Let Me Love You
Chapter Eleven: The Surprise
Author's Note: Hey everyone! So here I am again to add up another chapter, I finished this ahead of time because it's bothering my student life. Whenever I think about the remaining school stuff that I need to do, I end up writing this. It's distracting, probably because I get inspired always and I love writing too much. Lol. Anyway, I hope you'll like this and please don't forget to review. :)
"He kissed you?" Aerith gasped at her best friend's news, "That's great Tifa! I'm happy for you."
"What's so great about that?" Tifa just rolled her eyes on her reaction.
"It's great because Cloud has truly proved his love for you."
"Love? I'm not even familiar with that term." She denied.
"Tifa, just give the guy a chance, he's trying his best already."
"Even if it's his house doesn't mean he gets to do everything he wants. I need my private space too." The pregnant woman explained her side.
"So did you kiss him back?" The brunette asked with utmost curiosity.
Tifa nearly coughed at her question but she quickly gained her composure, "No, I walked out on him."
She immediately frowned at her response, "Tifa, you're mean. After all he has done for you, you're just act like some hormonal bitch?" Aerith reprimanded, it was unlikely of her to curse but this time, she just couldn't help herself. "I'm sorry for the term but you are, and this has to stop."
"I don't know what to do, Aerith." Tifa finally faced her with concern, "We haven't talked for more than a week now."
"That long?" The other woman blinked, "That's kind of difficult since it's just the two of you living in the house."
"His house is too big for the both of us. I kept on hiding in different places where we won't find me." She explained.
"So that explains why Cloud keeps calling us in the middle of the night asking for your whereabouts." Aerith mused at the idea.
"He is?" She grunted at her remark, "Oh the nerve of that guy."
"Tifa, he's just worried about you." She said to her with just much concern, "He would feel horrible if something bad happened to you."
Tifa took a moment to think and she finally spoke, "I guess I should apologize huh?"
"Of course you should, if Cloud wasn't that nice he would have kicked you out of his house by now."
"I still don't understand why he's being so nice to me." She muttered, her voice filled with regret.
"Tifa, you can't be that dense!" Aerith exclaimed in such way that she would clearly understand, "Cloud is in love with you. That's the explanation why he kissed you and the reason why he's giving everything to you."
"Aerith, I'm afraid this would happen soon." She said, her words depicting fear and doubt.
Green orbs softened, she immediately understood what she meant, "You're falling for him aren't you?"
"I'm not so sure but I think I am." Tifa admitted in uncertainty, a blush starting to appear on her cheeks.
"Then go tell him! That way you two will start talking again and finally be together."
"I don't know where to begin." She shook her head in emphasis.
"Just start talking to him, I'm sure he's just waiting for you to talk to him." She advised.
Few days passed and it was finally Saturday which means no work for Tifa. Since Cloud was out and there was nobody who will do the household chores, she insisted that she would do them anyway just to be productive. She was in her room arranging and folding her laundry-fresh clothes when she heard the doorbell ring. She paused from her duties and went downstairs to see who was outside.
A tall man wearing a blue cap with matching blue shirt tucked in black slacks arrived at the doorstep with a package on his right hand and a clipboard on the left. He took one last glance at his list before he finally spoke, "Good morning maam, is Mr. Cloud Strife there?"
"He's at work, is that for him?" She replied, her gaze wandered at the box curiously.
"Yes, this is the crib he ordered." The man said as he tapped the package.
"A crib?" Her eyes widened in surprise and confusion, "I think you got the wrong house, sir. We didn't order a crib."
"But I am certain this is the right house," He answered and double checked the list on his clipboard, "I've been delivering baby stuff here for weeks now."
"I'm not really so sure, he hasn't told me anything about this." She said in uncertainty.
"Well I'll just leave you with the package and sign here for me." He said as he handed her a piece of paper along with a pen. She eagerly complied and wrote her signature on the receipt, "Thank you Mrs. Strife."
"Oh I'm not his wife." She admitted.
"He told me it's for her pregnant wife." He said, his facial expression turn perplexed, "Oh this is so confusing."
"I'm so sorry. I'll just let him know right away." Tifa gave him a warm smile instead. "Thanks anyway."
After a few minutes, Cloud finally arrived at his home. His eyes went to the familiar van parked in front of his house. It took a second for him to realize that it was the delivery van that has been making deliveries to his house for quite some time now. He wasted no time to park his car and stepped out of the vehicle.
"Oh shit." He cursed as he ran towards the delivery man.
"Hey Cloud, I already delivered the crib. Some pretty lady already signed for you."
"I told you not to make deliveries while she's here." Cloud spattered furiously, "Now you're gonna spoil the surprise."
"Hey I'm just doing my job and I have tons of deliveries to make." He explained without making eye contact at all.
Cloud reached out a bill from his pocket and gave it to the man, "Here's twenty gil, don't make deliveries when I'm not around."
"How should I know when you're not around?"
"Just give me a call before you make deliveries. I don't want her to know about my secret project." He suggested.
"Whatever." The delivery man shrugged his shoulders, "But consider yourself lucky Cloud, she's a real beauty. Plus she's got a hot body, I didn't even recognize she's pregnant."
"If you keep talking about her like that, I'll take your tip away." The blonde threatened with a serious look on his face.
"Whoa I'm just joking." The man chuckled at his reaction, "Man, she keeps denying that she's your wife. On second thought, you never told me you were married."
"I'm not, she's just living with me for the mean time." He muttered.
"She's not your girlfriend either?"
He just shook his head, "No, not yet."
While Tifa was busy in the kitchen, Cloud sneaked in through the window so she won't hear the door creaking and notice his arrival. He immediately saw the package near the door and didn't hesitate to carry it upstairs as cautiously as he could. After the short commotion, he returned downstairs and stepped inside the kitchen.
"Hey Cloud, a package arrived for you." She said without looking at him.
"Package? I didn't order anything." He lied as he opened the refrigerator to grab a can of soda.
"Then what's a crib doing here?" She pointed, but there was nothing there at all.
"What crib?" He asked, trying to complicate things on purpose.
"The crib, it was just here a second ago." Her head tilted, a perplexed expression appeared on her face.
"I didn't see anything." He answered and took a sip on his soda.
"Now that's strange." She sighed and went back to her position in the kitchen counter, "Oh yeah, you still haven't fixed that door knob yet."
"Oh right, I forgot. I'll get that fixed soon, if I'm not busy." He reassured and decided to leave the kitchen. But before he could exit the room, he turned to call her attention, "Oh Tifa?"
"What?"
"Thank for talking to me again." He grinned at her, trying to earn the same positive response.
"We're still not okay, Cloud. I still hate you." She said, without a hint of optimism at her voice.
"Yeah, right." Cloud smirked, not believing a word at all.
Cloud skipped his way towards his room and to his closet. He turned his head on both sides and made sure that there was nobody behind him before he took a key from his pocket. After a little nudge, the door finally opened and it lead him to a deserted room.
When Cloud planned his house, he thought of the possibilities of having a family so he purposefully left this room empty, leaving the chances of having either a boy or a girl. A few weeks after he learned about Tifa's pregnancy, he had that weird feeling that they will be having a boy so he started to paint the room with blue. During his free time from work and whenever Tifa was busy or wasn't around, he would find time to decorate the room with a theme fit for a male child, like space ships, race cars and robots. He also secretly ordered baby stuff around the internet and a delivery man secretly made deliveries without Tifa noticing at all.
"Oh man, that was close! That stupid delivery man is going to ruin everything." He ranted as he sat down on the floor. He opened the box and started by reading the instruction manual available with the package, "Might as well start assembling this."
A week finally passed and the two are still having their silent treatment. It didn't take too long for Tifa to remember that it was finally time for her appointment with her doctor so she would finally know the baby's gender. She would also know what kind of clothes she'll buy and maybe she could even start thinking of a name. As for Cloud, he was also busy with his own matters regarding his work and his baby room project. The two were too busy with each other's own business to even settle their own problems with one another.
Neither of them even tried to make the first move, whenever their eyes met they would just avert their gazes without saying a word or two. They even refused to eat together, Tifa would eat at the dining table while Cloud would take his meal either to the living room or to his room and eat while pretending to be busy with his work. Whenever someone leaves, they would leave right away without a single 'goodbye' or 'take care'. It's as if they never really cared about one another, but deep down both parties cared too much that they wanted this kind of unhealthy treatment to end as soon as possible. He thought of flowers with post-it messages while she thought of the best food preparations but neither of them has the initiative to do so.
It was a Sunday when Tifa left and went to Aerith's house while Cloud was stuck at home tending to his own stuff. Before she went out of the house, she managed to cook him lunch and even dinner if ever she would arrive home late. Cloud appreciated her effort to cook for him and it left him inspired throughout the day. It just goes to show that Tifa could be as caring as she could be even with this silent treatment going on between them.
At Aerith's house the two ladies settled for a little tea session, gushing about what has transpired them these past few days. The married woman talked about her struggles in conceiving but the topic shifted from Tifa's misunderstanding with his live-in partner.
"So how's it going with Cloud?" Aerith asked as she took a sip on her tea.
"We're still not talking." She replied flatly.
"That's too bad." The brunette said with a frown, "The idea of two people living together who aren't even talking to each other seems... awkward."
"We kind of got used to it."
Suddenly Aerith let out a gasp when she remembered something, "Oh that reminds me, Tifa, do you have any plans on Saturday?"
"Saturday? Well, I'm going to the doctor for my usual check up. Why?" She replied and looked at her friend.
"You're not gonna throw a surprise birthday party for Cloud?"
"Birthday party?" She repeated in astonishment, "I didn't even know his birthday was on Saturday."
"He never told you anything?"
"No, he didn't." Tifa shook her head, gazing out the window beside her, "I guess he's too busy."
"Zack seems a little busy too, he said that they have an investors meeting on Saturday. I guess Cloud is also busy preparing." Aerith said as she got up to place the used tea cups on the sink.
"Then I guess it's up to me find out about my baby's gender." The pregnant woman muttered to herself.
"I can go with you Tifa. I don't have errands on that day." She said as she approached her, placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"Thank you Aerith," Tifa smiled at her. "I appreciate it."
Cloud has been overworking for the past few days and this commotion got the pregnant Tifa concerned for him. She could barely see him coming out of his room and she couldn't help but be worried about his health because of the fact that he's skipping meals. Whenever she would take a look at him, she would see a stressed out Cloud with dark circles beneath his eyes, messed up hair and dishevelled face. She concluded that he hasn't been getting enough sleep because of the upcoming meeting with the investors. The pressure was hitting him hard and that his well being is drastically affected.
Saturday finally came and it was the day that Tifa anticipated. She would see her baby once again and later she would find out if she's having a boy or a girl. While she was inside the cab, she imagined at how her baby would look like, probably a cute little girl with dark brown locks and with her eyes or a blue-eyed baby boy with blonde hair, just like her Cloud. The man that devoted himself to her, spoiled her with all the riches he could give and the man who's willing to love her and their unborn child without asking for anything in return. Tifa smiled at herself at the idea of her and Cloud finally becoming together, she thought that it's about time for them to settle their indifferences and take their relationship to another step.
After a little while, she finally arrived at the hospital with her best friend waiting for her at the lobby. After a short talk, the two women made their way inside the hospital corridors and to Tifa's doctor. While patiently waiting for their turn, they browsed at magazines available inside the clinic just to pass some time.
"You know, two months ago I was at this clinic and I was nervous on my first check up but now I feel so excited." She said and gently placed a hand over her stomach.
"You're really getting used to the pregnant life aren't you Tifa?" Aerith grinned, feeling a little jealous at the other woman's condition, "I guess that means living with Cloud totally helped you recover."
"I guess it did, and I owe you and Zack for helping me move." Tifa thanked her.
"Most importantly you should thank Cloud for all the hospitality he has done for you, if it weren't for him you could still be suffering from anxiety attacks."
"But still I hurt him, I'm such an ungrateful bitch." She claimed dreadfully.
"Oh come on Tifa, he loves you. He must've forgiven you by now." Aerith gave a positive remark, trying to cheer her up.
"I don't know how I could make it up to him. I haven't even greeted him 'happy birthday' yet." She said along with a frown. "He was in a hurry and he just had a single toast for breakfast."
"He must've been really busy preparing for the important meeting with the investors."
"I'm just worried Aerith, he's been skipping meals and he hasn't been getting enough sleep. I always see him stressed out in front of his laptop, he won't even look at me and talk to me." Tifa said anxiously, recalling the moments when she would hand him his meal and he wouldn't even thank her, as if her presence didn't really matter.
"Cloud has this tendency of overworking, you better keep an eye on him." The married woman explained to her best friend. "There was one time when he worked too much that he passed out after their meeting. Zack took him to the hospital and there he found out he was over fatigued, probably resulting from the same things you mentioned."
"I'm so worried about him Aerith, what if he'll—"She could feel her voice tremble in anxiety.
The secretary came out of the door and called her attention, "Miss Tifa Lockhart. The doctor will see you now."
"We'll talk about this later," Aerith whispered and placed a hand over her shoulder, "For now, let's go check on the baby."
After the doctor's appointment, the two women went out for lunch and they discussed about how Tifa could make it up to Cloud for the silent treatment that has been going on between them. The expecting woman almost cried when she told her best friend about the other unhealthy habits Cloud has been doing recently and asked how she could tell him to stop. Aerith gave her some suggestions and she eagerly listed them into her mind, hoping she could fulfil them. They also made plans of throwing Cloud a party tonight, a simple dinner with just the four of them, however Aerith had other plans in mind.
Before it got dark, there was a heavy rainfall and it was strong enough to cause a black out. The sudden loss of electricity caused Tifa to have a hard time in preparing the place for Cloud's birthday dinner but it was a good thing that she was done cooking the meal just before the electric supply went out. Luckily she found some candles in the kitchen and it provided temporary lighting for her. When Tifa took out the plates they would use, her cell phone rang inside her pocket, indicating that there was a call. She looked at the caller ID before she answered and it was Aerith telling her that she and Zack couldn't make it.
"What do you mean you aren't coming?" Tifa practically screamed on the phone, "It's just rain, you guys have a car don't you?"
Little did she know that the married couple did it on purpose so Tifa could have her private time with Cloud and they could finally make amends.
"Oh fine, I'll see you around." She sighed heavily and placed the phone on the kitchen counter.
She was too preoccupied with the preparations that she didn't notice Cloud arriving from work. His leather jacket was drenched from the rain but it was enough to protect his other clothing. He took off his jacket and placed it on the nearest table.
"Tifa?" A familiar voice came from the kitchen door, "Are you here?"
"I'm in the kitchen Cloud." She immediately turned to the kitchen counter, lazily skipping the pages of a recipe book upon recognizing the voice.
Cloud walked into the kitchen and saw a banquet on his dining table. He never saw so much homemade food and it's all thanks to Tifa for such a splendid preparation, "Oh wow, did you made all these?"
"Yeah." She said, still unable to look at him in the eye.
The blonde man wasted no time and took his seat. He immediately took a piece of everything that was served on the table. He hastily ate the food on his plate like a starving man who has not eaten for days.
"Wow the food is good Tifa." Cloud stated inaudibly as his mouth continued to chew the contents.
"Cloud Strife, don't talk when your mouth is full." She scolded without eyeing him.
"Oh I'm sorry."He apologized and started eating at a slower pace. Tifa secretly laughed at him, thinking that he looked cute for a moment.
When both of them finished their dinner, Tifa insisted that she would do the dishes. Meanwhile, Cloud didn't have the strength to protest since he was so full and he was afraid that he was going to throw up if he opened his mouth and spoke a single word. He took a candle and slowly made his way towards the living room. Sometime later, Tifa joined him in the living room and sat on the same couch as him but on opposite sides with the awkward aura between them still present.
"Hey Cloud..." She mumbled, breaking the silence between them.
"Yeah?"
She took a deep breath to gain some momentum before she spoke, "I'm sorry about how I acted these past few days."
"It's okay Tifa, I'm over it." Cloud spoke softly and scooted closer to her, "Right now, what's more important is just the two of us."
"What about him?" She placed a palm on her swollen belly.
"Him?" He raised an eyebrow at her and a second later, he understood what she meant, "Oh it's a boy?"
"Yes, I went to the doctor earlier and she confirmed that we're having a boy." She finally gave him a smile, the first one since they had a silent treatment.
"Oh wow, I'm having a son." Cloud said in elation, placing his hand over hers, "I'm so happy Tifa."
"I'm just as happy as you Cloud." She said, positioning herself comfortably against him.
Cloud composed himself for a moment and he began, "Tifa, listen, I felt really bad about not talking to you. I kept on thinking that it was my entire fault, and I was moving too fast."
"It's all right Cloud." She replied, coaxing him to go on with his monologue.
"But I never regret kissing you. I liked it, even if you didn't." He continued, securing his arm around her in a possessive manner, "I couldn't contain my feelings for you anymore, my heart is begging for me to tell you that... I love you Tifa."
Tifa felt her heart skip a beat upon hearing those three words, words that Cloud has been aching to tell her ever since she agreed to live with him. She had a few confessions way back in high school and in college but this was different and it felt like this is a new experience for her because she never reciprocated feelings for anyone before.
Cloud grew nervous upon waiting for her response, his heart beating faster and he is unsure if the reason behind it because of his sudden confession or the possibility of being rejected by her again. But instead of being denied by her, she instinctively shifted her position and sat on his lap. He was surprised by her move and instinctively wrapped his arms around her, their eyes never leaving each other.
"Oh Cloud, look at me." She instructed him, cupping his face and finally whispered "I love you too."
He felt like he just lost his breath for a moment as he blinked at her in disbelief, "Do you... do you mean that Tifa?"
"I mean it Cloud, I found it so hard to deny that I am eventually falling for you, I've always been." She continued, ignoring the bright flush of red on her face, "I'm just really not good at expressing myself but I'm glad I finally told you the truth."
"If you did have feelings me way before, then why didn't you want to be with me?"
"I was afraid of commitment, I always was. I figured that I would never be a good girlfriend to anyone, but then I was wrong. I just needed to find the right man to be with, and that's you Cloud." She felt her tears started to pool around her eyes.
"Oh Tifa," Cloud gasped, her words were still unable to sink into his system, "You made me the happiest man alive."
"I love you Cloud, I always will." She said as the tears finally rolled down her reddened cheeks, "Happy birthday."
"Thank you Tifa, and I love you too."
The two stared at each other for a brief moment, eyes filled with love and passion for each other. Tifa instinctively leaned in and encircled her arms around his neck. Finally their lips met in a gentle and loving kiss. Their first kiss that meant something for both of them, an expression of all the pent up feelings they had for one another. They parted for a second for air and they kissed again, this time with more desire than the previous one. It didn't take words to ask Tifa to be his girlfriend, but even if he did she would've answer him with a 'Yes'.
The heated moment was cut when the living room lights suddenly lit up, illuminating the whole place. The blackout has ended and the rain has stopped. Cloud looked at her and saw the deep tint of red on her radiant face, her lips swollen from the intense lip lock session they had. He smiled at her before he took her by the hand and lead her to his bedroom where they continued their ministrations.
If only Tifa wasn't expecting, Cloud would have taken things into a different approach. Who wouldn't be turned on by a woman endowed with an attractive face and a gorgeous figure that any man would desire. Tifa knew what he had in mind and if conditions were not the way there are now, this night would've ended up with something they would both treasure as far as their relationship is concerned. Despite this, neither of them really cared if they won't be able to succumb in to their needs because of a special reason, their having a baby together. It didn't matter whether everything happened too fast but the fact that they're going to be a family is the blessing that both of them would cherish more than what their inner fantasies would give them.
The couple spent the night talking about how they would drive this relationship and how they would raise their child. All their concerns about with how they should treat each other were discussed and they were able to come up with amendments to help them stabilize their share of insecurities. It was almost two in the morning when Cloud felt Tifa's body leaning against him, allowing the pregnant woman to sleep against his shoulder. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before he placed her in a comfortable position so as not to harm her growing baby bump. He mesmerized her for a few minutes before drowsiness finally gotten into him. He felt himself smile in his slumber, thinking about the fact that is probably the best birthday he ever had, and he couldn't ask for more.
The next day Tifa found herself waking up beside his newly claimed boyfriend, thinking how long he was mesmerizing her during her sleep. Upon seeing him, her eyes roamed at his features wearing only grey sweat pants and with nothing on top. She gave him a small smile, unsure if it was because of seeing his well toned chest or the fact that she was happy to see him first thing in the morning.
"Good morning, my love. Had a great sleep?" Cloud greeted herwith a bright grin on his face.
"Best sleep I ever had." Tifa answered with a yawn.
"It's almost eight in the morning, you better get up." He told her, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.
"Are we going somewhere?" She asked him sleepily.
"No but I have a surprise for you." He took her hand and helped her get up from the bed. He reached his back pocket and revealed to her a white piece of cloth, "Wear this."
"Oh Cloud, what's this for?" Tifa tilted her head and looked at him, "Do I really have to?"
"Yes, come on." He said before she could protest. He took the cloth from her and tied it around her head to cover her eyes, making sure that it isn't too tight or too lose. His hands travelled down her waist as they started to walk, guiding her out of the room.
"Be careful, my tummy might hit on something. I can't see a thing with this." She uttered as she concealed her arm around her abdomen.
"It's okay. I'm here." He whispered reassuringly against her ear as they continued to walk slowly towards another room, "Alright, take off your blindfold now."
She complied and took off the blindfold, her eyes widened as she gasped in surprise. "Oh my, wow!"
"This will be our baby's room." He explained to her, "I've been working on this since the moment you moved in with me."
"Cloud this is amazing." Tifa said as she explored the room painted with light blue, designed with a few stickers of cars, planes and other things that would indicate that the room was made for a baby boy. She also saw some baby things such as clothes, shoes, a stroller and even the crib that Cloud ordered without her information. This clearly indicated that Cloud would be the type of father who will spoil his child with all that he could possibly give him as he grows up. Her mind thought on how much he spent for all of these but she just dismissed the idea since they have already settled the issue last night.
"Sorry I didn't tell you anything, especially about the baby stuff. I wanted this to be a surprise." He muttered, scratching his head.
"It's wonderful!" She exclaimed, looking at the cabinet tinged with a combination navy blue and white.
"Think of this as my way of thanking you for allowing me to be a part of your life," He pulled her into his arms comfortingly, her back resting against his chest, "And for finally learning to love me back."
"Cloud..."
"Do you like it?" He asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"I love it!" She said gleefully, "And it's so blue, did you know it's going to be a boy?"
"Well I just had a feeling that he is." Cloud shrugged his shoulders in response, "If it wasn't well, I'll just do another paint job and it will take a little while again. I guess he didn't want to give his daddy a hard time."
"Oh my," She gasped and abruptly held her abdomen, "He moved."
"He did?" He positioned his hand over hers, yearning to feel the movement, "Oh he did."
"I guess it's his way of saying 'thank you' for giving him a very beautiful room." She told him, their hands intertwined with each other, "Wait until he meets the best daddy in the world."
"I can't wait to meet him too." He said quietly, "Hey Tifa,"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Cloud."
Author's Note: Yep, it's a little lengthy.Sorry if my writing skills, or rather my descriptive skills are a little poor, I don't know why but I sort of lost my descriptive side so I think I was not able to portray their feelings well when this is supposed to be the climax of their relationship. Plus I think I may have typos too, I'm too lazy to check though. But please, I'd appreciate it if you review :) Thanks again.