Goals Off Court | SatoSere

Chapter 33 - Light Up My World

The next evening, Serena was walking towards Ash's dorm, two duffle bags in each hand. They were to travel up to her home and stay for the weekend. She placed one of her packed bags on the ground, and used that hand to knock on his door.

Ash opened swiftly, scanning her up and down in complete astonishment. "Serena? Hey. You look... really great."

"Hey yourself." Serena's heart fluttered at not only seeing him, but also hearing his lilting voice curl around the compliments of his she has now grown to cherish. "Thank you."

"I thought I was supposed to pick you up?"

"I forgot something down at the studio, so I thought it would be best if I just went ahead and came here."

He smiled genuinely, then nodded to reassure her. "It's fine. You ready?"

"More than ready." She bent down and grabbed the bag she left on the floor, showing off the two duffle bags in hands. He seemed to be amused by her extra baggage.

She watched him grab his own bag from behind the door. Serena backed up, giving him room as he scooted out and locked up. Apparently Gary was out at Misty's again as well.

"Lets go."

Ash reached for one of her bags which she reluctantly decided in giving him. Serena really didn't want him to carry her her stuff for her, but accepted his help nonetheless. They walked side by side, every few seconds her shoulder would touch his and an unexpected contentment mixed with a small fluttering of butterflies would fill her stomach.

Going through the common area, they headed straight to the front doors. When they reached Ash's car, he opened the back trunk and placed their bags inside. "Alright." The door flinged shut. "We should be good to go."

She felt light at the thought of taking a trip alongside Ash and admittedly, a bit nervous, but anticipation ran through her veins. Brushing aside the negative afterthoughts and feelings during lessons; both of them got into the car, leaving it behind.

After awhile, it was still warm and sunny in contrast to when they left. Serena woke up to the sun forcing her eyes to crack open. She wrinkled her nose at the annoying flicker of light. Her pillow fell to its side and her blanket still covered her upper body. The first thing she saw was the road ahead of them.

Looking over at Ash, she noticed he was wide awake, completely engrossed by his driving. She groaned, sitting up in her passenger's seat, Ash snapping his gaze to her for a millisecond at her movement. The two were on the way to her home in Vaniville Town to see Serena's mother. Serena was surprised he remembered in the first place.

"I see someone finally decided to wake up," he greeted her. "How was your nap?"

"Amazing, just so you know," she breathed heavily, stretching her limbs, her joints cracking from its stiffness. "How long do we have left?" A yawn fell out of her wide mouth as she said the end of her question.

"About thirty to forty-five minutes left." She pushed the blanket down, sitting up better in her chair. Ash read the different cities coming up on the green sign, thinking it over he decided to press the matter on her. "We're passing through Santalune City..." Her body froze as she eyed the area outside warily, realizing how close they were getting. He cleared his throat, noticing her tense shoulders. "Would you like to stop?"

Serena didn't say anything for a long time, just watched the fast road ahead. Finally, she voiced her answer. "No. Keep going."

He glanced at her as she looked out the window at the fleeting trees that went by. "I stopped at the store, but you were still sleeping." He motioned to the cup of coffee in the cup holder which she greedily snatched up. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to wake you. You looked like you needed to sleep."