Love is like a fish, swimming right in front of your eyes, however, if you don't catch it in time, someone else will fish it out instead.

---

Serena

"Ash, no buts. why don't we celebrate your birthday first with this cake?" I suggested.

"Sure, I'm hungry!" Ash said.

We walked till we find a good place to sit and eat the cake. As I was scared of lighters, Ash took the liberty to light up the candle, just one.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Ash, Happy Birthday to you!" I sang.

"Yeah... now make a wish!"

Ash clasped his hands together and murmured something under his mouth. Then, he blew the candle, extinguishing it into smoke.

"Yeah!" I cheered.

"Aiyo, I forget to bring a knife to cut the cake. Hehe!" I said, feeling bad as we can't eat the cake.

"Nvm, we will eat with our hands, see," Ash suggested.

Using his hands, he scooped up a portion of the cake, which was mainly the whipped cream at the top layer.

"Na!" he presented the portion of the cake to me.

Feeling embarrassed, I quickly ate it from my mouth.

As I tasted the cake for the first time, the taste was a little weird.

"Is it too sweet?" I asked.

"No, it's just right," Ash said which I doubted.

"Really?" I asked again.

"Yes," he asserted.

"It is true that we are unhappy, we should eat something sweet to cheer ourselves up." the raven-haired boy sitting right beside me said.

"I understand."

"What do you understand? You never even dated once." Ash rudely said.

I explained, "Yes, I didn't date before but I know how it feels like to fall for someone."

"Then do you how it feels to be heartbroken?" he asked me.

"I'm heartbroken now," I said, looking at the stairs below me.

"Does the guy you like know that you like him?" Ash asked.

"Him, his heart has already flown to someone else one. How would he know?" I said.

"Then you should tell him!" he suggested.

"Of course not, if I tell him, he might not want to be my friend anymore," I explained my fear.

I really don't want to lose you, Ash, you are my good friend.

Ash refuted, "Guys should be more gentleman, if I were him, I will be very happy."

Before I could reply, he added, "However, it depends on who the girl is"

I suggested, "Then... what if that girl is...  me."

I looked at him for the first time in that one minute, hoping to get a good answer.

"You, ok... you are smart, you are quite cute," he praised me.

I smiled at Ash's reply. This meant that my chances were still high.

I suddenly had a thought.

I seriously asked, "If... I tell you now that my crush is you and you all along, how will you react?"

"Come on, I'm heartbroken now." he said casually, "Don't tell this kind of lame jokes."

However, I was serious

"If... I tell you I've fallen for you. How will you react?" I rephrased.

Now Ash knew I wasn't just joking.

I added, "You don't believe me?"

Similarly, he didn't reply me, or perhaps he didn't know how to react. He glanced at my eyes. However, I was shy so I looked away avoiding his eye contact altogether.

I thought for one second on how to make him believe me and quickly I found an answer.

In one swift movement, I flew to his mouth and kissed him on his lips gently for no more than a split second.

I quickly ran down the stairs and now he was above me.

I turned around at the end of the stairs and established eye contact with him. I was very happy and relieved to finally tell Ash my feelings.

"Ash Ketchum, I've fallen for you!" I declared loudly, "Now you know my feeling for you, I am the same as you, also heartbroken."

Upon finishing the last word, I looked away from Ash, still shy and then ran away.

I was half expecting Ash to call my name and half expecting him not to call my name.

What if he doesn't love me in the first place? What if he ignores me for the rest of the year? Did I make the right decision to tell me? Will I lose him as a friend?

---

As I ran, I cried. I don't want to lose Ash as a friend. He is too important in my life.

I crossed several crowded streets.

Young couples were having fun, laughing and joking. Others were friends, chit-chatting.

Now I know how it feels to be heartbroken. Ash must be feeling all these when he gave up confessing to Dawn, but at least I was better than him. I confessed and he didn't.

I was tired. I didn't want to think about anything.

Multiple buildings flanked on both sides of the streets. People were crossing by me as if I was invisible.

Just then, I heard someone called my name, but I ignored.

The same voice called my name again. Her voice contained some worry.

The next moment I felt myself being dragged away by someone else.

"Serena, what do you think you are doing there!" the same voice repeated.

It turned out to be May.

She said in a very concerned tone, "Serena, what are doing here? Look at me!"

She adjusted my head to align with hers. "Who made you cry?" she asked as she cleared my tears

I could not hold my tears any longer. I pounced on May's shoulder.

We were in the middle of a crowded walkway.

After a while, I stopped crying and looked into May's eyes.

"Serena, follow me," she said as she grabbed my hand and dragged me.

She pulled me to a small alley and asked, "Serena, tell me what happened!"

"I... "

As if she could read my mind, she replied, "Don't say you are fine, tell me, what happened, why are you crying?"

"Take this, wipe them off," she said as she offered me tissues to wipe off my tears and blow my nose.

After 5 long minutes of cool down, I explained my current situation slowly to her...

---

"That Ash, a girl confessed to him, he also doesn't want," May stated.

"No, I think Ash was shocked, he..." I said before being stopped.

"Serena, don't lie to yourself, Ash doesn't deserve you. He isn't worth it to cry for." she rebutted.

"But..."

"You still think that he likes you?" May suggested.

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Ok, then if Ash really was concerned about you, he will find you no matter what."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

---

Ash

I was stunned as if there were vines trapping me, preventing me from moving even one muscle.

I didn't know what response to give.

Dawn?

or Serena?

Serena slowly disappeared from my sight.

Everything around me seemed to slow down.

I looked at the unfinished birthday cake. She made the effort to bake a cake for me. How long had she been in a crush on me?

I slowly kept the cake and carried it with me. As I approached the dustbin, I stopped for a while. Should I?

Finally, I threw the cake away. Admiring the night lights of the buildings, I slowly inched my way home until...

A phone call from May.

Perhaps May knew where Serena is.

"Hello," I picked up the call.

"Ash," she said, "I need your help, just now I was drinking with Serena and..."

"And what?" I asked as I became worried about Serena's safety.

From the other side of the call, I could hear her cries.

"And I left her alone, the next moment I came back, she disappeared." she continued through her muffled tone.

My mind frantically went blank. Where can she go? Did someone else bring her away?

I asked, "WHERE ARE YOU NOW?"

"Now? Erm... Stanley Street," she said.

"Ok, I'm going to find you!" I exclaimed.

We linked up and asked the pub manager for the CCTV recording, of course, it wasn't easy. We had to pretend to be police officers to do so.

Once we watched the tape, I was relieved that Serena went out on her own. That leaves one question, where can she possibly be.

May suggested, "Perhaps, just maybe she went-"

Before she finished, my brain ticked and thought of the place where Serena might be. I quickly dashed off.

I could hear her calling my name, but it was no use. I was determined, confident that I would find her.

I searched the beach, don't have. I searched the Ferris Wheel, don't have. I searched the park, also don't have.

I was getting more and more disheartened as the search continued but went in vain. I also wasn't able to contact May.

Where can Serena be?

I should have been more considerate of her feelings. I should have accepted her. But why?

I slammed my fist onto the railing. My hand hurt but my heart was in greater pain.

Why was I so oblivious to her? Why didn't I realised that she had been behind me all these while? Was I so blind in love?

"AAHHHHH!" I let out my frustration and anger at the sea.

It was late at night. The skyscrapers had most of their lights turned off which made the sea view even more admiring and mesmerising.

*zzz* *zzz*

My phone vibrated.

I took it out from my jacket and read my new text message.

I was from Serena!

My heart skipped a beat.

'Is the sea view beautiful?"

She must be around me. I first looked left, then to my right.

No doubt, she was there.

She was the exact same when she left just now.

She was still wearing that pink top with a black skirt.

I ran forward and our eyes met. My auburn mixed with her blue.

She stood there silently for a while.

She could tell that I was worried for her, no doubt about it.

She wasn't putting her usual smile, just a frown.

Seems like the destiny game had ended with her finding me eventually.

"I thought I liked Dawn all these while," I started.

I could tell from her eyes that she yearned for more.

I continued, "However when she rejected me, I didn't feel as bad as I expected. I just felt disappointed, at first I didn't know why, but now I know."

I paused for a while and gathered my remaining courage. I added, "It was because you were there all along. Sorry that I had been neglecting you. You may not believe what I say. But just now the moment you left out of my sight, I was hit really hard in my heart. It was as if some part of me went missing or left me. I felt empty. That's why I'm here now to find my other half which is you, Serena Yvonne."

She didn't say a single word. She continued staring at my auburn eyes. I stepped forward.

As I was taller than her, she looked upwards.

I could tell that she had forgiven me. I just knew. Her eyes.

I shifted her silky hair behind her left ear. My right hand grabbed onto her right side of the face to give her assurance.

I leant forward, angled my head such that I won't bump into hers.

I closed my eyes and felt where her lips would be.

I kissed her.

For one full second and left her lips hanging.

Her lips were youthful and untouched before by any guys.

She was satisfied with the first.

She wrapped her hands around my waist for support.

I did the exact same.

She was yearning for more, I just could tell from her actions. The desire, the passion, the love

We learnt forward closing our eyes.

Our lips moved in sync as if there was a rhythm playing in the background.

She knew the next movement, so do I.

We finally kissed.

---

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