Thirty:

Thirty more minutes.

Tifa glanced at Cloud, who was sitting right beside her. His head was resting on his palm, and his eyes were shut, as if he were thinking about something really hard. In his other hand, was hers. The cityscape whizzed past them, there were clueless people walking in the sidewalk. A child ran with them.

Twenty minutes more…

"Hey," he suddenly said, opening his eyes.

"Hmm?" she mumbled as she smiled. Tifa did not let go of his hand. She was afraid to let it go, actually. She was beginning to feel her chest ache. Since when had she had difficulty with separation? This was only temporary, for a few months, then he'd be back home…with her. Why did she feel like telling him not to go?

Cloud smiled. "Don't feel so sad, Teef. I don't want to be this far away from you, really." He leaned closer and kissed her on the lips. "I'm going to miss you an awful lot. Rufus said the director wouldn't allow us to use phones during the entire filming."

"Your director is awfully strict. My directors never set any rules like that before." Tifa whispered. "Maybe when my schedule permits it, I'll visit you. Rufus will update me where you're filming."

He smiled. "I'll be waiting."

Ten minutes.

Flights heading to the Northern Continent were already boarding when they arrived at the airport. There wasn't much time for them to talk anymore as Cloud and Rufus rushed to get to their flight. "I'll see you soon Tifa," Cloud whispered before they entered the terminal. He pulled her close and embraced her. "I love you."

"Have a safe trip." Tifa told them. "Bye guys."

When she could no longer see her boyfriend's gravity-defying blonde spikes, she turned around and headed back to the car. With her hands dug deep in her jacket's pockets, she wondered what she would do for the rest of the day. A hundred busybodies dodged and stared at her and took pictures. A few approached her for a picture and autograph. She smiled at everybody, glad for the attention. She'll mope around in her house later.

Tifa felt her happiness ebb away as soon as the driver closed the car's door with a silent click. It must have been because she was reminded that she was going to be away from her loved one for months or that she felt alone again. It could have been both. She was going to feel so completely alone without him. She heaved out a sigh. "Where are we going now, miss?"

She opened her eyes and told the chauffeur to drive to the mall. A little retail therapy could help ease the sadness, right?

A new leather jacket and pair of spiked stilettos later, Tifa went home feeling a little upbeat.

"What are you doing here Lazard?" she asked her stylist the moment she saw him sitting on her couch, browsing a magazine. She had had a sudden mini heart attack when she opened the door to find her stylist inside. Then she remembered that both Lazard and Rufus had access to her house.

He looked up at her and said, "You're going to have dinner with madame Ysabelle tonight. She asked to tell you since you weren't answering your phone." His eyes wandered to the shopping bags she held. "Ah, I see. Then… shall we get started?"

She looked up at her friend slash stylist. "Lazard, I'd like to rest for a moment. I've been walking all morning." In all honesty, she wasn't really in the mood to do anything but to eat ice cream and watch some movie in the TV. She wanted to be all by herself. "Do you know why Ysabelle wants to have dinner with me?" Tifa had already come up with reasons why her partner wanted to see her… maybe she wanted to discuss the sales, or to tell her to start designing another collection. Both reasons seemed believable, and she just wanted to consider them. Lazard only shrugged and snooped in the bags. "Oh these will go perfectly with the dress Ysabelle had given you."

There was nothing else to look at but the glittering, tiny stars above her head as they rode towards the restaurant where Ysabelle would be waiting. Tifa's eyes cast downward to her lap, where her phone lay quietly. She wondered whether he had forgotten to call her the moment he landed. Her heart palpitated. No, she thought. Why was she being so paranoid? Cloud was with Rufus. Her boyfriend is in good hands. Or maybe the director had already asked him to turn over his cellphone the moment he arrived on set?

"We're here, miss." the chauffeur said.

Tifa looked out of the window again and studied the building in front of her. It didn't look grand. In fact, it looked like a cheap canteen, not a restaurant where fashion industry moguls dine. The walls' blue paint was beginning to peel off, one of the windows were broken and covered with a sheet. "Are you sure that we're in the right street?" she asked her driver. "This doesn't seem to be a restaurant." Her chauffeur looked at her and nodded. "I'm positive, miss Lockhart."

She looked at herself. She was overdressed! "Um, I'll go see then."

Her brand new stilettos were in the wrong place. The asphalt leading to the restaurant wasn't even and there were small cracks. "Ah there you are Tifa!" a familiar voice called. Tifa turned her head to see Ysabelle standing at the doorway, dressed in a simple skirt and blouse, kitten heeled shoes. "Oh my, my… it seems that your heels are too high for a simple dinner with a friend. But oh well, a woman's shoes defines where she is headed. Hurry now sweetie."

The moment Tifa set her eyes in the small restaurant's interior, she remembered that old saying—never judge a book by its cover. The floor was completely made of highly polished marble, the walls were covered with vintage paintings. "Yoohoo, over here darling!" Ysabelle called from the very back. Every table in the restaurant was of mahogany and each harbored intricate carvings.

"So how do you like my restaurant?" the older woman asked. Tifa smiled as she took her seat. "It's a very nice place. I never knew you had a restaurant Ysabelle."

"Oh, very few people know about my humble resto. Only my close friends are allowed inside." Ysabelle explained, waving a hand full of rings elegantly. "This isn't open to the public, as you see. That's why I didn't bother having the outside fixed, to draw away people. Ah Luke, would you please come over?"

A lanky, but very good looking young man wearing a crisp white shirt and meticulously pressed black slacks approached them. Ysabelle looked up at the waiter and asked, "What would the chef be serving us tonight?"

"Mini Osaka crab cakes, lobster ravioli, scallop teriyaki and mixed veggie teriyaki, madame. Would you like to add anything else?" Luke answered.

"Would you like anything else, sweetie? I'm sorry, I've been having food cravings lately. But I'm not pregnant." Ysabelle laughed.

Tifa shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I love crab cakes and teriyaki." Luke bowed and went back inside the kitchen, after telling them that the food would be served in twenty minutes. That boy had an air of meekness in Tifa's observation. "Um, now may I know why you called for me, ma'am?"

"Oh quit the honorifics, child. We're having dinner as friends, not business partners."

"Ah, okay." She smiled genuinely. Inside, she was more than smiling—she was leaping, shouting and crying. Ysabelle actually considered her a close friend! Tifa had never considered it before, of course, since it was a standard protocol in the biz to be polite and friendly to everybody. That protocol was one of the main reasons it was difficult to find real friends in their line of work.

A few minutes of silence passed until Ysabelle spoke once more. "Heart Locker's still strong in the market. Congratulations, darling, you're one step closer to building your very own empire. I'm sorry, I just had to say that." The older woman giggled and smiled. Her lips were perfectly shaped and rose pink. Luke suddenly came out with two teacups filled with the aromatic beverage. "Madame," the teen mumbled as he placed the cups in front of them. With one wave, Luke was dismissed again. "He talks as if we were ants, really. You'll have to forgive my nephew."

"Luke is your nephew?"

"Why yes. He's my favorite nephew, since he's the most timid one. Not to mention his good looks. He's just here now because its summer break and he doesn't have much to do."

Tifa chuckled. "I see. That's very nice of you to allow him to work here."

"Alright, let's stop talking about my nephew. How are things between you and Cloud? Is everything well?" Ysabelle asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She must have had watched the report on the gossip channels about her sudden run-in with Genesis. News stating that she and Genesis got cozy and had left Cloud out sprang everywhere and rumors of them getting back together spread like wildfire. Tabloids sure knew how to juice out everything when the opportunity showed itself. Rufus had been exhausted from all the phone calls and e-mails he had to answer before flying to the Northern Continent with Cloud. Fortunately, Tifa's fans detested Genesis as well, so only a handful were hoping the rumors were true. Her official site turned into a flaming forum regarding the rumors within an hour.

With a hundred watt smile, Tifa assured her friend that there was nothing to worry about. "Cloud and I had a grand time reading those stories, actually. Tabloid writers are really mean, anything for cold hard cash, I guess." She sipped her tea and frowned. "I bet Genesis enjoyed those stories more than we did though."

Ysabelle nodded. "Just promise me that if and when the time comes that you and Cloud decide to tie the knot, I'll be the one creating your wedding gown."

"I…It's a little too early to think about stuff like that, right? I mean… we've only been together for eight and a half months." Tifa said, flustered. Marriage… she hadn't thought about that until Ysabelle mentioned it. But she could already imagine herself in one of Ysabelle's special designs, walking down the aisle to meet Cloud at the altar. Cute picture, really.

The older woman shrugged. "Oh sweetheart, it would be such a waste for you and Cloud if you're not going to be together till death do you part. You're perfect for each other. You're eccentric and he's laid-back."

"Laid back… yep, he definitely is." Tifa replied, grinning.

Luke reappeared, carrying a tray laden with their dinner. "Well. Bon a petit." Ysabelle said.

It's midnight.

Cissnei looked up at Genesis, who was sitting at the edge of the bed, a sliver of the sheet covering his waist. The pale moonlight traced his features, every smooth curve and plane. "What's on your mind Genesis?" she asked lazily, drowsily. He turned his head slowly, reverently and shook it. "Nothing." he muttered. She sat up and reached for him. "Really?"

He locked his blue green eyes on hers and claimed her lips. "I was just thinking how fucking great you were tonight." Genesis whispered.

She looked away. "You know you shouldn't have called me. You're only opening the wound."

"What wound?" he asked innocently.

"You know very well why I'm not up for this kind of affair anymore. I want an honest relationship."

"Well darling, isn't this an honest relationship?"

"It's only physical." Cissnei retorted and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Genesis asked, infinite boredom in his voice. He watched his conquest gather her clothes and leave without another word. He drew a sigh and searched for his phone.

"Gene… what the hell?" Angeal said with a very annoyed and groggy voice.

The vocalist only laughed and said, "I have just been dumped."

"Ugh. Dude, get some sleep. I'm sure that you'll have another gal with you tomorrow. But I wish that it would take longer… hey… are you still there…Gen?"

Beep. Beep.

Genesis groaned and turned on the flat screen mounted on his wall.

"In other news, Cloud Strife has already flown to the Northern Continent to begin the filming of his brand new movie project with Elena. WBK news caught him together with Tifa in the airport earlier this morning…."

Genesis chuckled darkly before turning the TV off.

Author's Note:

Aah, finally, a quick update! I still haven't enrolled for college, and summer's already halfway gone. –Okay, it's completely gone since it's been raining for days here, but still. Bummer. Hope you enjoyed the thirtieth chapter! Leave a review!

Also—I really love Genesis Rhapsodos because he is my first fave character, so I wonder why I'm portraying him as an asshole here. Hmm. It must be because I like insane, bad guys. Ah…y—yeah. Bye. ('you're crazier than I am!' Genesis yelled)

Victoria Chrystallis—the almost college gal