A/N: This is just a fluffy (perhaps a little cheesy piece) that I wrote a while ago. I hope you enjoy. Please Review.
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or any of its characters.
Love Found In The Rain
I loved her the first time in the rain. It was when I truly saw the real her. It was when she let everything that happened to her come to the surface. She let the tears slid down her cheeks because no one could see them. Only I knew they were there. It had only been two months after Irvine had dumped her for some other girl. I had been sitting with her on a bench and the rain had started to fall. I had suggested going in but she had shook her head. I watched as the girl who had been so strong, cried her heart out on that bench. I remember pulling her to my wet chest and she had cried more. I realized how much I loved her then and never wanted her to cry again. I promised myself, she would never cry again while I was around.
The second time I realized I loved her so much was another rainy day. It had been a year after her break up. We had been running through the rain for shelter when she had bumped into some young man who had been running in the opposite direction. The two had laughed and I had watched as she had smiled a genuine smile again. It was only months later that I realized I had watched the moment that would break my heart. She had fallen in love again.
That was two years ago, all of that happened. I'm standing here now in a black suit, that is driving me nuts but I won't let her see that. I'm the best man at her wedding and I can feel my heart ache. Squall stands beside me. Rinoa runs up to me as people start to filter in for the ceremony.
"She wants to see you Zell. She says she refuses to go down the aisle until she sees you. I don't understand why." Rinoa says. I look at the groom who gives me a confused look. I give a fake chuckle and shrug my shoulders.
"She probably just wants to make sure Rinoa made her beautiful. After all, it's bad luck to see the groom before the wedding." I reply trying to soothe everyone's worries that she had cold feet. I walk back down the stairs and up the aisle with Rinoa. As we walk towards the bride's room, Rinoa looks at me and doesn't stop. I sigh. "What?"
"You love her." She states matter-of-factly. I stop in my tracks. I had never said it to anyone nor wrote it down. I hide it from everyone even myself for the most part. She put a hand on my shoulder. "I can't imagine how you feel, Zell, watching her marry someone else." I shook my head trying to clear my thoughts only to look out the window to see it raining. It would hide my tears later like it did hers the first time I realized I loved her.
"They say the hardest thing to do is to watch the one you love, love someone else." I glance back out the window and put on a fake smile. "I'll stop loving her when it stops raining." Rinoa glances out the window to see the rain coming down hard. I walk forward, knocking on the door to hear her voice faintly call me in. Selphie turns to me as I shut the door behind me. She looks stunning in the white gown. She sighs, sitting down on the couch in the room and motions for me to sit.
"I trust you, Zelly. So I want to know. Do you think I'm making the right decision?" She asks her voice shaking slightly. Sitting down across from her, my heart screams no with all of its might but I give her my best attempt at a reassuring smile. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.
"Do you love him?" I ask softly. She looks down at her hands for a long time and I am not sure if she is going to answer. She looks up at me and I could see tears shimmering in her eyes. I reach a hand out to place it on hers and stop.
"I love him but I'm not in love with him. I think I'm in love with someone else." She whispers. My heart stops in my chest. I know I look shocked and she could tell. "I know. I know. I shouldn't have said yes when he proposed but I didn't realize I was in love with someone else until yesterday." She's up and pacing wildly. I sigh running my fingers through my hair. I'm not sure what to say.
"Does this other guy know you are in love with him?" I ask softly. She looks down at me before shaking her head slowly. "Does Ken know?" Again she shakes her head. I sigh leaning my head back against the chair. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you are the only one who can help me make my decision." She replies standing in front of the window. I look at her and I know there is a confused look on my face.
"How am I supposed to do that, Selph? It's not like I can say go run off with this other guy or marry Ken. I can't make that decision for you." I can't look at her but I can feel her move towards me again. She kneels down in front of me catching my eyes with her emerald ones.
"Yes you can help me make the decision." I sigh. "Tell me you don't love me, Zell. If you say you don't love me then I can walk down that aisle without looking back."
I'm pretty sure time just stopped because I think I heard her incorrectly. I'm staring at her with wide round eyes in pure and utter shock. How am I supposed to tell her I don't love her when I really do love her? I quickly move away from her to stand in front of the window she was occupying before. I press my forehead against the cool glass. She is watching but she hasn't moved. Every time it rains it seems I realize how much I love her. Maybe this time I should let her go.
"What answer would make you happiest Selphie? If I told you no I don't love you, would that make you happiest?" I whisper. She stands walking up behind me. I feel her arms snake around my waist, her head in the middle of my back.
"You will be utterly sad if I get married today, Zell. Yet you are worrying more about my happiness than your own. If you were a selfish man, you would say with no doubt that you love me but because you are worrying more about me I know how much you do love me." She says. I turn to look at her. I can't say anything. There is a knock on the door and Selphie reluctantly pulls away from me. Rinoa's head comes around the door.
"Everyone is waiting, Selphie. Are you ready?" Rinoa asks. I can feel her eyes on me but I have gone back to staring out the window. Selphie is staring at me as well as if awaiting my answer.
"Sorry, Selph." I guess my judgement has been made as I walk towards the door. I won't be the one to break up a wedding. I stop at the door and turn back to her. "By the way, you look beautiful. You could rival any princess any day."
I walk back to my place beside Ken. He looks at me in concern and I try my best to give him a reassuring smile but I don't know what is going through Selphie's mind at the moment. I hear the music start up and see Rinoa walk down the aisle followed by Quistis. Then Selphie appears and I see Ken's eyes light up with wonder at her beauty. She keeps her eyes on her feet as if she's trying really hard on trying not to trip. Ken walks down the steps helping her up the last few stairs. I watch as they face each other and her eyes finally lift to meet his. For a moment, I wonder what it would be like if I was in his place but I push it aside. Her eyes are no longer on him but me. I smile for her and keep the smile in place. The priest's words are numbing to my brain and I only barely listen. Suddenly there is silence and I look at Selphie. She's supposed to say something. Her mouth is open but no words are coming out. She's staring at Ken. The two of us are complete opposites, him with black hair and brown eyes and me blond and blue. How she could love him but be in love with me was beyond my comprehension.
"I'm sorry, Ken. I can't do it." She says and she lifts her skirts running off. I stand watching her take off. Ken turns to me and laughs. I'm concerned I think he's finally cracked, the guy was always a little too serious for my liking not Squall serious but serious.
"What are you still standing here for?" He asks me. I give him a puzzled look and he laughs again. "The only reason Selphie would blow off this wedding would be because she found the one she loves in the rain. She always talked about finding the one she loves in the rain. She thought it was me but despite how much I love her somehow I knew it wasn't me. So aren't you going to go after her before someone else gets her?" I blink several times. Rinoa walks up to stand beside Ken.
"Well?" Ken is still laughing. I point to Ken in confusion and then Selphie. "Ken knew all along that Selphie loved someone else but he didn't want to believe it. He'll be okay. Now go before I get Squall to chase you out of here." I jump past the stairs and take off in a full out run.
Somehow I find a dripping wet Selphie walking over grass, spinning happily. She slips on the wet grass and I quickly catch her. She smiles up at me. She looks even more beautiful here then she did in the room in the church. She wraps her arms around my neck as I help her stand.
"Everything is always so much clearer in the rain." She says and I smile. She leans up planting a chaste kiss upon my lips. I stare at her like she's a dream, like I'm still standing as best man not with her in my arms. "I finally realized you've always been there for me, Zell. Sunshine and mostly in the rain, when I was my saddest and when I was my happiest. I realized last night that I'm in love with you." I smile leaning down kissing her passionately.
"I fell in love with you the first time we sat in the rain together. I will love you Selphie until there is no more rain." I say and she smiles brightly. I pick her up spinning her around and she squeals in delight. I kiss her passionately knowing she will be mine forever.
The End