Two

(Friday)

"You're back." I smiled watching Zack come in.

"I told you I was going to come again." he walked over to the counter.

*ding* *ding* *ding* Another customer came in.

"Hello Alina." the young girl greeted me. I knew this girl. She used to play with a small group of kids; they used to come in here and I'd give them snacks- that is, until her mother got sick. She only comes around every-so-often.

"Hello Rose. How's your mom?" I asked the blonde girl. She looked up at me with big green eyes.

"Good. She's a lot better! It's all thanks to your stuff 'Lina!" she smiled. "I need one potion please."

I went around to one of the shelves and handed her a small blue bottle. "Here you go sweetie."

I looked at Zack and put my index finger to my lips. "Shh."

He nodded, and the girl left.

"Business is slow today." I sighed going to look out the door.

"So, you knew that little girl?" Zack asked.

"Yeah. Poor thing. Her mother fell very ill and stayed in the hospital for a month. I'm glad to hear that she's finally getting better." I replied.

We stood there in silence for a few minutes, either of us knowing what to say.

"Alina, what do you do for fun, or in your free time?" Zack asked me.

I looked at him, then down at the floor. "Nothing. I usually stay indoors while my sister goes out with her boyfriend." I was scared of what he might say, considering the fact that my life is boring and he probably goes out with his friends every night like Esmeralda does.

"You have a sister?" he sounded more than just a little interested on that note. He raised an eyebrow. "Is she as gorgeous as you?"

'Of course he'd go straight for her...wait, what did he say?!' I shot my head up to see him looking at me. I started to blush. "Gorgeous?... she's prettier than me yes." I pulled out my wallet from the pocket of my khaki capri's, and handed him a small photo of Esmeralda.

"Well, I can tell that you two are related, but you're prettier." he handed the picture to me. I put it in my wallet and placed it back into my pocket.

"Sure, sure. I have no life what-so-ever, she's much more interesting." I said.

"What are you doing this weekend?" he asked.

That question caught me off guard but I answered truthfully. "Nothing. Why?"

"You think I could hang around here tomorrow?"

"But the store will be closed since it's Saturday... but, sure, I don't mind. Can I ask you one thing though?"

"...I wont bite if that's what you're going to ask."

I shook my head.

"Okay. Go ahead."

"Why on earth would you want to spend Saturday with boring ol' me?" I asked a little confused.

"Well, I don't think that you're boring at all. I- well..." he threw his arms behind his head. "It's been fun sticking around, and I want to know more about you." he smiled, but he looked unsure of how I would react.

"How does 10:00 sound?" I smiled warmly. I was surprised that he would want to 'get to know me better'.

"Great." he walked over the door. "Plus, I want to hear more about your sister."

"Zack!" I stomped.

He started laughing. "Kidding."

I started thinking. I got nervous about having Zack here all day without the ususal interruptions from people coming in to buy things. But, at the same time, I couldn't help but be excited.

I felt like a 16 year old again, waiting for my date to the prom to arrive and whisk me away. I had butterflies, I couldn't help but pace back and forth. Then, my waiting paid off. He came in wearing that beautiful, perfect smile. "Hey."

"H-e-y." I choked out.

"Are you okay?" he asked stepping closer towards me.

"W-well, I'm just a little nervous... but happy at the same time." I said. There was no point in lying, especially when he was standing that close.

"Oh, don't be nervous. I told you before. 'I won't bite'".

No you'll just give me a massive heart attack. I thought to myself. "No, it's just.. This is just a change for me. Sorry." I laughed a shaky laugh. "So, let's go to the back room."

"Whoa. Now I'm the nervous one." he teased.

"No! Zack. There are chairs in the back room, silly." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, right." he followed me to the back.

We sat down. "So, what do you want to know?" I asked.

He leaned back against the chair, crossing his arms. "Where were you born?"

"Here. In Midgar. You?"

"Gongaga."

I giggled. "Okay, next."

"You making fun of Gongaga?" he lifted an eyebrow.

"Of course not. It's just a funny name. But so is Midgar, so I can't say much. And..."

"Especially Nibelhiem." we said at the same time.

He looked at me, and we started laughing. "Zack, my turn. How old are you?"

"23. How old are you?" he asked back.

"21."

"When's your sister coming back?"

"I don't know."

The questions came one after another. We ended up talking for 3 hours. It was fun hearing his stories. I learned a lot of things about Zack, as he did me. We talked about our families, friends, favorite things.

"We have a lot in common." Zack laughed after I told him about all the trouble I used to get into when I was a child. It was funny knowing that we were both troublemakers when we were younger, and apparently some things don't change. We still get in trouble from time to time. He seemed really interested to hear about the little fights my sister and I've had over the years. Oddly, he didn't want to tell me much about his family, but it didn't bother me so I didn't force it out of him.

Though he wouldn't tell me too much about his family, he told me about his closest friend Angeal and all of the missions they went on together.

"What happened to him?"

"He disappeared a while ago. But, then he called the other day and told me that he'd be home soon. So, I'm waiting." he smiled. "He should be here next week."

I looked down at the floor.

"Hey, Alina... Is something wrong? He asked.

"I know that we've already told each other a lot about ourselves, and you seem really nice... but something feels... wrong." I confessed. We've only known each other for 3 days, and it's probably too late to say something now, but I felt stupid for letting this happen.

"I understand. I'm not a bad guy, and I assure you that I have no intentions of harming you. Maybe I shouldn't have been so stupid. I should've given it a few more days, or even longer. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable." he said.

"No. You don't understand. I may sound really confusing right now, but... despite feeling a little weird, I was really happy that you did this."

"Well, if you still want to talk to me, to make it more comfortable for you, why don't I call you?" he suggested.

"Okay. Does that mean you're not coming back to the store?"

"Of course not! I'll pop in from time to time, possibly cause you a little trouble... how's that sound?" he pulled out his cell phone and we exchanged numbers. "Feel free to call me anytime."

"Okay. I am truly sorry Zack. I feel awful. You sure you still want to be my friend?" I asked with a hint of sadness to my voice.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Oh, and when your sister gets back, tell her I say hi." he said jokingly.

"Get out of here." I replied, laughing.

It was back to any other day. I was sad when he left, and I couldn't stop thinking about him.