Chapter 7- Young and Beautiful (Lana Del Rey)

There was no way I had heard that correctly. My fingers tightened on the sheets. "Sora, you can't be telling me this."

"It's true though."

I laugh-sighed as I fell back into the pillows. "God, Sora. You're in a year long relationship with someone who's so right for you. You have to stay with her. I'm happy with Seifer anyway. You and Aqua are great for each other."

He was quiet when he asked, "do you love him?" Oh, the timing.

I stared at the ceiling as I heard Seifer waiting for me in the shower. "Yes."

Sora hummed. "I'm glad you're happy, Kairi. You deserve it. I hope this won't effect our friendship. I'd hate to lose you." My heart was torn. Why couldn't he have told me all of this months before?

"You won't lose me," I answered.

"You're probably busy," Sora announced as he cleared his throat.

"Um, kind of." I looked at the bathroom door. "Well, I have to go. We'll talk later though, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course. We'll talk later," he repeated. "Hey Kai?"

"Hum?"

"Happy birthday." I could practically hear him smiling.

I smiled, too. "Thank you, Sora."

"Goodnight."

"Night," I whispered back. I set the phone down and sighed. What in the world was I going to do now?

x.o.x.o.

The next morning, Seifer took me to breakfast. We didn't talk about what Sora had said to me. I didn't even bring up the fact that he had called me. I didn't want what he had said to ruin every good thing going on. I also didn't want it to change Seifer's mind about sending me to go see Sora's graduate. I wanted to figure out his reasons for deciding last minute that he couldn't follow through with his plan to marry Aqua.

Seifer and I spent the day at the zoo and the pier. He occasionally asked me where I wanted to go once our time was up the following morning. I told him I had a few places in mind but it'd take me until tonight to really decide. It wasn't actually until we were looking at "Greetings From Cloud City" postcards in a gift shop that I finally made up my mind.

"What's Twilight Town like?"

Seifer paused as he reached for a little palm tree figurine. His brows furrowed before looking back at me. "Why do you ask?"

I ran my fingers along engraved seashells and shrugged. "I've never been."

"It's nothing specially, honestly."

"Can we go?"

He looked at me and sighed. "Why?"

"Well, I want to see it and my boyfriend's from there. I'd say it's pretty special."

"It's not," he said almost too fast.

I walked up to him and mustered up my saddest puppy-dog face. "Please, can we go? It's only an hour from here."

Seifer looked almost annoyed as he ran his hand through his shaggy hair. I could sense it was a sensitive subject and realized his home connection to his untouchable past. He had moved away for a reason and never spoke of it. He apparently had no intentions of ever returning- no matter the reason.

"I'm-I'm sorry." I shook my head as I stepped back noticing I was treading a deep river. "Never mind about Twilight Town. Let's go to Horizon Cove."

"Kairi," he rubbed his temples. I messed up and I was getting anxious. Everyone who attempted the path I was tiptoeing in became a ghost in Seifer's past. I couldn't dare risk it when I finally was seeing the real him.

"Forget what I said. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. Just," I swallowed nervously. My chest tightened making me more emotional. "Just don't leave me for asking."

His green eyes met mine. "Is it what you really want?"

I looked up at him surprised. "Of course I don't want you to leave me."

"No, not that. Do you really want to go to Twilight Town?"

I didn't answer right away. Of course I wanted to go but if it risked taking steps back in our relationship, I'd never dare. "Kind of… I'd never risk you for it though…"

Seifer sighed. "If you really want to, we can go."

My eyes lit up and my chest opened up. "Really?"

"Only because it's your birthday."

"I can't believe it! If it makes you uncomfortable though, we don't have to stay," I insisted. "Are you really sure about this?"

"Honestly," he answered. "No, but if I've been able to get this far with you, maybe it'll help me open up all the way. I did promise that I'd try."

I embraced him in a hug. He really was doing it and doing it all for me. "I love you."

He kissed the side of my head. "I love you, too."

The following morning we took our time to head out to our next destination even though I was anxiously urged deep down. To even catch a little glimpse of where Seifer came from would help me understand him a bit more. It wasn't a far drive to Twilight Town from Cloud City, so there wasn't much time for talking, besides, every time I glanced at him, he had a very serious face.

As we got closer, I realized how vast the land was with vineyards growing far and wide. I stared out in awe. The city was spread out and open. It wasn't nearly as street populated as Destiny City.

"Seifer, how could you ever want to leave this beautiful place?" I asked staring out of my window.

"I have my reasons." I didn't have to look at him to know he wasn't looking my way. It surprised me how much just being back in town bothered him. I almost regretted the suggestion.

My stomach began to growl. "Um, I'm hungry. Is there any good little places to eat near by? I'm sure you know of some." This time I looked at him as we drove.

He almost looked nervous as he merged to the next lane. "I actually happen to know a place." As we continued on, I examined his expressions. If only I knew what was going on in his mind.

We pulled up to a small brick restaurant; Hanks Creekside Restaurant. We climbed out of the car and walked inside. There were quite a few people inside. A hostess sat us near the corner. As I read over the menu, I saw Seifer looking around as if he were looking for someone.

"Are you expecting to see someone?" I asked looking behind me as well. Just then the waitress app read with her pen in hand.

"I'm Anastasia. Can I get you two something to drink?"

"I'll take a water," I smiled.

"Me too," Seifer nodded. As she bowed her head to leave, Seifer cleared his throat. "Um, is Rai here today?"

"Yeah, actually. Can I tell him who's asking?"

"Seifer." She nodded and went to the back. My stomach jumped in delight. I was going to meet someone Seifer knew.

"Who's Rai?" I asked smiling.

"An old friend of mine." He sighed nervously as he looked over the menu. His green eyes averted up past me. I turned to see a tall, very muscular guy walking toward us. His black hair was mostly buzzed. He squinted his eyes to get a better look.

"Seif, is that really you?" he asked. Seifer stood up.

"Yeah, Rai, it's actually me." Rai immediately bulldozed him into a hug. Seifer grinned as they separated.

"What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you again! It's already been four years!" Four years? That was worse than I had thought. I only assumed a year since he had moved to Destiny City.

Seifer ran his fingers through his hair. "When are you off today? Maybe we can come by and talk."

"We?" Rai asked. His brown eyes met mine.

"Rai, this is my girlfriend, Kairi," Seifer said. "Kai, this is my best friend, Rai."

"Girlfriend?" Rai gasped. "Pleasure to meet you, Karii!"

"You too! I'm so glad to meet you," I grinned.

Rai looked back at Seifer. "I like this girl." I blushed. "I'm off in an hour if you want to follow me home." Seifer nodded and sat back down.

"Lunch is on me," Rai patted the table and walked away.

I smiled wide at Seifer who had gone back to reading his menu. "He's so nice."

He glanced up and smiled. He lightly massaged my hand. "He is. Now decide what you want. I know how you get when you're hungry." I was almost too excited to even eat. I finally decided on a burger and fries. Apparently Rai was an assistant manager on the side. He mainly worked on the golf course located on Bodega Bay which was where we were headed next.

The drive took forty minutes but I understood why it was so far once we arrived. Bodega Bay was a costal community located on a large golf course. The houses were large, envious homes with large windows and the greenest gardens.

We pulled up behind Rai who parked in front of a two story home with a wrap around balcony and porch, multilayered yard, three car garage, and even a pool house in the backyard. My mouth dropped open. "Rai lives here?" I asked staring at the breathtaking ocean view in front of the house.

Seifer put the car in park. "Actually, he's renting it from me. This is my house." He stepped out of the car, leaving me in surprise. I hurried out after him.

"Welcome home, buddy," Rai said presenting the house like a grand prize. The three of us walked up the stairs to the front door. Once inside, our voices seemed to echo in the extremely open layout. I stared at my scene, feeling totally out of my element. There was a 72 inch TV surrounded by two large couches facing the wall of windows that outlooked the ocean. Off to the side was a black grand piano. My footsteps echoed as I walked closer to examine.

"Do you play?" Rai asked.

My hand graced the smooth wood. "I wish," I replied.

"Maybe Seifer can teach you. He took lessons as a kid." I turned to see Rai nudge Seifer playfully. I smiled softly as I walked around the living room.

"Kai," Seifer said. "Why don't you check out the rest of the house while I catch up with Rai."

I nodded, but really wanted to just listen to their conversation. I headed down the halls and examined the surroundings. There were two living rooms; the second was attached to the kitchen dining room that had fully upgraded appliance. I headed up the spiral staircase to find a game room, three empty bedrooms, and finally the master bedroom that had the views of both the front yard and the backyard. Out by the pool, I could see Seifer and Rai talking.

I sat on the chair that was on the balcony facing the front and listened to the ocean crashing against the shore. So much had changed in forty eight hours. Seifer and I fell in love, he gave me the best birthday ever, Sora re-confessed his love for me, and I was now sitting in the home Seifer had left to do whatever he did before moving to Destiny City.

I pulled out my phone and pressed the call button. It rang a couple of times before the other end answered. "How's it going!" Namine asked excitedly. "The pictures I've seen so far are amazing."

"You'll never guess where I'm at," I replied. "Seifer's giant home in Twilight Town."

"He has a house in Twilight Town? I'm confused. Why does he have a house there?"

"He has his home from when he lived here. Apparently he's been renting it out to his best friend. Nam, this place is gorgeous!"

"What's Seifer's reaction to you being there?"

I sighed. "It's definitely different. His mood's changed since I asked him to take me here."

"Really? How's he different?"

"Just distant. Like he has a lot on his mind. It's making me curious." I rested my forehead in my palm. "I don't know if I'm being overly sensitive or just over thinking what he told me about being too curious."

Namine lightly chuckled. "Why would you be over sensitive silly?"

"Seifer told me he loved me the other night."

"What!" I had to pull the phone away from my ear. "He said it! Did you say it back?"

"Of course I did."

"Did you mean it?" she asked cautiously.

"Of course I meant it."

"Then I don't understand. What's the problem?"

I started ahead feeling the cool breeze. "Sora called and told me he loved me the same night."

"What!" she yelled again. "Kairi! I thought he was dating Aqua?"

"Worse, he was planning on asking her to marry him on their anniversary later this month. He told me he couldn't do it because he's still in love with me." My heart was starting to be torn.

"Kai," she answered quietly. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him I was happy with Seifer and we'd talk about it later."

"How do you really feel?"

"What?"

"Come on. I've known you for years. What are you really feeling?"

I wish I knew myself. "I was hoping coming here would help me get to know Seifer. He even said he was willing to try. I want to know but I don't want to push him away. It's a lose lose situation."

"Did you tell Seifer about Sora?"

"No," I sighed feeling guilty. "I couldn't let it ruin my trip. Plus, Seifer bought me plane tickets to go see Sora for his graduation. He's not coming, but I'm kind of hoping I can figure out what's really going on in Sora's head."

"Oh Kai," Namine replied quietly. "What are you hoping to happen?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and stood up. "I'm hoping my heart doesn't get broken."

"Me too," she said back. I heard a knock behind me. I turned to see Seifer leaning against the doorframe.

"Namine, I gotta go. I'll call you later," I said. We said our goodbyes and I tucked my phone away.

"Hey beautiful," Seifer said tilting his head. I smiled softly. "What do you think of the house?"

"It's amazing. I can't believe it's yours."

"Rai says we can stay here if you want to."

I looked up at him. "Do you want to?"

"If you do." I had a sudden flash back of Sora and me in the living room at his parents house. He was holding his acceptance letter asking me if he thought it was the right thing for him to go.

"Please don't make me choose," I whispered closing my eyes from the flashback. I didn't realize that I had said it as I pictured Sora smiling at me sweetly, holding up his letter while holding my hand.

Seifer stepped closer with a concerned looked. "Are you okay?"

I put my hand on my chest to calm the sudden realization of my deepest thoughts. "Yeah. Yes. Sorry. I want to stay here." His hand cupped my cheek and I leaned into it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" His voice was calm and comforting. I looked up and smiled.

"With you, yes," I answered actually feeling closer to him. Seifer was the person I was going to pick. I could feel it. Remembering my time with Sora, I realized we parted for a reason. It was the end and I was moving on and working on it with Seifer.

"I love you, Kairi," he smiled kissing me.

"I love you, too, Seifer." We hung out by the pool the rest of the day while Rai went to his second job. It wasn't hard to fall asleep in the giant bed of the master bedroom that night. Apparently Rai stayed in one of the spare rooms because he always saw the master as Seifer's.

I was drying my hair in the bathroom in just a towel the following morning when Seifer came in wearing a leather jacket and jeans. He came in and kissed my neck as he held me from behind.

"I just showered," I laughed.

He grinned. "Why would that stop us?" I started to squirm as he tugged lightly on my towel. "Hurry and get ready. I want to take you somewhere special." He winked and disappeared from the room.

I quickly finished getting ready and met Seifer and Rai downstairs. Rai handed Seifer some keys and sent us on our way. "Where are we going?" I asked excitedly in the car.

"It's a surprise," he replied. Just ten minutes later, we pulled up to a marina loaded with boats. He led me down a long dock off to the side once we parked. I was getting overly thrilled staring a the various sea vessels. "Kai, welcome aboard The Sunrise!" he finally said pointing to the large red and white sailboat in front of us.

I jumped up happily, "you rented a boat for us?"

He laughed, "it's my boat."

"Wait, wait, wait, you own a house and a boat?" He helped me onto the deck. "How do you have all this money? I don't understand why you'd leave this for an apartment and bartending job in Destiny City. Are you some sort of drug dealer looking for a hideout?"

He let out a hallow laugh and untied from the dock. "Never in a million years would I ever do such a fucked up thing." He apparently was passionate about being anti-drug.

"Well, that's good," I replied walking over to the steering wheel.

"My stepdad owned a vineyard," he finally answered. It caught me off guard. Family? He actually said something about his family.

I watched him tie up the rope and tie off the ledge of the pier as we drifted toward the ocean. The breeze was cool against my face and the mist cooled off my legs. Seifer finally stood up and took the wheel.

"Do you still have the vineyard?" I asked.

"No, I sold it." He didn't say more even though I hoped to get a little more information. I didn't press the matter anymore. Since we had arrived, I already learned more than I had known in the four months we'd known each other.

We sailed along for about an hour in the comfort of the waves colliding against the boat. It was so spectacular. "You can go check out the inside," Seifer offered. I saw him pointing to the little door by the wheel.

"I didn't even know there was an inside." I walked over and lifted the hatch.

As I began my decent, Seifer peered down. "Rai stocked the mini fridge if you're hungry." I examined my surroundings. It was small, yet cozy. There was a fridge and small appliances on one side, a couch and table in the middle, and two doors on the other end. I wandered over to check it out.

The door on the right was to a simple bathroom meant for freshening up. In front, the door led to a small bedroom. I walked in and looked around. The bed had some sheets on it and there were couple windows that looked out in both directions. As we slowed down, I noticed something catch the light of the ocean on the bedside table. I slowly picked it up.

It was a silver chained necklace with the letter 'X' hung next to a diamond ring. I held it up making it glisten in the sun even more. It was so alluring.

"There you are," Seifer said from behind, causing me to whip around with my hands behind my back. "Are you trying to insinuate something?" he winked and nodded his head toward the bed.

I laughed nervously, "no. I was just checking out the boat like you told me."

"Rai just called. He wants us to meet him at a cafe in an hour."

"Sounds good." I nodded. He smiled before going back outside. I looked at the necklace one more time before setting it back down.

I didn't mention my findings as we sailed back to shore and drove to where Rai wanted us to meet him. In fact, I hardly did much talking as I stared out the car window. I wanted to know about that ring. Once we arrived to the cafe, we met up with Rai in a booth. "Hey, how was sailing?"

"Man, I missed it," Seifer sighed happily.

"Figured you did," Rai laughed. "What'd you think Kairi?"

I smiled faintly. "It was great." I pictured the bedroom and the necklace. Maybe Rai knew. "How long have you two been friends?"

"Oh man," he sighed. "Forever. Since we were maybe seven?"

"Feels like eternity," Seifer agreed.

A polite cough interrupted us. We looked up to see a very pretty girl with raven black hair looking down at her apron pockets for her pen. "Hello, welcome to The Hole. My name is-"

"Xion?" Seifer gasped. Her bright blue eyes shot up and looked at him. I looked at Rai who tried to hide his surprise. I looked back at the waitress.

"Seifer?" It looked like she had seen a ghost.

A/N: Ah! Finally, a little spice is tossed their way! Review and maybe, just maybe I'll update soon.