Pieces of Us (SatoGou)

Chapter 6

"Let me get this straight. You met a random girl outside, and kissed her in the first five minutes of meeting her." Dawn is sitting on the end of my bed. She invaded my room again this morning. She's already dressed, her hair looking perfect, and I'm barely awake, haunted by a hangover.

"So?" I say, rubbing my head. I wish she'd wait until I've had breakfast to grill me about last night.

She sighs. "Well, was it at least good?"

"No," I admit. It's too early to get deep, but the words spill out before I can stop them. "What does it feel like, when you kiss Chloe?"

Dawn 'hmm's' for a moment, thinking. "It feels like fireworks are going off in my chest. Like every nerve in my body is on fire. My heart feels like it's going to explode. It's like, a really intense feeling that you can't explain."

I shrug, defeated. "I've never felt anything like that."

"Maybe that's because you're forcing it. You can't feel that with just anybody. You have to connect with them. You have to let those feelings come to you."

I consider her words. She makes a good point, actually. I sigh and throw the covers off myself. She shouts and covers her eyes. "Pants, Ash!"

"Well maybe you should stop coming in here so early," I argue, grabbing the closest pair of jeans. In the wardrobe I find a plain dark t-shirt and pull that over my head. "Okay. No more mushy stuff. Breakfast."

We head downstairs, but no one else seems to be awake. I don't blame them. I wouldn't be either, if it wasn't for this blue-haired devil. She sits me down and starts cooking an omelette, and places a cup of warm tea in front of me, saying it'll help. I sip on it, and eat the breakfast, which is surprisingly good considering Dawn made it. She doesn't ask anymore about the kiss, or Goh, and I appreciate that.

When we're finished, she takes the plates away and cleans them up. She's being strangely helpful, and weirdly quiet. Then she comes back and sits opposite me again, folding her hands together in front of her.

"What?" I ask, knowing she has something to say. Her expression is making me nervous.

"So, um." She grimaces, and I know whatever she's going to say, I won't like it. "Remember how you said you'd stay here for a couple of weeks if I did?"

"Okay?" I don't like where this is going.

"Please don't be angry," she mumbles.

"Dawn," I say sternly.

"Okay, okay. Well, Gary and Misty pushed their honeymoon forward, so they're going tomorrow," she explains. I'm confused. She thinks I'd be mad because I can't stay? I can tell there's more by the way she's shifting awkwardly, so I wait for her to carry on, raising an eyebrow at her. "And, um... I may have planned a road trip for us."

I blink blankly at her for a moment. "A road trip."

"Yes." She smiles sheepishly. "Around Galar."

"Galar?" I repeat incredulously. "I mean, okay. Just you and me?"

"And Chloe," she says. Well, that actually doesn't sound bad at all. I blow out a breath, relieved. Actually, a road trip around Galar sounds kind of nice. I haven't been there in a while, and maybe I'll get to visit Leon.

She clears her throat, and adds quietly, "and Goh."

"What?"

"Goh too." She winces. I don't even know what to feel. Dread comes first, and then irritation, because she's set this up. There's no way Goh agreed to go on a road trip if he thought I was going to be there. I'm guessing this is going to sprung on him like it's being sprung on me. I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes.