Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ New Love ❯ Chapter 10

New Love

 

Chapter 10

 

“I'll be leaving on Wednesday and will be gone until next Monday, you'll be okay, right?” Tifa said. Cloud stared at the peas and corn on his plate, rolling back and forth a pea with his fork. “Cloud?” Tifa asked.

 

“You ever noticed there's no blue food?” Cloud said suddenly, spearing the lone pea and lifting it up to his eye. “We have red food, green, yellow, brown, black, purple, orange, white, brown, but no blue food. How come?”

 

“Cloud,” Tifa said slowly. The blonde turned his focus from the vegetable to his girlfriend. “Do you realize you're talking about the color of food?” Tifa asked. Cloud blinked, and lifted his eyebrows.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You didn't hear a word I've said did you?” Tifa asked. Cloud blinked again, and shook his head.

 

“Sorry, sorry…just drifted off.”

 

“I noticed,” Tifa said dryly. Cloud rubbed his eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep the past few nights, he been resisting sleep for fear of having another dream about Aeris. When sleep had finally did come, it was thus far, thankfully dreamless. Cloud was having enough trouble with his thoughts about Aeris when he was awake.

 

“I should tell her,” he thought to himself. Once it was out in the open he would feel better, and she could help him work through his feelings.

 

“And which `she' would you be referring to?”

 

Cloud narrowed his eyes. He hadn't thought of that. Telling either Aeris or Tifa about what was going on with him could be disastrous. He had a good friend and a loving girlfriend on the line, and had no desire to lose either of them.

 

“But that can't be helped. You're going to have to choose.”

 

“Choose?” Cloud thought, “Since when do I have to make a choice? Choose what exactly?” his thoughts had no answer for that. Cloud decided he didn't want one. He already had an idea what said answer would have been anyway.

 

Across the table, Tifa watched the subtle play of emotions across Cloud's face as he waged some unknown debate with himself. She wished he would talk to her anymore. Cloud had never been a social butterfly, but he had always been willing to talk to her. If she asked, he answered. Until recently, for some reason.

 

“So how are things going with Aeris?” she asked.

 

“There's nothing going on with Aeris!” Cloud snapped suddenly, eyes wide. Tifa sat back slightly, stunned. Cloud stared at her, then winced and stood up.

 

“I'll be back,” he muttered, walking out of the room.

 

“You haven't eaten your dinner yet!” Tifa called. The slam of a door down the hall was her answer. Tifa sighed and shook her head. She stood up and picked up her plate - empty, she had finished her meal - and quietly took it into the kitchen.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Cloud quietly sat down on the toilet seat in the bathroom, cupping his hands to his face. The passing dream was proving anything but. He had spent the last two days now trying with no success to get Aeris out of his mind. This clearly wasn't something that was going to go away. And try as he might, Cloud was having as much success understanding what was happening as much as he was getting over it.

 

How was it Aeris had such a powerful effect over him? He'd never felt this way about anyone else before, and it was confusing. He dreaded being near her, because that meant having with deal with this strange feeling. On the other hand, he constantly thought about her and wanted to see her more, even considering overtime. He was terrified of what was happening, but in a strange way, he relished it. It didn't make any sense.

 

“So what do I do?” Cloud asked, lowering his eyes. He had to figure out what was going on and how to stop it one way or the other, before he lost his job and his girlfriend. But he had spent hours playing over his conflicting, paradoxical emotions and found no answers. He had to look elsewhere. Cloud thought for a moment. He needed an outside opinion. An idea came to him, and Cloud focused on it…it might work.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“Now make sure the unit is grounded properly, or the wires will crossed, and I don't want none of you listening in on government shit. We're gonna review Friday's test tomorrow, so unless you're a dumbass and want to fail, don't skip. Now get outta here.”

 

Cloud waited quietly in the back of the hall as Cid finished his lecture in the colorful style he remembered when he had been in college. The students filed out, and Cloud let them leave before walking down the aisle to Cid.

 

“Hey,” he called. Cid looked up from his notes.

 

“The hell you doing here?” he asked, collecting his books.

 

“I need to talk to you,” Cloud said.

 

“Well hurry up, I gotta be across campus in fifteen, walk and talk.” Cid began walking out of the side exit of the room, and Cloud followed him.

 

“Okay, Cid, I know we're friends, so if I asked you to keep a secret, you'd do it, right?” Cloud said as they crossed the grass outside.

 

“What the hell are you asking for, unless you killed someone or some shit, you know I'm good for whatever you gotta say,” Cid said. Cloud nodded and took a breath.

 

“Well, okay…the thing is, I'm kinda messed up over a woman.”

 

“Tifa givin' ya hell huh?”

 

“Uh, no…someone else.” Cid stopped and stared at Cloud.

 

“Holy shit Cloud, I never figured ya for a cheater,” Cid muttered.

 

“No!” Cloud shouted. “I'm not cheating on Tifa.”

 

“Oh, good, okay. So ya just got the hots for someone else then, huh?” Cid asked.

 

“Yeah, I guess. I'm trying to figure it out but it's damn confusing.”

 

“Well what's going on, just say it,” Cid said. The two reached a building, and Cid pushed open the doors as Cloud followed.

 

“She's really pretty, gorgeous even, and I can't stop thinking about her. I hate having to be near her because I always act like such an idiot around her anymore, but even so I want to see her. I'm always worried I'll do something stupid around her and I usually do, but she smiles and laughs at me and it's okay. I'm just…she confuses me like hell, but she always makes things so clear too, and…” Cloud stopped as he realized Cid was no longer behind him. He turned to see the engineering professor grinning ear to ear at him. “What?”

 

“I know exactly what's wrong with ya,” Cid laughed, his grin growing wider. “You're smitten, boy. You're in love.”

 

“WHAT?!?” Cloud shrieked, his eyes bulging. “I am not in love with Aeris!” Cid's grin vanished, and Cloud cried out and slapped a hand over his mouth.

 

“Aeris, like, cute secretary, `seven and a half out of ten', that Aeris?” Cid asked.

 

“That would be her,” Cloud groaned, nodding.

 

“Ah, shit…no wonder your spiky little head is fucked up,” Cid lifted his eyebrows and began walking again. “Does she know ya feel like this?”

 

“Are you insane?”

 

“Alright, does Tifa know?”

 

“See previous response.”

 

“Heh…well Cloud, I still say what I said before, you're in love,” Cid fished out a key ring from his pocket and unlocked a classroom door, walking inside. “Look, think about it. You worry about how you act around her, you think about her all the time, she makes you feel better about yourself, and you find her attractive. You haven't written her poems or given her gifts have ya?”

 

“Not unless you count faxes and invoices.” Cloud stood at the door of the room as Cid set his books at the front.

 

“That's still four out of five. I spend my day surrounded by horny hormonal college kids, I know the signs, and you got them. You're head over heels loopy for her.”

 

“So…this isn't just going to go away?” Cloud muttered, his shoulders slumping. Cid shrugged and walked back to the door of the class.

 

“Search me. I feel for ya, buddy, I do, but this ain't my department. Now I gotta get ready for my next class. See ya.” Cid gently shut the classroom door, and Cloud let out a noise of protest.

 

“Fine!” he yelled, looking at his watch. “My lunch is over soon anyway, time to go back to work and ogle my hot secretary I suppose!” Cloud turned to walk down the hall, and glared at a cluster of students staring at him. “What are you looking at?” he muttered, pushing through them.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“I dunno, he's just been acting really weird lately,” Aeris mused, biting into her sandwich. In the small kitchen area of the Shin-Ra building, Rinoa thought for a moment.

 

“Problems with his girlfriend?” she suggested.

 

“I doubt it, I've met her, Tifa's a sweetheart,” Aeris replied. “I don't think that's it.”

 

“Who knows then?” Rinoa said. “He's cute and weird.”

 

“Yeah, but not like this. I'm worried about him.”

 

“Awwwwww,” Rinoa drew out, smirking. Aeris looked up at her and swallowed the chewed sandwich in her mouth.

 

“What?”

 

“It's so cute, you care about him,” Rinoa shrugged, still smiling.

 

“Of course, he's my boss, and more than that, he's my friend.”

 

“Mm-hm. Yup, you care, he just happens to be a good friend of yours. A cute, smart friend who you keep running into inexplicably outside of work.” Aeris raised a thin eyebrow as Rinoa sat back and looked around the room.

 

“I get what you're implying, and I don't like it,” Aeris said slowly, narrowing her eyes. “We're just friends is all. Besides, he has a girlfriend.”

 

“Uh-huh. Tell me Aeris, have you ever had a boyfriend besides Zack?”

 

“Not really, why?”

 

“Because I have, and I know the signs of a guy going ga-ga over a girl.”

 

“Like what?” Aeris asked, opening a her small carton of milk.

 

“Gets nervous around her, asks really strange, stumbles over his words, stares off into space, goes out of his way to see her, is sweet and protective of her,” Rinoa listed. “Any of those ring a bell?” Aeris thought for a moment. Then, her mouth fell open.

 

“Oh my…god…” she whispered, staring at Rinoa. “You don't think…Cloud?”

 

“I just know what I know and what you're telling me,” Rinoa replied, holding up her hands. “Hey, you said he has a girlfriend, so no big deal right?”

 

“No big deal?” Aeris cried. “You're suggesting my boss has the hots for me! What if he…you know, starts harassing me or something, this is where court cases begin you know.”

 

“I've met the guy, Cloud's not that kind of guy,” Rinoa said.

 

“Well, okay. But what if…maybe he wants me to be his mistress or something! Or maybe he and Tifa are swingers, I don't know their personal lives that well!”

 

“Now you're going insane,” Rinoa observed. Aeris calmed down and bit her lip.

 

“We work together, even if…even if he wasn't attached, nothing could happen,” she said.

 

“That depends, do you want something to happen?”

 

“What kind of question is that, he has girlfriend and I'm not going to be a man stealer.”

 

“Well, let's say his girlfriend just up and left him,” Rinoa pushed. Aeris rolled her eyes.

 

“…I guess, maybe, if he wasn't attached, but we're not dealing with the what ifs.”

 

“Funny, because that's all you could talk about a minute ago.” Rinoa looked at her watch. “I think your lunch is almost over, I'm gonna split.”

 

“You're gonna leave me alone with Cloud?” Aeris cried. Rinoa turned to her and winked.

 

“You're a big girl,” she teased. Aeris looked down at her nearly finished lunch and let out a breath. In the hall, Rinoa pushed the button for the elevator, and waited. The doors slid open, and she burst into a grin.

 

“Cloud!” she said, causing the blond to raise his head.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Tell me, Aeris…think she's cute?” Rinoa asked. Cloud's face went red, and he swallowed.

 

“Uh, um…yeah, I guess. Why?”

 

“Oh, no reason,” Rinoa replied, stepping back and extending her arm into the hall. “Come on, I gotta go.” Cloud stepped out of the elevator and gave Rinoa an odd look. The brunette slipped into the elevator and gave Cloud a two-fingered wave. As the doors closed, Rinoa giggled.

 

“Oh yeah, he's got it bad,” she thought aloud.

 

Cloud walked past the lunch room, and stopped and took a step back. Aeris was looking for something in the fridge.

 

“Aeris?”

 

“Ah!” Aeris jumped up and turned to stare at him, brushing her hair from her face. “Oh, um…yes?” Cloud blinked. He'd never seen Aeris do that before.

 

“Just making sure it was you. Lunch is over soon,” he said.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Aeris nodded. Cloud thought for a moment. Something was wrong.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah, fine, fine…you?”

 

“Fine.”

 

“Okay…good.”

 

“Yeah…” Cloud trailed off and the two shared a mutual stare of confusion before Cloud went down to the hall to his office. Back in the lunch room, Aeris sighed heavily as she set her milk down in the fridge and closed the door. Rinoa couldn't be right about Cloud, there was no way…wasn't there?