Only a Lie If You Mean It

Chapter 11: "The Line We Crossed"

📍Wyndon City – Morning After

The first thing Ash noticed was the sunlight bleeding through the half-closed curtains. The second was the unfamiliar warmth on his bare shoulder.

Serena.

Her hand rested on his chest, the delicate rise and fall of her breathing in sync with his. Golden strands of her hair fanned across the pillow. The silk sheets twisted around both of them like a secret too fragile to speak aloud.

They hadn’t meant for it to happen.

Or maybe they had.

Ash blinked slowly, the events of the night unfurling in flashes: the half-finished bottle of Kalosian wine, her laugh echoing off the balcony glass, the way she had touched his hand mid-sentence and never let go.

The look in her eyes when he’d asked, “Are we still pretending?”

He didn’t remember her answer. Only the silence after it. And the kiss that followed.

Now she was here, in his bed. Not as Kalos Queen. Not as a media stunt. Just… Serena.

His heartbeat stuttered.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

---

Later – Hotel Suite, Quiet Kitchen

Serena pulled on one of Ash’s oversized shirts and padded barefoot into the kitchen. Her head pounded faintly. The wine had been sweet, too easy to drink. But it wasn’t the alcohol making her chest feel tight.

It was the way he had looked at her this morning. Like he didn’t know where to put her now.

Like she was either a mistake or something more — and he couldn’t decide which scared him more.

Misty would’ve said she was asking for this. Goh would’ve made a terrible joke. But neither of them had felt the way Ash’s hands had trembled when he’d touched her like he was afraid she’d disappear.

She poured two mugs of tea and stood by the window, watching Wyndon wake up — same city, new rules.

---

Ash emerged minutes later, damp hair clinging to his neck, jaw tight. He saw her there, silhouetted by sunlight, and the guilt hit harder than the hangover.

She turned. Handed him the mug. “You sleep okay?”

He nodded. “You?”

“Barely.” A pause. “Too many questions in my head.”

Ash exhaled, then leaned against the counter beside her. “About last night…”

“You regret it?” she asked, voice steady.

He shook his head. “No. That’s the problem.”

Her eyes met his. Something cracked between them.

And then, softly — just barely above a whisper:

“Me neither.”

---

Midday – Private Balcony

They stayed in most of the day. Reporters swarmed outside the hotel, eager for the first post-victory interview. But inside, Ash and Serena lived in a strange stillness. Not tension. Not comfort. Just... pause.

They ate quietly. Ash scrolled headlines. Serena fielded a call from her manager and said nothing about the night.

But every time they passed each other in the suite — brushing hands, glancing over coffee mugs — the memory burned bright. Not just the physical closeness, but the things they hadn’t said.

At one point, she asked, “Is it weird if I say I miss pretending?”

Ash blinked. “Why?”

“Because at least then we knew what the rules were.”

He didn’t respond. Not because he disagreed. But because he knew they’d already broken every rule.

---

Evening – Serena’s POV

Misty’s voice buzzed in her ear. “Girl, you sound like you slept in someone else’s room.”

Serena bit her lip. “...Maybe I did.”

“Serena Yvonne!”

“I didn’t plan for it to happen.”

Misty laughed. “No one ever plans for these things. But the question is — what now?”

What now. Serena stared out at the city skyline.

What now, indeed.

---

Chapter End: A Knock at the Door

That night, just as they settled onto opposite ends of the sofa — trying to create space that no longer existed — a sharp knock echoed from the hallway.

Ash stood. “Expecting someone?”

Serena shook her head.

He opened the door.

And there stood Goh, holding his phone, smirking like he knew everything.

“Tell me you two didn’t actually fall for each other.”

Ash blinked.

Serena flushed.

Goh grinned wider.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

To Be Continued