A/N: Coffee is my best friend! I am on my third one right now XD Double update is here. Enjoy!
CHAPTER VII.
Five Dates and a Friend
Cloud
When I opened the door at 3 am, I didn't expect to find Zack awake. He was watching a movie, only his head popping out of the blanket. I knew Zack only did this when he wanted to stay awake. Usually when he wanted to talk about Aerith. I wondered what was on his mind as I took off my shoes and nodded at him.
He nodded back silently, acknowledging me once before returning to his movie. I guess he wasn't very talkative yet. I took a shower, changed into my pajama pants and dried my hair. Sleepily I made my way back into the room to find that Zack had finished whatever he was doing. He was now sitting upright in bed, laptop folded away and placed on the side of his bed.
"Hey," I carefully sat down on my own bed.
"Hey, how was the...um, date?" Zack tried to sound normal but his voice betrayed him. He was clearly shaken by something. Hopefully he would just tell me during the course of our conversation.
"Good, great. We talked a lot, mostly about the past," I recalled my date for Zack. Tifa and I met bright and early, and she wanted me to pick her 'date outfit.' We went to the mall, where we had actually seen Zack and Lightning, but decided not to disturb them. Then we went for lunch, grabbed dessert, watched a movie, went for dinner and had drinks until we went back to her room and, well.
"You went all the way?" Zack asked me in pure disbelief.
"All the way," I repeated in a low voice.
"Wow, that's...wow," Zack was dumbfounded. I looked away too, feeling awkward talking about this.
"How was it?" He blurted suddenly. I knew he'd definitely ask. I was mentally prepared for it but somehow it was getting more and more awkward by the minute.
"Awkward," I answered truthfully.
"Awkward?" Zack repeated as if he wasn't sure of what I had said.
"Yep," I sighed as I met his confused gaze. "Plenty awkward. I have wanted Tifa that way for so long, I even fantasized about her when I was really young. But by the time we finally got around to it, I guess-" I was cut off.
"...You stopped wanting her that way," Zack finished for me.
"Yep," I agreed as we both fell silent again.
"Does she know?" Zack asked, grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge and throwing one at me. I caught it gratefully and took a sip.
"Yeah, I think so," I replied. "But I don't know," I continued. "Tifa said she wants to reconnect but, it seems that...she's still just in love with who I used to be."
"That's...complicated," Zack confirmed my exact thoughts. "But you guys are...together?" He asked.
"Breaking up right after…" I didn't need to complete that sentence, "...Yeah, no. I can't do that to any girl, let alone Tifa." Zack seemed to be in deep thought when I asked. "How did it go with Farron today? Date planning for Aerith?" I asked just to shift the topic to anything else.
"Oh, it was fun," Zack said distractedly. "Light's really helpful," he added, pulling out two CDs from his drawer. "She got these for you," he passed them onto me.
"Yeah, I got her something too," I couldn't help but smile a little as I saw the gift. Zack sighed loudly and I turned to watch him look irritated about something.
"What?" I demanded, suddenly feeling annoyed.
"You bought a gift for Light while on a date with Tifa?" When Zack put it that way, it felt like I had committed a crime.
I didn't know what to say so I stayed silent.
Zack seemed like he was really struggling. His eyes wanted to tell me something but his mouth would not budge.
"Just tell me," I said hastily and Zack looked shocked that I had read his mind.
"What do you think about Light?" He interrogated me, eyebrows furrowed together.
"She's a good friend," I lied quickly. I was still getting to know her, so it wasn't a complete lie. Plus, the way she had coldly ignored me this morning was probably a sign that she wanted me to back off.
Now Zack looked really annoyed at me. I found myself also getting worked up. What was his problem anyway?
"I am going to bed," he glared at me before turning off the lights on his side.
I had no idea what just happened.
When morning came, I woke up to find the room already empty. I washed up and grabbed a coffee, taking a walk around the grounds. When I finished I thought I'd go read for a bit, but I ran straight into the only person I thought I was planning to avoid seeing today.
"Hi Cloud," Tifa greeted me, staring at the floor. I just nodded. "Um, are you free now?" I heard her say.
I hesitated. Suddenly distancing myself would probably be really hurtful. "No, what's up?" I asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.
"Come with me?" Her eyes shyly met mine and I could see that she was blushing. I nodded, following her to the west gate.
"Are we going somewhere?" I asked as we crossed the gates.
"Is Cocoon okay? I thought we could grab a milkshake and talk," she asked with a bit of hurt in her voice. Maybe she felt that I was trying to squirm out of this.
"Sure…" I said as we walked next to each other without a word. We ordered our drinks and slid into our usual booth. Tifa was staring at her straw like she was trying to burn a hole through it.
My eyes were also on the wooden table, unable to meet hers.
"So, um, about last night…" She began and I already shifted uncomfortably. "I am sorry if I was… disappointing."
"What?" I had not seen this coming at all. "Wait, that's what you think happened?" I asked and Tifa nodded, still staring at the straw.
"No, trust me, it wasn't that," I struggled, suddenly feeling sorry for Zack who was also like this for some reason last night. "Tifa, we…" I couldn't finish it.
I just couldn't.
"...Should break up, right?" When Tifa finally looked at me, her eyes had an unmistakable sadness. I could see that she was barely holding back tears.
I didn't want to say a word, not when she was like this. I felt trapped, unsure of what to say or do.
"It's fine, I have kinda known it for a while, you know?" She finally brought the straw to her lips and took a sip. "It's just….I love you so much. It's hard," her voice broke towards the end and she bit her lower lip, trying to calm herself.
I gave her the space she needed. I was thankful that it was noisy so people couldn't overhear us.
"I am sorry," I finally came up with the right words. I hated myself for not being able to comfort her properly like she deserved. "I used to love you too."
The tears she had been holding back came rushing forth and Tifa broke into sobs as she covered her face with her hand. I sighed, putting my arm around her and pulling her tightly against my chest. I wanted her to cry there until she calmed down again, take as much time as she needed.
If this was the only thing I could do for her, then at least I wanted to do it properly.
"Thank you Tifa," I finally said, placing my chin on top of her head. "For everything you've done for me."
When she had stopped shaking, Tifa pulled away from my grip and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "We are still friends for life, right?" She asked, smiling through the tears.
She is so strong, I thought in pure wonder and amazement.
"For life," I promised. She leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek. Then she requested something truly unimaginable.
I spent the rest of the day with Tifa. Surprisingly, we were more comfortable around each other after breaking up. This intense pressure to be lovers had lifted and I found myself remembering how much I enjoyed her company when we were little. We stayed out in the park near the main gate, drinking beer under the clear blue sky. It was a little early for drinking, but we both needed it after the kind of day we had had.
Vanille, Hope and Serah called out to us, ending our private conversation. The weather was getting really cold now and I was surprised at how the girls managed to wear mini skirts in this weather.
Then I thought of Lightning and her ripped jeans and baggy shirts and it made me chuckle to myself.
"Tifa, have you seen Light?" Serah asked to my surprise, asking about the subject of my thoughts. I hadn't realized Lightning was not around. Figured she was probably in the library with her nose buried in a book.
"Actually no… I am kinda worried." Tifa's lips turned into a frown. "She never came back last night or this morning. And her phone's switched off too."
"I can't get through to her," Serah added. This conversation was starting to get me worried too.
"Does she do this a lot?" Hope asked Serah, who just shook her head.
"No, she's really responsible. Maybe something happened to upset her? I don't know." Serah looked clearly more worried than anyone else.
Vanille patted Serah on the back. "She's more mature than all of us combined, I am sure she's fine," she said reassuringly. "I hope she turns up soon though…"
"Me too…" Tifa agreed.
I wondered if I should leave a message, but I figured it'd be too much after the way we had acted towards each other in the morning. It bothered me. I didn't understand why she was this distant. Was it something I had done? Maybe the library? I knew it was a bad idea.
I guess if I apologized I could still salvage our friendship.
After dinner, the others went to the cafe for a study group. With finals around the corner I guess even the people who didn't really study were forced to put in the work. I began walking Tifa to the girl's dormitory.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it," I meant it. I watched people moving around campus. A few posters for the Halloween carnival came into view and I was curious how far Lightning had come along with the planning.
"Isn't that...Light?" Tifa craned her neck to get a better look as we approached the building. There were two figures. One of them was a red haired guy about my height. The other one was definitely Lightning in an oversized hoodie.
I watched the male hold a strand of Lightning's hair between his fingers, after which both of them seemed to blush. I felt a sharp pang in my chest, a deep, unseated anger rising from a dark place within.
Don't touch her, I found myself thinking loudly.
"Lightning?" Tifa addressed her, just to confirm. Tifa and the male both looked over at us.
"Hi," Lightning waved at Tifa. Our eyes met briefly and she showed me a conflicted but soft expression before quickly stealing her eyes away again. I also tried not to look at her.
How long were we going to be like this…
"Reno, this is my roommate Tifa Lockhart. This is her boyfriend, Cloud Strife." Lightning introduced us to the male who took turns to shake hands with us.
"Nice to meet ya," he said and we both nodded, only Tifa smiled back at him.
"Well then, see ya around, Farron," the one called Reno gave Lightning a long look before briefly glancing at us and walking away.
"Everyone's been worried about you…" Tifa threw her arms around Lightning. I felt lucky that I had been cared for that way for years already.
"Sorry, I went to the hot springs with my colleagues for a day trip. Just got back," Lightning apologized, letting Tifa squeeze the life of her.
"Well, I have lots to tell you! So...um," Tifa broke the hug and glanced nervously at me. I took my cue.
"See ya," I nodded in both their directions and turned, walking away from them. I didn't feel good about this Reno guy and I hated seeing him act that familiar with Lightning. I knew our relationship was kind of strained lately, so I decided to keep my reservations about him to myself.
For now.
The next day was turning out to be a strange one. We had the biggest study groups that we had so far, with the entire group huddled together in the cafe where we always got our morning coffee.
After nine exhausting hours, with Serah and Vanille already having fallen asleep several times, we decided to call it a day.
Lightning sat the furthest away from me the entire time and didn't even spare a glance at me the whole day. I felt the irritation inside me growing. I wanted to end this, return to the time when we were sitting side by side in the tree, comfortable in the silence we shared together.
"Um, can we please get food now? I am ready to eat this table," Serah protested as she awoke from her slumber.
"Some drinks would be nice too," Fang said in her usual cool tone, nudging Vincent who also nodded in favor of her idea.
We made our way through the west gate to Cocoon, occupying 'our booth' as always. We all didn't even need to see the menu by now, so we just ordered from the top of our heads. The newly appointed waitress soon found out that we were regulars and she brought us a free first round of drinks.
"So, um, I have an announcement to make," Tifa sent a small smile in my direction. I allowed myself to smile back at her, knowing what this was about. I braced myself for the awkwardness to follow. Tifa took a deep breath. "Cloud and I broke up yesterday!" She announced, trying to sound as happy as she could manage, but everyone just threw us both looks of pity which I am sure she hated as much as I did.
"And…" she continued, ignoring said looks. "We have mutually decided to throw a break up party."
This last bit was as shocking to the others as it had been to me the first time Tifa had asked this of me.
"I'll come!" Vanille said supportively as she threw her arms around Tifa. Serah glanced sadly between us before taking Tifa's hand in one of her own. "I'll come too, Captain."
"I'll go if I am invited," Zack smiled as he got up and was the first to hug Tifa. Fang, Hope, Noel, Yeul and Lightning all followed suit. Even Vincent raised his hand and gestured for Tifa to come in for a hug.
For some reason no one offered me a hug, even though I had also been broken up with. It would have been awkward anyway, so I am glad it panned out this way.
"I also have an announcement," Lightning's deep voice captured all our attention. "It's bad timing to say this now, but I've...decided to…" the long pauses had Vanille falling off the edge of her seat. "...date." Lightning continued. Serah dropped her glass on the table, thankfully Vincent caught it before it smashed. She was looking at her sister as if Lightning was possessed. I could kind of understand, though I was not nearly as amazed by Lightning's revelation, it was still news.
I felt an unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach as I recalled the guy Lightning had been so friendly with last night. Was this about him?
"I'm um, really inexperienced because I have never dated before. So I am just trying it out to gain experience," Lightning made it sound like she was participating in a survey.
Just then Vanille snapped a picture of Lightning with her phone, startling the pinkette. She began typing away furiously. "Okay, I am putting you on the market." Lightning stopped her, gripping Vanille's wrist.
"No," she said, a little embarrassed. "Not right away. And not with random strangers. I need to research first-"
Did she really think of this as an assignment?
"There's no research without actually going on a date," the Dean's silver haired son spoke. In a daring conclusion, he said, "...If it's just research, let me take you out on a date. We're friends, so you'll be comfortable too, right?"
"WOW!" Serah applauded and Tifa laughed, adding, "Attaboy, Hope!"
"Vincent will take you out once too," Fang offered on Vincent's behalf. The stoic guy raised an eyebrow at Fang, before nodding in agreement.
"I'm always happy to spend time with you. Count me in!" Zack thundered and Lightning snorted.
"You guys…" she began but Tifa seconded Zack. "I don't think it's a bad idea. They're all very different, so it'll give you an idea about different types of guys. And I am sure they'll all behave too," she gave a glare of warning around the table.
"I'll do it, although it might be boring with me," Noel Kreiss threw a smile at Lightning. "Seriously, that's too many-" Lightning interrupted him and I couldn't hold myself back any longer.
"Me too," I said loud and clear.
"Okay Lightning, you now officially have a harem." Vanille giggled to which Lightning rolled her eyes.
She sighed loudly before looking briefly at all of us.
"What's the order?"
Lightning
Five days, five dates.
This was going to be very weird. My overhelpful friends had gone ahead to set me up with even their boyfriends. The worst part of it was that the carnival was drawing nearer and I barely had any time between planning and work. Even studying was being pushed back and now I had to squeeze in five dates at the same time.
The first one was with Vincent and it was the shortest one too, for which I was grateful. Vincent took me to a horror movie screening, which both of us enjoyed.
Next was with Noel, which was also short but fun. We went to see an exhibition at the city museum about weapons used in ancient warfare. It was extremely fascinating. Noel offered to take me out to dinner after that but I politely refused and we both returned early.
Third was with Zack, which I can safely say was the most fun of them all. We went to a game center and with an entire treasure worth of coins and played games until we couldn't walk anymore. I couldn't even remember a time when I had let loose like this.
The fourth date with Hope was the longest of the five, but I could see that Hope put in a lot of effort. He took me out for breakfast, then we caught a four hour show at the theater, had a very late lunch and came back. He even managed to find a show which was in the syllabus for one of my classes, so it was really helpful to watch it. Hope was very gentlemanly and considerate of my time and I really appreciated it.
Last was with Cloud. The date was just us walking around the city. We exchanged a few words, went to a music store and then to a cafe with live music where one of our favorite artists was playing. Although Tifa and Cloud were broken up, I kept the same distance as I had before. I caught Cloud staring at me, even parting his lips to initiate conversation some times, but shutting them awkwardly and looking away. I wanted to say something too, but even going back to the way we were as friends wouldn't come back so easily.
Although I felt dejected at the thought of us growing apart.
The next day, Tifa, Vanille, Fang and Serah asked me to accompany them for shopping. Everyone was planning to buy a new outfit for the carnival. Why they would bring me was beyond me.
"I want something slutty…" Serah remarked and I smacked her head lightly. Fang tapped my shoulder and pretended to whisper in my ear, even though she said it loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Vanille's a bad influence, you shouldn't let them be friends."
"Hey!" Vanille punched Fang playfully in the arm and I only chuckled.
"Where to?" I asked as Tifa led us to one of the stores.
"I am thinking of doing a white dress, splash it with some good ol' red paint. Go for that sexy Bloody Mary look," she pondered over her choice thoughtfully, tapping her chin lightly with her finger.
"I think I'll go goth," Serah browsed through the endless choices as I leaned back, watching them try on a million outfits.
Everytime they would ask me how they looked and I honestly told them they looked good. These girls could wear anything and look cute.
"What are you getting, Light?" Serah placed a blouse over my shirt, examining it. "Something like this?"
"Not if I can help it," I retorted, backing away. "I am just here for 'fashion advice.'" I repeated the purpose that was drilled into my head since early morning by my roommate.
"Aw, come on. You're organizing the carnival. If you don't dress up for it, it'll set a bad example." Vanille chastised and I only groaned in protest.
"No," I insisted but even Fang agreed with them.
"Come on, it can't be that bad."
I ended up buying an outfit, much to the delight of my female friends. We went into the nearest cafe and ordered a few drinks, exhausted after hours of shopping.
"So, how was the research?" Tifa asked as Serah rested her head on my shoulder.
"I made some progress, I think," I replied, earning curious glances from the girls. "Well, I found out that dates where you don't have to talk are kind of nice."
"Vincent." Fang guessed with a smirk. "What did you guys do?"
"Horror movie." I replied monotonously and Fang laughed.
"Oh my god… I am so sorry. He's useless."
"No no, it was fun," I corrected her before continuing. "And, public spaces like museums are nice. You can enjoy them quietly, but interesting conversations can also take place there."
"Noel?" Serah guessed next and I nodded.
"How did you know?" I asked.
"Yeul lives for museums and is a huge history buff, so Noel knows every exhibition going on in town. And in the neighboring cities too." Serah informed me.
"Well, Hope was really considerate, but the date kind of ended up being homework for me. It was still fun," I added quickly as Vanille snickered.
"I am gonna rub that in his face for life," she teased but I shot her a cold look.
"Please don't make fun of him," I warned her.
"Okay, okay. Geez." Vanille pouted before asking, "How was Zack?"
"Really great," I actually found myself smiling slightly when I spoke about him. "We just wasted a day in the game center shooting zombies and hoops and stuff. It was really cool."
"That's almost like a date between bros," Tifa laughed. "But I am secretly glad. He was soooo flirtatious before Aerith reeled him in. Now I guess he's a one-woman man. But I am happy he at least made it fun for you, even if it was really brotherly."
"I think so," I concurred, awkwardly looking away from Tifa but her eyes followed me. "And Cloud?"
"Um," I felt anxious talking about Cloud with Tifa. "It was okay. We went to a music store and then watched some random band play. '' I tried to make it sound as boring as I could, even though I had a really good time.
"We never really did stuff like that, so I am guessing it was nice," Tifa's voice sounded so sad.
"You're still throwing that break up party?" Fang asked with concern in her voice. "You don't have to force yourself and pretend to be okay when you're not." She scolded Tifa in a motherly tone and I found myself somewhat agreeing with her.
"No one's gonna blame you if you're sad…" Serah looked at Tifa with worry.
"Or think of you any less," Vanille added.
I didn't want to be insensitive, but I didn't want Tifa to feel like she had to mope by default. She hadn't told me what happened between her and Cloud, just cited 'irreconcilable differences', but at least I wanted to support her if this is what she needed for closure.
"It might be a fresh start. You never know who you'll meet," I said casually like it was no big deal and Tifa smiled warmly at me, almost like she was glad to hear it. "Plus," I added with a smirk, "I'll be happy to help you set fire to the ship and dance on the burning deck."
Fang and the other girls all laughed and I was surprised at my ability to actually comfort someone. It was a skill I always thought I lacked.
Maybe I was growing up a little bit, too.
Tifa
Break up party…
Really Tifa? Really? Break up party?!
I sighed as I put on a black long dress, a slit in the dress running up my thigh on one side. I put on a golden necklace and matching earrings, pairing it with golden heels. I watched my roommate listen to a CD with a smile on her face as she lay on her bed. She often smiled when she thought no one was looking.
I couldn't hear the song, just a faint noise from her headphones, but it seemed really romantic. I glanced over to the CD cover and remembered having seen it before somewhere…
Cloud. It was the one Cloud had bought on our date.
So it had been for Lightning after all.
On our date, Cloud had just followed me along, but on his date with Lightning, he even bought concert tickets in advance.
The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place and I felt myself wanting to deny the obvious conclusion at any cost.
Was it possible that Cloud...liked Lightning?
I glanced up at Lightning who had begun moving around the room now, putting things away.
Did Lightning feel the same way about Cloud? But she had been so supportive of us when we were dating…
I felt confused and stared at my own reflection in the mirror, until I noticed Lightning looking at me.
"Too much, huh?" I asked nervously. Lightning shook her head.
"You're beautiful, as always," she complimented with such sincerity that I actually felt guilty for having doubted her friendship. I felt my cheeks turn red before I eyed her from head to toe.
"You're going like that?" I asked in surprise.
Lightning was wearing black baggy harem pants with boots and a sleeveless sweater that bared some of her midriff. She even dressed like Cloud sometimes.
"What? I'll throw on a jacket." She shot me a look of confusion before pulling out her leather jacket.
"Sorry," I mumbled before patting the vacant seat in front of the mirror. Lightning took the seat without complaining.
"What's this about?" Lightning raised an eyebrow at me.
"Put your hair down for a change," I smiled as I united her hair and brushed them. They were long, silky and incredibly soft. I wanted to touch them a little bit longer.
"Okay, that's enough," Lightning jumped to her feet before I could even offer to put on some make up. I pouted but gave up quickly enough. I had lived with her long enough to know when I was pushing my luck with her - guarded as she was.
We walked to Cocoon, which we had rented out for tonight. Not only our close friends, but some of the people in our wider circle had also come to… celebrate? If you can call it that.
I saw Cloud who was wearing all black tonight. Black straight jeans with boots and a full sleeved sweater with a coat.
"You clean up good," I smiled as I dusted his shoulder.
He smirked at me, "You're not too shabby yourself."
Both our eyes trailed towards the pink haired girl who had changed our lives so much in so little time.
"Pretty, huh?" Cloud looked away quickly, unable to face me. Unable to deny.
So I wasn't wrong… that hurt.
I forced myself to smile, taking his hand in mine. He didn't shy away from my touch like he usually did.
"Are you gonna let her slip away too?"
My words seemed to have an immediate effect and he gazed into my eyes with those beautiful blue orbs of his. "Tifa…. It's not like that."
"I know, I know," I tried to sound as supportive as I could. "But your problem is that you wait too long, Cloud Strife. That's all I am saying."
I left him standing there, giving him space to think. I wish I had done it more often when we were together. I wished I had listened, looked at him more, seen him for who he was and not who I wanted him to be.
"Nice break up party," Lightning was next to me while I was thinking by myself at the bar. I smiled as she handed me a shot glass.
"I… didn't think you liked shots…" I said playfully as the bartender filled our glasses with tequila.
"I hate them," the pink haired girl confirmed before raising her glass towards me. She looked me squarely in the eyes with so much earnestness and goodness I felt as if she was holding me still in place. She did not give me looks of pity like the others, or pretended to understand everything I was going through. Her aqua gaze burned through my strong facade and got through to me. Without saying anything, she was telling me she was right there.
Right next to me as I 'set fire to the ship', as she had put it.
I felt myself mesmerized by her and I could understand why Cloud could fall for her. I could even fall for her right now.
I could feel my eyes become moist as I fought back the pain I had been hiding. Lightning cleared her throat before toasting between us in a voice that only the two of us could hear. "To my friend, who gave it her all until the very damn end. To Tifa."
As we both forced the shots back and broke into a laughter following the strong taste of liquor overpowering our senses for a few seconds, I realized that I had made another friend for life.
A/N: Double update as promised! I didn't want it to be all daggers between Lightning and Tifa when Cloud and her finally got together, so I wanted to solidify their friendship a bit as well. ^^ I apologize that the chapter was relatively short, but I am beat cause I have been writing for a long time. Next chapter will (finally) be the carnival and I have a really romantic kiss scene already written out BUT, who should it be with? Cloud? Reno? Please end my agony and tell me in the reviews guys, my heart cannot take this right now. XD
Until the next update!
