Title: Waiting for You

Author: Lovely Lady

Genre: Romance / Drama

Rating: T

Pairing: Cloud / Tifa

Disclaimer: Thanks to all of those who took the time to review! It seems that I might have confused some people with Tifa's dream. I apologize for any confusion; yes, it was an actual event. And yes, I know that nothing of the sort actually happened in the game, but this is fiction. Alright, I'll stop talking and let you read, so I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 2: Will This Time Be Different?

2:00 a.m. 5 days later.

Bang, bang! "Yo, Tifa, open up!" Laurence's muffled voice from behind the apartment door was clearly audible in the empty hallway. Not even after five seconds of waiting, Laurence continued to pound on Tifa's door, waiting for admittance. "Tifa, come on, I'm freezing my ass out here!" Laurence pressed his ear up to the wood, listening for any movement. He heard wood creaking under the weight of a pair of feet and then the sound of several locks being removed from the door. He quickly adjusted his stance and properly stood in front of her door.

The door swung open to reveal a very angry woman. Beautiful, but angry. But her outfit, a soft pink robe with her hair pulled back in a loose bun, only made her look if anything, angelic. "Can you be any louder?" Tifa's eyes were the size of golf balls as she harshly whispered to him. "You're going to wake up the neighbors! And what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you for a couple of days." After completely widening the door to allow Laurence's entrance, she grabbed the few bags he had and retreated to her cozy apartment.

Laurence rolled his eyes and followed Tifa's lead after shutting the door. "Well, first off, it was freezing out there in the hallway. And secondly, I just couldn't wait to see you." The sarcasm was practically dripping off of his tongue.

Tifa practically threw his bags over by her white plush couch. She strode over to the kitchen cabinets and retrieved ground-up coffee beans and the coffee maker. After filling the machine with water and turning it on, Tifa silently walked back to the living room, where she found Laurence sitting comfortably on the couch. She was tempted to ask, "So, what did you do this time to get fired?" but withdrew. Tifa had asked that question too many times to count, and every time she received the same responses: "It got lazy and boring." Instead, she decided on a more pleasant topic. Besides, Tifa hadn't heard from Laurence in almost a month. She missed their long conversations over the phone and their occasional visits with each other. "How's Pam?"

Laurence scratched his head and his gaze guiltily fell to the floor. Uh, oh. "Well, Pam and I broke up." Tifa's look was filled with shock. "I know, I know, almost four months. But I got…"

"Let me guess, bored."

"Well, yeah, Tifa. I'm not going to lie to you. You're my best friend. Plus, she wanted to get married. And you know me; the big M word and I do not mesh well together."

Tifa rolled her eyes. Of course, how could she forget? Laurence was the greatest friend in the world, yet one of the biggest bachelors in the world. Yeah, the world. "Okay, I'm so glad that I've been your friend for nearly two years. Is me being your friend been the longest time you've spent with a woman?" She joked as she said this.

But Laurence was all seriousness. "Actually, yeah, it has been." Tifa's startled gaze brought her attention to his face, but he continued. "Seriously, you're the only woman I really feel comfortable enough with." He chuckled in nervousness. "I remember when we first met at the coffee shop. You looked so beautiful just sitting by the window. I really must be crazy to have not dated you." He cleared his throat to change the subject. "I'm still surprised that you don't have a boyfriend. Ever since we've been friends you've never mentioned seeing anyone. How long has it been since you've dated, two years?"

Three years. Tifa stared at the vase containing beautiful white lilies. It's been three years since I've had a date. Three years since I've last seen you.

It was the day after defeating Sephiroth and the whole town was celebrating. But at the time, that night felt like the best moment in Tifa's life. She was actually going on a date with Cloud. Well, technically, it wasn't a date; just a simple party. But Cloud was going to be her escort.

She quickly readjusted her already perfect black dress as Cloud walked through the doors of her house and strode towards her. He looked simply amazing in his black pants and white shirt. "Tifa, are you ready?"

'He hasn't even said a word about my dress yet.' She shrugged her shoulders. 'Oh well, I guess he'll say something to me later.' Tifa ecstatically hooked her arm through Cloud's and they silently walked towards the house down the road to celebrate their success.

Little did she know that the following day would be the day he would break her heart and leave her for good.

"Tifa? Tifa?" Laurence's voice woke her from her flashback. "You okay?"

Tifa shook her head to clear the thoughts of her past. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that. What were you saying?"

Laurence shook off her comment. "No, it's nothing; nothing important." He suppressed a yawn. "Anyways, I'm exhausted from the drive. Can we talk more tomorrow?"

"Yeah, no problem. You already know your way around this place almost better than I do, so I'll leave you alone." Tifa strolled over to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of hot coffee. After adding in a sufficient amount of cream and sugar, she sauntered to her quaint balcony.

Once outside, the cold air was harsh against her skin, but the hot coffee rejuvenated her. She sat down on the bench and drew up her knees to her chin. Images of the wedding popped into Tifa's mind as she started to picture Yuffie in a wedding dress next to Vincent at the ceremony. Tifa chuckled at the thought. She imagined Barret's huge frame taking up half of a bench, and Cloud… No. Quickly pushing the image from her mind, Tifa stood up and left to go to sleep.

---

"Wow, you look beautiful Yuffie." Tifa stared at the soon-to-be-married woman in her gorgeous white wedding dress. "It's perfect."

"I think this is the one. Oh, I can't wait until the ceremony!" Yuffie quickly turned to Tifa. "Now your turn!"

With a sigh, Tifa grabbed the dress off of the hanger while Yuffie left the dressing room to give her some privacy. Tifa didn't particularly wear dresses. Only really special occasions brought her to wear such clothing. She never really had reason to, until now. Before she could fully look at herself in the mirror, Yuffie rushed in the door.

"Oh my gosh!" Yuffie couldn't have looked happier. "Tifa, you look absolutely amazing!"

Tifa gazed at herself through the full-length mirror. She felt amazing. The maid of honor dress Yuffie had picked for Tifa fit perfectly. It was as if the dress was made for her. "Wow." She looked like a goddess while wearing the sun-golden strapless satin dress.

Yuffie nodded her head in agreement. "We'll take both of these!" She walked over to one of the cushioned chairs and slumped down. "So, what have you been up to lately, Tifa?"

Tifa stepped down from the platform and joined her. "Well, not much. My friend Laurence came by a few days ago."

"Laurence? I don't think I've ever met him."

"Yeah, you wouldn't have. But you've probably heard of him. Does Laurence Wallace ring any bells?"

Yuffie's eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of her head. "Laurence Wallace? The Laurence Wallace? I didn't know you were friends with him! Oh, I'm so jealous of you!"

Tifa giggled at Yuffie's comment. "Yeah, we've been friends for a while. He's such a sweetheart…when he's not being annoying."

But Yuffie didn't seem to be paying much attention to her; her mind was elsewhere. And then an idea popped into her head. "Hey, why don't you bring him to the wedding? I'd love to meet him, and you said he was staying with you, right?"

Uncertainty crossed Tifa's face. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. He's not into that sort of stuff. I'll ask him anyways, but I can't promise he'll show up, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Imagine: Laurence Wallace coming to my wedding! Ooh, this is going to be awesome! I can't wait to tell Vince!" But before Tifa could correct Yuffie's assumption, Yuffie had already left the room to purchase their dresses. With a sigh, Tifa looked once more at her reflection. Will you say something when you see me in this dress? Will this time be different?

Author's Note: Okay! Second chapter completed! I hope to update as soon as possible, so please be patient. Constructive criticism is welcome! I learn a lot from the responses I receive from my readers, regardless of positive or negative feedback.

To CloudLov3r: Whether you care or not, I thank you for your comment on my story. It's good to know that not everyone likes my writing. It's not logical to think that just because I receive positive reviews, that everyone liked it. So, thanks. Except, I think you could have used a more mature vocabulary rather than "what a load of crap."

But to the rest of you, that doesn't mean I don't want positive reviews…no, no, no…bring 'em on!