Rigorous Relationships

Confessions and Chaos P1

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On the road with Ash and company
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The group had left Slateport a few hours ago and were currently walking along a woodsy path. Ash and Cal were leading the group while engaged in a thoughtful discussion about battling strategies. Dena and Serena were hanging back a bit so they could have their own discussion without the boys overhearing them.

"So Serena..." Dena began, her voice ringing with intrusive curiosity, "You seem to have a thing for Ash, care to enlighten me?" To which Serena's cheeks flashed a light hue of red.

Steeling herself against any more of Dena's intrusive remark into her love life; she answered her question.

"We traveled together in Kalos a few years back and he helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life,... we're just good friends."

Serena said all this very quickly and dismissively; omit the last four words that carried such weight, she could not be rid of them with the same careless haste. The duo walked in silence for a count of twenty, then Dena reignited their conversation with two definitive words.

"You're lying."

Serena turned towards her young cousin with shock on her face, partially from disbelief that she would doubt her so much. The other part arising from the fact that she had been called out so quickly.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about!"

Dena just turned towards her cousin a look of pain and pity emitting from her deep blue eyes. Her next words were strained and filled with misery.

"Please I've been around you two for less than a day and I can already tell there's something more between you two. You can lie to me all you want, but you can't lie to yourself."

She started to huffily walk faster, trying to distance herself from the deceitful discussion. She barely got six steps ahead before a soft hand grasped onto her shoulder and halted her departure. She slowly turned around and quizzically raised an eyebrow at Serena.

"...You're right."

"What?"

"I said you're right I have deeper feelings for Ash than just the friendship we have. I just..."

"Are afraid to tell him because you don't want to lose him." Dena finishes, thinking about her own feelings towards Cal.

"Exactly. I love traveling with Ash and I don't want him to leave me just because he doesn't share my affections."

Dena didn't want to go any further into the ideas of getting their love rejected, and changed the flow of the conversation.

"So what's Kalos like?"

Serena smiled eager to describe her home region to the brunette girl; however before she could begin an elated voice rang out from a ways ahead of them.

"Hey you two it's getting late we should rest up for the night! Cal said he saw a small clearing a little ways off the trail that would make a good place to setup camp!"

Shifting their attention to the light hearted boy the pair respond to his statement "Sounds good Ash, we'll be right there!"