August 26th Sunday
"How about this one?" Rinoa pointed to a coffee table on display in front of a gray u-shaped sectional. She rounded the couch and twisted her lips as she inspected it. "Ooh it's one of those lift-up ones."
"A what?"
"Look." She ran her fingers along the edge for the trigger and lifted the top. "It lifts up so that way there's storage inside as well as underneath." She brushed her palm along the surface and grinned. "And you can use the top as a desk without hunching over." She went and sat down on the couch and posed as if she were eating. "You could use it for dinner too. You don't have a dining table and while eating at the bar countertop is nice and all, this way we could eat and watch a movie!"
Squall gave a slight grin and sat down beside her. "This is nice," he said with a nod.
"Finding everything alright?"
He lifted his eyes towards the woman who approached them. "Yes, in the market for a new coffee table."
"His is cracked," Rinoa told her.
The saleswoman gave theatric gasp. "Oh lord, we can't have that!" She smiled and held her hands out to the table before them. "This is a very popular model. The lift-up top and storage space is ideal for many different types of homes. Is it the right size for you, do you think?"
Squall glanced down and pushed the top back into place. He held out his hands as he mentally measured what he had back home. "A little wider than the one I have at home, but it'd definitely fit." He looked over to Rinoa. "Honestly, I think you picked a good one. I like it better than the other two we were looking at."
"What can I say? I got style." Rinoa modestly dusted off her shoulder.
The saleswoman chuckled. "You guys are cute," she said absently. "My name is Eve, if you have any questions. And I do have this style in a few other colors in case you were interested."
"Actually, does it come in black?" Squall asked.
"It should." Eve leaned in and picked up the sales pamphlet dangling off the drawer's knob. "Yes, technically it's called espresso but that's the darkest stain available. It also comes in cherry, walnut, pine, and mahogany." She nodded at the table in front of them. "This particular stain is called classic gray. Here." She handed Squall the pamphlet to show him the different colors. "I currently have this one, cherry, and pine in stock. I could order the espresso one for you if you'd like. It'd be delivered to your home in less than a week."
Rinoa clapped her hands in excitement. "What do you think?"
Eve smiled and gave them a slight bow. "I'll give you a moment to discuss. I'll be right over there with the dining tables if you need me."
"Thank you," Squall said as she departed. He looked over the laminated sheet in his hands. "I like it. What do you think?"
"It's for your apartment, not mine. What's your opinion on it?"
Lightly he smacked her thigh with the pamphlet. "You'd be using it as well," he replied. "The lift-top thing is pretty cool, I've never seen that before."
"Zone has one in his office on one of those desks that converts to a standing desk. It's so high tech that he can actually program it to different heights with the touch of a button."
Squall blinked. "That's a bit much."
"Well, it's for work. Not a coffee table," Rinoa laughed. A chime came from her purse and she pulled out her phone. "Oh shit, I forgot," she murmured. When Squall raised a brow to her, she said, "Dinner with Caraway." Her thumbs flew across the screen as she shot back a reply of confirmation to Caraway and dropped the phone back into her purse. "So? What're you thinking?"
Squall gave the pamphlet another once over. "I like it." He stood to his feet and outstretched a hand for Rinoa to take. He nodded at Eve as he walked over. "I'll take it," he said. "In espresso."
"Perfect! Come on over this way and I'll get your sales order started." She took them to her desk and started scribbling the item number and color. "Is it for an apartment, house, condo?"
"Apartment. Second floor."
She nodded as she ticked off a few boxes on the paper. "Ok, perfect. Let's see today's what…the twenty-sixth so let's see…" She turned towards the large calendar she had spread out along her desk. "Delivery should be Friday the thirty-first. I'm thinking delivery time would be between eleven and one, does that work for you?"
"It should. I'll make sure to be home in that timeframe."
Eve nodded again and wrote some notes onto the paper before sliding it towards Squall. "Just fill out your personal information up here on the top. We just need a twenty percent deposit to get the order filled and I'll go ahead and waive any delivery fees."
"Appreciate it, thank you." Squall reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.
"What time is your shoot tomorrow?" Squall asked as they walked back to his Jeep.
"In the morning, probably around ten or eleven," she answered. "It's going to be at the studio so I need to get there around eight to set up our backdrops. Originally I wanted to do it in their backyard because they have this gorgeous landscape, but they're renovating their koi pond so the really nice area of their backyard is a huge mess right now. All the pretty fish are in a temporary storage shed and there's lumber and rocks everywhere." She let out a laugh and gave Squall and grin when he opened her door. "Not very aesthetically pleasing for me!"
"Can't have that."
"Nope!"
As Squall started up the car he placed a hand on Rinoa's headrest, turning his body to look behind them as he reversed the Jeep. "Got a text from Seifer earlier before you came over," he said.
"What about?"
"Said the video's done. He wants us over there tonight to watch it and then he's going to post it tomorrow."
Rinoa clapped her hands and moved her eyes ahead as Squall drove out of the parking lot. "How exciting! What time are you guys heading over?"
"Probably when you're out with Caraway."
"Ohmygod I'm so excited for you guys!" She leaned across the center console and flicked her tongue out to trace along the shell of his ear. "I'll bring some champagne after dinner to you to celebrate."
A rumbling came from Squall's throat and when he finally came to a stop at a red light, he slipped his fingers beneath her hair at the nape of her neck and captured her mouth. "Why wait?" He gave her bottom lip a quick bite before pulling away to see if the light had turned green.
Rinoa let out a purr of a chuckle and snuggled against his shoulder. Her phone chimed again and she let out an exasperated click of her tongue. "Ugh, why am I so popular?" She scanned over the screen of her phone and frowned for a moment.
"Bad news?"
"Not entirely," she said. "The kid I'm doing the shoot for tomorrow fell while playing basketball outside with his cousins this morning." She scrolled down to the picture the mom had sent her and she let out a laugh. "Oh…boys." She held out her phone for Squall to see. "Just a scrape. I don't think it'll be too hard to edit out." Quickly she responded to the worried mother and fully assured her that the wound would be a distant memory once the photos were retouched.
"How's work going?" Caraway asked as he twirled his linguini with his fork. "Lord, this food smells divine, doesn't it." He gave a huge grin of appreciation before taking a large bite. "Oh yes," he nodded. "Delicious."
Rinoa laughed at his reaction and cut into her chicken parm. "Oh yeah, if you can smell it from the parking lot and your stomach growls then you know you're in for a good time. Work is good. Not as busy right now because school's back in session but it'll probably pick up again in the fall for families preparing their holiday pictures. I think Zone and Watts said there's another wedding scheduled in a few weeks." She told him about the shoot with the kid enrolled at Balamb Garden the following morning.
"I bet his parents are proud of him," he said with a nod as he continued to eat. "By the way, I've been meaning to bring this up. It's still a ways away but…The Galbadian Army's holiday ball. One of the coordinators wanted to hire photographers for the event and I mentioned you and your studio. This year it's on the eighth of December, a Saturday." He lifted his gaze to her and his eyes sparkled with a gleam. "And I checked, Balamb Garden's ball is the following week, so you won't have any…contradicting engagements."
Rinoa nearly dropped her fork and wagged her finger at him. "I have no idea what you mean. Like you said, December is far away and who knows if he'll even get an invitation this year."
Caraway chuckled and shook his head. "Oh…it's times like this I really wish your mother was here," he said to her, his voice dropping to a gentle lull. "She would be sitting here with a look on her face that clearly said she was not buying the bullshit you're trying to sell."
"Ugh, stop it," she laughed, diverting her attention back to her food.
"She would have already set up an appointment to go evening gown shopping."
Rinoa then let out a loud laugh. "That she would. I remember always loving to dress up with her. Especially with her shoes. Lord knows I can't wear heels now." She winced as she thought about her ankles and how they would feel like glass the morning after wearing heels. As she sat she couldn't even remember the last time she had worn heels for a night out. Would she wear heels to a holiday banquet with Squall? December was a little over three months away and a lot could happen in three months. An itching in the back of her mind reminded her of a task she still had to do and she quickly shot it down. "Well, I think we could definitely arrange something to photograph the ball," she said. "I'll talk to Zone and Watts tomorrow about it and make sure we don't have anything scheduled."
"Wonderful." Caraway went back to his plate and when the server approached, he nodded to keep his attention. "The dessert menu, please," he said.
"Of course, General," he said with a slight bow and disappeared.
"Dinner and dessert?" Rinoa made a noise of approval as she bit into her chicken.
Caraway's eyes rolled into the back of his head in mock ecstasy and he gently knocked on the table. "The tiramisu here? To die for. And I'd think you would just love their cannoli."
Rinoa remembered her mother always loving desserts and her father always fulfilling her wishes of rushing off to a local patisserie or bakery to bring home treats. Sadly, she couldn't remember her mother's favorite pastry, but then again, Julia had a soft spot for nearly all of them. "I do remember you bringing home a cannoli for Mom," she said. "She almost didn't want to share it with me."
"She didn't," Caraway said with a chuckle. "She tried to hold it away from you, but you kept crawling all over her to get a bite. It took about a full minute before she finally relented." He pushed away his now empty plate and leaned back with a soft laugh. "After you went to sleep, I showed her the extra one I bought for her, and I swear she looked at me like she had on our wedding day."
Rinoa couldn't hold in the laughter this time. "Ok, but why is that seriously the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" she squealed.
By the time Rinoa arrived at Squall's complex the moon was already hanging high and the community lamp lights were in full glow. She could hear the buzzing of the electrical wiring competing with the sounds of the crickets and summertime cicadas. There weren't too many people out now, ahead of her she saw a couple walking their dog and up on one of the balconies she saw a woman reading on a tablet. While one hand held onto the bottle of champagne around its neck, her other dangled her keys as she made her way towards the path.
"Rinoa?"
She nearly jumped at the sudden sound of her name and glanced over to see a man sitting on a bench. Her heart stopped as she fully looked at him and recognition dawned on her. She could hardly believe her eyes as she felt her stomach drop into her toes like a ball of lead. "Laguna," she whispered. "What…what are you doing here?" Immediately she glanced down the pathway that led to Squall's apartment building. She knew his window faced the opposite street so even if he happened to be on his patio at that moment, there would be zero chance of him spotting her or Laguna, but still she panicked at the thought.
Slowly Laguna stood to his feet and crushed the cigarette beneath his sneaker. "Thinking, mostly," he answered. "After our…conversation I called my wife and we talked for a long time. After I got home from my business trip, she showed her own research skills. She found Squall on your portfolio page and looked up the band. She gave me his full name." He swallowed and glanced away for a breath. "You're not the only one who can utilize military resources. I have a business meeting with Balamb Garden tomorrow for an article on their ballistic missile submarines and as I was driving to my hotel I just kept driving…and then I ended up here." He looked over to the bench and sighed. "I've been sitting here thinking for about an hour or so." He turned back to face Rinoa. "I wasn't planning on talking to him or anything," he promised. "I know how forward this is and I…" Words failed him and he vaguely gestured with his hand.
Rinoa bit down onto her bottom lip and fiddled with her keys. "I haven't told him yet," she said. "This last week has been so crazy and I just haven't even had a chance to think about how to approach the topic."
"Avoiding it," Laguna said. The smile he gave her was soft, not condescending in the least, and full of understanding at her desire to avoid the inevitable conversation.
"Yes," she whispered.
Laguna nodded and shoved a hand into his pocket. "I shouldn't have come," he said. "I mean, I wanted to. I want to meet him. I want to talk to him. But…I also understand any hesitation he may have."
"Unfortunately this may be the kick in the ass I need," Rinoa said quietly. "I can't hide this from him forever. I'm just…scared."
"Of what?"
"The repercussions. He's a very private person and we've only been together a few months and only recently made it known to his friends. This is something so deeply personal to him and when I asked my dad about it…I wasn't thinking. Only now I'm realizing that this might be too much for him." She dug her keys into her palm, hoping the pain would bring her more focus. It did not. Only made her thoughts race more.
Laguna nodded again as he listened to her. "I'm gonna take off in a few minutes," he said. "You do what you feel you need to." He gave her a final nod and turned away to sit back down on the bench and pull out another cigarette.
Rinoa made her way towards Squall's apartment. As she got to his door she stood for a moment and sorted through her keys to find Squall's spare. She had only used it once before, when she had to leave a show early and he requested she stay the night with him, and he never asked for it back. In comparison, she never asked for her spare key back from him either. She let out a deep breath and inserted the key.
He was standing in the kitchen, pulling out a water bottle from his fridge. His hair was wet, most likely he'd just come out of the shower, and it was slicked back with droplets trailing down the length of the tight black shirt he wore. He turned at the sound of her entrance and gave her a grin. "Hey."
Rinoa swallowed and tried to give him a convincing smile. "Hi."
It was not convincing at all. His brows furrowed and the grin faded into a look of concern. "What's wrong?" He set the water down beside the sink and took a step towards her.
She held up her hands and took a step back without realizing. "I uh…I need to talk to you about something."
He kept his distance but the concern in his face intensified. "Are you ok?" he asked. "Is it your dad?"
Rinoa shook her head and pressed her lips together, hardly able to hold his gaze. "No, no…it's not my dad." She glanced up for just a moment before looking away again. "It's…yours."
The creases between his brows deepened. "What?"
Rinoa brought her hands to her lips, her keys jangling from the movement. The only sound echoing in this apartment that was now deadly still. "I…I found your dad. I asked Caraway if there was a possibility to look up the military group that went through Winhill twenty-seven years ago," she began. "Just to see if it was possible for you to find your father. I never thought anything would come of it. Then, when he got back from his retreat earlier this month he told me he had found the group. It was four people: A woman, a married father, and two single men. When he showed me their pictures I figured out which one was your father. I had his name. I wasn't going to do anything about it but…I ran into him at the wedding. He's a family friend of the groom. I ran into him when I was taking a break outside and we were talking…only about photography and then his wife came out and we were discussing a shoot with them and…I never thought it would get this far." She swallowed. "I met with him last week Sunday. I tried to just go forward as just business but…I told him about you."
Squall was just staring at her, his eyes glued to hers and his jaw tightly set. She saw the minute stress of the tendon in his throat jerk, the fraction of a head tilt as she told him about the conversation with Laguna at the diner. Then his throat jerked again when she told him that Laguna had resources of his own.
"Squall, he's here. He's not trying to invade your space or force you to talk to him…I don't think he really has much of a plan…"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Rinoa lost her voice. He said it so quietly, his voice was so solemn and low, but the anger within his words vibrated and slammed against her flesh. Her eyes widened; her lips hung open as she stared.
"You found him?" He let out a breath, ragged and fighting between a scoff and a gasp for air. "Finding him would have been you stumbled upon him at the wedding and then spoke to Caraway after and then being like 'Hey that's the same fucking guy!' But no." His fists clenched and unclenched. "You didn't just come across him by accident," he growled. "You deliberately did research to figure out who he was. Then, you met him at the wedding. Coincidence, sure, it happens, it's a small world. Six degrees of separation and all that. But then you sought him out and even went as far to offer him your services so he had to contact you. Do you see why this is so fucked up?"
"I'm…I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never thought it would get this far."
"You're sorry? Rinoa, I went my whole life not knowing who he was. Did you ever stop to think that maybe I never wanted to find him? That maybe I'm not ready? I haven't even fucking forgiven him yet!"
The escalation in his voice shocked Rinoa to the core and she stood frozen. "Forgiven him? For…what? He didn't even know—"
"That's the point! I was tossed around from foster home to foster home like some fucking piece of recyclable waste all because 'he didn't know.' I was treated like shit, starved, beaten—all because he 'didn't know!' And I haven't forgiven him! And I'm fucking pissed at myself and feeling like an idiot because even though I know it's not his fault…I blame him!"
The sudden roar made Rinoa jump. She sucked in a breath and her body stiffened.
His eyes flared and he clenched his fists. "I blame him for knocking up my mother and not knowing about it and I blame my mother for dying!"
She had never seen him this angry. She had never even heard him talk this much. And it was all because of her. She clamped her lips together, bit into them as she tried to suppress the wail that so desperately wanted to escape from her. In front of her she saw the broken little boy finally letting out how he felt. The anger, the sorrow, the trauma, it was all unfolding before her very eyes, and she was at the receiving end of it. Her throat felt thick, threatening to close on her as she tried not to cry. She never knew about his past in the foster homes. She had heard little snippets, but he always turned the conversation elsewhere or stopped it completely. Her eyes skirted over his shoulders, concealed by his T-shirt, and she thought of the scars she had felt along them.
She wanted to take it all back. Wanted to go back in time and slap herself to prevent her from asking Caraway the stupid question. Even Caraway warned her. But she didn't listen. Now, the man she adored so ardently was furious—justifiably—with her. "I didn't know about all that," she managed to squeak out.
"I never told all this to anyone. I never wanted to. I didn't want you to know about how I was locked in a dark closet for nearly an entire day because I didn't clean the bathroom properly enough, or how I got whipped with a fucking belt because I questioned my foster "father's" authority. You crossed a line I never expected to have to draw out for you."
"I'm sorry," she whispered again. "I only wanted to help."
"You think you had good intentions, but do you honestly not see how fucked up this shit is? Not only have you upheaved my life and opened up wounds that never healed but now you completely threw his life into the grinder by letting him know that he's got some bastard kid out there. Not to mention, if he's got a wife and they've got kids…now their lives are turned upside down."
"I…I didn't think…"
"Exactly. You don't think ahead! I knew I had a father out there somewhere in the world. He could've been alive or dead but it didn't matter because I knew he existed. He on the other hand had no idea about having a kid. And now all of a sudden he finds out he's got some bastard out there who's almost thirty? What do you think that does to a person?" He ran his fingers over his hair and roughly rubbed at his temples. "Some things are best left in the past," he muttered. "Everyone has shit they don't want to deal with in their life. This was mine. This was a boundary everyone around me knew not to cross. And then you come into my life and practically weave your way into my existence to where I can't even imagine a life without you and you—of all people—are the one to grossly overstep that boundary."
Rinoa stared at the floor. She felt lower than dirt. The pain, the rage, the feeling of complete agony that emanated off of Squall hurled itself onto her in a devastating blow. Rinoa's fingers pinched the hem of her shirt. "Do…do you want me to leave?" she asked quietly.
She didn't lift her gaze fully to meet his face, but she could make out his movements, heard him take a deep breath and clench his long fingers into tight fists.
"Yeah," he finally said, his voice thick and filled with quiet anger. "Yeah. I do."
Rinoa didn't look up at him, only swallowed and quickly remembered how to use her feet. As her hand reached for the doorknob she felt she should say something—anything—but…no words formed upon her tongue.
Without a second glance or even a sound, Rinoa exited.
