An envelope being shoved under the door drew Squall's attention away from his weightlifting and he moved through the living room and kitchen until he reached the front door. Bending down, he picked up the letter and moved back to stand at the kitchen table. He left the note lying on the table and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
As he sat down at the table there was a brief knock before Rinoa let herself in.
"Hey Squall," she said, leaning over his should to give him a quick kiss. She went to pull back and he leaned forward to keep their mouths connected.
Smiling against his lips, she broke the kiss. "I missed you too baby," she said, smiling at him as she put her hands on his bare shoulders and began to massage.
Squall let out an almost involuntary groan as his head fell forward onto his chest. Rinoa smiled to herself at the sound. Squall still wasn't very good at expressing his feelings but the little unspoken things he did told her exactly how he felt about her.
His moving to keep the kiss going had made her heart beat a little faster. Squall was hesitant to initiate physical contact so this signal that he enjoyed being with her was heartening.
As she continued to rub his shoulders she noticed that there was a small envelope in Squall's hand. "Hey, what's that?"
Squall's blue eyes slid open reluctantly and his head lifted slowly as he tried to regain his bearings. "Huh?" he asked, his voice sleepy and slow.
"That letter, what is it?" Rinoa asked, slowing her massage so that her boyfriend would retain his upper brain functions.
"Oh, it was shoved under the door a little while ago," he answered, turning it in his fingers as he spoke. "I was just about to read it when you came in."
Rinoa frowned, "Sorry Squall, I didn't mean to interrupt."
Squall turned around slightly in his chair and frowned up at her. "Are you serious? You never interrupt me Rin. You're way better than any silly letter or anything else."
She blushed and could feel her heart melt. Squall seemed to realize what he had said and an uncomfortable look came over his face.
"Oh Squall," she sighed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I love you so much," she breathed, scarcely audible as she leaned her head down to rest her chin on his shoulder, turning her head to press soft kisses onto the side of his neck.
Squall pulled away, looking down at her. "Rinoa?" he asked, sending her a questioning look. She looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. "Did you mean that?" he asked, apprehension evident in his voice.
Rinoa mentally panicked. Did I say that out loud? She wondered to herself. Do I really feel that way? As she looked into his blue eyes she found her question answered. She did love him. It had happened slowly, subtly, almost completely without her being consciously aware of it but it was there nonetheless. Blood began to pound through her head, making her lightheaded as she heard it rushing through her ears.
Squall was beginning to worry. Rinoa's face had gone pale and her hands had slipped from his shoulders and were gripping the back of his chair so tight that her knuckles were turning red. He pulled her hands off the back of the chair and held them in his own. His thumbs rubbed the backs of her hands, trying to get her to relax.
Without her hands holding her upright, Rinoa felt her knees weaken. That, coupled with her lightheadedness, caused her to lose her balance. As she began to fall Squall shot to his feet, sliding one arm quickly under her legs to stop her fall as his other arm went around her back to pull her up to his chest.
"Rinoa," he said anxiously, staring worriedly into her face. Her brown eyes were open, seemingly looking right at him but without actually seeing him. Squall carried her into the living room, depositing her gently onto the couch. She blinked and he could see her pupils shift so she was looking him right in the face. He grabbed her tightly and hugged her to him as he inhaled deeply in relief. "Are you okay?" he asked her. She nodded, anxious to reassure him. She pulled back, looking him in the face.
"Squall," she started to speak but he hushed her, almost scared to hear what she was going to say. If she decided to leave him he didn't know what he would do. He wanted to know if she had meant what she had said but if it meant that he might lose her then he would rather not know.
As he sat there holding her tightly he realized exactly why he was so afraid of losing her…he was in love with her. It was a surprising revelation. It seemed so easy, just a shift from being friends to being…something more. And as he crouched next to the couch he understood that with her there was nowhere else to go, no other possibility. He was in love with her. The simple thought blew his mind. Crouching next to the couch where she was sitting, he felt his knees weaken and he fell forward onto his knees, his head falling down to rest on her shoulder. Rinoa caught his shoulders with her hands, keeping his head from sliding her chest into her lap.
"Squall, what's wrong?" she asked, running her hands through his hair. Squall pushed himself up and rocked back onto his feet so he was again crouched next to the couch.
As he looked into her eyes he realized that if he told her how he felt he ran the risk of losing her the same as if she completed her explanation.
"It's nothing. I'm fine. You're okay?" he asked her, changing the subject. She continued to look at him, not believing his answer. She could see something new in his eyes but she knew him well enough to know that it would take her awhile to get him to tell her what it was.
Rinoa nodded and Squall stood up, pulling her to her feet and into a hug. "I love you," he breathed into her hair, so silently that the words became a memory almost before they slipped off his tongue.
"Did you say something?" Rinoa asked, her head resting on his shoulder.
Squall shook his head, a tiny smile hiding at the corner of his mouth. He pulled back and she saw his smile and smirked up at him.
"What's that look for?" she asked, sliding her fingers through his.
"Oh, I'm just glad you're okay. You had me worried," Squall said, looking down at her. She smiled widely and got up on her toes to press a kiss onto his cheek. He turned his face at the last moment and caught her lips with his.
At that moment Quistis and Seifer chose to knock loudly on the door. Separating with a groan, Squall almost shouted, "Come in," in frustration before recapturing Rinoa's lips, not caring for a second who might come into the apartment. Rinoa was taken by surprise but quickly adapted, tightening her arms around Squall's shoulders. Quistis rolled her eyes as she walked into the apartment, followed closely by Seifer.
"Is that all you guys do?" she asked, smirking as Rinoa broke the kiss, blushing. Squall turned his blue eyes on his best friends, not saying a word.
"Do you two even live in Deling anymore? You seem to spend an inordinate amount of time here with us," Rinoa countered, moving into the kitchen with a smile. She laughed as she hugged her friend while Quistis swatted her playfully on the shoulder. Squall came into the kitchen and seated himself at the table after nodding to Seifer. Watching Rinoa, his fingers began absently playing with the envelope that was lying on the table.
"Hey Squall, what's that?" Seifer asked as he joined his friend at the table.
Rinoa heard the question and curiously turned toward the table. Squall shrugged and slid his finger under the fold of the envelope, tearing it open. He pulled out a small card that he opened after glancing at the front briefly.
Rinoa was watching him and saw the blood rush out of his face. He scowled and crumpled the card in his hands. "Squall, what is it?" Rinoa asked, moving to stand behind his chair.
"Selphie," the name grated between his teeth. Rinoa glanced over at Quistis, who was watching Squall, looking worried.
"What did she want?" Quistis asked, watching Squall anxiously.
"She had the guts to invite me to a housewarming party," Squall growled, meeting Quistis' eyes.
Seifer frowned. "She really hasn't changed," he said, taking the note from Squall's hands to look at it himself. Quistis jerked her head toward the living room, signaling Squall.
"Can I talk to you in the living room?" the blonde asked. Squall nodded without a word, squeezing Rinoa's hand before standing up and joining his friend in the other room.
"What's going on Squall?" she asked immediately. Squall didn't answer, just looked her straight in the face without speaking. "Don't think you can fool me. I've known you too long. I know something's going on. There was something going on the other day but I didn't push it. Now I want you to tell me."
Squall sighed heavily, pushing his hair back with his hand. "I love her," he stated simply, looking at the floor.
"Selphie!" Quistis asked, aghast. Squall shook his head angrily, staring at his friend. "Rinoa," she realized, dropping back to sit on the couch quickly. "You love Rinoa," she said again. Squall hushed her swiftly, peering anxiously over his shoulder towards the kitchen. "You haven't told her?" Quistis whispered this time, looking through the doorway to the kitchen to where she could see Rinoa and Seifer at the table.
"She said it first but she doesn't seem to remember saying it. She just keeps going with the conversation or today, when I asked her about it, she seemed to black out or something and when she woke up I was too glad to bring it back up."
Quistis stared up at her friend. "Squall, I'm sure she doesn't realize what she's doing. She would never hurt you intentionally," she tried to reassure him.
Squall nodded and sighed as he sat down next to her. "I hope you're right."
Rinoa was trying not to overhear the conversation that was going on in the living room, forcing herself to focus on her chit chat with Seifer. She could dimly hear Squall and Quistis' voices in the back of her mind but she couldn't hear the words at all. Whenever Quistis yelled Selphie's name, however, Rinoa's mind went into overdrive. Could there be more history there than either Squall or Quistis wanted to tell her? Was there some reason that Selphie might have chosen to live in their apartment building?
Shaking her head, she stopped herself. There was nothing going on. Squall would never hide something from her. They were just talking about the invitation. That was all. Blinking, she realized that Seifer was giving her a strange look. "Sorry Seifer. I just zoned out there for a second."
Seifer waved it off, smirking. "It's okay. I can guess what was going through your head." She looked confused so he continued. "Quis just said Selphie's name really loud. I saw the look on your face. You're scared of her."
"I am not!" Rinoa protested.
Seifer quickly held up his hands. "Now wait. I didn't mean that you're afraid of her exactly; you're afraid of what her coming here means for you and Squall. That's all I meant."
Flushing and smiling sheepishly, Rinoa sighed. "You might be right Seifer."
"Well you shouldn't worry about that," Seifer replied. "Squall wouldn't go back to her."
"And what makes you so sure?" Rinoa asked despite herself.
Seifer spoke confidently. "Puberty boy is crazy about you. You can see it. He's different when he's with you. He's not gonna mess that up."
Rinoa felt relief wash over her and she relaxed, not realizing how tense she had been. Seifer leaned forward on his arm, grinning at her. "And it appears that you're pretty attached to him as well."
Rinoa blushed but was saved from replying as Squall and Quistis returned.
"So what are you going to do about that invitation?" Seifer asked, leaning back into his chair as Squall sat down next to Rinoa.
"I was thinking about going actually," he replied. Quistis' head whipped around from where she was looking into the fridge to stare at Squall in disbelief. Rinoa fought hard to keep the disappointment from showing on her face.
Seifer raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rinoa as he continued. "Any reason why?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.
Squall glanced up at Quistis' shocked expression before he answered. "I'm going to show her how much better my life is now, without her." He stopped speaking for a moment, moving his gaze to the girl sitting beside him. "Will you go with me?" he asked Rinoa. She turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "You're the reason it's so good so you should be there with me," he said simply, answering her unasked question.
Quistis and Seifer were watching silently, waiting for Rinoa's reply.
A tiny smile touched her lips and she nodded, taking his hand. "I'll go."
AN: I know it took forever but I really had no time to work on this. School started back and I just got busy. I've been working on it a peice at a time but I kept losing track of where this chapter was going. Finally got there. Hope it was worth the wait.