Thanks once again for all of the reviews! They really made me happy! I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Oh, and do you guys want me to reply to your reviews :)? I'm so used to not being able to do that, so I forget that replying is an option! Well, anyway, here is chapter three, and chapter four should be out on Sunday, I hope! Enjoy!
Chapter 3: The Unwanted Crush
"I still can't believe you won that jersey," Baralai said, shaking his head. They were almost back to Yuna's house, and the jersey was safely stored in the back seat, although Baralai had a fit about the wet jersey being on his leather seats.
"Me neither," Yuna said, and she really couldn't believe it.
"…So are you going to come tomorrow?" Baralai asked, slowly, as if he was uncertain whether or not to ask it.
"Yeah," Yuna said, and for some reason smiled, "I'd really like to go."
"O-Okay," Baralai said, "I'll pick you up at the same time. Do you want to go and get something to eat afterward?"
"Sure," Yuna found herself saying. She didn't know why, but for the first time in quite a while, she felt as if she were soaring high in the sky. Anything was possible. She had spent most of the night wondering why she felt that way. She had mostly managed to shrug it off, and just enjoy the feeling. She felt wonderful.
They pulled into Yuna's driveway then, and Yuna figured she'd have to wait for Baralai to be all gentleman-y and get out and open the door for her. He didn't move though, so she was just about to open the door herself, which she was quite capable of doing, of course, when he suddenly said, "Wait, just a second…"
"What?" Yuna asked, sounding alarmed. What could he want?
"Yuna," Baralai said softly, "It was really hard for me to tell you how much I liked you earlier on, and I never really got a response from you…"
Yuna's heart rose to her throat. She had managed to forget all about that aspect of the night.
"Oh," she said, finding herself blushing, mostly out of the embarrassment that he had brought it up again.
"Anyway," Baralai continued, "I was just wondering if you'd…Maybe…I don't know…Maybe like to give me a chance. A real chance. Beyond what our parents want, even. What I guess I'm trying to say, Yuna, is that I…I was wondering if you'd like to…Well, to be my girlfriend."
Yuna turned away from him, unable to know how to react. How could he just pop a question like that on her? She felt as if he had just proposed to her. What was she supposed to say? Was he sincere? Did he really not care what his parents thought? Did he really like her?
The better question, though, was did she really like him? Somehow, she knew the answer to that question was simple: no.
"Baralai…" she started, slowly, "I don't…I just don't…" She couldn't manage to finish off her sentence.
"It's alright Yuna," he said, sheepishly, "I understand that you don't like me much. I've always known it. But I've always secretly liked the fact that our parents are pushing us toward each other. I don't mean to sound weird or anything, but I've really liked you for some time now. It's a shame all of our 'dates' always seem to end in disaster. But this one finally went alright, right?"
"Yeah, it was fun," Yuna said, softly, "I'm just not…Too sure about an actual relationship, that's all."
"I understand," Baralai said, and Yuna could just hear the disappointment in his voice, "I'm sorry to have brought it up."
"Don't be sorry," Yuna said, basically just because it was the polite thing to say, "I have to admit, I admire your…Um…Frankness."
Baralai didn't say anything to her. He just sat there, looking rather disappointed.
"Are we still on for the game tomorrow?" he asked her then.
"Definitely," Yuna said, throwing him a smile, "I'm looking forward to it, actually."
Baralai looked at the ground and sighed, saying, "It's the game you like, not me. Am I right?"
Yuna looked down as well. She honestly felt sorry for the guy. There really was nothing wrong with him. Did she only dislike him because of the fact that her father had spent much of her life trying to get her to hook up with him? Were there any other reasons to dislike him?
"Baralai," she finally managed, and she shifted uncomfortably, "I don't know what my feelings toward you are. You're really nice, and there's really nothing wrong with you…" she hoped she was wording things right, "…It's just that I feel so forced toward you, you know? It really makes me feel uncertain."
"I understand," Baralai said, once again, "But it's not really fair. I like you outside of our parents' relationship. I honestly do! Think of me as a normal, average guy. What would you think then?"
Yuna really did try to think. What would she think? She closed her eyes, trying to visualize Baralai as a normal guy, just a guy she passed on the streets, or something.
Finally, she sighed, and said, "I'd probably date you."
Had that just escaped her lips? Apparently it had.
Baralai gave a small smile, and said, "Then what's holding you back now?"
Yuna nodded slowly. Was he trying to convince her to go out with him? Obviously. Did he really like her that much?
Yuna had been dateless since her senior year in high school, which had basically been a long, two-year relationship that had ended in disaster. She had really thought she was in love with this guy, and that he was in love with her, until one day she found out that he'd been sleeping around with some college girls, from the U of B and from St. Maechan's. It had been a heart breaking experience for Yuna, but she had convinced herself long ago that she was over it. Perhaps dating Baralai wouldn't be the worst thing…
"I don't know," Yuna finally said, answering Baralai's question, "If I said, 'Sure Baralai, I'll date you', what would you do?"
"Nothing," Baralai said, and shrugged, "Except for smile."
"Nothing would change?" Yuna asked.
"Not at first," Baralai answered.
Yuna looked at the ground, and gave a slight laugh, "This is the most awkward way to hook up, you know."
"I'm sorry," he just said. Yuna realized that he hadn't taken his eyes off of her for quite some time, making her nearly melt in his gaze. The car seemed to be so warm and stuffy, that she was sure even Tidus' jersey was gasping for air.
"Alright," Yuna said, taking a deep breath, "I'll be your girlfriend."
"Really?" Baralai cried, "I mean…Well…" He gave a nervous little laugh, and said, "I'm sorry for making you wait in here so long." His cheeks were burning with redness, and Yuna could tell that he was extremely sheepish.
She just smiled, and opened her door, grabbing the jersey as she did so.
"Goodnight Baralai," she said, stepping out of the car into the cold winter air, "I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Yeah!" Baralai said, perhaps sounding a little too excited, "Goodnight Yuna!"
Yuna walked up to her front door then, and let herself in. As soon as the door was shut safely behind her, she found herself sink to the ground. What had she just done?
She covered her mouth with her hand, and her eyes were open wide. Had she really just become Baralai's official girlfriend?
A tear slid down her cheek, although she didn't really know why. Okay, so she was Baralai's girlfriend. Big deal.
She made her way upstairs then, and planned on throwing herself straight into bed. She did so, still sobbing gently.
Unknowingly, she held an item tightly in her arms, only to smell a strange smell. Looking down, she realized it was the jersey that she was cuddling in her arms, now dry.
She pulled it away from her, shocked that she had just cuddled with it, only to find herself looking it over.
The U of B's school colors were blue and yellow, but the jersey itself was white with blue writing. She looked at Tidus' messy scrawl of his name and his number, and found herself sighing. Her tears were now dry and her expression thoughtful.
Finally, without even thinking, she found herself cuddling with the jersey once more, and falling asleep, dreaming of Tidus' smooth goal.
-
"Man!" Baralai cried, "I can't believe Luca just scored!"
The score was three to two, with the Basilisks falling behind by one point. Yuna leaned forward, finding that her eyes were scanning for Tidus. She found him, and squinted, trying to make out his face. He was looking at the scoreboard, with a glare plastered across his face.
Tidus began to swim away from her then, toward his teammates. He made a motion, and the game began again, with the center taking control of the ball. Tidus was on the left wing, and he swam ahead, and caught a long pass from his teammate. He swam closer to the goalie and kicked the ball, only to have it rebound. However, the center was right there, and scored.
Both Yuna and Baralai jumped out of their seats, as did the audience.
"That was incredible," Baralai said, as he and Yuna still stood, clapping, "Those two are an awesome pair."
"Who is the other player?" Yuna asked, "The one that scored?"
"The Al Bhed," Baralai said, "He actually leads in scoring, you know, ahead of Tidus. That's because Tidus usually gets the ball and manages to get it to him, and then he scores. Even I have to admit that Tidus is a pretty well-rounded player. Which is probably what makes him as good as he is."
The time was already beginning to run out, with both teams tied three to three.
"Come on guys," Baralai said under his breath, "Make another goal!"
As if reading his mind, Yuna noticed Tidus grabbed the ball from a fumble and was swimming quickly to the other side.
Sure enough, just as fluidly as he had the other night, Tidus made a goal.
The entire place went wild, as if the team had just won a huge tournament.
"How does he do that?" Yuna asked, leaning forward, as Tidus' teammates all hugged him, and then went around the pool, in their little dance of victory.
"You should have asked him," Baralai said, "What took you so long last night anyway?"
"Oh, we were talking about colleges," Yuna said.
"No way," Baralai said, laughing, "What about? I don't take Tidus to be much of a scholar."
"Oh, he's not," Yuna said, "He didn't even know what St. Maechan's was!"
Baralai laughed, and said, "Yeah, he seems like the typical jock. I'm surprised he didn't try to make moves on you or anything."
Yuna's smile slightly faded. He had attempted to make a move on her though, hadn't he? That was what he had meant by inviting her to his place, right?
Yuna nervously gripped her purse tightly. For some reason, she had a horrible feeling that if the night had played over again, she would have accepted Tidus' invitation.
She looked out the window to see Tidus' face on the screen. What was her problem?
"Do you want to get something to eat after the game?" Baralai asked her.
"Sure," Yuna said, tearing her gaze away from the screen, "That'd be great."
"We only have a few seconds left," Baralai said, "Let's leave early to get a good spot at the restaurant."
Yuna hesitantly agreed, and followed Baralai out to his car.
-
"I can't believe how busy this place is already!" Yuna exclaimed. They had been seated for about ten minutes, when the blitzball crowd started filling up the restaurant. There were people everywhere.
Baralai and Yuna were seated at what was actually a three-person round table, located in the center of the restaurant. It had been one of the only open seats.
"It's pretty crazy, isn't it?" Baralai asked, laughing, "This is probably one of the most popular restaurants for the after-blitz crowd.
"So did we end up winning then?" Yuna asked, as she picked up her menu just to double check on what she wanted.
"Yeah," Baralai said, and sure enough, the news playing on a nearby sphere screen began to play shots from the game, including Tidus' goal.
"Another hell of a goal, huh?" Yuna looked up, only to see that none other than Tidus himself was standing there.
Tidus was smiling at Yuna, and then he looked at Baralai, and then back at Baralai.
"Mind if I have a seat?" he asked, and then without waiting for an answer, took the open seat.
A waitress walked by so Tidus yelled, "Hey Shelinda, get me my usual!"
"Of course!" she said, and walked hurriedly toward the kitchen.
Baralai looked at Yuna as if he couldn't believe what was happening, and said, "Um…"
"Oh, you guys don't mind, do you?" Tidus asked, shaking his head.
"Of course not," Yuna found herself saying, and Baralai shot her a 'what?' kind of look. Yuna simply shrugged at her new boyfriend's look.
"How could you didn't wear the jersey?" Tidus asked Yuna then, and he leaned toward her, almost as if Baralai wasn't even there. Baralai noticed this, but looked as if he was unable to decide what to do.
"I don't know," Yuna said, finding that she was blushing, "I guess I kind of forgot."
"It would be stupid to wear it," Baralai cut in, "Everybody in the entire arena would try to steal it, or bargain for it."
"They would, wouldn't they?" Tidus said, but he didn't take his attention away from Yuna.
Baralai opened his mouth to say something, but the waitress cut in between Tidus and he, putting a drink down in front of Tidus.
Tidus took a drink from it, and then looked at Yuna, and said, "Did we really introduce ourselves yesterday?"
Yuna shook her head. They hadn't really.
"Well, I'm Tidus," Tidus said, "And your name is…?"
"Yuna," Yuna said.
Tidus then looked at Baralai, and said, "Is this your brother?"
"I'm her boyfriend," Baralai said quickly, and Yuna was shocked to find that it was much to her dismay.
"Oh!" Tidus said, "I was guessing by the way you dress that you're way older."
Yuna couldn't help but laugh. It was true—Baralai was always in a sweater or a collared shirt and khakis. He rarely dressed very casually.
Baralai looked at Yuna, and then back to Tidus, and said, "Do you mind? We're kind of here together. This seat isn't for you."
"Oh, it's not?" Tidus said, and then he just turned back to Yuna, and said, "So I did some thinking, and I remembered that St. Maechan's is right by where I live! I run past it all the time! For some reason I always thought it was something else…"
"So you live up the streets a ways?" Yuna asked, remembering the little subdivision away from her school.
"Yeah," Tidus said, "I'm the house with the huge outdoor pool and indoor pool—you know, the center one."
"Really, how do you afford that?" Baralai asked.
"Oh, I get paid to go to school," Tidus said, "And my family has money. What does your family do?"
"My father is a Maester," Baralai said.
"Oh, the old guy I can't stand?" Tidus asked.
Yuna couldn't help but laugh again. Baralai was getting very angry. For some reason, Yuna couldn't help but find Tidus' antics to be…Well, funny. He was so wiry, and unable to sit still. And his smile hadn't left his lips the entire time.
Tidus smiled widely then, even wider than he had been, and said, "Well, I guess I should get going. See you around, Yuna! …And you too, Yuna's boyfriend." He jumped off of his chair then, grabbed his drink, and started off toward another table.
"Who does that guy think he is?" Baralai asked through gritted teeth, "This whole time, I just wanted to smack him or something."
Yuna shrugged, and said, "I think he's kind of funny."
Baralai shook his head, and said, "He's like that to everybody, so don't go thinking he likes you or something."
"Huh?" Yuna found herself shocked by what Baralai had just said.
Baralai was shaking his head, and he said, "He has a 'charm', Yuna. Anyone can see thought it. Let's go. I can't stand to be here anymore."
Yuna was hesitant, but Baralai made it clear that they were leaving. He stood up, and grabbed his coat, throwing it forcefully on.
Yuna sighed and did the same. Baralai started out the door, and Yuna followed him, although she desperately wanted to stay. Perhaps Tidus would come back?
"Bye Yuna!" she heard then, and she turned around, to see Tidus, at a table filled with girls, waving at her.
"Bye," she said back to him, smiling.
"Come on, Yuna!" Baralai just said, and took her hand, and dragged her out the door.
For most of the way to Yuna's house, Baralai didn't say a thing. Yuna didn't say a thing either, for her thoughts were too wrapped up.
She was Baralai's girlfriend now. She had given in, and he had made it fairly obvious how much he cared for her. Not to mention that he had obviously gotten very jealous over Tidus' actions toward her.
Even so, Yuna couldn't stop thinking about that smile, those eyes, and the sureness that came with them. There was just something about him…
She remembered Baralai's words about how Tidus simply played a charm, and how everybody could see through it.
Closing her eyes, Yuna leaned back, thinking, "No, not everybody. I obviously can't see though it."
Her eyes then went downward. Things were going perfectly, really. Baralai wasn't such a bad guy. He really wasn't. But why was she just now beginning to crush on someone else? And Tidus the blitzball player of all people!
She smiled even wider though, as she realized the number one person her dad would hate her to date would indeed be just that: Tidus the blitzball player.