CHAPTER THREE
"Tifa, what happened?" Reno inquired as she ran into the bar, crying like a small child. He sat her down on one of the barstools that didn't wobble.
"I-I'm fine," she insisted. "I fell, that's all." She glanced over to Marlene and Barret, hoping to have their approval. They didn't look like they believed her.
"'Lene, go get sumthin' for Tiff, will ya?" Without a word, Marlene went and got a wet cloth, but came back with out bandages.
"I don't know where they are, Daddy." Barret looked annoyed, and grabbed Marlene's hand, taking her off to get bandages. This left Reno and Tifa alone...again.
"Are you sure you're okay, Tifa?" He put an arm around her, so gently, that she almost cried for another reason. "Don't lie, I saw the whole thing. That bastard..."
Tifa's mouth dropped. "You saw! Oh, Reno, please don't tell anyone. It was an accident...he didn't mean it," she begged and tried to convince him.
"I'm gonna kick his ass."
"Reno..." Their lips met then, just for one smooth, reassuring kiss, and then Barret and Marlene came back. Marlene helped Tifa clean and bandage her wounds.
"Why don't you go home, Tiff?" Barret suggested, and Tifa agreed. Reno offered to drive her home. They held hands and waved goodbye, walking out of the bar to his beat up, rusty old sports car. Reno was a gentleman and opened the door for his companion first.
"So..." Reno began. Now that he had Tifa Lockhart in his car...
"Yeah, Reno?" she asked, tucking a disobedient strand of hair behind her ear.
"You don't really wanna be alone tonight, do you? I mean...you could come to my place...Or I could go to yours. Whichever you want." That hadn't come out as smooth as Reno had envisioned it. He was nervous, and the only girl he was nervous around was Tifa.
"No thanks. I just want to be alone tonight." After that, Reno drove in silence. Tifa a looked out the dirty window at the familiar scenery. She wondered briefly if Cloud was staying in town that night when they passed Soft Spoken Inn. There was a light on in one of the upstairs rooms, and she could have sworn she saw the silhouette of a tall, spiky haired person.
The ride was over in a matter of minutes. Reno decided to make a last attempt to get Tifa to go home with him. "You sure you don't wanna..." he said, putting one hand on her cheek and kissing her with a certain finesse, a mix of gentleness and passion that could only come from Reno. Her hands wove through his ever messy mane of fire red hair as she gazed into his aquamarine eyes. And in those twinkling eyes she saw something she couldn't quite grasp. Something new in the way he looked at her...and it scared her.
"I...I should go." She blurted out. Reno heard the car door handle click, and he watched Tifa hop out onto her perfectly manicured lawn. He blew her a kiss, and drove off, feeling very disappointed.
------
Cloud paced restlessly in his room. There would be no sleep for him now, not with all this guilt he felt. How could he have done that to Tifa? She was only trying to help. The voice trying to get him to come back in wasn't nagging after all, but friendly.
And Reno, with that smirk that seemed to say, "You looser, Cloud. Tifa is mine." Just moments ago, Cloud had taken his rage towards Reno out on the wall. But why would he even care? It wasn't like Cloud had wanted Tifa that much in the first place, right? That had to be the case. He had had a life time of opportunity, knowing Tifa loved him, but did nothing. NOTHING. It was all because of that stupid dream. Had to be. Why had he had it, anyway? Did Cloud really want Tifa now, after all this time?
It was all to much to think about. Cloud would seek Tifa out in the morning and apologize. The answers would come then.
------
"That Cloud Strife is trouble, Tifa. You stay away from him." Ever since that time when she was little, and there was that accident in which Cloud was blamed, people said that to her. But poor Cloud was so lonely, and she didn't want to stay away. She remembered him looking up at her from outside her window, watching her brush her hair, or practice her piano. And the time at the well, where they shared their first kiss. Cloud made her that promise to save her if she ever needed to be saved. He was so sweet back then...under those stars... No! she scolded herself. Don't start having feelings for him again! There was only one thing that she could think to do. Call Reno.
She picked up her stylish red cordless, and began to dial his number. 555-3... Wait, what was it again? In all her nervousness she had forgotten. "Tifa, dial the stupid number already!" she yelled at herself, keeping her hand from shaking, and dialed. It rang once, then again. Then five more times, and she gulped. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she head the phone click and some shuffling before the voice came.
"'Ello?"
"R-reno, it's Tifa." Her own voice surprised her. It was so meek, and she made point to speak more strongly. "Reno, it's Tifa. I'm all alone her...and I've been doing some thinking... Can you come over?"
Picturing the smile on his face in her mind as he spoke, "Yes...yes, right away." she closed her eyes.
"Bye, Reno. See ya soon." Click. In the fifteen minutes before Reno arrived, she managed to lock the doors upstairs, and turn off those lights. She turned the TV on, but kept the sound down. It didn't matter what station she had on, because she had popped her favourite CD into the player. It took a bit of thinking on how much to dim the lights, however. If they were too dim, it would be too romantic, but if they were too bright, it wouldn't be special enough. She finally settling on somewhere in-between. The doorbell rang, and she all but flung herself towards it. "Hi Reno," and it was that overly excited voice again. Reno attempted to move in for a quick hug, but Tifa had already retreated back to the sofa.
"Oh, this is a good song." Reno mentioned, nodding towards the player.
"You can turn it up, if you want."
"Meet me in outer space, we could spend a night, watch the earth come up."
Tifa scowled. "Reno, please don't sing. You're ruining the song." She added with a giggle. "You sound like a cow."
"A cow, now?"
"You just rhymed."
"I'm known do that from time to time." Then, "Wait, what are we even talking about?"
"I honestly don't know, Reno." After that they were silent for a few moments until Reno took a seat next to Tifa. Not too close, not to far away.
"I remember when you came into the bar for the first time, Reno." Tifa said. "You just were like 'Oh, if it isn't Tifa Lockhart, the Heroine of the Planet."
"Heh, I remember that." Reno smiled at her softly.
"And then you came in every night. I always wondered why."
"Because the drinks were good." Reno blushed, and looked down, trying to memorize the pattern of the fabric of the sofa. That wasn't the only reason he had kept coming back.
I've grown tired of that place;
won't you come with me?
We could start again.
Tifa began to wonder about her choice of music. "It's okay, Reno. I know you like me. Errr.." Suddenly, she was the one that was embarrassed. But at least they looked like tomatoes together.
"Cloud hurt me." she blurted, without realizing it.
"I know."
"Would you ev-"
"Tifa, Cloud and I are both self-centered, arrogant jerks, but there's a difference between us. I'd never do anything to hurt you. You're special, Tifa. I don't know why anyone would..." Reno looked up into her eyes. "You don't deserve that."
How do you do it?
Make me feel like I do.
How do you do it?
It's better than I ever knew
Reno hugged her. "It's late. You look really tired. Why don't you go to bed? I mean, I'll see you tomorrow, ya know?"
"Yeah, Reno. I have to get up early anyway. To drive 'Lene to school."
How do you do it?
It's better than I ever knew.
You are stellar.
She led him to the door. "See ya."
Just as he was exiting, she thought she head him say something, very softly. Something she wasn't supposed to hear, but did.
"I love you too, Reno." she called out to him, closing the door before he would have a chance to respond. By the time she made it upstairs she was too tired to even change out of her work clothes, and just flopped onto the bed and fell asleep.