"Cats out of the Bag"

I needed to concentrate somehow on what's going on in front of me. Everything had been thrown off since this morning because of that stupid phone call.

It was even hard staying on track teaching the class today because my eyes kept drifting to the back of the room where Sakura had been as my mind kept telling me that she's in for a lot of trouble. I really didn't want it to be that way, but there was nearly nothing I could do to prevent it from happening.

Mother's starting to get involved and she always gets her way, one way or another. She was already sending my annoying cousin here to spy and find out as much as she could about Sakura.

I didn't know what to do about it or how to prevent Meilin from coming here, I mean. They couldn't find out that Sakura is still in high school…and one of my students in the class I'm teaching.

It sounded so twisted thinking about it now. I was catching feelings for a girl Xing had met on the street who became his nanny in a span of a few days before I found out she was going to be my student. And she's 17.

What the fuck am I doing?

"Is that alright with you, Mr. Li?" I distinctly heard a voice ask as my thoughts drowned out everything around me.

Not canceling this meeting was a bad idea. I had too much on my plate right now to focus on small little petty meetings about coming up with some stupid merchandise to promote the company as if it didn't already get enough promotion.

"Can we hold these thoughts?" I asked, standing from the chair at the table. "We will postpone this meeting for another time."

Everyone looked confused at my sudden change of mind about this.

"Everyone may get back to work," I dismissed, already walking out of the meeting room before they could respond.

I went to my office to make a call that I knew I had to make. I sat at my desk, my leg bouncing in irritation as the phone rang before she finally picked up.

"Wéi."

"Meilin, please tell me you really aren't going to come here," I said in a threatening tone as soon as she answered the phone.

"Why can't I ever get a proper greeting from you? You're so mean to me," she whined on the other end, making my irritation increase.

"This is serious. I don't need any one or thing interfering with my life right now. I have a lot going on right now—"

"Because of the nanny living there?" she asked softly. "Auntie will have to meet her eventually if you're planning to have something with her. She will have to see if she's a great fit to be a Li and Xing's—"

"I know what will happen. I'm just not trying to drag her in all of this. She doesn't deserve what will happen if mother finds out about it. That's why I need you to stay where the hell you are, so she doesn't find out about any of this," I said.

"So, you do like her, huh?"

"I'm not kidding, Meilin. I'm not opening my home for you to stay," I said.

"I'll be at your place tonight at 7," she said in a dismissing tone.

"Mei—"

The call ended before I could even proceed to give her more threats.

I growled, slamming my hand on the desk. I would just have to get off work early today to talk with Sakura about this.

I wouldn't dare leave her in the dark about all of this.

I unlocked the door, walking in the house at 5:34 that day. I had cancelled all of my meetings, deciding to postpone things for another day.

"I'm home," I called out to let them know it was me who walked in.

When I didn't hear tiny footsteps running around the house, I began to worry. Normally, when I'd come home early and let them know, I'd get a big greeting from them both.

I hung my jacket up in the closet before heading to my room to change clothes. I got into something more comfortable to walk around in since I wasn't planning to do any more work today. I left my room, calling for them one last time before my anxiety started to rise at their absence. Had mother already taken action?

"Sak—"

I heard laughter and water splashing from a distant, making me rush to the back door where the sound had come from.

And there they were, outside in the backyard, swimming in the pool together. I watched them through the glass sliding door for a moment. Xing was trying to climb on her back, but she kept dodging him as they laughed at his failure.

They looked so...happy; content with each other. They had just not been talking a day or two ago and now they were enjoying each other again like it had never happened.

The sight caused a weird and warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach seeing them so happy. No sight had ever made me this happy before.

When they did not notice me watching them, I decided to open the slide door, making my appearance known.

A pair of eyes fell on me before I heard Xing's dramatic gasp. "Daddy is here!" Before he quickly swam towards the edge of the pool in my direction.

Sakura giggled, following suit before they both climbed out of the pool. My eyes fell on the water dripping from her body briefly before they moved to her face which looked delighted to see me.

When Xing held his arms open for me to receive a hug, I held up a hand, cringing at him. He stopped, grinning at me now.

"You didn't tell me you'd be getting off early today," Sakura said, looking at me with a raised brow.

I shrugged, leaning against the door. "I canceled my meetings," I said, looking her directly in the eyes so she knew we had something to talk about that was serious.

"Oh?"

"We have some things to talk about," I said, clenching my jaw to clarify for her.

"Oh...uh...me and Xing could go get cleaned up and...maybe he could help Ms. Hana cook today?" she asked, looking at Xing.

"Are you guys going to help?" he asked, looking at me curiously.

"Daddy and I have to have a grown up conversation, but once we're finished, we'll come in and help. Is that okay?" she asked.

"It won't be anything gross, right?" he asked, giving her a pointed look.

"Of course not. Right, Syaoran?"

She looked at me for confirmation which I nodded quickly, surprised by the way she was handling this.

Had she just suddenly got good at this overnight or had she always been this good? I couldn't be too sure right now.

My brain seemed to be foggy about things right now, considering I didn't know how to bring this conversation up with Sakura.

How would she even feel about it? Would she get scared and run off? Freak out when I tell her that my mom was sending my cousin here to spy on her? See if she's "Li material" because Xing had said I liked her? And god-forbid, but I wouldn't be surprised if they asked how she felt about marriage because this family seemed to be obsessed with the thought of it.

This was the exact reason why I wanted to keep her safe from all of this. I didn't know what to expect. Would they make her leave? Granted, I would make sure she's well off if it came to, but I was not planning on that even happening. I was just starting to feel comfortable with the thought of me being interested in her; wanting to pursue something—god knows what—but something to let me know that she wouldn't leave me or Xing's life.

I didn't want to share her just as much as Xing didn't want to, but I had already given the idea up of sharing her with my son. Now, my family's trying to get involved, who would probably take her away, even though nothing had even started yet. I didn't want to share the huge part of my peace and sanity with anyone else. I just wanted to keep her to myself and—

Wait, what?

"Syaoran-kun, are you okay?"

I snapped out of my thoughts, looking in the direction of her angelic voice. I shook my head of the sudden crazy thoughts that wouldn't stop coming.

What the hell has gotten into me?

"I'm fine. Where's Xing?" I asked once I noticed his absence. Had I really been that lost in thought?

"You didn't hear her in the kitchen when you got here? Ms. Hana's here, so he's in the kitchen helping her cook like I suggested. What's up? You said we needed to talk?" she said, looking at me worriedly.

My mind must have been so occupied with finding Sakura to warn her about their surprise visitors.

"Yes. We can stay out here since it's warm and..." My eyes looked down at her body for a while before they went back to her emerald pair. "It's warmer out here than it is inside and you're still wet, so…" I settled with.

"Well, I guess we could sit on the tanning chair," she said, already walking towards the chair closest to the water.

My eyes trained on her entire figure, admiring how...beautiful she looks. I couldn't find any blemishes on her or maybe I was just seeing her differently suddenly.

Fuck, I did not need to be focusing on anything else right now!

"Are you sure...you're okay?" she asked, snapping me out of it again.

She must be thinking I'm weird as hell.

I shook my head, walking where she is so I could sit beside her. "I'm fine, just..."

"Did...something happen? You are home earlier than normal, and you usually tell us when you'd be home," she said, raising a brow at me with a worried look in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. My cousin's coming here..." I started, knowing this was the perfect way to start it.

"Really?" she asked, sounding a bit too excited.

"I promise you're using the wrong tone for this," I warned her.

"Is it Meilin?" she asked, looking a bit confused now.

She looks so cute when she's lost.

Back on track Xiao Lang!

"Yes, except... it's not going to be a normal meeting," I said slowly, not sure how to tell her this.

"What do you mean?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, feeling a little bit frustrated. "Xing told them that you were...my girlfriend."

Her entire face turned beet red, making me want to kiss the shy look off her face. "Oh?"

"Yeah and now...they think what we have is something serious, so she's coming here to...meet you," I said. Saying it out loud like that made this whole thing sound so pathetic.

"Just tell them we aren't, right? I mean...we aren't in a relationship and... right?" she asked, looking at me for clarity.

"R-right, it's just..." I stopped, not sure how to bring up the fact that I didn't want us to end what we had already been building. We had a bond that I didn't want to break or be sabotaged by anyone.

"Yes?"

"What we have now, I don't want to stop or end it. I still want to take you out again...just...talk to you... kiss you... hold you whenever I get the chance to," I said, not able to stop myself from speaking the truth.

"What about Xing?" she asked softly.

I shook my head. "This isn't about Xing, okay? You worry about him too much with things you shouldn't worry about. He loves you, Sakura. I'm sure he won't be opposed to the idea of us being involved romantically for long. It's just a phase he's going through and something he'd have to get used to," I explained.

"I—what do you mean?" she stuttered, seeming to be surprised by that statement.

Why was she still trying to deny this? What we have? She's clearly attracted to me, so what was there to feel scared about? Why was she so hesitant? Was it really just Xing holding her back?

"If Xing felt comfortable with the idea of us being involved...would you feel better about the idea?" I asked.

I wasn't asking her hand in marriage. I wasn't even asking her to get in a relationship with me. I just wanted her to give this bond we were creating a try. I wanted her to enjoy herself like she had on our first date. I wanted to take her out again so she could have a good time. I enjoyed seeing her...happy. That's all I wanted for her...to be genuinely happy and not because she felt like she had to be.

"It doesn't matter because Xing doesn't and I...don't know what you're saying. What are you asking me to do?" she asked.

The girl was so dense sometimes. She would only understand if I spelled it out loud for her.

"I want to date you...get to know you better. I was serious when I said I was interested in you this morning," I said boldly.

I didn't know how it would work with how different our lifestyles were, but I felt more than willing to try. I understand that...I might get a lot of frowns, but I didn't want to worry about that right now.

No one had to know of what we had going on. This wasn't to say that she'd have to be a secret, because I sure as hell didn't want her to feel like one, but that didn't mean I'd play my cards stupidly.

I had beat myself up about her age for too long before I realized that I wasn't attracted or interested in her because of her age. I'm interested in her because of her character...her personality...her heart...her kindness...how genuine she is and how she makes me feel. Plus, she's great with my kid.

"I-I..."

I looked at her, seeing a blush stain her delicate face. I smiled at her a little, seeing that she felt something remotely positive about it. "There's no rush to give me an answer. I'm just telling you what I want. I know... it's selfish on my part, since I come with baggage... and I don't mean that in a bad way. I love my son to death and will do anything for him, but accepting me... like that would mean having to accept him too. That's why I said we could just date for right now," I explained, feeling even more guilty the more I talked about it out loud. I had already thought all of this through.

Having a kid would mean having a harder time finding someone to be with. I didn't want to have to put anyone through that, so I really didn't even plan to be with anyone anymore. I thought I could live without another person, other than my son. And I was fine doing that because I had never had any interest in being in a relationship with anyone, even my child's mother, but when Sakura came...the idea of being alone seemed kind of blurry.

I couldn't see myself with anyone else, but whenever Sakura came to mind...I couldn't help but feel like I didn't want to be alone forever.

I just hate to put her through this though. And on top of that, I'm her teacher now. There was just so many things that could screw everything up, but for some reason, logic and reasoning didn't come to play as it usually does with my decisions and actions.

This conversation had taken a completely different turn than how I planned.

I felt something soft grab my hand, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked down at the source, only to see Sakura's hand grabbing mine tightly. "Xing is not baggage to me, Syaoran," she said, looking at me determinedly. "I would never ever think or feel that because what I feel for him is much deeper than me just having to babysit him."

I turned my hand over, grabbing her hand gently, bringing it up to my lips to kiss. "I know. I just know and understand the pressure of it all," I said quietly. "I just want you to know that you deserve a lot better than a man who already has a kid—"

"I don't view you as lesser than any person, okay? I don't plan to choose a husband based off him having a kid or not. There's a lot that comes in to play when looking for someone I'd want to eventually settle down with one day," she said confidently.

I wanted to ask her what those things were, but thought better of it. We weren't even dating, and I was already thinking of jumping to be what she would want in a person if she would tell me.

"Okay," I said softly.

"I'd love to go on another date with you too. I just want to make sure we do it right this time by Xing. I can't risk ruining my relationship with him again," she said.

I could feel my heart warm in my chest with that weird fuzzy feeling settling in my stomach.

She was something else...

"I'll handle it," I promised.

She smiled at me, nodding her head. "And your cousin...when will she be getting here?" she asked.

Gosh...the reason I came out here to begin with.

"This evening at 7, so she might be having dinner with us, unfortunately. But, about her...you don't have to tell her anything. I don't want you to feel obligated to tell her anything either. She's just here to find information out to bring back to Hong Kong with her," I explained.

"Why does it matter? Is there something else missing?" she asked.

I didn't want to tell her about mother and everyone else in Hong Kong. It would just worry her when she didn't need any of that right now.

"Just family bullshit," I decided to settle with. "It's nothing for you to worry about though."

"So I shouldn't tell her anything then?" she asked softly.

"Right," I said too fast. "Don't tell them where you go to school either."

She frowned. "Why?" she asked.

I shook my head. "It's just not a good idea," I said.

She nodded. "Okay...what should I expect?" she asked.

"A...lot of personal questions. A shit ton, honestly. There's only so much I can get Xing not to say, but he's a kid, so I don't know what he's told already," I said.

"Alright. I'll try to keep everything casual then?" she said in a questioning tone.

I looked at her, seeing a genuine smile on her face before I squeezed her hand, moving towards her face to close the gap between our lips.

She seemed surprised by the sudden act, but she kissed me back, nonetheless.

I would never get tired of her lips...

I pulled back from her lips, looking her in the eyes seriously. "Yes."

A knock on the door caused dread to wash over my entire body, hearing the annoying voice already.

Don't get me wrong, I love my cousin to death and would give my life for her; she's family, so of course I feel that way. But tolerating her constantly being in my life? It's hell on earth for any person. It's a wonder how she has a boyfriend.

"Is that Aunt Meilin?" Xing asked excitedly, making me mentally groan.

I had already talked with him about it and subtly suggested not mentioning anything Sakura does or has done with me. I already came up with what I'd tell her Sakura was to us if she kept pressing to find out if the relationship went deeper than her being a nanny.

"I'm assuming so," I said, standing from the couch where Sakura and Xing had been cuddling since Hana left. She had made us dinner, but left shortly afterwards because she wanted to get home to her grandkids.

I gave Sakura an encouraging smile before I headed out of the living room to go to the front door. The quicker I convinced her that nothing was going on here, the faster she'd be out of here.

Once I reached the door, I unlocked it, opening the door for the person who had knocked on the door.

To my surprise, I encountered a very familiar face with a mustache and head full of grey hair.

"Master Li," he said, bowing to me politely with his eyes closed behind the spectacles.

"What...are you doing here?" I asked slowly, not sure what other surprise might pop out right now.

No one mentioned anything about my butler coming here?

"I'm sorry to have surprised you. I was certain that Yelan-sama had informed you that she wanted me to accompany Ms. Meilin here to make sure things turned out fine with her stay here," he said in a gentle tone I had grew all too familiar with.

This man helped me stay sane growing up in this family.

"Where's—"

"Syaoran!" Meilin explained, jumping from behind Wei to tackle me in a hug.

I groaned, pushing her off me gently. "I knew you were up to something," I said under my breath.

She frowned. "Aren't you going to invite us in?" she asked.

I was surprised she asked instead of intruding like she normally would in the past. Maybe time had matured her a bit.

I stepped aside, letting them in when I grabbed both of their bags from Wei. I carried them inside, telling them to follow me to the living room.

"Your house looks nice here," Meilin said, looking around thoughtfully.

"Mustachio is here too?!" I heard Xing explain as soon as we got in the living room before it registered in my head what he had just called Wei.

"Xing," I called sternly, looking at him seriously. "You watch your mouth and address your elders respectfully," I chastised.

I heard Wei chuckling beside me, to my surprise. "It's alright, Master Li. I informed him that it would be okay to call me that," he explained.

I frowned. "That just—"

"So... you're the new nanny I've heard so much about in Hong Kong," Meilin said, making my attention shift to her.

I wanted to interfere, but didn't want to show how defensive and protective I felt of Sakura right now.

I looked at Sakura as she stood, bowing to Meilin politely with a smile on her face. "I'm Kinomoto Sakura. I've heard a lot about you from these two as well."

Meilin didn't say anything, making me become irritated with her as she just stared Sakura down. I could detect her discomfort the longer Meilin stayed silent.

"And this is Wei, an old family friend," I introduced Wei when Meilin still didn't say anything.

She had to be one of the most annoying women I've ever known.

Wei turned to Sakura with a warm smile on his face, bowing his head slightly. "I'm delighted to be graced by the presence of a beautiful young woman," he said gently.

A blush spread across her face before she bowed to him as well. "I-it's nice to meet you too!" she stuttered, losing her cool from earlier.

I held back a chuckle at her frantic behavior. I couldn't help but love when she got this way.

"How old are you?" I heard Meilin ask, making me glare at her.

"That is none of your damn business," I snapped before Sakura could even answer.

Xing gasp. "Oohhh, Daddy said a bad word!" he exclaimed, making me close my eyes.

"My mistakes. You don't repeat what's been said," I told him.

Meilin giggled, moving over to Xing so she could pick him up and hug him. "I'm really glad to see you in high spirits this time. You're usually quiet and alone when we're around. I'm starved too. I hope dinner's ready," she said.

I swear the woman has ADHD with her short attention span.

Xing giggled, wrapping his arm around her neck to hug her gently. "Aunt Hana cooked us all dinner and I helped her!" he exclaimed.

She giggled. "Great, let's have dinner," Meilin said, already walking to the kitchen.

Xing squirmed in her arms, trying to get down before she stopped at the door of the kitchen, sitting him down. "What's wrong?" she asked with a frown on her face.

"We can't forget Sakura," he said, running back to Sakura so he could grab her hand, pulling her with him to the kitchen.

A smile crept to my face a little, seeing Sakura stumble over her feet as he led them in the kitchen.

"Daddy?" Xing called, looking at me from the entrance.

"We'll be in in a few minutes," I said, giving him a reassuring smile before he smiled and left Wei and I alone.

"What's mother planning?" I asked as soon as they were all out of sight.

"I hold deep guilt for giving in to her wishes of me coming here," he said guiltily, bowing his head in shame.

I sighed, shaking my head. "This isn't your fault. I know it's hard going against her wishes," I said quietly, knowing exactly where he is coming from.

She was such an intimidating, stern woman and quite harsh at times. If she said one thing will go one way, it would go that way no matter what, no changes added.

"I still wish you could live your life in peace without any interference," he said, though he didn't address what specifically she had instructed them to do.

He sighed. "I will try to make our stay here as peaceful as possible for you all."

I bowed toward him in respect and gratitude. "Thank you."

"I'm glad to see Xing genuinely happy again, and with a nanny he hasn't gotten rid of?"

"She's…different. He likes this one. I found her a lot differently this time too."

"Oh?"

"I didn't plan to have any nannies here, so I wasn't even looking," I explained.

"As much as I hate to pry, would you mind telling me how it happened?"

"Xing...was running off from the corporation where he normally stays and ended up finding her and somehow convinced my assistant to let her spend the day there with him...and when I'd gotten out of a long ass meeting after someone had told me about her being there, I'd met her. Xing was so..." I stopped, thinking back on how Xing had been. Everything about him was different from how it had ever been in his life.

His spirits were bright. He seemed genuinely happy for a change in his life.

"Like he is now?" Wei questioned, interrupting my thoughts. "The boy is a ball of energy even when he's not saying anything."

A smile crept to my face unconsciously as I looked at a photo of him hanging on the wall in front of me. "Yeah..." I said.

"You seem a lot different too."

At hearing that, I snapped out of the daze, looking at him seriously. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked defensively.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "It's nothing. We should head in as well, because I am quite starved," he said.

I nodded, deciding to ignore it and lead the way to the kitchen. I heard Sakura's laughter as soon as I walked in the kitchen.

"When did you learn to be so sharing?" Meilin asked, already sitting at the kitchen table.

I saw there were already two plates made on the table as Sakura sat down in her chair with a plate in her hand that I assumed to be hers.

"Not in the beginning..." she murmured under her breath.

Xing whined, folding his arms with a pout on his face before a smile started to form as he kept his brows scrunched together. "I've tried my best not to be a selfish person," he said.

"Oh, your plates on the table," Sakura said as if she noticed us walk inside the room.

I smiled at her gratefully before moving over to sit in the chair in front of Meilin and Wei in the seat beside her.

"Xing has been doing better with sharing," I said to entertain them a bit.

"See? Daddy even sees it!"

Everyone chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"So, you babysit, serve, and what else do you do again?" Meilin asked Sakura, suddenly changing the subject again.

She was purposely doing this to spite me right now, it seemed.

I wanted to speak up and tell her that it was none of her business, but didn't want to take Sakura's voice from her. I didn't want her to feel like I was trying to control this whole thing, even though deep down inside, I wanted to take this whole thing and stop it. I knew Sakura would get mad if I spoke on her behalf though. She surely was not having that at all these days, considering we nearly got in an argument in front of Xing the other day because of it.

I respected she wanted her own voice, so I was done trying to take manners in my hands all the time to let her handle some things a bit to grow. I realized being super protective of her would only prevent her from doing a lot of things in her life and I didn't want to be the reason she couldn't do things in life.

"Actually, I don't have to do anything besides watch Xing when Syaoran's working. Whatever I choose to do outside of that is merely out of pure desire to do so," she said calmly.

"Oh? And you must really be close to address my cousin by his first name then?"

"That's enough, Meilin," I interfered before she could put any ideas in Xing or Wei's head.

Granted, me and Sakura did have something personal going on, but they didn't need to know that. It was none of their business.

"Well, Daddy and Sakura are also friends, just like me and Sakura are friends...right?" Xing asked, looking at me questioningly.

"Of course—"

"I...stay here," Sakura said slowly. "I would be insane to stay in a place with people I couldn't trust, so I would hope I have some form of friendship with them."

God, she was handling this so well. I could kiss her right now in front of them and not give a damn.

"So, do you work then? If so, where?"

"How about we say our blessings for the food and eat?" Wei interjected gently, to my relief.

"I agree."

We said a quick blessing before we dug in to our foods.

I couldn't help my eyes drifting to Sakura as she seemed to be in another world in that head of hers. She was focused on her food, while occasionally talking to Xing about whatever topic he brought up.

Everyone was engaging in conversation as they ate, with Meilin not bombarding her with questions this time, but I remained quiet.

I didn't want to say the wrong thing to mess things up. I couldn't tell what Meilin was up to, so I didn't want to push her too much into putting Sakura in an uncomfortable predicament.

Once we all finished eating, Sakura had volunteered to put Xing to bed, so I was now showing Wei and Meilin to their rooms. I had given Wei a room downstairs, while Meilin a room upstairs, away from Sakura.

"How long are you guys planning to be here again?" I asked Wei as I leaned against the door, looking at him curiously.

"I'm hoping to leave as soon as possible to let you all get back to your lives," he said gently.

I sighed. "I understand.."

"I will have to keep your mother informed of how things are here," he said, looking a little guilty again.

I swallowed, nodding my head stiffly. "I understand," I said again. "I'll let you get to resting because I'm sure you're tired from the flight."

He nodded before I decided to leave him be.

I closed his door behind me before heading to Xing's room, but Sakura came out before I could even do as she closed the door behind her gently.

I stared at her before she turned around, finally noticing me. Her eyes widened as she opened her mouth to speak, but I decided to beat her to it. "He's already sleeping?"

She nodded. "He was exhausted..." she said softly.

"Meilin's in her room, right?" I asked quietly.

She shrugged, nodding her head. "I haven't heard her come downstairs yet. She said she was calling it a night because she was tired from the flight."

I sighed in relief, running a hand down my face exhaustedly.

"You seem tired yourself."

"I...am, actually. I'm just...too much happening in one day is starting to take a toll on me," I said.

"I would suggest watching a movie together, but I'm sure I'd get interrogated with that too," she said, giggling softly.

I frowned, feeling guilty for putting her through this, even though it had not even begun. "I'm really...sorry to put you through this. I had no idea any family would be coming down so soon," I apologized.

She shook her head, releasing Xing's door as she leaned her back against it lightly. "No, it's okay. She just seems like a concerned cousin," she said softly.

Shaking my head, I knew I had to explain to her that's not what this was about. "That's not what that is. She's a prying spy of my mother's looking for drama."

"For what?" she asked. "Is it so wrong for Xing to have a nanny? I thought you had regular nannies back in Hong Kong?"

"I did, but it was never anything to worry about."

"What's different this time?"

"Xing likes you and he's told them something that I'm not sure what he told them because they're suspecting that we...might have a relationship or some sort," I said quietly.

Her eyes widened as she sat up from leaning against the wall. "What?"

"They think that...I'm looking for another mother for Xing and I'm..."

When I didn't continue, not sure what to say to her about it, because it wasn't like that. I do, in fact, like Sakura. I wasn't trying to make her be Xing's mother. I didn't want her to do anything she didn't want to do, so that was not the case here.

She walked over to me, grabbing my face with her soft hands. "I know that's not what you're trying to do, Syaoran," she said softly in a serious tone.

"But then I'm...doing all this stuff with and to you, like...it won't escalate to something more," I said.

She frowned. "You're not doing anything to me. We are both doing things, so don't make it sound like you're forcing things on to me, when you're not. I've wanted these things, so you're not doing anything against my will. I'm old enough to make my own decisions," she said softly, reminding me why I felt so attracted to her.

"I know...I know that's how it is. I just...don't want to look like this guy who's taking advantage and using you when that's not my intentions with you," I said.

"I know you aren't, Syaoran. And I don't feel like you are. What's gotten into you?" she questioned, looking at me confused.

I stopped, realizing I didn't even know what had gotten into me, opening up to her like this and about that.

"I know what people will think and feel about this, okay? And...quite frankly, I might've felt the same way if you were making me do things I didn't want to do, but you aren't doing those things, so...I know your intentions aren't bad," she said softly.

I could feel a small smile creep to my lips before I moved closer to her, backing her up against the wall. "Of course they're not. I genuinely like you," I said without thinking.

Her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink before she looked up at me shyly. "I..."

"There's no rush, so don't feel obligated to tell me how you feel," I reminded her again. "I just want you to know that...my feelings are genuine and I'm not just doing things out of pure lust or anything else other than me liking you."

She nodded slightly before I leaned down and captured her lips with mine gently. She smiled against my lips for a moment before returning the kiss and wrapping her arms around my neck. My hands fell down to her hips, pushing her bum back against the wall so I could press my lower half into hers.

When she deepened the kiss, I mentally groaned, pushing my tongue in her mouth when she gave me entrance. Her hands slid up to my hair, pulling on the strands gently as her lips sucked on my tongue.

I couldn't help but imagine her lips wrapped around something much harder and hotter than my tongue.

I pulled back from her lips, feeling my face almost melt from the blush that had to be evident on my face. "It's getting harder kissing you these days and not wanting to take it further," I said, leaning my forehead against hers with my eyes closed tightly.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, making me chuckle quietly.

"Only you would apologize for something that's not your fault," I said, moving my hand up to caress her face.

"I'm sorry, I—" she stopped, realizing herself apologize again before she giggled. "I can't help it sometimes."

"I can tell."

"Syaoran, if you're...truly interested in me and plan to...build on this connection, how am I supposed to feel about you telling me that I can't let my friends know?" she asked quietly.

My brows scrunched together before I motioned her to follow me down the hall to the living room. Once we sat on the couch, I turned to her with a serious look on my face.

"You're referring to Daidouji again, aren't you?" I asked.

She looked down, making a humming sound.

"What's wrong?" I asked as the alarms went off in my head.

"Nothing's wrong. I just..."

"There is no rush, Sakura. We're taking things one step at a time, remember?"

"I do. I just don't want to keep this from you anymore because she's my best friend…and…"

My brows knitted together, wondering what she was on about right now. "What?"

"Tomoyo knows about me staying here with you guys," she blurted, looking away from me.

What?

A/N: Ahh! I finally finished editing this chapter in a hour for you guys! Fanfiction has been acting like a crackhead with responding to reviews and getting notifications, so my apologies if people didn't get a response from the last chapter even though I did respond. It was uploading my chapters funky too, so sorry for the confusions of the last chapter.

But! What did you guys think of the chapter? I know Sakura just sprung that information on how out of nowhere when he's already going through a mental crisis with his mother finding out about her and sending Meilin and Wei there, but her revealing this has a significant meaning to the story.

Next chapter is almost done, so I'm super excited to get it out soon, as majority of the chapter will be with them at school for several reasons, which means we'll be having some drama at school too! :D