CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Tifa's Secret

Lightning sat at the coffee table eating breakfast. Cloud was on the couch, and she kept her eyes glued to him the entire time he slept. She was still taken aback by what he had said the previous night:

"I love you, Lightning."

Those words kept playing over and over in her mind-words that she had hoped to hear from Snow… Oddly enough, however, she didn't think much of them, coming from Cloud. The man had woken up in a frantic state, and that nightmare probably left him a little delirious. He might not even remember what he'd said when he finally woke up!

Yet, the fact still remained that he said it. And now, Lightning's feelings were compromised. Yes, she was attracted to Cloud, but to her, she figured that this fling they were having would eventually taper off-not that it had gone anyplace to special at the moment.

All that aside, an important question needed to be answered: Did she really want to put that much of her own heart into this relationship?

Her answer came with an even better question: Why not?

The last guy she gave her heart to (even though he wasn't aware of that fact) left her feeling crushed, so much so that she actually ran away from home to escape the stress. But Cloud might actually be willing to return those types of feelings-should she have any for him in the first place.

Okay, so she had proved to herself that she could be with someone other than Snow. But did that mean she had actually learned to love again?

Cloud awoke from his sleep and sat up, stretching his arms up above his head with a yawn.

"Morning," Lightning greeted.

He turned to her and smiled. "Morning." Then he took his seat at the coffee table.

"Hope you don't mind toast," she commented.

He scratched the back of his head. "I'm not all that hungry," he admitted.

She shrugged. "Fine by me." At the same time she reached for her second piece of toast, Cloud reached took her hand from across the table. Surprised, she lifted her gaze from all the breakfast plates and wordlessly faced him.

He affectionately rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. "Lightning," He kept his voice low and calm. "About last night…"

She swallowed hard. "You remember that?"

He nodded.

"It's okay," she said with a shrug. "You were upset, and you probably didn't realize what you were saying… I mean, it hasn't been that long since we first met-"

"But I meant it."

She suddenly froze with her a piece of toast in hand, staring at him. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"More sure than I've ever been in my whole life," he replied confidently. "Besides, I think I know you pretty well, actually: You're a great fighter. You're a loving sister. And you know what it's like to have your heart broken-To feel betrayed, even."

She cringed. "Don't remind me." But Lightning couldn't deny the fact that the attraction between them had been instant from the start. However, she hadn't expected Cloud to fall head first in love this fast-especially when she wasn't sure of her own feelings yet!

"But those are things we have in common, Lightning… Besides the loving sister thing, I mean." This made her laugh, but he remained serious. "For instance, my heart's been torn apart in ways I can't even begin to describe in words."

Lightning politely pulled her hand away, folding her arms and crossing her legs as she leaned back in her chair. "Try me," she challenged him.

oOo

Their conversation had moved from the coffee table to the couch. Cloud sat with his arm around Lightning's shoulder while she kept her hands rested on her lap. Hearing his life story had left her wide-eyed and breathless, so much so that she didn't know what to say. "Oh, man," she sighed. "No wonder you got angry when I went to Elmyra's house."

"I'd rather forget all about that," he said.

"Cloud, seriously, if I had known that was Aerith's mom-"

He interrupted her by planting a kiss on her cheek. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted… I was stupid."

Lightning's face flushed. "It's okay, I guess-Just don't do it again. Like I said, I won't be controlled, Cloud."

"I understand."

What now, she wondered? Maybe kissing him back would be a nice idea. She slowly leaned forward toward his cheek. He had already closed his eyes, ready to accept her forgiving gesture.

Oh, yeah. Let's just kiss and make up, honey. The whole concept was far too cliché.

Her lips had only made it half way there when hesitation caught her off guard. "Ugh…"

Cloud opened his eyes and found her staring down at her lap with a hand anxiously wrung through her pink hair. "Are you alright, Lightning? Should we go back to the doctor?"

"No," she replied. "I'm just bad at this girlfriend thing, that's all. I can't even bring myself to kiss you! Maybe it's a good thing I never ended up with Snow." She bit her lower lip. That last statement came flying out of nowhere. Had she just put her foot in her mouth by mistake?

But Cloud didn't seem to be bothered. "I think it was a good thing," he said. "And you're not a bad girlfriend. You just need to take your time."

During her time with the Guardian Corpse, Lightning had learned how to tell a lie from the truth. And right now, as she looked into Cloud's blue eyes, she could see that he was truly willing to be patient with her. "You amaze me, Cloud Strife," she told him with a smile. "In that case, I want a vacation."

"Fine," he replied without arguing. "Where do you wanna go?"

"Palampolum. I have friends there… But I think it would be better if I went by myself."

Cloud couldn't help but feel disappointed. He'd hoped that she'd want to go somewhere with him, like the Gold Saucer or Nautalis. But obviously, her heart still needed time to heal. That, and she wasn't ready to enjoy the fun of an amusement park; she recently survived a car crash, for Gaia's sake! "Well, it's a long way from here to Palampolum, and there aren't any trains… Would you mind taking a Chocobo carriage instead?"

"Not at all," she replied.

"Okay, then. I'll explain all this to Tifa, and I'll even pay for your ticket."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You don't have to do that."

"I know. But I want to."

She sighed, laughing a little. "Thanks, Cloud… And you know what?"

"Wha-" He was cut off when her lips suddenly pressed against his mouth. His eyes were half-closed, as he was ready to enjoy it, but she ended the caste-kiss quicker than he had imagined.

"Give me a little time," she said. "and I just may learn to love you, too."

He smiled happily. "I can live with that."

oOo

It was funny how three days ago before Lightning left for her vacation, things seemed to be so perfect in Cloud's life. But during that time, he was so caught up in his own world that he forgot to fill the gas tank in his bike. He hadn't realized this until the thing came to an abrupt stop right in front of Midgar's main gate, and from there, he had to push it the rest of the way home.

After making sure the kick-stand was stable, Cloud went inside to take a much needed rest. The kids were still in school, so he could probably catch a few winks before they got home. As he marched upstairs, however, he heard voices coming from Tifa's room. It sounded like she was giggling-more so than usual. He approached her bedroom and peeked through the small notch in the upper-right section of the wooden door.

Barret was holding her in his arms, and was kissing her!

"Barret," she spoke between each kiss. "We've gotta cut this out. The kids are gonna be home soon."

"They won't be home for an hour yet," he pointed out, not ceasing the series of kisses he was leaving on her face.

That's when the bedroom door flew open, and the two immediately pushed away from each other. They had been so frightened by Cloud's abrupt entry that it was if they had seen a ghost.

"What's going on here!" Cloud hollered.