Authors Notes
This chapter, I think….is by far going to be one of the lousiest, or even the worst I have ever posted.
The cliffhanger I left you guys at…Well, It made it just so….hard for me to continue it.
But I relish the challenge, I just hope you are not too disappointed with the end result of this chapter…I am though. At least it's long….
I think I said this, but PLEASE PLEASE support my community…Oh and please leave a review too if possible =D.
Without Further Ado, oh wait…Warning, OOC inbound! VERY VERY VERY OOC! YOU HAVE BEEN…..WARNEEEED!
Enjoy… Otherwise just go ahead and Burn me.
I don't own FF 13 and all the legal stuff …screw it.
III – A Crush…?
'Hope's Perspective'
To say tonight was very awkward must have been the understatement of the century…
Let's see…. It all started after I opened the door and found out that she was none other than, Serah Farron's Sister.
I just stood there, speechless. We both just sort of stared at each other in bewilderment.
I can tell she is thinking the exact same thing. That questioning look is asking 'what is he doing here?' Or to be more specific, what am I doing here?
Snow or something…Whatever his name was…Came over and…Well,
"Sis! How nice of you to drop ove…" He was promptly cut off by her fist.
Next thing I knew, he was a crumpled heap on the floor.
With a….Fist mark on his face.
I stared at him and turned to look at her again.
Remind me not to make her angry…..
That Was the first thing that popped into my mind.
But, I couldn't help but think about how graceful she was when she punched him….
DAMN IT ESTHEIM! You're doing it again.
This is…what? The, like…Hundredth time I was thinking about her again?
What the heck is happening to me?
While I pondered these questions all in the space of about a minute, Serah came over and picked up the 'Crumpled Heap Of Muscle' which I so dubbed, off the floor.
She lay him down at the corner and came back.
She then proceeded to lecture her sister.
"Claire, why must you always punch Snow?" She asked, pouting a little.
Sigh…I remember she used to show me that pouting face whenever I refuse to buy her something last time….
Wait…Claire? Is that her name?
"First off, he called me 'Sis' which I do not like. And second of all, Serah…That is not my name anymore."
Claire….if I heard that name right…Glared at her sister, but in a more…or should I say, less…menacing than usual glare. In fact, it almost looked like she was smiling in amusement.
I started to admire her features again… Her soft eyes when she smiled, the beautiful curve of her lips when she smiles….
I scolded myself again.
STOP….STARING…..ESTHEIM! You don't want to end up like Snow there would you?
I looked at Snow, still lying in a corner, like a lump of muscle.
Good point….
For that whole period, starting from Snow being bashed up until the two sisters started arguing, I kept quiet.
I feel so out of place…
I look at Serah then my eyes zoomed in to her finger.
It's…An engagement ring.
Why didn't I notice it before?
It must be from Snow or…someone else.
But, if she got married, how come I wasn't invited?
I hate to interrupt the two girls, but I had to get to the bottom of this.
"Um, sorry to interrupt, but Serah, can I ask a question?"
She stopped talking to Claire and turned to look me.
"Yes, Hope?" She seemed a little annoyed I stopped her conversation.
Great….as if I don't feel guilty enough for admiring (staring, ogling…Whatever) her sister's physique.
"Right….So, um…Alright…err…" I stuttered. It was still hard to absorb the fact that she is married already…
"So, Ahh…When did it happen?" I ask hesitantly.
She just gave me a confused look.
"When…When did you get married?" I ask nervously.
Her eyes widened and she looked at her engagement ring.
Claire just glared at Serah.
"Serah, why didn't I hear about this?" She hissed.
She sure sounds intimidating.
Serah looked at me then back at her engagement ring.
"Well, technically I am not yet married, just engaged." She said softly.
Claire let out a small sigh of relief, but I can tell she is still miffed at the fact that her sister is getting married.
I just looked at my shoes.
Snow must have recovered because he strode over to us.
"Uh, anyone up for dinner?" he asked.
…
"Oh, am I interrupting something…?" he hesitantly asked.
….
No one is saying anything… I thought to myself.
"Right, I guess I'll go then…." He pouted before leaving.
I snapped back to reality and shouted at him.
"Wait! Snow, you wanted to say something…?"
He came back and gave us a crooked smile.
"Well, dinner is getting cold, so how about it? Chow time?" He asked happily.
Claire and Serah just kept quiet, not wanting to move.
Snow and I went to a corner to discuss the current situation.
I discussed it for quite some time with Snow.
"Hope….was it?" he asked.
"Yeah… "I paused…
"Look, what are we going to do? They aren't budging at all!" I whispered sharply to him.
He thought for a while before replying.
"Damn it, dinner is getting cold too! Serah's cooking is the best and I would hate for it to go to waste…" Snow said in a genuinely depressed tone.
His face lit up as if with an idea and said,
"How about we carry them to the dinner table?"
I glared at him.
"Well, then who is carrying who?" I asked, fearing the worst.
He smirked and said,
"Naturally I'm carrying Serah." He said it in a sly tone.
Oh, I see…So he wants to hang me out to dry then?
Leave me to the mercy of Claire Farron…
He smirks at my panicked face and poked me.
How about this, I'll give you…500 Gil if you do something extra."
I stared at him.
"500 is nothing to me, but I'm not one to back down from a good dare." I paused…
"It's a deal." I replied confidently.
He smirked.
Uh oh, something tells me I won't like this... I thought to myself.
"We both carry them to the table…BRIDAL STYLE!" He said triumphantly.
My face widened in horror and my mouth went agape.
This, for me…is a lose – lose situation.
I'm so dead either way, if I agree, Claire will kill me. If I disagree, Snow will rib me for life. I can't for the life of me decide which is worse.
I sigh out loud.
"I guess a deal is a deal." I say grudgingly.
He looked at the two girls before looking back.
"We are going to have to sneak behind them and pick them up." He grinned mischievously.
"She can sue me for Sexual Harassment y'know…" I say softly.
"Why me…? I shouldn't have accepted that stupid bet." I sigh audibly.
Snow grinned again and replied with a "No backing out!"
We both went behind the two girls.
They were too spaced out to notice anything.
I sucked in my breath and swooped my hand towards her legs, picking her up bridal style.
She snapped back to reality and panicked as she lost balance.
She clung on to me as if I was a lifeline and started panting, as if she just had the scare of her life...
Judging by her reaction, I can safely say….I'm so dead.
It was as if we were indirectly hugging each other… And if you see it from a certain angle, it looks almost intimate.
Sure, I enjoyed it…But what about her?
I glanced at her briefly and noticed her face flush…
She must have regained her senses because her eyes look…panicked, like any sane person, but her regular look returned after a minute or so.
I just gingerly carried her toward the table and she, apparently…was still too shocked to say anything.
I started to blush a little when she looked at me… But I continued to walk toward the table.
'Lightning's Perspective'
So Serah is engaged now… I thought bitterly to myself.
I can't help but feel a pang of jealousy of her, even though I'm happy for her.
She is no longer the helpless little girl I had to take care of after mom and dad died…
My thoughts shifted towards the future.
Serah would have a really bright future ahead of her…
A big family, lots of children, a man who cares about her….
And me?
I'm doomed to live alone for the rest of my life.
Serah would be living happily with her husband while I…I will be all alone.
I felt like I was about to cry until….
I was suddenly swept off the ground.
I momentarily lost balance and panicked.
It happened so suddenly that I quickly clung to the nearest thing I could find.
I was scared so badly that I started to pant uncontrollably.
When my senses came back, I found out I was…moving.
I was being carried…Bridal style.
I flush as I think about how this could have happened…?
It seems like someone is carrying me toward the dinner table.
I was clinging to that person's neck…Almost intimately.
I was still panting because the shock hadn't worn off.
I was a little scared to see who was carrying me.
I half expected to see Snow and was ready to deck him for humiliating me.
I looked up and….
It wasn't Snow.
It was…Hope. At least, that's what Serah calls him.
He was blushing a little and I could fell his chest rising and falling.
I could feel his muscles while he was carrying me.
He wasn't anything like Snow, but he had hidden muscles under that coat he was wearing.
I started to blush furiously…I felt so small in his arms.
Why is this happening to me…? I thought to myself.
That must have been the hundredth time I asked that same question.
This Mix of emotions never happened before, at least until I met Hope.
Eventually, he set me down and I let go of his neck, trying in vain to regain my balance.
I nearly fell until he grabbed my arms and helped me balance myself.
I turned to him, and…I…
I did something to him which he didn't really deserve. All he did was try and help me to the dinner table so I could eat and he couldn't drag me…That would be rude.
Instead, he actually was kind enough to carry me here.
And how did I repay him?
'Hope's Perspective'
*SLAP!*
The sound echoed through the room.
I could feel my jaw almost dislocating and I sort of spun in mid-air, falling unceremoniously on the floor.
She slapped me.
It was understandable, I breached her personal space, harassed her sexually (in a sense) and worst of all…Humiliated her.
A big, red mark embedded itself on the side of my face.
Claire put a hand to her mouth, as if shocked that she did that.
Why does she look hesitant? I sure deserved that…
She gave me an apologetic look and looked at her shoes.
Snow helped me up with a small grin on his face.
He whispered to me,
"I guess I owe you 500 Gil then?"
He then helped me regain balance and checked the mark on my face.
He cringed a little.
He looked at me and said,
"It looks pretty bad, nothing permanent though…But you can expect it to be there for a while."
I rubbed the mark and cringed in pain. I almost cried out.
Serah sighed and took a wet towel and pressed it against the mark.
I hissed in pain.
"Sorry about Claire, she's just like that." Serah cracked a small smile.
I sigh in defeat.
"No, I deserved it…" I was cut off by Claire.
"N-no you didn't! I just….overreacted." She blurted out.
All three of us gave her a confused look, as if no one expected her to say that.
She just blushed and looked away.
After everything settled down, the dinner table…
Serah sat next to Snow and I was sitting with Claire.
Miraculously, the dinner wasn't that cold and it was still edible.
Unfortunately, my jaw prevented me from eating.
Claire noticed it first and inquired.
I sigh before replying.
"My jaw…It's not working properly…"
She looked at her plate, guilt obvious on her face.
I gave her a pat on the back.
"Don't worry about it…It'll heal in time…" I reassured her.
She gave me a small smile before continuing to eat.
Serah was the first to break the awkward silence.
"So, Hope…Care to tell me how you knew my sister before today?" She inquired.
I paused a while before answering.
"Well, I met her at this café called 'Café of Joy' and she was assigned to my table." I said slowly.
Serah raised her eyebrow before further inquiring.
"But I don't think she is one to just simply get to know her customer." Serah paused before continuing.
"Especially a guy…She never mixed around with any, aside from Snow or the waiters."
"So, why did she take a particular interest in you?"
She directed the question at me…
But Claire answered first.
"How often do you see someone with silver hair?"
She was unable to infuse that sentence with any sort of conviction so we ruled it out.
She relented and told Serah the full story.
"He came in, looking pretty gloomy…as if he lost everyone close to him."
I cringed at that, ironic…huh? She got it in one go…
That reaction did not go unnoticed by Lightning.
So…He did lose everyone then…? She thought to herself, pity welling up in her.
"Amodar assigned me to his table, saying that if I am unable to get a good customer feedback from the next customer, he would fire me."
Serah looked a little sad; she probably thinks that Claire lost her job.
"At the end of the dinner, he left with a smile. He gave me 500 Gil as a tip and a feedback slip." Lightning paused for a little bit before continuing…
"The feedback slip was mostly about the waitress serving him…namely, me."
Serah looked like she was preparing to comfort Claire for losing her job.
I was just listening intently. .. I knew what had happened, unlike Serah, who was still in the dark.
"He complimented me on my exceptional service…" Lightning was about to say something else but was cut off by a smirking Snow.
"So… 'Exceptional Service' Huh…?" He grinned mischievously.
Snow hinted at something with that tone of voice…
I quickly caught on and started blushing madly.
Nothing compared to Claire though…
She was flushed, and moments later I could feel movement underneath the table, followed by Snow collapsing on the floor, moaning "My…Balls…." Before crying out in pain…
Claire cleared her Throat and continued.
"Amodar gave me a raise and…" Claire looked at me with soft eyes.
Wow…I never saw her eyes like this before…
"And I would just like to say…Thank you, Hope." She then looked away, slightly blushing.
Why does she blush whenever she looks at me…? I wonder to myself.
"No problem…." I answered before asking a question.
"By the way, is your name Claire?" I ask her.
Her eyes hardened for a little while before disappearing.
"No, my name is….Lightning." She replied.
"I see…I'll just call you Light then."
She gave me a weird look before replying,
"Sure….I don't mind…" She said softly.
She agreed? I expected her to demand I call her 'Lightning'.
'Lightning's Perspective'
Light huh…? That sounds like a nice name…
I suddenly thought of something and asked Serah,
"So Serah, how did YOU know Hope?" I gave her a questioning look.
She shifted uncomfortably before replying,
"He was my Ex-boyfriend…I dumped him a year ago."
I cringed a little at this.
She gave up Hope, who was such a nice, caring person…For a bungling oaf like snow?
At least it confirmed on thing, Hope had lost his girlfriend…
Does that mean that the reason he was depressed when I first met him was because he lost Serah? Or was there more to it…?
Serah looked at Hope solemnly and said,
"Oh, I heard about your dad, I'm sorry about what happened, Hope."
It was pretty obvious what she meant.
Hope looked depressed for a little while before recovering.
"Its fine, I never was that friendly with him ever since mom died…"
My heart was overwhelmed by the emotions and pity welling up in me.
Hope had lost his family, lost his girlfriend…How does he keep going on…?
I was surprised he was even still walking, let alone smiling and talking normally.
Hope thought of something and brought it up.
"About what you said earlier today, you are engaged to…Snow? But aren't married yet?" he asked with curiosity filling his voice.
Serah paused for a while before replying,
"Yes, he proposed to me last week. And I agreed." Serah said softly.
If Hope was depressed, he sure did a good job of hiding it.
He glanced at his watch and sat up.
"Thank you for Dinner Serah, but I'm afraid I have to go." He paused before looking at me.
"Oh, and it was a pleasure meeting you…Light." He smiled.
He then walked towards the door and closed it behind him.
All sorts of emotions started battering my heart.
I can't make a heads or tails of it…
But it feels an awful lot like…
A crush…?
Authors Notes
Yes, very very OOC! Lightning does not exactly love him; she is merely accepting how she feels about him. This is just the beginning of their relationship. Reviews are appreciated and so is support for my community! Thanks a lot!
