"Hey Honey" she heard Zell say.
{Honey? That's what he calls me!} She thought furiously. The girl he was speaking to didn't reply or even move, she just stood there in the shadows looking out into space. Zell slowly walked up behind the girl. He carefully wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. The brunette girl still didn't move.
{That's how he hugs me!} She fumed even more. Zell leaned around and whispered "I'll miss you while I'm back home" softly into her ear. Alli couldn't take anymore. She moved into the open.
"Zell" She cried with tears falling down her face. "What about me?" Zell spun around.
"Alli?!?" Zell asked confused. Alli turned and ran. "Alli wait!" The brunette girl he had been holding turned around. It was his ex-girlfriend Malicya. "What have you done?!?" He cried as he sprinted down the hall after Alli.
When Alli reached her dorm, she tiptoed in as to not wake Tyla.
"Well" She said to herself, trying not to bring back the tears. "We never really made it official that we were a couple. Guess he's found someone else...Did he leave the note so that I would see them together and he wouldn't have to tell me face to face..."
She grabbed the keys to the rent-a-car she had saved up for and ran out through Garden. Since everyone was going on holidays back to their homes, Alli had decided to head off to Balamb city to see the sights and to maybe 'accidentally bump into Zell'. Being so excited about the trip, her car had been packed for the last week. Seeing no reason to hang around any longer, she drove off into the night.
After arriving at the hotel, she started to unpack. Alli came across a framed photo of her and Zell that she took everywhere with her. It was her favourite, but it only made the tears come rushing back. It was of her and Zell on the balcony at the End Of The Sorceress War Ball. When she had calmed down, Alli gave herself a pep-talk and decided to hit the clubs. She searched through her clothes until she came across a spaggetti-strap black dress that accented her slender figure. The dress she was going to wear for Zell...
At first she decided to play miss conservative, shy gal, but after quite a few beers, she found herself having heaps of fun with the guys she had met. Deciding she had consumed far too much alcohol, the bar tender suggested she go home. Two of the men she had been talking to offered to drive her home. Not wanting to walk back to the hotel alone, she agreed. Besides, the men had been very kind to her throughout the night. They even bought her drinks after she ran out of money. By the time the car haulted to a stop, Alli was almost asleep. The men lead her upstairs and in through the door. They ended up in a room, but it wasn't her room. Alli realised she didn't know where she was and suddenly got scared.
"I have to go home now" she said as she tried to stand up.
"You're not going anywhere Sexy" he slurred as he threw her down on the bed.
"No! I want to go home now!" She said with more force, but one of the men held her arms down. The second man advanced towards the bed. She suddenly realised where this was going. With tears springing to her eyes, she tried to pull out of the man's grip, but he was far too strong. The second man was lying next to her on the bed. He stroked his hand through her hair.
"Let me GO!" She yelled.
"You're only gonna make it harder on yourself if you keep that up Darl" he said slyly as he trailed his finger down her chin and continued downwards.
"I SAID LET ME GO!" She struggled even more and was giving both men a hard time. Suddenly the second man on the bed began to get rough. As he lowered himself on top of her, Alli found new strength and kicked him hard. He winced in pain.
The first man got angry and her body was thrown off the bed and to the ground. Clutching her side, she tried to lift herself to her feet. She was knocked back down again as she recieved a blow in her side. The second man that was still masked by the darkness sniggered as he repeatedly kicked the young girl.
"Stupid bitch!" The two men continued to beat her until she fell unconscious.
A few hours later, Alli awoke in an dark street due to the freshly falling rain. With it being her first time in Balamb, she no idea where to go, but she stumbled on through the night, searching for shelter. The rain suddenly began to pelt harder and Alli painfully began to run. She came across a sweet looking house with a gorgeous front garden and patio that looked pretty new. Alli thought hard and remembered Zell talking about completing a front patio for his Ma at their home in Balamb. She decided to try her luck and knock on the door. While trying to get to the front door she knocked over an outside chair. Inside, the noise frightened Ma Dincht who called for Zell to check outside. Zell was slightly hesitant because he was dressed in nothing but red satin boxer shorts, but he still opened the door. [Mmmm....sorrry, he had to be topless!!] He came face to face with a girl who looked like she'd been through hell and back. Zell was speechless. Her hair hung in front of her face like a wet mop. He took a step forwards and she responded by slightly raising her head. A trail of blood ran from her split lip. She was covered in her own blood. Her right eye was puffy and red and would definately become bruised. The girl was absolutely drenched and looked like she'd just escaped from hell. Zell was horrified to see that this very girl that stood battered and wet on his front patio was his best friend.
"Al?..." He asked and stated when he finally found his voice. He pulled her close for hug, wet clothes, blood and all. Tears streamed down Alli's face as Ma appeared in the door. She was slightly embarrassed at seeing her son hugging a girl. Even though she didn't notice his mother's presence, Alli pulled away.
"I'm sorry..." She whispered hoarsely. Alli slowly raised her head to the light and allowed the full extent of the damage to be shown. "I had nowhere else to go" Ma suddenly realised that it was a friend in need, so she raced to the closet and grabbed some towels. When she returned, Zell realised she was there.
"Thanks..." He spoke softly as he took the towels. "Ma? Can Alli stay the night? I know the rules-no girls after 10 but-"
"Of course she can. When you are ready, bring her inside and we'll get her fixed up"
"Thank you Mrs Dincht" Alli whispered greatfully.
"Please dear, call me Ma" With that, Zell's mother left the two alone. Zell carefully leaned over and pushed her drenched bangs out of her eyes. Her skin was ice cold. Alli, who also realised this, tried to take off her wet coat.
"Here. Let me help" Zell carefully removed one arm, then the other. He let her coat hang over the chair. When he returned to face her, he was amazed at how gorgeous she looked in the dress she was wearing, even though it was ripped in places.. He placed the towel around her shoulders and tried to dry her as much as possible. Once she had removed her sandals, Zell led her inside with a protective arm around one shoulder. "That's the kitchen... that's the dinning room... and this is the bathroom" he gave her the tour. Ma was already in the bathroom. She held a red basket in her hands which she placed on the bench on their arrival.
"There's some fresh towels and a change of clothes in there. Once you're finished, Zell can bandage you up, ok" Zell and his mother returned to the kitchen to chat. The constant kind tone in his mother's voice gave him reasurance.
"Now Zell... I know I said she could sleep, but there's one condition..." Ma began and Zell waited for the annoying catch that every deal has. "Don't you dare leave her" Zell gave his mother a puzzled look. "I can only assume what happened or was going to happen to her and it's not good for her to be alone. Be there for her and protect her. She needs you. I remember countless times when you've talked about Alli. I don't think you even realised, but I noticed that your face lights up at her name. You obviously care deeply about her and love her in some way, so prove it" Zell smiled at his mother's motivational speech. His smile grew even more when he realised his mother's words were true.
{I do care about her... And I love her... But do I love her in THAT way?} Snapping back to reality, he realised the water had stopped.
"She's been out for a while. I'm gonna go see if she's ready" Zell raced to the bathroom and knocked gently on the door. "Alli? Can I come in?"
"Yeah... But I look kinda odd..." She replied softly. Confused, Zell entered to see what she meant. She wore one of Zell's muscle singlets and a pair of his boxers. Her hair was pulled back into a high pony and she looked slightly better. Alli didn't want to go with out a bra, so she put her strapless one back on. The dampness left an outline on Zell's shirt. He tried not to pay too much attention to it, but naturally he couldn't help it.
Prying his eyes away from her chest, Zell opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the first-aid kit. With the height difference between them, Zell suggested she sit on the bench. He carefully picked her up by the waist and seated her on the bench. She winced sharply in pain. By instinct, he slightly lifted her shirt up to where his hands had just been. The first thing he noticed was 3 deep gouges that looked like they were from finger nails. Then he noticed her bra. Mentally slapping himself, he decided to start working from there. When he started on her back, he noticed more gouge marks behind the clip to her bra. The material was slightly ripped too. He suddenly felt a horrible feeling in the bottom of his stomach. Zell finished applying the Band-Aids and led her to his room.
"This is where you can sleep tonight. I'll take the couch" Zell flopped on his bed and Alli gave a small smile. "Try it! It's the best bed in the world! Fit for a king! That's why it's my bed!" Zell smiled as Alli playfully punched Zell on the arm. He watched her every move as she gingerly lowered herself onto the bed. She closed her eyes and sighed as she reached it.
You're right... It's wonderful" As Alli relaxed her body, the over sized singlet she was wearing slowly began to slip down, baring her sun-kissed skin. Zell noticed it the second it began to move. As it continued to get lower, Zell's eyes followed it smoothly. Her tanned skin suddenly turned purple as the shirt reached as far as it was going to fall. Zell tore his eyes away and felt like kicking himself.
{She's been through hell and back and here I am perving on her}
Zell needed to know the truth. He suddenly got serious and began his inquest. "Alli?" He asked in an unfamiliar worried tone. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, hey?"
"Yeah. Of course. What made you ask that?"
"Well... Um..." Zell pointed to her chest, then quickly changed his mind and motioned along his own chest. Alli looked down. She thought Zell was being perverted until she saw the bruised skin. Tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry Al. Don't cry. You can trust me. Do you wanna talk about it?" She nodded.
"After seeing you two, I was upset. I left to go to a party. I guess I'd had a little too much to drink. I dunno, I was upset" she began.
"I met these two guys. They seemed great. We talked for a while, then they said they were gonna walk me home coz I was too drunk" she stopped to blink back the tears, then she continued. "We were suddenly in a room when one of 'em tried to touch me. I told him not to and he got really pissed. He said that he wouldn't take no for an answer. Then the other guy threw me onto the ground. He sat on my stomach and kept groping me... It hurt so much...He-he.... He tried to rape me" Alli couldn't hold the tears back anymore and let them free like a floodgate. Zell moved closer to where she was laying and hugged her warmly.
Zell didn't know what to say. He stayed in complete silence listening to Alli's soft sobs. He couldn't tell her it was going to be all right because he didn't know that. Time passed and Zell knew he had to say something.
"I'm always here for you. Forever..." Zell stroked her hair until she calmed down. "I don't want to get you upset again, but when you said 'you two', did you mean when you saw me and Malicya? "
Alli lay dormant. "I got your note you left me on my bed" Zell opened his mouth to talk, but Alli slowly raised a finger in defiance. "You said you needed to talk to me, I thought you were genuine. If you wanted to tell me you a girlfriend, why didn't you just say so and not get me to walk in on you..." Her eyes began to fill with tears as she rolled away from Zell, leaving him to face her back. He moved closer and layed his head behind hers.
"Malicya's not my girlfriend, I don't love her anymore and you left me the note, I didn't leave you one..."
"What do you mean? I didn't leave you any note..." Alli asked rolling onto her back so she could hear him better.
"Dammit!" Zell growled angrilly. "Bloody Malicya. She's my EX girlfriend. A love that was over a LONG time ago. She must have left the notes in an effort to break us up. Hyne knows she tried so many times before"
It all clicked in Alli's mind. How could she think that Zell was capable of something that horrible in the first place. She smiled sheepishly at her own stupidity.
"Why didn't you ask-" Zell began, but stopped when Alli moved to face him. She slid her hand across his cheek and down along the strong contours of his chest as she slowly closed the gap between their lips. They met in a gentle kiss. The softness of her touch was unbearable. Zell felt his whole body tremble, in a way unlike any other girl could do. He inhaled her scent as their kiss lasted. She smelled like strawberries with a hint of jasmine. Zell was amazed at the effect she was having on his senses. Realising what she had just done, Alli pulled away embarrassed.
"I'm sorry-" This time Zell cut her off by pulling her body back to his, closing the gap once more. They met softly at first, then more passionately. A hunger that came out of nowhere took over Zell, making him want more of her. He could taste those strawberries now and could almost taste the jasmine. His hand nervously slid its way up from the bottom of her chin to over the top of her ear. He combed his fingers gently through her luscious chocolatey-brown locks. The same chocolately colour as her deep eyes. He opened his eyes hoping to catch a glimpse of them. Alli opened hers too. They pulled their lips away slowly, but kept each others body close.
"I didn't know you felt the same..." Zell said softly as his on-the-edge nerves began to relax. Alli traced her finger over his tattoo. "I didn't want to ruin our friendship"
"Nothing can ruin us" she replied smiling. Zell rolled over until he was lying flat on his back. He stared at the ceiling replaying the last few moments over and over in his mind. Alli, taking this as her opportunity, layed her head down on his chest and snuggled into his arm.
{I can't believe she feels the same!} He thought to himself. His thoughts took over and like Squall, he became lost in them. {I wonder what the others will say? I can't believe that Ma knew before I knew...} Snapping back to reality, Zell remembered that Alli was still in the room with him. He looked down to see her fast asleep. She reminded him of an angel, even in the state she was in. His eyes slowly wandered over her delicate face. Her tiny pudgy nose that he used to playfully tease her about suddenly became perfect, her long dark lashes lay gracefully on their thin beds of skin. He glanced down at her rosy pink lips and momentarily closed his eyes. Zell savoured that taste that set his body on fire. He let his eyes move lower until her got to her neck. She still wore the necklace he had given her almost a year ago. The tiny hover-board pendant was still there too. Zell felt at his throat and grabbed his own identical one. He held it tightly in his hand. He glanced down at it and stared at the tiny message ingraved on the back of the board. It simply stated forever in a fancy, but readable script. He looked back down and noticed how Alli's pendant sat proudly above her clevage. At the thought of the word, Zell knew he was doing the wrong thing and moved back to his thoughts. {I can't believe it took me this long to realise that I love her. I'm not only physically attracted to her, but mentally and spiritually aswell. We MUST be soulmates} His eyes began to grow heavy. {I'll just nap here until she moves over. I don't want to wake her}
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The morning sun leaked in through his window to alert him that a great day was ahead. To Zell, it seemed like it warned him that he was in trouble. He looked down at his chest and sure enough, a beautiful young girl was still sleeping soundly. {Oh shit! I slept with her! I hope Ma hasn't realis-} He stopped his own thoughts when his mother walked into the room to open the curtains. He squinted his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He felt his muscles tense as Ma looked right at the two of them, smiled, then left the room. He relaxed when she closed the door. He once more averted his attention to the sleeping body next to him. Her movement through out the night had caused her shirt to gape open, exposing her chest once more. Zell felt the tingling sensations take over. He traced his hand along Alli's face and unknowingly continued lower. Het let it slide down the bridge of her nose and down the side of her cheek. As he reached her neck he felt the chain and continued to follow that. When he reached the pendant, he stopped momentarilly and considered continuing down. Instead he followed the chain up to the other side of her neck. His hand glided down her arm and towards her stomach. Alli began to move about. Zell froze, not wanting to wake her. Once she relaxed, he continued, being stuck to her body like a magnet. He noticed that the bottom of her shirt had been raised and for the first time, Zell saw Alli's flat, tanned stomach. He wondered for a moment how it got so tanned. Zell remembered countless times when Alli had worn dresses with very revealing necklines, but she had never once bared her stomach. {Why not?} He thought. {It's nothing to be ashamed of} His hand carelessly, but gently traced circles over her lower stomach. He ventured slightly higher. He dared to go even further upwards. His body trembled as he knicked the bottom of her bra. He wanted to go higher, but he knew it was already wrong of him without Alli's consent. Little did he know that Alli had been awake the whole time and just pretended to be asleep. Zell was so spellbound by her natural beauty that he didn't notice Alli slowly raise her hand and place it on top of his. He choked as she firmly grasped his hand from over the top of the clothing, not allowing him any movement. Zell was unprepared for her next action as well. She did the opposite of his prediction and slowly guided his hand higher until it completely covered her right breast. She moaned softly as he nervously followed her actions. She slid his hand other hand over to the other and closed her eyes. Zell raised his body and moved towards her face and indulged in another sweet kiss. She nipped at his bottom lip, urging him to open wider. Zell felt Alli's tongue against his own and felt his senses liven even more. He pulled away and began to trail sweet kisses along her neck. She arched it for easier access. Once more he inhaled her sweet scent and was mesmerized. Alli ran her hands slowly through his blond locks and continued further down to his neck. She kept her hands there and played with the loose strands.
"I've waited... so long... for this...for you" Alli whispered in between her breaths. Zell didn't answer her statement, he just continued onto her collarbone. Alli felt his tongue flicker as each kiss continued lower. She slid her hands back up from his neck and back through his hair applying slight pressure, hinting to him to go lower. Taking the hint, Zell's kisses continued along where her chain hung until he reached her throat. He slowly dragged his tongue down. Down to where the pendant hung and even further.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I thought you were gonna take the couch" she laughed later as he bent his head over and kissed her on the forehead.
"Alli?" Zell asked unsure.
"Mmm?"
"I mean it. I'll always be there..." he said meaningfully.
"I know. I trust you" she whispered closing her eyes.
"Alli?" Zell asked slightly louder. She noticed the raised volume, opened her eyes and gave Zell her complete attention.
"I - I love you..." He said softly, but sincere. Alli felt her whole body come alive.
"I love you too Zell" She smiled as she hugged Zell as best as she could with him lying down. "So" She smiled happily. "Are we officially a couple now?" Zell nodded and his smile grew even bigger. Alli slid herself up on the bed so she could look into his deep eyes. Her face loomed over Zell's. She slowly lowered her face down until their lips met once more.
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