"You're late!"
I quickly and nervously ran my fingers through my hair. "Sorry, Seph wanted to talk about some stuff."
"How could you keep a girl waiting like that, hmm?" She scolded. She hauled a giant picnic basket into view. "I made sandwiches and everything!"
After a couple awkward minutes, I stepped into this small abandoned playground near Sector 7 and Wall Market. We unrolled a large blanket to cover the sand-coated ground, and she started unpacking the impossibly large basket she brought.
"Okay," Aeris began. "I have some fresh-squeezed Wutaiian orange juice with just a little bit of cinnamon spice, I made some sandwiches with the chocobo wings I mentionned with a zesty sauce, and I tossed a salad with some Syklis greens..."
"I think I'll pass on the salad, but everything else sounds nice."
"Oh come on! Greens are good for you, and Syklis are the best."
"Yeah, but they taste awful. Better for chocobos I say. Makes 'em tastier."
She giggled at that. "You're terrible! At least try the other stuff."
It was dusk and the sun was just sitting on the horizon, bathing the usually shadowed slums with an eerie orange glow. We sat and ate in silence for a while, and while I'd never admit it aloud, her cooking was amazing. However, I had been eating mess hall sludge for several months straight now, which almost made me miss field rations. Almost. The only taste of real food I would get is if I managed to drag somebody out to First Plate, but then I'd usually just end up drinking.
Why do I do that, anyway?
"Hey you!" Aeris nudged me, bringing me back to reality. "Off in your own world?"
"Just a little, I guess," I admitted.
"What's it like?"
"Huh?"
She giggled. "I mean, in your own little world. What's it like?"
"Well, let's see... There's beer-battered chocobo wings and beautiful women as far as the eye can see."
Aeris smiled politely at that. "Everything's perfect in Zack's little world, huh? Nothing wrong at all?"
Absently I flinched before answering. "Nope, everything's cool." Why is she asking me something like that? She's looking at me really funny. Maybe she and Seph are good match after all, they can go on and be weird together...
Suddenly she took my hand and held it to her face, running the back of it against her cheekbone. She did this for a long time before she met my eyes again. I suddenly felt like running away as fast as I could.
"You like me, don't you?" she cooed.
"Uhmm, mm-hmm," I strangled out. After a moment I said "But I thought you and Seph were good together. I mean, you seemed happy, I guess..."
She brought my hand from her face and held it in both hands now infront of her, looking down at it as she played with my fingers. "He's a good friend, of course, but he doesn't like me like me." She sounded a little sad. Then she looked right at me again. This time she wasn't smiling, she seemed to be staring right through me, if that makes any sense...
"But," she continued. "He doesn't look at me the way you do, Zack."
Instantly I felt blood rushing to my cheeks, and my immediate response was to try and imagine my head being stuck in a freezer, to no avail. My head spun and I felt like every part of my body was suddenly betraying me. She's Sephiroth's girl, they probably had a misunderstanding, they'll be back together in a week or so, right?
She sighed softly, and surrendered my hand. I had the sudden urge to yank it back, but at the same time I didn't want to offend her. I just left the saved hand lifelessly at my side where we sat. "Am I really that scary?" she asked unexpectedly.
"What?" I struggled out after a moment. "Why would I think you're scary?"
"Well, you're looking at me like I'm going to tear off your fingers and cook them in a stew," she giggled.
"Well, uhm, you can't be... Too careful?" Idiot! What does that even mean!?
She laughed loudly. Thank the Ancients, I didn't offend her any more than I already had. It took her a minute to calm down and catch her breath.
"I want to get to know you, Zack. It's funny, we've been friends for months now but I hardly know anything about you. So let's talk, okay? Tell me about yourself."