~*~*~
I stepped back from my computer desk in my room, staring at the diploma newly framed and hung on the wall. Sally Regal; SeeD; Rank 8; Martial Arts Specialist; Instructor Selphie Tilmitt. Both Commander Squall Leonhart and Headmaster Cid had signed the bottom. I sniffed and felt Zell’s arm go around my shoulders to give me a squeeze.
“This is so cool,” I whispered, knowing that I would cry if I said it any louder.
“Congrats, Sally. You worked your butt off for that.”
I looked over at Zell with a soft smile. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” My heart choked off the words as he looked down at me. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a tight squeeze. “Thank you, Zell,” I whispered. “Thank you so much.”
“No prob, Sally,” he said quietly. “I’m glad I could help.”
I sighed and closed my eyes, my arms still around him and his still around me. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the world, but I knew my folks were waiting in Balamb. I sighed and pushed back, looking up to meet his gaze. “I guess we better grab our stuff and go.”
Zell wiggled his eyebrows at me. “I know what I wanna grab.”
I flushed and gently pushed at him. “Zell Dincht,” I giggled with a mock frown. “You always want to grab or pinch or--or something.”
Zell’s face grew serious as he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “You gotta problem with that?”
I withheld a laugh as I put fists on hips. “No. Why would I?”
Zell’s mouth dropped open as his arms went to his sides. Then he laughed. “I never thought you’d say that.”
“Well, it’s true. After three years of being a watcher”--I gave a shrug as I gripped my hands behind my back and tapped at the floor with the toe of my sneaker--“It’s nice to actually have your attention. Even if it does embarrass me close to death sometimes.”
Zell didn’t say anything, so I cautiously raised my eyes for a quick glance to his face. He smiled, arms crossed again.
I flushed darker and whispered, “What?”
“I never thought--” Zell shook his head. “Dude, Sally. You treat me like I ‘get’ stuff. Do you have any idea what that feels like?”
My eyes widened. “But why wouldn’t I treat you like that? You’re smart.”
He chuckled. “I don’t know about ‘smart’, Sally. I do a lot of stupid things.”
I shrugged. “So? We all do. Why should you be any different?”
Zell laughed. Then his laugh melted to the most glorious smile I’d ever seen. He stepped closer. “You make me feel ten feet tall, Sally. How do you do that?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
He continued to stare down at me with that same boyish and lopsided smile. “Sally.” He closed his mouth and then shook his head. “Don’t even know what I want to say.” So he just kept staring down at me with the same twinkling expression. I flushed molten and lowered my gaze to the floor, but Zell placed a finger under my chin to gently lift my head with a, “Nuh-uh. I wanna see that face.” One side of Zell’s lips twitched upward. “Man,” he said quietly. “You’ve got to be the sexiest person I know.”
Then he lowered his head and caressed my lips with his.
I’d never been kissed like that before. In fact, I never knew a kiss could be so gentle, tender, and completely moving. But Zell’s kiss made me cry. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because it felt like a promise. Maybe because he’d said all the right things. Maybe because Zell Dincht kissed Sally Regal. It could have been all of those, or none of them. All I knew was that I was falling in love with him, and his kiss made me hope he might have been falling in love with me, too.
And wouldn’t that have been a dream come true?
Zell raised his head then, and I very slowly opened my eyes. Warm fuzzies had completely overrun my life.
“Now I get why Squall risked his ass for Rinoa,” he said in a low tone.
I choked on a sob of happiness and threw myself against him. The romantic in me wouldn’t let me do anything less.
His arms tightened around me. “Okay. So I ‘get’ girls. I guess Ma was right; I just needed to find the right one.”
The right one. I leaned back and raised my gaze to his. “Zell, could you be any more perfect?”
He grimaced. “Geez, Sally. There’s no way I’m perfect. I screw up all the time.”
I smiled up at him. “Yeah, well, so do I. I just finally got something right.”
“And what was that?”
“Actually talking to you,” I said softly.
His lips twitched, and then he laughed and stepped back to take me by the hand. “Come on, Meg. If you keep looking at me like that I know I’m gonna do something that’ll get me slapped.”
I giggled with a “Zell!” and then let him pull me from the room.
He grabbed my bag and his where they rest by the door, and then we laughed and joked our way to the main corridor. The day couldn’t have gotten any better. Of course, I was still in the throes of wonder and amazement of the first week of a new relationship. Everything would be seen as perfect even if it wasn't. Hopefully reality wouldn’t hit until I was thirty and we were married with three kids.
I laughed.
“What?” Zell asked.
I flushed and shook my head. “Nothing.”
“What d’ya mean nothing? I know that look, Meg. You gotta tell me.”
I shook my head again with another laugh. “No way. This’ going to be a secret.”
“Aw man. And it’s probably a good one, too.”
I gave his hand a squeeze as we made our way out the front gate. “It’s all right, but I’ve had better.” Not recently.
“Fine. If you’re not gonna tell me that one, than you’ve gotta tell me a different one.”
“A secret?” I asked with a wide-eyed glance his direction. “How come?”
“Because,” Zell said, serious, “girlfriend/boyfriend have to have secrets. It’s a rule.”
“It is?” I’d never heard the rule before, but I’d never had a boyfriend either.
“Sure. Ask anyone. You’re not true girlfriend/boyfriend unless you have a secret. It shows trust.”
“It does?” And for some reason I had an inkling Zell pulled my leg. “Oh.” Oh why not? “Okay, well, um.” I wrinkled my nose, and then I smiled as I looked over at him. Then the smile disappeared. “No. That’s not a secret. Hm.” I frowned and looked away again. A secret? Has anyone told me any secrets? I didn’t recall any. There were just the secrets that I had revolving around Zell and my ‘three year relationship’ with him. I looked back over at him; his expression was patient expectation. “I don’t have any secrets. Well, not really.”
“That’s okay,” Zell said, matter-of-fact. “Just tell me something you haven’t told anyone else. That’ll be good enough.”
I still had a feeling he joked with me, but it was kind of fun. I think. I smiled. “Okay, well, I have a birthmark on the back of my leg”--I pointed to the back of my thigh up toward my right butt cheek--“that looks kind of like a bird or bat or something.”
He grinned and stopped. “Really? Cool! Lemme see!”
I stepped away, mouth gaping and eyes wide. “Zell! I can’t show it to you now!”
“How come?”
I blinked. “ ‘How come?’ Because I can’t pull my pant leg up that high, that’s ‘how come’!”
He pointed at my jeans. “Just pull them down.”
“What?” I put my fists on my hips, fighting the laughter I felt coming. “Zell Dincht! I can’t believe you!”
He grinned. “Hey. It was worth a shot.”
I slapped at him, ducking away from his retaliation and poking him in the side. He grabbed, but I moved away with a squeal and a laugh as I ran ahead—Next thing I knew, I blinked up into Zell’s worried expression.
“Geez! You OK?”
Zell helped me sit up. I put a hand up to my throbbing head. “What happened?”
He gestured a couple feet behind us. “You hit a pothole and tumbled head first.” He gently touched a section of my forehead with a wince. “That’s one helluva goose-egg you’ve got there.” Zell met my gaze. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
“I do feel a little woozy,” I admitted reluctantly.
“Damn.” He released a deep breath and gestured back toward Garden. “I better take you to the Infirmary.”
My lips tilted downward. “Can’t we go on to Balamb? They’ve got a clinic there, don’t they?”
“Sally, you can’t walk all the way to Balamb,” he said as he gathered me up in his arms. “Not with that bump on your head. We’ve got to get you to the infirmary.” Zell carefully stood. “Man, it’s all my fault.”
I shook my head, immediately winced and said “ouch”, and then wrapped my arms around his neck. “It isn’t your fault, Zell. You didn’t put the pothole there.”
He reluctantly smiled. “I didn’t say I did.”
“Then how’s it your fault? Accidents happen.” I giggled, doing my best to ignore the splitting headache. “Especially to me. I’m not always coordinated.”
“Tch! I’ve seen you move, Sally. You’re as coordinated as they come.”
I smiled up at him, really loving the fact that my ‘knight in shining armor’ carried me back to Garden without complaint.
Zell glanced down at me and then smirked. “Now don’t get all mushy on me, Meg,” he warned. “I can’t make-out and walk and carry you at the same time.”
I flushed and giggled as I moved my gaze to the road. “Sorry.”
He adjusted his hold. “Well, so much for today.” He released a quick sigh. “This totally sucks.”
I crossed my ankles. “Not from my perspective.”
Zell laughed. “I guess you hit your head harder than I thought.”
My smile widened as I glanced over at him. “Nuh-uh.” I very carefully rested my head against him. “I just like seeing the romantic in every tragedy. That’s what comes from working in a library.”
“Hm. Never thought of it that way.”
I giggled and carefully raised my head to meet his gaze. I pointedly ignored the spots in my vision and the throbbing in my head. “You’re so cute.”
Smiling at first, the minute Zell’s eyes focused on the bump he winced. “Geez. It’s getting bigger. Are you sure you feel OK? You’re not nauseous or anything?”
I would have shaken my head, but I knew the pain would have blacked me out. “It throbs a little, but I’ll be fine.”
He smirked. “I don’t believe you.” Then he shook his head. “You’re one tough cookie sometimes, Meg.”
I smiled and rested my head against him again. “Well, what good would whining about it do? You’re taking me to the Infirmary,” I said, matter-of-fact. “You can’t do anything but that.” I closed my eyes--and no, I didn’t feel sleepy--and released a deep breath. “But if you want me to be honest so that you know what to tell Dr. Kadowaki, I see spots in my vision, I have a splitting headache, and I’m afraid that if I shake my head I’ll black out.”
I could almost hear Zell’s grimace.
“Geez,” he muttered. “OK, well, just don’t go to sleep.”
“I’m not sleepy.”
“Good.”
I snuggled myself closer, smiling the entire way through the Garden’s front gate, through the main corridor, and to the Infirmary.
“Yo, doc! You in here?” Zell called as he stepped further in.
Dr. Kadowaki came out of her office. “Oh my goodness! What happened?”
“We were walking to Balamb and she tripped and hit her head.”
I opened my eyes and focused on Dr. Kadowaki’s concerned expression. I still smiled. “The spots are gone, doctor, but I still have a splitting headache.”
Dr. Kadowaki motioned Zell to one of the treatment rooms to his right. “Bring her in here.”
I closed my eyes again, soaking up Zell’s strength and warmth. Who cares about plans being ruined? I’ve got my diploma. My parents are in Balamb and can easily drive here, and Zell Dincht is my boyfriend. I sighed.
“Stay with me, girl,” Dr. Kadowaki urged as Zell laid me down on the bed.
I opened my eyes with a slight smile and wince. “I’m fine, doctor. Well, I mean I’m not sleepy. My head hurts like the dickens, but I’m not nauseous or anything.”
Zell pulled a chair up beside my bed and sat, leaning forward to grip my hand. “She’s a trooper, doc. A real trooper.”
Dr. Kadowaki smiled as she started doing the external examination of my head and eyes. “Yes, well that’s nothing I hadn’t already known, Mr. Dincht.”
“Huh? What’re you talking about?”
Dr. Kadowaki sent Zell a quick look before continuing the exam. “I can’t believe you haven’t told him, Sally.”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” I said. And it wasn’t. Really.
“What,” Zell pressed. “Come on, Sally. You can’t do this to me.”
Dr. Kadowaki met my gaze. “I need to go get the equipment ready for your scan, Sally. I suggest you tell him.” She lifted her chin in a silent protest when I opened my mouth to speak. “I understand it wasn’t a big issue to you,” she said, “and that is why you should tell him. You’re not looking for sympathy, and we understand that. So just tell him.”
I released the words in a deep breath. Then I gave a slight nod, immediately followed by a cringe. “I will.”
“Good girl. I’ll be right back.” She left the room.
I cleared my throat and looked over at Zell. His eyes were bigger than normal, and his expression was total and complete confusion. I cleared my throat again and moved my gaze to his hand holding mine. “You remember when Commander Squall and you and Rinoa hurried here from the prison to try and save Garden from the missiles?”
“Sure. That was when you gave me the Mega-Phoenix. That was when we found out Garden could move.”
I nodded. “Right. Well--” Again, I cleared my throat “--Remember afterward? When Galbadia, you know?”
“When the soldiers attacked?” Zell prompted.
I shook my head while sending several glances toward Zell and his curious and almost wary expression. “No. I kinda got hurt when, well, when their Garden rammed us.”
“What? How?”
My thumb absently began rubbing his hand. “Um, I don’t really remember. I blacked out and, well, I was here in the infirmary for a lot of weeks after that.”
Zell stared down at me wide-eyed. “With what?” he asked quietly.
“Um, uh, broken ribs and a broken collar bone. Dislocated hip.” I cleared my throat. “Collapsed lung,” I added with a whisper and a glance his direction. Among other things.
Zell actually paled. Then he whispered, “Damn, Sally. Why didn’t you say anything?”
I gave a careful shrug, finally raising my eyes to meet his gaze. “What was there to say? It wasn’t your fault I got hurt.” I shrugged again. “Things like that happen.”
He leaned forward. “Things like that don’t ‘happen’, Sally. Geez. You coulda died!”
I blinked up at him. Then I smiled. “With Dr. Kadowaki treating me? Nah.”
He stared down at me with an expression of shock and disbelief before shifting his gaze to at our clasped hands. “Damn, Sally. I mean, what the hell! Is that why you started gymnastics? To get back in shape and work on your coordination and stuff? Part of your recovery?”
I wrinkled my nose. “No. I was into that before.”
“So, you just, you just got better and went back to ‘life as normal’?” he asked incredulously.
I giggled. “What else was I supposed to do? Sit around feeling sorry for myself? What for? I was fine. Sure I have problems breathing sometimes, my lung isn’t 100%, but I never let it stop me doing what I need for class or whatever.”
Zell shook his head again, lowering his hand from his neck with a thwump onto the bed as he looked at me. “You’re incr
edible. You’re a kitten that’s as tough as nails. You’re a brain who kids around with me, the Garden clown. You’re a—Damn, girl. You’re awesome.”
I moved my gaze to my right hand as it picked at the sheets. “It’s not a big deal,” I mumbled.
“Not a big deal? You’d probably just gotten out of recovery when you gave me that Combat King! And now? Other girls would be totally milking it!”
I looked over at him. “Nuh-uh. We’re not whiny babies, you know.”
“Damn straight you’re not,” he agreed with a serious expression and a curt nod. He stood and leaned over to give me a kiss on the forehead. Then he sat back down and caressed my hairline with a finger as he smiled at me. “Damn straight you’re not.”
I smiled, and everything after that was a blur.