Chapter 20

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A/N: Hey there everyone. I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a very long time. Let's just say that I've been having a lot of issues in my life. Anyway, you may notice some errors in the chapter, that is because my beta/boyfriend/Rude has been unable to actually read the chapter. So there may be some changes to the story in the next few days. I do apologize, but I wanted to get this up for everyone to read, so that way you'll know this story isn't dead! Please, read and review this story, let me know if there is anything you wanna see in few chapters, what you liked, ect! Reviews keep the muses around!

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Rude didn't remember how he got home from the bar the previous night. Nor did he remember passing out on the couch. However, the one thing he did remember was that he did not invite a girl, obviously not Tifa, to sleep with him. And yet, there she was, clutching his shirt for dear life. He looked at her wide eyed, the girl was completely naked, save for something that resembled a long strand of ribbon trailing over her body. His mouth just hung open for a few minutes, completely speechless.

The girl lying next to him slowly started to wake up. She stretched a little and looked at him through one eye, still obviously tired. "Well good morning handsome. Last night was amazing." She said, snuggling up against him.

Rude tried to speak to her, but he still was left speechless. All he could do was throw her to the ground and stand up, tying to get as far away from her as he could. "Umm." He finally managed to get out.

The girl just laughed a bit, as she looked at him. "Last night you couldn't keep your hands off me, now you're acting like a totally different guy."

Rude just backed away, holding his hands up in front of him, not saying a word. He was still trying to figure out who on Gaia the girl was and why she was laying naked next to him. He stood by the door and glanced around the room, trying to figure out the answer.

The girl sat on the ground and looked up at him. "What's the matter, you don't want me anymore?" She asked looking up at him, eyes watering. Rude was reminded of a kicked puppy. "B-but you said last night y-you said that you'd never met a-another w-woman like me and that y-you wanted me!" She said sobbing in her hands.

Rude looked around a bit, still trying to sort everything out. "Umm," he said again, glancing around. Then he spotted the reason for his lack of memory and the naked woman in his apartment. "Tifa's gonna kill me." He muttered rubbing his head.

The small kitchen table was completely covered in bottles of booze of varying kinds, including two bottles of AllShear, one of which was still completely full. However, that couldn't be said for the rest of the bottles. A part of Rude was glad that he didn't see the familiar logo for Whiskeyhiem, Tifa would have killed him if he stole it. Hell, she might even be mad at him for taking half of her stock of liquor.

Rude gave a small moan as he rubbed at his temples. -Great another thing I have to apologize for. Between the naked, crying blond and stealing half of her livelihood I'm never going to get her back.- He scoffed a little to himself. "Like hell that's ever going to happen." He muttered out loud.

~-~-~-~

Tifa paced nervously outside of Rude's apartment building. She had gotten the address from Elena, with assurances that if she showed up; he would definitely talk to her. She sighed a bit, running her hand through her hair. She didn't know what to do, what she could say to him that would even begin to make up for all the harsh things she said. She glanced up at the window of apartment and moaned, annoyed with herself as she continued her pacing again.

After several more minutes, Tifa finally got up the courage to go up after him. She was mentally going over what she was going to say to him. She made a face as what she realized that what she was going to say sounded really pathetic. Honestly, she didn't think that he would forgive her. She paused halfway up the stairs, her chest beating hard in her chest. -What if he doesn't forgive me?- She thought wiping a stray tear away. -I wouldn't blame him. He begged for my forgiveness and I turned him down.-

She shook her head again, taking a deep breath and continuing back up the stairs. -He seemed so sincere last night. He did want to talk last night, I'm sure he'll want to talk today. I mean, it's not like between last night and now he went and found another girl to help him get over our relationship.- She laughed to herself at the absurd thought… "But what if he did find another girl?!" She said aloud as the thought struck her cold. "No! Rude wait!" She quickly ran up the rest of the fourteen flights of stairs at full speed.

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Rude was pacing by the couch, as the now naked girl stared up at him a smile on her face. He stopped when he was standing in front of her, he opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then closed it, as if knowing better than to say the thoughts going through his head.

This process happened several times before he finally stopped in front of her. "Okay, so remind me how we got into this….situation." He muttered, trying not to stare at her unashamed nakedness.

The girl smiled up at him, laying back on the couch, as if trying to put her goods on display. "We hooked up at the bar and you practically begged me to come back to your apartment with me." She gave an annoying giggle that reminded him of a small dog yipping, and glanced back up at him. "You couldn't keep your hands off of me. We did it like three or four times, right here."

Rude's face went red and his sunglasses nearly ended up on the floor. "W-We what?! Oh….shit…" He muttered, running his hands down his face. "Crap…crap…crap." He began his distressed pacing again, muttering more obscenities under his breath.

Thankfully at that moment there was a pounding on the door, Rude was grateful for the distraction and had to force himself not to smile as he threw a blanket over, determined to forget about the naked problem laying on his couch. He hurried over to the door and threw it open as Rude received his second shock of the day.

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Tifa ran up the four flights of stairs (or maybe it was more, the stairwells all looked the same), images of Rude leaving her filling her heart with dread. "Please no Rude, I'm so sorry!" She said as she skidded to a halt in front of his door. "No Rude!" Slightly winded, she began to pound on the door, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest as the door was open, revealing a shocked face.

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"T-Tifa?" He asked softly a few moments later, in disbelief. Was he still sleeping? Was she actually here? He balled up his fist behind the door, so he could try and keep his hand from shaking.

Tifa's face become red with embarrassment. "Umm, hi Rude." She replied suddenly feeling shy. "I-I'm not disturbing you am I? I know it's pretty early."

Rude glanced back as stood in the doorway, trying to block the inside of his apartment. "I am shocked to see you here." He admitted with a nervous laugh. "How did find out where I lived?" He asked softly, trying to keep any emotion from his voice. Why was she here?

"Elena told me." She glancing up at him, her heart sinking in her chest. He didn't want to talk to her. "S-She thought it would help if I came over here to talk to you." She began to play with her hair, curling the end around her finger, like she always did when she was nervous.

Rude couldn't help but give a small smile when he saw that. It was one of the things he always loved watching her do. It endeared her to him. It took all of his will power not to take her in his arms and kiss her, like he wanted to for the past few weeks. "About what?"

Tifa closed her eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply before looking up at him. "A-About what happened between. I-I wanted to apologize." She said as a single tear fell from her amber eyes.

Rude's eyes went wide under his sunglasses and was stunned in speechlessness. He looked down at her, his heart beating a steady staccato in his chest as he reached out with a shaking hand to touch her cheek, to wipe the tear away.

However, what tender moment they were about to have was interrupted by an annoying female voice. "Hey, why'd you leave me? I was getting lonely." Thin white arms snaked around him and an unwelcome face appeared on his shoulder.

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Tifa's eyes went wide as she was stunned into momentary silence as the other woman appeared behind Rude. Her heart plummeted to her stomach and a rage filled her, as she growled at the sudden intruder.

"Is this who you ignored me for? She's not as pretty as I am. She looks too tomboyish for someone many like you. You need a real woman to please you." She said giggling again as she pressed herself against him.

Rude felt the hallway temperature drop at least thirty degrees as his pupils dilated, feeling her press up against him. "T-Tifa…I-I can explain…I think." He said nervously, trying to pry the naked woman off of him.

"Don't you say another word…" She said, not glaring at him, but at the woman behind her. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you damn well better get your hands off of my boyfriend NOW!" She growled at she held up one fist. Her glove glowing yellow. "You'd better let go of him before you give him any of your nasty diseases!"

Rude paused as he heard what Tifa said, one hand on the other woman's wrist. "W-What was that Tifa?" He asked unable to help the large grin that came over him.

Tifa glared at him with that ice cold glare. "Rude, just shut up! This is between me and Ms Fake Breasts here." She said as he immediately shut up. "I don't know how to please a man huh?"

The girl just glanced at her and laughed as she bobbed her head. "Mmhm, and you're too violent for a man like him. Maybe you should just leave."

Tifa pushed past Rude as she made her way into the apartment. "Oh, so do you want to fight me? Because I will fight like a demon for Rude! Yeah he may be an evil Turk, but he is MY evil Turk! So you'd better back down now! I have killed things for less than this!" She said growling at her. There was no way in Gaia that she was going to let this bimbo take her Rude! It would only happen over her dead body.

Rude couldn't help but grin again at Tifa's gumption. However, he felt it would be unwise to have an all out brawl in the middle of his apartment, not that he didn't feel a bit self-righteous over the fact that she would fight for him.

"Heeeyyy Rude….." Reno called from his bedroom. "Rude! I lost a girl! Quick! Find her before she escapes!"

The three people in the room had almost identical looks of surprise on their faces as they all stared at each other.

Reno hurried into the room, wearing only a pair of boxers. "Rude! You gotta help me!" He glanced at the room and grinned when he saw them. "Oh, never mind, you found her!"

The blond woman glanced at Reno and grinned, a bit confused. "Oh…I guess I must have gotten up in the middle of the night and came in here and slept by you." She glanced him over. "You're not Reno at all!" She huffed as she sauntered over to Reno.

"Hey! Don't be trying to steal my women Rude!" Reno said, sounding a bit annoyed, as he pulled the girl closer to him. "Come on back to bed gorgeous."

Rude smacked himself on his forehead. "Why do I even bother?" He muttered, shaking his head.

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Tifa just stared at the scene. When the reality of what she did, and said, hit her, she gave a squeak of surprise. "Oh no!" She covered her face as she did an amazing impression of a hydrant. "This is not how I wanted this to happen."

Rude just glanced at her and pulled her hands away and gave her a small smile. "Did you really mean what said?" He asked softly, touching her cheek, making her look up at him.

Tifa gave a small nod, unable to look away from him. "Y-Yeah I did, course that's not how I wanted to say it."

"So I'm your boyfriend again huh?" He asked softly, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers.

Tifa blushed even more as she nodded again, unable to find her voice, staring up at him.

"Good, I missed you so much Tifa." He said softly, placing a tender kiss on her forehead, holding her close to him.

"I missed you too Rude." She said softly as she pulled him down for a passionate kiss.