It was, as Cloud predicted, an extremely long drive, and he didn't have much to say. But he did notice he got slightly more comfortable as each hour passed and the humming noise of the road became more familiar to him.

Luckily, Aerith did most of the talking for the trip. He found her voice calming in a way, especially since she wasn't talking directly to him. "Can you believe this is my first road trip? I don't really travel much. It's so nice to get out of town."

She looked longingly out the window, the landscape changing from trees to cacti and bushes, lining their way along the road. It was easy to forget how monotonous the drive to Las Vegas was; Cloud had done it a few times before and found it rather boring, especially given the lack of a cell signal. Aerith, however, took the time to study all the plants she could, announcing to the group which ones she recognized before they became a blur behind her.

"That's a prickly pear cactus. It's spikey, but they also can grow some of the most beautiful flowers."

Cloud enjoyed these new plant facts more than he initially thought he would. With all the enthusiasm in her voice, how could anyone find it boring? He also realized that he was much more comfortable simply being in her presence, without having to interact directly with her.

While he tried his best to stay quiet, it wasn't long before the conversation shifted towards him, and he felt his body tensing up once more.

"Don't let Cloud fool you," Biggs said with a smirk. "This guy knows his way around a casino."

Cloud tried to shrug off the comment. He'd been to Vegas a handful of times, and he only knew some of the casino games because he had meticulously studied them in preparation for previous trips. He was far from an expert, however, and he didn't always have good luck, despite his friends thinking otherwise.

"Somewhat," Cloud muttered, trying desperately to shift the conversation elsewhere. Didn't Aerith want to talk more about the road plants?

Aerith turned to him, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Do you have a favorite casino game?"

This was an easy question for him to answer. Probably the only easy task he would have the entire trip. "Craps."

"Ooh," Aerith said, wiggling her shoulders and moving ever-so-slightly closer. "That's … the one with the dice, right?"

"Yeah…."

Thankfully, Wedge piped in, giving Cloud a reprieve. "It's kind of a complicated game. I don't quite understand it myself. Lots of sevens and all these different crazy bets. I prefer Roulette. Just pick a number, watch the wheel spin, and hope for the best."

"The slot machines are also fun," Biggs added. "Moogle Money is one of my favorites. I hit a nice jackpot a few months ago at our local casino, The Gold Saucer. I'm hoping that lightning will strike twice."

"I can't wait to try it all!" Aerith exclaimed, turning her attention toward Cloud. "And especially craps. Hopefully you can teach me how to play, Cloud."

"S-sure," Cloud blurted out, unsure of what he was fully committing to. He could barely say a few words to her. How was he going to explain a complex dice game to her? Hopefully he could figure it out in the next few days, because as of right now, it wasn't looking too promising.

After four total hours of driving, a couple stops at a rest area, and one stop for lunch, the group finally arrived at the Bellagio hotel to check in. Upon walking into the lobby, the group was stunned at the opulence that stood before them, but it was Aerith who was most in awe. She stared wide-eyed at the beautiful flower décor, including the huge glass-blown flowers hanging above the ceiling.

"It's beautiful," she said as though she was lost in a trance. "I love this place already, and we haven't even checked in."

The group made their way to the check-in line and patiently waited their turn, their luggage trailing behind them. Wedge had insisted they carry their own luggage, since using a bellman in Vegas was known to get pricey. Slowly, the line in front of them shrunk party by party, and before they knew it, they were up next.

In front of them stood a gray-haired woman with her hair pulled back. "Welcome to the Bellagio. My name is Marle and I'll be taking care of you. Can I just see your IDs and I'll get you checked in?"

The group all reached into their wallets to pull out their cards. Marle's fingers moved like a blur along her keyboard as she processed their information. She picked up one of the identification cards, examined it closely, and paused for a moment. "All the way from Midgar, I see. Hope the drive was not too bad."

"Not bad at all," Biggs answered. Marle nodded and resumed her hectic typing. Cloud thought of the drive very differently, of course, but he decided to keep quiet. Now was not the time nor the place.

Marle stopped typing for a moment and her eyes darted back and forth around the computer screen in front of her. "Ah—I see you are staying in two rooms this evening, each with two beds. I have you staying here for four nights. Are we celebrating anything in particular?"

Cloud briefly considered confessing he was celebrating being in close proximity to a girl and not passing out, but he thought better of it.

Luckily, it was Aerith who spoke up instead. "A couple of us have never been here before, myself included, and this seemed like a fun little getaway. I couldn't have asked for a better place to stay. Flowers are my passion and this place already has me entranced."

"It is a magical place, indeed," Marle agreed. "Do be sure to check out our conservatory, too. It's themed with all sorts of flowers from the season. And it's completely free to visit."

Cloud didn't think the grin on Aerith's face could get any bigger at this point, but at the mention of the word "conservatory", somehow it did. He found her wonder and amazement endearing, but was unsure if his outward facial expressions were reflecting the same sentiment.

"That sounds incredible," she said with a dreamy sigh.

"Oh," Marle continued, "I see you also have tickets tonight for our acrobatic aquatic show, Materia. That is sure to be a treat. I will just get your key cards ready and then you can be on your way."

Marle rapidly typed a few more things and then handed the group their room keys wrapped in a sturdy paper envelope. Aerith took an extra second to slowly open hers and admire the elaborate design on the room key, its ornate cursive B gracing the front.

"Enjoy your stay," Marle said, flashing them a handwave before the group walked away. Perhaps the other three might actually enjoy their stay, but the jury was still out on Cloud.

The group started to make their way out of the lobby and towards their rooms, following along the opulent marble floor. The way to the elevator was littered with table games and slot machines of all shapes and sizes. Each machine had its own unique call of loud noises, inviting the player to sit down for a moment and have some fun. The tables had an assortment of players around them—some large groups and some small. An occasional yell or cheer could be heard as the group passed by. Aerith's eyes widened with each new item that came into view.

Eventually, the marble floor led them to a hallway filled with elevators. The group got in and took it up to the corresponding floor. Once it was their stop, they headed down the hallway corridor to find their rooms based on the numbers and directions they were given.

"Here it is!" Wedge exclaimed. He saw the matching numbers on his envelope and the front door. "We made it!"

"And here's our room too," Aerith said, cheerfully pulling her huge suitcase effortlessly behind her. "It's only a few doors down."

Cloud walked to catch up to her, and sure enough, she had found the right room. The moment had finally arrived and Cloud was just as nervous as ever. He started to mentally hear the slithers of the serpent he had tried to forget about just a few days ago. Too late to turn back now.

"Let's settle in for a couple hours," Biggs suggested, "And then we can meet for dinner before the show."

"Sounds like a plan," Aerith agreed, sticking her keycard up to the door. She let out a pleasing yelp when she heard the noise of the door opening, confirming they were in fact at the correct room. She briefly turned to Cloud. "Here we go."

Here we go was right, but not in the way that Aerith might have thought. Cloud was about to be with her all alone for a couple of hours for the first time, and he wasn't sure if he could handle it. Cloud couldn't even remember the last time he was alone with a girl that wasn't Tifa. It had been many years, for sure. For a moment, Cloud briefly drifted back to that time, but quickly brought himself back to the present. No use in reliving that now.

Aerith opened the door and was immediately captivated. The room was decorated with a mixture of ivory and blue. A widescreen, wall-mounted television faced the two beds, each with their own corresponding marble nightstand. At the back of the room was a large window, the sunlight shining through, and two plush chairs that managed to look inviting to Cloud even after the four hour drive.

Aerith ran a finger over the smooth countertop of the desk and hurried to the window, gasping in delight at the view. Cloud couldn't help but observe. There was a sort of magic in living vicariously through her wonder. He had been here a few times already, but she was making him feel as though it was all new again.

"Oh my gosh," she squealed in delight and pointed out the window. "We can see the fountains from here. And we can see the Vegas Strip too! I bet it's beautiful at night. I can't wait to see the neon lights."

She took a moment to watch the fountains dance back and forth as they created beautiful shapes. There was music too—or at least there was supposed to be—but the faint sounds were almost impossible to hear. Aerith placed her ear up to the window in an attempt to remedy the situation. "I can barely hear it since we're so high up, but it's still so beautiful, even without the sound."

She took another breath in and her eyes wandered around, as though she was admiring the intricate details of each piece in the brand new city she would call home for the next few days. When she was done, she sighed one final time and turned to Cloud.

"I love this place already," Aerith said. "Thank you so much for letting me stay with you."

"Y-you're welcome," Cloud muttered, hoping Aerith wouldn't notice he had been staring at her longer than he probably should have. Thankfully, she appeared oblivious.

She took a step back from the window to survey the two beds still neatly made up and untouched. "Do you have a preference on which bed you want?"

Cloud shook his head.

"Okay," she continued. She shifted her eyes back and forth between the two beds as though it was the most important decision of her life. "Well, then I'll take the... one by window. Yes, I think that's the one I want. Just in case I want to catch more glimpses of this gorgeous city."

She rushed to the doorway to grab her suitcase, and brought it over to her newly-claimed bed. Cloud took his small duffel bag and did the same on his side, as they both began unpacking their belongings. He was unsure of what to say, but she filled the silence between them elaborating on all the details of the city she had observed thus far. She didn't seem to mind his silence, and he certainly wasn't complaining. He enjoyed hearing her talk, and he realized the less he was expected to say, the more relieved he felt. He was almost starting to feel like normal again. Almost.

The task of unpacking gave him another place to divert his eyes without appearing rude. He stole occasional glances at her when he could, watching her auburn hair bounce behind her as she sorted through her belongings. He rarely ever spent this much time unpacking, but he needed something to occupy his hands and appear busy, so that she wouldn't notice anything different.

After a few minutes of her monologue, Aerith paused to meet Cloud's eyes. "You seem quiet. Is everything all right?"

He couldn't possibly admit he was enjoying the sound of her voice without sounding creepy. He had to think of a lie—and quick. "Y-yeah. Just this Vegas heat."

She giggled. "Oh, okay. Yeah, it sure is hot out today."

Aerith turned her attention away from Cloud and resumed her packing, the pink bow in her hair slightly loose from all the back and forth. Eventually though, her suitcase was empty, and all her items had been sorted accordingly. Cloud could no longer stall. She brought the empty suitcase toward the front of the room, tucking it in the closet, and turned back to him. "Thanks for listening. And thanks again for letting me stay with you. I'm so happy to be here. I hope the heat doesn't get you down too much."

Aww, man. The words were sweet, but it also meant it was time for Cloud to speak again. He didn't want to leave her hanging. It was time for Cloud to force out the best response he could muster. "You're welcome."

Yeah, he guessed that'll have to do.

Aerith flashed him a grin. "Well, I better start getting ready for dinner." She checked the time on her phone. "Yikes—we need to meet up with Biggs and Wedge soon. I better hurry it up. I was having too much fun."

Did Aerith just say "fun"? Cloud fixated on that word for a moment before forcing himself to move on. She couldn't have possibly meant she was having fun with Cloud. She just meant she was having fun in Las Vegas in general. Of course, who wouldn't be having fun in this city? Calm down, Cloud. Don't get ahead of yourself.

Aerith reached over to grab her pink toiletry bag she had sitting on the bed and made her way into the bathroom to freshen up. Cloud made sure that the bathroom door was completely closed before he breathed a heavy sigh and plopped himself on his bed. This was going to be a long night, for sure. He needed something to distract himself with, since Aerith was preoccupied in the bathroom.

He looked over at his nightstand and grabbed the book he had brought with him: Beat the House by Leslie Kyle. It contained some new strategies on how to play casino games, and it came highly recommended. His goal was to study some on the trip, and maybe even live up to the unreasonably high expectations that his friends had already set.

But it was no use. The words refused to cooperate. His crush was only a few feet behind him getting ready in the bathroom, and she was having fun, whatever that meant. Perhaps he could look up the word "fun" later on and confirm it meant what he thought he did.

He placed the book back on his night stand and stared for a moment at the ceiling. Time to find something else to do before more time passed staring at the ceiling again.

Suddenly, Cloud had an idea and reached for the television remote. He searched the channels, hopeful that the one he was looking for still existed. After a few clicks of the button, he was able to find the specific hotel channel that played a variety of music and helped fill the silence of the room.

After some time had passed, Aerith emerged from the bathroom. The tight braid behind her head had been fixed and she was in a new pink dress, different from her road trip clothes. Somehow, she looked even better than before. Cloud tried hard not to stare, but it was difficult.

Her eyes darted instead towards the television, completely missing Cloud's stares as she noticed the new music that filled the room. "Oh, what's this?" She stepped closer to read the words on the screen. "The Bellagio channel, huh? What's this for?"

Before Cloud could even respond, her eyes widened and she rushed to the window once more.

"Oh my gosh!" Aerith squealed with delight. "It's the music from the fountains. Now we can actually hear it from the room! I don't have to press my ear up to the window." She stood transfixed as she watched the fountains dance again to the popular melody playing along with the television.

She snuck a look at Cloud and when their eyes briefly met, he swore he could see a trace of a tear in her eye.

"I didn't think it could get even more magical," Aerith said. "Thank you, Cloud."

Before he could respond, she turned her attention back towards the window. Cloud couldn't help but let out a smile himself, satisfied his plan had worked. Now he just had to find a way to actually talk to her. But, this was certainly a start. Dinner was coming up shortly; it would give him a much needed reprieve to gather his thoughts and shift the focus away from him.

A/N: A couple IRL notes here. The Bellagio is a real hotel in Vegas and does have a glass flower display in the lobby AND a free conservatory! If you ever stay at the Bellagio and your window faces the fountains, you actually can't hear the music from the window on its own. However, there is a legit channel you can tune to, to hear the music from the room, hence why I included it here. Watching the fountains in the room with the music playing through the TV really is a magical experience - and no crowds too.. haha!

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