you." She turned on me. I took a startled step backward. "Keep a better security lock on your terminal, Miss Regal, so that not every schmuck can walk in off the street and get into the Network."
Zell stepped between us. "Quis, back off. It was all me."
"Yeah, and I suppose the whole thing yesterday was you, too?"
"What're you talking about?"
Quistis made a disgusted face. "You really are dense, aren't you?"
I scowled and stepped out from behind Zell. "He is not," I retorted.
Quistis pelted my assurance with that flashing gaze, but I held it. "Oh, and this from the one who's been stalking him for years but won't say she's secretly in love with him? Yeah. That's rich."
I paled.
Zell's arms dropped to his sides and he took a startled step backward. "Wha?"
Quistis scoffed again. "Worry about your own love-life before butting into mine, Dincht." She stalked off.
I felt the cascade of tears gather, but I fought them back. The hand of dread closed around my throat was tougher to get rid of. Especially when Zell turned to face me. I couldn't meet his eyes, so I kept them on the ground as I wrung my hands.
Zell leaned slightly forward. "Sally?"
My eyes misted. The whole thing's ruined. "Y-Yeah?"
"You like me?"
"I-I like you." It wasn't supposed to go this way!
"'Like' as in...." He cleared his throat. “Like like?”
I sniffed, wiping my nose with my sleeve. "As in crush. As in ‘girlfriend / boyfriend'. As in an amorous infatuation," I choked out.
"Really?"
The tone in Zell's voice made it sound like he'd never thought it possible for a girl to feel that way. I wiped at my eyes and nose and face with my hands when I felt the tears start to escape my tattered hold. I nodded, still not able to lift my gaze from my feet. "You're so cute and good and I adore the way you try to be nice to everyone, even Seifer, and how you help everyone before they even ask..."
I covered my face with my hands. You have to say it all, Sally! I lowered my hands to finally look up at him. He'd straightened again, leaning slightly back as he watched me with an expression of shock. "I've liked you since that time I saw you in class when I was sixteen." And I had to admit that even though I sounded really pathetic, the confession must have lifted about five tons from my shoulders.
Zell looked this way and that, as if he were trying to find someone to rescue him, and then leaned forward again. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"Sooner?" I choked out as I wiped more tears from my face. "Me? I didn't even want to ask you for help on the Fire Cavern, remember? I freaked when I thought I couldn't get you hot dogs. I-I couldn't even get m-myself to tease you at first." My voice broke.
Zell moved forward, putting his hands out in front of him in an almost pleading gesture. "Sally, come on. Don't cry. It's OK."
I backed up. "No, it's not." My voice hiccupped with tears.
Zell stayed where he was, lowering his arms to his sides. "Sure it is. So you're shy. It's not a crime. At least you told me, right?"
I sniffed and covered my face again to keep from seeing his eyes. "Just tell me and get it over with. Please."
"Tell you what? That I like you, too? That I think you're cool? That I wanna go out more?"
"That's not funny," I sobbed.
"Who says I'm joking?"
I sucked in my breath and blinked, slowly lowering my hands from my face. His eyes were clear and honest. No grin. Just a serious expression. "What?" I choked out as a wave of dizziness began to threaten.
Then the grin came, making his eyes twinkle. "What d'ya mean ‘what'? Dontcha think a guy like me would wanna date a girl like you?"
"N-No." The wave started to rise, and I brought a hand up to my forehead as my footing wobbled. "I-I don't feel so good."
"Geez. You better sit down." Zell took a gentle hold of my arm to help me sit on my stone rather than fall. Then he sat close beside me, a hand on my back keeping me from toppling. "Just take it easy. Breathe. There ya go."
I closed my eyes. I made the confession of a lifetime, and he likes me too? Zell wants to go out with me? Do things like that happen? I opened my eyes to the view of his knee beside mine. I think I'm going to hurl.
Zell's free hand suddenly started searching the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt. "Maybe you need to eat something. I think I have a candy bar--yeah. Here it is." He held out a candy bar with peanuts and nougat and caramel. "Try and eat a little of this."
My stomach lurched. I shook my head again. "I'm not hungry," I mumbled. The world started to spin a little less.
"You sure?"
I gave a slight nod.
Zell tucked the candy bar away. Then he gave my back a couple of rubs. I closed my eyes again. This can't be happening.
"Guess I need to practice on that part a little," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice. "Oh well. I did better than Quis did with Zone, or with Squall. Heh heh heh," he chuckled. "Now that was funny. I know I wasn't there, but Squall tells a pretty good story. I can almost see the whole sad little thing."
Somehow I could feel him look over at me, but my mind was stuck on that one glorious phrase. ‘Dontcha think a guy like me would wanna date a girl like you?' I had no idea. I hadn't wanted to hope. Who likes having their fantasies ripped from them like that? I know I certainly didn't.
"Sally, are you gonna be okay?"
It was the first time in the world I'd heard my name said like that. What made it so much better was that I knew who'd said it, I knew I wasn't dreaming, and I knew I'd finally told him. I gave a slight nod as I wiped away another tear. "I'll be fine," I whispered.
Zell gave my back another gentle rub, followed by several more. "Sorry about all this," he said. "I was gonna say something yesterday, but I wanted to talk to Ma first, her being a girl and all. Wanted to make sure I wasn't nuts."
This time I looked over at him, my stomach and heart competing with flips and leaps of joy and disbelief. "Nuts? How could I not like you? You're... you're... you're Zell!"
Zell's ears flushed pink as he chuckled, momentarily meeting my eyes. "I know I'm not the best with girls, Sally." He shrugged and glanced toward me again. "I just take things too slow, I guess. You know? Take things as they go."
"B-But." My eyes continued to watch his profile once he'd looked away again. "B-But you're not too slow," I said in a choked voice. "Zell," I hiccupped through my tears, "you're just right for me. I would've never said anything if you hadn't kept fooling around and being the way you are. I-I never t-take things as they go. I always think t-too much. You made me do this."
Zell sent me occasional glances. "And you did good, Meg. I've had a lot of fun the past few days, cutting loose and being myself. Knowing I wasn't gonna catch any flak because of it. It's different when I hang out with Selph or whoever."
Zell's hand began to continually massage my back. Tension vanished, and I thought my eyes were going to permanently roll back into my head.
"It was kinda weird at first," he admitted.
I examined his profile, noticing that his left hand was up by his face. "Weird?"
"Well, yeah. Because it doesn't feel weird."
I frowned slightly. "I'm confused."
Zell lowered his hand from his tattoo to look over at me with an expression of seriousness. "I thought liking a girl would be different. But I like you just as much now as I did yesterday morning. OK, maybe more." Zell smiled. "And here I am hoping we can keep working out together, keep hopping the train to Timber every once and a while to play ball with your dad once I finally meet him, and hang out and laugh at each other's stupid stories."
I blinked. "That's good, right?" Is he really saying all this to me?
Zell grinned. "Damn straight. You're a riot." Then his grin faded to just a whisper of a smile. "You're really cool, Sally. All deep and brainy, but a lot of fun, too."
I flushed and looked away. "I'm sorry it took me so long to ge
t up the nerve--"
"Hey. Don't sweat it. I probably woulda freaked if you'd said it back then."
"But still." I lowered my head slightly as my cheeks burned hotter. "It sounds pathetic."
"No, it doesn't. Sally." I met his gaze. "It sounds kinda determined to me. I like that." Zell tugged gently on my braid before wrapping his arm around my shoulders and drawing me closer. "Really, Meg. It's cool. Don't sweat it."
I wilted into the circle of that arm with a sigh. Finally. "This is why I like you," I whispered. "You're so sweet."
Zell laughed. "Yeah? Well, I really like you, too, but I gotta say I never thought a girl would get me, what with all the girls always givin' me dirty looks."
"I always have," I whispered. I swallowed hard before hesitantly wrapping an arm around him. It felt nice. Of course, everything about Zell felt nice. "And I won't ever give you dirty looks."
"It's OK if you do. I don't mind." Zell looked over at me, meeting my silly smile. He grinned. "Come on. Let's take a walk around the Training Center. Wanna make sure you're not gonna pass out on the way to class."
"OK."
"Take it slow. I'll be right here making sure you don't tumble." The arm around my shoulders scooted around my waist. "There ya go," he said. "Take it slow."
The dizziness faded and, sad little fool that I am, I was sad to see it go. "I'm feeling better," I said quietly, and I don't know why I felt I had to confess.
"Yeah, well, I wanna make sure."
So his arm stayed put. "Fine with me."
Zell laughed and I giggled. Then he sent me a glance. "You doing OK?"
I nodded. "But, could you keep holding me like this." I flushed bright red,