Author's Note – Lots and lots and lots of fluffiness in this chapter. Enough to make you want to barf. ;o)

Chapter 10

Sunday Evening, March 30 - continued

While I used the bathroom in the master bedroom, Cloud took a shower in the guest bath. I chose a short, flowery summer dress and tied my hair back in a ponytail with a yellow ribbon. Cloud had mentioned eating at the nearby pub tonight, reserving the fancier restaurant for another night, so I didn't want to get too dressed up.

Cloud walked into the bedroom a few minutes later, wearing a pair of his not so grungy blue trousers. He went into the closet. "Hey, Tifa, which shirt should I wear?"

I joined him in the closet and picked out a light blue polo shirt. "Here you go."

After stepping out of the closet, Cloud slipped the shirt on over his head. I was mildly disappointed to see him covering his bare chest. I didn't think I'd ever get tired of seeing it.

"You look nice," he said as he took in my appearance.

"Thanks."

A few minutes later we were walking down the cobblestone road, holding hands and heading for the pub.

The hostess actually remembered us from two years ago. I think it was more that she remembered Cloud, but I didn't say anything.

"Come this way. I have a table I usually reserve for special customers and you are definitely special." She led us to a small table in the corner, away from the rest of the noise.

"Thank you," I said as Cloud and I sat opposite each other.

We ordered some fancy cocktails with funny names and shared a platter of different seafood. Cloud seemed partial to the oysters while I preferred the meat from the lobster claws. We just couldn't get fresh seafood like this back home and decided we'd splurge on it as much as possible this week.

For dessert, we got a slice of chocolate cream pie. Cloud seemed more interested in watching me eat than having any. So I began feeding it to him.

Normally I didn't mind when he looked at me. But there was an intensity in his eyes that was alittle frightening. What was he thinking about when he was looking at me this way? I thought I knew Cloud inside and out, knew everything there was to know about him. Yet every day I discovered something new, something that never occurred to me. Like the way he stood over the bathroom sink and brushed his teeth for five minutes. It took me thirty seconds to brush mine. Or the way he obsessed over the rest of his hygiene. He showered in the morning, when he got home from his deliveries and sometimes again before going to bed. Well, at least he liked being clean, not like some customers I knew who smelled like they hadn't bathed in days.

Having Cloud's undivided attention was rare. And seeing him in such good spirits was another rarity. Cloud was a sulker most of the time, never saying much. He avoided confrontation unless an issue directly affected him. It was like pulling teeth just to get him to help Marlene or Denzel with their homework.

"Did you know that your eyes have sort of a ruby glint in low lighting like this?"

I blushed. Now I knew what he had been thinking about. My eyes…What other parts was he thinking about? Heat pooled between my thighs. Did he know what he was doing to me? I was stunned by my reaction and he had yet to even touch me. How could I crave him like this when we hadn't even officially been together for more than two days?

There was only one reasonable explanation, and I was pretty much convinced now, that my feelings for Cloud throughout the years had been a lot deeper than I thought. Maybe I just didn't want to believe I could be in love with him. Our friendship was the most important thing in the world to me…and to him. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin it with a relationship that had a fifty percent chance of surviving. But how would I know if I was missing out if I didn't give it a chance, just like Yuffie said. Cloud seemed to be willing to risk it…or maybe he didn't think our friendship would suffer if things just didn't work out between us on a romantic level. We'd been through so much together, suffered through the worst imaginable hardships. If romance between us didn't survive, we'd still be left standing.

After dinner, we decided to check out some of the new bars. They were all very crowded. I didn't remember Costa Del Sol being this swamped with tourists, but Cloud didn't seem to mind so I didn't complain.

At every bar, Cloud ordered us a shot or two of something or another. By the time we ended up at a quiet piano bar, I was feeling no pain.

Cloud led me to a small dancefloor where several other couples were dancing to the soft music being played by the pianist.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he held me close to him. We danced slowly, our faces pressed closely together. "I'm so glad you suggested coming here, Cloud."

"Yeah, me too."

"This is really nice."

"You don't mind me holding you like this?"

"Not at all." I tightened my arms around his neck, pressing us closer together. "I like it."

"Me too."

"I think I had too much to drink, though."

He laughed lightly in my ear before pulling back and looking at me. "Are you wimping out on me already, Teef?"

I giggled. "Just because I own a tavern, doesn't mean I drink all of my stock."

"Well, you're loosening up just fine."

"Cloud Strife, I think you're getting me drunk on purpose."

"Now why would I do a thing like that?"

"It's part of your agenda."

"I'm not the one with the agenda. You are. You've got…" he paused mid-sentence.

"I've got what?"

His smile widened a bit. "You've got great legs."

I knew that wasn't what he had been about to say. But the subject was quickly pushed out of my mind by Cloud's softly glowing eyes. My heart literally gushed. "Are you going to make love to me this week, Cloud?" I didn't know what compelled me to ask. Maybe it was the alcohol.

He looked equally surprised that I'd ask such a thing. "Do you…want me to?"

I bit my lower lip, feeling my cheeks redden. "Yes."

He reached up and brushed the backs of his fingers against my warm cheek before replacing them with his lips.

"I never thought we'd be like this." I tilted my cheek further, wanting him to kiss me there again.

He obliged without hesitation. "Neither did I…as much as I wanted it."

"I'm so sorry, Cloud."

"Why're you apologizing?"

"Maybe if you had been more forceful with me, I might have given in."

He drew back and shook his head. "No way. I'd never hurt you like that."

I gave him a half smile. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. You have me…all of me."

Cloud released a deep breath. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that to me. But I won't rush it, Tifa. I wanna feel everything with you."

A pleasant chill ran up my spine as he closed the gap between our faces and kissed me on the lips.

We shared several more innocent kisses before we got off the dancefloor and headed to the bar. After two more shots, I was fairly convinced that Cloud was trying to get me drunk.

It was close to midnight when Cloud and I made our way back to the villa, stumbling and laughing like two teenagers leaving a wild and crazy party. Neither of us wanted to go to sleep just yet, so we went outside and walked down to where the surf was gently rolling in and out.

The moon was full and shined brightly above us, casting a beautiful reflection on the dark water. It was such a romantic setting, perfect in every way.

Cloud stepped behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and kissing the side of my face.

I leaned back against him and released a sigh of contentment. This was only our first night here and I was already feeling the urge to leave everything else behind. "I think we should move here permanently."

"And give up our glamorous city life? You'd miss it too much, Tifa."

"Yeah, but this is really nice, too. I like having fun every once in awhile."

"You know what would be really fun?" Cloud suddenly picked me up. "If I tossed you into the cold water."

I shrieked when he swung me in the direction of the surf and I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, clinging to him for dear life.

But he didn't let go. Instead he carried me further up the beach to where the sand was the softest and lowered himself to his knees, gently depositing me on my back.

I smiled up at his grin as he hovered above me. "I knew you wouldn't do it." As his eyes drifted down to my lips, I tilted my chin upward, silently asking him to kiss me.

Cloud bent further down, his lips ghosting gently over mine. He kissed me slowly as if he needed to savor every second. His mouth opened and he lightly traced my lips with his tongue.

Goosebumps prickled all over me and I parted my lips in invitation.

His tongue continued tracing my lips before slipping in to glide along the inside of my upper one. When he found my tongue, he licked it and then slowly stroked around it in a circle before giving it a light suck.

Dear Gods, where did he learn to kiss like this? I mean, I knew there was tongue involved, but I never realized it would feel this good.

He swept his talented tongue along every crevasse in my mouth, along the back of my teeth, almost down my throat. He really seemed to be enjoying his exploration of my mouth, just as much as I was.

But I wasn't going to let him have all the fun. When I saw an opening, I slipped my tongue into his mouth and followed his example, exploring and tasting. He tasted so good and so clean. I couldn't get enough of him. "Mmmm," I moaned, letting him know how good it was.

Occasionally we'd pause to take a breath, but his mouth remained hovering just above mine as we shared the same air. Then we'd lock lips again. We were drooling and licking and nibbling. Neither of us wanted to stop anytime soon.

While my left arm was around his shoulder, I ran my fingers through his spiky hair, surprised at how soft it actually was. Cloud's right arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me at a slight angle against him. It didn't seem close enough to me, but I didn't push it.

I just couldn't believe this was happening. Cloud Strife, my childhood friend from Nibelheim, AVALANCHE cohort, roommate…and now I was making out with him. I never would have thought it could happen in a million years.

Whenever I was near Cloud lately, my stomach always clenched tightly, like the sensation one felt when a rollercoaster went down a steep drop. I was just so excited to be with him. I had never felt like this with anyone before…or with him until recently. It occurred to me, now that I had finally tasted him, I couldn't imagine being with him in any other way and I couldn't imagine sharing moments like this with anyone else.

Cloud broke the kiss and raised his head a bit. Our eyes met. His glowed faintly in the moonlight. The corner of his lips curved upward and he reached up to run his fingers along the side of my face.

I closed my eyes, relishing in his gentleness as he traced my cheek and my chin.

"You're the most beautiful woman in the world, Tifa," he whispered.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. I could have said he was the most beautiful man in the world, but I didn't want him to think I said it because he said it to me.

He rolled me further on my back and wrapped his left arm under my neck for support as he hugged me. He wasn't very heavy so I didn't mind his weight on top of me.

I folded my arms around his neck and we laid together this way, lost in our own thoughts. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if Cloud had more than a simple crush on me. Maybe he was in love and maybe I was starting to feel the same.

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until I felt myself being lifted. Cloud was carrying me toward the house. I slid my arms around his neck and hugged him, nuzzling the side of his face. "What time is it?"

"Just after 2:30. I fell asleep, too." He carried me through the patio door leading into the master bedroom. After putting me down on my feet, he pulled off his polo shirt and walked to the far side of the bed.

I proceeded to slip out of my sundress. As I thought about putting on my nightshirt, I watched Cloud slip into bed in just his boxers. So I decided I'd just sleep in my bra and panties.

Cloud scooted closer to the middle of the bed and pulled me toward him, sliding his arms firmly around me.

I snuggled up against him. As we laid quietly together, I couldn't help but think about what we'd do once we got back home. I liked being this close to him. I liked hugging and kissing and snuggling with him. Would he consider sharing my bedroom? Or would he feel strange doing that with the kids living with us?

Deciding it wasn't worth worrying about at the moment, I closed my eyes and let Cloud's steadily beating heart and his comforting scent lull me back to sleep.

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