Road To Deling – Chapter Six: Shoes, Orange Juice and OTV
Seifer leaned against the bathroom door with a heavy sigh. After a few minutes of blocking the door, he pushed himself away towards the beds. He stripped down to his fitted black jeans and kicked off his boots. They tumbled and fell in opposite direction. One thumped near his foot while the other a little farther away. His eyes fell on the boot near his left foot and moved to the white shoes that Quistis wore, a pair of Mary Janes, sitting so primly in between his haphazard footwear.
He smiled and picked one of it up. The heel was wide and barely two inches tall with straps so thick and soles so well padded that a walk from Balamb to Deling would be like a stroll in the clouds for her. He had to smile at that. Only Quisty… So practical. Not that he's saying that they're unattractive, the shoes, that is! They're cute in a chunky, practical way. And practicality is a criteria people often overlook.
It was a far cry from what his previous dates wore. No, they wore stilettos or platforms or those fragile-looking sandals with straps thinner than vermicelli or those absurdly painful-looking triangular-pointed shoes and none of them looked the slight bit comfortable. He had to admit, those shoes are killers, especially after a night of dancing –which is why he reverted to steel-toed boots! Oh, he was practical, too!
He returned the shoe to its original position and stood up stretching. He slid the sliding door open and stepped onto the small balcony. For a small hotel, the accommodations were pretty good. A lot better than what he had expected for the price he paid.
There wasn't a pool or anything, but there was a quaint little flower garden, which looked both out of place and welcoming. It was like a little getaway from the hustle-bustle of the city life, like a mini Winhill. Suddenly he felt like he should've taken Quistis to there instead. He eyed the sky and spotted the moon and a half of its twin trying to spring out of the dark night clouds. Stars were never quite visible in the City…only a few of the brighter ones can be seen.
How odd…an hour and a half ago the streets were almost deserted. And now it seems like the city is coming to life. Hmm, I guess nightlife in Deling starts late…Seifer reflected.
After a while of staring at the bright colourful Neon lights and huge billboards of Deling go on one by one, he heard the door squeak open. He turned to the sound. Quistis emerged from the bathroom wrapped to the chin in her robe. She also had her hair wrapped in the towel. He spoke up, "You're done? That was quick."
"It's been more than a half an hour and I'm all wrinkled up. I don't usually spend that long in bath," she said sheepishly. She flushed hotly when she realized that he was naked waist up. Every once in a while her eyes drifted to his chiseled body discreetly.
"You mean you never pamper yourself," he stated dryly to her, his voice tinted with amusement then amazement at her flushed reaction.
"I don't want to get into the habit. Besides, I don't want the water to get too cold for you."
He smiled at her thoughtfulness. Then he continued after a moment, "Get some rest, Quisty. I'll take you dancing tomorrow night, okay? It's kinda late tonight."
He went into the bathroom, laughing when he heard her exclaim at the closing door, "Dancing! B-But I don't dance!"
She pulled a white sleeveless tank top over her black sports bra and a matching black hipster sweats over her long legs.
"I …don't dance…," she mumbled to herself as she plopped onto the bed after dressing, toweling her hair, "at least not in front of people…"
"I shouldn't have come," she continued her lament though secretly; she's never felt so exhilarated before.
"Stupid Seifer! Wants me to make a fool of myself," she said after about ten minutes of vigorously toweling her hair, a pillow flying to the closed bathroom door to emphasize her annoyance.
The door open to Seifer walking into the room, deftly picking up the pillow on the floor in one fluid move with a cheeky smile etched on his face. He had his robe draped across his shoulders, his jeans folded across his left arm and his towel wrapped loosely around his waist. He dumped the pillow, his robe, and jeans on the dressing table chair. Quistis sat perched in the middle of the bed Indian style eying him wearily. He then sauntered to the dressing table mirror keeping his back to her. Making sure he had Quistis' face in the mirror's reflection, Seifer dropped the towel to the floor with dramatic flair.
He watched as her eyes went wide in shock, and then narrowed in revelation and her mouth moved from a silent 'O' to a thin aggravated line. He caught the mixed emotions in her reaction. She was glaring at him for taunting her like that and all he could do from bursting out laughing was to wink at her. He tugged his knee-length shorts higher over his black boxer's waistband rather self-consciously. He pulled out a white, slightly crinkled t-shirt from the bag and slipped it on. Seifer ran his hand in his dark blond hair making the wet strands stand on its ends like freshly cut hay.
Seifer grabbed a bottle of juice. He went to the slightly gaping sliding door and slid it open all the way. Quistis watched him sit himself on the balcony floor, back towards her. He turned to grin at her, patting the spot beside him as an invitation. Hesitantly, she climbed off the bed then making herself comfortable on the floor.
"Juice?" he asked her, offering the opened bottle to her. She offered a small smile before tipping the bottle to her lips and taking cautious sips. He took the bottle the second she set it down and tilted it to his own mouth, taking large gulps of it.
After about ten minutes of comfortable silence and half a bottle less of juice, Seifer struck a topic, "Sooo…"
"Hmm?" she mumbled out of her haze.
"Why didn't you go to the Spring Festival? Seem like you really wanted to go and all…" he let the question hang.
When she took her sweet time to answer looking more and more uncomfortable as the seconds passed by, Seifer's mind spun all the possible answers in his mind. He fully expected her to say something like, 'Oh, I had paper to mark," or "I was off supervising detention for the delinquent junior cadets," or something along the lines of that. But when she finally spoke up, her answer blew him away.
"I didn't have a date. No one asked me," she said quietly, averting his gaze. Then she quickly added a very 'Quistis-like' answer, "Besides, Cid had a mission for me that night."
Seifer's eyes narrowed in skepticism, "What mission?" Seifer knew that there weren't any important missions that night. He knew because he had asked the Headmaster himself. He didn't feel like going to the Spring Fest but the Headmaster had ordered him to go and enjoy himself.
Quistis answered quickly, still not looking into his curious eyes, lest her courage deserted her, "Mission OTV."
"OTV?" Seifer raised an eyebrow in question.
Reluctantly and hesitantly, she supplied the persistent knight with further explanation, "Erm…Organizing The Victuals?"
"What!" Quistis flinched at Seifer's snarl. "CID ASKED YOU TO PREPARE THE FOOD!"
Quistis felt like shrinking away to oblivion at that moment. She truly believed that if he had his Hyperion with him at that moment, the room would be no better off than a shipwreck with everything in the room sliced in half at the very least.
"He didn't ask me to do it…I volunteered. Something happened to the caterer at the eleventh hour and they were extremely short on food. Selphie worked so hard to organize the Festival and I couldn't let something like that spoil it for her. And it wasn't Cid's idea. It was mine and no one knew…other than Cid, okay? And now you know," she finished off huffily.
"And you felt that it was way better to slave over other people's meals in the hot kitchen while everyone else drink, dance and make merry?" he prodded on. He felt a little pleased that she's confide in him…just like they use to.
"Well, it's definitely better than going to a Spring Festival –where everyone was with someone- all alone and end up being the lonely reject or the girl everyone respects –fears, most likely- too much to ask to dance or hang out with," Quistis' voice came out a little hoarse when she said this. Seifer's heart clenched when he saw her face twist slightly in distress.
"Well, what about that posse of yours? I'm sure they'd be happy to keep you company," he offered.
"Yeah, for how long? I can't bear to think that they'd stay by their side because they felt sorry for me. They'd say, 'Oh, we can't go and dance and have fun…what would poor Quisty feel sitting there all by herself?' I'd rather slave over the stove than be a wallflower or have people feel sorry for me," Quistis snapped, clearly upset and feeling slightly insulted.
She crossed her arms across her chest and refused to meet Seifer's bright, smiling eyes. She couldn't bear to think that the one person that she felt comfortable enough to open up to laughing at her when she finally did. Quistis panicked slightly at the familiar crushing feeling around her heart, fearing that she might burst into tears anytime soon. I can't cry! NO! Not in here, not in front of a person, not in front of SEIFER! I mean, come on! I can't let something this trivial like missing the best part of Spring Festival hurt me, right? I'm Quistis Trepe. I'm supposed to be strong, right? I'm supposed to be unbreakable, right?
"You're only one person, Trepe. You're human. And yes, you're too nice for your own good", he said saving her from further depression. He was sure he saw her eyes moisten, but then it could've been the odd lighting. Feeling the drive to keep her talking, he prodded her again, "And don't tell me you didn't even take the advantage to stuff your face while you're at it?"
"Hell no, Seifer!" she looked incredulous at his suggestion, and then smacked him on the shoulder for even thinking about it. He grinned cheekily from ear to ear at her shocked reaction. Then she looked rather sheepish when she conceded, "Well, okay… maybe I had a cream puff here and a fruit tart there..."
Seifer threw his head back and roared in laughter, his body racked with mirth as he rocked to the front and back clutching hard at his sides.
"But I worked hard for 14 hours with only a little rest! I think I'd deserve a whole appleberry pie for that!" she cried indignantly hitting him playfully again, her hurt forgotten.
"Quisty, for the delicious food you made, you deserve more than your double story double-chocolate cake! But next time you decide to work behind the stage…especially when there's food involved, don't forget to take me along, okay? And you should CHARGE them!" he said after the laughter had receded, holding his little finger up, pinky-promise style.
"Hahaha! Deal!" and she hooked her own pinky to his.
"And before I forget, what do you mean no one asked you? I clearly remember I did!" he eyed her square in the eye, his emerald pools serious despite the light smile on his face.
"I thought you were just playing me," Quistis mocked exasperation at Seifer's persistence and then answered the blond man half-jokingly, "I mean, you asked me as we passed down the hall after my class with that…what was it that time…oh yes, the sassy redhead Cassie draped all over you? I thought you were merely trying to impress Ms. Ginger there."
This time it was Seifer's turn to look indignant. He took another swig from the bottle then answered sourly, "For your information, Ms. Trepe, I was serious when I asked you and I've tried to loose the redhead -whose real name I still don't know until today- all day. She just latched on to me like a leech after I helped her get her favourite shoe from the –I quote- 'Meanie Porthole'!"
She laughed at his animated expressions. He even did the little 'quote' gesture with his hands when he quoted Ms. Cassandra Noux.
"And when I told you I had more important things to do, you yelled –I quote- 'like marking papers and sulking in your room?' right down the hall," she retorted.
It was just a misunderstanding on both of their parts and they both ended up sulking on the Spring Festival. They both laughed for a bit more. After the laughter died, they both sat in companionable silence staring out to the city, sighing contentedly every once in a while. Neon lights and bright streetlights, which littered the city, seem to grow more and more by the minute.
Quistis took another sip of the orange juice, thinking to herself. I guess Seifer could be nice when he wants to. I can't believe how comfortable he makes me feel right now. It's like talking to you closest friend in the world! Then she remembered yesterday's event in the classroom. Her hand came to her lips involuntarily.
Without a warning, Seifer stood up rather abruptly causing a shocked Quistis to choke on the orange juice she was in the process of swallowing. He stood excitedly in front of her, "Come on, Quisty! Let's go out for a stroll!"
Quistis coughed a few more time then looked at the clock on the wall before answering him, "But Seifer, it's past 10:30 pm! You said it was getting 'kinda late'," then she started coughing again.
Seifer rubbed and clapped her back gently to help her get the juice down, seeming rather sheepish for his abruptness and had this apologetic look on his face, "I did say it was kinda late, if you're thinking on going clubbing and dancing."
Before Quistis could say anything or even think of protesting, he had already gone inside to change into his jeans. By the time she got up from the comfortable position on the floor, he was already grabbing his coat and offering his hand to her.
"But I'm in my sleeping clothes," she said as he pulled her towards the door. Seeing that he ignored her comment, she made a move to mention that she was barefoot but before the words got past her lips, he made a graceful move to pick her shoes off the ground.
In a last attempt to throw him off, demanded, "How come you get to change and I don't?"
"Because it'll be freezing cold and indecent for a man to prance around town in a pair of shorts, no? You don't want me to get arrested for public indecency, do you?" he replied offhandedly.
She almost whined but regained her composure and sulked instead as he dragged her out of the hotel and into the streets.
End of Chapter 6: Shoes, Orange Juice and OTV
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