Chapter 7: Close together
I just grinned lightly and gave them a nod "Let's eat before it gets cold… I prepared something and I hope you will like it. You know, I am not the best cooker". After standing there 10 more seconds they got near the table and took disbelieving a seat.
"Why did you…" Tifa started carefully to get into a conversation as I interrupted her.
"I don't know, just had the feeling to do something good for you this morning. Now please eat and let me now how it is." I said to them with a small smirk on my mouth.
"Well…" she said and looked to the plate, taking the first bite right afterwards. "…that's quite good" she said with a happy face, the kids just nodded to confirm her statement.
My grin widened.
"Cloud..?" Marlene suddenly said after we all were finished with the breakfast, but still sitting at the table, "…what are we going to do today?"
Right afterwards Tifa looked at me with eyes full of expectations what I would answer.
"Umm…I thought we might get out and have some fun with the snow, we have a lot of it in front of the door, so why not making use of it?" I replied to Marlene and found a smile on Tifa's lips.
"Yaaaaaaaaay" Denzel and Marlene were screaming. They stood up and ran to the entry door to get out of the house immediately.
"Hey!", my words stopped them and they turned around to face me. "What do you think about dressing on some more clothes!? You should get upstairs and prepare yourself for the cold weather." They just nodded and went upstairs, leaving me and Tifa alone in the kitchen.
"I will do the dishes" she said with a smirk and immediately went to the wash-bowl with the dirty plates, not giving me a chance to reply. I stood up and walked right next to her a few seconds later "Let me help you Teef" I said while staring at her beauty.
"No it's okay Cloud, you prepared the breakfast and I will do the dishes. By the way, thank you. It was delicious though you prepared it" she finally looked at me and gave me a smile, then suddenly she looked confused into my eyes.
"What's up Cloud? Why are you staring at me like this?" she asked with a shy voice and a very cute mien.
"Ummm…, it's just…" Damn, I can't tell her that I am lost in her beauty… I have to say something else… I need to improvise "…you have something there…um… on your lips. I think it's something from the breakfast". She looked even more confused after that response and just managed to say "But…" as I touched her lips softly with my right thumb and stroke over them. Indeed she hadn't anything on her mouth so her confused look was justified. She immediately looked back to the wash-bowl to continue cleaning the dishes, while I noticed that she blushed. I wanted to get into a conversation again so I continued as if nothing had happened…
"By the way, how did you sleep last night?" I asked her without making a hint to the second cover and the turned on heater.
"Wh- What?" she stuttered nervously.
"Hum, I asked if you enjoyed your sleep last night", I gave her a smile this time.
"Well, it was quite nice, but actually… it was kind of hot" she said still looking to wash-bowl, then suddenly she stopped washing and looked straight into my eyes "I am wondering who gave me the second cover and turned on the heater" she said with a confused voice, acting dumb as if she knew who it was. I just blushed a bit on that answer and lost myself in her beautiful brown ones again…She looked back to the wash-bowl and finished cleaning with a smile on her face.
"Are you coming with us?" I finally asked her.
"Well, sure. If you want me too" she answered with a grin while giving me a wink.
"Of course I want to have you outside with us. So let's go and have some fun" I replied.
She headed direction stairs and said while walking "I am sure we will, Cloud".
"Tifa…?" she turned around and again looked at me, waiting for something. "Please dress on some thick clothes, I don't want you to get ill" I ordered her with a small voice.
She just smiled "Thanks Cloud" and headed upstairs.
Oh man, that was close, what did I do there? I just touched her lips… but at least she isn't angry, maybe she even liked it. Anyway… in a few minutes we will have some fun outside, I am glad she is co-…then I noticed that the kids were staying in front of me, well prepared for the cold weather.
"Let's go Cloud!" both of them said.
"We will go in a few seconds, let's just wait for Tifa" I told them smiling.
Tifa was in her room, preparing herself for the cold weather and for the fun they will have outside.
*What is happening today? First he was preparing breakfast…now he will go outside with us to have some fun and then he even acted strange in front of me. That isn't the Cloud I knew! Finally he found some time to spend with us…also he is acting totally different… so…providently. Actually I like it this way,… I really like it, but where will this run into? Then she softly touched her lips at that point Cloud stroked over them a few minutes ago. Will he…? … Hopefully he will…* She stopped thinking and found a big smile on her lips. A few seconds later she was prepared for the snow and went direction of her bedroom door.
She finally headed back downstairs to the entry-door where 'her family' was waiting for her.
I opened the door and let Tifa and the kids pass, I sighed quietly while looking after them and went also outside closing the door behind me. I did one footstep and immediately fell down to the floor looking up to the others embarrassed:
"Well... as you can see it is really icy, so be careful..." I said to them as if it was an advice. I had a small smile on my face felt really stupid at that moment.
Tifa looked at me with a grin and rolling eyes "Cloud, I just saw it, but thanks for the advice", the kids were laughing.
"Well... so let's have fun then" I said to them and stood up, Denzel stared at me and laughed even harder: "The fun already started Cloud!". I didn't feel better after these words; I just tried to be self-confident and gave them a grin.
"So what do you think about making a snowball fight?" I asked them challenging.
"That would be just amazing" Denzel replied and Marlene just nodded.
"Well, but we have to make fair teams...I will be in a team with Denzel, and Marlene will fight together with Cloud!" Tifa suddenly said and we all just nodded to show her that we agreed.
"Okay Marlene, so we can do this!"
"Do what Cloud?" she asked me with confused eyes.
"Well... it's okay, let's just start" I answered her with a wink. Do what? Win this, what else...
I prepared a snowball and the moment I looked up again I got an snowball straight into my face, after a few seconds standing there stunned I brushed the snow out of my face and looked at Tifa and Denzel, Tifa had a special grin on her face and I knew it was her.
"Cloud, don't forget to cover yourself!" she told me naughty and poke her tongue out at me.
"Well... that means revenge Tifa!" I replied without hesitation, she gulped at that comment.
"Hey Marlene, let's go after Tifa first, she deserves it and then we can go after Denzel!" I told her with a smirk, she smiled and nodded before looking at Tifa with serious eyes.
What the...? She never looked like that before...well, let's see what happens...
Right afterwards me and Marlene threw tons of snowballs against Tifa but she managed to block them all. Denzel looked really impressed from what just happened.
"That's all you can offer? – Then you will loose!" Tifa told us with a giggle.
"Not bad Tifa..." I told her with a smirk, seeing that her eyes were glowing, seems like she was happy. I really missed that expression in her face…I saw it so often the time we were children.
"That was impressive Tifa! How did you do that? Can you teach me that? Can you show me how to fight like you? I want to learn this!" Denzel suddenly added. Tifa looked at him confused.
"Sure Denzel, I can. But first let's win this!"
"Yes!" Denzel replied happily as Tifa will show him how to defend- and maybe even fight like her.
Tifa and Denzel prepared some snowballs and started throwing them at us; guarding Marlene I got so many snowballs into my face I couldn't even count them anymore, they threw them too fast.
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!" I was trying to say something. Suddenly Tifa and Denzel stopped throwing at us and smirked.
"What do you want to say Cloud?" Tifa asked me innocently giggling.
I spit out some snow so that I could actually talk again. "Well... I said that we give up, you win" I told them laughing and giving Marlene a wink "We had no chance."
"That was your revenge, Cloud?" Tifa asked me with a giggle, I just gave her a happy smile.
"Kids..." Tifa said getting their attention "...you know what we could do now?"
They shook their heads waiting for the answer.
"We could make some snow angels!" she said and let herself fall down to the ground afterwards. She was laying there on the snow, but then I noticed that the kids suddenly looked first at themselves and then to me giggling.
"What's wrong?" I asked them.
"Nothing Cloud!" they answered with one voice. I don't trust you...
Tifa started moving her legs and her arms forming an angel into the snow "See...? It's becoming an angel! Come on and help me!" she said happily. Suddenly I saw Marlene and Denzel preparing some snowballs.
"Yeah Tifa, we can see it! It looks great, we will make some too, but first..." they started laughing boldly. I looked at them confused (What are they going to do?... Are they going to... OH NO!), Tifa was also lifting her head looking to their direction stunned as she widened her eyes and saw that both of them were ready to throw some snowballs at her.
*Why are they going to throw snowballs at me, I can't even guard myself that fast, I need to stand up imme-* her thoughts were interrupted as she got the first snowball into her face. Of course the kids weren't throwing hard at her, but it was definitely unfair. She heard the kids giggling while more and more snowballs flew into her direction. Finally she managed to put her hands in front of her head so that she could at least guard her face. She felt a lot of snowballs hitting her for a few seconds. Then suddenly they weren't hitting her anymore. She was slowly opening her eyes seeing Cloud bending over her, his hands to the left and right of her face, guarding her from the snowballs with his back.
"Stop it, it's enough!" I was said to the kids, seeing that Tifa stared into my eyes unable to say something. I was less than 20 centimetres apart from her face.
"Not yet, we just started!" they replied laughing loud.
"Cloud...?" Tifa said softly still staring into my eyes; I just gave her a smile and a wink.
"Don't worry, I got thi-"
Then I suddenly felt something heavy on my back, Denzel was laughing and I knew it was him who climbed onto my back to sit there.
"Denzel, what are you doing? Please go down now!" I ordered him, not that friendly anymore. I didn't get an answer, but I felt that he started moving... no, he started to jump on me while sitting.
"Denzel please...!" I begged him to stop it as I knew my hands wouldn't carry both of us any longer. Tifa still stared straight into my eyes, but I could see in her eyes that she was confused about what is going to happen...in the next second my hands resigned and I couldn't keep myself up anymore. Oh my...
I fell down... onto her.
"Uhhhh..." I gasped at the time our bodies hit together, my face was to the left of hers; I felt her hair, her ear and her warm cheek with the right side of my face. She also gasped, but I don't know why as I didn't see her face. I felt that Denzel went down giggling and I knew he and Marlene were standing right beside us. I wanted to stand up but I was stunned, just like her. Nobody just said one word. I was laying there... on her and she wasn't complaining or something.
*What on earth...? He is so close to me! - Denzel and Marlene...that was what you wanted to do? Was that a plan of you or am I just lucky? Anyway... thank you... and now... this is my chance to clarify some things...*
Come on! I need to get up, I can't lie on her like an elephant, and maybe I even hurt her, what is wrong with me!? I have to...-
My thoughts were interrupted as I felt something tightly gripping around my waist; it was like an embrace... just in a strange position. I knew that these hands couldn't be the hands of the kids so it had to be ...her! I felt that I was blushing hardly and I had to gasp for breath as I couldn't believe what is going on. Finally I found some (wrong) words:
"Tifa... I am... I am sorry! This was not my purpose!" I whispered softly. I didn't get an answer and was wondering what is going on. 10 seconds later I felt that she was turning her head and finally she replied with a soft voice "Cloud, ... thank you." and gave me a briefly kiss on my cheek. The kids couldn't see it from their position but they maybe saw that I was blushing even more. She suddenly removed her hands from me and I slowly got up; as soon as I could see into her eyes I was staring at them and I noticed that she also blushed hardly. As soon as I stood I gave her my hand to help her up, but none of us said anything. The time she stood I was still staring at her with confused eyes and she gave me a shy smile.
"Let's go inside..." I said to everyone with a quiet voice, they nodded and then we all moved inside.
"I ... I think I need to rest a bit. You will find me upstairs." I told them as soon as we were inside, looking at Tifa who smiled and I couldn't help but smile back at her.
I turned around and headed upstairs while softly scratching the back of my head...
