Disclaimer: I don't own these people
Friends At Last
Sakura turned her head at the soft tinkling of bells that signalled that someone had come into the restaurant. She guessed it was too much to ask that Syaoran not come in the one night she was here.
Syaoran narrowed his eyes at the girl in the back booth peeping at him. Was that Sakura kinomoto? Yes, it was her all right. He'd recognise her anywhere. He couldn't help but smile, and walked over to her.
Sakura watch him sit down in front of her without any invitation. "I thought you were going to try harder." he commented.
"I was, but then you had to come in and spoil all my effort."
"Half-baked effort." He smirked and she gave him a patronising look. The smirk fell off his face.
"I think it would be rediculous to try to fight it, so let's be friends. We could have a very friendly dinner together, like we've been doing these past few days." She said it so primly and so matter-of-fact that it just made him want to get her all ruffled again. In the best way he knew how.
"All right. We'll do it your way first, and if it doesn't work, then we'll do it mine."
Sakura looked suspiciously at him and said, "What's your way?" She didn't trust that smug smile for a second.
"I'll go and tell Antonello we want to order." He stood up and walked to the kitchen doors, leaving Sakura glaring at his back, and not to mention at his rather fine behind.
When Syaoran walked back toward the table he saw Sakura swinging her legs, unabashedly looking at him as he walked. At last he stood beside her. Her white skirt was in stark contrast to the plush red seats. Her cheeks bloomed a light pink as he stared at her. He saw the mist start to cross her eyes, and she licked her lips. Then he was on top of her.
Her hands gripped his shirt, not pushing him away nor pulling him closer. Her head lowered onto the seat as he crawled into the booth, both elbows on either side of her face.
His warmth was surrounding her as his tongue touched hers. He was in turns both infinitely tender yet arousingly firm. The friction of his lips on hers and his exotic taste drove her senses wild. Her hands slid up to circle his neck and pull him closer. His mouth moved and took her deeper under the waves of desire, of need.
Stroking her fanned hair with one hand, he lifted his mouth an inch from hers and asked, "Still want to be friends?"
Reality came crashing down, dragging her reluctantly back to earth. Her disappointment showed clearly on her face as she whispered, "Yes, I do."
He didn't move. "To tell you the truth, I don't". She started to say something, but he descended upon her again, and she could do nothing but hold him close, promising herself that it would be the last time.
Her mouth moved slickly under his, and tongues slid sensuously over the other. Sakura moaned, fully understanding why instinct had warned her that he would be dangerous when she first met him.
Finally, he lifted his head again, and his tongue lazily licked her bottom lip. "I'd like to finish this in a more private place, but I don't think you'd appreciate that when you have time to think about it, so you want to catch a movie after dinner?"
Sakura blinked twice and managed to answer normally from her rather comfortable position beneath him, "I think the Chuck Norris revival is still on. I've been wanting to catch An Eye For An Eye."
He gave her one more friendly peck, then got off of her. When he sat down on his own side of the booth, he signalled to Antonello to bring the menus. Antonello came and presented them the menus with a cheeky look in his eye, as if he knew exactly what had been going on in the booth. Sakura just barely prevented herself from squirming. She glared at Syaoran like it was all his fault.
After more exclamations about the food and discomfort on Syaoran's part, the meal was finally completed and Sakura was sliding into the front seat of Syaoran's black jag parked just in front of the restaurant.
The movie was one that didn't require much thinking to follow, and both of them enjoyed the rest of the relaxing evening.
When Syaoran at last walked her up to her door, she turned to face him and said, "See? This friends thing isn't so bad. We can do this."
"Sure." He stood, waiting for her to get inside.
Sakura kissed him on the cheek quickly before she retreated behind her door, whispering, "I'll see you soon.". Through the peephole she watched him turn with a smile on his face and walk back down the corridor whistling.
Syaoran was in an especially good mood the next day, and he showed it in a rare burst of frivolity at work.
"Franco! Buddy! Did you finish the report?" He clapped Franco on the shoulder.
Franco grinned. He guessed correctly what had caused Syaoran to act this way. He must've gotten lucky last night, with a certain green-eyed spitfire. "Yes, I have. Get a grip, man."
Syaoran could only chuckle. "I've made a new friend." and closed his office door behind him.
Mortimer waited until Franco went back to his own office to knock on Syaoran's door. He mentally ran over the lines Meilin had given him.
"Come in." Syaoran said when the knock sounded on his door.
"Um, Mr. Li, I just wanted you to review your stock options so I can get back to the bank." He placed a thin stack of papers on Syaoran's desk.
While Syaoran picked up the first and began to read, Mortimer attempted to seem inconspicuous and unnoticable while asking a question. "So, um, has Sakura asked you to the wedding yet?"
Syaoran looked up and tried to be patient, though it wasn't his strongest suit. "Wedding?" he remembered Sakura's black-haired friend. "No, she hasn't.". Wait a minute. "How did you know about the wedding? Better yet, how did you even know Sakura?!" He dropped the papers and gave Mortimer his attention, waiting for a satisfactory explanation.
"Didn't she tell you? I just dumped her... recently." Mortimer didn't think it would be wise to tell Syaoran the exact date.
Syaoran frowned. Not a satisfactory explanation. 'Not my business what she did before me, anyway.', he thought. He tried to convince himself of it.
"Anyway, if you ever see her again, I'd really appreciate it if you told her that I'm sorry I couldn't go to Tomoyo's wedding. Thanks. Just drop a line when you're done with the stock options, Mr. Li.". Now that he'd dropped the seeds of doubt, he was certain he'd have Sakura back, and maybe even a bit of Meilin. God, that girl was hot.
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it! Cheers.
