Those Eyes Book One-Complete

Day Thirteen

Sephiroth POV

Our rental cottage is on a private beach owned by ShinRa. Only ShinRa employees and their guests can use it. It's a very nice beach.

"Hey, um, Sephiroth? Is our cottage supposed to only have two rooms?" Aerith asks me when we arrive.

"What?" I question, confused. I go and check for myself. Indeed, there are only two bedrooms, each with a single king-sized bed.

"Zack and I can take one room..."

We both look at Sam. She blushes darkly. "I'll...um...take the couch..."

"No, you can have the bed. I'll take the couch," I interject.

"You're too big for the couch."

"No, I'm not."

Sam gives me a stubborn look. "I'm taking the couch and that's final."

"Fine," I relent. She shouldn't have to.

"Great! Now that that's settled, let's hit the beach!" Aerith declares, grabbing Zack's hand and pulling him out the door.

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Sam POV

I spread out my towel on the sun-warmed sand before pulling my dress over my head to reveal my black and white tankini underneath. I had to do a little rush shopping last night, and this was the only swimsuit that I liked, but it's still a little too low cut for my tastes and reveals my scars.

Sephiroth is sitting under one of the huge beach umbrellas, book in hand and still fully dressed. Zack is next to him, looking dismal. Aerith, on the other hand, is wading into the water, wearing a cute pink one piece.

"What're you reading?" I ask Sephiroth, startling him.

He shoves the book into a beach bag quickly. "Nothing."

I snatch the bag from him. He jumps to his feet, knocking down the umbrella, "hey!"

Laughing, I dash away, and he chases after me. I don't get far before he grabs me around the waist and lifts me into the air. "Give it back!"

"No!" I say, clutching the bag tight to my chest. Then, I pull the book out and drop the bag back on his face. "Fine, here you go."

He sets me down, oblivious to the fact that I still have the book. He grabs the bag and stomps back to the umbrella, which Zack fixed. I stand there and watch as he sits down, looks in the bag, and discovers that the book is gone.

Sephiroth looks to where I'm still standing. I hold up the book tauntingly. A small smile spreads across his face as he jumps to his feet again to restart the chase. A laugh escapes my lips as I attempt to get away, but he soon catches me again.

This time, he carries me back with him. Still holding the book, I struggle vainly against his muscular arms. He plops down back under the umbrella with me on his lap.

I look at the title of the book. "101 Tips for Dating?"

He shrugs. "My previous source for dating advice has become a sullen lump."

"I heard that," Zack grumbles.

"Hey, I'd be feeling pretty depressed if I just lost someone I care about a lot, too," I say, frowning at Sephiroth. "Try to be more sensitive."

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Sephiroth POV

That night, I lie awake for a while. I'm not used to sleeping in such a big bed. Plus, Zack is snoring loudly in the next room.

Suddenly, I hear a noise from the living room. Cautiously, I step out of my room and into the hallway. The moon shines through a large window, shedding light on a small figure curled up on the floor. Sam. She must've fallen off the couch.

Sam whimpers and curls up tighter. Carefully, I crouch next to her and scoop her into my arms. "Sam...wake up."

Another whimper escapes her lips, and she begins to tremble in my arms.

"Sam," I say a little louder.

Her eyes shoot open. "No!"

"Shh, it was only a nightmare. I get them, too."

Sam leans into me, still trembling a little. "Sephiroth...I've had them...since I was six...once, when I was helping my parents out in our garden...a monster attacked us and killed them both...it almost killed me, too, before the other villagers came to help..."

She pulls the collar of her pajama top down to reveal three long, thin, jagged scars across her collar bone and right above her heart.  They are pretty faint, but they seen to shine in the pale moonlight. I didn't notice them earlier when she was wearing her swimsuit.

"Ever since, I've been terrified of monsters...and I get these nightmares about them almost every night."

She's really scared of them if  they've haunted her for fourteen years. I wish there was something I could do...

"Can I...sleep with you?" she asks slowly, flushing darkly.

"If that's what you want," I reply, scooping her into my arms and carrying her into the bedroom bridal style.

"I could've walked, you know..."

"I-"

A loud snore from the other bedroom cuts me off, and we both stifle a laugh. "Definitely Zack."

We crawl under the covers. Sam curls up against me with her head on my chest. Before long, she's fast asleep. I tuck a strand of her purple hair behind her ear before also giving in to the lull of sleep.