It's just the heat. Just this damn heat.
That's what I told myself, sitting there on my bed trying to keep my eyes on anything other than the Al Bhed across from me. She was laying on her bed, sprawled out in nothing but a little yellow bikini. She had a hand held little fan blowing in her face, but that didn't stop the sweat from glistening off of her tanned body. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the afternoon and her breasts rose and fell beautifully with each long breath she took. To top it all off, her legs were open revealing enough of her sparkling thighs to peak my interest, which was unceasing.
It's just the goddamn heat... It's making me crazy...
"It's soooooo hot." She complained in a breathy voice.
"Stop whining." I said, annoyed at how sexy I found her right now.
"I was just saying!" Rikku retorted.
"Complaining isn't going to make it any cooler so shut up." Daggers laced my voice as I shot her a glare.
"Would you two just stop fighting for five seconds? I'm trying to work." The summoner interjected. She was sitting at a desk in the corner with reading glasses on. Apparently, trying to come up with a cipher to crack a clue to some sphere she thought might be interesting.
I rolled over and buried my face in my pillow. The red satin sheets were sticking to my body which was coated in a light sheen of sweat. I couldn't stay with my face like that for long, and I got up.
"I'm going to get a drink." I said as I stood up. There were red marks on my legs from the sticking sheets. I rubbed them in an attempt to get rid of them, but they wouldn't go away. I wiped my face with my red tank top before I headed down the stairs. It was way too hot to wear leather.
I sat down at the bar and ordered a bottle of vodka. I poured some into a glass, filling it. I was too bored to deal with shots. Barkeep stood at the bar eagre to watch me drink it. He said it was a new brand he was trying out because it was cheaper than the normal stuff. As I sipped the strong liquid my face contorted and my gag reflex almost got the better of me.
"Orange juice." I choked. "I need orange juice." Barkeep diligently ran off to get some, while I sat with my hand over my mouth to keep the vile substance in my throat.
"How ish it mish Paine?" Barkeep asked when he had returned.
"It's shit."As if he even needed to ask. I poured the orange juice in over the vodka, hoping it would mask the horrible taste. It did some, and I continued to drink it even though I would have preferred to dumped it out elsewhere. I was in the mood for alcohol regardless of the taste.
It was then I heard the footsteps of the blonde. I knew it was her because Yuna had a much lighter step. I didn't know how the girl could manage to be such a good thief when she was so clumsy and loud. I sighed as she sat on the stool next to me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, still with a slight venom, as I still wasn't over the mishap of being turned on by her. Normally I wouldn't have said anything. But the bar wasn't a usual spot for Rikku and I wondered why she had followed me.
"You think you can leave me in there with miss crabby-pants? I don't think so!" She said. "And I didn't want to go to the bridge and be nagged on by the guys, or go to the deck alone, so I figured I'd sit here with you." She explained. She seemed a bit depressed, but I decided to ignore it.
"Would you like something mish Rikkoo?" Barkeep asked her.
"Ummm..." I watched her as her mouth turned into a pout and she raised her hand to her chin in thought. I had to turn away and stop looking at her, for fear of feeling the way I felt earlier. "Yeah, I'll have a strawberry daiquiri on crushed ice."
"Alcohol?" I questioned. "You're up to 52, Rikku." I said with a smirk.
"Aww, proud because I didn't order milk on the rocks?" She gave me a sly smile.
Dammit I was looking again! Oh hell, I couldn't help it. I'll just blame it on the alcohol... And the heat. Can't forget about that damn heat.
"I figure a day like today deserved a good drink anyway, don't you?" She asked me. I was surprised to see this more mature side of her. Barkeep returned with her daiquiri. I watched as she raised it to drink, her tongue flicking the rim of the glass even before it touched her lips.
I caught myself staring at her tongue caressing the rim of her glass, her eyes gazing ahead, her mind lost somewhere in the distance. I couldn't tear myself away. It was happening again. The heat was rising in me. It was torture. She was torturing me. And when I caught the slight glance she gave me and the smirk that followed led me to believe that she knew it.
"What are you looking at?" I asked.
"Me? You're the one staring at me." She said with a smile masked by a glass brought to her lips. Her pink perfect lips. My eyes darted to my vodka.
"I was not staring, I was just looking to see if you were actually going to drink that daiquiri or just make out with it." I stated, realizing only after I said this that the comment about making out with her glass may have been incriminating. She either didn't notice, or ignored it.
She raised her eyebrows at me with a look of interest and at first it had my heart racing. She didn't say anything. She took her daiquiri and flicked the glass once more with her tongue before pouring the liquid and ice down her throat and surprisingly it was gone in a few gulps. She then looked at me with accomplishment on her face.
"It's only a daiquiri, it's not like it's real liquor." I said, even though downing a daiquiri was quite a feat for someone who's usual was milk.
"Well I'll have some of this then!" She said and her arm reached past me and grabbed the nearly full bottle of vodka. I realized what was going to happen. If I was as uncaring as I pretended I wouldn't have warned her, but...
"Rikku, you might not want to..." I didn't have a chance. The bottle was already in her mouth and it was only mere seconds before the vodka was being spit across the bar.
"Eeeew!!!" She cried.
I tried to hold it in, but I couldn't stop myself. I laughed.
"Oh my god." A voice said from behind us. Rikku and I turned around, and there she was. Yuna, shaking her head in dismay, apparently having seen Rikku erupt with vile vodka and my bout of laughter. "I can't believe you two. Do you know how often you give me headaches?" She asked.
Rikku looked at me with skepticism. We both knew she gave us headaches more than we gave them to her. And I would like to take the moment to say Rikku gave me headaches more than anyone has ever gotten headaches before.
"I have to get out of here, you two are driving me crazy. I'm spending the night in Besaid with Lulu and Wakka." She said as she went into the elevator, no doubt going to the bridge where she would tell Brother that she wanted to be dropped off on Besaid Island because Rikku and I were just too much to handle.
Personally, I didn't really care. It might be nice. A night without the High Summoner. When I looked over at Rikku with a smile on her face a new thought emerged. It might be nice... Nice to have a night alone with Rikku.