A Broken Heart

Chapter Ten - A Smile from the Heart

Ash's POV

The sound of sizzling that originates from the lower floor, followed by a delectable aroma woke me up. I fold the bedsheets before heading downstairs to the kitchen to find Miss Berlitz. She's wearing an azure flower printed apron over her normal attire, cooking breakfast while smiling innocently and humming a lullaby. This almost makes me feels like we're newlyweds. I stand by the stairs, mesmerised by the scene until Miss Berlitz notice and call out to me.

"Ash? You should've said something if you're awake! Breakfast is ready, help yourself!"

She grins as she place two sets of traditional english breakfast on the counter table. I sit down on the stool in front and thank her for the food before digging in.

It's....delicious! The sausages has light texture with a slight crunch complimented with the fried egg's tender quality. Whereas the beans are accompanied with sweet, bland sauce that's thinner than what you would normally expect and the bacon is light and bouncy after you begin chewing it. All of their flavours linger on my tongue after each bite. I begin eating at a faster pace until my plate is empty and crystal clean.

I'd always believed that I'm an exceptional chef but if a standard high school girl is able to cook this well, can I still be called outstanding?

"Standard high school girl?! Are you referring to me Mr Ketchum? For your information, I think of myself as one of the best cooks around this here!" She places her hands on her hips and pouts. 

I realise that I spoken my thoughts aloud yet again, this is becoming a rather bad habit of mine. Our eyes meet before we both burst out laughing. I'm surprised at our unison but this feeling is the best. The experience of a normal teenage boy, laughing and joking around with a friend.

"Hehe, f-for some reason I c-can't stop laughing." Miss Berlitz exclaims as she wipe away tears in her eyes from laughing too hard.

"Me neither." I reply, grinning from ear to ear.

Dawn's POV

If only time can stop, I sincerely wish this moment can last forever. Ash's voice, laugh and smile. Everything about him is enchanting to me in this instant, leaving me wanting more.... Huh? What am I thinking? I need to get ahold of myself, Ash and I won't always be together.

"Miss Berlitz, by any chance do you have spare toiletries I could borrow? I don't think I'll arrive to school on time if I were to go home now."

"It's quite obvious that you won't." I reply before informing him where the spare toiletries are kept.

Ash enters the washroom and took quite awhile before coming out. Despite how long he spent in there, his hair is still quite a mess. I giggle and offer him the largest hairbrush I own.

"Here. I reckon you'll need a larger brush to fix your ruffled hair." I remark.

However, he didn't take it and gave it back to me.

"I'll be fine without a brush." He chuckles before grabbing his cap from the table. As if he's using magic, his hair became perfectly combed after putting it on.

"How lucky! If only I had hair that would fix itself after putting on a hat." I sarcastically comment.

"Who wouldn't?" He jokes while chortling.

I join in with the laughter but came upon a realisation a few minutes later. Did Ash speak to me without polite speech? Almost as if we're friends. His voice had a hint of sarcasm and sounds natural. However, it also reminds me of someone; a person that was dear to me in the past who's name that I've yet to remember.

I deduce that he's realised the change in his tone, judging from Ash's action of pulling down his cap to conceal his crimson face.

"M-My apologies, Miss Berlitz. I-I wasn't awar-"

Ash's POV

"M-My apologies, Miss Berlitz. I-I wasn't awar-"

Before having the time to apologise for talking to her in such a manner, she places her right index finger on my lips; shushing me. I blush at our close proximity before studying her expression. Her face is unreadable, similar to how I usually present myself.

"Ash....."

Her voice is mellow and tender, one you would imagine an angel having.

"Please, continue talking to me like that."

Huh? Continue? I expected her to lecture me of the difference in our status but that isn't the case, in fact, it's quite the opposite. She starts inching towards me, my heart pounds and body quivers. I back away step by step but she follows until we hit the wall. She leans her face in and I unintentionally shut my eyes tightly. The next moment I open my eyes, her lips are besides my ear therefore I cannot see what sort of expression she's wearing.

"I like that Ash, the genuine Ash Ketchum." She whispers quietly in my ear, sending electricity through my anatomy.

My eyes widen in shock, surprised at Miss Berlitz's bold actions but more so of her words. After a few seconds of silence, Miss Berlitz's face becomes tinted with crimson and she abruptly turns away from me. 

C-Cute. I'm not even denying it. Her shamefaced state looks extremely adorable.

Dawn's POV

Oh gosh! What was I doing? Though my body moved unpremeditatedly, my words were spoken from the heart. I didn't dare to face Ash since I understand myself how badly I just screwed up. He'd undoubtedly view me as some sort of temptress now.

I sigh and suddenly feel a tight hug from behind. If anyone sees our current position, they'll surely misunderstand us for lovers. My face heats up at the very thought of Ash and I becoming a couple until he buries his head on my shoulder and starts mumbling.

"Thank you, Dawn."

"For what? I don't recall doing anything special to earn your thanks." I calmly answer but truthfully felt anxious.

"For everything."

I realise he's using my first name as he thanked me and notice the mirror opposite us reflected our current situation. I couldn't see Ash's face clearly but I can tell he's smiling. Not a forced smile but a smile from the heart.