.:How Can I Not Love You:.
"What's so funny?" Paine asked dryly.
"Yeah!" Rikku put her hands on her hips and looked at Yuna and Tidus. "What have you two been doing?" Rikku looked at the bar and then at the empty glass Yuna was clutching in her fingers. "And where's my goddamn drink?" She feigned anger.
"Oh…" Yuna looked down at the glass and blushed. "I kinda drank it. Sorry Rik, I'll get you another one." Yuna turned around to the bar to order when she heard Rikku from behind her.
"Better make that two. Can't have you out drinking me!" She called. Tidus laughed and turned to face the bar as well from his spot right next to Yuna. He wished he could smell her. The normal nightclub smell of smoke and alcohol was the only smell around. He sighed wondering what he was supposed to do next. As his mind wondered he realized someone was patting his arm. He blinked a few times and looked over at Yuna.
"I said do you want another drink? Wakka says it's alright for our dates to have a few on the house too." Yuna smiled at the response this got from him. "So what are you drinking?"
"Um, rum and coke?" He answered still wondering exactly what Yuna had meant by 'dates'. Yuna ordered the drinks, one for herself, two for Rikku and one for Tidus. When they were already, Rikku's arm appeared from over Yuna's shoulder and grabbed her two drinks. Yuna took hers in one hand and held the other one out to Tidus. As he went to grab it their fingers touched. It was so cliché. Yuna's heart skipped a beat and she looked away. Had she kept looking at Tidus she would have seen the tiny smile that crept onto his lips and his eyes soften with happiness.
Tidus wondered why Yuna had looked away. She had been so feisty before but now she was all shy. He wanted to know her better. He wanted to know why she had been so defensive to start with and now was like a scared rabbit.
"Hey," He said as he laid his free hand on Yuna's forearm, "Is there someplace quieter we could talk?" Yuna just looked at him like he had just spoken in tongues. "I just wanna ask you something that's all. It'll just take a minute." Yuna gave him an 'I-don't-believe-you' look but turned around to Paine.
"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt but Tidus and I just gotta go backstage for a bit to sort stuff out." Yuna said, trying not to say it so loud that Rikku would hear. As it was, when Rikku realized the two were missing she would jump to so many conclusions she could run for the Olympics.
"You've got 10 minutes." Paine said to Yuna. "After that, I'm coming looking for you with a broken bottle." She eyes Tidus menacingly and he knew she meant it.
Yuna lead the way and they found the small room that the bands used as a dressing room. Yuna sat in an armchair and crossed her legs while Tidus chose to sit on the floor with his back up against the wall. From where he sat, he leaned over and pushed the door closed.
"Man, what's with your friend Paine? It's like she's got a drumstick up her butt." Tidus said, taking a sip of his drink.
"She's just protective of me, that's all. We are like family, her, Rikku and I. But you could have asked me that out there. Why did you want me to come all the way back here to ask why Paine's a bitch?"
"Well, basically I just wanted to talk. I mean, we never really got a chance to before and well, I spose I just…" Tidus wasn't really sure why he had asked her to talk; he just wanted to talk to her about something… Anything…
"Well, come on. Geez. One minute you're Mr. Talkative, and then you stumble over all your words like you've had one to many rums." Yuna sighed and drank from her own drink.
"See that's just it." Tidus pointed at Yuna with his drink. "That's exactly what you do!! One minute your miss high and mighty, then you're all sorry and shit. Then you hate me, then you're blushing when we touch. What's that all sposed to mean?" As soon as he had said it, Tidus wished he hadn't. For some reason Yuna suddenly made a face that made her look much older. She frowned and creases appeared in her brow that would have otherwise been invisible.
She looked down at her hands, wobbled her drink slightly and the ice tinkled in the glass. A long silence passed between them, but Tidus didn't know what he should say. He had obviously said something that upset her and he didn't want to do that again. Just as he opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, she spoke.
'It's not your fault. I'm sorry." There was a slight quiver to her voice and Tidus wondered if she was holding back tears. He couldn't see her face because she was looking downwards at her lap. Her short, chocolate coloured hair drooped around her cheeks. As Tidus studied her he saw a small drop fall from her face into her drink.
"It's nobody's fault but my own. I'm just stupid." She looked up now and to the side. She was trying hard to not let Tidus see her face but he could tell that she was crying.
Putting his drink down and standing up he walked slowly over to her. Kneeling down in front of her he took her drink and placed it on the floor next to him. He then took her hand in his and spoke.
"Yuna I'm sorry. I've upset you. That's not what I wanted. But I'm here if you want to talk about anything."
There was a silence again as Yuna looked down at Tidus' hand over hers.
"It's just that… Well it's been a while since anyone touched me. In any way. Apart from Rikku of course." Yuna rolled her eyes and the tiniest of smiles crossed her face. "I couldn't count the number of hugs I get from her." Yuna sighed and continued talking, still with her face downcast. "It's my ex, Seymour. He…" Yuna suddenly burst into tears. Something she hadn't done for a very long time. Not since…..
She had made herself strong. She had pushed away all the nasty memories, she had never wanted to talk about it again. Until now. Something about Tidus made her want to open her heart to him.
This is ridiculous. I don't even know this guy and I'm telling him things I've told no-one but Paine and Rikku… And I'm crying again… Yuna thought as she pulled her hand out of Tidus' grasp and put her face into her hands.
Tidus didn't really know what to do. He wasn't used to seeing girls cry. But one thing he did know. He didn't like it. He didn't like seeing something as beautiful as Yuna hurting. He wanted to hold her and make all the pain go away. He knew that whatever was upsetting her obviously wasn't that easily fixed. But he could try, right?
He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. With her hands still covering her face there was nothing Yuna could have done about it. At first he thought she would stop crying instantly and shove him away, tell him he was just like all the other guys. But she didn't. As he held her, tightly but not roughly, she cried silently onto his chest. After what seemed like an eternity, her body stopped shaking and he felt her take her hands from her face and place them on his shoulders. Tidus didn't move until her felt Yuna's breathing return to normal. She took her hands off him and he slowly and reluctantly took his arms from around her and placed his hands on her bare shoulders. Bending his head slightly to look at her face he saw that she was smiling again. Waiting for the nasty comment or the slap, Tidus stared at Yuna's beautiful smile. After a moments silence, Yuna spoke.
"Thank-you." She said with a small nod of her head. She looked up now and smiled fully at Tidus. "I needed that."
"Hey," Tidus grinned back, "Anytime, kay?" Yuna nodded. "Now come on, let's go find the others!" Tidus bent down and picked up Yuna's drink and handed it to her. "You can tell me what happened when you're ready, yeah?" Yuna nodded again. "Let's go have another drink!" Tidus grabbed Yuna's hand and before she had time to say anything, he was opening the door and dragging her out.
As they made their way through the crowded club towards the bar, Yuna couldn't stop thinking about Tidus and how he had held her. She couldn't understand how, only a few days ago she had hated him, now she was hugging him… And liking it. No, more that liking it, craving it. There was something different about the way he held her. Seymour never held her like that. When Seymour had put his arms around her, she had felt caged. She had felt like he was restricting her. But with Tidus it was different. When Tidus held her she felt like she could take on the world. She felt like he was making her whole.
God, if Paine knew I was thinking that, she'd kill me. Yuna could almost hear Paine's lecture the day Yuna had told her what Seymour had done… 'You don't need a guy to make you whole, you're a whole person as it is… When you find another guy, don't make that mistake again. A guy doesn't complete you, like icing completes a cake. A guy is merely a garnish…kinda like 100's and 1000's… really sweet, but too many can make you sick!" Yuna remembered Paine's words with a slight chuckle.
"What's so funny?" She heard Paine asked as she nearly walked right into her. Yuna realized they had found the group still at the bar, still minus Rikku, but she noted that Gippal had arrived.
After beaming a huge smile at Gippal, she looked at Paine and smiled bigger. "Nothing. Just remembering something you said to me about cakes and sprinkles."
Paine narrowed her eyes at Yuna. From under her eyelids she glared at Yuna as if trying to remember what she was talking about. Suddenly she took a sharp breath in and opened her eyes wide. She blinked at Yuna and then looked at Tidus and blinked. Then back at Yuna. Making the connection, she narrowed her eyes again and looked back at Tidus. Tidus took a breath in and held it. Without realizing it, he squeezed Yuna's had slightly. Yuna looked at him but he was too intent on the thin finger with perfectly manicured back nail that was pointed in at his face.
"If you so much as lay a finger on her that's not wanted, I'll plant my boot so far up your arse, you'll be riding your bike with one of those donut butt pillows!" Paine's words were angry but on closer inspection Tidus could see that she wasn't really angry. Her eyes seemed to plead for him to treat her right. Paine's eyes shot down to where Tidus' hand was entwined with Yuna's.
Crap… Tidus thought, now I've done it. I'm gonna get a flogging for sure… Tidus stopped squeezing Yuna's hand and loosened his grip. If Yuna had wanted to take her hand away she could easily have done so. If she had wanted to.
Paine noticed then that Yuna still gripped tightly to Tidus' hand. She smiled then and grabbed her drink off the bar. "Right. Now that that's settled, let's drink!" She held her glass up to Tidus and he responded by raising his own glass to the toast.
"To many more great performances by YRP!" Tidus put forward.
"To new friendships." Paine said as she grinned at Yuna.
"To Rikku finally dragging her skanky arse out of the toilets, again!" Gippal added, the first time he had spoken since Yuna and Tidus had come back. Everyone turned to face the direction Gippal had raised his glass to, only to see Rikku coming waltzing up from the toilets for a second time.
"Yeah!" Rikku threw a fist into the air to cheer herself. She looked around the group "A toast to me! And a toast to…. OH MY GOD!!! You two are holding hands!!!!?"