Title: Waiting for You
Author: Lovely Lady
Genre: Romance / Drama
Rating: T
Pairing: Cloud / Tifa
Disclaimer: Thank you all for taking the time to review! And a note if you're confused or just curious, this is a Cloud and Tifa story (hence the "Pairing: Cloud / Tifa" above). I'm sorry if you've grown to love Laurence as much as I have. Nevertheless, enjoy!
Chapter 5: Realizations and Revelations
"You did what?" Tifa had never seen Laurence react this way before. He was just overreacting. Really, the situation wasn't that bad…right? "One moment I'm having a conversation with your friend, Barret, and the next thing I know, you drag me into this room to tell me that you told Cloud that I was your boyfriend. And you can't even explain why you did it."
Okay, maybe it was pretty bad. So Tifa did the only thing she knew would effectively work on her close friend.
"Okay, I know I screwed up, but please, Laurence? Can't you just pretend that you're my boyfriend? At least until the after party is over?"
Laurence held his hands in front of him and backed away from her. "Oh, no, no, no. Don't go pulling that 'Please, Laurence?' crap on me. It's not going to work this time." He shook his head in dismay. "Not until I get some answers on what's going on to justify why you would lie to him."
He didn't have to tell her for her to realize it. She already knew. But Laurence was right; it wasn't fair for her to ask this from him without even explaining the full situation. Tifa just wished she had some way out of the situation. She slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Look, I don't have time to explain everything, but you're right, Laurence. I'm sorry for asking."
Tifa turned away from him and walked out of one of the many guest bedrooms that she had practically dragged Laurence into. After she had stupidly told Cloud that Laurence was her long-term boyfriend, she had panicked and had excused herself from the room. She didn't get a chance to see the expression on Cloud's face, but Tifa didn't really want to know how he had reacted. Before she knew it, she had found Laurence in the living room, talking to Barret. Tifa had rudely grabbed Laurence's hand and had found another isolated room.
And then they had had their conversation.
"Great." Tifa continued to walk through the endless hallway and blindly opened one of the doors to her right. Her mind was in a fog and it took her a while to register where she was. The bathroom. Perfect. After locking the door, Tifa walked up to the decorative sink. She could hear the gradual sound of water as she slowly turned the faucet and splashed her face with cold water.
She gripped the sides of the sink and bent her head forward, staring into space. What was she going to do now? Maybe she should just tell Cloud the truth. Tifa tightened her grip on the sink. No, you can't. You'll make a fool out of yourself. Since he's going to be leaving tonight and you'll never see him again, why do you even bother? The pressure she was exerting on the sink was becoming painful, but she easily ignored it. She couldn't just have him leave without telling him the truth. Besides, lying was the easy way out and Tifa had never lied to him before. Finally acknowledging the growing pain in her hands, she glanced at them to see that her knuckles were painstakingly white. Tifa released her hands as quickly as she turned to dry her face off with the towel behind her.
The towel muffled all sound as she groaned into it. Feeling not the least bit better, she placed the towel back on the hanger. It was plain and simple, Tifa decided: she would just have to tell Cloud the truth. Now all she had to do was find him…and fast.
Knock, knock! Great, how long had she been in there? "Just a second!"
Quickly glancing in the mirror above the sink, Tifa tried to fix the chocolate brown strands that had fallen loose from her clip. Realizing that the person waiting to use the bathroom was probably becoming impatient, Tifa gave up on any attempt at making herself look more presentable. She quickly turned the knob on the door and swung it open to reveal the one man that she planned on talking to. Cloud.
Tifa sucked in her breath and faltered in her stance. She was ready for this…no she wasn't. She would never be ready for this. Say something, Tifa. Just say something! Don't just stand there while staring right at him! Fumbling for words, Tifa finally decided to begin with a casual and light conversation. "C-Cloud, w-what are you doing here?" Her voice was weak and was barely above a whisper. So much for 'casual' and 'light.'
But Cloud didn't seem to notice her surprise. Either that, or he just didn't seem to care. He just put his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders with a blank expression on his face. "I was just waiting to use the bathroom."
"Oh." She should just move to the side to let him pass and then walk down the hall and downstairs, where everyone else was. Where civilization was. Where escape was. No. She needed to talk to him before it was too late. She needed to tell him. She needed to tell him now. "Clo-"
"Tifa, there you are." Confused by the unknown voice, both Tifa and Cloud turned their heads to see Laurence approaching them from down the hall.
Oh, my God. Why did he have to come now? Briefly shutting her eyes, Tifa tried to pretend that the situation in front of her was not really happening and was just a figment of her imagination. This is just a dream; wake up, Tifa. Wake up! Opening her eyes, she expected to be in her bed with the sunlight shining in her face. However, all she got was her best friend, Laurence, finally coming to a halt right beside her.
"I was looking for you everywhere, sweetheart." Laurence unabashedly placed a quick kiss on Tifa's cheek that validated their romantic relationship. Or, Tifa should say, nonexistent. However, Cloud didn't know the truth, therefore Tifa's lie about her and Laurence going out were, in his eyes, proven to be true. Even though it wasn't.
But why now of all times? Would she ever get a break? "W-Why were you looking for me?"
Laurence rolled his eyes. "Vincent and Yuffie are asking if you and Cloud were going to say your speeches." When Tifa still retained her confused expression, Tifa urged her on with a motion of his hand. "Your speech, you know, that the maid-of-honor is sometimes required to do."
Right, the speech that Tifa had been preparing all week. But how could she leave Cloud with him thinking that Laurence and her were a couple? There was only one thing she could do.Tifa cleared her throat and tried to fix this mess that she had unintentionally made. She turned to Cloud, who seemed unusually quiet the entire time. "Listen, Cloud, I can explain…"
"There's nothing to explain," Cloud replied unemotionally. "Congratulations. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a speech to present." And with that final note, Cloud coolly passed by Tifa and Laurence and walked down the hall, away from her presence and away from her life. Again.
In the background, Tifa could hear a round of applause. Probably to the speeches that Tifa should have honored and listened attentively to. The speeches that required her to say a follow up speech after Cloud. Instead, she was in the middle of a hallway with her "boyfriend" Laurence.
But why was everyone applauding? This was no time for celebration.
---
Cloud could not, no, would not, believe it. Tifa had moved on? Well, what did you expect? Did you expect her to wait for you forever?
A small part of him said 'no,' but the larger part had been wishing for it to be, 'yes.' Regardless of his feelings, he had to admit that he had liked knowing the fact that somebody still cared for him—that, even though he did not return the feelings, someone liked him anyways.
Although he had never had any romantic feelings for Tifa before, seeing those two together made him uneasy and a little bit jealous. Jealous? I'm not jealous. Cloud had no reason to be, but yeah, okay, he was jealous. Really jealous.
Cloud walked down the stairs and decided to join a random conversation with whoever was willing to talk to him. He needed to get his mind off of her. But he was still confused. Why did he care so much who Tifa was dating? And, why was he overwhelmed with jealousy whenever he thought of Laurence with her instead of him? Because you like her. Admit it.
Regardless of his feelings, he had no say in the matter because he wasn't the one going out with her. So just what could he do? Nothing, absolutely nothing.
"Hey, Cloud. I haven't seen you all afternoon. You're just in time for the speeches." Yuffie's bubbly voice was too much for him to handle at the moment. "But before you say it, tell us, where have you been since we've last seen you? Which is a while ago, might I add."
"I've been here and there."
"Right…I forgot. Always the quiet one, now are we, Cloud?" She indiscreetly nudged him and joked as she turned to her husband. "Oh, that reminds me—"
Cloud drowned out their conversation to reflect upon the events that had taken place, not too long ago, upstairs.
Okay, so he liked Tifa. So, what? What difference did it make? Either way Tifa didn't feel the same way. But why did the bad things always happen to him? First it was Aeris and her sudden death.
Aeris.
He could still clearly remember what had taken place that day. He could still hear the blade as it easily sliced through her fragile body. He could still see the crimson blood seeping through her pink dress and spreading all over. He could still feel her lifeless body as he gradually placed her in the clear blue water.
After all of this time, he hadn't thought about Aeris in any other way than the day she died. He couldn't even admit to himself that he loved her now.
Why is it that I haven't thought about Aeris in a romantic way since I decided to leave Nibelheim? Have I betrayed her by forgetting about my love for her? Maybe he never loved her. Maybe he mistook his guilt for love. No, that was ludicrous. Cloud was not only unworthy of her love, but he was the lowest scum on the face of the earth. He could just kill himself now. "Oh, God."
Vincent looked over to the obviously zoned-out Cloud. "What's the matter?" he asked in his usual monotonous tone.
Cloud looked up, as if realizing for the first time where he was. "Ugh, nothing, sorry. If you'll excuse me." He quickly walked past the couple and picked up a glass of champagne along the way.
"Cloud, wait, you have to say your—" Before Yuffie could finish her sentence, Vincent placed a hand on her arm.
"Let him go, Yuffie. He obviously has a lot on his mind."
---
Vincent always had a keen eye for noticing the unusual. That was one of the few things that had stayed with him since he had decided to join AVALANCHE. Before his life with his new friends…well, that was the one thing that Vincent never wanted to think about. Ever again.
Vincent's past was his past, and it was best that nobody ever found out about it, especially Yuffie. Since he first met Cloud and the gang, he thought he was lost forever. Vincent had thought that there was no one to help him, until they came along. His life now was completely different than what he ever could have imagined. He actually had friends, the best anyone could ask for. And a wife; why Yuffie ever decided to marry him was beyond him. The fact that she was willing to help him move on with his life and forget about the things of the past was like a miracle he could have never hoped for. She was his angel.
Although he would never tell her that. Surely she understood how he felt without having to actually tell her. Vincent thought of himself as a block of stone: unmovable, unemotional, impenetrable.
Vincent saw something deeper in Cloud that he wasn't sharing with the rest of the group; and he had a feeling it had to do with Tifa's presence. He had always known that Tifa had had secret feelings for Cloud and that Cloud had been completely oblivious to everything at one point. Typical Cloud. Cloud could defeat someone as powerful as Sephiroth, but he couldn't see what was right in front of him.
What caught his attention the most was the fact that Cloud's overall behavior was stranger than what he was used to. Sure, Cloud was known to be on the quiet side like Vincent, but it was something more than that. He had sensed a completely different vibe from him ever since Tifa had showed up in the dressing room this afternoon. Vincent couldn't put his finger on it, but he could almost think that Cloud was…could it be?
He turned his attention back to Yuffie. Instead of using an endearment, as other newlyweds would normally use, he preferred to just call her by her given name. Words weren't as important as actions. Who was he kidding; even if Vincent wanted to call her 'darling' or 'sweetheart,' he had never in his long life been able to speak the words to anyone. And he wouldn't start now. "Yuffie, do you sense anything different about Cloud tonight?"
Yuffie placed her hands on his broad chest and looked up. Even when she was wearing high heels, her face only came up to his shoulders. "Hmm, honey?"
"It's just that Cloud has been behaving differently ever since the wedding. You don't think it involves a woman, do you?"
Yuffie wrinkled her nose, as was her habit when she was in deep concentration, which to Vincent was absolutely adorable. No, Vincent never used the word 'adorable.' It was…cute. No, it was nice. Just admit it, Vincent, you find it completely charming. "Aw, hell," he said under his breath.
She leaned herself further into the front of his body and slowly moved her hands to his shoulders, giving them a light squeeze—a small display of affection that wrecked havoc on Vincent's nerves. "Well, my darling Vince, if you're referring to Aeris, Cloud has always been miserable since she's been gone. Poor guy."
Obviously Vincent was the one who would have to step up to the plate and fix things around here. Just how, he knew not, but he was not the sort to give up. And he was absolutely not serving as matchmaker. No, he'd rather think of this as repayment for everything that has taken place. He fixed his gaze back to Yuffie. "I was thinking. What if, after our honeymoon, we gather everyone together again to catch up on things we've missed? It's obvious that everyone's missed each other's company and I think it would be great for all of us. Since everything's changed and all." Vincent placed his hands on Yuffie's slim waist and gently rubbed them up and down her sides. "What do you say?"
Yuffie took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his beautiful lips. "That would be lovely, sweetheart." She smiled a most glamorous smile and Vincent thought he would surely die right then and there.
Vincent couldn't help but return the smile. "Excellent."
---
"—So we thought it would be absolutely wonderful if you all could take about a week off from work after our honeymoon, so that we can all catch up on things we've missed. My dad gave us a beautiful cabin in the mountains as a wedding present and we would love for you to join us." Yuffie's voice was filled with excitement and it easily reached every corner of the massive family room where everyone was gathered. "We realize that it's such a short notice and we understand completely if you can't fit this in your schedule, but Vincent and I didn't realize how much time has passed since we've all been together like this. It would mean so much to us and I'm sure it would mean a lot to all of you guys, too."
Absolute silence filled the room following Yuffie's speech; everyone was pondering and mentally picturing their schedules. Barret, of course, was the first to speak up. "That sounds great! It'll be awesome to spend the week with everyone, just like old times. I'm in!"
Everyone gradually followed his reply and Yuffie thought she couldn't be happier. "Great! I'll give everyone a call and fill you guys in on the specifics. Ooh, I'm so excited!" She couldn't help but jump up and down a little. No matter if she was married, Yuffie always had room to act like a little girl sometimes.
---
When Tifa got back to her apartment with Laurence, she was absolutely exhausted. The first thing she did was collapse on her back on the couch, not caring about her neatly pressed maid-of-honor dress. Laurence took a seat next to her so that her head was almost touching his thigh. After unsuccessfully blowing a wisp of hair from her face, Tifa looked up at her friend. "So, what did you think of my friends?"
Laurence teased her. "Wait, so you actually have friends other than me?"
"Haha, very funny. But really, what did you think?"
He tapped his mouth with his pointer and pretended to be deep in thought. "Well, let's see. Yuffie and Vincent were extremely welcoming, although Vincent was a little on the quiet side. Actually, he was really quiet and kind of scary."
"Yeah, Vincent has that effect on many people."
"Barret seems like a genuinely great guy, even though he's a really big guy and pretends to be all macho."
Tifa let out a laugh and poked him in the arm. "What, like you?"
He frowned in reply. "I do not pretend to be macho."
"Yeah, okay. Continue."
Deciding to let that one go, Laurence continued his overview of her friends. "Well, the rest of them are really something; Cait Sith, Red XIII, Cid, they all seem friendly enough."
"Did you just refer Cid to as 'friendly'? Oh, if he only heard you." Tifa chuckled as she turned over on her stomach and grabbed Laurence's hand. She started unconsciously outlining the patterns on his palms with her finger.
"And then there's Cloud."
Tifa stopped tracing his hand and seemed to freeze, but only for a second. She tried to put on a blank expression as she looked up at him. "What about him?"
"Well, why don't you tell me? You've been avoiding this conversation all afternoon and I want answers, missy."
"Okay." Realizing that she couldn't avoid it any longer, Tifa released Laurence's hand and sat up straight. She tucked her legs under her and her knees came into contact with his thigh on a diagonal. Tifa tucked the misplaced hair behind her ears, took a deep breath and met his intriguing gaze. "This might take a while."
Laurence shrugged his shoulders in response and briefly looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's already way past your bedtime and I'm not the least bit tired." He flashed her a quick smile. "I'm all ears and all yours."
She blew out a breath. "I've never told anyone this, but it all started when I was a little girl…"
---
It was well past four o'clock in the morning and they had each gone through two cups of coffee, neither of them the least concerned with how much time had passed. Laurence listened intently as Tifa poured her heart out and trusted him to keep her feelings a secret. When she was finished confiding in him, he didn't know what to say. "Wow, Tifa, I had no idea."
Tifa continued plucking at her dress and kept her head down. He guessed she was too embarrassed to look him in the eye, which was completely understandable. Tifa slowly began to speak again, "This is so stupid. You'd think that I'd have forgotten about him by now, right?" Before he could respond, it was then that Laurence heard her sniffle. Oh God, had she been on the verge of crying? He gently pushed her chin up with his hand so that he could see her face. What he saw was a pair of sparkling brown eyes filled with tears and on the brink of spilling down her face. Laurence held her face with his hands and wiped away the tears that managed to leak from her eyes with his thumbs. Tifa looked totally and unbearably vulnerable.
Never had he seen such a more beautiful woman. Such were his thoughts as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Anywhere else would have been totally unacceptable and out of place, even though all he wanted to do was kiss away her sorrows. Laurence pulled her in for a deep hug and kissed her hair. "Thank you for confiding in me. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for you."
He felt so comfortable in her arms and he never wanted to leave. And yet, he knew Tifa was too hurt and needed to be alone instead of with him. Laurence pulled back before he did something even more stupid than kissing her on the forehead. "Tifa, I think you should go to bed. You've been through a lot and I think it would be best for you to just lie down and try to rest."
Tifa nodded and wiped away the rest of her tears with the back of her hands like a little girl. "Thanks a lot for listening and understanding, Laurence. You're such a great friend." She quickly embraced him again and got up to walk to her bedroom.
Laurence remained on the couch, completely dazed with what just happened. Tifa had fallen in love with Cloud when they were just kids and she had been heartbroken when he had rejected her. From her side of the story, he had fallen in love with a woman named Aeris, instead. Apparently, even though she was denying it the entire time, Tifa was still in love with the jerk.
If Cloud could see what Laurence saw in Tifa every day, then he would have never have chosen another woman over Tifa. If Laurence could be so lucky as to have a woman like Tifa, he would never let her go. She was beautiful, intelligent, caring, loving and so much more—everything that a man could ever ask for.
Laurence turned around to see Tifa smiling at him as she turned around to close her bedroom door. He returned the smile and kept it on his face until she had completely shut it. Then the realization hit him hard and his face completely dropped. He was falling in love with Tifa Lockheart.
Author's Note: Yeah, yeah, the cliffhanger keeps on getting worse and worse—well, at least to me it seems to. And yes, I'm going to work on Cloud and Tifa's relationship when they get to the mountains, but it's been so tough with Laurence in the story. I've grown to love Laurence's character and can't seem to make him turn into a bad character; it's not in his nature to be evil. (Sigh). I don't know what I'm going to do with Laurence. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's half tempted to make this a Tifa/Laurence story, but I absolutely adore Cloud/Tifa and I already promised it would be one. So sorry to those who love Laurence too and want him to end up with Tifa. Laurence is such a doll, though, so I don't know what I'm going to do (this problem is similar to Jake in "Remembering Memories," although I haven't found myself to love Jake as much as Laurence).
Regarding Vincent's involvement, I decided—last minute—to add his feelings in. Normally I wouldn't put a side romance in, but I think it will be interesting to see Vincent's POV with his feelings for Yuffie. Also, I realized, after reading his part, he sounds OOC, but I couldn't help it.
As for the extremely slow updates, what can I say other than, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"? I think I've already said this before, but it takes me a lot longer to write something than it takes others. My mind is slow, I guess, and I'm still working on the storyline as I go. So, please, I beg of you, please continue to be patient with my updates. I thank you all for your wonderful reviews, though. Enjoy the rest of summer while it lasts!