Chapter 22: Dawning
Tomoyo quietly went into Eriol's room, careful not to wake him up. She placed a diskette containing some of her unpublished novels on his desk by his bed. It was a farewell gift to him. She turned to leave the room, but something made her freeze.
"Tomoyo.."
She slowly faced him and was relieved to see that his eyes were still close. He must dreaming only. She then noticed that his pillow was wet and his eyes..his face..
"He slept crying!" she realized. She knelt by his bed and touched his eyelids still moist and sticky from the tears.
"T-Tomoyo, please don't leave..I'll die..I'll die.." he murmured, fresh tears streaking down his face.
She felt her heart break. "Eriol.."
"You are my life."
"Oh God.." She couldn't help but cry too. The man truly loves her. He deeply cares for her.
One by one, all her secret fears and doubts on love, the walls she had painstakingly built around her scarred heart, vanished. It leaved her emotionally vulnerable and helpless, with no more protection of denial.
So she was weeping too. The cascading tears from her eyes were draining energy.
And with her remaining ounce of strength, she clasped his hand. "I love you, Eriol. I love you with all the love in my heart and soul.," she whispered, voice broken, her tears falling on his hand.
Her body, fatigued from being up all night thinking and worrying so much, laid by his side, a blissfully contented smile on her face.
"Mommy? Mommy?" a high-pitched voice called insistently.
She weakly opened her eyes and saw Rose beaming at her. "You missed your flight!" she announced happily.
Tomoyo perked up. "What?!!"
"It's 6:00!" the girl said.
Someone chuckled. "Sweetie, the short hand is pointing at 12. It means it's only 12:30."
She turned and saw Eriol beside her, fully awake and all smiles.
"Oh no!" she cried.
"Oh yes!" Rose jumped to her lap and snuggled to her. "That means you won't ever ever leave me and Nakuru and Daddy again!"
She smiled at him fondly. "Oh Rose.." She then frowned. "But Meiling must be waiting for me in the airport!"
"Then call her," he suggested. "Tell her that you won't be coming anymore."
She put Rose down. "I'll do that." She went into her room and took her cel. She then dialed Meiling's number.
"Hello?" a voice answered.
"Hello Meiling? I'm sorry if I didn't make it to the airport-" she said hurriedly but Meiling interrupted her.
"Hello Mrs.Hiragizawa! I understand. I know that you won't be going home the minute I set you loose in London and you stepped into Clow Reed Jr.'s mansion."
"Oh!"
The voice laughed. "Sakura wants to talk to you."
"Tomoyo-chan!" chirped her best friend.
"Sakura!"
"Meiling told me you won't be coming back here for quite some time. She said you have found the love of your life there already."
"Pawn!" she exclaimed, cheeks flushed. "He is..only..a..special friend."
"Yeah right, and my big brother is an only child."
"Sakura!!"
The girl laughed. "Listen, I can feel that you're in love. Basically, I'm using the same instinct you used on Syaoran back in fifth grade. So don't ever let your true love slip from your fingers just because of.." her voice trailed off.
She was stunned. Does Sakura know about her love for her?
"Umm..what's the continuation of that line?" said Sakura. "I just read it in a chapter you emailed Meiling."
She laughed. "I will always love you, Sakura-chan."
"Me too," replied her second cousin. "I will always love you, Tomoyo-chan, demo, I'm sure he can love you better."
"He who?"
"Eriol-kun."
"You're right." A smile sprawled on her face. A dawning. Sakura still loves her. Eriol does love her. She felt wonderful, as if she was the luckiest person on earth. "Arigatou."
"Daijoubu, tomo! And finish your novel soon!"
She returned to Eriol's room, but Rose wasn't there anymore. It was only Eriol, who was leaning on the headboard, gazing at her.
"Well?" he asked.
"I'm going home," she replied.
He looked crushed. "H-Home?"
Sherushed towards him and threw herself into his arms. "Yes, home. To you."
"T-Tomoyo.." his voice was gruff with emotion. "God, thank you." He embraced her tightly.
"Thank you too, Eriol. Thank you for loving me so much," she whispered.
They were both crying, but crying the best kind of tears of all.
Tears of joy.
"Will you still love me even if I'm too liberated for your taste?" she asked him lovingly.
He chuckled. "We'll work that one out, and I'll work on my ultra-conservativeness too."
"We'll live a good life together," she said dreamily. "A happy family. You, me and Rose."
"Yes..yes, dearest." He tipped her chin up to kiss her.
The End
***
Eriol and Tomoyo's story ends here. but if you're interested to read the novel's ending, watch out for the epilogue coming soon!
Thank you for reading Zephyr Romances.
Tomoyo quietly went into Eriol's room, careful not to wake him up. She placed a diskette containing some of her unpublished novels on his desk by his bed. It was a farewell gift to him. She turned to leave the room, but something made her freeze.
"Tomoyo.."
She slowly faced him and was relieved to see that his eyes were still close. He must dreaming only. She then noticed that his pillow was wet and his eyes..his face..
"He slept crying!" she realized. She knelt by his bed and touched his eyelids still moist and sticky from the tears.
"T-Tomoyo, please don't leave..I'll die..I'll die.." he murmured, fresh tears streaking down his face.
She felt her heart break. "Eriol.."
"You are my life."
"Oh God.." She couldn't help but cry too. The man truly loves her. He deeply cares for her.
One by one, all her secret fears and doubts on love, the walls she had painstakingly built around her scarred heart, vanished. It leaved her emotionally vulnerable and helpless, with no more protection of denial.
So she was weeping too. The cascading tears from her eyes were draining energy.
And with her remaining ounce of strength, she clasped his hand. "I love you, Eriol. I love you with all the love in my heart and soul.," she whispered, voice broken, her tears falling on his hand.
Her body, fatigued from being up all night thinking and worrying so much, laid by his side, a blissfully contented smile on her face.
"Mommy? Mommy?" a high-pitched voice called insistently.
She weakly opened her eyes and saw Rose beaming at her. "You missed your flight!" she announced happily.
Tomoyo perked up. "What?!!"
"It's 6:00!" the girl said.
Someone chuckled. "Sweetie, the short hand is pointing at 12. It means it's only 12:30."
She turned and saw Eriol beside her, fully awake and all smiles.
"Oh no!" she cried.
"Oh yes!" Rose jumped to her lap and snuggled to her. "That means you won't ever ever leave me and Nakuru and Daddy again!"
She smiled at him fondly. "Oh Rose.." She then frowned. "But Meiling must be waiting for me in the airport!"
"Then call her," he suggested. "Tell her that you won't be coming anymore."
She put Rose down. "I'll do that." She went into her room and took her cel. She then dialed Meiling's number.
"Hello?" a voice answered.
"Hello Meiling? I'm sorry if I didn't make it to the airport-" she said hurriedly but Meiling interrupted her.
"Hello Mrs.Hiragizawa! I understand. I know that you won't be going home the minute I set you loose in London and you stepped into Clow Reed Jr.'s mansion."
"Oh!"
The voice laughed. "Sakura wants to talk to you."
"Tomoyo-chan!" chirped her best friend.
"Sakura!"
"Meiling told me you won't be coming back here for quite some time. She said you have found the love of your life there already."
"Pawn!" she exclaimed, cheeks flushed. "He is..only..a..special friend."
"Yeah right, and my big brother is an only child."
"Sakura!!"
The girl laughed. "Listen, I can feel that you're in love. Basically, I'm using the same instinct you used on Syaoran back in fifth grade. So don't ever let your true love slip from your fingers just because of.." her voice trailed off.
She was stunned. Does Sakura know about her love for her?
"Umm..what's the continuation of that line?" said Sakura. "I just read it in a chapter you emailed Meiling."
She laughed. "I will always love you, Sakura-chan."
"Me too," replied her second cousin. "I will always love you, Tomoyo-chan, demo, I'm sure he can love you better."
"He who?"
"Eriol-kun."
"You're right." A smile sprawled on her face. A dawning. Sakura still loves her. Eriol does love her. She felt wonderful, as if she was the luckiest person on earth. "Arigatou."
"Daijoubu, tomo! And finish your novel soon!"
She returned to Eriol's room, but Rose wasn't there anymore. It was only Eriol, who was leaning on the headboard, gazing at her.
"Well?" he asked.
"I'm going home," she replied.
He looked crushed. "H-Home?"
Sherushed towards him and threw herself into his arms. "Yes, home. To you."
"T-Tomoyo.." his voice was gruff with emotion. "God, thank you." He embraced her tightly.
"Thank you too, Eriol. Thank you for loving me so much," she whispered.
They were both crying, but crying the best kind of tears of all.
Tears of joy.
"Will you still love me even if I'm too liberated for your taste?" she asked him lovingly.
He chuckled. "We'll work that one out, and I'll work on my ultra-conservativeness too."
"We'll live a good life together," she said dreamily. "A happy family. You, me and Rose."
"Yes..yes, dearest." He tipped her chin up to kiss her.
The End
***
Eriol and Tomoyo's story ends here. but if you're interested to read the novel's ending, watch out for the epilogue coming soon!
Thank you for reading Zephyr Romances.
