A few days have gone by and Bella hadn't talked to Cloud or Tifa about that night, in fact, she hasn't come out of the room since then. She's missed school, missed assignments, and missed hanging out with her friends. Bella goes into her bathroom and brushes her short, knotted hair, painfully. When she got done, she looked at her reflection. Bella didn't see herself, she saw someone different. Closing her eyes, she felt another tear from her face.

"Why... Why did they lie...?"

Another sob escaped her lips and she begins to cry.

---------

Weeks turn into two months and Bella was finally out of the house and taking care of the flowers. She still hadn't talked to Cloud or Tifa and she didn't want too. Not after what happened. Bella is never one to hold a grudge, but this time - she wanted too. She knew it wasn't their fault, but why keep it from her? She was questioning it in her head a million times, but couldn't ever come up with an answer.

The door jingles open knocking her out of her thoughts, she looks up and sees a firey red head man coming and looking for something. She smiles, putting aside her thoughts, and walks up to him and puts her hands behind her back.

"Are you finding everything okay?"

He looks down at her, and smiles. "Yeah, just looking for Amaryllis', heard their someone's favorite flowers."

Bella began to think, those were her favorite, too. She then went to the back to pick a pink one and showed it to him. "This would be perfect for your friend, their perfect." The man smiled and handed her money and walked out, but she stopped him. "Do I - know you from somewhere?"

The man stiffens, but shakes his head. "No, but I would love to get to know you, Bella."

Bella smiles, and watches him leave, but didn't catch his name. She ran out of the shop and looked around seeing him no where. Taking a deep breath, she frowns as she wishes she could get his name. Bella shakes her head and tends to her flowers outside and then heard three pairs of footsteps coming her way. She looks up and sees Seifer and his gang, rolling her eyes she tries to ignore them but Seifer saw her and calls out her name.

"Aw, crap..." Bella mutters under her breath, almost coldly. She turns around and sees him standing in front of her. "What the hell do you want, Seifer?"

"You know what I want, Bells." Seifer 'seductively' tells her, and touches her chin and she growls under her breath. "You know, fighting me is useless, right?"

"Would you just leave me alone, Seifer, I'm really not in the mood." Bella calmly states to him ripping her face from his touch and wipes her chin from his stench. "I have a lot of stuff to do and I'd rather do without you hounding me to go out with you, I told you, a million times I might add. I don't want a boyfriend! Take a hint, Seifer!"

Seifer touches her hips, and begins roaming his hands up and down her body and she stiffens up trying to ignore him. But then he was tossed backwards from her, and she looks up seeing her friend from down the street, she met him three weeks ago and his wife was actually very sweet too. Bella sighs a little bit.

"I think the young lady said to leave her alone," He said crossing his arms.

"What will you do to me if I don't?"

"Just go, dude, no one wants a tough guy to be an asshole." Snow, the friend of Bella's, told him honestly. "And besides, she's not even showing interest in you, take that a sign."

Seifer scoffs and looks at Bella. "This isn't over, Bells." Seifer walks off with his two buddies and Bella sighs a little bit.

"Thanks, Snow." Bella smiles at him. "I didn't even think he'll leave me alone, he's really out to get me."

Serah, his wife, laughs a little bit. "I can see why he likes you, but I don't think he's your type, Bella." Serah states to her, and Bella rubs the back of her head. "Do you need help with the flowers, Lightning won't be home for another hour and we have some time to kill."

Bella smiles a little bit more. "I'd like that very much, thank you."

~~

Later that night, she made dinner for her and Cloud, luckily it was just them tonight, without Tifa. Hoping tonight she can finally get some answers to why they lied to her. A knock is heard at the door, Bella stopped reading her cookbook and walked to the door and saw a young blond standing there, looking very impatient.

Bella opens the door. "Can I help you?"

The blond scoffs and looks at Bella. "I need your help, Bella."

Bella is shocked. "How do you know my name?"

"No time, invite me in and I will protect you from what's coming right now!"

Bella is thinking but she remembers Zack's rules, don't invite anyone in but in this case, she looked very serious, so, Bella said.

"Come in."

The young blond rushes in and grabs Bella from behind and keeps her teeth to her neck, whispering to her.

"Act like I'm going to bite you and they'll leave you alone."

"This is helping you, how?" Bella whispered to her, and the blond hisses at her, ready to bite her neck and Bella yelps loudly and feels pain in her right shoulder. "Sorry for asking!"

"Let her go, Kiki!" A familiar voice yelled at her, and Bella looks at the man in front of her, and her breath stops. She knew him, she begins to cry.

All the dreams she's had slams her memories as they return. The tears begin to fall from her eyes and she mutters his name making him look at her in shock that she remembered.

"Ven..."

"Oh, Ven, do you really love her that you'd protect her from anything, including me." Kiki stated to him and backed away from her. "Your first love," Bella didn't care if she heard that, all she cared about was Ven and that he was back!

Ven growls and looks at Kiki rushing at her, and Kiki disappears from site and Ven sneers and then looks at Bella. Bella begins to cry more, Ven smiles lightly at her, and she walks up to him, touching his face making sure he was real, when she felt the soft skin against her fingertips, she let out a sob. Ven touches her hand and she looks at him.

"I missed you, Ven..."

Ven leans in and kisses her forehead. "I've missed you more than you can imagine, Bells." Ven told her and they both leaned in for a kiss, and it lasted longer than normal kisses. When they released their kiss, Bella was smiling more. "What's been going on since I've been gone?"

Bella laughs wiping away her tears and replied to him. "Don't I have a story to tell you, Ven." They both walk to the couch, and begin talking about the last three - four months since they've been apart.