Chapter 14: Starting on a different road

Why am I rushing? Tomoyo decreased her speed. I'm just going to talk to Eriol about this thing. No need to be so hasty.

You're just excited to see him again, a voice teased.

No I'm not! Well I- no! I'm not excited! At all! Will you stop that! She scolded herself.

She reached the joint just in time to see Eriol parking his car.

"Hey there you are!" Tomoyo called out as she stepped out. Eriol turned to face her.

"Good afternoon Tomoyo, nice to see you looking healthy," he remarked as he made a quick rundown at her whole profile. The pastel green, stretch knit peasant top clung to her gentle curves while her yellow A-line skirt flowed freely in the wind.

"And you too," she returned casually. They walked in the restaurant.

++++++

"Did you hear how they whispered loudly?" Tomoyo commented.

"The people there were certainly surprised when they noticed something was wrong," Eriol said as they talked about the misfortune.

"Yeah. And I remembered when I-"

"You looked beautiful in the dress, Tomoyo," Eriol complimented. "Simply beautiful."

Tomoyo turned away to look at the window. Her heart was beating too fast to keep on looking at him. "Thank you."

"You know, I designed that dress," he revealed. "And when I saw you in that outfit, I thought it was perfect, like I made it for you."

Tomoyo blushed intensely. He's saying too much!

Eriol stared at Tomoyo intently. He decided to move on. "The suit you made, why does it look familiar?"

Tomoyo's eyes widened. "I remembered our young days. I mean you being Clow Reed. I recalled you and your outfit and I just thought that it would be okay if I used some details from it," she admitted.

Eriol said nothing more. But he glowed inside. He changed the subject.

++++++

"So you're saying that we send out a message, confirming the accident," Tomoyo repeated.

"Yes. And I need your consent so that this matter could be settled properly."

"And how are we going to do this?"

"The two of us would be holding a small press conference, maybe next this coming Saturday?" Eriol suggested.

Tomoyo gave this a quick thought and nodded. Eriol smiled and drank his wine. In his mind, he jumped for joy upon the success of the first stage of the plan. Now, all I need I is for you to-

"By the way, we can't just finish planning today, how about we meet tomorrow night for dinner?" Tomoyo asked.

Bingo! Eriol grinned. "It's a date."

++++++

"Thank you for helping me with this problem. So I guess everything's going to be alright," Eriol escorted her to her car.

"Yeah, there is no reason for them to make a big deal out of this," Tomoyo nodded as they neared.

"I mean this and the other thing," Eriol implied.

"What other thing?" Tomoyo asked, confused.

"You know, the past, now truce," Eriol clued. "I mean, we have to be okay with each other so that no one would think it's just an act."

"Oh."

"So?"

"Umm," Tomoyo looked at his face. "I forgive you."

"Thank you."

As Tomoyo started her car, Eriol brought out a small package and handed it to her. "By the way, this is yours," he moved away before she could say anything else.

She read the note attached.

I washed it myself, knowing how delicate your clothes are.

It was the shirt Eriol had borrowed from her.