Author's Note:The reviewer turnout for this story is turning out a lot better than I thought it would, since the FFVII category isn't one to get many reviews. Thank you every single one of you! You seriously make my day when I read your review. It just warms my heart.

I just want to say a quick thank you to these lovely reviewers for being with me and reviewing from the very first chapter! RubyRedTifa, Numinous-Alqua, Amber, Shivana, faebsel, StrifeRose, sunflowerspot, vLuna, iNessie, sorakun9, TemariDarkSoul.

And I love the rest of you as well! All you guys really make me happy!

Okay, enough of that. Enjoy the chapter, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer:I own nothing at all but the plot line.

Warning: Chapter contains mature content.

The Risks of Gambling

Summary: [AU] Tifa didn't know she had a gambling problem until she staked her freedom… and lost. [CloudTifa] [ZackAerith]

Chapter 6 – Consequences

The ride home was a silent one. After saying goodbyes to Gast, the women Tifa had been chatting with and Cloud's colleagues, Cloud and Tifa walked wordlessly to the service car waiting at the curb of the street.

Tifa couldn't bring herself to look at Cloud's eyes, keeping her stare on the floor. She noticed from her peripheral vision that he was not looking at her either, avoiding her eyes as he kept his gaze straight ahead of him. Once the two reached the car, the chauffeur opened the door for Tifa. She slid inside, placing herself as close to the door as possible. When Cloud entered the car as well, she noticed his posture was incredibly stiff.

When Cloud settled inside, Tifa smelled his overbearing scent as it seemed to waft over to her. A blush dusted her cheeks as the scent caused her to instantly remember him being pressed tightly against her, kissing her so fervently that her lips throbbed just thinking about it. Tifa brought a steady hand to her mouth, oblivious that Cloud watched her do so with darkened cerulean eyes. The power, the hunger in his kiss left her heart racing merely thinking about it.

Cloud forced his eyes away, inwardly cursing at himself. How could he lose his self control like that? Her lips, her smooth, porcelain skin—they tasted delicious and he found himself craving for more. He clenched his fist tightly at his side. He could not begin to imagine what was running through her mind, what impression she had of him when he left her wordlessly in the courtyard.

"Cloud… was that just for the camera?"

It had taken a moment for her question to process in his mind. He had been too busy staring at her ruffled hair, her flushed cheeks, her parted pink lips, her heaving chest. When it finally did occur to him what she had said, his brain was racing for an answer.

Seeing Tifa with another man gave him the carnal desire to claim her. Despite the fact that the public already considered them together, privately they were merely business associates. He had not considered for a moment what her feelings were towards him, but remembering the hands in his hair and underneath his shirt confirmed she had felt something too.

He had never anticipated someone watching them. But on the other hand, he was too consumed with her to notice anything else.

He had left her in silence because not even he could explain what had happened, what had suddenly came over him to kiss her, taste her, touch her—

Cloud inwardly cursed. His thoughts were sending blood rushing to his loins. This was not like him. He was a man of self-control. He always had control of his basic instincts, of his primal urges. He lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.

He had crossed a line. Where they would go from there he could not predict.

"Sir?"

The voice immediately drew Cloud out of his thoughts. He looked to his right, seeing the car door open and the owner of the voice, his driver, staring questioningly at him.

"We're here, sir," said the driver.

Cloud looked to his left, seeing the seat where Tifa had been now empty. Lifting his gaze, he barely caught a glimpse of her as she scurried inside, her long brown hair flying back behind her as she closed the front door behind her.

"Tag! You're it!"

The sound of a little girl's laughter echoed throughout the open field, unrestrained by the border of trees thick with leaves. Cloud stumbled back a few steps from her "tag", watching the girl dash away from him. Her long, brunette hair tied in a high ponytail flailed behind her as she ran.

"You'll have to hurry if you want to catch me!" she shouted, giggling once more as she scampered even quicker, sprinting without a care in the world.

Cloud dashed after her, straining his small legs as much as he could before he caught up to her within moments. He put a small hand on her shoulder, and her laughter rang in his ears when she realized he had caught her. The two children eventually stopped running, and the girl before him panted softly before whipping her head around.

All he could see was the bright smile she was flashing at him.

"Aw, you got me! I guess I'm 'it' now! Okay, this time I'll give you a head start—"

"Sweetie! Sweetie pie! Where did you go off running to this time? We're going to be late for ballerina lessons again!"

Hearing a woman's voice, Cloud watched the girl turn away from him, facing the direction where the voice was coming from.

Her shoulders slumped heavily as she mumbled to herself, "Aw, mommy's here." She sprinted towards where her mother's voice came from, then turned to face the young boy. "I have to go now, but meet me here again tomorrow, okay, Cloud?" She beamed at him, waved goodbye to him with her whole arm, and then darted away.

Curiosity lead him to follow her, hiding behind the bark of a tree as he watched the girl go up to a woman with the same long, brunette hair and light skin. She wore a blazer with a skirt as a pearl necklace rested against her neck.

"Oh, honey, what happened to your dress? And your shoes? And your hair?" Cloud heard the woman say, her tone reprimanding as she inspected the girl's clothes. The little girl was wearing a light blue short-sleeved dress, but the skirt was crumpled and there were numerous grass stains. Her hair had twigs sticking out of it and her nice white shoes had splotches of brown. The woman wet her finger and began rubbing dirt off her daughter's face. "Oh, sweetie, why do you insist on getting so dirty? You know this makes mommy look bad. Why can't you just wear clean dresses and be a good little girl?"

He watched the woman take the girl's hand and lead her inside a large house, so large Cloud would have to turn his head multiple times to look at the property in its entirety. When the mother-daughter pair were out of sight, the young boy frowned. He looked down to his own plain gray shirt and blue shorts, both marred with grass stains, dirt, and holes. He sighed, his head hanging low as he turned around and trudged through the field.

It seemed as though the sun's dazzling shine was especially bright that morning when Cloud drifted out of his slumber. He opened his cerulean eyes for a moment before he lowered them, his forearm resting against his forehead as his gaze became half-lidded, staring at the wall in a daze.

That dream again…

Eventually he swung his legs over the side of his bed, standing up as he scooped up a pair of pants from the floor to put on his boxer-clad body. He quickly left his bedroom, walking down the hallway towards the kitchen. The blood rushed to his brain from his sudden movement, blurring his vision for a moment before it soon cleared by the time he was at the refrigerator. He opened the door, took out the carton of orange juice and poured himself a glass. He took a sip and turned around, only for his sights to quickly fall on the brunette sitting at the kitchen table holding a coffee mug.

Tifa was wearing a thin, white silk robe over her light blue nightgown, and he noticed when his gaze fell upon her she stiffened, fidgeted and moved the robe to cover herself more. Her eyes seemed fix on the steam rising from her coffee mug, her fingers having an unusual tense grip around the cup.

The morning rays streaming from the large window seemed to give the room a heavenly glow. He watched her quietly, taking another drink from the glass of orange juice in his hand.

Normally he would not have minded the silence, as that's what he preferred over forced small talk, but at that moment Cloud found himself somewhat wanting Tifa to start the conversation, or at least look at him and acknowledge his presence in the room with her.

Hearing the scrape of the chair legs against the floor brought Cloud out of his thoughts. He watched Tifa stand up, still fixing her gaze on the floor, and begin to walk out of the room.

"Tifa."

She stopped, turning her head over her shoulder to glance at him. Cloud stayed silent for a moment, taking a few moments to choose his words carefully. Tifa watched him and waited patiently.

"Last night…" he began, then became silent again as he avoided her gaze. After a few moments he spoke up. "If you're uncomfortable, you can leave."

Tifa turned her body to face him fully. She raised an eyebrow at his statement, looking at him inquisitively. "Really? Just like that?"

"We had an agreement, and what happened last night was not part of the arrangement. If you don't want to stay, you don't have to."

Tifa listened to his words carefully. The way he spoke was so professional and matter-of-fact; it left her wondering if he had felt any emotional attachment to what had transpired the previous night.

Cloud studied her face carefully. Her expression had not changed the whole time he spoke—she merely remained standing, looking at him with her large, brown eyes that frustrated him because he couldn't read them. A silence settled between the two before Tifa finally spoke.

"Just one question," began the brunette woman. Her gaze faltered for a moment before she licked her lips and looked at Cloud directly in the eye. "Why did you do it? Why did you kiss me? Was it really just for the camera?"

Cloud immediately fell silent. Of all the things he thought she would say in response to his words, he never anticipated she would ask that. His cerulean eyes fell from her face to the floor.

Tifa bit the inside of her mouth. She didn't know what came over her to ask him so bluntly why he had kissed her. She could see him fumbling over how to respond as he still refused to look at her. When he finally did meet her eyes and opened his mouth to answer her question, she interrupted him.

"I change my mind. Forget I asked," she said quickly. "I don't want to know why." She folded her arms behind her back. "But tell me this. How much longer do you think we'll be keeping up this charade?"

"Not much longer." His answer was almost immediate.

She nodded at the information. "Look, we've come this far, and I gave you my word that I would help you out and see it through to the end. I've always kept my word, and I don't plan on breaking it over a silly little mishap. Okay?"

Cloud studied her face intently for a few moments, then nodded.

Tifa flashed him a feign smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Okay. Now, if that's all, I would like to leave to get dressed."

"Where are you going?" he asked calmly.

"I need to go check inventory for my bar and see how it's holding up."

Cloud nodded once more, and Tifa gave him a slight smile before she left the room. Once out of his sight, she sighed quietly. She had been somewhat hopeful that Cloud had felt the same spark she had felt last night when he had kissed her, but based on his response to the affair, she doubted he had felt anything at all.

I shouldn't be thinking like this, though, she thought to herself, shaking her head to rid her thoughts. Clearly he doesn't want to mix business with pleasure, and neither should I.

The flowers swayed softly in the breeze in Aerith's church.

Cloud roamed inside the large building, glancing from the rows of benches to stain-glassed windows to the flowers. With no one there, the air had a peaceful tranquility and exuded a calm atmosphere that made Cloud feel serene. He had decided to come to Aerith's church to clear his head, specifically his thoughts that particularly revolved around a certain brunette.

He sat on the bench at the very front of the rows and looked at the field of flowers in the garden of the church. The rays of the sun were streaming down to the flowers, giving them a brilliant glow.

A flower with clear white petals and a bright yellow center particularly caught his eye. A flash of the little brunette girl's face, the one from the dreams he had been having, came to his mind, with the very same flower he was currently looking at adorned in her pretty brunette hair.

Cloud leaned his head back and looked up to the clear blue sky, watching the thick, fluffy white clouds casually pass by. He was completely puzzled by the dreams he had been having—specifically why they had been coming to him recently and why he couldn't explain what he was dreaming of, such as who was that girl, and why did he only remember her smile?

All Cloud knew was after having a dream with the little girl, he would wake up the following morning feeling calm and relaxed, yet feeling as though he was forgetting something. Tifa's presence had done little to answer his questions—instead her presence only brought more questions, except now they weren't about the dream, but about her, her thoughts, her opinion of him…

Cloud closed his eyes. Aerith's church normally helped him clear his thoughts, but it wasn't helping much today. He stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets and left the building.

He wanted to go find Zack and have his friend try to figure out the mess going on in his head. Zack was one of the few people who knew Cloud better than himself. But since him and Aerith were nowhere to be found, Cloud only assumed they were out spending time together, since between work, social gatherings and Cloud at home, there was hardly ever time for the two of them to really be alone.

Cloud left the church and decided to wander the streets to help clear his thoughts. He had no plan on where to go, but that was his intention, as he figured he would be focused on figuring out where he was going rather than anyone else that happened to enter his thoughts.

He didn't know how long he had been wandering or where he had been going. All Cloud knew was that he had crossed many crosswalks, saw many streetlights and watched several cars drive by when the sun began to set. Since it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed early, leaving the streets to be only lit by dim streetlights.

It wasn't until a lone light caught his eye that Cloud noticed he was in an unfamiliar part of town. It didn't bother him so much though because he knew how to take care of himself ever since he was younger.

More out of curiosity than anything else, Cloud decided to walk into the building with the lone light shining and see what lay inside. He heard the clinking of glass hitting one another before he stepped into the room.

His eyes widened slightly when he found Tifa inside washing dirty glasses and drying them before she lined them up and put them away. She was so preoccupied in her task she hadn't even noticed him come in.

He had contemplated whether or not he should make his presence known to her as he glanced around the room. It was a spacious room filled with several bar stools and small tables. There were several different drinks lined up on the counter of the bar. Behind the bar was a small kitchen with a refrigerator and a sink. To the far right of the room there was a staircase that Cloud presumed led to a set of bedrooms.

"Cloud?"

The man was brought out of his thoughts upon hearing Tifa's voice. He looked at her and watched her put a hand to her hip as she raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"The light was on," Cloud replied. "I was curious."

"But what are you doing on the other side of town?"

Cloud merely shrugged. His eyes shifted from her face to the several alcohol bottles beside her. Tifa followed his gaze with a quirked brow.

Predicting his train of thought, she asked, "Do you want something to drink?"

"Are you offering?"

"Is that a yes?"

Cloud didn't respond but instead stepped inside and sat down on one of the bar stools.

"What would you like?" Tifa asked.

"Anything," Cloud responded simply.

He watched the brunette nod, then take one of the bottles and grab a glass from the cabinet. He watched how she expertly handled the large vodka bottle as she poured him a glass of the clear liquid and placed it in front of him before she put the bottle down.

"Thanks," he muttered before he grabbed the drink and took a swig.

Tifa nodded, then resumed her cleaning. She began to wipe down the counter as Cloud watched her absentmindedly, a comfortable silence settling between the two.

Tifa knew Cloud's eyes were on her, but she didn't mind, and instead found herself enjoying his company since she had begun to feel lonely by herself in her bar. After all, not many people came to drink on a Sunday.

Once finished wiping down the counter, Tifa stood up straight and placed the damp towel aside. She stretched her arms and took a deep breath before she found a hair tie and tied her hair back. As she did so, her eyes darted over to Cloud, only to find him staring at the alcohol in his hand. His deep cerulean eyes seemed distant, as though he were thinking hard on something.

Seeing this, the corner of Tifa's mouth tugged downwards, feeling slightly concerned. "Cloud?" she began softly. She saw his head snap up at the sound of his name as he looked at her. "Is something on your mind?"

He didn't answer her question; instead he took another sip of the vodka he was holding.

"I'm a good listener, you know," she added, a smile curving her lips when he met her eyes once more. He only stared at her and didn't give a sign that he was going to answer her. She shrugged and turned around, giving her back to him as she finished tying her hair up. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. I just think it would help if you got whatever it is off your chest—"

"I've been having strange dreams lately," he said, interrupting her.

Cloud didn't know what came over him to answer her question so abruptly. Normally he would have stayed silent until she gave up on asking him what's wrong, as he would have done with anyone, but he found himself having a natural tendency to answer any question asked by Tifa, though he didn't know why. Nevertheless, he knew there was no going back now, and figured putting his thoughts into words could maybe help him make sense of them.

Tifa had turned around and was looking at him with curiosity twinkling in her brown eyes. He wasn't facing her but instead looking at the drink in his hand.

"A dream?" she asked.

"Yeah," he responded. He took another sip of his drink. "I've been having the same dream the past few weeks. I've had similar dreams before, but they happened months, almost years apart. Now I'm having the same dream every few days and I don't know why."

Tifa tilted her head thoughtfully. "What's the dream about?"

"A girl and I playing together when we were children," he answered her. "I don't know her name, but we get along well."

Tifa walked to the counter and rested her forearms against it. She leaned her cheek into the palm of her hand as she drummed her fingers against her cheek. "What does the little girl look like?"

"She has brown eyes and brown hair."

"Well, that narrows it down," Tifa joked, a smile curving her lips. However her smile fell from her face when Cloud looked at her and began to stare at her intensely. He was so intimidating when he looked at her like that. Her stomach began to churn from the intensity building in his eyes so Tifa cleared her throat, refilled his drink (as she noticed it beginning to run low) and asked, "Does anything else happen in these dreams?"

"No. I'm just playing with her in a meadow."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What else? Tell me the details."

Cloud paused for a moment, recollecting the dream in his mind. Tifa waited patiently as he gathered his thoughts.

"It's… the weather is bright. Very sunny. She laughs a lot… her smile lights up her face. All I can remember is her smile… The field has long grass blades and is surrounded by trees. She wears dresses with white shoes and always gets them dirty so her mother would scold her about it…"

Cloud trailed off and then took another swig of the vodka in his hand. He lifted his cerulean eyes to look at Tifa who merely looked back at him with her chocolate brown eyes.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't understand why she was looking at him like that, with large brown eyes he couldn't read; he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary, in his opinion.

"Nothing," Tifa replied, mumbling, as she looked away from his gaze and down to the counter of the bar.

A light blush dusted her cheeks. She had been studying Cloud's features instead of listening to him as he spoke, noting how chiseled his cheeks were, how sharp his jaw was, and how his eyes were an everlasting blue. She felt her blush darken as she felt Cloud's eyes studying her features, obviously confused why she was acting odd and flustered.

Clearing her thoughts by shaking her head, Tifa added, "I wish I could help you, Cloud, but I don't have any answers for you." She took his now empty glass from his hand and walked over to the sink and began to wash it. "I guess I'm not as wise a bartender I thought I was," she joked, turning off the sink.

She turned to dry the glass and put it away, however she felt her back collide into a firm chest. Her heart skipped a beat when she turned around and her brown eyes fell upon Cloud's handsome face.

"…Cloud?" she spoke, though her voice was a soft whisper. "What are you doing?"

"I wasn't done," he replied. His cerulean eyes seemed to darken as they bored into hers.

"O-Okay," she stuttered, cursing herself for doing so. She tried to turn to retrieve another glass, but Cloud had trapped her between his warm body and the counter behind her. "Um, Cloud, I need to move to get you a glass—"

"Not that," he interrupted. He watched her large brown eyes look at him, wide and confused. He lifted his hand, grasped her chin and tilted her face towards him. Thick lashes lowered over Tifa's eyes for a moment before they fluttered open as Cloud ran the pad of his thumb against her lower lip.

Her throat went dry, and Tifa swallowed hard, which she was sure Cloud could feel considering how close he was to her. Her heart was thumping so wildly it felt as though it would burst out of her chest.

"Last night…" he murmured, his voice fading away. It wasn't for the camera. Her lips, her taste, her touch—it haunted him, and he had been craving it madly since he first kissed her. She was incredibly, astonishingly addicting, and he wanted more, a lot more.

"Cloud…" she whispered, though it didn't break his gaze from her lips. Her eyes widened when she saw the tip of his tongue emerge from his mouth before he ran it slowly along her plump lower lip. She gasped from the touch, and that was all he needed to close the space between them as he crushed his mouth hungrily against hers.

His tongue swerved inside her mouth, immediately tangling with hers. His other hand took the hair tie from her hair and buried itself in her long brown hair. He tugged on her hair to tilt her head back, allowing him to kiss her deeper.

Tifa could taste the lingering vodka in his mouth but she didn't care. There were no cameras, no people around for miles. He was kissing her because he wanted to, and she couldn't deny that she wanted the same. She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

He ran his hands down her sides, leaving jolts of electricity tingling down Tifa's spine. His hands stopped when they reached her ass, giving her fleshy rear a hearty squeeze. Tifa pulled away from his lips as she gasped and her head lolled back.

Cloud kissed along her jaw line before running his slick tongue up and down her neck. His hands continued to knead her rump as he pushed her hips closer against his. Then he scooped her up and placed her against the counter. Tifa eagerly wrapped her long, smooth legs around his waist. Cloud ran his long, coarse fingers along her legs before one hand rested against where her neck and shoulder meet. His mouth sucked against the smooth porcelain skin of her neck and Tifa moaned his name, tugging at the spikes of his blonde hair.

He lifted his head and looked at her under darkened cerulean eyes. She was looking at him too, under hooded eyelids fringed with dark, long lashes. He watched her small, pink tongue dart out to lick her upper lip before Tifa pulled him towards her and kissed him, tugging his lower lip between her teeth.

She pressed her chest against him and Cloud growled at the contact. He reached for the zipper of her black, sleeveless top before pulling it down. Tifa shrugged the top off of her, leaving her in a thin, white tank top that did little to conceal her arousal.

Cloud pulled away from Tifa's sweet lips before his large hands settled against her ample breasts. The woman gasped as he squeezed tightly, her fingers bracing the counter to try and keep her balance.

He watched her face as he massaged her chest, watching so many emotions flash across it. Her eyes were shut tight and she was panting heavily as loud mewls spilled out of her pink, swollen mouth. He leaned forward, licking along her jaw line before kissing her cheek. Her skin was enveloped in a thin layer of sweat, making her taste salty, but delicious nonetheless.

He lowered his head and ran his tongue along the swells of her breasts before he pinched her hardened peaks. Tifa moaned loudly and tangled her hands in his blonde hair. Cloud lowered his head further before poking his tongue out and teasingly flicking it across her clothed nipple. Tifa gasped and bit her lip.

Cloud circled his tongue around the rosy bud, watching her white shirt dampen against his saliva. His other hand pinched and squeezed her left breast while he licked and teased the other. He saw Tifa bring her hands to the hem of her tank top, fumbling through a mind clouded with lust as she tried to yank the thin fabric off of her.

Cloud swatted her hands away, looking at her as she pouted cutely at him. He pressed his lips against hers as his hands lifted the tank top until it rested just above her naked breasts.

He pulled away and a new layer of lust settled in as he stared at her chest. Tifa blushed under his scrutiny before reaching out to him, pulling him towards her as she kissed his chiseled jaw and tugged at his earlobe between her teeth. He groaned as she kissed and nipped at his skin, putting his hands back to her naked breasts as he squeezed and kneaded the fleshy mounds.

Tifa moaned his name loudly against his ear as she squirmed underneath his touch. Her moans escalated louder when his lips sucked on a rosy peak, sucking and tugging at it with his teeth.

He loved hearing her moan his name, feeling her pull his hair and claw at his skin. He gave a final suck before he grasped her hips tightly and brought his lips to her ear.

"I'm going to make you scream," he whispered brashly, his hot breath fanning her neck as he ground his hips into her.

Tifa bit her lip tight and bucked her hips when she felt his massive arousal against her. She closed her eyes and cried out his name when he ground into her once more, raking her nails along his neck and pressing her bare chest against his. She rolled her hips against his and Cloud groaned at the delicious friction, tugging at her skirt—

The sound of a door opening suddenly caused the two to spring apart. Tifa pulled her shirt down and Cloud shifted awkwardly to hide the now obvious bulge in his pants. A dark blush reddened Tifa's face as she fixed her hair and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Hello?" a man's voice called. He stepped inside and once he saw the two, particularly Tifa with her messy hair and several red blotches spread across her neck and chest, he grinned a wide, wolfish grin. "Oh," said the man, who seemed in his forties, "am I interrupting something?"

"N-No," Tifa stammered, her blush becoming even darker.

"Right," said the man, his stupid grin growing wider. "I saw the light on and thought you were open. But I see I came at a wrong time." He winked at Cloud whose heavy, menacing scowl did little to faze him. "My apologies for interrupting. I'll leave you two be. Have fun!" added the man before turning around, holding his sides as he laughed a hearty laugh.

When the door closed behind him, Tifa released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She glanced over her shoulder towards the clock, surprised to see it was eleven pm already.

She looked at Cloud and called his name, watching the blonde turn and glance at her. She blushed prettily seeing the red marks across his neck and the scratches along his arms as well as his messy hair. She could only imagine how she looked in comparison.

"It's getting late…" Tifa said, tugging on her white tank top as she kept her gaze fixed on the floor. "We should get going before Zack and Aerith wonder where we are."

Cloud stared at her, her disheveled appearance making it difficult to pay attention to anything she said, let alone remind him that he had to respond. Several moments of silence settled between them before Cloud cleared his throat. Tifa snapped her head up and looked at him, her eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Where's the shower?" Cloud asked, and Tifa blushed seeing his legs shift slightly.

"Upstairs, on the right," she replied, and he nodded. She watched him walk up the stairs until he was out of sight, then she brought a hand to her throbbing lips and sighed.

Ten minutes had passed before Cloud came back downstairs. Tifa had fixed her hair and put her black top back on, zipping it up when she heard Cloud's footsteps come down.

Cloud shook the remaining water out of his hair, feeling his head clear up as the vodka began to flush out of his system.

"Ready?" Tifa asked, a small smile gracing her features.

Cloud looked at her, staying quiet for a moment before muttering a simple, "Yeah."

Tifa nodded and took one last glance at her bar before she headed towards the door. It wasn't until she brushed passed Cloud that she heard him mumble something to her.

She looked at him and blinked. "What?"

"It wasn't for the camera," he told her, his voice low and husky. "It never was."

Tifa tilted her head to the side, baffled at what he was talking about before she recalled what she had asked him the previous night.

"Cloud… was that just for the camera?"

Cloud could see the recognition in her eyes when she met his stare again. Then a dazzling smile warmed her face, and he felt his stomach churn seeing her genuine, bright smile directed to him.

Tifa never said anything back. She only continued to smile at him as she took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his, leading him out the door.

He didn't say anything, nor did he pull his hand away.