When You and I Collide

25) The Date

~Snow's POV~ DOUBLE UPDATE TODAY!

          Tifa seems different. She acts too careful around me. She won't talk to me unless in a quiet voice or she won't talk at all. Yuffie is out most of the time because the tension is driving her mad. Not that I'm helping, I just sit here and go over all of my memories with Serah, both happy and sad. And sadly I've come to find that the happiness is there but more like a dream than a reality. The sadness doesn't ache as much. The feeling of having less emotion makes me want to hide in a dark room and just cry. I'm weak, no strength left to fight the world anymore.

        But that's still not the reason it hurts. It's not the fact that I won't ever see her again. It's not that our home is gone. It's not even that all our hard work to save the planet and Serah was a complete waste now. It's that I'm causing such a beautiful, perfect person hurt without even having to try. Not that I would try. She's so strong, independent, innocent. Like Serah and then again not. A different taste of the world, a picture at a different angle. Life can look better, or it can look worse, depending on how the painting of living was painted. But I'm no artist, and my canvas is splotched with random colors and marred with burns and cuts. Duct tape doesn't fix everything, it seems. A temporary solution to a permanent problem. Maybe it's time to forget the tape and reach for the super glue.

          The door behind me opens silently and I know it can only be one person. Better now than never.

"Tifa," I turn to look at her. She pauses and glances at me, her nervousness obvious.

"Tifa as in me? Like, me Tifa?" She stutters.

"Who else?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Oh. Right. Did you, um, need something?" I shrug and break away the uncomfortable eye contact.

"I, uh.... I'm sorry." She looks up, surprised.

"For what?"

"Putting you through this."

"You didn't..."

"Is there any way to make it up to you?" I cut her off before she can try to take the blame like always.

"You don't have to make anything up to me," she lays a hand on my shoulder. I look up, a look of defiance on my face. Cmon Snow, don't be such a baby.

"A date maybe then?"

"Besides, I... What?" She blinks at me.

"Does that word not exist here?" I wonder out loud.

"It does," she blushes and looks down.

"It's just that since Reeve hasn't sent us anywhere yet and we don't have anything to do, so I just thought..." I ramble on.

"Sure, why not?" She smiles at me softly. Then get smile fades. "You're sure?" Huh?

"What is that supposed to mean?" I frown.

"Well you know, Serah and all..." She trails off carefully.

"I can't hang onto the past forever," I shake my head. "Tonight at seven then. You'll have to show me around, unless you want to get lost for the evening."

"Alright," she laughs.

"Right. Uh, tonight then," I blink down at my baggy pants.

"Right," she nods, patting my shoulder gently before searching for something in her bag. Oh, right. She obviously didn't come in here for me. She grips something in one fist before sending me one more smile and leaving.