What If (A Mirror Amourshipping Story

Chapter 7

It has been 2 months since the wedding. Like any newlyweds, Brock and Holly barely leave their house as they are too busy spending so much time together when neither of them have to go to work. Ash, Serena, Lillie and all of their other friends barely get to see the married couple anymore much less hang out with him which for Ash is fine for him as it means less uncomfortable moments with his best friend and his new wife. Ash and Serena have been continuing to hang out whenever they both have the time and it seems like things are back to normal apart from Brock and Holly's marriage and the fact that Calem is still all the way in Kanto. As the days go by, Ash is starting to feel more sure that he really is in love with Serena, while Serena herself is growing more frustrated in on easy or the fact that her boyfriend is far away and she still has to wait another 3 months to see him again.

It is currently the afternoon and Serena was working on another animation project when her boss, Palermo asked her to come over to her office for a personal discussion.

'It's a complete disaster!" Palermo berates. "Practically everything in Sinnoh is going down the tubes and it's all thanks to Alain. Our partners constantly report that he's been nothing short of a jerk who keeps coming up late to meetings and criticizes their animators. It's a total embarrassment. On the plus side sarcastically speaking, he's making out with every Sinnoh woman he comes across as I so I guess he shall soon win the gold medal for biggest jackass in the business."

Serena winces at her boss words.

"Palermo, I'm sorry. I can't believe he would do that," she says.

"Yeah, well that's what I get for giving the well-deserved credit to someone who doesn't even deserve the title. I make one little mistake and everyone wants my head because I broke all their hearts," Palermo grumbles. "I need someone on Sinnoh full-time to clean up Alain's mess and I want it to be you, I mean you are the real heart of our business, and this whole thing was your idea from the very beginning. If you had just said yes to being project manager from the start, we'd have saved a lot of time and money."

Serena frowns uneasily and she bites her lip.

"Yeah, I'm still not sure I'm ready to do that," she says.

"Why not?" Palermo asks unamused. "You will get a car, and apartments, obviously a raise, and your artwork will be shown into entire regions once the whole thing is done. I need an answer for you by the end of the month. And to be clear, Serena, this is the last time I'm going to offer you a promotion."

Serena winces again friends keeping before she robotically nods and understanding Palermo waves her hand as if to bluntly say that is all and she nods again before walking back to her desk. She goes back to drawing, but her mind is only half interested in the picture she's making as her mind is on Palermo's proposition. On the one hand, she thinks that she may as well take this job since it really was her idea from the very beginning and it's not like staying here will make Calem come back anytime soon, but on the other hand she still would be away a whole year from Lily and Brock and Holly and Ash.

... Ash.

For some odd reason that she can't explain how just thinking of the name of this shy guy has been giving her such a warm feeling in a way that's different and unique compared to how she feels about anyone, even Calem. She has considered how the two of them have been getting a little closer by the day and he has proven to be the one person she can wholeheartedly come to talk when Lillie or any of her other friends are not around. The more she thinks about him, the more clear it is that he's really become the best thing that's been going on in her life ever since Calem left. But she doesn't know what it means. If anything it confuses her that she feels that way about her best guy friend.