Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ New Love ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

 

The small clock on Cloud's desk counted the seconds flawlessly as the Shin-Ra employee stared blankly at the black and blue login screen of his computer, his head propped up on his hand. He'd been staring at it for about seven…wait, eight minutes now. Eight minutes and one second… two… three… four.

 

The door to the office clicked opened, and Cloud looked up to see a glimpse of pink and white. He yelped and ducked under his desk, his chair being pushed against the wall in the swiftness of the action.

 

“Cloud, you okay?” Aeris asked. Cloud looked out through the small seam between the bottom of the desk and the carpet to see Aeris' short brown heels step behind the desk.

 

“Yeah, fine!” he called up. The shoes stopped in front of the fax machine.

 

“Why are you under the desk?” Aeris asked, leaning back slightly to stare down at him. Cloud thought quickly.

 

“Dropped my pen, looking for it,” he blurted. “Don't look her in the eyes, don't even think about looking her in the eyes, those big green gorge-” Cloud mentally slapped himself and stopped himself from finishing the thought. Above him, Aeris noticed a pen lying on the carpet next to the fax machine and knelt to pick it up.

 

“Is this it?” she asked. Crap. Cloud quickly stole a glance at the pen being held out to him.

 

“Nope,” he said, whirling his head back around. Aeris gave him an odd look and stood up, placing the pen on his desk.

 

“You sure you're okay?” she repeated, picking up one of the faxes she had come in to send. Cloud brushed a blonde bang from his face and made a show of feeling around under the desk.

 

“Never better, just looking for that pen,” he insisted. How long was she going to be here? He had been having a hard enough time keeping his mind off her that morning without her around. Breakfast with Tifa had been an odd affair, much like his secretary he couldn't bring himself to look his girlfriend in the eye, and served himself silently offering two-word answers to Tifa's occasional question. Hell, he had left without his keys in his absent-mindedness, thankfully Tifa had run down the hall to catch him. It didn't make any sense, it was just a dream, it wasn't like he had really cheated on her, right?

 

“No, you just fantasized about cheating on her, specifically with your secretary, specifically in your apartment up against the kitchen wall.”

 

“Oh shut up,” Cloud snarled bitterly.

 

“Excuse me?” Cloud cursed under his breath. Damn, she was still here. Aeris fed the fax through the machine and watched the light to make sure it sent.

 

“Um…just thinking aloud,” Cloud explained. Aeris nodded slightly, though he couldn't see it, and picked up the next fax.

 

“Ow!”

 

“What, what is it?” Cloud cried, springing to his feet, all thoughts of frustration and eyes and lustful dreams involving kitchen walls leaving his mind.

 

“Nothing, just a paper cut,” Aeris said, holding her index finger and peering at a small, thin slice on the tip. Cloud's shoulders relaxed slightly. Good, paper cut, nothing big, she wasn't hurt. Cloud opened his mouth to say so, when Aeris lifted her hand and popped her finger in her mouth. She sucked for a moment, then drew the finger back out and picked up a tissue from Cloud's desk, nursing it. Cloud, against his better judgment, stared. Had she always acted like this before? Why hadn't he noticed? How the hell did someone look so sexy and so innocent at the same time? And since when had he started thinking of Aeris as `sexy'? Cloud's eyes widened at the revelation.

 

“Ah, that's gonna sting for a bit,” Aeris mused. “We have band-aids in the office, right Cloud?” He didn't answer. “Cloud?” Aeris looked up to see an empty office stretching before her.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Clang, clang, clang, clang

 

Cloud stepped back from the steel air dryer, then banged his head against it once more for good measure.

 

“Ow,” he muttered, stumbling slightly as he walked to the sink. He turned on the faucet and cupped his hands, splashing lukewarm water on his face. He wiped off his eyes and lifted his head to stare at his reflection in the mirror, water dripping off his features. He reached down to turn off the water, and the bathroom became silent save for the water dripping off him, echoing slightly off the bathroom walls.

 

“Why has this happened to me?” Cloud said aloud. He'd never experienced anything like this before. He'd never really looked at girls or women since he and Tifa had become a couple, and even before then he never paid much attention except for the occasional passing crush. So why was it happening now? It wasn't that Aeris wasn't attractive, she was. It was natural for him think so, right? He had a girlfriend, but he wasn't dead or impotent. So he noticed Aeris was attractive, big deal, she was attractive. Smart, funny, gorgeous eyes, great le-

 

Cloud let out a cry and slapped a hand over his face. Not helping. Okay, fine, she was attractive. He had met attractive women before, and nothing happened. So why should Aeris be any different? How was she having such an effect on him? Well, there was the fact this was the first time he had worked around said attractive woman. Not to mention it was the first time he had dreamt about one of them, especially a dream like that. But so what? So he had one dream about her, it was just a dream, it didn't mean a thing.

 

“Yeah…just a dream,” he said aloud, nodding. It wasn't like anything would come of it, right? Aeris had never hinted she was interested in him, and even if she was he was in a perfectly good relationship with Tifa, and Aeris wouldn't try and split them apart he knew. Taking a breath, Cloud turned on the air dryer again and angled the spout up, drying his face off. His black dress shirt was a little wet, but it was black so no one would really notice. He turned and walked out of the bathroom and back to the office. Aeris was just turning back from the cupboard behind her desk, wrapping a bandage around her finger.

 

“Hey,” Cloud said softly. Aeris looked up.

 

“Cloud, what's going on, you've been acting really strange today,” she said. Clown smiled slightly. She was concerned for him. Wasn't surprising, she wasn't just his secretary, she was his friend, a good friend. She was just looking out for him.

 

“I know, sorry. I just had a weird dream last night,” he explained. “My problem, it's okay. Tell you what, as my apology I'll choke down a cup of coffee.” Aeris' eyes narrowed.

 

“Choke down a cup,” she muttered, although her eyes twinkled slightly. “Yeah right, fine.” She moved past him, patting him on the shoulder. “Don't weird me out like that, kay?”

 

“Yeah,” Cloud replied. Aeris left the office to the kitchen, and Cloud moved back into his office. He noticed the small stack of faxes Aeris has left on his desk a few minutes ago, and had a thought. Hell, he had been acting weird today, he had to pay her back somehow. He went out to the hall and followed Aeris to the kitchen.

 

“He-” Cloud started, turning into the kitchen. Aeris didn't hear him, she was busy in the cupboard over the counter and had the door open blocking her view, leaning on a footstool for a boost. Cloud stopped, and his eyes went wide. Aeris' clothing was usually semi-formal, but today was a warm day, so she had gone with a simple pink T-shirt and a straight white skirt that hung just above her knees. Said T-shirt was riding up on her stomach as she stretched atop the footstool, granting him the barest glimpse of her navel. Her skirt was following suit, creeping up the back of the bottom of her thighs as she leaned up on the tips of her toes. Cloud stared for a moment, then turned and rushed back to his office. He shut the door behind him and slumped into his chair.

 

“This is gonna be a problem,” he groaned. He looked back at the clock. He had let that dream disrupt his work long enough. Cloud forced himself to log in, trying to push thoughts of Aeris and sex and all the other equally enticing and terrifying thoughts associated with them from his head. It worked. A little. A few minutes later, the office door opened, and the object of his torment entered.

 

“Here you go, Aeris said, turning the mug to face the handle towards him. Cloud looked at it for a moment, and the hand holding it. “Hurry please, it's hot,” Aeris urged. Cloud nodded and reached up to take the handle. He brushed his fingertips on Aeris' hand, and gulped slightly.

 

“Thanks,” he said quietly, feeling his face heat and not from the drink. Aeris simply smiled and left. Cloud took a deep breath and set his coffee down. This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

It was about after lunch, and Cloud, to his credit and relief, had gotten his work done. The pace was slower than usual, but at least he was working. Considering that Aeris was always around, in his thoughts even when she wasn't in the office, he was amazed he was able to concentrate as much as he was. Cloud had eaten his lunch in the kitchen and caught himself watching her move about. He had tried to concentrate on his meal, but apparently his eyes preferred watching women as opposed to watching noodles and vegetables swirl in soup broth.

 

Had her hips always swung like that when she walked? It didn't help that her braided hair drew his attention to that particular area when she walked, swaying in rhythm with her footsteps. She had always worn it in that thick braid as long as he could remember. What did it look like loose, did it fall straight or would it be curly from being tied up like that? Did she take the hair out of the braid when she slept? How did she wash and style hair that long, Tifa's hair was half the length and she seemed to have enough trouble with that. And why God why was he thinking about these kinds of things?

 

Try as he might, Cloud couldn't get her out of his head and it was driving him insane. Sitting at a desk with a beautiful woman you couldn't help but think of as a sex object was not the way to work. Cloud didn't think of Aeris that way before last night, and he certainly didn't want to think of her like that. He was too much of a friend with Aeris to start objectifying her. Still…her eyes were still so goddamn bright and her hair looked so soft…

 

It almost amazed him she had this kind of effect on him out of nowhere. Where had this come from? Until that dream he had never given her a second look, now it was as if a veil had been lifted from his eyes and almost everything she did made her look cute or sweet or innocent or sexy. Even the way she had brushed her bangs out of her eyes as she scanned the vending machine for a drink at lunch, lifting two perfectly manicured fingers and lifting the soft brown locks to the side, the ends brushing her smooth cheek while she hummed softly. Much to Cloud's inner horror, his attempts to keep himself from thinking of her that way grew more futile by the minute.

 

“Cloud?” Aeris called, opening the door. Cloud nodded. That had been the one minefield he was sidestepping around - her eyes. They still transfixed him, and not willing to risk being caught in them now that he was conscious of his attraction to her, he tried to avoid looking her in the face. Thankfully, his mind hadn't gotten so bad as to stare at her chest instead, Aeris may have been attractive, but he wasn't a pervert. So mostly, he just tried to keep the eye contact to a minimum. It worked for now.

 

“Yes?” he asked, finishing the file update for the current client.

 

“You have a phone call on line 1. It's the Hojo account,” Aeris said. Cloud looked up and stared at her, surprised.

 

“They're on the phone now?” he said. The Hojo account had still been the subject of Rufus' personal desires. Cloud's job likely hinged on landing his boss the winemakers as Shin-Ra clients. Cloud had looked at the profit margins for the Hojo company. The exact procedures for their wines were a closely guarded family secret, but they worked and the Hojos made a respectable profit from it. They wouldn't at all be poor choices for clients. Still, Cloud knew Rufus only wanted them signed so he could, in his own subtle, back-door way, help himself to their product. Cloud wasn't complaining. It wasn't easy to pull off, but a happy Rufus meant a happy Cloud.

 

“Thanks.” Cloud said, nodding. Aeris left the room as Cloud picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

 

“Is this Cloud Strife?” the voice on the other line demanded. Cloud straightened slightly at the speaker. The tone was neutral, but cold.

 

“It is, is this Mr. Hojo?” he asked, scrambling to pull up the client file for the Hojos on his computer.

 

“Yes. You are the one overseeing my family's potential contracts with Shin-Ra then,” Mr. Hojo said.

 

“Yes sir I am,” Cloud replied. Ah, there it was. The Hojo company was owned by Daisuke Hojo, a former chemist. Weird choice of career for a scientist, wine making.

 

“Good. Then you are the one who can explain to me why it is we should sign with your company,” Mr. Hojo grunted. Cloud shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He knew it was impossible, but all the same he got the sense the man on the line was scrutinizing him.

 

“Well Mr. Hojo, as I'm sure you are aware we here at Shin-Ra are dedicated to making sure the world knows the best and can make informed decisions for their products. I'm sure you'll agree your company fits that profile and I know the world would love to share the luxury you give your current customers.” Cloud said, reciting his internal, practiced script. Flattery always worked when dealing with people like this.

 

“Hmph. You haven't even tasted our alcohol,” Mr. Hojo sneered. Cloud blinked. Well, almost always.

 

“E, execuse me?”

 

“You speak with the pathetic droning of a man who knows nothing of the subject of which he speaks. Don't play me for a fool, I'm not my father,” Mr. Hojo explained. Cloud frowned. Father?

 

“Is this Daisuke Hojo?” Cloud asked.

 

“What did I just finish saying?” Mr. Hojo said, his voice growing colder. Cloud could swear he felt ice crystals begin to form on the receiver. “My father is an idiot who spends his time in his penthouse drunk on his company's own product.”

 

“I thought the business was owned by Daisuke Hojo,” Cloud said, confused.

 

“He is the majority stockholder, yes, but he merely owns the company, I run it, and if he were to be in charge he would run it only into the ground. I am his son, though I am loathe to admit it. And my name is Sephiroth, you won't be using it.”

 

“Ah, excuse me sir, I didn't know, slight miscommunication,” Cloud said, typing up a note of that on his PC. So the rumors were true, the son was the true power behind the Hojo company. And Cloud, forgetting that, had just barely stumbled through a phone conversation with the man in one piece.

 

“Hmph. My faith in the competence of Shin-Ra grows ever greater,” Sephiroth muttered.

 

“Well, sir, you're current in that I haven't personally tried Hojo wines, I assure you my superior has and he speaks very highly of you. In fact it's his keen eyes and keen tastes that made him decide to try and have us sign you,” Cloud said, trying to regain some of his standing.

 

“If my company is so important to your superior, why do I speak to you and not him?” Sephiroth asked. Cloud sighed.

 

“To be honest sir, I suspect it's because if you don't sign with us, he'll have someone to blame and fire for it,” he replied. Sephiroth chuckled slightly.

 

“You amuse me,” he said.

 

“Um…thank you?” Cloud asked, confused. Was that a compliment or an insult?

 

“Don't thank me, I find your struggle to maintain a professional attitude pathetic and yet humorous. You may as well be on your knees begging me for the contract with the way you're speaking.”

 

“Would that help?”

 

“No. But, since you seem to feel you job is on the line, I will end this little banter game of ours and spare you further humiliation. I do believe you said in your email to me that you have a contract written up?”

 

“Ah, yes I do!” Cloud said, glad the man had cut him some slack. He stood up and pulled out a file folder from the top of his desk. “Just a moment sir…ah, here we are!” Cloud pulled out the three-page contract.

 

“Good. I shall be coming to see you within a week or two, as the business here permits, and we shall discuss this further then. Fax me the contract and I shall look it over when I can spare the moment.”

 

“Of course sir,” Cloud said, looking over the contract's front page. “The fax number is, ah…786, 453, 2154?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Alright, I'm sending the fax now,” Cloud said, laying the contract on the loading tray. He typed in the number and hit send. “It's sending now Mr. Hojo.”

 

“Good. Today is a Monday, I believe. I shall come and meet with you next Wednesday at noon,” Sephiroth said.

 

“Just let me check my schedule,” Cloud looked over at the calendar on the wall. “Um, next Wednesday is fine.”

 

“Of course it is. And your name was again?”

 

“Cloud Strife, Mr. Hojo,” Cloud supplied.

 

“Hmph. Well then, see you soon…Cloud.” Sephiroth hung up, and Cloud listened to the dial tone for a moment before putting down the receiver. He turned to watched the third piece of the contract for the Hojo company and Shin-Ra slid into the paper feeder, and let out a breath he didn't notice he was holding.

 

“Ooooh boy…”