Read After the Fact (Bookworms and Booya #2) Page 29

  ~*~*~

  I cleared my throat as I straightened my SeeD uniform jacket and skirt. I was a little sad I couldn’t wear a formal like the civilian girls, but right then I was more than thrilled to be wearing the actual uniform. Besides, I was going to be able to wear a formal next Saturday when Zell took me dancing at the hotel.

  Dancing. With Zell.

  I did something I hadn’t done in days: I pinched myself. It hurt, and I giggled.

  -knock-knock-knock-

  Taking in and releasing a deep breath, I straightened, called “It’s open,” and then turned to step into the main part of my room as the door opened.

  As usual, Zell looked spectacular in his uniform. “You look as handsome as ever,” I whispered.

  He grinned and stepped close. He caressed me under the chin. “You look pretty Booya! yourself, Sally.” I flushed, warm fuzzies attacking my poor mind as he wrapped my arm around his, placing my hand in the crook of his elbow. “SeeD blues.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Hot damn. Never seem ’em look so good.”

  I giggled, of course.

  Then Zell motioned to the door with a movement of his head. “Come on. Let’s go knock ’em dead.”

  “Okay,” I whispered.

  He led me out of my room and down the hall to the main corridor. As we made our way to the Quad, I could already hear the live orchestra playing one of Commander Squall’s favorite pieces. That took me back to Zell’s graduation party three 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 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.

  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. “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 looked over at him. “I watched the entire party from the top steps, but I never once got up the nerve to say ‘hi’.” My smile returned. “I’m so glad I finally did.”

  Zell’s familiar boyishly handsome smirk appeared then, giving me the good shivers and making me blush. “You telling me?”

  I softly laughed, resting my cheek against his arm as I stepped as close as I could without tripping us. I wish I didn’t have to share this night with anyone.

  “So, Doc gave the okay for next Saturday? She was all iffy about today, you know, but I’ve got all the reservations made and everything.”

  “Uh-huh. She said it was okay as long as I don’t do too much dancing tonight, and promise to not do too heavy of workouts with you over this next week. She was even nice and told Sub-Lt. Cmdr. Seifer that I would be in his office on Monday instead of this morning.”

  Zell chuckled. “You big wuss.”

  “Nuh-uh,” I complained softly. “He’s bigger than me.”

  He laughed this time, giving me the shivers and making me see stars. “Seif’s bigger than everybody.”

  I didn’t want to admit that he wasn’t bigger than Zack. Why? I knew Zell would have wanted the two to meet just to see what they would do. And Zack was the kind of guy who took things a lot differently than me, or even my dad. He, well, he was kind of abrupt on some things, and asked questions that probably shouldn’t have been asked. Then there was his sense of humor. Kind of, dry and sarcastic. A lot of it came from being an investigative journalist, I guess.

  We turned off the main corridor into the side hall that led to the Quad, the music growing louder as well as the sound of laughter and chatter. I released a deep breath. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to celebrate; I did. I just didn’t feel like being surrounded by a lot of people. But I really wanted to show off my Zell, too. He’d worked so hard on his dancing lessons, and I wanted him to impress everyone. You can be by yourself when you work out!

  “Did you hear that Quis brought Zone?”

  Blinking, I looked up. “Really?”

  “They got here right before it started.” Zell smirked. “You should see Z-man’s face. I think he’s going to be sick all over his tux.”

  “Oh I hope not. That would be so embarrassing for him, and he has a hard enough time as it is.”

  “Yeah. Those doctors really need to do something about his ulcers. He’s a mess.”

  I smiled. “Well, maybe now that Quistis is here with him, he’ll stop worrying so much about things.”

  “Tch! He’ll just worry about others. I swear. That guy needs to just lay back and relax. I mean, I can see being all serious when it comes to the gang problem Timber’s having since Galbadia pulled out and stuff, but over everything? Geez. He’s got a complex, and it’s not going to get better if he doesn’t cut himself some slack.”

  My smile softened as I watched Zell’s expression. He had gone off on a tangent, of course, talking of all the different things he would do about the gang problem, and this issue, and that difficulty while I could only stare and smile, occasionally sighing as I listened and thought to myself, How did I become Zell Dincht’s girlfriend while trying to remember what life had been like before.