Wow, sorry guys for not updating in a while. So here is Chapter 4, hope you enjoy!
Chapter 4
Love Dreamer
"Er… Syaoran," I said as I walked into the empty classroom. "You in here…?"
Class had just ended fifteen minutes ago, but Tomoyo told me that Syaoran needed my help on something. Maybe he needed help with arranging some papers or… well—it's not like I cared.
The desk was empty. I looked around, and there was no Syaoran in sight.
Hmm? Did he go out or something?
"Sakura." I spun around and saw Syaoran in front of the door. He slid it shut with a quiet click.
"Uh, what's up?" I said. "Something wrong?" Maybe he just came in like I did.
He didn't immediately respond, but instead, strode across the room to me, his expression unreadable.
"You can say that." His voice sounded strangely serious. I stared at him.
"Uhm…" I froze when he stopped so that he was only a few inches away from me.
"Sakura… do you love me?" he asked suddenly. Then my brain froze.
"What?" I exclaimed, blushing furiously. He grabbed my hand when I tried to look away.
"Tell me, Sakura," he said. "I can't stop thinking about you… it's driving me crazy."
What the hell? He's really serious!
And before I knew it, he grabbed my face with his hands. "You love me, don't you?" he said. "You would've never agreed to marry me if you didn't love me."
"B-but we're not really m-married," I stammered. Shock, I suppose, was preventing me from moving.
"But we are going to be," he said, his voice husky with desire. "And you are going to be mine."
Then he kissed me, his lips fully on mine. I tried to break free, but he grabbed my hands and pushed me against the wall so I could barely breathe. And when his lips released mine to reach my neck, I gave off an involuntary moan.
"Ahh…Syao—ah…!"
"Sakura…"
I no longer had control of my body. My hands were grabbing into his hair, pulling him closer so that he would kiss me harder, and his were wrapped around my legs, lifting me up against the wall.
"Sakura…" He began to kiss my ear. "I lo—"
I screamed as I sat up from my bed. My bedroom was dark, indicating that it was still very early in the morning. I gave off a sigh of temporary relief.
No classroom, no afternoon, and no Syao—
"WHAT HAPPENED?" I saw Syaoran suddenly burst into the room, holding a feather duster (what the hell was he going to do with that?). He looked around, and then at me frantically. "Are you all right?"
I stared at him. His hair, his face… his lips…
I screamed again, making him jump. "S-Sakura—?" he started. "What—?"
"GET OUT!" I roared as I threw anything that I could reach at his face.
"Wah! Okay!" He sprinted out before I started to throw my textbooks at him.
I wiped the sweat from my brow as I settled back in bed. It was just a dream, that's all. I covered my face with my pillow.
The only problem was that…
I liked it.
"Geez Sakura-chan, what did you do?" asked Tomoyo as I sat down on the lunch table. We were eating outside again for lunch, just the two of us.
"Wh-what do you mean?" I nearly yelled.
She stared at me. "Li-sensei looked really down…" she said slowly. "Did something happen?"
I didn't talk to Syaoran at all this morning. I just simply got dressed and went to school, and didn't bother to get my lunch. I felt so nauseous that I guessed I wouldn't be hungry for the entire day.
"Uh… I d-don't think so," I muttered. My fingers wouldn't stop trembling as I was opening my water bottle. Stupid fingers…
"Are you okay?" She looked worried. "You're starting to sweat."
"I'm… I'm…" I was going to say that I was fine, but I knew that she wouldn't buy my lie.
"I just had… a really bad dream," I managed to say. "A… really, really bad dream."
"What happened?" she asked as I choked on my water.
"Ah!" The water sprayed on my uniform and onto the table.
"S-sorry…" I mumbled as I tried to find a napkin. Then I felt something soft against my cheek, only finding out a second later that it was a handkerchief. I took it without thinking and began to wipe my shirt.
"Er… hello," said Tomoyo. "Li-sensei." I quickly looked up and saw him standing next to me. Damn, I should have known he would come. If he was here, that must have meant that no one was around…
To my horror, my face started to grow hot. Tomoyo looked at from me to him quickly, her face filled with confusion.
"Hi…" said Syaoran shortly to her. Determined that I wouldn't look at him, I gazed at my shirt with deep concentration, imagining that there was a stain on it.
"You forgot your lunch." His voice sounded soft. I looked up briefly to see him set the box lunch in front of me. Then he sat next to me, but I moved to the edge of the seat, as far away from him as possible.
"I'm not hungry," I said truthfully as I looked down at my shirt again. There was a small pause, and I could tell that he and Tomoyo were exchanging glances.
"You have some water on your face," he murmured finally as he wiped my cheek. I was contemplating briefly on whether if I was hallucinating or not; his touch felt just like the dream—
Suddenly, my legs shot up so abruptly that the water bottle sprayed all over the table top again.
"S-Sakura-chan?"
"I… have to go," I said as I grabbed my backpack. Then someone grabbed my wrist, and I prayed that the hand didn't belong to Syaoran's.
"Sakura, is everything all right?"
Damn it, I should've known someone like him would've had fast reflexes like that.
"I'm… I have to go," I said again, my voice cracking. Oh no, I can't be crying…
I pulled my hand away and ran off to my next class. Lunch wasn't even over yet; no matter… I'll just take a nap in the classroom.
I sat on my seat; there were a few students there, eating their lunches and talking. No one stared or anything as I covered my face with my arms; I was glad that they didn't. Good thing I wasn't crying either…
I tried to sleep, but all I could think about was back at the lunch table with Tomoyo and Syaoran.
Crap, I was sort of mean to him. How much of a jerk could I be? I probably spilled water all over them too…
Tomoyo's going to figure out what's wrong with me for sure… but for Syaoran…
He's not the same person as the guy in my dream, right?
No, he's not. He just looks… and feels… and sounds the same. But they are not the same person. Syaoran would never touch me like that—we haven't even kissed on the lips yet.
Yet…
Shit, now it just occurred to me that Syaoran will kiss me anytime soon. But when?
Just like that dream right? He's going to suddenly lunge at me and kiss me and stuff—ah geez, what the hell is wrong with me?
I have to chill out—I have to relax…
Stupid dream—why did I even have it in the first place? This is driving me crazy… seriously.
The lunch bell rang, signaling the start for the next class. I slowly raised my head and saw Tomoyo quietly walk in the classroom, never looking at me.
Until she sat next to me, to her designated seat, and gave me a swift look that told me, I want to know what's up with you—or I will find out.
Yeah, one look has a lot of meanings.
After class, I still didn't see Syaoran—but it wasn't like I had time to look for him or anything—and Tomoyo dragged me straight to Duklyon Café and forced me to spill the beans on her.
"You and Li-sensei making out?" she gasped.
"Yes!" I groaned as I banged my head on the table, my hands grabbing at my hair.
"Calm down, Sakura-chan," she said. "It's normal for you to have those kinds of dreams—"
"What? Are you crazy?" I nearly shouted out loud. Tomoyo gave me a look that told me to shut up.
"What I meant is," she continued. "You're living with him—you guys are married. It's natural to dream about something like that—even if it is erotic."
She suddenly grinned hugely. "And maybe it might happen."
"Don't jinx me!" I cried as I slammed my head on the table again.
"All right! Sorry!" she said hurriedly. Maybe I was catching too much attention; I could feel people's stares boring into my back. Who the hell cares about what they think anyway.
I wanted to cry, even if it was such a childish thing to do. But this is a "what the hell" situation. How could I dream about me making out with Syaoran—when I don't even like him?
Unless I… do like him? No! I-I don't!
"Well, Sakura-chan, it was only one day," she said. "Sometimes dreams are really random—I'm sure it was just nothing."
That actually sounded understandable.
I planned to pull an all-nighter in the living room; I was that paranoid. Just in case… that stupid dream came back.
It was only one in the morning and my eyes were itching for sleep. I stared at the television screen at some show called Cardcaptors. What the heck is this all about? Some girl has magic powers and she has a bully who actually has a crush on her.
Cute, but weird.
I couldn't make it pass one-thirty; my eyes felt like falling out from their sockets. I slowly rested my head back. Maybe I'll just… rest my eyes a bit—
"Sakura?"
My eyes immediately snapped open and I looked up. Syaoran was there, in his suit, staring at me with a curious look on his face.
"What are you doing?" I said, staring back.
"Um, I should be asking you that." He took the remote from the coffee table and turned the television off.
"I was… experimenting." I tried not to look at him. "I was uh… trying to see how long I could stay awake."
He sat next to me on the couch and grinned. "Wish you used this time to study instead of just watching T.V."
"Shut up," I mumbled as I tried to sit as far away from his as the couch allowed me to. Stupid Syaoran, I fall asleep quicker if I'm doing homework! It's like he wants me to fall asleep and dream about him!
"Want me to keep you company?" he asked mildly as he sat closer.
"No," I replied as I placed a cushion between us.
"Why not?" he said. "It will be so much more comfortable for you."
"Wh-what are—?" He ignored the soft barrier between us and began to bend towards me. And when I blinked, he was already an inch away from me, his breath tickling my skin.
"You want me don't you?" he whispered to my ear and caught my hands.
"What? No!" I said as I turned my head.
"You're the one who dreamed of us kissing," he said, his body nearly on top of mine.
"H-how—?" I started.
"Your face is like an open book." He smiled. "It's so easy to read…"
"St-stop…" I cursed my body for shaking as he moved his lips on my neck. Was I scared… or…
"It's all right Sakura," he murmured as he kissed my chin. "Don't be afraid."
Afraid…?
And then he kissed me on the lips, his hands on my face, and his body on top of mine, though not in an uncomfortable way. I finally closed my eyes.
"Syao…ran…"
"Sakura! Sakura!"
Something was wrong. He was calling me, but it sounded like an echo.
I opened my eyes and saw Syaoran in a different position and in his green pajamas, shaking my arm gently.
"Sakura, wake up," he said softly. I saw his face, only inches from mine, and my body snapped upright so fast that I accidentally hit his head with my own.
"Ow!" We both groaned and fell back.
"S-Syaoran…?" I said groggily as I sat back up. "What time is it …?"
"It's almost five thirty in the morning—" He rubbed his forehead as he sat up too. "Why were you sleeping here?"
"Uh… I was doing something—" I mumbled.
"Did you have a bad dream or something? You were groaning and moaning in your sleep…"
Er… I wouldn't call that necessarily bad. Oh, what am I saying?
"I-I'm fine…" I said, blushing.
"No you're not fine," he said as he touched my cheek. "Honestly Sakura, sometimes you're face is like an open book—"
"ACK!" I jumped back and he stared.
"What—?"
"I-I gotta get ready for school, bye!" I said in one breath and bolted to my bedroom. Then I closed the door behind me and sank to the ground, gasping.
You've got to be kidding me.
"It's not funny, Harumi-chan," I said, annoyed as I watched her laugh. I went over to her house after I called her about my emergency; Syaoran was out grocery shopping.
"Sorry, but it's so adorable," she said as she wiped her tears. "I can't believe you dreamed about it twice."
"So? Are you going to help me?" I was already half wishing that I didn't tell her in the first place. "And don't tell Syaoran, or I am so not going to talk to you ever again."
"Don't worry, I won't," she promised. "But you're going to have to solve this before you start dreaming about… the next step."
"Ugh!" I grimaced as I watched her grin apologetically.
"What do I need to do?" I said.
I looked up and saw her grin widen. "Leave it to me," she said as she winked. "I've got a plan."
And that night, Harumi informed Syaoran that she wanted to watch a movie with us… and she was taking us there by her car.
Some plan.
"And what if a student or teacher sees Syaoran?" I said with a small sharp tone in my voice, obviously annoyed by the fact that Harumi forced me to sit in the back seat with him.
"Don't worry," she said as she reached in her bag and gave Syaoran a beanie. "He looks just like my little brother, don't you think? Even I can hardly notice him."
I tried to look at Syaoran for one second before I glared back at her. As a cover up, he didn't have his glasses on this time, and wore (oddly enough) clothes that made him look five years younger, including the beanie that she gave him.
Ugh, and he looked better than his nerdy teacher self too.
Why must you torment me, Harumi…?
"Don't you look cute?" Harumi teased as she smiled at the rear view mirror. I felt the car move and saw that we were going out of the street.
"Uh, is this what guys around your age wear these days?" he asked me as I tried to avoid his gaze. He sounded uncomfortable with his wardrobe.
"Huh, like you care," I muttered. Harumi sighed.
"C'mon Sakura-chan, don't you think he looks nice?" she urged me. What the hell was she trying to do? Get me to jump out of the door and scream like a crazy woman?
I forced myself to look at him… and the blood started rushing to my cheeks. Why did he have to look so good on those clothes…? Why?
"Yes," I choked finally. He looked surprised, and I saw Harumi brighten through the corner of my eye in the mirror.
Then I looked back at Syaoran. Big mistake.
His eyes were soft and warm… and alluring, as if he was binding me through them. Stop it!
"Thank you," he said cheerfully, and he leaned in to tap his forehead to mine. God, I hate it when he does that. It makes me want him to do it again. Grr…
"I think this calls for a picture then," he continued as he took out his old Polaroid.
"No," I said automatically as I covered my face with my hands.
"C'mon Sakura, this is a perfect time." He placed his arm around my shoulders. I jumped from his touch. And… snap! He took the picture of both of us while I glanced at him.
I guess I forgot to mention that Syaoran's an avid photographer. He takes pictures of anything with his old camera. And I mean anything. Like a water bottle. Or a bird.
What a weirdo.
"This is nice," he said as he stared at the picture. "You look cute."
I blushed. What a… handsome weirdo.
The rest of the trip to the movie theater felt like hell. It was only a twenty minute drive, yet I felt like I was struggling through the hours, trying not to notice Syaoran when he was only a couple of inches away from me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my English vocabulary.
And Harumi was right about the cover up on Syaoran; no one seemed to notice him when we got to the theater.
"I think we should watch… this one," said Harumi as she pointed to a movie poster.
"Dead scream? Oh yeah, that sounds like a great comedy romance," I said sarcastically as I stared at the zombie on the poster.
Syaoran, however, had a different tone in his voice. "Nee-chan, you know Sakura doesn't like horror movies." He looked sternly at Harumi. I was surprised by his defense, but Harumi stood firm.
"It's not like she's going to die if she watches it." She had an annoyed edge to her voice. "It's not that bad anyway."
She gave me a look and before I could stop myself, I said, "Let's just watch it."
He stared at me as Harumi grinned. Maybe this was part of her plan.
He bought me popcorn and a drink, which I thought was really nice of him. Too nice.
Then Harumi made him side next to me while she sat on his other side of the theater. My hands clenched to the sides of the popcorn container as the movie began.
As the movie started, I felt Syaoran's stare on me. He was probably confused as to why I agreed to go to this movie, especially when it was insanely scary. I decided not to look back at him as I concentrated on the screen.
And… it wasn't that bad. The beginning was quite mellow, but all horror movies are like that anyways. I glanced at Harumi (as I avoided Syaoran again) to see that she was a little disturbed; she used to hate horror stuff before her husband, Natsuhiko, forced her to watch them with him every year.
I managed to peek at Syaoran before he noticed me; his face was blank. I couldn't tell if he was interested or bored by the movie.
I quickly looked back at the screen and I tried to continue to watch it the normal way.
Okay… this looks fine. The girl is running away by some unknown presence. Oh wait… the girl cut her finger on a branch. Oh no… now her leg's sliced off by that guy. Oh my… so much blood…!
HOLY CRAP, IS THAT HER INTESTINES COMING OUT OF HER STOMACH?
I sat frozen when the killer finally had her by the throat and I heard the popcorn container hit the ground. The panic music was blaring, and the girl in the movie was screaming as well. I felt like throwing up…
But then someone grabbed me by the shoulders and covered my face with something, blocking my view of the screen.
I didn't care who it was at that minute; all I wanted was to get away from the screams, blood, and terror. Even if it was…
"Sakura, we can leave if you want," Syaoran whispered in my ear and I realized that my face was against his chest. Ack!
I slowly looked up at him. Even through the darkness, I can see the outline of worry across his face.
Then I peered at Harumi, who gestured something down the seats. My eyes followed hers and saw, not to my surprise, couples… kiss—
"Sakura? What's wrong…?" asked Syaoran as he tried to see where I was looking at.
"Aah! Nothing!" I said quickly as I placed my free hand on his eyes. He took my hand off with ease, but promptly looked at me in surprise. His concern overtook his curiosity.
"Your hands feel so clammy," he murmured. "We should leave…"
And when I heard another scream followed by something that disturbingly sounded like skin ripping, I immediately nodded. We both stood up and turned to Harumi.
She shrugged and waved her movie ticket. "I'll just finish this," she explained when she didn't stand up with us. "I'm getting used to it."
I glared at her as she winked at me, and then I left the theater with Syaoran. He had only held my hand when we were in the theaters (probably to make sure I wouldn't trip or anything), and let go when we got out. He placed his hands in his pockets, but walked close to me.
We were quiet when we got outside and sat on the benches. The night air was strangely chilly, but I guess that I was still shaken by the movie.
"Man, that movie sure was bloody." Syaoran smiled at me.
"Ugh… yeah," I muttered. "Bloody."
"How are your hands?" It was a strange question. I raised my eyebrows as I showed him one of my hands, and he suddenly whipped out his from his pocket and took mine.
I stared in shock as I watched him pull my hand close to his body, warming it.
"Still clammy," he said. Then he grinned at me as he bumped his forehead to mine again. Damn it…!
"St-stop…" I tried to pull away, blushing.
"Don't worry, I won't bite." It sounded like a promise.
"But I literally will," I mumbled as his grip on my hand got tighter. He tried to change the subject.
"You never told me why you wanted to watch that scary movie," he sighed. He sounded a little frustrated.
"I thought you said my face was like an open book," I said.
"Sometimes," he corrected me. "There are times when I can't figure what on earth you are thinking… sometimes your face is like a closed book, showing only the cover."
"Hypocrite." I rolled my eyes.
He chuckled. "Maybe you're right." He sighed again. "But I'm not like you. I'm different."
"Different?" I said. "What do you mean by that?"
He hesitated, and then gave me a sad smile. "It's a secret," he teased.
"Don't be stupid," I snapped as I punched his stomach with my free hand. "I'm your wife."
"Exactly," he said softly as he grabbed my other hand firmly. He didn't seem affected from my punch. "And as your husband, I want to protect you."
"Protect me…?" I looked at him inquisitively.
"From many things… including me," he finished, which made my eyes grow wide with curiosity… and fear.
"You…?"
"I'm bored, what should we do?" he asked suddenly. His solemn face turned cheerful as he looked at me.
I decided not to press on him. "I don't know…" I mumbled as he let go of my hands. They felt extremely warm and I felt a bit better. But I wondered what he meant when he wanted to protect me from himself…?
The next half hour, while waiting for Harumi to finish the movie, we played "rock, paper, scissors," in which the loser would get slapped on the arm by using two fingers.
I had no idea why he kept winning; it was weird. I only won once because I cheated and changed my hand to paper way after he did rock.
I was rubbing my ruby-red arm when Harumi finally showed up outside.
"Took you long enough," I said sharply as we headed towards her car. Harumi stared at me. I bet she was wondering if her plan for us to talk alone had gone badly.
"Don't worry about it," Syaoran spoke up behind me, a grin in his voice. "She's just mad because she's a loser at "rock, paper, scissors."
"Shut up," I grumbled as Harumi laughed.
Somehow I didn't feel uncomfortable sitting near Syaoran anymore. I could look at him now with the usual annoyance.
Maybe because he felt exactly the way that I did; uncertain if this engagement would pull through towards marriage. But I have a feeling that he wanted to save it.
Though deep in my heart, I wanted to save it too. Just for the sake of Grandpa… of course…
"So, did you do all your math homework?" Syaoran sat in a more comfortable position on the car seat.
"Aw, can't you give me a break?" I said as I sighed. He placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him.
"C'mon, I'll help you do it," he tried to convince me as he squeezed my shoulders with his arm.
"Ugh…" I groaned. "I hate you."
"That's nice," he said, still optimistic.
And that night, I had a dream about failing my math test.
To be continued…
Hmm, hope you liked this chapter. Please review! I'm sorry that I didn't update in a while; I've been really busy with school. I'll also be updating "Hello, Neighbor" soon, so look out for that too! Also, please check out my livejournal site. I will be sharing my favorite songs there; the link is available in my profile page.
