Chapter Three: Jealousy

"Reno." The bald man stood behind the red haired Turk with his arms folded. Reno turned around to see Rude, who took the empty seat next to him. A slow jazz tune playing in the background along with cigarette smoke floating in the air created somewhat of a relaxing setting for the two Turks. "You needed me?"

"Yeah. I got a dilemma on my hands," Reno turned his head from side to side, seeing that there were only a few people in the bar who were yards away from him. He sighed and leaned in closer to Rude. "What would you say if one person who's been talking to another person starts to look at that person differently due to the way she has been treating him? But here's where it gets interesting. That person he's talking to knows a second person who is with the main person. The first person thinks the second person and the main person are an item, even though the main person has specifically told the first person and the second person that it isn't serious. What would you do if you were in that main person's shoes?" He whispered.

"…"

Reno snorted, shaking his head. "Screw it. I tried to explain it the best I could."

"It's Tifa, isn't it?"

"Rude! Keep it down!" Reno whispered, looking at Tifa who was busy talking to a few other customers a few yards away. He caught her glancing at him for a split second, only to look away.

"Tifa? What about Tifa?" A blonde haired woman stared at the two men with her eyebrow raised. Just arriving at the bar, she moved her eyes back and forth between Reno and Rude with her mouth wide open.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. Shouldn't you be at work, anyway?" Reno waved his hand, placing his bottle of beer to his lips with the other. Elena nodded over at Tifa who prejudged what she wanted for her order and went to fetch her favorite drink. Receiving her Bud Light Lime, Elena sat on the other side of Reno. Seeing the puzzled look on Rude's face, Elena began to giggle and point at him. "The hell is so funny?"

Elena laughed some more as Reno and Rude looked at her with a confused and a blank stare, respectively. "Ti ---- fa, and Re ---- no, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"Elena! Stop it! It's not what you think!"

"Come on Reno," She said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, a fake pout on her face. "Stop with the lies! Look at you! Your nostrils are so wide open you look like you've been sniffing bowling balls!" She began making loud sniffing noises, giggling afterward.

"Elena!"

"I mean, really! When Rude and I stopped by here yesterday morning, I swear I saw you humming show tunes, watching episodes of Desperate Housewives and eating Special K cereal! What's next? Are you gonna get a manicure and a pedicure?" She asked, counting each observation on her finger.

Reno shook his head, curling his upper lip. "That doesn't sound too bad right now, the way you're talking."

Elena exhaled. She looked deep into Reno's serious looking eyes, her smile vanishing to be replaced by a frown. "Reno, do you even know if Tifa will like what you're doing for her tonight?"

"Yes she will, Elena. Yes she will. I told her the dinner was my treat."

"Oh yeah? Well I bet you a Bud Light that she bails out on you."

"You're on, missy," He said, shaking her hand.

"Gawd! Why'd I have to refuse Cloud and Tifa's request to stay at their place and instead choose to live here in Wutai with the old man?" Yuffie said, lying on her back in her bed. "Cloud and Tifa could've at least forced me to take a room with them. But no ----!"

Hearing a knock at her front door, Yuffie sat up and moved toward the end of the bed. "Come in!"

"Yuffie?" Tifa walked through the front door, closing it behind her.

Yuffie grinned, watching Tifa walk inside her bedroom. "Teef, what a surprise!"

Tifa frowned with her lip curled to the side. "Surprise? You called me and told me to get here ASAP."

"Whatever," Yuffie bounced a little as Tifa sat down next to her on the bed. "Tifa…I thought you said you were gonna give up eating those Tastykakes?"

Tifa's eyes narrowed, her lips pouched out. "Yuffie. Shut it."

Yuffie giggled, patting Tifa on the leg. "Just kidding! Just kidding! But you know why I asked you to stop by, don't you?"

Tifa smiled. "It's because of Reno, isn't it?"

"If you had said 'because of Cid', I would've hurt ya," Yuffie said, sighing afterward. "But be honest…does he hate me because of what I did?"

"Of course not."

"Thanks, Tifa," Yuffie said, hugging her.

"You're welcome, Yuffie. I'll talk to you later," Tifa nodded, patting Yuffie's back. "Okay Yuffie, you can let go now."

Yuffie finally let go as Tifa got up and left to return to the airship. Yuffie lay back in her bed with her arms crossed, her lips formed into a pout.

I get the feeling something else is going on with Reno…something he knows he wouldn't tell me. I hope it's not what I think it is.

Sitting at a table in the dimly lit Turtle's Paradise restaurant that was recently built in Edge, Reno eyeballed the items he had in front of him.

"Bottle of expensive white wine…check. Vase full of roses…check. Pre-lit scented candles, courtesy of Turtle's Paradise…check. Well…" Reno rubbed his hands together with a smile on his face, staring at the red candles glowing before him. "She should be here any minute now."

Hearing the sound of footsteps, he looked up to see Tifa heading toward him. Her hips moving side to side with each step seemed to put him in a trance. Reno quickly got up and pulled out her seat, a surprised Tifa shaking her head with a laugh.

"It's okay Reno, I've got it."

Damn! When you don't do it, they get pissed as hell and remind you that 'chivalry is dead thanks to you chauvinist pigs'. But when you do it, they either say you're patronizing them or they can do it themselves. Dammit! Women, make up your minds!

Reno and Tifa planted themselves in their seats simultaneously, the both of them looking at their own copy of the Turtle's Paradise menu.

"Reno…"

"Yes?"

Tifa leaned over, placing her chin in her hands with her elbows on the table. "It's great to know that tomorrow your back should be 100% again."

"Really?" Reno said with a little sarcasm in his voice. "I'm gonna miss those 30 Rock rerun marathons we had. Not to mention those mint double chocolate caramel cookie puff things you make."

Tifa laughed. "Reno, I'm serious!"

"Uh huh. Just as serious as you saying that I mooch off of your services at the bar."

"I was serious about that. But I must admit that hanging around with you hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be." Tifa said, her head swaying back and forth a little from the soft jazzy music playing in the background.

Reno grinned. "Well you know, what can I say? I have that effect on people."

"If you say so."

Looking at Tifa's face illuminated by the orange light, Reno couldn't help but continue to look into her eyes as she took another look at the menu in front of her.

"Tifa."

"Yes?" She asked, her eyes meeting his.

"I don't usually say things like this but…you have very beautiful eyes."

Tifa blushed, looking down at the table. "Reno…that's very nice of you."

"No, thank you," Grabbing her hand that was on the table, he began gently rubbing it as he leaned in toward her. Tifa drew herself closer to him as well, both parties' eyes closed. Reno stuck his lips out a little, ready for his to touch hers.

"Reno!" A voice yelled out, Tifa and Reno jerking backwards into their seats. The lights in the restaurant turned on, both Tifa's and Reno's eyes squinting due to the brightness of the room. "Hold it right there, buster!"

"Yuffie? What are you doing here?"

"You know damn well why I'm here! And because of that, you're in big trouble, mister!"