Disclaimer: I am proud to say that I own FF8 … Ok, Ok, I do not own FF8 or any of its characters.
~Chapter 3: First Date ~
Squall paced around his office, pondering about which movie to go see. His only companion was the Galbadian Garden commander, Sefeir.
"I can't take her to something with lots of fighting and I don't want to be stuck seeing some romance flick." He stated.
"Take her to see um … a comedy. Something that she'll laugh at." Sefeir suggested and he sat down in the Balambian Commander's chair, propping his feet up on the desk.
Squall scowled, "You'll get shit all over my papers!"
"Oh, sorry." Said Sefeir but made no move to remove his feet.
There was a slight pause and Sefeir then said, "So um, who are you taking to this movie anyways? Sarah?"
"No … Rinoa." Squall said while leaning on the desk.
Sefeir nodded and made a slight gesture with his hand, "You know, I've known you since we were kids, you know? Never really liked you but you've found this special place in my heart …"
"You remember when we were twelve, right? Rinoa was ten and you had met her at the New Year party that I never attended and probably never will. Well, we all met up in the summer and … we had fun."
Squall didn't know where Sefeir was going with this but he listened intently, "We did all kinds of shit. Remember the time we accidentally set McGreggor's barn on fire?"
Squall nodded slowly, "Well, you know she's become like a little sister to me! I mean, I don't like her in that way but I still care about her. Honestly, I'm saying this but you actually deserve her only I've found one itsy bitsy flaw in your relationship."
Squall gestured for him to go on, "YOU'RE EN-"
"That small tiny flaw is completely, utterly insignificant. I've solved the problem … erm … sort of." He said smiling slightly.
"You're a bastard." Sefeir scoffed.
Squall countered, "I will solve the problem. I will, trust me, I promise."
"That's what you said when you crashed your first car at sixteen." Sefeir smirked, "It was a Corvette, remember? The red one."
"Oh, you mean the one we crashed into a ditch?" Squall mused.
"Yes, the one you drove into a ditch." Sefeir continued smiling, "The other one met its final moment when we were drunk and hit a traffic light."
***
"So you're going out with him?" Quistis didn't look up from her hand that rested on Rinoa's desk. She applied a thin coat of nail polish.
From her bed, Rinoa stood up and walked to the bay window. "No, it's just for one night. You know, the typical movie and dinner."
"Right …" Responded Quistis half absent-mindedly. "Movie and dinner."
"He threatened me into going out with him." She stated.
Quistis finally looked up from her work, "Wow, he really does like you." Then added apprehensively, "Are you going to sleep with him?"
Rinoa gave Quistis a death glare, "What do I look like, a prostitute?"
"Relax, hun." Quistis rolled her eyes, "I mean if you like the guy why not just 'go for it'?"
"This isn't a question of liking, it's beyond liking!" Rinoa said helplessly. "I'm so in love with him it hurts!! I love him so much I want to kill him!"
Quistis' eyes went wider and then she added, "Talk about obsession."
"It's not about obsession." Rinoa retorted, "It's like he ripped my heart out, then said 'Whoops!' and now he's trying to put it back in and it hurts!!!"
"Ok!" Quistis temper flared, "Tell me what the hell is going on, I don't know the whole story and I would sure as hell like to be informed."
"You wouldn't understand." Rinoa practically sobbed. "I'm really in love with him."
Quistis rubbed her temples, "Then what the fuck is the problem? You've got a date with the guy, he seems to like you and you sure seem to like him!"
"See?" Rinoa pointed out, "You don't understand."
"Then explain." Quistis said apprehensively.
Rinoa took a deep breath, "It just happened. One morning I woke up and I knew I was in love with him. He's just … I don't know. Maybe I liked his way of speaking, his looks, his personality. I don't know."
She made a gesture of impatience with her hand, "It was one of those school girl crushes, I realize but then a couple of weeks later when he kissed me … it just…" Rinoa tried to explain it in words but failed.
"Ok, but what went wrong?" Quistis asked.
Rinoa sighed, "Well, two weeks later …"
***
Squall stood waiting on the other side of the street. Buses rushed passed, crossing each other's paths, embarking passengers and dropping them off. He'd told her he was picking her up at five; it was now five thirty. What the hell was she doing?
He bit his bottom lip nervously. Maybe she decided she didn't feel like coming. He looked across the road to the Caraway mansion. A Galbadian guard stood at his post, not moving. He looked like a suit of armor, there for exterior decoration.
Finally the large double doors opened and Rinoa stepped out. Spotting Squall across the street, she crossed and went up to meet him.
"Are you telling me we're walking?" She asked as a way of greeting, spotting no car.
"I, uh, thought we could rent one." Squall said, "You can make it to the rental station? I know it's cold but I've been waiting for you for thirty minutes." He smiled.
"Maybe it's not a good time to tell you, but it was on purpose." And she stuck out her tongue.
"Oh you're nice." He replied sarcastically, "Anyways, you want me to carry you to the station?"
She stepped away disdainfully, "You want me to kick you in the balls?"
"As if you ever would." He began walking.
Rinoa glared at him, "Is that a dare?"
Sensing danger he began jogging, "No!"
She ran after him, picking up snow on her way and packing it into a ball. She threw it at him with all the force she could muster. It hit him in the back of the head.
"Oh you are so going to pay!" He turned around and began gathering snow. Forming a large enough weapon, he chucked it at his target, which darted to the left, escaping the snowball's trail.
"Missed." Her eyebrows rose it mocked shock, "The Balambian commander, can't even throw a snowball with aim. Tsk, tsk!"
He began to run back after her and she yelped slightly and ran the opposite way towards the Deling city park. Unknowingly stepping on a small patch of ice she skated clumsily to a snow bank before falling over on her back.
Squall began to laugh insanely, clutching his stomach that was getting sore. He began walking over to help her up when he slipped as well and fell on his rear. It was her turn to laugh.
"Ow." He whined, "That's going to leave a bruise."
Giving her the best death glare he could, he stood up slowly. "You're laughing at me?"
Trying to retain her laughter was not an easy task, "No …" She said biting the inside of her mouth.
"I'm gunna kick that cute lil ass of yours and then-" He didn't have time to finish his sentence when he slipped and fell again.
She burst out into hysterics again. Squall stood up again and shook himself off haughtily and this time, slowly walked towards her and entrapped her against the snow bank she was now leaning against.
"You know, you're beautiful when laugh?" He said romantically.
She countered jokingly, "You know you look like an ass when you fall on yours?"
He leaned in to kiss her but she pushed him away deliberately. "Didn't you make reservations? And don't we have a movie to catch, not to mention a car to rent?"
He distanced himself from her, "Yeah I guess."
***
"So, what have you been up to these last past years?"
Rinoa shrugged and responded with her regular, "Going to school."
Squall rolled his eyes, "Besides that? Any other events?"
People around them were chatting amicably; utensils were clinking together as people ate what they ordered.
Sitting near a picture window at a table for two, Rinoa shrugged once more. "Um, well … nothing really incredible."
"Something has to have happened!" Squall urged her to consider.
She pondered for a few minutes, "I don't know. What about you?"
Squall sighed but decided to answer, "Well there's always new things happening in Garden. A stupid jackass was acting all cool to impress his girlfriend by killing a baby t-rexaur … then nearly shit his pants when the mother came after him."
Rinoa smiled slightly as Squall continued, "Triple Triad, the card game is getting to be real popular now which answers why this dumbass started this fight with this other dumbass on who's deck was better."
"Oh, the joys of going to a private girl school." Rinoa said.
Squall smirked, "Not really. There you've got these girly fights on which guy belongs to whom."
"At least they aren't fighting over a card game." Rinoa mocked.
"What about school," Squall changed the subject, "How are you doing in school?"
"Squall, you sound like my uncle. Cut it out." Rinoa stated.
"Ok … um, talk to Sefeir lately?" He attempted a conversation again.
Rinoa shook her head, "I was going to go see him when we went to Galbadia garden but I think he was busy. You?"
"Yah, I keep in regular contact since … you know, we're both commanders." Then his eyes lit up, "Oh yah! Next summer we plan on going camping with a couple of other people. You can invite your friends or something."
She smiled slightly, "Yah I guess I'll think about it."
***
The movie theater was dark, the only light coming from the giant illuminated screen. The movie was going to be a comedy … or so he had told her.
She couldn't entirely concentrate on the movie; his presence next to her took up 89% of her attention.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when he reached his arm across to her drink holder. She smacked his hand away.
"That's my drink." She whispered.
"I know but I finished mine and I'm really thirsty." He had a pleading look on his face that she could just identify with the help of the light emitted from the screen.
"I guess that's too bad." She whispered back and stuck out her tongue at him.
Being able to identify her facial expression as well, he seized the opportunity and kissed her eagerly.
(AN: I thought saying 'passionately' sounded corny so I looked up a synonym and I found 'eagerly' which could also be interpreted as 'fervently'.)
She kissed back, but her mind set off alarms, "What are you doing?" and "You really want to get hurt again, don't you?"
She pushed him away slightly and awkwardly. She thanked Hyne that they were in one of the back rows.
***
"Thanks for taking me out." Rinoa said as they arrived near the Caraway mansion.
Squall shrugged, "You want to do it again sometime?"
"Squall I …" She began but she couldn't finish.
He looked at her as if begging her to go on, so she did. "It's just that … you hurt me. Two years ago and … I don't think it would ever work out. You …"
She searched for words but the only cruel, untruthful syllables she strung together were, "You aren't my type. I …" Not knowing what to saw any more she softly kissed him on the lips and looking one last time in his pale, hurt eyes she turned …
And left him standing in the commencing storm …
Sammy-Chan: Whee … chapter three! Hey that rhymed, gimme a dime! Ok, I'm sorry if that was sad (and I mean boo-hoo sad or 'that sucked' type of sad). I promise to update soon. Hmm … anyone wondering how this sentence ends, "YOU'RE EN-" Hee, hee … you shall soon find out. Please review, thank you. Hey that rhymed gimme a- *Gets knocked out by a flying boulder*