Well, it's the first new chapter for this year! I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or its characters.

Chapter 27-Romantic Nights in Celadon City

May smiled at her reflection when she finished her shower. It had taken longer than usual, but she felt clean and refreshed. As she dressed, her thoughts drifted to the coming night: what were they going to do? A part of her hoped that Ash and Dawn would go away for a while, but she knew they wouldn't. She adjusted her bandana and smiled one last time. She picked up her things and departed from the bathroom.

May immediately noticed that the room was completely empty. She frowned and put her stuff away. When she turned around, she noticed something on the floor: a rose petal. A trail of them lead to the door. Curious, she opened the door and noticed more rose petals making a trail. She followed them, feeling confused. As she rounded the corner and entered the front room of the Poke Center, she noticed that the trail lead outside. Once she passed through the door, she saw that they continued down the street.

May had no idea what was going on or where she was going. The trail lead her through various, vaguely familiar parts of the city. The sky was fairly dark and the lampposts were all lit. A few people were hanging around outside, but no one paid any attention to her. As the trail rounded another corner, she gasped. She had emerged in a beautiful floral area that was softly lit. In the middle of the scene was Drew. He was sitting in a large circle of roses, on top of a large blanket, and held a basket.

"Drew, what's going on?" May asked, still looking around in astonishment.

"I thought we'd come out and have a romantic picnic," Drew replied with a smile, rising to kiss her. He took all the food out and placed it on the blanket while May sat down. "You said you wanted to spice things up and I figured this would be a good start."

"It's a great start," May said warmly. "And it was very unexpected.

"That was the idea," Drew pointed out. "I used rose petals mainly because that's always been our thing. It's been a while since I've given you a rose," he added, holding one out to her.

May accepted it with a smile. "Thank you," she said softly. "This was really thoughtful of you."

Drew's face flushed. "I just wanted to show you that I love you."

"I love you too," May replied. She looked down at the food. "But I'd also love to eat."

Drew laughed. "Yeah, that would be nice." He reached for a sandwich.

"Where did Ash and Dawn go?" May asked, biting into a sandwich.

"They helped me prepare the basket and left to go to the Poke Mart. Ash said something about Pikachu needing more food," Drew explained.

"How did they know you were going to do this?" May asked, confused.

"As soon as you shut the bathroom door, I told them what I needed and what I was planning. Ash and Pikachu got the food and Dawn packed it. Roselia's the one who made the trail of rose petals," Drew explained.

"I can't believe you did all this for me," May replied, amazed.

"I'll do anything for you," Drew said quietly, his face reddening.

May dropped her half-eaten sandwich on the blanket. Drew looked at her uncertainly, thinking he had said the wrong thing. She grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him fiercely. He dropped his sandwich in surprise and kissed back, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I guess I said the right thing," Drew mumbled, his face red.

"You said the perfect thing," May assured him, giving him another kiss.

"I meant it," he said quietly.

"I know," she replied gently.

They went back to their sandwiches, Drew with a red face and May with a pleased smile. A soft breeze wafted the flowery aromas towards the pair and they breathed in deeply. May couldn't stop smiling as they ate their way through the sandwiches. Drew felt that, so far, everything had gone according to plan. When May looked down to refill her drink, Drew glanced at a rose bush and nodded. A moment later, rose petals flew up in the air and gently fell on May and Drew. She looked up in surprise and gave him an inquiring look.

"Roselia," Drew answered. "I wanted things to be as romantic as possible, so Roselia sends out rose petals at my signal." He nodded again and another shower of rose petals descended on them.

"You're really going all out on this picnic," May commented gratefully.

"I felt bad about how things have been lately and I wanted to make it up to you," he explained with a small smile.

"You're doing great so far," she said with a quiet laugh. "Keep it up."

He laughed. "You know I will."

They finished the sandwiches and started on the rice balls. The sky was completely dark now and the stars were bright and beautiful. Every few minutes or so, Roselia would release another cluster of rose petals over them. May kept looking around contently, enjoying the beauty of the scenery and how romantic and thoughtful the picnic was. Drew was just glad that May liked what he did.

"May," Drew said softly. "Are you ready for dessert?"

"What's for dessert?" May asked curiously. She had finished everything else and was quite eager for more.

In reply, Drew snapped his fingers. Masquerain flew out of a rose bush and carried a box on its back. It stopped in front of Drew, who took the box off and gave Masquerain a grateful pat. He laid the box down and opened it up, revealing a beautiful fudge cake.

"Wow," May said, her eyes wide and her stomach rumbling. "How did you get this?"

"I had Ash and Dawn pick one up for me," Drew replied. "Masquerain was supposed to fly over here when they got it and wait for me to signal. Luckily for me, Masquerain arrived while you were looking the other way."

May smiled softly. "You never cease to amaze me."

Drew grabbed a knife and carefully cut a slice of cake for May. After he finished cutting his own, they began eating. May thought it was the most delicious cake she'd ever eaten. She made a mental note to thank Ash and Dawn for picking it out.

"Do you like it?" Drew asked, his mouth full.

"It's delicious," May answered brightly, grabbing the knife to cut herself another slice.

"Yeah, it is," Drew agreed, wiping his mouth. "I'll have to find out where they got it."

While May ate her third piece of cake, she watched the stars twinkling in the sky. She felt that it was such a romantic night, with the fantastic picnic, beautiful scenery, gorgeous rose petals, and peaceful night to complete the perfect picture. She couldn't believe that Drew had done so much just to make her happy and only wished that she could do something just as amazing for him.

Drew was very pleased with the overall night so far. Everything had gone according to plan and May loved the whole thing. He couldn't have asked for anything more because all he wanted was to make her happy. He didn't know how he was going to top the picnic, but he was going to try. He wanted every day of their vacation to be romantic, peaceful, and fun.

Before they knew it, the cake was gone and they were feeling particularly full. May leaned back on the blanket and stared up at the stars. Drew laid down next to her and held her hand in his. A few more rose petals fell over them and one landed on May's nose.

"Let me get that," Drew said quietly. He brushed the petal away and kissed May lightly.

"Where did you learn to be so romantic?" May asked in a half-teasing voice.

"A book," Drew answered, his cheeks flushing.

"A book?" May repeated, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Drew muttered, his face burning. "And I'm pretty sure Ash has read the exact same book."

May giggled. "You're so weird. Is the book where you got the rose idea?"

"Of course not. I thought of that one myself," Drew answered. "I think that's a stupid question because I've been giving you roses since we first met, long before I ever read the book."

"I remember," May said pleasantly. "I always kept them for as long as possible. Max used to tease me about it whenever he noticed."

Drew laughed. "I always wondered if they had noticed."

"Of course they did. I'm the only one who was silly enough to think they were for Beautifly."

"Did you really believe that?"

May hesitated. "Well, I did at first. But after a while, I began to wonder if they were really for me. Near the end of the Hoenn Grand Festival, I was convinced they were."

Drew smiled. "I never said anything because of your friends. I didn't want them to make a big deal out of it. When I realized that you came to Johto alone, I knew it was time for me to go for it. And I'm glad I did," he added, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close.

"Me too," she agreed, pecking his cheek.

They continued to watch the stars while Roselia threw rose petals at them at regular intervals. Neither knew or cared what time it was, but both knew they had been out there for several hours. The streets nearby were emptying and some of the lights were out, causing the nighttime sky to stand out even more. The stars shone brighter than before and more were being revealed. It looked absolutely stunning to the pair gazing from below.

"Drew, I have something to tell you," May said quietly.

Drew glanced over at her. "Alright," he said slowly, propping himself up with his elbow. "What is it?"

May took a deep breath. "After the Indigo League, I want you to come with me to Petalburg and meet my parents."

"Really?" Drew looked surprised. May nodded. "I'd love to."

"Thanks," May said with a smile. "It's really important to me."

"Well, afterwards, I want you to come with me to LaRousse and meet my parents," Drew said.

May's face lit up. "Oh Drew, are you serious?" Drew nodded and May flung herself into his arms. "I'd love to. You don't know how much I'd love to."

Drew chuckled. "Well, I'm glad. And just so you know, my family knows all about you."

May reddened. "I hope they only know the good things."

"I guess you'll have to wait to find out," Drew teased.

When they returned their gazes to the stars, May felt her curiosity rise. She wondered what Drew had told his family about her. She definitely wanted to know if he ever talked about her before they started going out. She doubted he would tell her if she asked, so she knew she would have to wait and see.

Drew was feeling very content. He couldn't wait to meet May's family and couldn't wait for her to meet his. Unfortunately, they both had other concerns. The biggest one was repairing their relationship and the second was competing in the Indigo League.

"Drew?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for doing this for me. Tonight has been absolutely amazing," May said softly, snuggling closer to him.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much," Drew replied, wrapping his arms around her.

May kissed him lightly. "I just wanna stay here forever."

"Me too," Drew muttered, closing his eyes and sighing contently.

May closed her eyes too. "I love you."

"I love you too."

End Chapter 27

I hope you enjoyed it! It took me longer than usual to write it, but I still thought it was good. I should be starting on the next one soon, but I can't guarantee that. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Chapter 28 coming soon!