Title: Waiting for You

Author: Lovely Lady

Genre: Romance / Drama

Rating: T

Pairing: Cloud / Tifa

Disclaimer: Thanks for the reviews and the patience! Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Words Unspoken

12:55 p.m. On the road

"Are we even close to the church?" Laurence's nagging had started every since the first sign of a buildup on the road. And it was driving Tifa insane.

Tifa took one of her hands off of the steering wheel to groan and lightly smack him on the arm. "I've already told you. We're about ten minutes away from it, but with this buildup, I have no idea how long it will take." She motioned to the endless number of cars on the road. "See this? This is what is taking us so long. Do you know what we call this? A traffic jam."

Laurence rolled his eyes at her. "Sarcasm will get you nowhere, Tifa." He sighed and was silent for about ten seconds before speaking again. "So who exactly is getting married again?"

"My close friends, Vincent and Yuffie." Her attention turned to the road ahead of her. The traffic had not been moving since ten minutes ago and her car was completely surrounded by other cars, leaving her no space to escape. Tifa wasn't sure if they were going to make the wedding in time. "What is up with this traffic?" She hastily turned on the radio for information on the roads.

"So, anyways, when we do get there, how long–"

"Shh, I'm trying to listen to the radio." Tifa turned up the volume and patiently waited for the weather forecast to finish.

"—forecast for today will be partly cloudy with severe storms coming up around 1 p.m. It is predicted the thunderstorm will last all night and continue until around 5 in the afternoon the following day. Today is truly a horrible day for a special occasion or gathering…"

Tifa's frustration level was starting to rise again. "Ugh! Well, not to worry, because the wedding will be great regardless of the weather."

And then they both heard it: the sounds of thunder. The clouds had rapidly turned dark shades of gray and were clustered together, preparing for heavy rain.

"—traffic buildup due to road construction and an automobile accident. Drivers might as well turn off their engines and take a cozy little nap. I just hope nobody has anywhere drastically important, like a wedding…"

"Ugh, shut up!" Tifa practically clawed at the radio as she turned it off. "I can't believe he said it again!" She looked over to Laurence. "Can you even believe this?"

Laurence was actually quite amused. In fact, his soft chuckles were turning into huge laughs. He couldn't seem to stop, and after he glanced at Tifa's expression, which was none too happy, he only laughed harder. His unsuccessful attempt at suppressing his laughter was not one bit amusing to Tifa.

"Would you please stop? This isn't funny! Don't you even understand what this means?" Tifa's stern look changed to one of worry. "The wedding starts at 2:00 and Yuffie is counting on me to be there. And with this traffic and horrible upcoming storm…"

Laurence glanced at her face again, but only laughed harder. His words were broken into fragments of a sentence from his gasps for air. "I'm…sorry…Tifa…but it's…just too…funny…" He held his stomach with both hands as he tried to cease his laughing. "You…can't tell me…that this…isn't…the least…bit…funny…"

She looked at his face, which was starting to form tears. Her worried look slowly changed to a small smirk. And the small smirk turned into a huge grin. Before Tifa knew it, her body was shaking in amusement as well.

Together, Laurence and Tifa laughed until traffic started to move again. Which wasn't until the rain had started pouring in sheets and Tifa's legs were beginning to cramp up.

---

Cloud, on the other hand, had arrived to the wedding thirty minutes before the start of the wedding with absolutely nothing to do. He was in the dressing room with Vincent, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Barret and Cid. While they were all adjusting their suits, Cloud had lazily sat down in a comfortable chair near the door.

"Yo, when is this thing starting? I'm starting to get hungry!" Barret's voice filled the entire room and could probably be heard outside as well.

Cid rolled his eyes and angrily pointed to the nearby clock. "We still have thirty minutes, dumb ass!"

Barret walked up to Cid and his face was inches from Cid's face. "What did you call me?"

Before Cid could respond, Vincent held up his hand to silence them. "Both of you be quiet. We'll start early if we have to."

Barret stalked over to a chair next to Cloud's and sat down. The chair almost cracked from his huge body. "But everybody's not here yet."

"What do you mean, 'everybody's not here yet,' there's only like ten people showing up!" Cid's voice was deafening to the other men's ears.

"Tifa." Vincent stopped adjusting the cuff of his shirt to explain to Cid. "Tifa isn't here yet."

Cloud's body froze. Tifa? Wasn't she already here, in Yuffie's room getting ready? Where could she possibly be? The Tifa he knew was always punctual; she even arrived ten minutes before she was supposed to. He didn't want the others to be suspicious of his worries, so he remained silent. However, his concern for her got the better of him and he spoke up anyways. "Did you try her cell phone?" Good, Cloud. Keep it cool.

Barret was the first to answer. "Oh, I didn't even think of that! Technology these days; I can't keep up with them." As he searched the deep pockets of his suit for his phone, Cloud had already whipped his out.

"Got it."

Scanning his phonebook for the name, "Tifa Lockheart," Cloud paused. He hadn't called Tifa's phone in, how long? Three years? Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to call her. He wasn't sure if he would like the response on the other end. But before he could think otherwise, Cloud had already pressed 'send' and nervously placed his phone up to his ear.

Now that he really thought about it, what would he say to her? 'Hey, it's me. I know we haven't spoken to each other in three years, but, I just felt like giving you a call' or 'Yo, Tifa, it's Cloud. I was just looking through my phonebook and noticed your name and thought it would be a good idea to call.' Yeah, right.

As Cloud pathetically rehearsed what he would say to Tifa when she did pick up her phone, he heard her voice on the other line. This was it. Get ready. "Hey—"

"Hi, this is Tifa. Sorry I can't get to the phone right now, but if you'd leave a message, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!" Beep!

That voice. That beautiful voice. He hadn't heard her voice in three years and yet he couldn't seem to get enough of it…he really missed her voice. Then Cloud felt it; the strong ache in his chest that wouldn't go away. What is this feeling? I've never felt this before. It felt like a vice tightening around his heart.

And then he heard another beep on the line. Oh, God, I didn't even leave a message did I? But Cloud knew the truth. He had called Tifa and had been silent throughout the entire message.

---

"Finally, we're here!" Tifa had just pulled into a parking spot at the church and glanced at the time on Laurence's watch. It read 1:50 p.m. "We have to hurry. We're late enough as it is."

As she shut off her engine, Laurence had already stepped out of her car with an umbrella over his head. He ran around to her side so she wouldn't get soaked from the pouring rain. "I thought you might need this!" Laurence had to practically shout over the rain because it was beating down so heavily.

The two of them rushed up the steps to the church, pushed open the grand doors and…saw nobody. Absolutely nobody. The place looked barren and deserted besides the lighted candles in the church. Laurence was the first to speak up. "O-kay, where is everyone?"

Tifa fully stepped into the small church and looked around in the lobby. Not a soul was in sight. However, when she took off her jacket, she heard muffled noises coming from the left of her behind a door. "I guess they're in here." She motioned Laurence to join her.

Laurence turned the knob on the door and forcefully pushed it open. The noise that was obviously from various conversations had ceased when Laurence practically shoved the door against the wall. It was then that Tifa noticed that the noise was from Barret and Cid yelling at each other. She also discovered that Vincent was calmly sitting in a chair, away from all of the bickering. The others were probably wandering around the church, staying away from Barret and Cid's arguing. Smart ones.

As soon as Tifa and Laurence had appeared, though, they were all staring at each other. Barret, of course, was the first to speak. "Yo, Tifa! You finally made it!" He quickly turned to Cid to yell at him. "See? I told you we could count on Tifa to show up!"

Tifa blushed at all of the attention suddenly focused on her. However, she immediately straightened her posture and cleared her throat to speak up. "Sorry, you guys. Traffic is death out there." She paused to gesture to Laurence. "This is one of my great friends, Laurence Wallace." Tifa then gestured to the other three men. "And these are also my great friends, Vincent Valentine, Barret Wallace and Cid Highwind."

While Vincent just nodded his head, Cid addressed Laurence. "Hey, nice to meet ya."

Barret, on the other hand, looked Laurence over before speaking. "Nice last name you got there, Laurence." His expression quickly changed to one of confusion. "We're not related, are we?"

Laurence laughed lightly. "I don't believe so. I don't really have much of a family." He placed a friendly arm around Tifa. "Unless, of course, you count Tifa."

"Count Tifa for what?"

The voice behind the couple was monotonous, but there was some unrecognizable emotion behind it. Although the person standing behind them was just another voice to Laurence, Tifa could recognize that voice anywhere. Cloud's.

Laurence released his grip around Tifa's shoulders and the both of them turned around. Tifa's spine, however, had stiffened like a wooden plank; something that Laurence took into serious account. He was oddly curious as to why Tifa would show such a reaction to the mysterious man with blonde hair, but he would ask her later. Now was not the appropriate time and place. For now, Laurence would give the man the benefit of the doubt and stuck his arm out for a friendly handshake. "Nice to meet you, I'm Laurence Wallace."

The blonde, however, seemed to hesitate shaking Laurence's hand as if his hand was the jaws of death. He finally extended his hand and shook a firm handshake. This guy was a strong one, Laurence noted. The response from the man was simple and straightforward, neither rude nor friendly. He also stared at Laurence dead in the eyes. "Cloud Strife."

---

Cloud couldn't have been more pissed at the moment. He had returned from the bathroom to find a guy with his arm wrapped around Tifa like they were a couple or something! Wait a second, calm down Cloud. Are you seriously getting upset that Tifa has moved on with her life? You've always wanted that, haven't you? No. Cloud didn't want Tifa to move on with her life. He wanted Tifa.

Wait…what? He wanted Tifa? Since when? Since when had he ever thought of Tifa that way? Since you saw that guy's arm wrapped around her.

And then he had introduced himself to Cloud. What was his name? Lauren? Laurence, you idiot, and you knew that.

They had shaken hands and everyone had proceeded to the ceremony now that Tifa had arrived with him. Why was he getting upset like this? This wasn't normal. It was only Tifa, the girl he had grown up with in Nibelheim.

But Cloud just couldn't get the picture of those two out of his mind. Even though he knew he shouldn't be feeling this way, his blood felt like it was boiling in his veins. Was he…jealous? No, I'm not the jealous type.

The ceremony had started twenty minutes ago and Vincent and Yuffie were exchanging wedding vows. It was one of the most boring things of his life, standing next to the priest. The only thing that had kept him lasting through these twenty minutes was the sight of her.

Tifa. Her hair was still that long length that he liked and she looked absolutely stunning in that golden dress. It brought out all of her womanly curves…curves that Cloud hadn't really taken into account until now. The voices were droned out from his mind as Cloud continued to stare at Tifa. Of course, Tifa was too busy concentrating on the couples themselves so it was all right that he stared at her, right?

---

She could feel his eyes on her. It felt like she was being inspected under a bright light all alone. Tifa didn't like it one bit…or did she? She didn't want to not like his gaze on her, but a part of her felt overjoyed by the fact that he knew she existed again.

The ceremony was coming to an end and although she knew she should have paid attention to her friends being married, all of her attention was focused on him. Sure, she had been staring at Yuffie throughout their vows, but her mind was entirely somewhere else. And then the guilt hit her. What was she doing? I am over Cloud, remember? Of course I am. I have moved on. I have moved on with my life.

But when Vincent and Yuffie walked down the aisle together, pronounced husband and wife, and she soon followed, she still had trouble convincing herself. I have moved on with my life.

---

The storm was still raging when they had left for Vincent and Yuffie's house. The weatherman was right; what a terrible day for a wedding. When they had all reached their home for the wedding reception, Tifa was still reciting those words in her mind. Everyone was in the kitchen, gathering food on their empty plates, but Tifa had fallen behind. She had paused as she had taken off her coat near the front door.

She felt a light tap on her left shoulder and spun around in surprise. It was Laurence. "H-hey, what's up?" That was all she could muster?

Laurence shrugged his shoulders. "Just wanted to ask what you thought of the wedding." He grinned at her. "I, if I may say so, am proud for not having fallen asleep. What did you think of it?"

What did she think of it? How would she know? Tifa had been thinking about Cloud the entire time. But she couldn't tell Laurence that. "Well, um, it was…nice."

"Really? What about it was nice?"

Curiosity killed the cat, Laurence. But Tifa flashed him a smile and quickly tried to think of a response. "Everything." Great answer, Tifa.

But Laurence continued to persist. "Right, so what did you think of Vincent practically shoving his tongue down Yuffie's throat when they were told to kiss?"

"Vincent did what!" Clearly, she couldn't have heard him right.

Laurence grinned that childish grin of his. "Ha, caught you! I knew you weren't paying attention to the ceremony." He shook his head in disappointment. "And you told me to pay attention at the wedding." And then his curious expression appeared again. "So tell me, Tifa, what was it exactly that you had your mind so focused on during that full 30 minutes?"

Crap, Tifa thought, she was busted. "How did you know?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I can tell when you're mind is somewhere else. I guess it's since I'm such a great friend and keen observer."

Tifa felt a blush creeping up her neck. "Yeah, I suppose so. Well, it's nothing important."

"Oh, no, no. You're not getting off the hook that easily. Besides, you still have to explain what was with your back stiffening when you saw—"

Barret had come up from behind and stuck an arm around Vincent's shoulders. His other arm held a plate full of food. "So are you guys going to eat or what? Because if you're not going to, I'll gladly eat your portions."

Whew, finally an escape route. "Yeah, I was just about to grab a plate." And before Laurence could press their conversation further, Tifa had already disappeared into the kitchen. I suppose I should explain to him when we get back.

---

Tifa had finally filled her plate with delectable food and turned around to find somewhere to sit. But not before bumping into a certain someone. Him. She couldn't just ignore him; that would have been rude. She would just say hello and move on. "H-hello, Cloud."

Piercing blue eyes met her gaze and her body froze. He had such sharp blue eyes. He nodded his head in acknowledgement and responded. "Hey, Tifa. It's been a while."

"Yeah, I suppose. How many years has it been?"

"Three." His abruptness to correct her was extremely shocking to Tifa. He remembered?

She let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, right. If you'll excuse me…" Tifa escaped his gaze before she made a bigger mess of herself. Stupid idiot.

Tifa walked over to the counter and poured herself a glass of champagne. Nothing made her feel better than a good glass of chilled champagne.

---

"So, you're the infamous Laurence Wallace." Yuffie had finally gotten a chance to talk with Laurence, and what a cutie he was. Tifa was lucky to have such a good-looking friend. Not as good looking though, Yuffie thought, as her husband.

Laurence lightly smiled back and took a sip of his beer. "Yup, that would be me. But 'infamous?' I don't know about that."

Shock was written all over Yuffie's face. "What? Of course you're infamous. You're Laurence Wallace, bachelor extraordinaire."

Oh, now he understood. "Riight…I see what you mean by that now." Would he ever escape that title? He took a large mouthful of beer to avoid saying something stupid that he would regret.

"So, I don't mean to sound offending, but seriously, how many women have you slept with?"

He choked on his beer. Hell, what else could he do? Who asks that sort of question? Well, apparently Yuffie. However, Vincent, who had quietly approached his new bride, saved him from answering her question.

"Yuffie, I don't think that's a question he'd be comfortable answering. Especially to you; a woman he's never met before." Before Yuffie could protest, Vincent had half-dragged her back to the couch, where they began talking to Cait Sith and Red XIII.

---

The afternoon was withering away and soon, nightfall approached. The rain continued to pour down, but by then, everyone had grown accustomed to it. Besides, the weather had no affect on the mood of the party. The reception was, in fact, a major success. However, Cloud had walked into a secluded room in the other corner of the house. He wanted to be alone for a while before returning to the festivities. Here he reflected on his reunion with Tifa.

Cloud's encounter with Tifa had been abrupt and brief. Too brief, in fact. He didn't have a chance to ask her anything. He wanted to know how she was doing after all of those years. He wanted to know what her relationship was with Laurence.

Cloud had been in the room contemplating his relationship with Tifa, when he heard footsteps approaching on the wooden floorboards. Before he could escape the room, the footsteps had stopped and the unknown person spoke.

"Is anyone in here?"

Tifa?

Tifa's slender form appeared from behind the door. She held a champagne glass and immediately noticed Cloud sitting on a forest green couch. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." But he stopped her as she turned around to find a different room.

"It's no problem. Come in…if you want." This would be the perfect opportunity to finally talk to her.

"Alright, thanks." Tifa smiled nervously and proceeded to walking to the couch where Cloud sat. She took a seat next to him, although leaving plenty of space between them. "So, how have you been?"

He shrugged his shoulders as if unsure of his answer. "I've been good. And you?" How articulate, Cloud.

Tifa smiled and proceeded with a nod of her head. "Great. Everything's been going great."

What were they supposed to say now? He was still really curious about Tifa and Laurence's relationship, but he couldn't ask her now. But his mind and his mouth were completely separated because after an awkward silence had enveloped the room, Cloud blurted out what was really on his mind. His method of saying what he meant and the tone of which he said it was none too polite either. "So, how long have you and your boyfriend been going out?"

---

That jerk! She couldn't believe him! How dare he assume that she and Laurence were going out! When he had asked her that question, something inside Tifa snapped. She had narrowed her eyes in anger and before she could take it back, her lips had blurted out, "Three years."

Tifa could clearly see the resentment hidden behind those fierce blue eyes of his, and was partially glad with his reaction. In fact, she was thrilled. Serves him right!

Maybe stating that she and Laurence were going out wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. Besides, it was his fault he assumed her relationship with Laurence. But her anger overpowered her conscience. So in case he didn't hear her correctly, she made sure to clarify the information. "Laurence and I have been going out for three years."

Author's Note: Ahh! That was such a horrible cliffhanger! Anyways, please let me clarify one thing…particularly the whole 'Cloud slapping Tifa' part. In all honesty, I didn't think it would be right for Cloud to have punched Tifa because that would have made him look abusive…although slapping isn't good either… But anyways, in my story, Cloud needed to get his point across to Tifa, partly because of built-up frustration and her brazenness in mentioning Aeris. So if you're angered by the fact that Cloud slapped Tifa, I'm sorry for ruining the story for you.

As for this chapter, when I was writing it, I felt extremely proud of myself. I didn't think it would turn out as good as I expected. However, when I read over it again, it didn't turn out the way that I anticipated. But I hope you enjoyed it, nonetheless. I'd love to hear feedback on how you thought the chapter went. However, since school's starting up again, and finals are quickly approaching, please don't anticipate an update for some time. I'm extremely sorry for the wait!