Paul and Dawn: First Light

Chapter 66: Sunset

Chapter 66: Sunset  

I was away from people. I was dressed in clothes I didn't like. I was waiting for Dawn to get dressed, which I assumed would take a long time, leaving me to mull over my uncertain expectations on how well tonight would go.  

The day I was having reminded me why I didn't like populated areas or running into people that caused trouble, who changed my plans and distracted me from what I found to be important. Today had been slightly horrifying and, if I had to do it over again, I was sure I would have just stayed inside the Pokemon Center, avoiding everyone except for Dawn.  

Yet at the same time I acknowledged that it hadn't been too revolting of a day. Except for Haunter. I would always find that Haunter to be my least favorite Pokemon I'd ever come across. Aside from him, the obnoxious child who was playing with Salamence, the ranting Emma who seemed to enjoy bugging me with her life problems, and the other annoying child who I liked calling mud boy weren't as irritating as they could have been.  

Maybe talking to people wasn't as bad as I'd often deemed. 

Still, tonight was different. It was me and Dawn, alone. Utterly, wonderfully alone. Yet there was a lot to say, a lot of stirred up feelings, and a lot of different reactions that could take place over the course of the next few hours, which led me to wonder how best to approach what people called a "date". 

Lost in thoughts, I was surprised when Dawn didn't take as long as I expected to change clothes. She came back from the bathroom shortly after departing, looking just as beautiful as she had a few hours ago, her hair down, her dress exactly the same as before, yet somehow that didn't take away my stunned reaction. Her eyes roamed over my clothes. Tan dress pants and a dark blue dress shirt that I didn't want to think about. If she had an opinion, she didn't say anything. She just stared.  

"Are you ready to go?" I asked. 

"Yeah." She stumbled over the word a bit and her cheeks reddened.  

I could tell how nervous she was and it absolutely didn't help how I was feeling, which made me a bit on edge. Yet again, I thought about how dates seemed to suck all the life out of people. They became different. A bad different. Closed off. 

Everything I felt before I had Dawn. 

I walked towards her and grabbed her hand. "I need you to promise me something." 

Her eyebrows pulled down, but she nodded. 

"We might be wearing new clothes and doing something absolutely different tonight, but that doesn't mean we should be different people." I looked down at her hand, letting my thumb run across her smooth skin before looking up. "We should always be ourselves with each other. Can you do that for me?" 

Dawn threw herself at me in a hug. I was closer to toppling over than I cared to admit as I found my balance again, letting my arms wrap around her bare shoulders. Her skin was warm and her hair tickled my nose, making me smile. 

"That's better," I said quietly into her ear. 

"I think I'm ready for this date now." Dawn unwrapped her arms from around my neck and stood facing me, looking a lot more confident. "I even know where we're going." 

"Do you?" I asked, mildly shocked, wondering how she could have possibly figured out where I was taking her. I hadn't told anyone. 

"Yeah. We're going somewhere," she said, adding extra emphasis. 

"Aren't you smart." I smiled. "We should get going. Somewhere might be far away."  

I grabbed her hand and we started walking out of the room as she started guessing where we were going.