6o.
chapter sixty
a taste of her

The cold wind pinched my cheeks, blowing my hair against them. I leaned against the makeshift couch Ash had made with pillows, admiring how the moon's loving gaze illuminated his sharp features into a soft glow.

I sighed, leaning against my hand. Ash blinked and turned to me. The brown of his eyes melted into a bluish gray with the ambience.

"Anything on your mind?" he teased, his face soft. I shook my head, inhaling.

"Just living in the moment."

Ash nodded, reaching out. He tugged at my shirt playfully, grinning.

I let out a small laugh, eyeing his hand. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." He leaned back, his hand slipping to my waist as he settled into the pillows again. His grin didn't fade, leaving my heart drumming against its enclosure in the midst of this silent night.

"From where did you get this idea to stargaze?" I whispered, hugging my knees to my chest. Ash's eyes lingered on the starry skies above us a while longer before he spoke in his deep voice.

"I can go and read your mind, Serena." My breath hitched. I didn't dare look at him. His fingers curled around my blouse. "Maybe not your mind, but I can definitely feel what you are feeling. I can feel you, Serena-chan."

"Did you—"

"I felt it," he answered. "I felt your panic attack this morning. You thought I'd leave you."

I turned away from him, choosing to concentrate on the house nearby. The bedroom lights had been turned off. Quite early, I noted.

"Well, not leave as in—as in—"

A force tugged at my waist, gravity taking hold before I hit his side softly. His warmth immediately seeped in. "Deep breath. Take a deep breath."

I shut my eyes, following the instructions as if they were my lifeline. Pressing my cheek against his shoulder blade, I drew in a sharp breath.

I could feel his own nervousness—the anxiety of his own nerves shaking the threads of our bond. After another gust of midwinter air, he mumbled, "I can't bear to feel what you felt then, Serena. Not from you."

My eyes sought his, searching the vast brown oceans they offered for any trace of reluctance. But I found none in them.

"Ash...?"

He drew in a sharp breath, untangling himself from my grip. The warmth fled at once but returned in full force when he kneeled facing me.

"Ash?"

He didn't speak. His hands sought something within his coat. I forgot how to breathe when he produced a box, opening it to let the glint of a silver band catch the moonlight.

"I don't ever want you to feel like I would leave you. This"—he held it up to the sky—"is a promise ring. Something that will remind you that I'm not going anywhere until the right time comes to swear myself to you."

The skies suddenly turned brighter, the stars glowing iridescently. His name left my lips as a silent question. This ring... Did he mean it?

"Ash..."

"It might not mean a great deal now," he breathed out a chuckle.

Ash held the band up for a moment longer, as if asking the stars to bear witness to this magical moment. I faintly recalled my broken promise to the Goddess of the night skies.

"But I want you to hold onto something when I'm not there in skin and bones and fear threatens to consume you. This shall be that inanimate thing."

Slowly, he descended the ring and reached for my hand. However, he froze before his skin grazed mine, as if seeking permission. I let him, absorbing the heat he offered in contrast to the chill around us. The boy's fingers trembled, betraying the steadiness of his voice.

The silver band winked at me when he slipped it on, teasing the silent advancement of our relationship. I couldn't help the warmth creeping to my ears. Before I could second-guess myself, I reached for his cheek, rubbing my thumb against it.

"It's beautiful, Ash."

The corners of his lips curled up. He didn't need a cheesy remark to make me blush, and he knew it. "Like us, don't you think?"

The nervousness he had hidden behind his mask of usual confidence now chipped away under my manipulative thumb. His breath hitched when I smiled, leaning forward to rest my forehead against his.

His fingers tightened around mine instinctively when I breathed to the starry night skies yet another promise that was meant to be. "Like us."

— xoxo —

"I don't get how I could teach you the meaning of love when you are the one with an uncountable number of exes!" I shot back, vulnerability flaring within my chest. If he was here to end it, I wasn't going to disagree.

Gary folded his arms, waiting a minute longer before he said anything. "That was my way of coping with how lonely I felt. I'm sorry, but I didn't have anyone to show affection for as I grew. My grandmother? Yeah, she was holed up in her lab, acting dean and providing timely help. That was all she did."

His voice broke midway. I briefly wondered if he would shed a tear, but he didn't. "And Ash. He was so me, but screwed up in a different way. He charged head-on to help anybody and everybody. Lost himself in helping everyone, learning about soul bonds, and yeah. That's that."

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, feeling the atmosphere thicken with seriousness. "So—"

"Please listen," he cut me short. "Listen to my point of view, Misty."

"Fine," I huffed, leaning against the center table. How had I gotten lucky enough to not have any of my sisters save Daisy home?

"But he's found someone to love. I can see the changes in his demeanor. I know. Maybe Serena didn't know what it was like to love a man either."

"You're right." I narrowed my eyes at him, the urgency to defend my friend nabbing at my insides. "She's never seen her father. Ash's probably the first boy she has talked to outside of her casual hellos with Drew."

"I know," Gary breathed, raising an eyebrow. "But don't they love each other? You can see—"

"It in their eyes," I cut him short, pushing myself off the counter. With quick steps, I approached him, leaving a foot of distance between us. Our bond bubbles melded together quickly and dangerously, the physical ache within my bosom sprouting at once. "But why are we discussing them?"

"May and Drew are a perfect couple." He disregarded me, barely lifting an eye at our proximity. "They didn't face any trouble. They hit it off—even better than Ash and Serena, I dare say."

"I don't get your point."

"But us. Neither you know love, nor I. Isn't there only one way to solve it?"

I rubbed my temples, sizing him up. "What do you propose?"

"I need your help." He straightened up. "I'm done coping, eyeing other girls to date. I want to move on. Find out what my mom and dad sacrificed themselves for."

Green against brown, I searched his gaze for any trace of dishonesty—anything, even the faintest minuscule, to turn him down—but all I saw was a fire to prove himself. An emotion I was running away from.

I threw my head back, smirking and crossing my arms. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yes." Gary mirrored my smug expression, his usual demeanor making a return at once. He leaned close enough for my breath to catch. "I want a taste of you, Misty."

— 🫧 —

So we got development
of both amour and ego.
What do you think?

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x