Chapter 10

Tifa stayed in her bedroom the whole day. She placed more of her belongings in her suitcase as well as photos of her and the children. Her argument with Cloud lifted a heavy weight on her shoulders. She felt light-hearted and free now and she had no regret telling him what she had said.

If he doesn't want to be happy for me, so be it. I'll probably never see him again. Once I get married, I'll end our friendship and treat him as a stranger if he keeps on bugging me to leave Noctis for him.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang. Her heart leapt, expecting that the caller was Noctis. She became disappointed when the call was from Stella.

"Hello, Stella."

"Hi, Princess Tifa. How are you? I have two tickets for a play tonight. Come with me, will you?"

Tifa was already used to being called princess. But it felt weird when the person calling her that was Stella. She didn't know why. "I am away now. I'm here in Edge. Sorry, Stella. Ask someone else to come with you."

"Oh. I'll ask Noctis then. Is that okay?" Stella made a smirk.

"It's not okay with me," Tifa replied firmly.

"You're a very serious person, Tifa. You get jealous too quickly. I won't ask him, of course. Thanks anyway. I'll just ask someone else. Bye." Stella ended the call.

She is so confusing! Sometimes, I love her. Sometimes, I hate her.

Her phone rang again. This time the caller was Noctis. Tifa told him about the call with Stella. "Noct, she is so unique. I like her but sometimes I dislike her. She could be nice but there are times when she becomes so annoying."

"Just do what I told you. Don't trust her too much," Noctis responded. "If she asks me to come to that play, I will say no instantly."

"Noct, honestly, I feel scared. Don't come back to her, please. I know I'm becoming clingy like her but…"

"I have no plan in coming back to her," Noctis assured her. "No one can break us up. Trust me. You and I will always have one another."

Tifa felt herself wanting to cry again. Noctis really knew the right words to say to her. Just hearing his voice made her heart melt.

"How did Cloud take the news of our wedding?" he suddenly asked.

"He was his usual self, the low-spirited and silent type. But I could tell he is happy for us based on his reaction. He is not just good with words," Tifa lied. She didn't want Noctis to know Cloud's feelings for her. The last thing she wanted was to see her husband-to-be hate her childhood friend.

"That's good. I have forgiven him for what he did to me. Tell him he is invited in our wedding."

"I already did."

She and Noctis went on chatting for an hour, discussing details, opinions and suggestions about their wedding. When she ended the call, Tifa looked around her bedroom to see if there are still things she must bring with her on her journey tomorrow.

There was a knock on her door. "Tifa…" It was Cloud.

What does he want this time? A third heated argument?

Tifa shook her head in frustration and opened the door.

Cloud blushed. "Tifa, I just want to apologize… for what happened a while ago, for making you feel irrelevant in the past. But I swear it's not true. You're very important to me. I—"

Tifa waved her hand to silence him. "I've forgiven you for those times, Cloud. But I would never forget how you made me feel."

She saw the dark look on Cloud's face again. "I know my reasons for being so indifferent are not justifiable but you really matter to me a lot. I really regretted those times I made you feel…less important. If you really felt that way, I didn't mean it, Teef. I hope you believe me."

"Damage has been done," Tifa answered in a defeated voice. "There's nothing we could do but to accept what had happened."

Cloud held her hands. "I have a favor to ask you, Tifa."

Tifa wished he would just leave her alone. She pulled her hands away from his. What did he want from her this time? "And what is it, Cloud?"

"The night is still young. I just… want to… take you out today. Let's have dinner outside. Is that okay with you?" Cloud's face became redder. He turned away from her and looked at the floor.

The first answer that crossed Tifa's mind was no. Going out with Cloud felt like cheating on Noctis. "Cloud, I'm engaged. It's unfair to Noct—"

"As friends, of course," Cloud quickly added.

Tifa eyed him with doubt "Are you sure? I don't want to do something that might anger him, Cloud."

"I still cannot accept that you stopped loving me. But I respect the way you feel for him. If he makes you happy, I'll respect it." He finally looked at her. "For now, I want us to be together even if only as friends. I want us to spend time together before… you leave me. I don't want us to separate ways with bitterness and heavy hearts."

Tifa did not answer at first. She just looked at him with dull eyes, unable to trust him.

"Tifa, please. Just for today. No arguments, I promise," he pleaded. He no longer waited for her answer. He took her hand and led her downstairs. She did not resist.

Okay, Cloud. I will believe you in this case but only in this case.

"Where are we going?" she asked him. "We have to go home early, okay? I have to travel tomorrow morning with Ignis. Noctis' pilot will pick us up." She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already six o'clock in the evening. They had to be home by nine.

"Just come with me." They arrived in the garage where Fenrir was parked. Cloud started the engine. Tifa rode behind him.

When Tifa noticed that they were no longer in Edge, she asked again, "Where are we going?"

"Costa Del Sol," he answered.

Tifa was alarmed. "That's very far away! Cloud, let's turn back!"

But Cloud continued driving. He did not listen to her.

"Cloud!" She clasped his shoulders. She felt the urge to jump off Fenrir. But with the way Cloud was driving very fast, Tifa knew that jumping would probably break her bones or injure her. Even if she was a martial artist, there was still a slim chance that she would land on her feet. She could not afford to be physically damaged with her wedding coming up soon.

After three hours, they were in Costa Del Sol. Cloud stopped at a scenic beach. The sand was white and the sea was midnight blue under the dark sky. Only the two of them were present.

"Sorry if I chose this place. There aren't many attractive beaches in Edge," Cloud explained.

"Where are the people? I thought there are always tourists here." Tifa hopped off Fenrir and looked at her surroundings.

"I asked the owner of the beach to close this tonight so we could have this place to ourselves." He headed to one of the picnic tables. "Come on."

Still uptight for Cloud, Tifa followed him and sat in front of him. There was already food and drinks in the table with a candle in the middle.

"I know you have to wake up early tomorrow. I'll be your alarm clock. I'll wake you up when you need to wake up," Cloud told her with a smile. "Let's eat."

Tifa ate her food silently, still exasperated at Cloud for taking her in a distant place.

Cloud asked her, "You're going away tomorrow right? Isn't it too soon? You just arrived in Edge yesterday."

"I'm busy preparing my wedding, Cloud. Besides, there's nothing left for me to do in Edge since you volunteered to own the bar anyway."

"Can you stay longer? Hmmm… stay for one week?"

"No, Cloud. The wedding is my priority." Tifa's eyes were focused on her now empty plate. She would have enjoyed the evening if she was with Noctis. The atmosphere was very romantic.

Cloud was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Thanks for going out with me tonight. I'm still hurt because… you're getting married but the heartbreak eased a bit when I let you come with me here."

"I figured we could have a truce since this is my last night here in Edge." Tifa tapped her plate with the fork. She knew she was being insensitive for rejecting Cloud's affection. But I won't feel guilty. I'm just being honest, with him and with myself, that I no longer love him.

"Noctis is a very lucky guy to have you," Cloud said quietly. "He must take care of you. If he hurts you, Teef, I'll be the first one to get back at him."

"He won't do that. Besides, if he makes me cry, I'm sure he's worth the tears and the pain because he truly loves me. But thanks, Cloud."

"Tifa… look at me." Cloud reached out and touched her hands.

Tifa looked up. She noticed Cloud was very serious.

"Tifa, I know we would never be more than friends. I still could not accept it. Maybe I'll come to the point of acceptance someday. But please, stay in my life even as a friend. Having you as a friend is better than not having you at all."

"Okay. That's not a problem. When Noct proposed, I never thought of severing ties with you." Her eyes stared into him intently. "I just did not expect that you would act like… what you did last night and this morning."

"I was very jealous." Cloud blushed again. His face was filled with shame. "I wanted to be in his place. But there's nothing I could do. You chose him over me."

Then Tifa gave him a kind smile. "Hey. I thought we are going out today as friends. No dramas please. You should have taken me to a crowded place so we won't have time to be emotional and develop an argument again."

"I thought it would be easy," he said. "But as we eat and talk right now, it's hard not to see you only as a friend, Tifa."

Tifa groaned. She knew their conversation would lead to another argument. She stood up. "Cloud, I am not in the mood for dramas. Let's go home now."

"If you say so."

What a waste of time! I never should have gone out with him. The three-hour ride from Edge to Costa Del Sol was longer than our supposed friendship bonding time together!

The two of them rode on Fenrir in silence. When they got home, Tifa headed directly to her bedroom. It was already 1 a.m. She only had three hours to sleep and prepare for her journey.

"Hey, Teef!" Cloud was standing near her door.

"Yes?"

"What time do you have to be awake? I'll wake you up. I told you I'll be your alarm clock."

"Never mind, Cloud. I have my own alarm clock." She pointed to a clock on her bedside table. "Can you go out? I'll change clothes." Tifa opened her closet and grabbed her nightgown.

Cloud gave her a sad gaze and said, "Teef, just remember, if someday you want to go back here, you will always be welcome. Good night."

Tifa felt sympathetic for him once again. "Thank you. I will miss you so much, Cloud. Good night."

I will really miss him. We had overcome laughter and hardships together. Don't worry, Cloud. I'm safe with Noctis. I hope you will meet someone who could truly love you someday. I'm sorry if I could no longer give you the love you need. I belong to Noctis now. You will move on soon, Cloud. You will.

Cloud stood outside Tifa's room. He was still heartbroken. He was still hurt due to the rejection Tifa did to him. Still, he would miss her and love her. If she came back one day to him and told him that she loved him, he would welcome her with open arms.

I deserve the pain I'm going through. This is the price I have to pay for being a coward in telling her what I really feel for her, for making her feel irrelevant over Aerith. The pain I feel is not even half of what she had felt because of me. But I won't give up. I would always be there for her when she needs me.

Tifa, I hope you will have a wonderful life with him. You deserve it.

Cloud felt another heaviness in his heart. He lost his true love and it was his entire fault why he lost her to another man.

After only an hour and a half of sleeping, Tifa woke up. She still felt drowsy and her head was throbbing due to the lack of sleep. But she had to hurry. She checked to make sure she had no things left behind. Her closet was now empty as well as her dresser. She went to her bathroom and took a shower.

She quickly dressed and looked at herself in the mirror. I've been told beautiful many times. But I used to hate this face and body. I thought I was plain or ugly. Only Noctis made me feel so beautiful. He taught me to love myself and be confident.

Tifa grabbed her suitcase and opened the door.

She almost tripped. She glanced at the floor and saw Cloud was lying there.

What happened to him? Tifa instantly felt a wave of concern for him. She sat next to him and observed him to see if he had passed out.

He is sleeping. Why did he sleep here?

"Cloud, get up and sleep in your bedroom." Tifa shook his arm, trying to wake him up. "The floor is cold, Cloud."

He opened his eyes and looked back at her. "Hey, you're awake now."

"Cloud, stand up. Why did you sleep here?"

"I want to be close to you, Teef…"

Tifa shook her head. "Cloud, you better stand up and go to your bedroom now. Sleeping in the floor would give you a back ache."

"I'll take you to the outskirts."

"No. I'll take a cab. I have a suitcase with me. We can't put it on Fenrir, can we?"

"Then I'll follow the cab that you will be riding."

"I—well, if you insist."

Cloud stood up and followed her out of the house.

Don't go. I love you, Tifa, Cloud was thinking.

Hmmm… Should Noctis wear a black suit for the wedding? Or white? Tifa thought. She was finally on her way to a new life.

A/N: Thanks for reading guys. The events in the next chapter will take place three months after Tifa left Cloud and three days before her wedding to Noctis.

Reviews please. Thank you ;)