A/N: This chapter is going to suck. It's really just filler so that I can get to the interesting part of the story... and because it really was discouraging to lose what I'd already written for this chapter. I kind of just want to get over this proverbial hump. Sorry guys.

4. Morning Coffee

The morning sun blared through the window in the spare bedroom as it rose, rousing the room's occupant from her slumber. Blinking groggily, Rinoa instinctively fumbled for her glasses, her hand smacking into the table next to the bed. Inwardly groaning, she felt around the surface until her fingers finally felt the familiar contours of her glasses. She slipped them on and glanced around, the memories of the night before quickly resurfacing in her mind. Ah, Squall's apartment.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, not expecting the wave of dizziness that nearly knocked her back down. She took in a breath and regained her balance, not unfamiliar with the sensations of hangovers. Realizing that she probably looked like hell, she quickly ran her fingers through her hair after an unsuccessful search for the sticks she'd used to hold her hair up nearby, and crept toward the door, hoping that Squall was still sleeping.

She gently turned the knob and tugged the door open a crack, her eyes settling on the closed door directly across the hall. Her eyes darted around and spotted another door cracked open, the edge of a bathtub visible. A-ha! Bathroom!

She took one more glance around, and when she was certain the coast was clear, she made a beeline for the open door and quickly closed it behind her.

After a few moments, she emerged feeling slightly better after having found a comb and some mouthwash. She stepped into the hallway, her nose suddenly picking up on a scent that she hadn't noticed when she'd sprinted for the bathroom. Coffee.

She took a breath and proceeded, heading for the open area of the living room and kitchen. Rounding the corner, she saw Squall sitting on top of a counter in the small kitchen, wearing a tight-fitting white t-shirt and loose black cotton pants, sipping from a black mug, his eyes knowingly on her.

"Mm... Morning," Rinoa rasped, her voice irrecovered from sleep and the cigarettes from the night before.

"Morning," Squall greeted politely, then gestured toward the coffee maker on the counter opposite him. "Coffee?"

She thought for a moment, then shrugged, figuring it was still too early for Jax to be up. "Sure... thanks."

Squall lifted a finger from the mug he was sipping from and pointed to a cabinet. Rinoa picked up the hint and opened it, retrieving a gray mug from the lowest shelf. After pouring herself a cup, she turned and walked into the living room in search of her possessions.

Squall sat on the counter for a few moments longer, considering the interaction just moments prior. He'd seen her with her hair down when he'd pulled the sticks out the night before, but she'd been unconscious at the time. Now she was awake, her eyes large and dark, still a tad smudgy from her makeup, and her hair was loose and framing her face. All he could think at the moment was that his resolve to abstain from her was weaker than he'd thought.

Shaking his head, he slipped down from the counter and followed her into the living room and leaned against the wall, watching silently for a few moments as she rapidly put her hair back up with the chopsticks, then sat on the couch to strap her shoes back on.

"If I didn't say it before, Squall," she began, her eyes focused on her task, "I had a great time last night."

Squall smirked. "Good."

"And... uh... thanks for listening to my drunken rambling," she mumbled, her eyes sliding back up to his.

Squall absently raised an eyebrow. "Does that imply that you weren't being entirely truthful?"

Rinoa smiled warmly, lifting her coffee mug from the side table. "Not at all. I was being honest. I just may have been a tad more hesitant to be so open if it weren't from the alcohol. But really... I'm glad we could talk... about it."

Squall considered this for a moment, then smirked once more. "No problem."

Rinoa downed the rest of her coffee and got up, brushing past Squall on her way back to the kitchen, her unoccupied hand making light contact with his thigh. She wasn't sure if she subconsciously did it, but either way, she relished the tingle it gave her down her spine, and the quiet but quick intake of breath she heard from Squall's mouth.

She placed her cup in the sink, then came back to the living room, making an effort to not touch him this time. She grabbed her purse from the floor and stood, turning to face him.

His eyes were steady on her, having not moved from his position against the wall. Rinoa thought she saw a faint smile on his lips, but she couldn't be certain. A trace of smile passed her lips, as well, and she took a breath.

"I need to go," she said.

"Yeah," Squall mumbled, his eyes still on her.

Rinoa stepped forward, hesitantly at first, then she moved more boldly. As she approached him, she gave him a grin, then leaned up and kissed his cheek.

Squall froze for a moment, then mentally shook himself out of it, his lips returning the kiss on her pale cheek just before she pulled back. As she did, their eyes met and it took her several moments to pull herself away entirely. She looked away then continued for the door, knowing that if she'd lingered a moment later that the temptation would have been too much.

Squall watched as she opened the door and gave him an awkward smile as she exited, quietly closing the door behind her. His eyes lingered on the door several moments afterwards, thinking hard about what he knew nearly happened. He was losing it. Had she not turned away when she did, he was sure he would have kissed her.

Another man's girl, he chided himself.

Shaking his head, he pulled himself off the wall and went to the kitchen, turned off the coffee maker, then headed for the bathroom to shower. At least he had work to focus on today.

The Wooden Nickel began to pick up business around six o'clock and Squall was grateful for the distraction. He'd spent entirely too much of the day brooding on his lack of a love life, to Rinoa, to ultimately the events of that morning, and breathed a sigh of relief when a crowd began filling the bar.

He'd just gotten through serving a party of seven that had arrived when Quistis entered.

"Hey," he said, surprise evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

Quistis smiled and sat in one of the few remaining empty seats at the bar, setting her black briefcase on the counter. "Wanted to come in and say hello. Haven't been here in a while."

Squall grabbed the briefcase and stowed it under the bar for her, then got a wine glass down from the rack that hung above the bar. He poured her a glass of her favorite Cabernet, a smirk on his lips.

"Sure you weren't hoping to find Jax?" he asked, pushing the glass towards her.

Quistis accepted the glass, a guilty smile creeping over her face. "Okay, I kinda did. I just didn't get a chance to talk to him last night and I was concerned with what he's up to."

Squall shrugged, having nothing to offer her in the way of information. "He'll probably stop in sooner or later."

"Well, I can't stay too long. I need to get home and get some work done. This new account is killing me, and I haven't even opened their financial records for the past five years. That's next week's fun."

Squall gave her a sympathetic grimace before turning to a couple that had stepped up to the bar. He got them their drinks, then returned to Quistis.

"So, Rinoa seems nice," she said, lighting a cigarette.

Squall's eyes narrowed as he glanced at her, his shoulders slumping slightly. Just when he'd stopped thinking about her.

"Yeah," he replied, sounding more abrasive than he'd intended.

"What... you don't like her?" Quistis asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"No, no... she's all right, I suppose." He tried to make it sound natural and casual, but the knowing look that crossed Quistis' face told him that he failed.

"Oh?"

Squall clenched his teeth.

Quistis grinned. "All right, huh?"

Squall let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I like her. She's nice and she's cute. I'm a guy. But that's all it is."

Quistis was aware of the tension that had flared up and she decided to drop it for now, swallowing down the rest of her wine. "Well, kiddo, I should head out. If Jax comes in, tell him to give me call."

Squall retrieved her briefcase and handed it over to her as she stood. "I will. Have fun with your homework."

Quistis groaned and dropped a few bills on the bar, knowing she didn't have to, then winked at him and left.

Squall let out another sigh. The last thing he wanted was his attraction to Rinoa to be obvious, and it made him tense to think that he'd let on about it so easily to Quistis.

This was ridiculous. He'd only just met the girl. It was probably a passing phase, just strengthened by the near-kiss that morning, something that would wear off once he got to know her better.

And it didn't help that he really enjoyed the thought of getting to know her better. He was sure that his loneliness of late was simply getting the better of him. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he was glad to see that another large party had entered, providing him with more much-needed distraction.

A/N: Okay, so this chapter was a bit redundant. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... like I said, I'm just trying to get past this point so that I can try to progress with this story.

I know it's been forever since I updated, so I hope my faithful reviewers are still around. Thanks guys for the reviews on the last chapter. I will go back to personal responses next time. And feel free to submit suggestions of stuff you'd like to see, and I'll try to work it in if it blends with my basic story line.