Author's Note: Hope you enjoy this chapter! I have no idea if I'm writing a bunch of nonsense or if this story is actually entertaining? (: Oh well, I'm having fun!

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Dinner

She's tense in his embrace and she knows it, but she can't relax, can't enjoy his warmth, his familiar scent—a bit musty and outdoorsy, nothing like Tidus's expensive cologne. Instead she's rigid, unable to return his hug.

He kisses her on the cheek, his lips soft. Then, one eyebrow arched, he steps back, taking her in.

"I take it I've properly surprised you?"

"Y-Yeah. What—what are you doing here?" There's an edge to her tone that she can't help. Baralai knows she doesn't do spontaneous, especially when her one attempt to surprise someone—Tidus, Zanarkand stadium, her first year of law school—backfired so badly. And yet here he is, completely out of the blue, standing on the front stoop of her childhood home, all dimples and slightly overgrown hair. Yuna thinks of Tidus's clean haircut, his fresh appearance and hates that she's standing here with her boyfriend and she can't stop comparing them.

"Well, I figured you could use a pick-me-up," Baralai lifts the worn leather duffel bag he travels with, a gift Yuna gave him for his birthday two years ago.

Yuna tenses, her tabloid picture and Lenne's statement coming to mind.

"Uh, yeah. About that—"

"No need to explain," Baralai says, reaching past her and opening the door. "Your dad in?"

"No, he's out—"

"Perfect. I've missed you so much."

"Um, I was actually in the middle of something." Yuna's head spins. She was so convinced—stupidly convinced, of course—that it was Tidus standing here. And she was so ready to take him back.

How is she supposed to deal with the fact that it's Baralai standing here, finally showing up for her?

Her stomach twists. Isn't this what she wanted? Baralai here, in Bevelle, with her?

Tidus isn't coming. He was never coming.

Screw it.

"You know, I can get back to that later." she smiles and wraps her arms around Baralai's waist. "I've missed you, too."

#

It's not until Yuna texts Rikku, asking if Baralai can join them for their planned lunch that she realizes she kind of wishes Baralai wasn't here.

"Oh, glad he came! But if it's okay with you, I'm going to rain check," Rikku texts back, causing Yuna to frown.

"What's with the face?" Baralai asks, walking out of the en suite bathroom with a pair of sweatpants on, no shirt. He's outrageously tan, probably from all his time photographing Bikanel Island.

"Rikku cancelled on lunch," Yuna says with a sigh.

"Forget her," Baralai says.

"Yeah, but…" Yuna trails. "Yeah, whatever." Maybe it's not Baralai, maybe Rikku's just busy. She has a thriving business, after all, and after pairing up with the influencers from the retirement party she's been busier than ever.

"So," Baralai says, taking a seat at the end of her bed. He looks around her childhood room, most of which has been boxed up. There is one thing folded on top of a box, though. Something she's just not sure what to do with. Baralai reaches over, grabbing the jersey. "Are we going to talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about," Yuna says with a shrug. "Tidus's jersey number was getting retired, he had no one to go with. Gippal—um, Tidus's friend, an old friend of Rikku's—told me I should go and I asked Tidus if he wanted me to, and he said yeah, and I…" Yuna looks at Baralai, her eyes flashing. "I called you and asked you if it was okay. You said yes. If I'm recalling, your exact words were 'have fun.'"

Baralai chuckles and tosses the jersey back onto the box and then holds his hands up in a surrender pose. "Hey, I'm not mad. I promise. I just guess I didn't realize Tidus—" He cringes, like it's difficult to say his name out loud. "—was dating Lenne. Honestly didn't know that dude had so much pull."

"They knew each other in college," Yuna says, hoping Baralai can't detect the bitterness in her tone. "So, yeah, it makes sense to me, I guess."

"Do you know Lenne?" Baralai asks.

"No, not really. I mean, we had a few run-ins in college, but nothing serious. She was dating Tidus's cousin at the time."

"Oh. I thought…" He shakes his head. "Never mind."

"Thought what? That Lenne and I were somehow buddies? No. You know I don't even really like her music."

"Right, of course. It's not like I do, either." He sighs and scoots closer to Yuna, patting her knee. "Look, Yuna, I'm going to be straight with you. A lot of people are saying a lot of nasty things about you—saying things like you seduced Tidus, that you're this… horrible person."

"You know none of that's true," Yuna says.

"Of course I know that. But the rest of Spira doesn't."

"I don't really care what they think," Yuna mumbles.

Baralai bites on his cheek. "I know you don't, but… have you thought about how it could affect your job? Your clients? Your firm? Your good name?"

Yuna's chest pinches with each new option Baralai brings up. She'd been so busy reading SG comments and worrying about her dad and Baralai that she hadn't thought about her work. She looks at her phone, realizing she hasn't checked her emails. Who knows what's in there—people could look her up online, email her work email. Worse, one of the partners might have decided it was better to terminate her.

Her lip quivers. "Baralai, I—what am I going to do?"

"Hey, hey." He pulls her into him, his heartbeat a steady rhythm against her cheek. "It's going to be okay. That's part of the reason why I'm here. I came right away. We'll figure this out."

She sighs into him. Baralai is here to help. Unlike Tidus, who only had Lenne issue a stupid statement that made her seem like some spoiled daddy's girl whose name wasn't worth mentioning.

"So, look, I have an idea. It's a little bit… out there. But stay with me." He pulls away from her so he can look her in the eyes. "What if we set the record straight ourselves."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Yuna asks, wiping away a tear.

"In Lenne's statement, she said you and Tidus are just friends, right?"

Yuna hates how much those two words sting, even though of course she and Tidus are just friends.

"Mmhm," she says.

"Well, let's prove it."

Yuna sighs. "And how do we do that?" After all, as much as it sucks to think of her and Tidus as "just friends," the worse fact is that they're not even that. Tidus is nothing to her, she's nothing to him.

There is no "just friends."

There is no Tidus and Yuna.

She has to squeeze her eyes shut to keep any more tears from spilling.

"Let's go to dinner with them."

Yuna sits up straight at Baralai's suggestion.

"I'm sorry, what? You think we should go to dinner with—with Tidus and Lenne?" She doesn't mean to put a disgusted emphasis on Lenne's name, but she can't help herself.

Baralai shrugs. "Why not? Lenne can tip off the paparazzi—that's what famous people do, I hear—and they'll catch us out for a nice, friendly dinner, the four of us. You'll no longer be perceived a threat to their relationship, and Tidus won't appear to be a threat to ours. Lenne says you're friends, and the photographs will prove you're just friends."

Yuna parses Baralai's words as he speaks. Perceive. Appear.

Does he suspect that there's more going on?

It doesn't matter.

"That's a horrible idea," Yuna says, shaking her head. "And I highly doubt Lenne would go along with it."

"Really? Yuna, I'm sure you hated Lenne's statement because of how condescending it was, but do you know what I read? She's threatened by you."

"Stop. She's not threatened by me. I'm just an… 'ordinary girl.'"

"An ordinary girl who was at her boyfriend's jersey retirement with him, on that stage in front of all those people, holding his hand."

Yuna crosses her arms. "So are you threatened by Tidus, then?"

He snorts. "Of course not."

There's a pull in her chest. Is Baralai that trusting in her? After what she did to him in the past? Specifically choosing Tidus over him?

Plus, why is he so sure?

Yuna sighs. She knows the answer to that.

She's an ordinary girl. Of course Tidus isn't interested in her when he has Lenne.

"Think about your work, Yuna," Baralai says, his voice soft. "Right now, you look like the enemy. But if you're friendly with Lenne, it'll prove you're not. Plus, hell, it could help get more clients if you're literally friends with Lenne. Think about it."

Yuna rolls her eyes, hating how much sense Baralai's words are making.

"Fine, but I don't think she or Tidus are going to go for it. But I'll try." She bites her lip because she knows why there's a bloom of warmth in her belly. Here she was, prepared to never see Tidus again.

And now her own boyfriend is suggesting that she see him, that she have dinner with him. Even if it's amicable, friendly, at least she'll get to see him again. It's like college all over again, when all she wanted, all she needed, was to see him one more time.

Just one more time.

Yuna pulls out her phone, flashes the screen to Baralai so he can see what she's sending Tidus, and composes her message. Then, with Baralai's nod of approval and a deep breath, she hits send.

#

Tidus straightens his tie in the mirror and then adjusts his hair, which he'd carefully gelled into place. His fingers shake a bit, his nerves out of control. He's already taken two shots of whiskey and it hasn't done anything to calm him.

"Would you stop fidgeting?" Lenne asks from the bathroom, looking at him from her mirror. "I don't know why you're so nervous." Her eyes linger on his for a beat too long and a burn of shame goes through his chest. Of course she knows why he's nervous.

He agreed to have dinner with Yuna and her pompous boyfriend. With Lenne. Of course he's nervous.

He's spent the last forty-eight hours desperately trying to convince himself he doesn't have any feelings for Yuna—that she's only a friend, nothing more—but he knows it's a lie.

Shifting his tie again, he looks away from his own reflection, unable to face his own eyes.

He could never be "just friends" with Yuna. When it comes to her, it's all or nothing.

It has to be nothing, so this has to be the last time. Even though when she texted him, asking if they could do a dinner to fix their image, show Spira they're all just friends, he'd jumped at it, the thought of seeing Yuna again way too enticing to turn down. Lenne wanted to say no, of course, saying she'd done her statement and that was plenty ("more than she deserves," Lenne had added), but ultimately she was sick of seeing that picture of Yuna and Tidus together.

If it meant she could control the story, Lenne was always for it.

And so she arranged it all—dinner at Bevelle's finest restaurant, and her "close friend," aka her publicist, tipped off the paparazzi for the time and place; it'll be the next Big Thing for Spira to talk about in—Tidus glances at his watch—exactly one hour.

One hour. And then Yuna will walk out of his life forever.

Lenne comes out of the bathroom wearing a stunning dress, a deep v with chain across the gap, the material sparkling in the overhead lights. She looks amazing; jaw-dropping, literally. When she sees Tidus's reaction, she smiles, and Tidus knows that was her goal.

"Too much?" she asks, spinning.

Yevon, he can't help himself. "No, it's perfect." He walks over to her, hands on her waist. "That dress is…"

She runs her hands through his hair and he flinches—he spent so long getting it perfect and now she's tousling it. Lenne ignores his reaction, although her eyes flash. "It'll look better on the floor, assuming you behave yourself and play your part."

Tidus fights the urge to roll his eyes. Nice, he thinks, his internal voice dripping with sarcasm, she's bribing me with sex. Usually an effective tactic, but he snapped out of his trance the second she touched his hair and he realized he's far more concerned with how he'll look for Yuna than how Lenne looks for him.

"Ready to go?" Tidus says, suddenly eager to get to the restaurant, to get this stupid charade over with. He reaches for her hand because that's all part of the show. He will be on his best behavior, he will get that dress off Lenne and onto the floor, because Yevon damn it, Yuna is not his.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Lenne mutters, her fingers curling into Tidus's outstretched hand.

It's a short walk to the restaurant, but Lenne hired a limo. Tidus stiffens when he sees Yuna and Baralai standing outside, waiting for them.

Lenne's getup might have been the sexiest thing Tidus has seen in a while, but his heart flutters at the sight of Yuna, leaning against the brick wall of the restaurant, wearing a long camel coat, open over a baby pink dress. Her hair's pulled back, revealing long, glittering diamond earrings.

Lenne looks like a goddess next to Tidus, and he knows that, but Yuna looks… so normal. Approachable. Friendly.

Comfortable.

He's so focused in on Yuna that when Lenne leans across him and says, "So that's her boyfriend?" it's only then that he realizes Yuna's talking to someone.

Of course Tidus knew Baralai was going to be here. He's standing next to Yuna, and they're shoulder to shoulder.

Tidus's nose wrinkles before he can stop it. He looks like an epic douchebag in his wool coat and scarf—it's not that cold out.

"That's actually a good catch for her," Lenne says, impressed. Tidus's forehead creases to match his nose. Literally the exact opposite thought. Lenne gives his arm a squeeze. "Let's get this over with."

They step out and Tidus raises his hand in a wave before he can stop himself, only to freeze, his arm still up in greeting. He was so eager to get Yuna's attention—not that he needed to since she was eying the limo—that he forgot himself for a brief second there.

But it's okay. He's here to look like Yuna's friend. So of course he'd greet her.

Lenne takes his arm, squeezing it tightly. It reminds him of what Dona used to do, always making sure everyone knew Tidus belonged to her. She pulls him over to Yuna and Baralai.

"Hi!" she greets, using her fake, high-pitched voice like she's greeting a fan when she's not in the mood to give autographs. "Thanks so much for coming!" As if Yuna hadn't been the one to reach out.

"Hey," Tidus says, hanging back a bit, unsure how he's supposed to greet Yuna. Their eyes meet, hers against his and a shiver goes through his body.

This is torture.

Baralai shakes Lenne's hand, a wide smile across his face. "It's so, so nice to meet you!"

"Hey, we're friends, right?" Lenne says, and she and Baralai both laugh like they're in on some joke together. Tidus can't help but scowl. There's absolutely nothing funny about this situation.

Next, Baralai reaches over and shakes Tidus's hand, his handshake firm, his hand a bit warm. Tidus squeezes even harder, like they're in some pissing contest for the firmest handshake. Meanwhile, Yuna waves coldly to Lenne and the girls both exchange awkward hellos.

"Well, shall we?" Lenne finally says and she starts towards the restaurant, leaving Tidus in her wake, Baralai quickly trailing after her.

Again, Tidus's eyes land on Yuna's. She holds his gaze.

"Good to see you," Tidus finally settles on, offering his arm for an awkward, rigid half-hug. "You look great."

"Thanks," she says, her voice soft, guarded. "You look good, too."

Her words are cold, but that doesn't stop a warmth from spreading through Tidus. "Thanks."

"Um, well." She gives him an uncertain smile and then quickly walks towards the door, which Baralai is holding open for her. At least he has some manners, Tidus decides, following Yuna.

An over-eager maître d' leads them to their table, in a private room under a glistening chandelier but—and this was definitely planned by Lenne's team—by large windows. In other words, the perfect chance for paparazzi to capture the moment without actually interrupting. It's a popular spot for Lenne when she meets up with her famous girlfriends and they want to make sure their outing gets captured.

Lenne takes a seat facing the window and Tidus sits next to her. He's a bit surprised when Baralai takes the seat across from Lenne, leaving Yuna across from him. He's suddenly hyper aware of everything about Yuna from her soft pink lipstick to the pendant necklace resting against her collarbone.

"You know, I think this was a good idea," Lenne says as she flattens the clothe napkin across her lap. "Let's us clear the air." Her eyes go to Yuna. "Especially since there's no reason we can't all be friendly."

"My thoughts exactly," Baralai says, grinning.

Tidus can't help but narrow his eyes at Baralai. He seems just a bit too over-eager. But then again, Tidus has experienced this before—even his teammates are enamored with Lenne. Sometimes he thinks it's the only reason his younger teammates let him hang out with them when they go to their local haunts, dipping away to the VIP section. There's a definite clout that comes with dating Spira's most famous person.

Still, it's different having one of Tidus's stupid teammates drool over Lenne and an entirely different thing to have Yuna's boyfriend all goo-gah over her. How was that possible, when he has Yuna?

Saddened by the thought, Tidus stares at the drink menu, debating what beverage could be strong enough to get himself through this awkward dinner.

Once drinks are ordered, an awkward silence falls over the table. Lenne's busy on her phone and both Yuna and Baralai are staring at her, like they don't want to face Tidus.

So, Tidus clears his throat and says the only thing he can think to talk about. "So, it's not official yet, but looks like I'm playing in tomorrow's game."

"That's amazing!" Yuna says, a smile lighting her face, although she immediately dims it. "I mean, congrats. I'm happy to hear that."

Baralai glares at her, but he's interrupted by Lenne's phone, which buzzes loudly on the table. Lenne looks at it with a smile.

"That was my publicist. The paps will be here any second now. I suggest we all do a toast, pose for some pictures."

Yuna looks over her shoulder, a startled expression on her face, like she only now noticed the window. It's endearing how out of her element she is with this. Baralai, on the other hand, frowns, like he's realizing the paparazzi will only catch the back of his head.

When the waiter arrives back with their drinks, Lenne directs everyone to clink their drinks together. The pictures are taken outside, even though Tidus can't see the photographers, he's been in this exact place enough times to know they're out there. His stomach dips a bit as he looks at Yuna, but she avoids his eyes.

Lenne's phone buzzes again and she smirks. "Yep, it's already out there. Good work, everybody!" She looks to her left, lifting her wine glass to Tidus before taking a long drink. Tidus knows that look. She's about to make an excuse for why they have to leave suddenly, now, before dinner. In seconds, his time with Yuna will officially come to an end. If he's lucky, he'll get one last hug, one last chance to soak in her scent, her warmth, and then he'll go home to Lenne's penthouse and get down on one knee and ask her to be his wife so he can make sure he never opens himself up to the opportunity to have Yuna back again.

He slams back the rum and coke he'd ordered, nearly choking on an ice cube.

Once again, Lenne's phone buzzes and she picks it up again. Tidus tenses, knowing she'll announce the excuse her publicist feeds her, but before she can open her mouth, Baralai speaks.

"Lenne, have you ever thought about doing a music video off the south shores?"

Lenne's head goes up from her phone, her mouth slightly agape.

"Um, yeah, that's actually a huge dream of mine. Imagine how cool that would look, in the ruins."

Oh, Yevon. How the hell did Baralai, this chump, know about Lenne's stupid dream of shooting a music video in the Al Bhed ruins? It's not really a hidden fact, though. Last year she finally got the permit to film there, but enough Al Bhed boycotted it so the permit got revoked.

"It would look amazing," Baralai says. He shimmies his phone out of his pocket. "I've shot there hundreds of times. Here, look." He slides his phone across the table and Tidus leans over Lenne's shoulder as she scrolls through photographs of the ruins.

"Yevon, these are incredible," Lenne says, her jaw dropped like Tidus's was when he first saw her walk out in that dress. "Did you do these?"

Baralai puffs up and when Tidus looks across the table, he realizes Yuna's staring into her wine.

"Yeah, that's actually what I do—I shoot the Al Bhed—erm, bad choice of words. I photograph the Al Bhed. You know, bring their way of life to mainstream Spira. I have a lot of connections. Honestly, I think maybe we could team up?"

Tidus tilts his head towards Baralai. What the hell is this guy after?

"I'm listening," Lenne says, and sure enough, she leans forward. She's the over-eager one, now.

"I can get you a permit to do a music video in the ruins. I have the connections, I know the steps it takes. And in return, you let me shoot the video."

"Baralai…," Yuna finally interrupts with a smile, her hand gently going on his arm. "I'm sure Lenne has her own people, and—"

"Actually, I'm really interested in this," Lenne says, and Tidus tenses at the way she interrupted Yuna. His eyes go to hers, but Yuna's still looking at Baralai, her head doing the smallest shake, like she's begging him to stop. "You seriously can get me a permit?"

"Yeah. It wouldn't be a problem."

Lenne's still holding his phone and she looks at the photos. "Your work is impressive. Why don't we get together and discuss this some more?"

"That sounds great!" Baralai says. "We can go over all the details—"

"We actually have to run," Lenne says, and Tidus realizes he finds it much less obnoxious when she interrupts Baralai. "That was my publicist. I have to go handle something." She shoots a sweet smile in Yuna's direction. "Sorry to ditch dinner so early, but we did what we came to do. But Baralai, I am very interested in this." She slides his phone back to him and starts swiping through her phone. "Let me just check my calendar. How long are you in town for?"

"Honestly, we're not—" Yuna starts, but Baralai talks over her. "I was hoping to leave the day after tomorrow, but I'm sure I can make an exception."

"Okay, well, I'll tell you what." Lenne smiles at him over her phone. "Come to the blitzball game tomorrow. We can talk then. Tidus can get you tickets. They'll be at will call. You'll be in my suite and we can discuss!"

"Oh, I really don't think—" Yuna starts, just as Tidus says, "Lenne, we can't just—"

But it's Baralai who stands up, interrupting the others. "Sounds great! We'll be there."

Lenne stands up as well, downing her wine as she does. "Perfect. Wow, I'm so glad we did this!" She pulls Tidus's arm, telling him to get up, too. He looks at Yuna, trying to ask her if she's cool with this, but she doesn't meet his eyes.

Still, even though this was unbelievably unexpected, Tidus can't help but feel a tingling of excitement in his chest.

Maybe this doesn't have to be the last time he sees Yuna after all.