Cloud sat at the bar, nervously bouncing his leg. He’d just happened to show up here—definitely not on purpose. He wasn’t here to wait for you… right? Of course, he was lying to himself. Even Tifa only needed a glance to know he was here hoping to see you.

You and Cloud had grown close in a surprisingly short time. Somehow, you managed to understand him, and he found himself opening up to you more than anyone else. Everyone in AVALANCHE thought you two looked adorable together.

Lately, you started frequenting the bar more often, knowing Cloud would be here at the same time, in the same seat. You told yourself it was just to catch up with the team, but everyone saw through the excuse—except Cloud. It was painfully obvious that Cloud liked you, just as it was clear you liked him. It should have been an easy, happy connection. But instead, you two were hopelessly oblivious, each trying to act like you were just friends.

What kind of ‘friends’ blush furiously, get flustered every time one of them laughs? Cloud insisted he didn’t like you that way, and you told yourself he only thought of you as a friend. Meanwhile, the entire team watched, half-amused, half-exasperated, as you awkwardly stumbled through what could have been the most obvious mutual crush in history.

Finally, you arrived. Cloud almost turned his head away, pretending he hadn’t been watching the door, waiting for you to show up.

You casually walked toward him, sitting down nearby as if it wasn’t intentional—but it absolutely was. Tifa watched the whole scene unfold with a mix of amusement and secondhand embarrassment. When would you two finally realize what was so painfully obvious to everyone else?

Cloud glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, trying to stay calm even as his face turned crimson. He blamed the alcohol, of course.

“Hey, new hair clip?”

he asked, keeping his tone neutral. But if you looked closer, you’d realize how much he noticed every little change about you. Too bad you were just as oblivious as him.