Alex is flirting with me again. He doesn't mean anything by it, but I play along. It's nice to have someone paying attention to me as a human being, and not as a source of drinks or a pair of breasts.
"No, Alex, I can 'close up shop' all by myself," I reply with a grin. He smiles back as I pour him another drink.
"You're tryin' to break my heart, Tifa. You always turn me down. Why? You got somebody waitin' at home for you?"
"Hardly." I continue rinsing the shot glasses and glance at the clock. I'm gonna have to throw him out soon.
"No hero at home for you, Princess?"
I stop in my work and slowly turn to Alex with what I know is a cynical smile on my face.
"I don't believe in heroes, Alex," I say, my voice as bitter as my smile. I'm always smiling, and I hate it. I always want everyone else to be happy, not to worry about me. Why the hell can't I be selfish for once? "Don't believe in promises, either."
Alex leans back in his chair, taking a drink. "Why?" he asks, setting the glass down on the bar. I stare at it as I reply.
"Because I had a hero once. And he made me a promise. And if heroes were real and promises meant anything, he'd have rescued me from this hell hole a long time ago."
"Who was he?"
I shrug. "A boy I grew up with. He left to join SOLDIER about six years ago. He promised that when he got into SOLDIER, if I was ever in trouble, he'd come rescue me." I wave a hand at the room, including not only the bar but all of the slums. "I'd say this is trouble."
"You're bein' awful hard on the guy," Alex says as he slides his glass across the bar, waving off another drink. "What if he's stationed in Wutai or somethin'? Maybe he can't get to you now."
I shrug again and start to wash out his glass. "Maybe. He's probably dead by now, anyways."
Alex and I chat for a few minutes more, then I tell him to go home to his wife. Her boyfriend's probably left by now, I say, and Alex tells me my recall for gossip is remarkable.
"Just one of the job requirements."
I lock the door behind me and start the short walk to my apartment. Six years… has it been that long? Six years since I thought I needed to be saved, since I had illusions of knights and romance. I don't need a hero, now. I can take care of myself.
But it'd sure be nice to have him waiting for me at home.