Pieces of Us (SatoGou)

Chapter 10

My breath catches. I think I felt the same about him, except I didn't feel bad for leaning on him. "I didn't mind you relying on me."

"I know." He turns to face me now, his eyes hard and serious. "But I did. I didn't want you to be the only source of happiness for me. What would have happened when we had to separate and I couldn't cope? I know it was stupid now."

I furrow my brow. "We were best friends, Goh. I would have stuck with you forever." My throat starts to burn, like barbed-wire constricting it, at the admission. "If you'd let me."

Goh's jaw trembles slightly, like he might be about to cry. I wonder if I've pushed too far, and almost change the subject when he speaks again, cutting me off. "That was part of the problem, Ash."

Before I can ask what he means I hear the car door, and turn to see Dawn stretching her arms, awake. Chloe's climbing out too. I turn back to Goh, but he's already walking away, done with the conversation. It left a sour taste in my mouth, and I can't help but feel like we've taken a step backwards again. I sigh and go over to join them.

Dawn's surprisingly efficient at gathering driftwood from the beach below us, and her and Goh gather enough to start a small fire for us to sit around. Dawn's brought blankets, and we sit wrapped in them, roasting marshmallows poorly over it. We talk for over two hours, the conversation ranging from coordinator tactics to ghost stories to the story of Dawn and Chloe's awkward first kiss, and how they almost fell on top of each other. Eventually, I get over the conversation with Goh, and get sleepy, almost drifting to sleep sitting upright under the blanket.

Chloe and I pitch the tents. There's only two, which means I have to share with Goh. I want to say that I'm thrilled, but I'm not. He'll be inches away from me all night, which probably means I'll get minimal sleep.

By the time it's dark and the stars are out, I'm exhausted, the lack of sleep from last night catching up with me. When Dawn and Chloe head into their tent with Pikachu, who wants to sleep beside Eevee for her warmth, and Goh goes into ours, I lay the blankets and a couple of pillows over the back of the pickup and climb onto it, holding a flask of warm tea saved from earlier.

I can see Gardevoir, but also what looks like Milotic, bright beside it. The sound of the waves is louder now that the tide is in, crashing against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff, but it's almost peaceful. I close my eyes and listen to them, my eyes getting heavy, my head resting back on the back window of the truck.

I didn't realise I'd dozed off, but when I wake up it's even darker, the moon concealed behind thick clouds. I glance at my phone and see that it's after midnight, and I'm freezing. Shivering, I grab the blankets and carry them quietly over to our tent, unzipping the front slowly, hoping I don't wake Goh. A little sliver of moonlight slips inside when it falls open, illuminating him enough for me to see he's still sleeping, his face peaceful, his hair falling over his face. I watch him for a second before the cold has me stepping inside and zipping it shut again behind me.

I lay one of the blankets over his sleeping bag before climbing into mine, because it's freezing, and hope he doesn't think it's weird when he wakes up in the morning. I lie on my side, facing away from him, and close my eyes again. Surprisingly, it's not long before sleep pulls me under.

When I wake again, I'm disoriented. It still seems dark out, but it feels like I've been sleeping for a while so I feel around beside me for my phone and hold it up. I blink for a few seconds, the screen unbearably bright, until my vision clears enough for me to see it's only half two in the morning. There's a strange energy in the air, and it feels like it's almost tugging me, so I roll over to check on Goh.

My heart sinks when I realise Goh isn't beside me. I sit upright, looking around as if he might be hiding in one of the corners, but of course he's not. I throw off the blanket and inch forward, unzipping the tent again and peering out. The clouds have left again and the moon is on full display, lighting the area up enough for me to see he's not here.