Confessions

See previous chapters for Disclaimer, Warnings, and Plot!

This chapter's pairing: Tifa x Aerith

She always took her time when she came here. She planned it out in her head long before daring to step foot beyond those doors. She'd never spoken to her, not once, but she always watched her from the coffee shop across the street, wondering what it might be like to talk to her. What would she even say to someone so beautiful? Would she even respond? That morning she'd decided it was the day to either confess or stop tormenting herself and move on, and she had struggled to find just the right outfit and fix her hair in place around her face, her soft features strained with anxiety as she stared herself down in the mirror. She had to say something. She had to try. She would never know until she took the leap. She didn't even know if the girl in the flower shop was gay. She had to know.

Sitting at the small table outside the cafe, Tifa sipped at her coffee and watched, waiting. She adjusted the soft suspenders over her white blouse and smoothed out her dark skirt, tense and nervous. Something simple, right? She should just say something nice and simple. Maybe buy a bouquet? She glanced towards the window, chocolate brown eyes shifting between the flower arrangements soaking up the sunshine and beyond to the girl within. The pretty brunette with the long braid, who always wore a bow in her hair. She wondered how many other people might have watched her, might have gone inside and asked her name. She was no one, a nobody. An average tomboy who barely knew how to dress herself cute or use makeup. She was nothing compared to that beautiful, eloquent girl. She would die if she didn't speak to her today. She would die if she did, and embarrassed herself. She wasn't sure which death was preferable at all.

Finishing her coffee and rising from her seat, she checked her appearance in the reflection of the coffeeshop window and took a deep breath, combing her dark brown hair behind one ear and crossing the street. It was early, the shop hadn't been open for very long. There was no traffic on the streets, even the cafe had been nearly empty. She didn't want an audience for this. She wanted to meet the girl when they could be alone.

She reached out and touched the glass door and listened to the small silver bell chime overhead as she stepped inside, the flower shop girl who had been spritzing some orchids with a small spray bottle glancing up and giving her a brilliant smile. "Welcome! Please come in, is there anything I can help you find?"

Tifa reached up nervously and squeezed one of her suspenders, hesitating for a moment before taking a few steps inside. "I-I, umm…" She glanced around, eyes moving between the potted plants and small seedlings on the front table, to the fresh-cut flowers in all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes along the opposite wall. "I'm not sure, exactly. I've never been inside this shop before."

"Oh! Well, thank you for stopping by!" The florist said cheerily, continuing to spritz her arrangements as she moved along the wall. "I am Aerith, it's nice to meet you." She looked up to smile at Tifa again. "Please look around and if you find something you like I will be happy to assist you!"

"Thank you…" Tifa said softly, captivated by her smile and her bright green eyes, squeezing her suspender tightly and breaking eye contact, stepping slowly over to the fresh flowers. She looked between them, trying to decide what she should do or say to actually speak to her instead of acting like a customer, glancing back over her shoulder and watching Aerith as she worked. She was wearing a white lace dress today, pretty floral designs sewn into the fabric along the back so it was open and revealed hints of her sun-kissed skin beneath the embroidery. She was wearing a light pink bow today, and her ballet flats were the same shade of pink, little bows at the ankle and atop the toe. So cute…

She hadn't noticed Aerith had stopped moving until she glanced up and met her eyes, blushing and turning around quickly to look down at the flowers, shoulders tense as she tried not to move or make a sound. Aerith was at her side a moment later, her footsteps light and her voice gentle as she walked to a small table and set the spritzer aside. "Hmm… Let's see…" She moved to take a few stargazer lilies from a large vase, lifting one of the pink and white flowers to smell and smiling as she offered it to Tifa, the girl blushing a bit brighter and taking it from her fingertips to smell in turn. While she watched, Aerith gathered together alongside the lilies; white carnations, fluffy white daffodils, baby's-breath, and yellow irises. She hummed merrily, taking them to the table and grabbing a large opaque vase from the shelves along the wall, humming as she began an arrangement. Still holding the lily Aerith had offered her, she walked over to the table quietly, watching as she began to piece the bouquet together one flower at a time, marveling at the beauty of her creation.

"It's really pretty…" Tifa said softly, smiling over at Aerith, the florist smiling return, giggling softly as she fluffed the flowers and caught her dark chocolate eyes.

"Thank you, I thought you might like these." She dipped down to smell the lilies again, making a delighted sound as she inhaled. "They're a pretty shade of pink, aren't they? Pink is one of my favorite colors too!"

Tifa waited until Aerith was finished placing all the other pieces before handing her the final lily, brushing against the girl's fingertips as Aerith took it from her and placed it at the center, nodding with a smile. "There we are! Now for the finishing touches…" She bent down and retrieved some ribbon from behind the table, cutting a nice length and wrapping it around the neck of the vase, tying it into a ribbon that matched her own in the same shade of soft pink. Blushing and meeting Aerith's eyes again, Tifa tried her best not to look away. "It's beautiful. Did you...make this for me?"

"You were watching me so intently, I thought the colors would fit perfectly with what it seemed you wanted."

Tifa arched her brow a bit, confused. "What I wanted?"

"Me! Right?" Aerith said with a sweet smile, stepping around the table to Tifa and taking her hand. "You wanted to take me home with you. I could see it in your eyes."

"I-I…!" Completely caught off-guard, Tifa tried to take a step away from the other girl, but Aerith wouldn't let her, taking her other hand gently as well and keeping her from fleeing the shop.

"I've been watching you too."

Tifa thought she might stop breathing, watching Aerith in utter disbelief, the florist blushing lightly and glancing away, stroking her thumbs along the backs of Tifa's hands. Surprised to see her shy embarrassment, Tifa swallowed down her nervousness and asked quietly, "You...you've seen me?"

Aerith nodded, looking up to meet her chocolate brown eyes again. "Every day I watch you come to the coffee shop. You always sit outside in the sunshine and watch me do my arrangements. I thought maybe you would come inside and buy something, but you never do. You just watch. Until today."

Embarrassment causing her blush to spread across her ears and cheeks, Tifa stammered softly, "I didn't really know if I would even come in today. I just...feel so silly. You're so pretty and I'm so ordinary and how could you possibly like me-"

"I do like you. I like you a lot, actually." Aerith leaned in a bit closer, smiling despite the blush on her cheeks. "Would you tell me your name?"

Blinking in surprise, she smiled at the other girl and laughed, still reeling. "Tifa! My name is Tifa! I'm so happy to finally meet you, Aerith!"

"I'm happy to meet you too!" Aerith squeezed her hands gently and tilted her head a bit, her smile shining in her eyes. "I...hope I'm not too forward, Tifa but, may I ask you something?"

Blinking in surprise, the other girl nodded. "O-Of course!"

Aerith took another step closer, close enough that Tifa could feel her natural warmth and smell her apple shampoo, and the sweet fragrance of flowers lingering in her clothing. She reached up one of her hands, petting along Tifa's cheek, tucking her dark hair behind her ear and smiling as the girl blushed. "Would it be alright if we became friends? I would...like that. To start a friendship with you. And...with time, perhaps it might bloom into something more?"

Tifa searched her eyes, nodding and smiling shyly, heart fluttering in her chest. She couldn't believe she had been so fortunate, so blessed, that this precious, beautiful girl had been drawn to her as well. "Yes! I would like that. Very much."

Thanks for reading!