her necklace to touch the side of her neck. "Then what happened?"
May shook her head, allowing some curls to fall from behind her ear. "I don't know."
"Why didn't you tell me you were in LaRousse?"
The way that question flew out of his mouth made it seem like he was dying to ask it all evening. He probably was.
May paused. "I don't…" she trailed off and shook her head again.
Drew's eyes flitted across May's facial features, and he started to sit up. "Alright, you know what? It's honesty hour."
He lay down on the right half of the bed, leaving May at the foot. His head rested against a pillow and he opened his arms up wide before motioning for her to join him. "Come here."
May carefully rested her head against his chest and threw her arm across his torso. She sighed. "I'm here," she said.
"I'll start," Drew began. "May, you are my favorite person. Hands down. Just hands down my favorite person."
How had the night come to this? Drew in her hotel room, on her bed. Her head against his chest, his arm around her shoulders. The two of them filled with wine and letting words overflow from the most secure corridors of their hearts. "I had a dream about you last night,” May admitted. “I… actually, I dream about you at least once a week.”
She felt one of his hands rub her arm. The motion set off shivers down her spine and butterflies in her stomach.
"May Maple, you are one of the most beautiful people I have ever met in my entire life," he said softly. "Just inside and out. And I'm sorry that I’ve never told you that."
May's blinked back tears. That struck an immediate chord within her. How could she follow that up with something else?
"I think you smell really nice today."
She felt Drew chuckle and heard the smile in his voice. "That doesn't count."
"Okay," May said, trying again. "I love laying here with you."
She felt Drew breathe as he tried to think of something else to say. "Do you remember all of those roses I gave Beautifly?" He chuckled through his next statement. "None of them were for Beautifly."
None of them. It was true. That suspicion she had earlier was true.
"And I have to know," Drew continued. "How long did you believe that they were?"
There was a short silence before May's answer.
"What day is it?"
"Tuesday."
"No, I mean the date."
"December 18th," he replied automatically.
May lifted her head to look him in the eyes and gave a guilty smile.
Drew grinned. "You can't be serious."
May nodded and the two erupted into laughter once again at her naivety.
Once they had calmed down, May remembered something she had to admit.
"You know those roses you used to give me?" she asked.
"You mean the ones I just mentioned?"
"Yeah."
"No, I don't. Please remind me."
"Well," May began. "You gave me roses for Beautifly—"
"Naturally," Drew interrupted.
"—And I kept every single one."
A brief silence overtook the room.
"Do you still have them?" he asked.
"Yeah. All of them."
Drew sounded astonished. "May, it's been over a decade."
May sighed. "I know. I have them pressed inside a photo album I have."
"I didn't know that," Drew said slowly.
Seconds ticked by before he spoke again.
"May," he said quietly. "I haven't been this happy in a very long time."
May wriggled out of his arms and rested her head on the pillow next to him. She lay on her side and kept her arms cradled close to her chest. "How long is a long time?"
"Years," he admitted.
"How many years?"
"I don't know."
"Why not?" May questioned. "Why aren't you happy?"
Drew stared at her in silence, his eyes articulating clearly what his lips refused to say.
"Are you only this happy when you're with me?"
He paused slightly before answering. "Yeah."
"Then, I'll never leave you," she said stubbornly.
A slow smirk graced his lips. "You can't just never leave me."
"I want you to be happy."
"I know that."
"I'll never leave."
"May, stop it." Drew said. "This is how people end up getting hitched in Veilstone City."
"We could go to Veilstone!" she said excitedly. "We could go to Veilstone, and I could marry you. I'll marry you right now."
"May, we're not having a Veilstone wedding—"
"It would be so easy."
Drew gave up debating with her and instead watched her have a conversation with herself.
"Drew Hayden, will you take May Maple as your lawfully wedded wife?" May lowered her voice to imitate a man's. "I do."
Drew smiled softly at her and watched her continue.
"May Maple, will you take Drew Hayden as your lawfully wedded husband?" Their faces were so close together that their noses were almost touching. May sighed softly. "I do."
"May, if we ever get married, we're going to do it right. We won't get married in Veilstone."
"You may kiss the bride," she whispered.
The two stared at each other with a renewed intensity. Drew's green eyes passed over her lips, but he didn't take her up on her offer.
"Drew, will you marry me?" she wondered.
He chuckled. "Why don't you rethink that question when we're both sober?"
"I am sober."
"No, you're not."
"I'm not. I'm not sober."
"No."
Yet another silence enveloped the room.
"Drew," May said. "I left my date for you."
He blinked at her. "What?"
May readjusted her position on her side of the bed and began to explain. "I was in the middle of a date when I spotted you today. And I just… left him."
Drew silently took in what she just told him. He smirked. "I can't believe you just proposed to me when you were with another man five hours ago."
She smiled softly. "I told him I would call him."
Drew raised an eyebrow. "Did you?"
May giggled and shook her head. "No."
Drew watched her erupt into a fit of giggles. "You are a terrible person, Maple." He traced the outline of her smile with his gaze, beginning to grin as well. "Why did you leave anyway?"
She stopped laughing and tucked some hair behind her ear, shrugging. "I just… saw you. And reaching you was all that mattered."
Drew reached out to stroke a lock of her hair between his forefinger and thumb. "What's he like?"
"Not like you."
His eyes flitted back up to hers. "Not like me?"
"Not at all." May shook her head softly, lost in thought. "No one has been like you."
She closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of him stroking her hair. May could feel the mattress rising and falling in tune with Drew's breathing. All that could be heard was the soft ticking of the clock that hung on the wall near the closet. She wondered how she had gone multiple years without being in his company. She didn't want to make that mistake again. Minutes ticked by in complete silence, and she supposed that honesty hour was over.
"May," Drew murmured. "It's late."
"I know," she said, eyes still closed.
"I should go," he said, withdrawing his hand slowly.
May opened her eyes and frowned at him. He had already begun to sit up. "Go? Go where?"
"Go home."
"But you've been drinking." she said softly, propping herself up on her elbow and watching him approach the closet.
"So have you," he retorted. He reached into the closet and began to don his coat. He saw her expression, chuckled, and started fastening the buttons. "I'll be fine."
May said nothing as he walked over to her with a soft expression on his face.
"You'll be here for a couple more days," Drew reasoned. "You'll see me tomorrow." He pressed his lips against her forehead. "Goodnight."
May sat up completely and pushed her hair behind her ear, clearly unhappy.
"I'll be fine!" he reassured her one last time before turning the doorknob.
She sighed and stared at Drew's empty wine glass as she heard the door click closed.
The next morning, May emerged from the hotel to see a waiting Drew leaning on a lamppost. He gave her a curt two-fingered salute. She hadn't slept very well after he'd left and had decided to call her abandoned date in order to tell him that it simply wouldn't work out. She felt a bit guilty but knew it had to be done. After hanging up the phone, she’d rolled over on the hotel bed and clutched the pillow that still carried Drew's scent. She'd never longed for him more than she did then.
Drew's face dipped in an out of view as people passed in between them. She approached him slowly and felt her feeling of emptiness dissipate.
He smirked at her. "Hey, Maple."
"Hayden," she greeted.
They were quiet for a moment, and Drew raised his eyebrows.
"So where to?" he wondered.
May put a finger to her chin. "Hm… I hear Veilstone is nice this time of year. What with the dead trees and all." Her eyes quickly flashed to his face to see his expression, then continued. She was pleased to see that he was smiling. "It also has other things like hotels. Casinos." She paused. "Chapels." May smiled at how quickly she'd taken the upper hand.
Drew's smirk widened, and he took her hand in his.
"Let's go."