6Aerith gave a gentle smile her way while she held Tifa's arm and tugged her inside the house, closing the door after them.
The flower girl continued her way upstairs, only stopping to greet Marlene sweetly, dragging her with the girl's dainty steps. When they entered the guest room, Aerith let go of her hand and sat on the bed. Both of them didn't utter a single word for a while but she found that she didn't like the silence between them. It made her uncomfortable.
The quiet gnawed at her insides. Guilt clawed at her heart. So she was the first one to break the ice.
"Aerith...what are you doing here?"
Her best friend didn't answer, she just smiled that sweet and comforting smile of hers as she patted the space next to her. Tifa contemplated for too brief of a moment before she hesitantly made her way and sat beside the flower girl.
The said girl took hold of her hand and gently squeezed it.
"I'm here because Barret called me and told me you were here and that you needed some girl talk." Her green eyes shone with concern. Tifa squeezed her hand back but remained at a loss for words.
"So, Tifa, what's wrong? Why did you disappear like that? Cloud was very worried about you."
Hearing his name come out of her lips made the shame increase tenfold.
Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you.
"I…" she started yet the words were still stuck in her throat.
But Aerith knew what she wanted to say. Somehow, the flower girl always knew everything.
"Tifa..remember when I said that the Lifestream gives me signs...signs when both people are not destined to be with each other? Who are not soulmates?"
Tifa made a little nod. Of course she remembered that. She remembered it and the words Aerith told her never left her mind.
"Well, the Lifestream gives me signs when a person denies their soulmate."
Tifa let a lone tear fall then.
The next thing she knew was that everything she had kept hidden deep inside her heart. All the insecurities and questions, poured out.
"Aerith. I'm so sorry."
"Whatever for?
"For...for what's happening. I..I know you love him. Love him with all your heart. I'm just...sorry."
"Tifa, I can't accept your apologies. Because you never did anything wrong in the first place."
"But Aerith! He loves you! And you love him and I can't help to think that I'm here as a distraction. I don't want to hurt you. You're too much of a good person to get hurt."
"Tifa. Look at me."
And Tifa looked straight into Aerith's emerald eyes.
"I'm not a saint. I can be selfish and insecure too. I have my fair share of misdeeds."
The flower girl now held both of her hands.
"I've experienced my happiness with him, Tifa. Yes, it hurt to separate. It hurt to end it. The only thing is that I don't regret ending it. If we both continued what we had. We'll hurt each other more and more."
Aerith wiped away the tears that were falling down on her cheek with her thumb.
"Do you know why? It's because we weren't meant to be. In the very beginning. What happened, what changed between us, it was never your fault. I'll bet you're just much of a victim as both him and me."
"Please don't think that you've stolen him away. Don't ever think that I will paint you as such. I always knew in my heart that it wouldn't work out in the long run. I was only denying the inevitable. Besides, I'm honestly and genuinely fine now."
"I..." Tifa interrupted. "I don't want you to think what you had with him was a mistake, Aerith. I don't want you to downplay what you had because in those years. I knew what you had was real. I know he loves you. More than I will ever be with him."
A heartfelt laughter came upon her best friend.
"Tifa, I promise you I will never think of it as a mistake. And even though what we had was real, even though he loved me..it ended Tifa. We can't change that. He will always have a place in my heart, just like you have yours in mine. And I think...I found my soulmate years ago. And he never left his place inside of me. He took a piece forever."
Aerith sniffed.
"So please, don't do this to yourself okay? I've had my happiness. It's time you had yours. I would like you to stop thinking that you're this insignificant person with no worth. Someone who thinks of herself as a person who can't be loved by somebody. As someone who wouldn't be enough. I will hit you with my staff if you keep thinking that to yourself."
For the first time in days, Tifa smiled a genuine smile. She laughed and threw her arms at this girl who she loved very much.
"Thank you so much, Aerith. Thank you. I love you."
The flower girl gave a laugh again as she embraced her back.
"I love you too, you silly girl. Just remember, Tifa, that it had always been you."
Tifa didn't seem to fully understand the flower girl's sentence as she relished in her embrace and shared each other's tears
For the rest of the day, both girls lay in the bed and shared stories of their lives. Sad and happy alike. They laughed. They cried. And gave each other comfort.
Tifa will be forever thankful for her kindred spirit.
The weight on Tifa's shoulders eased ever so slightly...yet some insecurities will always remain.
Haunting.
She was back in Edge.
Once she was settled back in, Tifa opened the bar for business, she couldn't help but miss her bar and her patrons. It was busier than ever as she concludes that her patrons missed having a quiet bar to drink at.
The day went by in a blur of her tending the bar and as closing time neared, she was beginning to tire. Her movements slowed down as a result of her exhaustion, she couldn't wait to lie down on her bed.
As she was cleaning up, the bells chimed signaling a newcomer has entered the premises. However, the bar was already closed for the day, she tilted her head up and warned,
"I'm sorry but the bar's—-" The words were cut halfway as she gaped at the figure standing by the door.
Cloud was looking intensely at her from where he stood and for Gaia knows how many minutes, they just gazed at each other's eyes. Blue and red clashed yet the hint of longing was evident in both.
He rubbed the back of his neck before he made his way to her, never disconnecting their gazes from one another. As soon as he was at arms length, Cloud stopped in front of her.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"Uhm, Tifa...can we...can we talk?"
She wanted to think about it but decided against the idea. She avoided him and the issue at hand for too long. It needed to be addressed. Once and for all.
Besides, she knew this was going to happen sooner or later. And she was done running away from him. She couldn't do so if she tried because she knew she would always gravitate towards him.
"Okay..but let me, let me finish cleaning the glasses first. Wait for me in one of the booths."
She knew she was buying time. Stalling as the overdue talk loomed around them. She stole a glance at him and saw how he was patient. How ready he seemed to be and that relieved her of sorts. The last glass was put away and she took unhurried steps to the booth where he sat.
It was finally time.
When she sat on the other side, facing him, they didn't really say anything for the first few seconds.
"Tifa.."
Her eyes roamed his face before finally settling on his ocean eyes. She wanted to drown in them. Wanted to drown in him. Her breath hitched though, as she saw
something in those eyes.
Saw love in them. Was she seeing things? Or was she just refusing to see it all this time?
And her defenses crashed all the way down.
Words flew right out of her mouth before she knew it. Words that she told Barret. Words that she said to Aerith.
It all came pouring down in this moment.
Tears were freely flowing at each raw weakness that she showed. Some were harder to say but she said it nonetheless.
She needed this. He needed to know. They needed it.
She didn't mind his arms pulling her into a hug (when did he sit beside her?) and took comfort in it. Held his arms to steady herself.
He held her as she sat there speaking the secrets she held in her for so long.
He didn't really love her.
Shame.
Second best.
Everything. She let out everything. And as the words slowly died and her throat scratched from use.
She felt wetness in her shoulder and realized that Cloud was crying too. Her heart swelled and she heard him speak.
Cloud tried to calm his nerves as he searched his brain for the things to say. It hurt him, deeply hurt him, to listen to Tifa crying out what her heart held for so long.
It made him guilty. It made him regret the times that he had cowered in fear.
Yet, this moment made him fall in love with her more.
His tears were falling in sync with hers and maybe it was because they were connected in a way like that.
They were soulmates.
He lifted his head off her shoulder and cupped her face with his hand.
He began to speak,
"I'm sorry, Tifa. I've made you wait for a long time. Are you willing to give this a chance? I'm scared too but we'll get through this together. I'm here to wait for you. As long as you need me to be. You waited enough and now it's my turn to show you."
It surprised him that the words flowed smoothly. Maybe he didn't need to think so hard because they came out naturally from his heart.
"I cherished what happened with Aerith, I loved her too, was happy during those times. Yet, something was amiss. The excitement slowly died down between us. It was just that, I didn't want to hurt her. So I took a blind eye. However, the longer the relationship went, I realized that it wasn't fair for Aerith. Or me. Or you. I was scared. Afraid of what would happen.
Because I realized that, Tifa, from the very start…
It was you.
It was you all along.
And I've just been too blind and too dumb to see it. To deny what it was.
I'll say this. And I'm going to say this to you. Forever if I have to. I'm not going to lie to myself anymore.
Please accept these words Tifa. Accept me. Accept the inevitable change our relationship will go through. Because I can't help it anymore. Can't deny it any longer."
And Cloud poured every ounce of love and affection and comfort, showed it in his eyes. In his body language. In everything that he was.
Because that was what this means.
His whole being belonged to her. Screamed for her. He was the embodiment of his love for her.
He pressed his lips onto hers, short but painfully, painfully sweet and genuine. He badly wanted to show her how deeply and truly he loved her. No amount of words can show that. He needed to try though.
He needed her to know out loud.
"I love you. Very much."
And he would make sure that she was reminded of that every day. Would make sure time wasn't wasted.
He wanted to live the remainder of his life and he wanted to live it with her.
Tifa cried harder.
Finally...finally...she thought that it was enough. She believed him.
Happiness is here and once again, she would let it into her heart.
He was and will always be her soulmate after all.
Suddenly her heart wasn't as bruised as it had been.
Again, big thanks to theClosetPoet7 for inspiring me. For writing amazing fics!
