Drabble #89: Betrayal
Summary: Putting the past behind you is easier said than done
Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot. Characters and places belong to SquareEnix
This was what she had wanted, right from the start. The feel of Cloud's strong arms wrapped securely around her waist as he slept peacefully by her side. She never thought he would ever share her feelings, which was why she had been so scared to act. Even now, as she thought it through, she couldn't work out exactly how it had happened. One minute, they were standing together, a little further from the main group, the next they were hugging because she had suddenly been overwhelmed with sadness about the Planet's future. They had looked into each other's eyes for a moment before he had slowly moved his head forward to capture her lips in a soft kiss.
The memory made her blush and she resisted the urge to giggle. She rolled over on to her other side so that she was facing him. His face was peaceful as he slept, his breathing caused the hair that had fallen on his face to lift slightly with ever exhale. Carefully, she reached over and brushed it away. He made a small sound in his throat as he nuzzled in to her touch. This was what she had wanted.
So, why did she feel so guilty and sad? She looked at him again and swallowed thickly. She knew why. It was because of Zack. They might not have been serious but she had cared for him alot, had even hoped he would change his mind and decide to make things serious after all. Being with Cloud reminded her painfully of Zack.
She loved Cloud, more than anything else. It was her first adult relationship where she knew where she stood. Cloud never spoke much but she could pick up his feelings easy through his actions. She knew how he felt about her. Zack had never been clear about what he wanted with her. Still, she couldn't help but think that she was betraying him. What if Zack had changed his mind and wanted to be with her? Maybe he hadn't ran off with another woman but was prevented from coming back to her some other way. Her eyes burned at the thought and a muffled sob escaped her throat.
Cloud blinked his eyes open, frowning in confusion as he heard his lover sobbing softly into her pillow. He tightened his grip around her and nuzzled into her neck, placing a tender kiss in a gesture of comfort.
"What's wrong?" he whispered softly as he continued to pay attention to her soft skin. She was silent for a moment.
"Nothing," she said back. "I'm fine now." He didn't look convinced by the way his glowing eyes narrowed in the darkness. She reached up and gently stroked his cheek, smiling up at him. "I love you."
He continued to study her, trying to figure out what had caused her to cry before her words registered in his mind. He smiled gently and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, murmuring those three little words back to her before settling back down and falling into slumber. She watched him for what seemed for hours before finally drifting to sleep herself.
Maybe she had loved Zack once but it was in the past. Whether something awful had happened to him or whether he had left her for someone else didn't really matter. Either way it couldn't be and feeling like she was betraying him was just stupid. She loved Cloud, she couldn't of stopped herself falling in love with him even if she had wanted to. It was time to put the past behind her, once and for all and focus on Cloud. Only Cloud.