Hello readers! Thanks so much for reading! Means a lot to me! I'm sorry for the delay in updating! :( forgive me!
Chapter 17: Beach House
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After hours of playing in the sun and ocean waters, Tifa, Zack, Marlene and Denzel were laying on the beach and admiring the sun set, along with pointing out what shapes they could spot in the clouds. Not long after pointing out a bunny, Marlene sat up upon hearing the sound of a vehicle approaching. A large maroon jeep with large sand tires approached them. Quickly, Zack stood and cocked his head to the side. Tifa too, stood and put her hands on her hips. The jeep finally came to a stop just in front of their little camp and out of the jeep came a loud and booming voice.
"Well happy birthday! Sorry I'm a little late." Shouted Barret as he hopped out of the jeep and approached the group.
"Barret?" Tifa asked, excited but confused at the same time.
"Barret!" Marlene exclaimed as she ran toward him.
"Hey baby girl." Barret said with a smile as he gave her a quick hug.
"So you made it." Zack said, approaching Barret. Zack had secretly been communicating with not only Cid, but Barret too. For about a week or so he had been making plans to give Tifa the birthday she deserved. Something spectacular, something to wow her. Barret was hesitant to help out an Ex soldier, but he figured if anything happened, he'd just kill the guy and get it over with.
Tifa and Denzel stood back and observed. This wasn't making sense to Tifa. Zack and Barret didn't know each other. And Barret didn't know they were coming here, unless there was more to the whole 'birthday plan' than Tifa was aware of.
"Yeah, what's it to you pretty boy?" Barret retorted, without the need of a retort. Barret was protective of Tifa, especially when it came to men and relationships. Although Tifa had only been in one real relationship, Cloud had done enough damage in Barret's eyes, to last a lifetime. But something about Zack gave Barret a little hope for Tifa. He seemed determined to do whatever he needed to in order to make Tifa happy, even just to smile. He had asked what she liked, what she didn't like, foods she loved, foods she hated, her dream vacation, and places that might scare her. Of course Zack was getting to know Tifa on a personal level as he helped her recover, but this had to be perfect. All kinds of information was extracted from Cid and Barret as Zack desperately tried to plan the perfect getaway for Tifa. Zack certainly seemed to care a whole hell of a lot.
"Haven't I proven myself?" Zack said, crossing his arms.
"We'll see." Barret growled before going back to the jeep and opening the door. He then grabbed a black rectangular box and threw it to Tifa. "How are them hands?" He asked, concerned after throwing the box. Zack had notified Barret of the Sephiroth incident, unfortunately due to work he couldn't leave. It was a critical time that demanded his presence, but that didn't stop him from being angry. Zack told him how brave Tifa was, and how strong she was too. Of course Barret knew these things, but Zack had the ultimate confidence in Tifa, that couldn't be explained. Barret began to realize that Tifa would be safe with the Ex soldier, and if not she would just kick his ass.
Tifa caught the box and looked at him with a smile. "You didn't have to do this." She paused. "How'd you know? And what are you doing here? What's going on?"
Zack chuckled and went to Tifa. "I told him."
"Yeah, pretty boy here has been talkin to me for weeks now about this. Planned it all out for ya." Barret said with a nod.
"We helped!" Marlene giggled.
Tifa smiled and looked at Zack, then Denzel who was smiling happily. "What did you plan out, Zack?" Tifa asked curiously.
"I can't tell you everything." Zack replied with a smirk.
"That's from me." Barret interrupted, gesturing to Tifa's box.
"Oh, right! Thank you!" She said with a warm smile. Tifa opened the box slowly, lifting the lid and peering in. Suddenly, upon seeing what was inside, she gasped and pulled it out of the box. In her hands were an expensive pair of red leather fighting gloves with a flexible lining on the palm side to give her knuckles more support. "Barret, thank you." Tifa said in then ran to him and flung her arms around him tightly and held him there for a moment before breaking away.
"It's the least I could do for ya, you. take such good care of these two ruffians." Barret said as he rubbed Denzel's head and yanked him over to his side.
Tifa let out a giggle followed by a happy sigh. "You all are amazing."
Barret blushed slightly before looking to Zack and Tifa. Zack seemed to be gazing at Tifa with stars in his blue mako eyes. It didn't take a genius to know what Zack was feeling by the way he stated at her. Barret knew then it was time to go.
"Okay kids, get your things." Barret said, nudging Denzel and Marlene.
"Hm? You guys are leaving?" Tifa said as Marlene and Denzel began to gather their items.
"Yeah, we got things to do around town. Kids thought you needed some 'alone time'. Whatever the hell that means. You two go and enjoy your night." Barret started. "No funny business pretty boy." Barret glared.
"Barret." Tifa warned with a glare of her own.
Barret shrugged and let out a chuckle before hopping into the jeep. "Hurry up kiddos, don't wanna be late to the movie "
"Bye Tifa!" Marlene smiled as she climbed into the jeep.
"Happy Birthday, Tifa." Denzel said before looking at Zack sternly. "Please take good care of her, Zack."
"I promise I will." Zack replied.
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Tifa watched the jeep drive away in the direction of the setting sun, the sweet ocean breeze flinging her hair away from her face. As the jeep shrank into the distance, she turned to Zack and looked at him curiously.
Zack, although caught up in admiring her, noticed the expression upon her face. "What's that look for?" He asked as he pouted his lips a bit and narrowed his brows.
"Just what is it that you have planned?" Tifa asked as she held back a giggle looking at Zack's face.
"Well, I suppose it's time to show you then. Grab your things." Zack replied with a charming smile, followed by a wink.
Tifa swore under her breath for two reasons. One: she didn't like it when things were kept from her knowledge and dangled in front of her and two: she hated how charming Zack was, because it so easily made her flustered. Quickly she grabbed her things and turned to Zack again. "Alright, that's everything."
"Well, let me carry that." Zack said, grabbing Tifa's suitcase, although he had his own, and leaving her with her small beach bag. He realized he shouldn't have told her to grab her things in the first place, he should have just grabbed them. Tifa shook her head in protest.
"No it's okay, I'm capable." Tifa said, referring to the fact that her body was close to 100 percent healed.
"Mm Mm. That doesn't matter, I'm carrying it. Don't be one of those stubborn girls who insist that chivalry is dead." Zack said tilting his head to the side and giving her a puppy dog face.
"That's not how I feel... But." Tifa paused. Part of her wanted to carry her own bags and be able to hold Zack's free hand with hers, but she didn't want to make things awkward or make Zack sad in his kind gesture. Tifa sighed and nodded."I'll let you carry it."
"Thank you." Zack said as he smiled brightly. Soon, Tifa found herself following Zack off of the beach and onto the cobblestone pathway that lead into the town. it was gorgeous. The palm trees were quietly rustling as the summer breeze blew by. The setting sun was slowly turning Zack into a large and buff silhouette. Tifa giggled a little at her thoughts. She was very thankful for all Zack had done for her, and when she thought about that, it made her feel guilty. Tifa pouted, looked down and continued walking before smashing right into Zack's back.
"Ah.." Tifa mumbled as she rubbed her nose. "I'm sorry, Zack. Are you okay?"
Zack turned around quickly and put his hands on Tifa's shoulders. "I'm fine." He chuckled as he saw Tifa's cheeks turn red with embarrassment. "You alright, Teef?"
Tifa blinked a few times and stared at him. Teef. Sure, most of her friends called her that, Cloud even did from time to time, but it just sounded so much different coming from Zack. "Y..yeah I'm fine." Tifa replied, shaking it off. Zack gave her a nod and turned back around. He was at a check in desk of some sort, which Tifa hadn't realized until now, seeing as how she smashed into Zack. I've really gotta pay more attention. Tifa thought.
"Here are your keys. Your beach house number is 07." Said the girl who was manning the desk. Zack thanked the girl, took the key and handed it to Tifa.
"Hold this. Don't loose it, okay?" He said with a wink.
Tifa took the key a little nervously. Beach house? Tifa was unsure what that would entail, although it would be so nice to get away. She wouldn't have to worry about any unwanted visitors in the night, and she could fall asleep to the sound of the ocean's tides gently rolling in. She hoped anyway, beach house didn't necessarily mean on the beach, but she really wanted it to. She trusted Zack, and knew there was nothing to be concerned about.
Once again, Tifa found herself following Zack. This time, they were back on the beach. This was a different area than they had been before. This area had beautiful and large homes spread out along the length of the shore. They were all on risers, and seemed to be made of the same stone the streets were made of.
"Ah, there it is. Number seven." Zack said, turning to look at Tifa who was a little behind. She was caught up in staring at the homes. "Hey." Zack said, laying the bags on the sand and going up to Tifa.
"Hm?" Tifa asked, turning her attention to Zack. He seemed a little concerned, but happy at the same time.
"We're here." Zack said smiling at her.
"Yeah?" Tifa mumbled as she stated at him. Zack shook his head.
"Have you ever been on a vacation?" Zack asked as he crossed his arms.
"No. Not in a long time." She replied. A moment later she let out a squeal as Zack lifted her over his shoulder and began carrying her toward the house as if she were a sack of potatoes. "Zack!" Tifa yelled. "Put me down!"
"Mm mm." He chuckled.
"Why?! What about the bags?" Tifa whined as she bobbed up and down with the steps that Zack took.
"I'll come back for them. Where's that key?" Zack asked as they approached the door.
"Well, it's in my pocket. If you put me down I can get it." Tifa replied.
"Mmm... Alright." Zack said, slowly lowering Tifa back to the ground.
Tifa stuck her tongue out at him and handed him the key.
Zack stuck his tongue out at her in return and then opened the door. The inside of the home was beautiful. The floors were a dark green marble, the kitchen was large and spacious and it looked as though there were two levels.
"Wow." Tifa said, peeking in around Zack.
"After you," Zack said stepping out of her way. Tifa walked inside and began to take in her surroundings. It was elegantly decorated as if it were a wealthy person's home. Zack had traveled a lot. Things like this didn't surprise him, or wow him. He knew that the majority of these beach houses probably all looked exactly alike. But seeing how happy Tifa was here , made him want to purchase one of these homes and let her live here. Maybe it was Midgar that was weighing her down, but Zack knew that Cloud was the real reason for Tifa's sorrow. "I'm gonna get the bags, you get settled in. We'll be going to dinner soon." Zack said as he watched Tifa explore the place.
"Alright." Tifa replied, turning and smiling at Zack. Zack quickly smiled back and then ran outside. As Tifa explored, she heard a faint rustling noise coming from the staircase. "Hm?" Tifa thought curiously. Slowly she approached the staircase, each step she took with caution. As she reached the first step, she saw a small figure dash across the opening of the stairs and down a hallway. Tifa's eyes widened for a moment. What was that? Tifa thought. Curiosity kicked in and Tifa climbed the stairs quickly and quietly and she peaked around toward the hallway. She could soon hear the sound of scrubbing and humming coming from what she assumed to be the bathroom. Could this be the wrong house? Tifa thought as she approached the bathroom slowly. Finally, Tifa reached the bathroom and peered in. There stood a short elderly woman with a curly white Afro atop her head. She was wearing a bright pink t-shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants. The woman quickly turned upon seeing Tifa's face in the mirror as she peered in. The woman let out a small scream, which caused Tifa to scream as well. The woman then began to giggle.
"Oh I'm sorry." The woman said. "I'm Nancy. You must be Miss Fair." Nancy said witha kind smile. "I haven't had time to finish cleaning upstairs yet for you, I hope you'll forgive me."
"It's okay. I'm sorry to have startled you. So then, do you own this home?" Tifa replied, relaxing a bit. Nancy seemed to have an awful lot of energy for an old lady.
Zack had retrieved the bags quickly and upon hearing the screams from upstairs, he scrambled his way up and rushed to Tifa. "You okay?!" He said, catching his breath.
"Oh! That must be the soldier, mister Fair. Oooh! He's a lot more handsome than they say!" Nancy said with a giggle. "To answer your question deary, yes I own this home. I rent it out to lovely couples like yourselves."
Zack blushed a bit. One because he was a bit embarrassed by the old lady calling him handsome, and two because she had called he and Tifa a lovely couple. "Oh, well it's nice to meet you.. Uhm... You're Nancy, right?" Zack asked, hoping to goodness he remembered her name from when he booked the place.
"That's right. Now if you two would like to get ready and go to dinner, that will give me a little more time to make sure this place is sparkling for you, huh?" Nancy said as she wiped her brow.
"Sure, we can do that." Zack smiled as he draped an arm around Tifa.
"Aren't you two just precious! Okay hurry along!"
"Yes ma'am."
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Zack waited in the living room for Tifa to finish getting ready in the downstairs bedroom. He had changed into a pair of dark jeans and a white button up dress shirt. Not too fancy, but not tacky beach style either. He had wondered how long it took for a girl to get ready, as he sat on the couch hungry and growing more impatient.
Tifa had trouble deciding what to wear, she wasn't sure how fancy the restaurant was. Zack had told her it was nice, but she wasn't sure just how nice. Biting her lip, Tifa decided to bite the bullet and wear the little black dress she had packed. It was rather low cut, and spicy. The top was halter style and it had an open back down to about her waistline. Although she knew that Zack was already interested in her, she decided to impress him a little, seeing as how he had only seen her in pajamas for the past few weeks. She pulled the dress over her head and adjusted it as necessary. She knew as she looked in he mirror, his jaw was bound to drop to the floor. Tifa giggled a bit. She pondered for a moment on her hair. If she should try to wear it up or not, but she decided against it. Quickly she slipped on a pair of black sandals and walked out of the living room to meet Zack.
Zack stood quickly upon seeing Tifa. His blue eye went wide with shock and his heart thumped loud and hard in his chest. Holy sh**. Zack thought as Tifa walked up to him.
"You ready?" Tifa asked, ignoring Zack's expression, trying not to blush. When Zack said nothing, Tifa frowned and looked at him. "Am I over dressed?" She asked.
"N..no you look fandamntastic." Zack said with a slight blush.
"Oh.." Tifa smiled. "You do too." She blushed.
"Why thank you. Shall we?" Zack asked, extending his arm to Tifa. Tifa nodded and linked her arm in his and the two walked out of the home. .
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Dinner had been wonderful. They went to a fancy beachside resort that had a restaurant on the inside. Zack and Tifa enjoyed good food and great company. Tifa decided not to drink any, but Zack had a few gin and tonics. The two made their way from the restaurant and back to the beach house. Tifa held her shoes in one hand and held onto Zack's with the other as the approached the house. Zack smiled widely when he felt her fingers slide in between his. It let him know that Tifa was comfortable with him, and that she trusted him. Which pleased him very much.
Zack unlocked the door to the beach house and the two walked inside. The house was filled with a sweet and chocolatey aroma. Tifa looked about curiously and approached the kitchen, Where Nancy was frosting a large chocolate cake. Tifa was surprised she was still there.
"Oh!" Nancy exclaimed. "Don't you look stunning!"
Tifa blushed. "Thank you, Nancy. Can I help you with anything?"
"No! I'm done. Let me show you two the master bedroom where you will be staying." Nancy exclaimed as she set her frosting tools in the sink.
Zack walked up at that time and looked at Tifa confused. Why the hell is she still here? He thought.
Tifa noticed the look on Zack's face and took his hand. "She's showing us something." she said gently.
Zack nodded and smiled at Tifa's gesture.
Nancy lead the two up the stairs happily. "I noticed your items were in separate areas. I hope you didn't intend on sleeping in separate bedrooms. That would be odd." Nancy prodded. Tifa's face turned red at this statement. Zack tried his hardest not to smirk.
Finally, they arrived in the master bedroom. It was gorgeous. The bed was king sized and draped in a white down bedspread. The headboard was white leather and the floors were tan tile, as if to represent sand. There were two dark red dressers with sea shells and candles. Then, there was a sliding glass door that let out to the balcony which overlooked the majestic ocean. Tifa was very pleased with it.
"I took the liberty of bringing your things inside and unpacking for you. Your clothes are in the dresser and some hanging up in the closet. And I made you a cake! Please enjoy your stay!" Nancy said happily.
Zack looked to Tifa. Unsure of if she would even want to stay in the same room, regardless he knew he didn't have to say anything to Nancy about it. He just wanted Nancy gone. He smirked as an idea came to mind. "Thank you, ma'am." he said as he scooped Tifa up in his arms and placed a kiss on her neck. Tifa blushed and let out a small squeak. "Now if you'll excuse us... We have some things to do."
"Ooh! I see yes! I'm sorry, enjoy your night you love birds!" Nancy chimed as she exited the room, closing the door behind her.
Gently, Zack set Tifa down and looked at her. She was blushing madly, trying to hide it. Of course she knew he was kidding, at least she thought he was. And since he set her down, she knew he must've been. That didn't mean Tifa's heart rate slowed any, or that she wasn't excited or even wanting for Zack to continue. Zack could see it in her eyes, desire. But he didn't want to push her. Quickly, he peaked outside on the balcony to see if Nancy was walking away and sure enough she was. Tifa followed Zack onto the balcony and gazed upon the ocean. The sky was navy blue with patches of lighter blue clouds poking through. The sun was completely set and the air was weighty and salty.
Zack turned to Tifa and looked at her concerned. "You okay?" He asked.
"Yes." Tifa said, turning to look at him. His eyes were sparking under the moonlight and his hair was falling out of place as the ocean winds blew gently.
"Do you want me to stay tonight?" Zack asked, a little nervously. He hadn't rented the beach house in order to have sex with Tifa, that was not his intention at all. If he was honest, he would greatly enjoy that, but he couldn't unless Tifa instigated it. He wanted to know that Tifa was okay with where their relationship was going, and he realized it wasn't an official relationship at all. Tifa nodded and placed her hands on Zack's chest.
"We wouldn't want to disappoint Nancy, would we? " She whispered. Zack placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Absolutely not." He whispered in reply.