In the hotel, 6pm

"So Spinel and Nakuru are staying in my house. And… this is your room." Sakura said.

Tomoyo peered into the room. Even though she had been living in the lap of luxury all her life, Tomoyo had to admit that it was magnificent. The room was fairly big, and its walls were painted a light rose colour. A set of wine-coloured couches was the main centrepiece of the room. The soft mahogany contrasted wonderfully with the thick, off-white carpet. Pieces of oakwood furniture, carved intricately with Oriental patterns, were placed artfully around the room, giving it a cosy interior. An imaculately polished marble statue stood in the corner of the room, giving it an antique, refined feel.

And this was only the living room.

"It's so beautiful." Tomoyo breathed. She wheeled her luggage bags into the suite and leaned them against a wall. Then she walked into one of the rooms that was adjacent to it. It had the same off-white carpeting and oakwood furniture, only it was painted a pale yellow colour and had a daisy-print wallpaper. A soft, sprawling bed took up the middle of the room. A big, comfortable beanbag lay next to it. The room led out into a balcony which overlooked the entire city of Tomoeda.

"I love it!" Tomoyo squealed happily.

Sakura squirmed uncomfortably. "One catch, though."

"Uh-oh? What is it?" Tomoyo asked. "If it's the price, I'm willing to pay." She added.

"No… um… see, there were not enough rooms in the hotel. So we got a suite. I mean, one suite, but it has a few rooms. Cos all the suites have been taken up. So… you kinda have to share."

"With…?" Tomoyo questioned.

"Eriol-kun." She paused to see Tomoyo's reaction.

"Okay, sure." Tomoyo said simply.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Tomoyo didn't seem to mind in the least bit.

Tomoyo scanned the room once more, and turned to Eriol. "Can I take this room?" she leaned towards him and blinked at him with wide, puppy-dog eyes. "Pretty please?"

Eriol was taken aback. She was so cute! He coughed. "Uh, sure." Okkaaaay, what was wrong with him? He hardly ever got flustered. In fact, he never got flustered. So what was this- this mere girl doing to him?

Syaoran stared suspiciously at Eriol, then looked at Tomoyo's happy, unsuspecting face. "The next room," he said gruffly.

The next room turned out to be pretty cleancut and modern-looking. The floor was made of smooth, unblemished parquet. A glass table took up one corner of the room, and surrounding it were a couple of metallic blue chairs. A grand-looking red chair sat comfortably next to the bed, which was lined with crisp, dark blue sheets.

The room practically shouted 'Eriol'. "I'll take it," said Eriol, and all was decided. Until…

"Where's the bathroom?" Tomoyo asked.

Sakura took to squirming again, and Syaoran decided not to answer Tomoyo's question. Instead, he began snorting uncontrollably until Sakura glared at him and shushed him.

"Well, you see…" Sakura began tactfully.

"There is only one bathroom, in the hallway, and you are gonna be sharing it." Syaoran finished not-so-tactfully.

"Hmm…" Tomoyo said without thinking. Then-- "WHAT!?!"

"One bathroom in the hallway." Sakura repeated. Then she added as an afterthought, "It can be useful in a way. I mean, you might even walk in on one another naked!"

Eriol's sudden flushing was accompanied by Tomoyo's high-pitched squeal of "Sakura!!!"

Tomoyo leaned dangerously toward Syaoran. "What. Exactly. Have. You. Been. Teaching. Her."

Syaoran blushed. "Nothing-- much."

Sakura giggled. "Oh, don't be shy. In fact, it happened before to Syaoran and I!"

Syaoran turned an unbelievably rosy shade of red. "Sakura!" he said in weak protest. "You told them-- you- I-" he broke off and turned to them. "It never happened!"

Sakura glanced at Syaoran, innocently bewildered. "Of course it did. Remember? When we were sharing the hotel in Paris. You even said that--"

Sakura broke off abruptly. "What's wrong, Syao-kun? Are you okay?" she asked, looking concerned at Syaoran, who was so embarrassed that he was practically purple.

"No-nothing." He mumbled. "Just-- why don't we go now and let them get adjusted?" he suggested brightly, hoping that Sakura would stop telling everyone their personal, super-intimate stories.

"Oh, okay then. We'll be going now. Bye!" Sakura smiled at Eriol and Tomoyo, and departed with Syaoran, leaving Eriol and Tomoyo alone in the living room.

"So…" Eriol begun.

"So we'll be sharing a bathroom." Tomoyo continued. "There's nothing wrong with sharing a bathroom, is there?" she said.

Eriol grinned hopefully. "As Sakura said, it's for good purpose, like if we walk in on each another naked."

Tomoyo was caught off-guard. "Like, what did you say?"

Eriol grinned seductively at her, unaware of the 'volcano' that was about to 'erupt'. "I said, if we walk in

on--"

"I heard what you said!" Tomoyo glared at Eriol. What a pervert, she thought. I thought he was different, but he's just like all the other guys I know… only interested in one thing. "Jerk! Who do you think you are?"

She stalked off to her bedroom, leaving Eriol there alone and bewildered. "I was just joking! Can't you take a joke?" he called after her. "I mean, not that I don't want to see you naked--" he gulped when Tomoyo's look turned murderous. "I didn't mean…"

Tomoyo shot him another glare. "That was so not funny… and for the record I'll be sure to lock the bathroom door."

Eriol looked after her, intrigued by her spunk. "Uh… dibs on the bathroom!"

The door slammed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sakura was in the car when her cellphone rang. She picked it up and pressed it against her ear. "Hello?" she inquired in a friendly, cheerful voice.

"ERIOL IS SO IRRITATING!!!" Tomoyo shouted. An echo could be heard.

Sakura held the phone away from her ear. "Ouch!"

"I was just trying to have a nice, decent conversation with him and he practically told me he wanted to get laid or something! With me! And then he said he was joking! JOKING!!! I mean, I should have known. All guys are alike! Not one good guy in this entire world! NOT ONE!" Tomoyo ranted, unaware of the physical agony she was causing her bestfriend.

"Say that again?" Sakura asked.

Tomoyo sighed, exasperated. "I said, I was just trying to--"

"Yes, I heard you first time." Sakura said. Her voice turned teasing. "So.. just had your first lover's quarrel?"

Tomoyo had no idea what she was talking about. "Huh? I mean-- WHAT!?! Sakura! The Jerk and I are NOT lovers! No! Nothing! Not even friends!" Not at the moment, anyway.

Sakura smiled at her friend's indignance. Tomoyo didn't know it, but one day she and The Jerk were gonna be much more than friends. Much, much more. Sakura knew it. That was a best friend's job.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*