Author's Note: That last chapter was a bit confusing, wasn't it? I thought it was. Even while posting it I was like "Hmm... I think I should revise it or change it some more...?" but then I was like but how would I change it? I still don't know. xD But I wish I had slowed down the plot line a bit. You guys may have felt that it was just right, but I still think it was fast. Do relationships really begin/end that fast in real life? ... actually, maybe... The drama in my story is driving me crazy. xD Oh, and I did change the chapter titles - you're not imagining or remembering wrong. They were too long.

Rainy Days - Chapter Ten - Acceptance

Somehow, time just flew right by. A humming sound near my ear woke me out of a deep sleep that I didn't remember starting, in a bed I hardly remembered getting in. I rolled over in bed towards one of the tables that sat next to it where my cell phone sat, blinking and vibrating as someone called in. My head throbbed and felt as though it would explode. I groggily reached over and flipped open the phone to answer it, hoping the head ache was only temporary.

"Good morning, sleepy head," a warm, motherly voice greeted me.

I groaned. "What time is it?"

"Eleven-ish. Almost noon."

I sat up in bed. The throbbing sensation continued, or maybe even grew. "You're kidding!" I exclaimed, before looking at the clock. I groaned again. "You're not."

"Sorry," she replied, sounding apologetic. "Seifer and I are at the cafe right now though. Want anything? Some mocha; maybe a blue berry muffin..."

"Thanks, Quisty," I sighed and leaned back against the head rest of my bed. "But no thanks. I'm not feeling too sunshine and glory today."

"Are you okay though?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I said, waving off her concern. I rubbed my temples all the while though, trying to massage the head ache out. "Some aspirin should do the trick."

"All right," she said, though there was some doubt behind her voice. She didn't believe me one bit. "But if you need anything, give me a call. Soup, company, a maid..."

"Thanks, but I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about me and have a good day with Seifer."

"Hmmph..." she half chucked. "I only get to see the man every single day."

I heard a "Hey!" in the background from Seifer as he began to rant about how lucky she was that he cared about her enough to drag his butt down to see her. I laughed as she yelled back about how the phone call was a private conversation that he shouldn't have been listening it. It made me wonder what the two were really like without all of us there with them.

"Well, it's not exactly a peachy day," she continued. After she recomposed herself, I imagined. There was a pause and a shuffle on the other line. "Hey, Rin? We'll be by later to see you, okay? I've got to explain to Seifer now, why he doesn't get a maid. Get well soon!"

There was a click from the other end. I laughed at the couple and their strange relationship. Or at least, tried. The laugh soon died though, as pain surged up to my temples. I groaned and sank into the bed sheets and fluffy pillows. So much for getting well soon.

"Nope," I mumbled to myself. "Not a happy day..."

The day before was more than the average overwhelming day with your friends in college. First there was the whole walking home in the rain after hanging on in the park and getting soaked to the bone. After that was the running around the apartment cleaning in a tube top because everything else was wet and the apartment was a mess. Between Squall and the phone call and the school work and the house work... my last hours of the day were pretty much insane. Being wet plus being busy does not equal happiness. In fact, that was probably why I had that head ache - it was otherwise known as the flu. Or at least the common cold.

"Dammit..." I whined as I pulled the bed covers over my head. "I hate myself sometimes..."

Selphie came by within the hour (Quistis no doubt called her within five minutes), and Quistis followed in an hour later. Irvine and Seifer were (naturally) in tow. Selphie had brought over some soup for me to eat and made me eat it right away. By the time I had finished, Quistis came by with groceries. They tried to tuck me into bed, but I refused to and was forced to watch TV with the guys while they worked. I walked over to where they were several times, offering to help them (it was my apartment after all...), but they kept kicking me out. I hadn't bothered cleaning or changing at all, so I was walking around the apartment in my pajamas with my bed covers draped over my shoulders that followed me around like an oversized, meant for overweight superheroes cape. Irvine joked that I was Matress Woman or something along that sort of super hero name.

Certain parts of the room were completely unorganized from the day before, because I had just thrown in all of my things so Squall didn't see me as a slob. It was around 4 that they gave me my cold medicine that put me to sleep. Everything was already done by then. The whole apartment was swept and cleaned, and I had food in my fridge. I was ordered by Quistis to heat them up whenever I was hungry because they were much healthier for me and would help me get over my cold if it didn't go away soon. I think I agreed, but I wasn't too sure.

By the time I was sleeping, they weren't gone yet, but I was sure they left not too long afterwards. I crawled out of bed and pulled a thin blanket from my closet. The head aches and sniffling and all symptoms of the cold appeared to be gone, but it was at least eight at night and the temperature had gone down. I walked out of my bedroom to heat up some of the food that Quistis had left behind for me, expecting the apartment to be empty. When I opened the door though, I saw a sleeping figure on the couch. I crept past them and successfully heated up a meal for myself without waking them up. I even managed to get through eating the meal and cleaning up after myself.

On the way back though, I realized it was Squall and tried to pull my blanket over him. As soft as my touch was, he still stirred. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the lights that I had turned on. I watched him for a few seconds as he tried to figure out where he was.

"Rinoa!" he exclaimed as he jumped up into a sitting position. He quickly straightened his hair and clothes, trying to look as dignified as possible.

I giggled and winked, putting my index finger up to my lips. "Shh... I promise, I won't tell anyone."

He ran his fingers through his hair. His head hung low as he groaned. "I was supposed to take care of you when you woke up and-"

I held up my hand to stop him for going on. "I ate. I'm full. I'm done. I'm better again. Really, I am."

He sighed. I felt his arms slide around my waist. He turned me around so that my back was towards him and pulled me close, resting his chin on my shoulder. His lips brushed my ear. Unfortunately, I don't think it was on purpose. "But I shouldn't have fallen asleep," he whispered, as though he was disappointed and failed to complete some sort of mission.

There was a long silence. It wasn't really awkward, but it wasn't a warm silence either. I felt around my waist for his hands and wrapped my fingers over his. I slid out of his embrace and turned to face him.

"What're you doing here, Squall?" I asked him. Clearly.

He sat up straight. A confused expression filled his face. "What?"

I looked away, trying to figure out the words that would explain it to him. It was rude and I knew it, but it was something that I couldn't help but ask.

"Squall," I said softly. "When I fell asleep, my best friends were with me (with their boyfriends mind you, but it was still my best friends; their boyfriends probably didn't even realize where they were). When I woke up, my best friends were replaced with my boyfriend that I had just gotten back together with yesterday, sleeping on my couch. Do you see my point in this?"

He stayed silent for a minute, trying to figure out my girlish ways. I laughed at it in my head, but shook my head in reality and tried to make it clear for him. "Honey, you're awesome, but it's kind of creepy. If this doesn't scare me just a little bit, then it's hard to say what does."

He blinked, trying to absorb whatever reason it was I was giving him. "Squall, all I really want to know is why you're here - how you got in - heck, how'd you even know to be here today?"

That much helped him. I heard a soft 'oh' escape his lips as he explained.

"Selphie told me you were sick," he said simply, shrugging. "I was going to come over at the same time as the rest of them, but she told me not to worry about it and to come later."

I nodded. It sounded like Selphie alright.

"I told her I didn't mind missing any classes b-"

"Wait - what?" I stopped him, mid-sentence. "Why would you cut class?"

"I thought you were seriously sick or something! She didn't say that it was just a cold," he scoffed.

I laughed and held his face in my hands. "Let me guess... your classes ended at 4, so you rushed over here just in time to catch them leaving, and me sleeping."

"Yeah..." his eyes were sort of unfocused as he stared at me in amazement that I knew all that. "How'd you know?"

"You're sweet, you know that?" I laughed and moved closer, hugging him. "Women's intuition."

I could tell he totally didn't get it. But that was okay. I sat back down, leaning my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around me, and ran his hands down my cheek. There was a comforting silence as the conversation died down. After a few moments with him though, I realized there were a lot of things left to discuss from yesterday.

"Squall?"

"Hmm?" He pulled the blanket around the both of us. I snuggled closer to him, feeling him relax at the same time. I always loved how him for that. He hated public displays of affection (when it involved him anyway). But when we were alone he was always much more intimate. It made me feel close, safe and loved. No one else knew this soft side of him except me.

"About... us."

"What about us?" he asked. I hesitated. What about us? I wasn't really sure. I knew what answers I wanted out of him, but couldn't figure out how to phrase my questions.

"How did we... no, why did we get so..."

"Distant?"

"Sure." If that was even the word for it.

He shifted in his seat. "I don't know. Ask yourself."

"You're not helping."

"Well, what'd you want me to say? I don't even know where to start with our story."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine then. Start two years ago. Who was the girl?"

"What girl?" I pulled away from him.

I looked at him in disgust. Was he with so many girls that he couldn't even remember? "The girl that you brought here last year!"

"I didn't bring a girl last year!" he nearly shouted back. Our voices were suddenly getting extremely loud. Though we weren't yelling yet, it was obvious we were building up to it.

"And even if I did," he continued, but softer. "You counted wrong. That was last year. Not two years ago."

I shook my head. "Fine! Last year! Whatever!" I was getting fed up. I backed away from him to the other end of the couch. "If you don't want to talk about it, you can just leave."

"Rinoa," he reached over to touch my arm, but I pulled back. "Alright then. Suppose I did bring some girl with me last year. Why don't I remember it?"

"I don't know."

"Rinoa, just tell me," he sighed. "Refresh my memory. Something. I can't discuss anything with just me talking."

I made a face, but sat up and 'refreshed his memory' in the best way I knew how to in the situation - bluntly. Screw being polite.

"You came to visit after a year in college. Some blonde slut wearing a bikini came in, said... something to you. You called me your ex-girlfriend while introducing us, whispered something back to her, kissed her and... I don't quite remember. Oh, I remember being cold since then," I finished sarcastically. "Hmm... I wonder why."

He stayed quiet for a while, racking his brain for the memory of this. "Last year? When I came to visit?" He shook his head. "I never kissed anyone else Rinoa..."

There was something about the words that he kept using. They made me melt.

"Well, maybe you didn't kiss her, really..." I said, trying to freeze back. I needed the full story of this before I could go on any more with him. "You kissed her hand. But you clearly flirted. Which surprised me because you hate PDA."

He thought for a moment before chuckling. "The cafe, right?" I nodded, causing him to laugh more. "You're right. There was a girl there."

I stiffened. This was what I wanted from him really - a confession. But some how, I hadn't expected it. And why was he laughing?

"She wasn't my new girlfriend (or whatever it was you thought), Rinoa," he laughed. "I didn't bring her. Not really anyway. I brought some of my guy friends with me, and they were there. She was one of their girlfriends... I think it was Nida. ... that bastard..."

I was still confused. He could tell as he looked over at me.

"They played truth or dare while I was talking to you. I hate that game..." he shook his head. "She was dared to get a kiss from me. That's what she whispered to me. I don't think that was the kiss they were expecting, but... it worked."

I raised my eyebrows. That was it? That was the big thing that caused that rift between us?

"But you called me your ex-girlfriend and..."

"Well you were, in a way," he shrugged. "That's how they all knew you. The ex that I couldn't get over and couldn't wait to get back together with."

"Really?" I asked, before regretting it. I winced. That was sophisticated. He shrugged it off though, and just laughed.

"Yeah, really," he shook his head. "Is that all you were mad at me for? The fact that I kissed one of my friends' girlfriends on a dare?"

My mouth that had been wide open snapped shut and my eyes began to wander. "Um..."

"You seriously thought she was my girlfriend?"

"Maybe..." My tongue ran along the rough edges of my teeth and I began to notice the little spider webs that formed in the corners of the rooms. I could feel his eyes lingering on me; seeing right through me. He could tell that I was stalling. I smiled sheepishly. "Yes?"

He picked up one of the small pillows that I had on the couch and brought it down on me, hitting me hard on the top of my head. "Hey!"

"You didn't talk to me for a year!"

"Well what was I supposed to think?" I snatched the pillow from his hand and hit him right back. "And you! You never explained it to me!"

"I am now!"

"Yeah, now." I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, boys..."

He made a sour face. "Women..." he muttered, rolling his eyes. He focused back on me, cornering me this time. "Yeah well, what about Zell?"

"I told you, didn't I? Blind date," I said lightly, waving my hand. It was his turn to doubt me this time. "What? It's true!"

He nodded along and took the pillow back. "So much for that."

"Yeah, really..." I mumbled. There was yet another silence, signaling the end of the conversation. The night seemed to be full of them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him leaning towards me slowly. I stuck my arm out, keeping him away for a moment. "We're still starting over."

"Why?" he asked, sounding almost whiney - although I couldn't really imagine Squall whining.

"Because we should."

"But we don't have to."

"But we should so we understand each other better," I replied, sounding like one of those counselors that work with married couples that have a rocky relationship. He rolled his eyes, but agreed anyway. I smiled back, giggling a little bit. "I always win."

I leaned my head on his shoulder again and reached for the remote control. "You wanna watch TV?"

He shrugged. Typical. I turned it on, assuming it was a yes.

"I wonder how Selphie knew we were back together..." I mumbled out randomly during a commercial.

"What makes you think she knows?"

"Would she have called you if you and I weren't back together?"

He paused. "Probably."

"No," I said simply. "She only calls my best, most trusting friends. Who just happen to have their boyfriends attached to their hips. Besides," I added. "She wouldn't have left you here alone."

At ten, Squall made me take some medication again, just to make sure that the cold was completely gone. I was asleep by 10:30 probably. He left not long afterwards. I woke up the next morning to an empty apartment. The refrigerator was full of food though, and there was no sign of the slightest flu bug in me. It was pouring outside though, and buckets of rain fell for the entire day. I wanted to go out and meet up with everyone, but unfortunately, the rain didn't seem to want to let up any time soon.

The day after that, the rain cleared, but the clouds didn't seem to want to go anywhere. The cafe was crammed since no one seemed to want to go out in the cold. We were able to get our usual table though, luckily, since we were regulars at the cafe.

"Selphie..." I said as I approached the table. I was the last to arrive - go figure - but they had a seat saved for me. "Why'd you leave Squall at my apartment?"

She looked up at me just in time and smiled sweetly, giggling. "Well..." she paused for a moment, for a effect I supposed, since there wasn't really a reason to pause. "I promised Zell's girlfriend that I'd go shopping with her, so I called Squall to leave him at your place!" She smiled wider, if it was even possible. "And Quistis and Seifer had something to do, right guys?"

"What?" Seifer's head turned so fast, it might've spun off. "No we di--oww!"

Quistis kicked him under the table and glared at him, and he glared right back. She turned to me and smiled. "Sorry Rin - we had no choice but to leave him there alone."

I nodded along, taking off my jacket and sitting down in front of Squall. I took out a pen and notebook, just to make it seem like I dropped the subject. I stopped as my hand went down to write, smiling back at the two of them. "What do you know?"

"Know what?" Selphie and Quistis asked together. Squall let out a soft chuckle/snort before taking a sip of his coffee.

I set down my pen down and rested my elbow on the table. "About us?"

"What're you talking about Rin?" Quistis asked, innocently as possible.

I raised my eyebrow as Selphie's eyes wandered. She must've felt like I was glaring at her though, because she quickly, slammed her hand down on the table. "Okay, fine! So we know how you and Squall are back together!"

I laughed. "Thought so," I said to myself, picking the pen back up, but continued to talk to them. "And... how'd you know?"

"We didn't really..." Quistis started. She had a thoughtful sort of look on her face, thinking back to a few days before. "We get saw Squall coming out of your doorthe other day when we were going to visit."

"He looked really pleased!" Selphie added. "So I knew you two had gotten back together!"

"Just because I looked pleased, Rinoa and I automatically a couple again?" Squall cut in. Selphie and Quistis looked at each other, faces in panic. I could just see the conversation they were having together using their eyes. 'Oh no, they're not!' 'Man, we were so wrong!'

"Just so you know, we are," I said, scribbling in my notebook. I looked back up at them with a small smile on their face.

It took a second before Selphie and Quistis reacted. Quistis just beamed back. Irvine also smiled, adding in "Congratulations!" Selphie jumped up and nearly screamed, "I knew it!" but Irvine hopped up and pulled her back down, smiling sheepishly at the people staring at us. Seifer's jaw dropped.

"I thought you called him a bas-would you stop kicking me?" Seifer angrily hissed through gritted teeth.

I laughed as Quistis scolded him. When everyone finally quieted down, Irvine turned to me again.

"I hate to be the down side of things," he said, "but how do you know you can trust him again? No offense, Squall."

Squall nodded, acknowledging the statement, but didn't say anything. Seifer continued for him.

"Didn't you say he cheated on you two years ago?"

I took a deep breath, trying to think of how to explain it in a short way. Squall beat me to it though.

"It was a mistake."

"Now you say that," Irvine shot back. "But what were you thinking then?"

"It was a misunderstanding," I cut in. "We've worked it out, Irvine."

He leaned back in his seat. He was still doubtful. "If you do anything to let that happen again..."

"It won't," Squall said. My hand and pen were still on the table, next to the notebook I was writing in. His hand slid right over it, stroking it soothingly. "I promise."

I looked down at the ground, and then back up at our hands entwined. I could feel the heat rise up to my cheeks.

"Rinny..." Selphie started, but changed her mind. "Squall. Take care of Rinny for us, okay?"

Quistis nodded. "You're the only one who was able to keep her sane."

"We're not going anywhere," I said randomly.

I got a few confused looks, but eventually got laughs out of all of them.

"Thank you," I sighed. "We're all so depressing lately! Man, it's driving me crazy!"

"You know what this means?" Irvine asked, referring to the fact that Squall and I were together. "Triple dates!"

We spent the next hour together at the table joking around and throwing french fries at Irvine.

A/N: Okay, so this chapter was kind of pointless, but still entertaining - hopefully. I needed some sort of transitional phase and development. Thanks for reading - please review!

Stardust Ray - I hope you guys are doing okay! I read your profile and was like O.O Oh my gosh...
Angelsorceress - Yeah, I realize I made typos. The last chapter that went out went without proof reading. Same with this one. Hah... sorry. I don't use a beta reader because it spoils my fun. I usually proof read on my own, but I get so busy sometimes. Afterwards, I get lazy. xD
heartillyangel - I'm glad you like my story and feel that it stands out. Your comment really motivated me. I'd hate to think that my writing is just like everyone else's. I don't expect it to be the best, but I do have high standards for myself and would prefer not to be a writer that's the same as all the other writers on I should hope my characters seem human. Or my main ones at least. If they aren't, then I must say that I've failed as a writer.
LilDoro - Focus on the stalker caller? Why never! Focusing on it just takes all the mystery and suspense out of it. I'm thinking about more fluff and cushioning for Squall and Rinoa. But like I always say, you never know. I don't write this chapter in a day, and I never know what idea will come to mind, so... -shrugs- I don't know... and Squall's OOC-ness? ... it's an AU fic. Go with it. xD
invain - To tell you the truth, the reason I put that part in is because after I had published the original chapter eight (I think it was 8...), I went back and realized that I had him say 'one year' and forgot that at the beginning, a year had already passed. Oops. I've worked my way around it though, and am hoping that I'll be able to fit some sort of answer into this chapter. If not, the next chapter.
Thanks everyone else who reviewed too!