"When Wrong Begins to Become Right"
Syaoran ate his food in silence, listening to the others talking at the table about their wives, women from strip clubs, and anything that he would normally find interesting. His mind was already too occupied with other thoughts, though.
Sakura had been ignoring him since Saturday and it was driving him insane. All he could think about was her face, her voice, the way she felt against him. All of his senses were filled with her, and he was beginning to think that she had driven him into a mad man. And now, she was ignoring him, leaving him high and dry for more.
More of what though? He does not know.
He had not meant to offend her on the phone last Saturday, but what should he have said? They did have sex, and it had been the best sex he had ever had. Should he have said sex, rather than fuck? Because it certainly did not feel like he just fucked her.
Making love seemed too...weird to say for him, so what else is there to say? He knew women liked to hear romantic shit like that, but he did not get that vibe from Sakura, ever.
She was hard to read so he does not really know what she liked. Maybe he could ask her about herself on Thursday when they saw each other again.
He mentally groaned, annoyed that it was still less than 24 hours away. It seemed short, but he wanted to see her now.
He has not seen her since they had sex, which was way too long. Once a week was not enough for him anymore. He wanted to see her more than that.
"Li-kun? Are you going to come?" someone at the table asked, interrupting his thoughts about the woman.
"What?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Dr. Haruka.
"Star Lights, down the street from here?"
That was a strip club that he went to, nearly every night before Sakura came into the picture. Why did he stop again?
"Can't. I have to get to the hospital extra early tomorrow," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
One of the other doctors gasped, almost dramatically. "What's going on, chief? You never turn down the opportunity to go to a strip. And, words been going around that you haven't slept with anyone in the hospital for the last two months or so."
Syaoran shrugged again, picking up his chopsticks to take a bite out of his food. "Busy. I've had a lot on my plate," he said nonchalantly.
"For the last couple of months?" Dr. Haruka asked, giving Syaoran a pointed look.
He began to grow annoyed with his employee's interest in his sex life. Surely he never pried in their personal lives like this.
"Why the hell are you guys concerned about my sex life?" he asked, keeping his tone in line.
He had been getting along with everyone at the hospital since he and Sakura had grown close to each other, so he did not want to ruin anything for something this small.
"Because you always come to the strip with us. Don't get all offensive on us, douche," Dr. Haruka said, grinning at him.
Syaoran narrowed his eyes at the man, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "On a Wednesday night?"
"It will be easier to tell my wife that I just have to work late."
Syaoran scoffed. "You're awful," he said, shaking his head.
"I'm not. I've never gone home with a young lady since I met my lovely wife," Dr. Haruka said, grinning.
"If you're throwing jabs at me to hurt my feelings, it's not working. I've never cheated on a girl I've dated before."
"That's true, but you might as well consider yourself a cheater since you sleep with multiple women at a time—"
"Who I'm not in a committed relationship with," he said defensively.
"The point is, it's still cheating technically," Dr. Haruka concluded.
"It is not," he said, voice rising a bit.
Dr. Haruka chuckled, shaking his head. "You don't want to cause a scene in your cafeteria, Li. If you don't want to tag along with us, then you don't have to."
"Thank you. My sex life is none of your damn concerns, anyway," he said, pushing his chair back, grabbing his tray.
He left without another word from any of them.
How could Dr. Haruka claim that he was a cheater when he knew nothing?
Syaoran never cheated on a woman he was in a relationship with. And he certainly has never cheated on anyone he had never been in a relationship with. From the very start of any type of sexual activity he involved himself in, he told the women that he wanted nothing but sex from them. He even told them after he finished having sex with them that it was just sex, so how could that man consider him to be a cheater?
He had never been disloyal or dishonest to anyone before.
He slept with Sakura last week, and he had not done anything with anyone besides his hand, so that made him honest, right?
He may have forgotten to mention to Sakura that he did not want a relationship with her, but he still had not slept with another since her, and he was not even planning to.
He sat and thought for a moment. Did he even want to anymore?
"Tomoyo, you're killing me!" Sakura exclaimed to the woman who forced the dress over her head.
"You have to try this one on too. I specifically designed it for women with your hair, eyes, and skin complexion. It looks so pretty on you!" Tomoyo cheered, clapping her hands.
Sakura had on a bright, emerald green, strapless dress that had sparkling, small diamonds on it. It fit to her like a second skin at the top part, but it landed gracefully to the floor from the waist down.
"This is the last dress that I'm trying on for the day," she said, pretending to be annoyed with her friend.
"It's not. You know there's one more, and then we'll be done. Oh, then we have to go shopping," Tomoyo said, adjusting a few of the places on her dress.
"But we went shopping this past weekend already."
"And now we have to go again," Tomoyo said, lifting from the ground.
She gasped loudly, causing Sakura to become alert. "What is it?"
"It's not, 'what is it.' It's, 'Who is it'?" Tomoyo said with a mischievous grin.
It reminded Sakura of Eriol for a minute, but then she remembered that they were husband and wife.
"What?"
"Sakura, who the hell sucked on your neck like some kind of a vampire?!" Tomoyo exclaimed, giggling.
"What?" Sakura asked confused.
Tomoyo dragged her across the dressing room to one of the full-length mirrors.
She gasped, noticing five marks on her body. Two was on the curve of her neck and shoulder, another on both sides of her shoulder, while another on the other side of her lower neck.
She swallowed, remembering how hard Syaoran's lips closed around her skin that night. She knew that she had a few small bruises on other areas of her body that were barely noticeable, but her neck?
She never paid attention to it because she had worn clothes that covered majority of her body for the last few days. The weather was dropping, so she was trying to dress warmer.
"Uh..." she said at a loss for words.
What was she supposed to tell her best friend? There was no way that she could tell her that these hickeys were from Li Syaoran, her sex-addict patient.
"Come on, Sakura. You can't keep this from me. You haven't had sex in years. What lucky man has stolen your heart?"
"No, no, no, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I promise that I'm not in love with anyone," she said truthfully.
She may have cared about Syaoran, but she was certainly not in love with him. This area in her life was off-limits, and she did not even want to think about opening that door.
"So there is someone that you're sleeping with?"
"No!" she said almost too quickly.
When did she get the ability to lie so easily these days?
"What's that on your neck, then? I'm not going to judge you. You know that I'm all about having your share of fun," Tomoyo said, winking at her.
Sakura's cheeks turned red from embarrassment. "Stop it, Tomoyo. I am not sleeping around," she said in a hushed tone.
"I'm waiting for an explanation on the marks on your neck," she said.
Sakura sighed, eyes closing. She could not think of a lie to tell her friend.
"I burned myself with the flat iron," she decided to go with the old lie that most people used to hide hickeys.
Tomoyo burst out laughing, tracing the hickey on her shoulder with her index finger. "That's very like you, Sakura." Sakura almost sighed in relief, but Tomoyo continued, "But your hair doesn't even reach your shoulders, and you expect me to believe that you burned yourself five times?" Tomoyo gave her a pointed look.
"Even though I've never admitted it out loud, I'm a klutz like that. You know that more than I do," she said, shrugging her shoulders to add to the effect.
"And I know more than you know about hickeys. Though I'm wondering if you know more than I do now. Eriol has never given me that many hickeys in one night. Two, maybe, but five? You have a wild one there, Sakura," Tomoyo said, smiling at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Sakura blushed, thinking back on how sore she felt the next few days after she and Syaoran had sex. She had never felt that good sex kind of sore, even from her previous lover. Good was not even a word to describe how Syaoran had made her feel that night.
"Stop it. I'm not sleeping with anyone," she said, eyes straying from hers.
"Stop lying to me, Sakura. Who is it?!"
She sighed, shaking her head as a smile formed on her face at the thoughts of the amazing sex. "It's no one."
"No one? Sakura, you're all teeth right now! And it explains why you've been glowing for the last couple of days I've seen you." Tomoyo gasped as if she had an idea.
"W-what?" she asked, nervous that her secret had been found out so soon before it even got anywhere.
Wait, what?
"Is it Dr.—"
"No!" Sakura exclaimed, assuming the doctor she was about to mention.
"Geez, Sakura. I didn't know that Dr. Akinari looked that bad for you. In fact, he looks good. I think so at least," Tomoyo said, shrugging her shoulders.
"O-oh...no, Aki looks good. Really good, in fact, as you said. I thought you were talking about..."
"Who did you think I was referring to?" Tomoyo asked, smirking at her.
"N-no one. Why would you even think it's him?"
"Sakura...you guys go way back. Like, grad school, like...undergrad," Tomoyo said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I guess; but he's my therapist, Tomoyo. You know that's wrong," Sakura said, laughing nervously.
"You guys were friends before that. Even if, so? Wouldn't it be kind of hot? Forbidden affairs have always been hot, when you think about it. Sneaking around, adrenaline rushing, scared you'll get caught. You have to admit, it would be kind of hot," Tomoyo said.
Sakura wanted to tell her that she had no idea, but decided against it.
"What would you know about that?" Sakura asked, giving her a suspicious look.
"I've read books and Eriol and I have done a few kinky things. We've been married for seven years, Sakura."
"You're right. So...you think forbidden affairs are okay?" she asked.
"I never said they are okay, but they are hot. Realistically, they don't always end great, but the ride is probably a hell of a lot of fun." Tomoyo began picking a few of the things up on the floor in the room to straighten up.
"Would you do it?" Sakura found herself asking as she reached behind herself to unzip the dress.
"If it was with Eriol, yes."
"He's your husband though, so that doesn't count." Sakura giggled.
"If we weren't married and I am one of his employees, I would still want to be with him. I would have an affair with him as long as he's not with anyone else because I love him."
Sakura inwardly sighed. That was no help at all. She did not have strong feelings like that for Syaoran, so there was no reason to continue the affair with him besides the fact that he made her forget about her own pain.
Why did that matter though? She had already said that she would never do it again with him.
Besides, Tomoyo had forgot about the hickeys on her neck, so there is nothing that she needed to worry about today.
Syaoran sat on the couch in her practice, waiting for her to come over to him.
He was disappointed when she sat on the opposite side of the couch in the chair.
He sighed loudly. "Why are you doing that, Sakura?"
"Dr. Kinomoto," she said sternly.
He leaned back, confused. "What?"
"Address me correctly," she said.
"You're kidding me, right?"
"I'm being serious here, Syaoran. Enough is enough—"
"Because we slept together? Did you not feel what that was, Sakura? Did you not feel some kind of—"
"No! Stop talking about it. It was never supposed to happen—"
"But it did, and we both enjoyed it. Please, don't do this," he said the last part quietly.
"Address me correctly, Syaoran," she finalized.
His fists clenched, eyes shifting from her direction. "No," he said like a stubborn child.
"Then we can't continue the sessions," she said.
"What?! Who the hell do you think you are?" he bellowed, furious that she was the one trying to end the sessions.
"I'm your therapist. You're my patient, in my practice, asking me for my help with your problems. I have a right to decide whether or not I want to keep seeing a patient."
"So that's just it then? You had sex with me, enjoyed it, and now you're forcing me to just pretend to be a helpless patient who needs your help?"
"You do need my help," she said confidently.
"Like hell I do. I was capable of living the way I wanted before you came into the picture," he said.
She took a deep breath. "There is no point in arguing, Syaoran. Just address me correctly," she said calmly.
"Or you'll stop helping me get better?" he asked, heart aching at the voiced words. Though she did not say these exact words, he knew that was what she meant.
"The sessions," she corrected.
"You'll stop helping me," he said.
"Will you stop that? That's not what I'm saying," she said frustrated.
He looked away from her direction sadly. "That is what you're saying."
She sighed. "It's not."
He looked up at her and glared. "What the fuck are you saying then?" he asked angrily.
"The only way I'll keep seeing you is if you treat me as your therapist because that is the only way it will work," she said, lifting her head high.
He scoffed, realizing what she was doing. "Fine. You need to validate reasons to convince yourself to keep seeing me. If you stop seeing me, I'll let the entire town know that you slept with a patient who's addicted to having sex," he said arrogantly.
She gasped, face looking mortified at the threat.
He almost felt guilty, but he did not mean it. He would never do anything that cruel, but she seemed like she needed a reason to keep seeing him, aside from the obvious. He felt like she should have been able to keep seeing him if she truly wanted to help him. Why was that not enough for her?
"You—"
"You seem to need a reason to not feel guilty to keep seeing me," he said.
"I—!" She stopped, head dropping to avoid his gaze.
It was just as he suspected.
"Sakura..." he called.
She ignored him.
He stood from the couch, walking over to her. He stooped to the ground. "Sakura, I won't actually tell anyone. If that's what makes you feel better, believe that. Believe that I've blackmailed you into continuing our sessions," he said gently.
He really did not want to stop seeing her. He had already come this far because of her. He talked about things that he would never talk about with anyone. Even though he was still miserable, he could see the slightest bit of happiness in life now, even if he only began to feel it the morning after they had sex. The feeling was still there.
"Sakura." He lifted her chin so she could look at him.
He frowned when he saw threatening tears about to fall. "Please, don't cry," he said weakly.
He hated when she did this.
"I'm black-mailing you, okay?" he said, wiping the single tear that rolled down her rosy cheek.
She nodded, and he leaned down, capturing her lips with his.
She stopped the kiss as soon as it started, and he was okay with that. He was willing to take it slow for her if that was what she wanted.
She wiped her eyes, cleared her throat, and then locked eyes with his. "Can we begin the session now?" she asked in a strong voice.
He wondered how she could sound alright after she had just broken down in front of him. He was a little jealous.
He nodded, knowing there was no other escape from this conversation.
"Why did you lie to me?" she asked quietly.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"You told me that it wasn't your mother when I asked you," she said, sounding disappointed.
"That bitch isn't my mother," he said through clenched teeth.
"Biologically—"
"That doesn't make her my mother," he said angrily.
She took a deep breath. "You're right. Why did you decide to tell me after we slept together then?"
"Because it felt right," he said honestly.
She sighed, grabbing his hand. "Get up, Syaoran." She pulled on his hand so he would stand from his stooping position in front of her.
She led him to the couch and sat beside him.
"I'm...I didn't think it mattered. She isn't the reason I'm like this today," he tried explaining.
"Yes, she is," Sakura said quietly.
She had not let his hand go, so his fingers clenched around hers.
"She's not, Sakura. I swear that bitch has nothing to do with the way I am today," he said almost desperately.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because...I just...it is logical to think and feel that way. How is it possible for her to have any influence on the way I've turned out when she was never there for me?" he asked.
"You just answered that yourself..." she said quietly.
"What?" He was confused now.
"She's your..."
His hands squeezed hers a little tightly, stopping her from continuing with that sentence.
"She's not. She has nothing to do with the way I am," he said, almost to himself.
Who was he trying to convince at this point? Him or her?
He was not even sure.
He shook his head. "She didn't teach me how to talk, read, have manners, and be respectful or anything about intimacy. She didn't teach me anything."
His hands clenched hers tighter, and he heard her breath hitched, but he did not loosen his grip this time. "The only thing I ever learned from her is how to feel abandoned. That's what she taught me. How to feel abandoned, useless...hated...like shit, Sakura. Can you try to imagine what...how it would feel at the age of two, four, five, six, nine, eleven, and the fucking years go on. Did you feel abandoned as a child? No. Did you feel like the lowest human on earth as a child? No. So, you need to at least try to imagine what it feels like, Sakura. Just try!" he yelled, flipping the glass table over into the chair opposite of them, causing it to shatter into pieces.
He was breathing heavily, hand trembling around hers. The only thing he could hear was his heart erratically beating against his chest, his adrenaline rushing at the painful emotions.
He knew she was there, though. She was there, holding his hand with her probably broken fingers now.
He turned to her abruptly, and she jumped. How could he care about anything right now?
He released her hand, bringing his own up to her face gently. "That's not a mother, Sakura. That's a piece of shit for a human being. I've seen what a mother should be like. She wasn't one...and that's..." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers with his eyes closed tightly.
He could feel the tears burning the back of his eyes, but he refused to let her see them again. He never wanted her to see him that weak again.
"That's why she doesn't have anything to do with who I am. She didn't encourage me to study, push me to be the best I can. She didn't do anything, so how can she ever be one of the reasons of who I am today?" he asked brokenly.
When she did not respond, he opened his eyes and a single tear rolled down his cheek.
She lifted her hand and swiped the tear away, but he felt more falling after the kind gesture from her.
He leaned forward again so he could kiss her, but she moved back from his a little.
"Syaoran..." she called softly. "We can't..."
He choked back a sob, nodding his head against hers. "I know, Sakura. I know, but..." he trailed off, holding onto her face a little hard, but not enough to hurt her. "Please," he whispered. "Please, help me forget this feeling," he begged.
He knew he sounded desperate, and way out of line, but he did not know what else to do at this point. He does not want another woman, but her, so what else could he do?
She shook her head against his slowly with tears in her eyes. "I can't, Syaoran. I really can't—"
He closed the gap between their lips, kissing her hard. He pushed her down on the couch roughly, climbing on top of her with his lips locked with hers.
She kissed him back when he forced his tongue in her mouth, engaging their tongues in a erotic dance that burned his loins.
He dropped his hand down to pull her skirt up, but she grabbed his hand with her perfect hand. He was surprised that she still slid her tongue past his lips, in his mouth.
He moved his hand, taking the hint that she would not let them have sex.
Her tongue licking around his mouth was good enough because he almost believed that he might have come in his pants. He assumed that he did this time though, so he would not be surprised.
When they needed to breath, he pulled back from the kiss, aroused all over again when saliva connected their lips together.
"Better?" she asked, touching his face softly.
He opened his eyes, staring into hers. A smile formed across his lips when he saw sincerity in hers, so he nodded. "Yes."
She gently pushed him off her, situating her clothes into place. "Let's talk about something else," she said suddenly.
He was more than relieved to hear that. However, what could they possibly talk about after their mini, intense make out session?
The question was answered the moment she opened her mouth. "Hickeys."
He looked at her, confused. "What?"
"Did you purposely leave them?"
A smirk crept to his lips and he chuckled. "Only one," he said truthfully.
He recalled leaving one on her shoulder, but that was it.
"One?" she asked, exasperated.
His brows squinted together. "Only one."
"Syaoran, there were like five that you left behind." She gave him a disapproving look.
He chuckled. "They aren't in plain sight," he said, shrugging his shoulders after observing her.
"I'm not your property, so you had no right to leave behind any. My best friend saw them!" she exclaimed.
He raised a brow at her. "Is that bad?"
"Yes, that's very bad. She wanted to know who it was from."
"It's none of her damn business," he said as if it were the obvious thing in the world.
"It is. She's my best friend," she said quietly.
"Sakura, it's your life. You don't have to tell anyone anything you do," he reasoned.
"I know that, but we tell each other almost everything. We don't keep secrets."
"Well, my apologies. I didn't purposely leave them behind," he half-lied.
He was conscious of how hard he sucked on her skin, but he did not have the thought of leaving behind a mark, besides one.
The thought of another man taking her the same way crossed his mind, so he wanted that man to see that he had already claimed her.
She sighed, shaking her head. "It can't happen again. None of it can," she reminded him.
He wanted to roll his eyes at the proclamation, but decided not to.
He sighed. "I should probably get going. I have to...stop by my place for a bit," he said sheepishly.
"Tuesday," she said.
"W-what?"
"I'll see you Tuesday at six o' clock."
His heart leaped at that. "R-really?" A wide smile spread across his face.
She smiled at him. "Yes. I feel like you need more than one day of therapy to get better."
He sighed, relieved that she understood how he had been feeling. Even though he wanted to see her more, it was partly because she made him feel better and normal.
"Thank you..." he said quietly.
He stood from the couch, feeling uncomfortable with the mess he made in his pants.
"Drive safe, okay?" she said softly when they got to the door.
"I'll try," he said, smiling at her. "Also, I'll...replace the table," he said sheepishly, feeling his cheeks warm. He was beyond embarrassed by his behavior.
She nodded with a smile on her lips.
"Wait, let me see your hand," he said, grabbing her hand to observe it.
"It's not broken. I'm sorry," he said, bringing her fingers to his lips.
He kissed it a second time before she pulled it back. "It's fine, Syaoran. I've felt worse before," she said reassuringly.
He suddenly felt guilty, regret washing over him. "Was it me? Did I hurt you? Please tell me that it wasn't me. Did I?" he asked, hoping she would tell him no.
If he had been the one to make her feel worse than the hand squeeze, he did not know what he would to do himself.
She smiled, flexing her fingers to show him that it was okay. "No, Syaoran. It wasn't you," she said, reassuringly again.
He sighed in relief, but felt an uneasy feeling at the answer.
Who had hurt her?
He grabbed her hand, kissing it one last time and letting it go. He walked out after bidding her goodbye. When he sat in the car, he realized he forgot to tell her that he did not want a relationship. Suddenly, he did not feel the need to do so anymore.
Sakura checked her phone, looking at the time, and repeating the process.
She was waiting for Akinari because he said he wanted to meet up with her today.
They usually had their lunch dates at least once a week, but she had been slacking on them since Syaoran started seeing her.
She sighed, heart aching at the thought of the man. He had finally told her who the woman is.
His mother.
The woman he had been talking about so terribly is his mother.
He had not given details about what she did to him, but he gave her enough to know that the woman abandoned him.
There was so much more to find out about the woman, but she could work with what he gave her.
The woman abandoned him...
But why?
And then she remembered something he said.
"She had another before me, but she lost him."
Maybe that was—
"Sakura," someone called, interrupting her thoughts.
She turned around, smiling at the man approaching the table.
"About time you got here," she said.
He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"I'm sorry. Got held up by a patient," Akinari said.
"I still cannot believe that you allow patients to come in on Saturdays. It's fine, though. I understand," she said, waving it off.
He grinned at her. "It's been a while since we had our date," he said, sitting down in the chair across from her.
"I know. I've been busy," she said, shrugging her shoulder.
"Right, with your new patient that you haven't told me about?" he asked, raising a brow at her.
"I told you about him like two weeks ago," she said, giving him a point look.
"Can I get a glass of water?" Akinari asked one of the waitress who happened to walk past.
She nodded and he turned back to Sakura. "You know what I mean."
Sakura took a sip from her lemonade, and then giggled. "I'm not telling you what's wrong with my patient," she said.
"My boss," he corrected.
She rolled her eyes and picked up the croissant on the table, taking a bite out of it.
He snatched the croissant from her and bit it, winking at her.
"Would you tell a friend about my problems?" she asked, picking up another croissant for herself.
"Of course not. You know that's different, Sakura."
"I don't see how. Besides, why are you bringing up my patients? Him, specifically. I have other patients that I have to worry about."
"Because that patient is my boss, and there's rumors going around the hospital."
Her ear perked at that. "Rumors?" she asked, interested to know about these rumors.
"Yes, about my boss that is your patient."
She took a bite out of her croissant, trying to occupy her hands with something. She was beyond nervous right now.
"You guys are very unprofessional, then. What are you all? High schoolers?" she said, giggling.
"Hey, I just listen, not start any of it," he said, holding up his hand. "Thank you," he thanked the waitress when she set a glass of water on the table.
"What are they about?" she asked nonchalantly, or what she hoped she sounded like.
"Well, he's not sleeping around anymore, for starters," he said.
She paused with the croissant in her mouth, looking up at him. She took it out of her mouth and swallowed the piece she had bitten, almost choking on how thick the texture of the bread seemed right now.
"Oh, really?" she asked, picking her glass of lemonade up to drink.
"Yeah. I'm assuming that has something to do with you?" he asked, raising a brow at her.
She shrugged, sitting the glass back down after drinking it. "That has something to do with him. Not me," she said.
"I'm not stupid, Sakura. If I guess what his condition is, will you tell me if I'm right?"
"If I guess right that you did something with Professor Shizuka for an A, will you tell me if I'm right?" she retorted.
He threw his head back and burst out laughing. "Sakura, I'm not telling you that," he said.
She giggled, shrugging her shoulders again. "That's your answer then," she said.
"That's not even fair," he said, exasperatedly.
"And it's fair that you want me to tell you confidential information about a patient's condition?"
"My boss, Sakura. You're missing the point."
"I'm done playing ring-around-a-rosy with you. How was your week?" she asked.
He began talking about his week, informing her about the cases that he had all week.
She enjoyed listening to every bit of it, but her mind kept drifting back to the man she was going to see on Tuesday. That was only three days away, and she felt giddy inside about it.
She was over the feeling of guilt because she figured he was getting better in the process. He promised her that he would not tell anyone, so she had nothing to worry about.
What her friend just told her was a little shocking, but if she had fully believed Syaoran the first time he told her that he was not having sex anymore, then she would not have been.
But he was really not sleeping with anyone else. Maybe she was helping him...
"Why the hell are you smiling? I mean, you have the most...beautiful smile, but I didn't say anything funny," he said, grinning at her.
She shook her head, trying to force the smile off her face. "I'm not smiling," she said.
"Sakura. What are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing, really. Just...it's nothing."
"Fine. I won't pry into your mind," he said.
"Thank you. You do that enough," she joked, though there was a little truth to it.
"Like you don't ask for me to?" He smiled at her.
"I don't. You're manipulative," she said.
"Aren't we all? It's kind of part of our job to get people talking," he said.
She giggled, shaking her head. "I'm not like the rest of you."
"How has the chief been gloating around his hospital, being nice to everyone, and not sleeping around? I heard that he even turned down the offer to go to Star Lights with the guys. Tell me that you haven't been manipulating that man?"
She was tempted to tell him that it was more like the other way around, but could see his point. Besides, was Syaoran really manipulating her when she was the one getting him to spill the beans?
"I think you're exaggerating," she said bashfully.
"I'm not, Sakura. I'm sorry for underestimating you," he apologized.
She waved it off. "Stop apologizing. You're a lot more manipulative than I am," she said, hoping the conversation would shift away from their previous conversation.
She slept with Syaoran, but did not regret it anymore after putting some thoughts into it.
He had told her something beneficial to his health after they finished, so something good came out of it, besides the way he made her feel.
Thursday's session was another thing that she should not have let happen, but something beneficial also came out of the kiss. Well, it was more of a reward for him since he told her so much.
She began to wonder what he would tell her if they slept together again, but knew better than to dwell on that thought.
She meant what she said. She would not be sleeping with Li Syaoran again. However, she did not mind giving him a kiss or two to show him that he could feel loved and wanted by someone.
She does not love him, but she does care for him, she reminded herself.
He laughed. "Only a little bit more, but I think you've beaten me by a milestone. You've managed to manipulate one of the most well-known men in the world who is known for his manipulative ways."
She laughed nervously, waving it off. "Enough, Aki. You'll start to make me feel uncomfortable," she said.
Her phone buzzed on the table so she looked down at it. She immediately ended the call, but it rang again immediately after.
She took it off the table, resting it in her lap.
"Who the hell is that?"
Sakura laughed, shaking her head. "No one. It's just...Tomoyo harassing me again. She wanted to go shopping today, but I told her that I was going to be with you," she explained, only half lying.
Tomoyo did want to go shopping today, but it was certainly not Tomoyo blowing up her phone.
"That sounds like her. You could always go after we finish here," he suggested.
"That's the thing. We've already shopped three times this week, so I'm not in the mood today. I just want to relax."
He chuckled and her phone rang again, buzzing in her lap.
She ended the call, and then looked up at him sheepishly. "See? Harassment, right?"
"Maybe you should pick it up," he said with a chuckle.
"It's really nothing to interrupt our date with," she said, and then her phone rang again.
She sighed, smiling at him apologetically. "I'll take the call in the bathroom if she calls again. I have to go anyway," she said, standing from the table after he nodded.
She rushed to the restroom and swiped it across when he called again.
"What is your problem, Syaoran?" she said, frustrated in the phone.
"Sakura...I need to see you, now," he said in the phone, sounding like he was in pain.
Her heart immediately sped up, worried about his well-being.
"Syaoran, what's wrong?" she asked quickly.
"Just...please..." he said desperately.
"I'll be there in a minute," she said, and then ended the call so she could tell Akinari.
"Hey, something's come up, so we'll have to cut the date short. I'll text you when I get in, okay?"
Before he could respond, she was already rushing out of the little cafe to her car.
What could possibly be wrong with Syaoran that he needed to see her so urgently?
Well, there you guys have a new chapter before the year is over (probably won't be able to upload a new chapter until after everything winds down after new years.) I wish I could've uploaded this chapter sooner, but I was out of town.
Anyway, as usual, thanks to my beta theDeviantme. Even though she is also out of town, she still found time to look over the chapter for me. And thank you guys for the reviews and alerts. Before I continue this authors note, Happy New Years since I won't be active on here before the years out!
To answer questions that I was not able to respond to privately, Syaoran hasn't considered his sex life as "making love." However, on one scene where it says something about that, it was more of an inner voice(or the little devil, as I like to call inner voices :P) telling him that's what he's doing when he's having sex. Syaoran doesn't necessarily believe in love here(since he missed out on the unconditional love of a mother). He doesn't consider his sex life as love making.
I thought his Chinese name 'Xiao Lang' was explained, if I'm remembering correctly, but I may not be. He gets triggered when people he knows personally uses it, since he already hates it so much. When Eriol used it, he was only letting Syaoran know that he knew about the appointment(the first one) that he had set up with Sakura. The fact that Sakura uses his Chinese name to snap him out of one of his little zones triggers him because she knows how much he hates the name. He moved from Hong Kong to hear less of the name, but he explains somewhere in the story why he hates the name and what it means to him. Also, the reason he used it on a phone call was also explained.
Thanks a bunch guys for your support!