Hi there! Here's another chapter of YRP. As always, I hope you like it and read it. And thanks to the review ;)
(Rikku)
I woke up the next day earlier than usual and went down the stairs slowly, trying not to wake anyone. I wanted to say good morning to Gippal. I saw him asleep on the couch so I went to him and stroked his cheek.
"Good morning." I whispered and he answered me with a grunt. "Gippal, wake up." I whispered again, but Gippal ignored me and continued sleeping.
I gave up and went to the kitchen to make me breakfast. When I entered, Baralai was there.
"Baralai?" I asked, making Baralai startled. "I hadn't noticed that you weren't in the lounge." I said as I looked into the room and noticed it was only Gippal. "Tidus has also waked up early?"
"I thought he had gone to the bathroom. Didn't he come back yet? " Baralai said surprised.
"No. It's just Gippal." I replied.
"Maybe he's lost." He laughed.
"I hope not, because if Paine finds him upstairs, she will be very angry." I said worried.
Baralai stared at his cup with a small smile on her face. He was a guy that made you to notice him. He wasn't attractive as Gippal, of course, but his dark skin, his white hair and chocolate eyes made a curious image. He had thin lips and teeth perfectly aligned.
"Baralai." I called him. "How do you know Paine?" I asked. I was curious to know how they met.
"I know her from school." He answered. "I was his first friend when she came to Bevelle." He said with a nostalgic tone.
"Do you know her for so long?" I asked surprised.
"Yes, I do." Baralai replied. "Though we separated a few years ago. Paine started having problems at home and I didn't know how to cheer her up."
"But now it's all right, isn't it?" I asked.
"Yes, but I keep thinking that I failed her when she needed me. Now I'm scared of failing her again and ..."
I waited a while to Baralai finish the sentence, but he didn't so I gave him a little push.
"And...?"
"And lose her again. I've lost her once, I cannot lose her again." He said in a whisper.
"Baralai." I said and put a hand on his shoulder. "You won't lose Paine." I said with a cheerful tone. "Well, if you haven't got a package of these cookies, I don't know what to tell you." I added, giving Baralai a package Paine's favorite cookies.
A while after starting breakfast with Baralai, Paine came to the kitchen. When she entered the kitchen door the first thing she did was smile to Baralai, and he smiled back.
"You're so cute!" I screamed, resting my chin on my hand. Baralai laughed and took it with humor, but Paine blushed and gave me a look of angry.
"Where is Tidus?" Paine asked.
Baralai and I shook our heads and Paine went steadily upstairs. We hear a door open. Baralai and I went to the lounge to hear what was going on upstairs, but didn't hear anything. The next thing we saw was Tidus running down the stairs screaming that he was sorry. Then, Yuna come down blushing and looking down and finally come Paine.
Once down, Baralai hugged Paine as he laughed tenderly and whispered something in her ear. Paine tried to suppress a smile but couldn't and she put her arms around Baralai's neck. I had a bit of envy. I also wanted someone to embrace me, so I turned and moved to Gippal.
"Gippal." I said as I poked his cheek. "Wake up please." I kept saying as I made a pout.
Gippal half opened his eye and looked at me. He smiled and gave me a kiss on the forehead.
"Gippal, I want cuddles." I said.
"Come here." Gippal replied motioning me to lie down on top of him.
I did what he told me. Once I sat on top of him, I put my head under his chin and hugged him.
"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Gippal asked.
"I've tried but you didn't wake up, and you growled me." I replied.
"I don't growl." Gippal said offended.
"Yes you do." Baralai replied. I looked up and saw he was still hugging Paine, though he moved behind her and they were watching us. "Whenever we try to wake you up, you start to growl."
"I don't growl." Gippal repeated. I didn't know if he was angry, but just in case, I gave him a kiss on the chin making him forget about his growls and focus his attention on me.
"Oh, come on Baralai, let's go. I don't want to see this." Paine said as she headed to her room, followed by Baralai.
"Baralai." Gippal called him without taking his eye off from me. "Control yourself. It is too early to give your parents a grandchild."
"You're such a jerk Gippal." Paine said in her most serious voice and locked herself in her room with Baralai.
A while later, Gippal decided he was hungry and began to ransack my kitchen. Baralai and Paine went to take a walk. I had asked them to carry Oscar, but Paine said she wouldn't go out with a 'rat'. Tidus had asked for help to Yuna with a review of literature and had gone to the library, leaving us Gippal and me alone in the house.
"Gippal, do we see a movie?" I suggested.
"The truth is I don't feel like it." He said.
"Then go home, because you are so bored." I answered him back.
"Better than watching a movie, how about if we also went for a walk and then I invite you to eat." Gippal suggested, resting his chin on my shoulder and giving me a hug.
I liked the idea, so I escaped from his grasp and ran to my room to get dressed.
The week after that weekend was different for everyone.
Tidus came home to study in the evenings with Yuna. When I asked Yuna if she was dating with Tidus, her response was always the same: 'Rikku, we're just friends.'
Paine was more cheerful, although she occasionally shouted me. During classes, she sat with us, but when it was lunch time, she sat with Baralai in the gardens outside. At the end of the day, Baralai waited her to accompany her home.
And I, well, I was on a cloud. Gippal always sat with me in classes and started to write lyrics of different songs in my notebooks. During class changes, he was devoted to demonstrating the love he felt for me. He held my hand, gave me little kisses, played with my hair... The only class that he didn't pay me attention was in Chemistry class. I knew that Gippal didn't like Chemistry, so I figured that my father intimidated him.
"Gippal, what are we doing Friday night?" I asked him, stroking his hand.
"Rikku, please pay attention to your father." He replied.
"But I'm bored." I said.
"Princess, I promise you that when this class finish I will pay you full attention, but in front of your father I want to behave. He hates me because I don't pay attention in his class. I don't want him to hate me more because I distract his daughter." Gippal replied to my complaints.
He was right so I put all my strength in hearing what my father said about acids and bases.
Finally, we went back to the weekend and with it our freedom. I had a date with Gippal on Friday night. Oscar kept pacing around the room. I had left the door open for him, but apparently still had fear of Paine.
I went downstairs and saw Paine sitting on the couch with her books.
"Where's Yunie?" I asked.
"Pea-brain." Paine replied without looking up from her books.
"Well, I'm going too."
"It means that the house is all mine." Paine said with a small smile.
"Oh, no no no. Oscar is going to stay here, so you won't feel alone." I replied with a wink.
Paine looked at me with wide eyes, but I left before she could say anything.
When I came out, Gippal was waiting for me, leaning against his car, looking at the floor, with his dark jacket ... Damn it, he's so hot.
"Hi princess." He greeted me and kissed me on the lips.
"Hi." I whispered with a smile and after that, he opened the car door. A very gentlemanly gesture.
We went to dinner at a small restaurant. Our table had great views. The evening was wonderful. When we finished dinner, we went for a walk. I clearly remember that night was quite cold for one blouse, so Gippal gave me his jacket. As we were walking, he surrounded me with his arm around my waist. We were talking about Oscar and Arie, Gippal's dog. After an hour walking we reached the car.
We got home after fifteen minutes, but Gippal didn't take off the security, so I couldn't open the car door.
"I had a great time." I said as I snuggled him.
"I also had." He said as he gave me a kiss on the forehead.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"The truth is I've been all night thinking about something I want to say."
My face got white when he said that.
"You see ..." He began to say. "I know we have been together not too long, but ... The time I spend with you I wouldn't change it for nothing. You're funny, beautiful, friendly ... You're everything I look for in a girl and, moreover, you are practically my best friend. Rikku, what I'm trying to say is ... is ...I love you"
Whew, I thought he was going to break up with me because the way he has looked to me and...Wait! Does he love me? Does he really say that?
Suddenly his expression changed completely. He stopped looking at me; he sat down properly and lost his look on the street where we were. No no no no, Gippal is not what you think.
"Gippal ..."
"You can go." He said without looking at me.
"Gippal. It hurts me when you don't look me into the eyes. It makes me furious when any girl comes to you and flirt. It hurts me not being able to see you every day. If I had my way, I'd be calling you all time, but I don't want bother you ... and ... and ... I think all this makes it quite clear what I feel for you." I said and he looked back at me wondering. "I love you."
After this little statement, Gippal laughed, he embraced me and we started kissing. Every time we stopped, we said how much we loved each other.
I left the car after being twenty minutes telling Gippal how much I loved him.
I went home and I found Baralai in our home. I wasn't surprised to see Baralai at home; I knew that Paine would have spent the afternoon with him. What surprise me was to see him shirtless.
"I'm sorry!" I yelled as I left the house and went into the street, where Gippal still was. "Gippal!"
"Rikku? Why don't you go home?" Gippal asked me.
"I just think I've interrupted 'something'." I said blushing.
"Are you going to tell me?"
"I got home and I've found Baralai shirtless and ..." I started to say.
"Oh. My. God." Gippal said and pulled me to my house. "That something I don't want to miss."
"Gippal!" I shouted. I did not want to interrupt the "moment" of Paine with Baralai, so I tried to resist, but Gippal picked me up and I had to go.
Gippal entered in the house with me in his arms. I had my eyes closed.
"Baralai?" Gippal asked. "Dude, I told you to wait a while." My boyfriends laughed.
"You're a jerk, Gippal. It's not what you think." Baralai said. "Rikku, you won't see anything, open your eyes."
I did what Baralai told me and saw Baralai still shirtless. I also saw Paine with the shirt of Baralai in one hand. It was wet. I looked to Gippal and he winked at me.
"Well, if you are going to do anything, go away. Rikku and I are going to use the house for 'something' that you haven't done yet." Gippal said laughing as he got me to my room.
"Gippal she's just a child!" Paine yelled from the stairs, but Gippal ignored her and kept going to my room.
"Gippal, I ..." I started to say. I was flushed and nervous. I didn't know how to tell Gippal that I hadn't done 'it' yet and that I was not ready yet.
"Don't worry princess, trust me." He said as he opened my room's door and let me into my bed. Then he looked at me with a smile, gave me a kiss on the cheek and another on the lips. "Goodnight, Rikku. I love you." And after that, he went.
I started laughing and looked down stairs to see if I still had a chance to say good night to him.
"You've finished quickly." Paine said.
"Well, at least I'm not a coward like your boyfriend." Gippal replied laughing.
"He is not a coward." Paine replied angrily.
"Gippal!" I yelled from the stairs. Gippal turned and looked at me. "Good night." I said and went back to my room. I put on my pajamas and went to sleep.
Ten minutes after Gippal had gone, Baralai went and Paine went to her room.
I was asleep but someone laughing woke me up. It was 3 in the morning. I listened and I recognized the voice of Yuna and Tidus. What the hell is going on here, I exclaimed to myself. I did not want to listen to my cousin with his "friend" so I put on my headphones and went back to sleep.
The next morning I woke up and went downstairs for breakfast in shirt and shorts. When I was halfway up the stairs, I saw Yuna at the door saying goodbye to Tidus. I knew it was not polite to overhear a conversation, but I needed information to told Gippal what had happened. Yuna was in the door 5 minutes. Finally, she said goodbye to Tidus with a kiss and went to the kitchen after closing the door. I decided it was time to get information directly from Yuna so I followed her into the kitchen.
"Good morning Yunie." I said with a smile.
"Good morning Rikku. I haven't heard you." Replied my cousin.
"What was Tidus doing here?" I asked directly.
"Tidus? Tidus has not been here." She laughed nervously.
"I've seen you ..." I said raising an eyebrow.
"I ..." Yuna said blushing.