A New Dream

Awkward Conversation: Paul's POV

I led Dawn up the large, grass-covered hill that overlooked Reggie's home and a lot of the rolling hills that made up his breeding area. Most of his pokemon were all in bed by now and I relished the peace and quiet of the star-filled night. Ever since Dawn woke up she had been slightly distracted with all of her friends and Johanna making sure that she was okay. I knew that I couldn't be selfish and keep her all to myself so I tried to be patient, but I couldn't help but feel relieved that we finally had a chance to be alone and talk.

Once we reached the top of the hill, I sat down and let out a happy sigh as Dawn sat down next to me and immediately cuddled up against my side. I slipped an arm naturally around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as I looked out at the beautiful scenery. Dawn reached over and took my unoccupied hand in hers, raising it to her lips and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of my fingers before wrapping both her hands around it and dropping it into her lap. We sat in silence for several minutes, just looking at the night scenery before us.

"Are you happy to be back in Sinnoh?" I asked quietly. Dawn didn't respond for a few seconds so I looked down to see her lips quirk up in a small smile.

"Yes. Honestly, I didn't realize how much I missed Sinnoh until right now. I haven't been back to Sinnoh in over two years. I was focusing so much on my training and my next grand festival that I just... didn't find the time to come home," she said with regret evident in her voice. 

I squeezed her shoulders gently and she smiled up at me, but then her smile flipped down into a small frown.

"Are you sure you're okay with missing the pokemon league?" she asked with concern lacing her words. 

I blinked in surprise at the question and then leaned down and pressed my forehead against hers gently, breathing in her familiar scent of vanilla and honeysuckle greedily but quietly.

"I am sure. You are my top priority right now, and I figured you deserved some rest and relaxation. I can always challenge the league again another year," I said sincerely. Dawn let out a relieved sigh and I pulled away from her so I could see her smiling up at me.

"So... what do we do now?" she asked. I shrugged, turning to look over at the forest that stretched out to our left.

"I'm fine with going anywhere as long as we go together," I said, wincing slightly at how corny that sounded. A few minutes went by without a response and I turned to see that Dawn was looking down at my hand that she was holding in her lap. "You okay?" I asked in concern, wondering if I had said something wrong. 

Dawn nodded slowly. I frowned when she moved my hand over to my own lap and let go of it, clenching her hands into fists and adjusting herself so that she was sitting on her knees.

"I... I need to talk to you about something..." she said with obvious hesitation. I slowly took my arm from around her shoulders and turned slightly so I could look at her better.

"Okay," I agreed, trying to sound unconcerned even as a sense of anxiety rushed through me.

Dawn looked at me briefly before jerking her eyes back down to her hands which were clenching and unclenching nervously.

"It's... kind of an awkward topic... and I don't know if this is the right time or not but... I feel like if I don't say something now I'll lose my nerve so...." Dawn's voice trailed off awkwardly and I felt my brow furrow in confusion. I made a conscious effort to smooth it out and try to look open and ready for whatever awkward topic she was trying to broach.

"Go for it," I said encouragingly.

I could hear Dawn swallow with difficulty. She took a deep breath, splaying out her fingers and gripping her knees tightly before looking up and making eye contact with me.