Cloud held his breath as the phone rang a couple times, wondering if this was the right decision after all.

"Hello? Cloud?" the comforting voice on the other end said and Cloud breathed a sigh of relief that they were actually there.

"Hey Chadley," Cloud answered back.

"Why hello again, Cloud. It is always a pleasure to talk to you. I was just entertaining myself with another rousing virtual reality game, but I am always happy to chat. However, I do have to say I'm surprised to hear you call me at this particular time. If I remember correctly, you are currently on your trip."

"I am—but that's the thing. Something happened, Chadley, and I need your advice."

"Oh, is someone hurt? Do you need me to seek medical attention?"

"Not like that, Chadley." Cloud paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I'm just a moron and I did something dumb."

"Cloud, I've worked in close quarters with you over the past few years and I've seen your vast knowledge. I can assure you that you are indeed an intelligent being capable of—"

While Chadley's compliments were nice for his ego, it was time to cut to the chase. "She kissed me, Chadley."

Cloud could hear Chadley pausing for a moment, taking in what he had just said. "That is the outcome that you desired, yes?"

Before the next line was delivered, Cloud took a big deep breath. He almost didn't want to admit it to himself. "She kissed me, but I didn't kiss her back."

"Oh, I see. So, what exactly did you do, Cloud?"

"I just froze, Chadley. I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything. I thought it was what I wanted, but when it happened it was like everything shut down."

"Hmm," Chadley said, pausing for a moment to take it in. "This is most interesting. I initially surmised that when she finally performed the act of pressing her lips to yours, all would be well, and my advice would no longer be needed. But now I see there is another layer for us to uncover."

"Yeah," Cloud said with a nod, unsure if what Chadley had just said was good or bad.

"Tell me, Cloud. Did Aerith provide any warning? Was there any preparation prior to her making her advances toward you?"

Cloud thought for a moment, as he recalled the events earlier in the night. "I guess not. It happened really fast. It took me a second to even realize she was kissing me."

"That is perhaps your answer, then," Chadley said, as though the answer was so simple.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"You have hinted to me that your past forays into love have been met with little to no success, correct?"

That was one odd way of putting it. "Yes."

"Well I suppose those past events are still permeating into your behavior today. The body naturally wants to protect itself from harm and unhappiness. That is my guess of what is happening here, and why you were unable to respond when romantic advances were initiated."

Maybe Chadley had a point. Cloud wanted to think he had moved on from his past, but maybe he hadn't. "So what do I do, Chadley?"

Chadley took another pause before speaking. "My hypothesis, given your previous history, is that you need to initiate any future romantic gestures. You also must communicate that with Aerith, as she is unaware of your hesitancy regarding your previous entanglements."

Since Cloud so badly wanted to understand, he tried to listen carefully to Chadley's words, and repeated them back to him. "So, I have to tell Aerith I need to set the pace, and go slowly."

"Yes, that is my guess."

For the first time that night, Cloud felt like he finally had some sense of clarity. "Chadley, you're a genius. Thanks for helping me figure all this out."

"I am no more intelligent than you," Chadley assured him. "But I appreciate your compliment nonetheless."

Aerith had been such a fool. The past few days she had thought that Cloud was giving her all the right signs, especially at the bar last night. He had been slow to open up otherwise, especially this morning, but he was also nursing a hangover so she had tried to be somewhat understanding. And then at Craps, they had so much fun and she felt—something. She really had thought they were having a moment.

So when they had went back to the room, she thought for sure this was it. She was going to make her move because Cloud certainly wouldn't. Their lips would meet, he would fall into her arms, and the fountains would dance behind them with the most romantic song, of course.

But it didn't happen like that, and she wasn't sure of the cause. Ever since they got back to the hotel room, he had seemed different—distant. But why? She thought making her move would bring him out of his shell even more, but it had just made everything worse.

Cloud did not kiss her back. He couldn't even look at her. He was obviously struggling to form the words that he was not interested in her, but he couldn't quite say it. But Aerith didn't need him to say it. She could see it on his face. Oh, how she had completely misjudged the whole situation. She couldn't wait to get back home and pretend all of this never happened.

In the meantime, she had to get out of the room, lest she die of absolute embarrassment. But where would she go? She wasn't hungry, and she didn't feel like gambling any more. She thought about it some more until she remembered. Of course, she would go to the flowers.

She made her way through the lobby to the botanical garden that she had visited a couple days prior. Thankfully, it was open 24 hours, so she didn't have to worry that it was a ridiculous time of night to visit. It still looked the same as it did earlier, except now there were far less people around, although a few tourists were peppered throughout. Perhaps they had just made a fool of themselves, too, and needed a comforting place to go.

She took a moment to take in the beautiful sight once more–the familiar flowers and their colors sprawled all around, forming into magical shapes of animals and whimsy. It was actually quite pleasant with far less people around. It allowed her to move throughout the conservatory more freely, as though it was her private garden.

As she slowly made her way around, she noticed a group of yellow lilies off to the side; the same spot where she had gotten a photo with Cloud a couple days earlier. She made a mental note to delete that photo from her phone later so that she could erase any memory of this night ever happening.

The lilies called to her as though they had something to say, and perhaps she had something to say back. She took a quick look around before she made her next move, observing the few bystanders who seemed to pay her no mind. She leaned down closer to the lilies and softly whispered to them.

"I made a fool of myself and fell for a boy who didn't kiss me back. So yeah… it was that kind of night."

Her eyes darted around the conservatory to see if anyone would notice, but no one seemed to show any sort of reaction. It was Vegas, after all. This behavior was probably not out of the ordinary.

She stayed by the lilies for a while longer and contemplated her next move. It was starting to get really late, and she should probably head back to her room at some point. But she couldn't face Cloud right now; certainly not after that awful atrocity. She wished she could just stay here all night and sleep amongst the flowers, but she had a feeling security would have objected at that point.

Her best bet was to stall as long as she could, and then hope that Cloud would be asleep by the time she got back to the room.

Cloud lay back in his hotel bed, staring at the ceiling once more, as he thought about the night as a whole. Calling Chadley was the right move, and Cloud was feeling a little bit more relieved to finally help uncover why he had acted the way he did.

He had never told Chadley the extent of his relationship woes, or lack thereof. He hadn't told anyone, really. It was far too embarrassing, and he just wanted to try his best and forget it. Still, as he lay in his comfy bed, the soft sheets at his back, he couldn't help but think of it all once more.

First, there was Yuffie, the first girl he had ever liked. Just friends, they had shared interests in many of the same things: video games, computers, ninja movies. They spent many afternoons together hanging out and trading stories. Cloud could feel himself falling for her, but was unsure of how to tell her. Convinced by his high school friend Barret, he finally decided to confess his feelings while over at her house. Their ninja motion picture wrapped up, and after a rousing discussion, Cloud confessed his feelings. It was immediately obvious that Yuffie did not feel the same way, and just saw him as a friend, just as Aerith had assumed Cloud felt about her. Cloud remembered how that rejection had felt, and how he wanted so desperately to leave once the truth had been revealed.

Yuffie and Cloud didn't stay friends for too much longer after that. Cloud felt guilty that his feelings had led to the demise of their friendship. He wanted to go back to the simpler days when they bonded over their shared interests, but Yuffie had moved on and Cloud was forced to, as well.

"That was rough," Cloud said to himself, as he thought more about his past.

Next there was Kyrie. Cloud should have known she was trouble, but at the time he was too blinded by any girl showing him attention. Kyrie doted on Cloud, and he liked how much easier it was compared to Yuffie. She seemed genuinely interested, and they even went on a few dates. He foolishly thought she actually liked him for his personality, but little did he know, he was ultimately just being used. Cloud paid for everything, which in hindsight should have been his first red flag. The other warning sign should have been the fact they only did the things Kyrie wanted. She picked the movies they saw, the restaurants they ate at, and all the other places they went. Cloud should have spoken up, but he also didn't want to mess with a good thing.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before it all came crumbling down. The rumor mill was running full steam, and it was his friend Barett who told Cloud that Kyrie was two-timing him with Evan. Cloud didn't want to believe it at first, but when he confronted her, she confessed that it was true, and part of the reason she dated him was just to make Evan jealous and interested in her. Ouch. Well, at least she was finally honest, but that didn't mean it didn't tear Cloud's heart to shreds.

"I guess I can be grateful that one didn't last as long," Cloud commented, before his mind drifted off again to the next milestone.

The last girl he had dated was Jessie. She was supposed to be different. Things started off well enough. Jessie definitely came on strong and Cloud felt himself falling fast—too fast. He confessed his love too soon and showered her with lots of affection, probably too much. But he thought it was what you were supposed to do. Looking back, he knew he smothered her. He wanted to spend every waking moment with her and he felt jealous of her other male friends. He would pick unnecessary arguments and say things he didn't mean. It was no surprise that after a few months, Jessie had had enough and called things off.

That was the one that hurt the most of all. He had originally thought Jessie was the one, and for a long time his heart broke, not knowing how to go on without her. Eventually, he did, but ultimately decided that maybe relationships weren't for him. He retreated into his shell and focused on his studies, instead. Without the distraction of girls, he was able to excel in his classes and graduate at the top of his class. He found life easier without having to worry about attachments, and even though he felt pangs of jealousy as his friends had relationships of their own, he knew it wasn't meant for him.

Aerith was the first girl who had piqued his interest in quite a while. He tried to ignore it at first, but the more she came into the bar, the more he started to take notice. He tried to keep her at arm's length, but then his friends had to invite her along to this trip and now here they were in this crazy mess.

Speaking of Aerith, where was she? It was getting awfully late. Cloud was waiting for her to come back to the room so he could have a proper conversation with her and explain everything. Maybe they could even still salvage the night.

But as the hours passed by, Cloud felt his eyelids getting heavy, and eventually he found himself succumbing to sleep before Aerith returned.