Chapter 10 - Inauguration Ball

I cleared my throat as I straightened my SeeD uniform jacket and skirt. I was a little bummed I couldn’t wear a formal again like the civilian girls, but right then I was more than thrilled to be wearing the actual uniform. So I did something I hadn’t done in days: I pinched myself. It hurt, and I giggled.

I felt as if an entire chapter of my life was coming to a close... No. No, it felt more like a novel. I had grown up so much, learned even more, and ventured more than I thought possible. Now it almost seemed like I had arrived at the final page. It was exciting and scary and sad at the same time. And I actually felt sorry to see it come. But then I thought of Zell and all the things that were possible. You know what? I wouldn’t change a minute of it. All the tears and fears and mistakes had been worth it.

Knock Knock Knock

"It’s open."

The door opened, followed immediately by Zell’s recognizable whistle. I shyly smiled and faced him. Zell still cut quite the picture in his SeeD uniform.

"You look as great as ever," I whispered.

Zell grinned as he stepped close. He touched me under the chin. "You look pretty fine yourself, Meg." My sheepish smile returned as he wrapped my arm around his, placing my hand in the crook of his elbow. "Come on. Let’s go knock ‘em dead."

"Okay," I whispered.

He led me out of my room and down the hall to the Quad. I could already hear the live orchestra playing one of Commander Squall’s favorite pieces, and it took me back to Zell’s graduation party two years before. I had watched the entire thing from the top of the stairs leading to the Quad, where I had been sitting on the top step ‘studying’. Of course, Zell hadn’t noticed me at all, but I blamed myself. There had been more than once that he’d come within greeting distance. But I had opted for silence, not wanting to bother him when he was trying to party and have fun.

Of course, all chances after that had been blown out of the picture when he and Commander Squall and Selphie had been sent on assignment. I hadn’t had another chance until giving him the Mega Phoenix, and I had even nearly botched that. I smiled and adjusted my hands on his arm as I stared at the floor and the steady rhythm of our feet side-by-side going clop-clop-clop and reverberating through the entire Garden. It sounded wonderful—No, it sounded more than wonderful. I just didn’t know the word. Très magnifique? I giggled.

Zell looked down at me with a smile. "Say, what’s so funny?"

I raised my eyes to meet his gaze. Those wonderful blue eyes. I shook my head. "Nothing really funny. I just like the sounds our feet make together." I looked away. "I’m remembering things, too."

"Things like what?"

"Oh, your graduation ball." My expression grew wide-eyed and serious as I met his gaze again. "I watched the entire party from the top steps, but I never once got up the nerve to say ‘hi’." My smile returned. "I can’t believe it was two years ago. It seems like forever and a day."

Zell’s face grew serious as he looked away. "Yeah. It kinda does, doesn’t it?"

I watched his profile a long time before moving my gaze back to the floor. I adjusted my hands around his arm. I wanted to say a lot of things, probably because it seemed like he was maybe a little bothered by something, but I didn’t know what to say or how to get him to say what he needed to say. I wasn’t even sure if he did need to say something. Well how are you going to know unless you ask him that?

I gave a slight shrug and asked, "Zell? Are you okay?" without looking up from the floor.

"Yeah, I just..." He submerged his left hand into the pockets of his dark slacks, and then he cleared his throat.

I looked over at him with a blink of surprise. I tugged him to a stop. "What’s the matter?"

Zell shook his head. "Nothin’, I just..." And he stalled a second time. This time he was able to pull a small box from the pockets of his slacks. He presented it to me with a simple, "Here."

I stared down at the blue velveteen and forgot to breathe. My hands released his arm and slowly reached out for it, trembling the entire route. Everyone knows what a velveteen box means... But I refused to hold that particular picture in my mind. I wasn’t going to think anything until I had the lid open and could see it for myself. So, I took the box with a gentle touch and very slowly opened it.

"Oh my gosh..." It wasn’t a ring, but it was the most beautiful pearl and gold heart necklace I’d ever seen. My eyes clouded with tears as I looked up at him. "Why?" was all I could ask.

One side of Zell’s lips tilted upward. "Because you deserve it. Because I saw it in Timber and thought you’d like it. Because... Because a lot of things." His smile wavered and disappeared as he leaned a bit forward. "You do like it, right? I can take it back if you don’t."

I looked back down at the necklace. "Like it?" I whispered in a tear-filled voice. I stepped forward to embrace him, pressing my cheek against his chest. "I love it..."

Zell’s arms encircled me as he released a relieved breath. "Whew. I’ve never bought stuff like that before, but the guy said you’d love it. Gave me a good deal, too. Just because I’m a SeeD. Course, I woulda bought it anyway, even if he didn’t." Zell cleared his throat. "Sorry. Kinda rambling like an idiot. Guess I was nervous."

My arms tightened around him, loving the fact that he was nervous, and then I pulled back. "Zell, I..." All I could do was stare up into his beautiful blue eyes, feel the warmth of his smile and the protection of his arms... and slightly shake my head with a tremulous smile.

"What?" he asked, uncertain.

I shook my head again, smiling this time, and then hugged him again.

"Oh," he said quietly. "Okay. Just as long as you like it."

I nodded against him. "I love it almost as much as I love you," I confessed in a tear-filled voice.

And I almost cringed at the confession. ‘Love’ was one of those words I didn’t like throwing around. But after saying it to Zell... something just felt right about it. I’d had a crush on him for the first year. Then, as I’d found out more about him and seen how dedicated he was to being a SeeD and the duty that came with it, I really started caring for him. Now, after these glorious two weeks of talking with him and being with him... I couldn’t think of another word to describe how I felt.

"Love." Zell repeated the word very carefully, and then he gently pushed me back. "You’ve never used that word before, Sally."

I didn’t raise my gaze from the necklace box I still held in my hands. I just silently shook my head.

Zell took the necklace box from my hands. "Sally."

I blinked the tears from my eyes, more came to replace them, and then slowly looked up. "Yes?" I whispered.

"You’ve never used that word before," he said again.

I barely nodded. "I know." And my voice was still just a whisper. "I just..."

"Yeah?" he pressed.

I lowered my gaze again. "I just don’t know what other word to use, Zell," I said softly, picking at my fingernail. "I can’t keep saying ‘I really, really like you’. I’d spend all my time saying ‘really’." And I giggled without meaning to.

I could almost feel Zell’s smile. "Dude. That rocks," he said.

I glanced up at him and immediately looked away. I pointed at his left hand. "C-Can I have my necklace back?"

"Oh! Duh. Sorry, Meg. Here. Lemme help."

Zell retrieved the necklace from the box, which he tucked into the inner pocket of his uniform jacket, and then directed me to turn around. I pulled my hair out of the way and closed my eyes with a smile as he fastened it, his warm fingers occasionally touching my skin and giving me tingles. Then he straightened the chain around my neck and turned me around, holding my upper arms with a gentle grip as he smiled down at me.

I lowered my gaze to the necklace as I held it between my fingers. "It’s so pretty. And look, it looks like it’s winking at me. In the light. See?" I glanced up to see if he saw it and flushed when I saw that he still looked at me. "You’re not looking," I scolded in a barely audible whisper.

"I am so." He caressed my cheek with a finger before lifting my chin. "You know, I don’t get about love and stuff like that, Sally, but... I mean, geez, I’ve never felt like this about any girl before. Do you think that might mean I’m in love with you, too?"

I wiped the tears from my cheeks with several sniffles. Then I smiled, barely able to see his serious expression through my tears. "Maybe," I whispered.

"Well... Well how do I find out? I can’t let you be the only one to say it."

I shook my head. "It’s okay. I don’t mind. I don’t want you to say it if you don’t know it’s true."

Zell’s expression darkened to frustration. "But I really like you, Sally. A lot. Remember what I said in the Training Center? About wanting to hang out with you and your dad and do all that stuff? That hasn’t gone away. And... And if love means I wanna do all that cool stuff with you... Or if it means I wanna make sure you’re okay and not getting hurt... If it means stuff like that, then maybe I do? Right?"

I nodded. "Maybe."

"Can I... Well, can I just say it?"

My smile wavered and vanished as I gave a little nod. Oh my gosh... "If you want," I whispered.

Zell’s frustration vanished, pushed aside by determination. "Okay. I will." He cleared his throat, adjusted his grip on my arms, set his stance, and then said, "Sally, I love you."

Fireworks and flowers burst across my field of vision, but then I saw something change in Zell’s expression. The determination and resolute set to his jaw and face softened to a smile that I hadn’t ever seen before. It... It made me see everything in a glow.

His hold on my arms gentled as his stance relaxed. "You’re so sweet it hurts, Sally, always giving me the benefit of the doubt and taking my teasing..." He gave a slight shake of his head and then said, "Damn straight I love you. And why the hell didn’t I say it before?"

I hiccupped on a tear as I blinked up at him, mouth covered by a trembling hand. Zell chuckled and reached out to pull my hand away. Behind it, my mouth desperately tried to work out a proper response. What that would have been I had no idea, but I tried to find it anyway.

"If I say it again, will you give me a kiss?" he asked, eyes twinkling.

The dam of words broke as I smiled and then giggled. "I’ll give you a kiss even without saying it again," I told him.

Zell’s face brightened with his grin. "Booya!"

(The End.)