The next day, 3.56pm

Eriol was in the living room, absorbed in The Unabridged Version of Shakespeare's Works. It was his favourite book, and he always brought it with him when travelling.

Tomoyo walked out of her room and towards the door. She smoothed down her skirt and slipped on a pair of suede shoes.

Eriol looked up absentmindedly from his book. "Where are you going?"

"To pick up Rodger," Tomoyo said simply. She wasn't that angry with him anymore, after her chat with Sakura. "See ya."

That caught his attention, and Eriol tore himself away from the book. "Rodger? Is… is he your boyfriend?" he asked, trying to sound nochalant and failing miserably.

Tomoyo threw her set of hotel keys into the air and caught it swiftly. She smiled mysteriously. "Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Why do you care?"

"I- I-" Eriol was at a loss for words. Why did he care? Why was his heart sinking at the thought of Tomoyo with another guy? Probably jetlag, he told himself. It was nothing.

Tomoyo shot him a syrupy sweet smile and opened the door. "I'll be back by 6. We're having dinner with Sakura and the others, you know. Well then, bye." She said. And she was gone.

Eriol slumped miserably in his seat. Tomoyo had a boyfriend? But at the airport she told him that she didn't have one. Well, whoever he was, he was one lucky guy. But if he ever hurt Tomoyo, he was gonna get hell from Eriol.

Wait-- what was going on here?

Why was he thinking this way? He was jumping to conclusions, anyway. Tomoyo did not even mention that Rodger was her boyfriend. Perhaps he was just a friend. Eriol felt a sense of relief surge through him.

Hold on a moment. Eriol thought. Why am I feeling relieved at the possibility of Rodger being just a friend? It does not mean anything to me. I repeat, it does not mean anything to me. Eriol's heart jumped. Aargh!!! What the hell is wrong with me?!?! Eriol tried to psycho himself. Tomoyo does not exist. She is merely a figment of my imagination. I am not falling for--- WHAT!?!

Ok, this is just too weird. This cannot be happening. No way. A fleeting image of Tomoyo, pink-cheeked and smiling and lovely, in a turquoise sundress appeared in Eriol's mind. Shit, he thought. Eriol slumped further in his seat. He was feeling more confused than ever.

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

Tomoyo cradled Rodger in her arms. He had fallen asleep in the taxi, and was now snoring peacefully. The lift door opened, and Tomoyo walked out of the lift, struggling to carry Rodger and rummaging through her bag to find her keys at the same time.

She unlocked the door and went in quietly. There was no one in the living room. Eriol was probably in his room or something. She couldn't believe that Eriol thought that Rodger was a boyfriend. Didn't she just tell him that she was single? Currently unattached? Apparantly he hadn't thought that she was telling the truth. Oh, well. His loss.

She gently placed Rodger on the large beanbag. He whimpered softly. She smiled. He seemed so peaceful and angelic when he slept, very unlike the playful, energetic pup he was when awake.

Tomoyo reached into her bag and pulled out a paper bag filled with jellybeans and a glass jar that she had just purchased from the airport. She washed the glass jar thoroughly and then emptied the contents of the paper bag into it. She uncapped a silver marker and wrote "To Eriol, From Tomoyo" on the jar lid. She felt contrite about the whole incident with Eriol and the bathroom issue. She supposed she really was overreacting, yelling at him like that. But she was making up for it.

She went to Eriol's room. The door was closed, and she could hear some scribbling sounds. What was he doing-- writing in his diary or something? Perhaps a letter to Kaho?

Tomoyo knocked politely on the door and went in. Eriol shuffled some papers together and hid them under the pillow. To Tomoyo they looked vaguely like little stick men.

"I'm home!" Tomoyo said cheerily.

Eriol nodded slowly. "… I can see that."

"So, what were you doing that you were not supposed to be doing?" Tomoyo asked in an attempt to make conversation.

Eriol shrugged, as if he himself didn't know what he had been up to. "Nothing much, just… compiling some scores."

Tomoyo raised her eyebrows elegantly. "Scores. Musical scores?"

Eriol nodded. "Just a hobby. Why? What did you think I was doing?"

Tomoyo smiled at him suggestively. "Oh, I don't know-- writing a saucy letter to Kaho, perhaps?"

Eriol's face fell and he told her in an upset voice, "Kaho and I broke up."

Tomoyo regretted her words. "I-- I'm sorry. I didn't know… want to talk about it?"

Eriol looked up bravely. "No, thank you. I don't want to have to deal with it again."

Tomoyo nodded, understanding. Then she remembered what she was there for in the first place. She held out the jar of jellybeans. Her scrawly silver writing was slightly smudged. "Here. For you."

Eriol took it uncertainly. "Uh- thanks. My birthday's not for a week." He told her.

Tomoyo blinked. "Oh, I knew that." She lied. "I mean, this isn't for your birthday. I'm sorry-- for yesterday. I mean, for yelling at you and all that. I don't really think you're a perverted oaf."

Eriol's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, that's-- that's-- thank you."

Tomoyo beamed.

He seemed to be searching for behind her. "Where's… where's Rodger?" he asked nochalantly. Tomoyo thought he looked tense, for some reason.

"Oh, he's sleeping, in my room." Tomoyo told him.

"On your bed!?!" Eriol looked outraged. "You mean you… you…"

"Don't worry, Rodger's perfectly clean, he's not like the others, you know."

Eriol was confused.

Just then, a little golden puppy trotted into the room, wagging its tail.

"There-- there's a dog. In the house." Eriol said dumbly.

"You mean the suite." Tomoyo corrected. She knelt down and scooped the puppy up. "Hello, little guy. Say hello to Eriol. Rodger, this is Eriol." Tomoyo held up the puppy's paw and waved it at Eriol. Rodger barked. Tomoyo looked up at Eriol. "Say hi to Rodger."

Eriol stared at Rodger. "Thi-- this is Rodger!?" he exclaimed incredulously. Where was the dumb, brainless, jockish boyfriend he had been expecting?

Tomoyo mock-frowned at him. "That's not very nice of you," she admonished. "Say hi to Rodger!" she took Eriol's hand and waved it at the puppy. It barked in Eriol's face. Eriol jumped.

"Say hi." Tomoyo prompted, smiling.

"Er-- hi." Eriol looked beyond uncomfortable.

Tomoyo beamed at Eriol and Rodger. "I just know you two are going to get along marvelously!"

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