AN: Happy New Year everyone! I am so sorry this update took so long (one year!). I have some steamy stuff written for the upcoming chapters, but I can't publish them here so I might post them on AOOO instead. Will let you know :) Enjoy this chapter.

Burning Close

Chapter 7

"You love it and you know it."

She smirked. Was he referring to the pendant or to him?

It was nearly half past three, and Tifa was still wide awake in bed, thinking about the raven-haired man. She turned to the side once more, garnet eyes gazing at the pendant in her hands. With the moonlight seeping through the thin curtains, the teardrop pendant glistened like a droplet of water shining under the moon.

Somehow, the scent of him—crisp, pine breeze—still lingered in the air as she took yet another deep breath, hoping to calm her heart. At this rate, the barmaid wouldn't be able to sleep until morning arrives.

Zack Fair was nearly everything she had wanted, everything she had wished for—in Cloud. They were different in obvious ways, yet so oddly similar. It was overbearingly frustrating.

She was afraid of how strong the pull was between Zack and her. She was afraid of how easy it was for her to be lured into his arms. She was afraid of how awfully attracted she was to him. She was afraid of how much she clung to his warmth for dear life. She was afraid of how dependent she was of his light.

She was…afraid of him.

Tifa shut her eyes close. At once, images of their trip in Junon replayed in her mind. Images of them, being intimate. She wanted his warmth. She needed his warmth. He was the sweet, fresh air that she desperately needed to breathe in after burning in hell for so long.

But what now? The barmaid wasn't going to stay in Midgar long. In a month or so, after Mona had gotten better, she would be heading back to Edge. Back home. Back to the kids. Back to…him? If he was still there. Of the times she had called home, only the kids, Barret, and Yuffie were there to pick up. She didn't dare ask the question torturing her since day one. Where's Cloud? Not home, obviously. Away on a delivery trip, most likely. What was the point of asking them?

Yuffie tried to sneak bits of his whereabouts to Tifa, but she didn't want to hear any of it. Every time the ninja started a sentence with the word "he," the barmaid would quickly cut her off and bid goodbye, blaming a patron calling her. Eventually, Yuffie got the hint and never mentioned the man ever since. Same with the kids. Same with Barret.

What did it matter where he was? The fact was, he didn't care. At least not enough to ask about her, call her, or hell, send a text. She knew him. She knew he wasn't into words. But she knew he could text, as he'd done so in the past, before their relationship became weird and complicated yet again. Texting was easy and non-committal.

She sighed bitterly. Just thinking about him made her heart twist and cringe. His presence in her heart was too much, too overbearing, too painful. His aqua eyes. His furrowed brows. His small smile. Everything about him was ingrained into her, like she knew him better than she knew herself. If only she could just peel every little bit of him off her heart, like dead skin on fingers. What they had gone through together was nothing but history to move on from. She needed to learn to let him go, lock him away somewhere lost and deep in her heart.

But there was no easy way of letting go. There never was.

Unless someone new captured her heart.

The alarm clock rang much too early to her liking. Tifa moaned as she turned off the nuisance. Closing her eyes against the too bright sunlight shining through the thin curtains, the barmaid felt like she haven't slept in years. For once, she wanted to call in sick. Her head felt like hammers were pounding on them. The less than soft blanket felt uncomfortably comfortable on a weary day like this. Even lying on the pillows that were way too soft for her neck and the thin-like-board mattress felt better than waking up.

But she was The Tifa Lockhart. When everyone else was drained and exhausted, she was the one pulling them up one by one. She had to—ever since she could remember. Yet, today was one of those days when even The Tifa Lockhart wanted to just sleep in, be sick, be taken care of, and just be…a normal, young woman.

Fifteen minutes later, she was ready to head out. Pulling her shoelaces tight, Tifa got up and was about to leave the room when something on the bedside table caught her eye. Or maybe she had merely been avoiding it. The blue teardrop pendant glistened cheerfully up at her.

Tentative fingers reached out, but she hastily withdrew back.

"Forget it," she muttered, and left the room.

Morning routine at Johnny's Heaven were similar to Seventh Heaven. Tifa and Johnny would stocktake the bar's inventory, organize boxes and boxes of assorted alcohol and canned goods. But because Tifa was much better (and quicker) at cooking, she would also start preparing the day's ingredients for the bar's menu. At 12PM, the bar would open and several patrons would pop in for lunch. Lunchtime was usually quiet; early evening to late night were the bar's peak hours. Typically, Tifa got things done on time. Except today.

"Don't worry about it, Johnny," Tifa spoke into the phone.

"I'm so, so sorry Teef." Johnny's voice cracked. "Mona…she's hidin' in her room again. She left Ted cryin' in the bathroom," (hiccup), "I just…I just dunno what to do…"

"Calm down, Johnny, it's okay," Tifa said gently. "Just make sure they're all right. Are you sure I don't need to come over?"

"No…I'll take care of things," he sniffed. "I'm gonna…I'm gonna give the doctor a call again. See if he could pop in today…"

"Yes, that's a good idea."

Thanking the barmaid once more, the man hung up. Tifa frowned as she stuffed her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. Johnny and his family were worrying her, but she stared at the boxes of empty bottles.

"Johnny the big man will be ok. He could do it." She believed in him. "All righty then, first things first. Stocktake."

Grabbing the list of inventory, she knelt down, starting to count the bottles of beer. While routines were largely similar to Seventh Heaven, one thing was definitely different here: the absence of Marlene and Denzel. Tifa's heart cringed yet again at the thought of the children. She missed them so badly; their silly laughter, their playful banter. Sure, Tifa was here to help Johnny, but was that the entire truth? Maybe to others, but to her? The honest truth was, she selfishly left them behind so she could take some space to herself, to think about her relationship (or lack thereof) with Cloud. Tifa smirked. So, everything leads back to Cloud, huh?

The day was surprisingly stuffy for spring. Despite all windows opened to the fullest, no air creeped in. Good thing she decided to wear the short jeans and tank top she now donned. Silky black hair tied into a high bun, sweat quickly rolled down her forehead and down her cheeks. The barmaid was halfway through inventory checking when she heard the jingling of the door bells.

"Sorry, we're not opened yet—"

She stopped, gaping at the door. A grinning face appeared, all bright and full of sunshine.

"Morning, Tifa!" Zack beamed. "Oh dang," he whistled, "do you look hot today." Indigo-blue eyes glistened with heat as they took in the woman's outfit of the day.

Tifa swallowed a lump in her throat and darted her eyes down. Her face burned as blood rushed to her cheeks. Her fingers trembled slightly as she drew a small tick on the checklist. Her heart pounded so hard he was bound to hear it.

"Morning, Zack." Her voice was too quiet.

In a second, she felt his presence (and heat) kneeling next to her. Her face fumed.

"Need any help?" His breath tickled her neck.

"N-no." Did she just squeak?

"Where's Johnny?" His breath tickled her ear. He was enjoying himself.

Tifa cleared her throat. "He's busy today." There. That sounded normal. She hoped.

Hot fingers found their ways to her chin, gently pulling her to face him. At once, ruby-colored eyes drowned themselves in the deep sea of azure.

"He's such a lazy guy," Zack breathed. His warm nose touched hers.

Tifa was about to faint from the heat in the room.

"Mona—his wife—she's sick," she managed to mutter, eyes shut tight from embarrassment.

"Oh."

At once, all heat dispersed and Tifa felt her legs go numb. She opened her eyes, expecting to see the raven-head staring at her. Instead, he was no where in her sight. Getting up, she turned around and found the man sitting by the bar counter, glaring at her. She blinked, slightly confused.

"What?" The barmaid dusted herself off, hiding her flush with her bangs.

"Why aren't you wearing the necklace?" he blurted. For a brief moment, his cheeks flared up, the scar on his face twitching. Surprised at his own words, Zack looked away, a hand running through his spikes. Tifa saw him mouth a cuss word.

Trying desperately not to laugh, she asked, "what necklace?"

"What necklace?" Zack pouted, indigo eyes wide in disbelief. "The one I got you, of course. From yesterday. The water droplet one!"

The barmaid shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "You didn't say I have to wear it everyday."

"Well, of course I want you to wear it everyday!"

In a blink of an eye, he was standing in front of Tifa again, heat radiating off his body.

"Here!"

Stomping behind her, he threw something over her head. His fingers lingered on the back of her neck, sending goosebumps through her warm body.

"There! Much better."

"What—" Tifa stared at the blue pendant now dangling from her neck. "How did you—?" Realization dawned on her. "You sneaked into my room?" she asked incredulously.

"No, not sneak…" Smile returned to Zack's face. "I went to the inn to check if you were awake. Saw Pam cleaning your room and we chatted for a bit. Then I saw this," (he pointed at the necklace), "abandoned on the table like a poor puppy. So I brought it with me."

"Oh, so you're saying you charmed your way into my room." Tifa rolled her eyes so hard they were about to fall off.

"Yeah, that's right," the man smirked.

"Well, you should never have entered my room in the first place. I'm going to have a chat with Pam tonight." She frowned and kneeled down to the carton of cans.

"Aw, c'mon, it's nothing, Tifa," Zack grinned. "It's not like I'll steal anything."

"Who knows."

"Well, I do want to steal something from you."

Now that she knew. Not allowing him the pleasure of flirty banter, Tifa changed topics. "What are you doing here? Don't you need to work?"

"I'm here to adorn you with the necklace."

Tifa rolled her eyes again and stared at Zack. He had the utmost serious expression on his face.

"It's true. Just dropping by to put the necklace on you. Now that my job is done, I'm gonna leave for work soon. Got a long day today."

"Oh." She was not disappointed. She was not disappointed—

"Oi, your phone's dropping. Let me help you—" In a swift motion, Zack got hold of her mobile phone and began tapping on it.

"Hey, what are you—"

Tifa reached out but accidentally bumped into a box on the chair. Sugar packets flew everywhere onto the floor. Groaning, she quickly replaced the packs, all the while glaring up at Zack.

"What are you doing with my phone?" she grumbled.

"Oh, nothing, just wanna show you this cute puppy—" he flashed her a photo of a brown dog, pink tongue hanging out, "isn't he the cutest thing?"

"Sure is." Tifa snatched back her phone irritably.

"Oh, look at the time." Zack tapped on his wrist, where a watch should be. "Gotta get going. I'll see ya later. Maybe tonight?" he winked.

The woman rolled her eyes yet again and shook her head.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Making a face as full of disbelief as she could, Tifa could not stand the man's arrogant nerves some times.

"I promise I'll be back tonight. Bye!"

"Buh—" She didn't even finish her word when the man's lips smacked right over hers.

As suddenly as he came, as suddenly as he left.

Business at Johnny's Heaven was slow today. Despite finishing her prep work just in time to open up the bar, Tifa was surprised to find no patrons coming in for lunch. Perhaps it was the humidity. The heaviness in the air was thick and suffocating, making Tifa extremely drowsy. By 4PM, the barmaid was starting to doze off, sitting alone behind the counter.

The sudden jingle of bells and a loud, "TIFA!" woke the woman, making her jump, nearly falling off her seat.

Wine-colored eyes shoot up toward the door.

"Oh, Tifa!"

"Marlene! Denzel!" She jumped up and hugged the running kids, all big grins. "Yuffie!"

After lots of hugs and kisses, the children and Yuffie settled on the barstools chattering animatedly, while Tifa reheated chicken wings and French fries.

"I miss your curry rice, Tifa!" Denzel whined.

"I miss you braiding my hair, Tifa!" Marlene squealed.

"I miss you doing my chores, Tifa!" Yuffie chirped.

The four of them laughed. Grateful for the sudden company, Tifa was all smiles. The children quickly updated the barmaid about their school life, their recent test grades, their best friend's whereabouts, and most importantly, the "dinner" that Barret whipped up last night.

"Papa was covered with flour from head to toe," Marlene giggled.

"Yeah, I said that maybe we should stuff Uncle Barret into the oven instead of the pie," Denzel grinned.

Tifa laughed warmly, a hand reaching for the long bangs covering the girl's eyes. Gently, she tucked them behind her ear. Observing the kids, Tifa took note of Marlene's chocolate brown hair curling below the shoulders and Denzel's soft jawline taking an angled turn. It had only been a little over half a month since leaving home, but it felt like years. In such a short time, they had grown just enough for her to notice. Her heart cringed.

"Your hair's getting long, Marlene," Tifa smiled softly.

"Yup," the young girl grinned. "I've been trying to braid them everyday, but it gets hard—oh, Tifa!" Her brown eyes sparkled and widened with surprise. "What a pretty necklace!" She took hold of the teardrop pendant hanging from the woman's neck. "I've never seen you wear this. Where did you get it?"

Tifa's cheeks flared up and suddenly felt a particular pair of gray eyes narrowing at her. "Yeah, it's pretty, isn't it." She diverted the questions.

Thankfully, the buzzer of the oven sounded, and she hastily turned toward the piping hot chicken wings.

After stuffing their stomachs with mouth-watering snacks, the children turned on the television to watch their favorite show and, simultaneously, played Go Fish, all the while laughing loudly.

Tifa proceeded to wash the dishes when she felt those scrutinizing eyes on her.

"So, Tifa, when are you—"

Ring ring. Ring ring.

Pulling the cell phone from her back pocket, the barmaid glanced at the screen. Zack's name flashed before her eyes. Hastily silencing and ignoring the call, she felt her cheeks flushed as Yuffie's gray eyes narrowed.

The ninja perked an eyebrow, a peculiar expression on her face. "So as I was saying, when are you going to come back—"

Ring ring. Ring ring.

Again, Tifa brushed away the call.

Yuffie tilted her head curiously. "Why don't you just pick that up?" She motioned to the still vibrating phone.

"Oh, it's nothing—"

Ring ring—

At the third interruption, Yuffie snatched the phone from the barmaid's hand and glared at the screen. "Who is it—?" She stopped and stared at her friend, mouth hanging wide open. "Who's Zack? Zack with a pink heart?"

"No one," Tifa muttered and quickly grabbed the phone back, stuffing it into her pocket. She walked into the back storage room with the ninja following.

"No one?" Yuffie repeated, closing the door behind her.

"Yes, no one." Tifa was a bad liar. And Yuffie knew it.

"If Zack is no one, then why is his name 'Zack with a pink heart'? A pink heart with stars blinging around it?"

If Tifa could vomit her heart out, she would totally do it right now. When the man was fumbling with her phone this morning, she knew the man was up to no good. He must had added the stupid pink heart emoji to his name.

"So who is this guy?" Yuffie interrupted her thoughts.

Kneeling down, the barmaid began rummaging in a carton box full of jarred tomatoes, trying desperately to hide her face. "Just a friend."

"Just a friend, huh?" The ninja kneeled down facing her, a hint of amusement sparkling in her eyes. "Then why is your face as red as those tomatoes?"

Finding a particular glass especially interesting, Tifa muttered, "it's stuffy in here."

"You're sleeping with him, aren't you?"

At once, Tifa flipped her head up, ruby eyes widened in shock, nearly dropping the jar. "Yuffie! Must you say it so loudly?" She glanced at the thin wooden door, well aware that the kids may be just outside.

"Sorry," the petite friend smirked. "I knew something was up."

"Nothing is up." Tifa was exasperated. And over-the-edge irritated.

"I'm pretty sure something is up in your pants!"

"Yuffie!" Tifa hissed, eyes darting toward the door again. "The kids!"

"Then tell me the truth." The Wutain princess crossed her arms, face filled with what appeared to be concern. "Are you sleeping with this guy? Who is he?"

Unwavering steel eyes met timid garnet ones. Tifa sighed. "He's a friend."

"Just a friend?"

"Yuffie—"

"C'mon Teef, tell me," the ninja's brows furrowed, "are you over Cloud?"

Something resurfaced in the barmaid's heart. Again, that locked, hidden piece was wrenched opened, forcefully. Painfully. Shamefully.

"I…don't know," she finally answered.

"So you're seeing this guy?"

Tifa looked away, staring down at her fingers. "I know this sounds complicated. My heart… feels complicated."

"Do you like him?"

Tifa's heart tightened. It was a question she had been asking herself a million times. Sure, she was definitely attracted to him. His infectious laughter, his enticing warmth, his happy-go-lucky nature. But did she like him? Did she love him? Maybe that was a bit over. "He's a likable man."

"Is he old?"

"…Old?"

"Old like my dad?"

Tifa furrowed her brows. "No."

"Is he rich? Does he have a job?" Yuffie sounded like a nagging mother. Which was shocking.

"Well, I can't say if he's rich or not. But yes, he has a job."

"Okay, well at least you're not turning into a sugar baby—" (At that, Tifa opened her mouth to protest, face fuming)—"Does he treat you well?"

At this, the barmaid paused and gave a nod, unable to contain the small smile creeping out. "Yes."

Yuffie was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke up, her words surprised Tifa. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

Soft, knowing smiles appeared on their faces as the two friends shared a moment of silence. It seemed the ninja really had matured.

"Thanks, Yuff. Shall we join the kids?" Tifa asked.

Yuffie nodded, and they turned toward the door. Just as Yuffie's hand reached the doorknob, Tifa placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"Please don't tell the others."

An evil grin flashed on Yuffie's face, gray eyes narrowing into cat-like slits. "Hehehe…sure."

Tifa pursed her lips. "I'm serious. Especially the kids."

"What do I get from this?"

The barmaid wanted to slap the mischievous smirk plastered on the sneaky face. Mentally, she drew a big red cross over the word "mature," a word she had just labeled her friend a minute ago. "What do you want?" She rolled her eyes, irritation growing.

"Hmm…" Yuffie tapped her finger on her cheek thoughtfully, steel eyes never leaving her friend's pupils. "Oh I know! In exchange for this little secret, you gotta share me your sex stories."

"Damn you, little brat."

Night time was settling in, and after a few more rounds of Go Fish and spaghetti bolognese for everyone, it was time for the kids to go home. Tifa was sad to see them leave and promised to visit them soon. Giving Denzel a great big hug, she turned to Marlene, who had remained rather quiet when evening arrived.

"Marlene? Are you okay, honey?"

The round, brown eyes welled up slightly, but the girl fought them back. "Uh-huh, I miss you, that's all." She gave a weak smile and hugged the woman tight. "I wish you'd come back soon. We—we miss you." Pulling away, Marlene's hand wandered into her backpack and fished out a chocolate bar. "For you."

Tifa kissed her cheeks. "Thank you, Marlene."

Bidding goodbyes and telling Yuffie to take care of the children, Tifa was all alone in the quiet bar again. She glanced at the clock. It was ten past seven. Sighing, she dropped onto a barstool and, bored out of her mind, started spinning herself on the stool, mind wandering.

Never once did the children spoke of Cloud. This, she was surprised. Although she was certain they knew Cloud and her relationship were complicated (they were their "mother" and "father", but they weren't married nor dating), she was unsure with how much they do know. At the very least, they knew not to ask questions when the two adults showed rare signs of affection, like holding hands. They knew not to ask questions should they bump into Cloud coming out of Tifa's room in the morning, hair tousled, or vice versa. They knew not to ask questions when Tifa decided to leave home for a bit. Although in their minds, Tifa was only leaving temporarily because of Johnny and his family. Which was true…

A jingle of bells told her the first customer of the day had entered the bar. Quickly plastering a smile on her face, she greeted the man. Several other patrons soon slowly followed, setting Tifa to work.

It was nearing 11PM when the last customer left. Being a quiet day, even the patrons felt the need to eat their food and drink their beer in silence, except the occasional, "beer please," or "refill, thanks." While washing dishes, Tifa's mind started replaying the key events of the day. Marlene, Denzel, and Yuffie's surprise visit was heartwarming and pleasant. Seeing their smiling faces and hearing their warm laughter were bittersweet. She wished desperately she was back home with them, like the old days. But she knew she was not ready to face the blonde. Not that the blonde was home anyway.

And then there was Zack, popping in in the morning with the necklace. Now that Yuffie knew about him, Tifa was certain her friends would eventually find out about this "other man" soon. Now this she was definitely not ready to face. It wasn't that she was ashamed of him. Heck, what was there to be ashamed of anyway? Tifa was an adult. In fact, a beautiful, grown ass woman. She was free to date whoever she wanted, and she was sure her friends would be supportive. Perhaps, even Cloud.

Just thinking of Cloud knowing about Zack made her heart clench in embarrassment and anxiousness. How would Cloud feel? Would he be angry? Relieved? Jealous? Happy? Hell, why would he be angry? Why should he be angry? And why would he be jealous? And really, who fucking cares what he thinks! He didn't care.

Tifa gritted her teeth at the thought, eyes darting at the clock again. 11:26PM. The bar was almost closing, and yet, a certain man did not appear. It was the first time that he did not come since that very first night they met. With the long, dull day almost over, she was actually looking forward to some cheerful warmth and silliness that was Zack Fair. Somewhere deep in her heart, Tifa was disappointed.

Yes, she admitted it.

Tifa Lockhart was disappointed that Zack Fair did not come to the bar tonight.

Walking in pitch darkness was nothing new. But somehow tonight was different. Not trepidation-in-the-air kind of different, but more like, something-is-missing kind of different. Up ahead, she could see the dark shadow of the motel. None of the windows were lighted, meaning the other patrons were all asleep. Understandable, as it was already past twelve. The only light came from the dimmed yellow outline glowing through the wooden door. She was about fifteen feet away when her phone vibrated with a ding. Curious as to who would message her at such a time, Tifa was about to grab her phone when a voice rang out in the dark.

"Hi."

Immediately, the barmaid's head perked, surprised both at the sound and at the excitement filling up her heart. But there was something amiss about his tone, something…off. Again, she was surprised at herself; how could she tell something was wrong with the man?

"Zack?" she whispered.

Azure-blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark. Heavy footsteps started toward her. At once, muscular arms wrapped themselves tightly around Tifa's smaller form, shifting his entire weight on her. Hesitant hands reached up to the man's back, gently patting him, soothing him.

"Zack…everything okay?"

He smelled of debris and sweat and fatigue.

"Are you hurt?" Tifa was becoming worried. It was unlike the man to be so…out of energy.

"No," he groaned into her neck, making her shiver, "I'm okay."

"Do you need help back home?"

"Nooo."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he continued, voice muffled against Tifa's skin, "though if it's okay with you, would you mind if I get some water? I'm really, freakin' thirsty." Zack pushed himself off of the woman and gave a great big smile. "And I'm really, freakin' glad to see you."

She could hear the enthusiasm replacing the weariness in his voice and couldn't help but smile too.

"Come on, big guy, let's get you something to drink."

Walking quietly through the dimmed corridor and up the stairs to her room, for a moment, Tifa regretted putting herself in this position with the man. She was afraid of how close their proximity was and how electrifying the tension in the hallway was and how she would lose control of herself in his strong arms and muscular chest and burning kisses and—

"Tifa?"

The woman blinked away her thoughts, hiding her blush.

"Keys? Did you forget your keys?" Zack asked, perking a black brow.

"Oh," she fumbled in her bag, "right."

Entering the room, she hastily turned on the lights and proceeded toward the mini fridge. Grabbing a cold bottle of water, she threw it to the man across the room, who caught it with ease.

"Thanks," Zack grinned.

Hiding her face with her bangs, she glanced anxiously from the back of the room, shuffling her feet, watching the man drain the bottle in one gulp. She needed to keep her distance.

"Ah, much better." Zack wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Great!" TIfa clapped her hands once, and, quickly, "it's late now, guess you gotta go!"

"I'm so tired, I could just sleep here!" The man stretched and let his body collapse onto the only chair in the room.

Tifa blinked, apprehensive. He's not leaving.

"Why are you standing? Have a seat." Zack motioned to the bed separating them.

Lips pursed, the barmaid climbed onto the bed, sitting on her heels. "So, what did you do today?" she asked unwillingly. To be frank, Tifa wanted him to leave. She needed him to leave. She was tired and sleepy, but also nervous and alone with a handsome man in a tiny room—

"Ugh," Zack groaned, furrowing his brows. He ran a hand through his tangled spikes. "Had a freakin' long day at the countryside."

And he proceeded to share his encounter with two particularly troublesome customers, an old couple who lived on the outskirts of the Mythril Mine. With their adult children living far away on the Western Continent, they desperately needed help with cleaning up their abandoned farm, for free. Wild weeds and shrubs needed removing. Heavy haystacks needed delivering. Dirty barns and livestock needed cleaning. These were not big problems if the necessary tools and machines were used.

"But they actually sold everything 'cause they got no money to feed their chocobos," Zack muttered, rolling his eyes. "And so I asked them, 'what the hell do you feed your chocobos?' 'Sylkis greens,' they said. And I swore at them 'cause those greens cost at least 5K for Gaia's sake!"

Listening to the man's story made Tifa giggled. Of course she knew about those greens. Sylkis greens were the best greens a breeder could ever feed a chocobo. She used to buy them with—

"C'mon now, five thousand gils for a single piece of green!" the man exclaimed, shaking his head. "I worked my ass off for them for free, for 12 hours straight without any food, because they decided to sell all their tractors and stuff so they could feed their chocobos with sylkis greens. They must be breeding gold chocobos or something. And there's not even a single rake in the farm!"

"So how did you end up finishing the work?" Tifa grinned, forgetting her earlier uneasiness.

"Well," a smug look appeared on Zack's face, "you know me. I'm a charmer. I drove to Fort Condor and asked some kiddos to help me."

"I suppose there were young, pretty ladies too?"

"Well, of course the guys only went 'cause the girls told them to," he winked.

"Right, right," Tifa laughed. "Well, do you want some chocolate to make you feel better?" Reaching inside her bag for the bar of chocolate that Marlene had given her earlier, the barmaid watched the man's face lighten up.

"Yeah chocolate is the best!" Zack beamed and strode the few steps over to sit next to the woman on the bed. "But also…this would really make me feel better…"

Without further ado, he leaned toward Tifa, nose touching hers, black spikes brushing her forehead. She smelled of vanilla and salt, cinnamon and spice. Instinctively, Tifa shifted backward, quickly avoiding him. But Zack was not getting any of it. After a long, hard day of work and traveling, all he wanted was to see her smile, hear her voice, and feel her softness. Calloused hands reached for her cheeks, forcing her to face him.

"May I have a kiss?" he whispered.

"…Zack…"

Tifa hesitated. For all she knew, a kiss would lead to something more, and she wasn't sure if she wanted more. Even though it wouldn't be the first time. And it felt good. And nice. Like she was wanted by someone. And such feelings filled up the tiny little broken pieces shattered here and there, all over her heart, and it made her feel half-full if not entirely whole. It even kind of made her feel sort of happy. So it shouldn't be a problem if she was just trying to be happy, to make herself feel happy. Hell, even Yuffie wanted her to be happy. But things had escalated much faster than she had anticipated, and she didn't even know what kind of relationship they had, and to be honest, she didn't really know him all that well, but the fact that she actually was disappointed in not seeing his face at the bar tonight and that his sudden presence at the inn made her heart flutter and dance and that the moment she heard his voice, she realized that something was wrong with him made her acknowledge that perhaps she did know him more than she would like to believe and such realization was just nerve-wracking and—

"Your mind's wandering again." His breath smelled of mint and mountains and tantalizingly delicious and his hands on her skin felt like fire—freaking flaming hot fire—burning all the way to her—

"Kiss me."

Garnet eyes closed tight, waiting for firm, strong lips on hers. And it came down feverishly. Hungrily. Breathlessly. Smooth tongue forced her lips open, frantically searching for his match. A hand moved from her face to down her neck and through the soft strands of silky hair, and back up her bare arms and to her back, pulling her closer until she sat on his lap.

Tifa felt his arousal, further sending heat through her body, all the way down to her toes.

Expert lips moved down her throat, trailing openmouthed kisses. He lapped greedily at salty skin, making sure to spend a few seconds more on that one, sensitive area just below her ear, which earned him a skin-tingling-heart-stopping-moan from his partner the first time he found that spot. This time was no different. The sound emitted from Tifa was about to set him on fire.

Zack Fair was addiction. The wet, addictive kisses he left on her neck made her shivering, breathless, and wanting more. She pressed herself even closer, feeling more of him. One hand tightly clenched his nape, while another tugging on his hair. Both of their thin cotton tops being the only separation between their hot, burning skin. Their pants were rough and thick and tight, and she wished desperately she was wearing a skirt instead of these scratchy, denim shorts.

Tifa Lockhart was chaos. Just this thought alone was enough to make him combust. His nose moved further down, resting in the gap between her breasts. Lips nipped softly, but thirstily, at the soft, sweet skin. Palms on the outer curves, he cupped them with his hands, thumbs fiddling at perked nipples. Immediately, she threw her head back, eyes shut tight, mouth slightly opened, suppressing another pleasurable moan.

"Let me hear you, Tifa…"

His voice was a breath, a tease. But just enough to ease her to the edge of no return.

"You have reached the voicemail box. Please leave a message after the tone."

BEEEP.

"…Hi Tifa, I'm so happy to see you today." A pause. "I…" Long pause. "I'm so happy to…to see you so happy. Especially since you're…" Long silence and a deep breath. "Tifa…you're dating someone. Right, Tifa?" Another deep breath. "That pretty necklace…it's from him, isn't it?" A forced smile could be heard. "And I kind of heard you and Auntie Yuffie talking in the room…Sorry, I was just getting some water for Denzel, but I heard you guys talking." Pause. "Does this mean that…you and Cloud aren't together anymore?" Sniffle. "I wish Cloud…" Cleared throat. "Tifa, I'm glad you're with someone. Can I meet him some time? I miss you. I really do. And…I think…never mind. I love you, Tifa. Bye."

AN: Please remember to vote for your favorite man on my profile page.