The Chemistry of Chance
Horsepower

The weekend flew by; I barely had time to see it. Yuffie and I slept in until noon Sunday and had a breakfast of fresh fruit poolside. The pool was everything Tseng had said it was and more. We spent the entire day laying out and having fun in the river pool, floating by waterfalls with fruity drinks. By the time we checked out, I had a summer glow and wrinkled finger tips.

The weekdays also flew by. Classes, a few fights in the bar, the whole week filled to the brim with things that took time but weren’t all that important. By mid-week I found myself wondering if Tseng ever really did plan to give me that gin distiller’s information. Early Saturday, I thought maybe I’d scared him off completely.

I sat down on the chair in the upstairs office of the bar and waited for my old computer to boot up. If he wasn’t planning on giving me the information, I’d have to find it myself. But maybe he was just busy with work and other things. What if he hadn’t found the time to get the information? Maybe he’d lost the paper. Then again, it doesn’t take much to call and let someone know you can’t find it. Sorry, Tifa, it’s lost in the condo somewhere. I haven’t had the time to look for it, but I’ll get to it this weekend. Would that be so hard?

I sighed, suddenly feeling angry. The computer finished its slow start and I double-clicked the web browser. My search engine of choice turned up about twenty pages of results. Great.

I scrolled quickly through, scanning names and things. The filter picked up a few relevant pages, along with a whole lot of junk on the side. I had found a few distillers by the time I finished, but I wasn’t sure which one was the distiller Tseng had referred to. Ordering a few cases from each would be a pain. Damn.

Why hadn’t he just given me the name? Was a touch from me so unwelcome that he planned to pretend I didn’t exist? After studying the names I’d jotted down, I tossed the pen and paper onto the desk with more force than was necessary. Men really didn’t ever make sense. For all their complaining about how women were complicated, they sure didn’t—

The phone on the desk rang and I felt my chest flutter. When I reached for the handset, I accidentally knocked it over and I followed it the floor. I answered on the fourth ring.

“Hello?” Crap. I always forgot that the office phone was on the bar’s line. “Seventh Heaven, this is Tifa.”

“Hello, Tifa. How are you?”

I scooted back against the desk and curled my legs comfortably. “Tseng?” I was getting used to his voice, but I couldn’t be too sure.

“Yes, this is Tseng.”

Finally! I contained myself. Or at least I tried. “Oh, I’m doing okay. How about you?”

“I’ve been better, but I can’t complain too much.”

He must have had a rough week and the thought had me feeling a little guilty about my rant. “Did something happen?”

“Oh, nothing much, just a very time consuming assignment. I had meant to get in touch earlier, but the circumstances weren’t in my favor. I apologize.”

I shifted my legs so that I could hug my knees, trapping the phone between my shoulder and cheek. “You don’t need to apologize.” But I found myself wondering what it would be like waiting on him all the time, never knowing when or if he’d come home from some of those ‘assignments.’

“Well, I’ve just gotten back home and I have the paper in front of me.”

I scrapped my thoughts for excitement over gin. “With the distiller information?”

“I can grab that in a moment. I actually meant the newspaper from last Saturday.”

Oh, no. Everyone had been calling on that. Even Reeve had called me. I shifted again, finding a more comfortable spot on the floor. “I suppose you saw the article about Edge University?”

“I did. It’s a little close to home. Has anyone given you trouble?”

Men could never resist coming to the rescue, but his worry surprised me. “No, no one has bothered me. But it has been a little strange on campus lately.”

“I’d imagine that students are worried since they still haven’t found the suspect.”

“They are. Everyone’s kind of quiet and gets to class as quickly as possible. I’m sure it will pass, though.”

“It’s usually like that after something of this nature happens. Trust takes a while to return.”

“Yes, it does.” I picked pieces of loose carpet, not really sure of what else to add.

“So, do you still want the distiller’s information?”

Did I? What kind of question was that? “Of course!”

He laughed, probably at my excitement. “Let me just find the paper here.”

I listened to him rustle around and tried to imagine if he was in a home office or a kitchen, a living room or a bedroom. It was hard to picture people like Tseng keeping a normal life in a normal apartment.

After a pause filled with wrinkling paper, he came back. “Ready?”

Oops. I scrambled up from the floor and back to the desk, grabbing my pen and piece of paper. “Yeah, go ahead.”

“The name is Cavalia Spirits, and their number is 011-354-2-50428. You’ll probably speak to Sula, she’s very helpful.”

I quickly took down the names and number. “Thanks,” I said through a smile.

“No problem, Tifa. I do have one favor to ask, though.”

I tilted my head, curious. “What’s that?”

“I have yet to find anyone around here that stocks Cavalia and I don’t think buying a case is very logical, would you mind if I buy a bottle from you when your shipment arrives?”

Ah! Made sense. Most distillers didn’t sell direct by the bottle. “Absolutely not. In fact, I owe you one if this gin is as good as you say it is. How about I give you a call when the cases arrive?”

“That’d be great. I can swing by and pick it up whenever you get them.”

“I’ll be ordering as soon as I can, so it shouldn’t be too long.”

“Don’t worry about time, I’ve waited this long. But I suppose I’ll see you soon, then.”

“Sure. What’s your number?”

“My cell is 723-4095.”

I scribbled the number and stuck the paper half under the keyboard. “I’ll give you a call when it’s here.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem, and thanks for getting in touch.”

“I hope the gin will be a hit for your bar.”

“I hope so, too. Talk to you soon.”

“Bye, Tifa.”

We disconnected and I immediately dialed the number for Cavalia, hoping that time differences wouldn’t be in the way. Wait… Saturday, damn. I waited for the main directory message, selected Sula’s extension and left a voicemail. With any luck, I’d place an order Monday.

-&-

The next Friday happened to be the thirteenth day of the month, and the bar was packed early on. I got back from classes around five-ish and there wasn’t so much as an open plank of flooring, let alone a barstool. I guess people like to drink and avoid black cats and other nonsensical things. Fortunately, the gin was also waiting for me. Five business days, can’t beat that!

“Shall we break open the new bottles?” Ian asked when I got behind the bar.

I shrugged my school bag higher onto my shoulder and nodded enthusiastically. “I think tonight is perfect timing.”

“Great, I’ll go ahead and do that.”

“Just keep an eye on how much they drink and what the general reaction is.”

“No prob, Tifa. Sure you don’t want to test it out first?”

“Thanks, Ian, but I really don’t like gin much.”

I smiled the whole way up the stairs. When I got to my room, I tossed my things on the bed and grabbed my cell from my bag. Tseng deserved that bottle of gin; Sula really was easy to work with. After retrieving his number, I dialed and he answered quickly.

“Hi!” I chirped; I was a little more enthusiastic than I’d planned to be.

“Hey, Tifa. Did you get the gin?”

He must have equated my mood with the arrival. “Yes, I did. They shipped it out quickly.”

“Under a week.”

“Yes, I was impressed. They’re great to work with.”

“I’m glad your experience with them was pleasant.”

“So would you like that bottle?”

“I’d love to have it. I’ll be there shortly.”

I was side-tracked for a moment, seeing a messy reflection in the mirror. I didn’t think he’d come by so soon.

Tseng filled the silence. “Unless that’s a problem?”

“Oh, not at all.” I shook my head as if he could see. “I’ll be around.”

“Great, see you soon.”

“See you.”

I hung up and took another look at my reflection, and I couldn’t resist the urge to fix it. I traded my old jeans and tee shirt for a nicer pair of jeans and a pretty open-back sweater. I studied myself. Too much.

I dug into my closet, pushing aside tops and sweaters. It was barely September, but as soon as the sun set, the temperature dropped. I settled on a light gray tank top layered beneath a charcoal sweater that shrugged off the shoulders. Perfect.

And I had to wonder; why was I worried about what I had on?

I quickly ran a brush through my hair, worked out a tangle, and headed down stairs with the intention to distract myself with a little work. A little wouldn’t quite describe it. I went for the bar first, thinking I’d refill a few drinks or take a few orders. Instead, I ended up running from end to end at the counter. I couldn’t complain, because the gin was making more than a few customers happy.

By the time I noticed Tseng an hour later, I felt drained. I looked it, too. Tseng, on the other hand, looked perfect again. He made his way through the crowd and spotted me. I had one of the girls cover the bar and I gestured for the stairs. He met me by the bottom step.

“Sorry, it’s really crowded tonight.” I fanned myself with spread fingers for a second, hoping to cool off. The sweater had been a bad idea in this crowd.

“Full moons and Fridays like this tend to bring out the worst. Are you doing okay?” He looked concerned when he asked. Maybe I looked worse than I thought?

“I’m just a little drained. Being around this chaos does that to me.” I shrugged my shoulders and propped one foot up on the first step.

“And you’ve had class most of the day, haven’t you?”

“Yes. And I should have eaten something a long time ago.” I glanced at the clock. Half past six. I hadn’t had a bite to eat since morning.

“I’d imagine it’s a pain to eat in the kitchen with all this—” he swept an arm out toward the room “—right outside the door.”

“It is sometimes. Just on nights like this.”

“Do you feel like getting out?”

“Tonight? I’d have to say that it sounds nice. It’s been a long day. Sometimes it’d be great not to come home to chaos.”

“Well, how about this: since you were so kind as to let me have a bottle from your shipment, how about I take you to dinner? A little bit of a thank you and an escape.”

Wow, unexpected to say the least. I hadn’t been asked out by anyone who remotely interested me in ages.

Wait… Since when did Tseng interest me? “I, umm…” How could I say no? “Sure. That sounds good. I could use a break.”

“What sounds good to you?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I could go for anything, really.”

“Something nice, or something casual?”

I gave him a once over, hoping he didn’t notice. He was wearing a navy dress shirt and black slacks. I couldn’t picture him in the local grease shack. “I think either something nice, or something in the middle.”

“I know the perfect place.”

“And that would be?” I looked at him curiously, but he wasn’t going to indulge me so easily. I could tell.

“You might like it.”

Damn. “I’ll be right back,” I said, pivoting on my foot to take the stairs.

I had made it into my room before I finally let myself think. This was crazy. What was I thinking? Well, I wasn’t really. I was completely curious about Tseng. When we’d run into one another, I’d been surprised and somewhat anxious. Two weeks ago I’d been nervous and intrigued. Now I was flat out curious about the pull I felt toward him. I wasn’t accepting his offer to dinner to be polite. I just couldn’t think of a single reason not to go and a part of me was looking forward to an evening out with him. He was an interesting man and I could tell that there was a lot more to him than he’d shown me so far. And with his chosen profession, I guessed him to be intelligent, fast-thinking, and daring, no matter how reserved he seemed. Maybe it was that charm of a man who happened to be mysterious and a little bit bad. I’d met so many women who could never seem to resist that kind of danger. And why shouldn’t I enjoy a night out with a guy once in a while? So what if it happened to be Tseng?

I couldn’t help but change again. If he’d only known that I’d changed a total of three times, he’d probably have told me I was crazy, but I threw on a pair of black pants that draped nicely and a silk halter top that fit the occasion. A pair of heels finished things out. Now I was a combination of casual and formal, too.

I grabbed my handbag and went back downstairs, taking more caution with the steps this time. When I rounded the corner at the landing, I was closer than I’d thought I would be to Tseng. I was close enough to notice that my semi-formal dress caught his eye.

Or maybe I looked like an office stiff.

“You didn’t need to change,” he said politely.

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Well, you look very nice.”

“You think?” I asked, before really thinking about it. I didn’t really wear this style often.

“I do. It’s professional, but at the same time it is very sexy.”

Oh. I wanted to die when that word came out of his mouth. It rolled off his lips in a way that went straight to my limbs and made them buzz. Maybe it was just as much the fact that I’d never heard him talk that way. It was unexpected and caught me off guard. Tseng found me sexy… what to do with that?

“Um... thank you,” I fumbled, feeling goofy. The man had a way of turning me into a giddy little school girl. Not the most put together or mature thing, but it was kind of exciting at the time.

Tseng moved on as if he’d never said it, gesturing toward the door and following me as I weaved through the crowd. The minute we stepped outside, I immediately missed the sweater. The air was chilled and damp, the streets glowing beneath a sheer mist. The weather always turned quickly. I crossed my arms and shivered.

“The car warms up nicely. I also have a jacket in the car as well, if you’d like.”

Definitely the thoughtful type, “Great, I didn’t really think about the temperature. It was so warm inside.”

“It’s easy to forget sometimes.”

He opened the passenger door on that ‘monstrosity’ as I called it. I smiled in thanks and slipped into cold leather. I couldn’t wait for the heat. When he climbed into the driver’s side, he handed me a light blazer which I accepted gratefully. I tossed it around my shoulders, backwards, and got a hint of his cologne.

He took the highway, clearly headed for the city. I didn’t figure he’d know his way around my side of town. After a light touch of traffic we were speeding along toward the lights. I had to admit, the engine had a nice sound when he accelerated.

“What made you buy this car?” I had to ask.

“Well… it fits the image, doesn’t it?”

Turks. “I guess, but…”

“Reno talked me into it, actually.”

Figured. “Ha… well, I guess that does explain it.”

“I ended up liking it once I drove it. I just care that it can go from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’ quickly.”

“Seems fun to drive.”

“It is, you should drive it back.”

Really? “I can’t drive it back. I’d probably wreck or something.”

He shot me a look, disbelief if I remember. “I doubt it. I trust you.”

And I had to wonder… what made him say that? I had nothing, so I smiled and looked away.

Soon, we were pulling into valet at a fairly nice looking place. The valet boy opened my door, but Tseng was around the car by that time. He helped me out and wrapped the jacket around my shoulders, holding me near. I was so taken aback by his actions that I forgot to breathe for a second. He was just full of surprises.

We hit the doors, and I remember the waitress asking how many. Tseng told her two, but my head was flashing through ideas about how it would be to hear two rather than one. I liked hearing it. I felt less like a shell and more like a woman. I liked how reserved he was, but how he’d show bits and pieces at a time. I liked the way he talked to me, and the words he chose so carefully. I liked the way he made me feel in such a short span of time. And it occurred to me that perhaps I just liked him…

The waitress led us to a secluded table. The setting was romantic, each table draped in lace and chiffon, hiding the diners from prying eyes. A candle danced in the center of the table, releasing a lovely fragrance that added the perfect finishing touch. I had never seen anything like it. She handed us both menus as we sat, and asked if we had a drink in mind. Tseng ordered a bottle of Riesling from Kalm, a choice I thought sounded just right. It was strange to have him order, but I didn’t mind in the moment.

I glanced up from the menu, watching his eyes move from one item to the next as he studied his dinner choices. Yuffie had it right. He was definitely easy on the eyes. His brows knit together just before he smiled and looked up. I didn’t have time to pretend I wasn’t staring.

He had this odd hint of mischief in his eyes. “I think I’ll be adventurous and order something new.”

“Oh yeah? What sounds good?”

“I was thinking steak, since I don’t often order red meat.”

“That actually does sound pretty good.”

“I think so. How about you?”

Oops. “I haven’t really decided…” More like ‘I was too distracted.’

“The pheasant is quite good.”

“Is it? Maybe I’ll try that.”

Just in time, since the waitress was headed our way with glasses and the bottle of wine. She set one in front of each of us and poured the chilled wine, setting it in the cooler afterward.

“May I take your order now?”

She was so proper… but it fit the restaurant.

She was looking at me. “I’ll have the pheasant with a light summer salad.”

“Excellent. And for you sir?” She shifted toward Tseng, and so did her mood.

“I’ll have the steak with whiskey sauce and vegetables.”

I thought the order did anything but fit him. At least he had a sense of adventure. And could completely render waitresses speechless. She was totally checking him out, and I couldn’t focus on anything but how jealous it made me. And at once I felt ridiculous for even being jealous.

She sighed dreamily, and said “I’ll have those out in just a moment.”

Uh huh. And something else, too, I bet…

I must have been glaring. Caught red handed. “Tifa?”

I pulled my eyes from her perfect hind view, “Huh?”

“Everything all right?”

“Sure, oh yeah…” I downed a little more wine than I had intended.

He laughed, “Okay.”

Awkward minutes passed. What was up with me? Oh yeah, that’s right. I was sitting in a restaurant that just happened to be way too fancy for me, watching a gorgeous waitresses eye my date, who was, by the way, someone I never even imagined seeing again. How we’d ended up on a date was even more of a mystery.

“So… how did class go?” he asked.

“Oh, just fine. I’ve been doing pretty well; I don’t have too much longer to go before winter break.”

“That’s great.”

“Yeah, it really is. I was so nervous to go back after so long.”

“You haven’t had trouble with that stalker, right?”

“Not yet. Hopefully I won’t run into him… but I guess you never know.”

“I hope you can avoid him. If you run into anything suspicious, just call me.”

I was considering his protectiveness when the waitress brought our food to the table. The look I gave her resulted in a quick retreat on her part, and I grinned.

“Do you happen to know her?”

Shit, he’d noticed. “Um, sort of.” I was making excuses.

“You don’t get along?”

“You could say that…”

Following that brief conversation, we ate our meals, commenting on how great the dishes were or how the wine complemented this or that. We had just finished and were silently feeling ten pounds heavier when he caught me off guard.

His hand was soft, warm, and fit perfectly over mine. At first, the contact nearly made me dizzy… he was brushing his fingers over mine when he spoke.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you with the number. I might’ve caused you to lose a customer or two.”

I fumbled for words; jaw slightly ajar for a moment. I recovered. “It’s really not a problem.”

“Work just tends to pull me away a lot. It isn’t always easy for me to get in touch when I’m gone.”

I wondered if this was some way of warning me what could come of involvement with him. I ignored the thought and chose another tone, not wanting to spoil the evening. “So you must get to see and do a lot of exciting things.”

He seemed off balance, as if he were hoping for a different response. “Well, exciting is one word for it. There is a definite adrenaline rush involved, but really it’s just plain dangerous some days.”

“Huh… that sounds about right from what I recall about the Turks.”

“Someone has to do it…”

“I suppose so. What makes you do it?” His hand felt warmer, I tackled his pinky with my index finger and trailed my fingertips over his knuckles. Slowly.

“I..uh,--” he cleared his throat, “--enjoy the work, and on occasion it is fulfilling.”

He recovered fast, but had I shaken the unshakable?

“Don’t worry, I’m not judging. I can’t, I serve alcohol to alcoholics on occasion. We all have our downfalls on the way to making a life for ourselves.”

“I’ve had many.”

I could almost see what appeared to be guilt in his eyes and I considered how he felt about taking lives. I didn’t have time to ask my next question, and was annoyed at the waitress’s interruption.

Tseng paid the bill and left a tip, then guided me out to the car in the same fashion he’d brought me in. However, when we got to the car he opened my hand and left the keys there in my palm as he got into the passenger side.

The keys stared up at me. “What? Oh, Gaia, I can’t.”

“Yes you can.”

The valet looked concerned, as if to say “Man, you’re gonna let her drive that thing?”

The look Tseng had dared me with danger, and I decided that so long as I didn’t actually bang up the car, there wasn’t much that I could do wrong. I tossed the jacket at him before the walk of pride to the other side of the car. The valet looked ghostly when I climbed in and revved the engine.

“Just enjoy it. I’ll be disappointed if you don’t.”

“Oh, no pressure or anything, right?” I grinned, a rather cheesy one at that.

“None.” He laughed as I took off, tailgating the car in front of me until he got the hint and moved aside.

The highway had cleared, to my luck, and I blasted clear to the exit for the suburbs. Slums, whatever they went by these days. The thing had enough horsepower to put me back in my seat whenever I gunned it, no matter if I was already going fast enough to streak of the clearcoat. I was disappointed at how quickly the drive had gone. And silently. I had hoped my weaving would have Tseng white knuckled or at least begging for mercy, but his poker face was perfect. That or he didn’t really care about worldly things like this car.

When I screeched to a halt, parallel to the curb, he simply smiled and said, “I should let you drive more often.”

“I’d love that.” For all my objections to such a showy car, it was a blast. I saw why he’d decided to buy it after the first test drive.

As I came around the front bumper, he touched my elbow and escorted me through the large crowd. I was surprised to see so many still, probably due to the new alcohol. Once at the stairs, I felt divided about saying goodbye in public or offering a quick trip upstairs. He was quicker than I was.

“Thanks for the evening, I really enjoyed it.”

Before I could reply, he was close enough to kiss me. And like a true tease, his lips touched just above and to the left of mine. My cheeks warmed.

“Really, I should be thanking you. I really had a good time. First in a while.”

Hey, let the teaser be the teased. I wasn’t just going to sit back and take that. I draped an arm over his shoulder before he could move away, brushed my thumb against his neck, and kissed him in the exact place he’d kissed me.

Beat that.

He smiled as I reclaimed my arm and turned for the stairs. I made it to the top step before what I had just done came haunting. Who did I think I was? Flirting, teasing, and jealousy? All in one night? Either I was going insane, or Tseng had brought out my Mr. Hyde. And I kind of liked this new side.

--

I never saw it coming. An image flashed through my head that night as I crawled into bed, considering how crazy the night had been and how different I had been in his presence. I imagined Tseng walking through the door after a long assignment, and I pictured myself being wrapped in his arms. It struck me as somewhat of a romantic lifestyle. It certainly would be anything but dull and routine. And maybe that led to the events that occurred in the weeks following that night… it’s hard to say, but something had shifted again. I was fairly helpless to recognize it, or to change it.

I’m so happy to have finished this chapter, which sat on my flash drive for about a year. I really kind of lot it for a while, and am feeling immensely happy to have it back. Or so I think. You can all be the judge of that. Was this chapter a short-fall? I haven’t been in the game for over a year, so I’m feeling self-conscious. Let me know, so that the next chapter can be a much better work. I have so many ideas for this story, I just can’t even explain how fun it is to pick it back up. I just hope the pace isn’t too fast. That’s why I decided that there would not be a first kiss in this chapter. Need a little more time, but the subtle touches are working in my opinion. What do you think? There were also weeks in passing between the hotel and the phone call, so they had a while to smolder on the new connection. Any and all input will be greatly appreciated!