Chapter 4: Chemistry

"We have a situation here," said Tomoyo, looking at Eriol with a more serious-than-usual expression. "I don't want them in the compound. I don't want to be an actress on some sappy soap opera. I don't want you to stay here for six months. Jesus Christ, Señor! You turned my quiet life upside down!"

"Same for me," he sighed. "I don't want to live here so far away from my natural habitat. I need my city life back. But Tomoyo-san.."

"That's Señorita Daidouji for you, Señor!" she interrupted.

"Fine, whatever!" he groaned. "Look, let's just work out a compromise. My boss loves this place! She has been dreaming of this telenovela project since forever. Besides, she loves you! Why don't you just let her do what she wants?"

"It's barely a month since Señora Kaho passed away. I don't think this is the right time for this."

"Is that all you worry about?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No! I also want to keep this place sacred and private."

"We won't reveal the name of the place."

"A-And I don't want to act! I don't know how!"

"We'll hold a workshop for you."

"Besides, I have my work, and it's very demanding," she desperately continued.

"Making greeting card messages is not exactly demanding. Besides, from what I see, it's not a job. It's just a hobby," he retorted.

She looked at her lap.

"Any more reasons?" he said teasingly.

She looked up and saw his face grinning at her like a Cheshire cat. "I-I.."

Eriol crossed his legs. "Then this talk is over. We'll go now to my querida and tell her the news."

Again, Tomoyo's eyebrow shot up. "Querida?"

"An endearment," he explained. "She's my number one woman in my life, so it's only right that I call her that." He then smiled. "Want me to call you that too?"

"Que Horror!" she exclaimed.

"That's wonderful!" gushed the Señora. "We'll start the workshop immediately."

Tomoyo looked down at the floor. "But I'm telling you, I don't have any experience in acting.."

"But you're a natural, darling!" said the old woman. "You look so unaffected..so naïve. You are perfect for the role!"

Eriol frowned. "What's the story anyway?"

"Well, it's about a native lass who is simple but very wise. Very down-to-earth and very kind. She was sent by her relatives to a manor to work there as a tutor to a young man her age. At first he rejects her, but his friends made a bet with him that he couldn't even kiss her. So he told them that within one month, she would be his girlfriend, and the week after, he would send his friends videotape of his kiss with her. But what he doesn't know is that the girl has learned his plan and still decided to play along since she fell in love with him. But she was determined not to let him strike his coup de grace: the kiss," narrated the Señora.

"Thus, El Beso del Diablo!" said Tomoyo.

Eriol frowned. "Huh?"

"The Kiss of the Devil," translated the old lady for him.

"Oh," He glanced at Tomoyo and was surprised to find her looking interested.

"That has a promising plot," she said slowly. "But the plot is a little cliché. Would you mind if I look at the script, Señora?"

Eriol gaped at her. She sure was outspoken.

But the old lady seemed to even enjoy Tomoyo's candidness. "Sure, darling! But you have to promise that you would be in my soap."

"Si, Señora."

He smiled. The two seemed to be getting along well.

Nakuru was eating her snacks when Tomoyo placed a plate of dessert in front of her.

"Leche flan. It's sweet. Try it," said Tomoyo, not looking at the servant.

Akizuki eyed the dessert suspiciously.

"I won't poison you," she said. "If you don't want it, I'll take it back."

Nakuru cautiously took a forkful of the dessert. She chewed on it thoughtfully, then smiled. She took another forkful.

"If you want more, I have several more in the fridge," she continued before leaving.

Spinel looked at the servant. "What miracle made her do that?"

"No idea," said Nakuru. "But one thing is for sure: this is good! Really good!"

Eriol entered the kitchen. "Hey, what's that?"

"Dessert. The Señorita gave me this."

"Gee, I wonder what happened to her," said the feline. "She never liked us."

He laughed. "She's not that bad. Remember when we were still in fifth grade? She was very nice."

"Yeah, come to think of it, she's really sweet back then, always tagging around where the card mistress is," said Spinel.

"Then what happened to make her change so drastically? And what is she doing here in Spain?" asked Eriol.

"It's not ethical to gossip about other people behind their backs," said Tomoyo, appearing with two more plates of dessert.

He laughed. "It's not gossip. It's a perfectly ethical conversation coupled with curiosity."

She placed the desserts before Spinel and Eriol. "Then may I ask you not to talk about me anymore."

Nakuru sighed. "You must be living a lonely life."

Tomoyo paused, and Eriol thought he could see real pain in her eyes. But she looked down, her bangs covering her face. "I'm used to it."

He touched her hand. "You don't need to live that way and get used to it."

She flinched with his touch. "I-I..I'm in my room when you need me." She hurried out of the room.

"You know, I'm beginning to see her in a different light," said Nakuru sympathetically. "She must have been deprived of something."

"Happiness?" Spinel put in.

Eriol took a forkful of the dessert. It was sweet, but something was missing.

He'll ask her later on the set.

"Damn! Tell that Fortunato that if he still wants to keep his role, he should make it here in 2 minutes!" yelled Walters on the phone.

Tomoyo looked at her wristwatch. It was almost time for her workshop with her leading man, but he was not yet here.

"Can't we start without him?" asked the Señora impatiently.

"Tomoyo won't have someone to practice her lines with," explained Walters.

Eriol raised his hand. "Why don't I go over Fortunato's lines just so we can make productive use of time instead of waiting?"

"Good idea!" said Señora. "Here's the script."

The director asked them to ignore the camera and just concentrate on each other.

"..and action!!"

Tomoyo nervously scanned her lines. She was supposed to introduce herself to her new student.

Thirty seconds has passed and yet she couldn't find her voice.

She glanced at the corner of her eye and saw the crewmen watching her with a trace of impatience.

She looked back at her script. "I can't do this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh really?" said Eriol challengingly. "And I thought you were better than that."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"You're just going to read out your lines as if you were Carmela and yet, you couldn't do it," he said, trying his best to sound obnoxious. "What more if you are asked to represent the major stockholders of the Castillano Corporation in a business convention?"

"Hah! I can read these with no problem!" she snapped.

"Prove it," he said, his mouth twitching.

She looked back at her script then shut her eyes.

Eriol froze when she opened her eyes again. He found himself staring at the softest, most beautiful lilac eyes looking at him shyly.

"Good morning, Señorito Gomez. I am Carmela, your new tutor. I shall be teaching you how to play the piano," she said timidly.

He swallowed nervously. Why was he feeling the tension now? Wasn't he supposed to be the calm, experienced one? But when he saw Tomoyo looking at him expectantly, he put on his best snob look and said, "Music. Hah! My parents are indeed desperate to make me do something decent after I dropped out from school."

"Music is not decent. Music is an art," she said. "Music is a gift of our soul to God. So do not refer to it as a hobby or a past time."

He gulped. Tomoyo sounded so believably passionate with her delivery of her lines.

"I do not need music. I do not need you. Get it?" he snapped.

Then something unbelievable happened.

She laughed, and her laughter sounded like merrily tinkling bells. "Yes, I do. That is why I'm here. I will teach you that you need music."

"And will you teach me also that I need you?" he shot back.

Tomoyo frowned. "There isn't anything in the script that says that."

He looked down at his copy. There was no line like that. He laughed. "You're right. I must have been carried away!"

The Señora clapped her hands in delight. "Carried away? Christ, that is magic! Both of you are such good actors! You were made for this role!" She looked at Walters. "Drop Fortunato. I found a new leading man for El Diablo."

Walters gaped at the composer. "Him?"

"That's right! Can't you see the chemistry between them?" she asked. "Perfect! It's perfect!" She looked at the dates in front of her. "We'll start shooting tomorrow." She turned to Eriol and Tomoyo. "Be sure to get good rest tonight. You will have a busy, busy day tomorrow."

Both were still speechless.

That night, Eriol was busy composing the lines for the theme song of the telenovela but he couldn't concentrate. He kept on recalling Tomoyo and their moment awhile ago. He saw the other side of Tomoyo that he longed to see ever since they arrived in Valle Rosa.

He crumpled his music sheet. "Damn, how could I finish anything if I let these thoughts disturb me?"

He then paused when he heard a soothing voice singing from below. He went out of the balcony and saw Tomoyo working in the rose garden.

He opted not to call her anymore. He merely watched her unaware beauty.

She was humming a tune that was familiar but he couldn't place his finger on it.

But he smiled. He knew already what to do with the theme song of the soap opera. He pulled a seat outside quietly, careful not to disturb Tomoyo. He worked on the song as she worked on the garden.

And Eriol felt so much inspiration flowing from his pen. "This must be my obra maestra," he thought. He glanced at Tomoyo. "And I must thank her for this. Maybe tomorrow."

Tsuzuku

Notes

I dunno if leche flan originated from Spain, but since it's my all-time favorite dessert (made of eggs, milk and other devils of calories), I placed it here. *lol* Hey, I noticed that my fic has been longer since I discovered MS Word. ^^;; I actually had a 1,800+ worded chapter!