Thirty-three: Idle Reunion

Tifa and Lazard were met by a bodyguard when they arrived. An airport staff pushed their trolley, as they discretely headed for the elevator. She kept her head low, to avoid recognition. The elevator was incredibly fast. They were already at the parking lot. A black SUV was waiting for them. "Thank you," Tifa whispered to the porter and body guard as she climbed in the car.

"They're staying at the Icicle Inn." Lazard told her. "They weren't permitted to stay in the Forgotten City. We'll be there in about ten minutes."

Tifa smiled a little. "I can't wait to see him."

At the sight of the inns' lights, Tifa's heart started to beat faster.

Closer… closer…

The moment the car stopped, the door was opened to reveal a breathless Cloud, his blue eyes shining. "Hey!" he said, as Tifa clambered out and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hi," she whispered. Their breaths turned into tiny clouds of mist as they spoke. Lazard quietly headed inside the inn, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"How are you?" Cloud asked as he led her inside the inn. Tifa paused. Well… my ex went loco on me while you were gone, asking for another chance… but I rejected him. "I'm fine. More than fine now," she whispered. He stopped at the counter to order for two coffees before leading her to his room. His room was slightly messy. His clothes were in a heap in one corner. "Laundry?" she asked, smiling.

He grinned. "Yeah. The laundry lady's going to come in later to take care of them. Take a seat."

"Hey," Tifa said. "How come I was allowed to visit already?"

Cloud sat down beside her and answered, "Well, the boss got sick, so we're not filming today. Weather's horrible at the Capital." He reached for her hand once again. "Ah… I missed you a lot. How's Midgar?"

Tifa heart raced. Should she tell him? Well… she definitely needed to be honest with the man she loves but… oh hell. "I attended the music awards and Genesis performed his new song." she said in one breath. Cloud raised a brow.

"Oh really? Was it another good song? Genesis creates really good songs." he smiled. There was a small strain on it.

"Yeah… it was nice. Then he attacked me at the after party."

Cloud's eyes widened. "He what?"

His outburst was disrupted by sharp knocks on the door. "Your coffees," the innkeeper announced unceremoniously. Cloud sighed and answered the door. He thanked the innkeeper and closed the door.

"Tell me everything." Cloud said softly as he handed her a mug of coffee. His face was unreadable.

Tifa chewed the inside of her cheek and said, "Well he didn't exactly attack me. He just said that I should get back with him since you're not around and I slapped him. Then Zack entered the scene." She drank deep in her mug, relieved that she had finally gotten it out. "Don't be mad."

"Mad?" Cloud laughed. "I'm not mad. I'm relieved! But… if I ever cross paths with Genesis, I'll break his nose."

Tifa grinned and placed the mug on the floor, having emptied it already. "I love you," she whispered. "And I wish that your movie does well when its released." She laughed.

"Me too," Cloud breathed and suddenly pulled her to him. Planting a kiss on her forehead, he said, "I'm sure that you're exhausted. I'll have the old lady bring up extra pillows and blankets."

She looked up at him and touched his cheek with the back of her hand. "I'll rest later. Why don't you tell about how the filming's been lately?"

"Okay." Cloud said, shrugging. "We've been filming the easy scenes. Like, the time before the infection. But he's so strict. He doesn't miss a thing! He made us repeat one scene eight times!"

"Really? Hmm. There was this one time, while we were shooting Immortal…. Reno's scene took at least twenty takes, because he kept laughing and forgetting his lines. There was another time when he snuck out to party in some bar and slept all day—the director was furious!" Tifa told him.

Another set of knocks disrupted their conversation. "Tifa?" Rufus called.

She answered the door. "Hi Rufus."

"You didn't even come over and say hi. I'm hurt." Rufus feigned, frowning slightly. He looked past her and said, "I'll be borrowing Tifa for a while."

"Okay."

As the manager and talent walked in the hallway, Tifa asked, "What's up?"

"I received a project offer with you. But I highly doubt that you'd like to take part in it." Rufus answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Follow me and I'll tell you. The walls have ears." Rufus hissed as he led her to his room, where Lazard was busily unpacking his clothes.

Author's Note: Another short one! Oh my. Four more days and my care free days are O-V-E-R. Hope you enjoyed reading! Please don't forget to review.

Victoria Chrystallis a.k.a the kid that's scared out of her skin right now