(A/N) Wow, I had no idea that I would get so many reviews for this so fast. O__O As a thank you, I've decided to post this chapter sooner than I originally said, so here you go! :3
Oh, and a special thank you to my friend shibara1310, because she was kind enough to point out that I made a mistake on the summary of this story, and wrote "oneshot". Stupid me. XD Like I said in the author's note of the last chapter, this was originally written as a oneshot, but it most certainly is not anymore. I fixed it now… Thank you for the tip Shibi! :D
Finding the Missing Piece
Chapter Two
Due to various circumstances that have occurred in my life over the past few years, I haven't been out on a date with anyone since Barret used to try and set me up with friends of his back when I worked at the old Seventh Heaven bar, in the Sector Seven slums. My lack of a love life never used to bother me, but lately I've had this odd feeling of emptiness that keeps growing inside of me.
I have a nice house, a job that I love and I get to live with my best friend and two wonderful children, so there's no reason why I shouldn't be completely content. I can't help feeling like something is missing in my life though, no matter how full it seems. Maybe it makes me greedy, but I think what I really want is to be with someone; to be in love, and have a lasting relationship.
The man I'm going out with tonight is a frequent customer at the bar, and he's always been extremely polite to me whenever I see him, so when he asked if I would go out with him I agreed. I always end up talking to him every time he shows up for a drink, which is usually on Friday evenings, and I've picked up that he's a businessman of some kind, though I'm not sure exactly what he does. He's not like most of the other men that ask me out while they're at the bar though; he seems to be a genuinely nice guy.
He takes me to dinner before we head off to our final destination at the movie theater, and I cringe internally when I notice that the restaurant has a distinct sense of extravagancy about it; surely an expensive place to be eating. I don't say anything to him about it of course, but I would have much rather gone somewhere more informal, because I always feel out of place in restaurants like this.
We talk casually over our meal, and I quickly find that he's the type of person that is very easy to communicate with, though our conversation remains centered around light subjects; work, family, friends and other things of that sort. When he asks about my connection with Cloud though, it's a bit harder for me to find an answer. We're friends, I'm sure of that, but for some reason the word doesn't quite seem to encompass the complexity of our relationship.
Throughout dinner and even while we're watching the movie, my thoughts somehow keep drifting back to Cloud. I thought I was having fun here, but I keep finding myself longing to be back at home, sitting on the couch and watching TV with him like I normally do at this time of night. Maybe that explains his strange reaction to the news of me going on a date; he was afraid of missing my company during the evening, like I'm suddenly missing his.
I should be having a good time here though, because I'm out on a date with a really nice guy. When I feel his arm drape across my shoulders in the darkness of the movie theater though, I realize that even though he is a pleasant person to be around, I'm just not attracted to him in that way. I sigh mentally, though I decide to keep the fact that I'm uncomfortable with his action to myself, so I won't hurt his feelings.
About an hour later, when his car comes to a stop back in front of the house, I feel almost relieved to be home. I thank him for the wonderful time, giving him as sincere of a smile as I can manage, though I make sure to hop out of the car before he has a chance to try and kiss me goodnight. I like him well enough as a friend, but I don't want him to get the idea that I'm interested in more.
Within a few moments I've unlocked the front door and shut it behind me, listening to the sound of his car pulling away echoing down the street outside. Sighing tiredly, I pull off my jacket and set my purse down on the bar; kicking off my shoes so I won't make too much noise going up the stairs. It's late, after midnight I think, and I don't want to accidentally wake anyone up now.
I walk over to the base of the stairs, intending to head up to my room and go to bed, but something on the couch in the living room catches my eye. Creeping over to the sofa slowly, I peer over the back of it, smiling to myself when I identify what I had seen. It was a little tuft of blond hair poking out from the side of the couch, which I realize when I find Cloud sprawled out across the cushions, fast asleep.
Tiptoeing across the wooden floorboards so I won't wake him, I make my way around the couch to get a better look. Over the past few years that I've lived here with Cloud, I've learned quite a few things about him that most other people wouldn't know. One of those things is that while he puts on a tough, serious exterior during the day, that all melts away while he's asleep. He looks like a little boy while he's sleeping; innocent and, although I'd never admit it to him, completely adorable.
I know he'll probably wake up stiff in the morning if I let him sleep here, so I decide that I'd better wake him up so he can go get into his own bed. I reach down tentatively, touching his shoulder gently with my fingertips. He's a fairly light sleeper, so my soft touch is all it takes to rouse him from his sleep, and within a moment his eyes are blinking open. He stares back at me with confusion as he sits up on the couch, and I repress a giggle at his dazed expression.
"When did you get home?" he asks in a quiet voice, running a hand through his hair and making it stick out more messily than usual on one side.
"Just a minute ago," I answer him. "I told you not to wait up for me, remember?" I add with a teasing grin.
I expected him to make light of it or simply brush it off, but to my surprise he looks serious as he replies.
"I just…wanted to make sure you got home okay," he says slowly, looking away from me and down at his lap.
I'm taken off guard by his response, and I suddenly don't know what to say to him. I know that he cares about me, but he so rarely expresses it verbally that it robs me of speech now, though I'm still able to smile at him despite my lack of words.
"Are you going to bed?" he asks, breaking the momentary silence.
I nod in agreement when he looks back up at me, taking a step towards the staircase. "You should too, Cloud; it's late," I say, looking back at him.
He pushes himself up off the couch then, although he doesn't say anything, and he follows closely after me as I make my way steadily up the stairs. I decide not to risk checking on Denzel and Marlene again for fear that I might wake them up, and I'm sure that Cloud has been keeping an eye on them while I was gone anyway, so instead I turn to go towards my bedroom. Cloud's room is next to mine, and I hear him yawn as he trails behind me on the way there.
I tell him goodnight when I reach the door to my own room, and after deciding to put off a shower until the morning, I dress in my pajamas quickly; a long-sleeved shirt, and sweat pants that will hopefully be enough to keep me warm during the night. I plop down on my bed, suddenly feeling exhausted, and huddle underneath the covers. My eyes begin to droop closed almost instantly, and I very quickly find myself drifting off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
To be continued…
(A/N) I feel like some of you that reviewed think that I have some grand, dramatic plan for this story, but in reality it's more simple than that. It was going to be a oneshot, remember? O.o Hopefully you'll all still like it though. :3 Oh, and I'm almost done with a brand new Cloud/Tifa story, so check out my profile for details, and be on the lookout for the first chapter of that one soon! :D
Anyone notice that Tifa's date had no name? I'm awful with trying to name original characters, so I tried to avoid it. ;P I also didn't want to go into too much detail about their date because this is a Cloud/Tifa story, so I didn't feel that it should be focused on too much. O.o
Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! You people make me happy. :D Please take a minute to leave me another review too, you know I love them. :3
-punkiemonkie