A New Semester of Love
Thank you for your reviews!! Here's chapter 7…it's kind of long. ^_^;
Enjoy!
Chapter 7: A Date
The bus arrived in less than ten minutes and began taking the pair into the middle of the city. They remained silently sitting by each other for a few minutes, both slightly nervous. Eriol cleared his throat. "So…where do you want to go?"
Tomoyo looked up at him, then back out of the window, hiding the blush that had once again crept up on her as she looked at the boy beside her. "I don't know. Where do you want to go?"
Eriol smiled. "Are you hungry now? We could find some place to eat if you are."
"I'm a little hungry," she replied.
"How about we go back to that one café we found that first time we went out shopping?" he suggested. "I thought it was a pretty nice place."
She nodded in agreement. "That sounds good. I've been wanting to go back."
"Good, good," he said. "Then our stop is coming up soon."
They fell silent again, both just staring out the windows as the bus slowly went along through the city. In another few minutes, they finally reached their stop. Eriol took a gentle hold of Tomoyo's hand as he led her out of the crowded bus and out onto the busy sidewalk.
"Do you remember where it is exactly?" Tomoyo asked as she followed him as he began to walk. He nodded. They walked side by side silently a few blocks when they say the pretty café that they had visited a couple months earlier.
Tomoyo, almost unconsciously, scanned the people sitting outside of it…dreading that she would see the two male college students that had harassed them before. She sighed in relief when her search came up empty. Of course they aren't here again…don't know why I thought they might be… Her thoughts turned to Sakura, who was probably now on a the train back home with Syaoran. It was horrible when those guys were here before…I'm sure Sakura-chan was thinking about last semester then because of them…I think that's why we never even suggested coming back here…just in case it might make Sakura-chan remember again…that horrible guy last semester…I'll never be able to forgive him for hurting her like that…
"Tomoyo-san?"
Tomoyo looked up to see Eriol pulling a chair out for her. She blushed as she realized she had just been standing there for some time…her thoughts making her forget about her surroundings. She blushed as she thanked Eriol and sat down, watching as Eriol then pulled out a seat across from her and sat down as well.
He looked at her once he had sat, his eyes worried. Tomoyo smiled weakly and looked down at the menu in front of her, trying to avoid Eriol's gaze.
Eriol just continued to look at her for a few moments. I wonder what she was thinking about…she was just standing there…staring off into space…but her eyes...they were getting watery it seemed…she looked so upset…
He sighed and looked down at his own menu.
"May I take your order?"
Tomoyo and Eriol both looked up, their eyes widening slightly as they saw Touya standing there, waiting to take their order.
"You work here?" Tomoyo asked.
He looked at her kindly. "I started working here about a month ago as a side job. Yuki works here too…but he's inside taking orders."
Tomoyo smiled at him, not too surprised to see him. Somehow, they always managed to find him working somewhere unexpected.
"Sakura isn't with you?" he asked looking at Tomoyo and then Eriol and then back at Tomoyo.
"No," she began, hesitating. I guess he doesn't know about his father. "She went back home with Li-kun because your father is sick."
Touya's eyes widened when he had heard that Sakura had gone back home with Syaoran…but widened even further, his expression showing concern when Tomoyo mentioned his father. "I didn't know…" he muttered.
Tomoyo smiled gently at him. "When Sakura-chan called, he said that it wasn't serious…that it was nothing to worry about. So I don't think you have to worry…and I'm sure Sakura-chan will take good care of him too."
He looked at Tomoyo and smiled at her attempts to ease his worry. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "Now…I guess I should take your order if you're ready."
Tomoyo and Eriol both ordered and watched as Sakura's older brother walked away and into the café. "He's worried," Eriol mentioned.
Tomoyo looked at him and nodded. "Yes it seems so. But I'm sure everything will be okay."
Eriol looked at her and smiled. She always tries to comfort people...always being hopeful…I wonder how she can always keep a smile on her face like that…
"We should have invited Rika-san and Naoko-san to come with us today," Tomoyo said.
Eriol grinned at her a little. "Yeah we should have, but then we wouldn't have been all alone together like I know you wanted," he teased playfully.
Tomoyo smiled widely back at him, her cheeks flushed. "You wish." Eriol laughed. Tomoyo's smile grew even larger as he did.
Touya returned their with their lunch, and the two talked quietly as they ate, Eriol about his past years in England, Tomoyo talking more detailed about their past semester and about her recent vacation in Hokkaido.
"I'm glad you enjoyed your time with your mother," Eriol told her as she finished talking about her vacation. "It sounds like you had a lot of fun."
"Yeah. I don't usually get to spend so much time with her, so it was nice."
Eriol smiled at Tomoyo and then looked down at his watch. It was already nearing 3. "Wow, we've been here quite a while. I didn't notice how much time had passed already," he said. "How about we leave and just walk around a little and then maybe find some place to watch the sunset? We still have a while before then though."
"That sounds good to me," Tomoyo replied.
Eriol caught Touya's attention with a small wave, and politely asked for the check. Touya looked at each of them for a moment, then asked, "Separate checks or just one?"
"Just one," Eriol answered quickly before Tomoyo had a chance to respond. Touya just nodded his head slightly and left, promising to return in a few minutes.
"You don't have to pay for me," Tomoyo said.
"It's okay though," Eriol responded. "It's my pleasure to do so."
"But…" she began again.
He just halted her with a gentle laugh and said, "How about you pay the tip then?"
She hesitated, then sighed, realizing she wouldn't be able to change his mind. "Okay then."
Touya returned for the last time with their check, which Eriol quickly paid while Tomoyo left a generous tip for Touya, and then they left the café. They decided that they would just stroll around through the still very crowded city and hope to find some place where they could get some information for good places to view sunsets. Eriol smiled every time Tomoyo exclaimed delight in something she saw, every time she smiled…and she smiled often. Tomoyo cheerfully walked beside him on the sidewalks, pointing things out to him, talking about her own designs and how good Sakura looked in all her designs when they passed clothing stores. For close to two hours they walked and browsed inside small stores happily, looking at many things and buying absolutely nothing.
The two eventually ran across a small tourist stand, where they found some information regarding sunset and star viewing. They discussed the possible places that were shown on the guides and decided on a place in a park just outside of the city. After deciding, they made their way leisurely to a nearby train station, where they had to wait only about ten minutes for their train to come and take them on their way out of Tokyo. They sat silently side by side looking out the window at the city passing by and then, soon, at the smaller suburbs and farmlands surrounding the major city.
The train stopped a few times before finally reaching their stop. They made their way out of the train and out of the small station and quickly consulted the map that came in the guide to direct them to the park where they were heading.
It was only a few blocks away. They stopped just inside the gates and looked at the very peaceful looking park around them. There were still a couple kids in a sandbox near the gate. A mother was sitting close by watching them as they tried to build little sandcastles that refused to stay standing upright. A small play set with bars, slides, tubes, and a bridge was situated close to the sandbox, and a swing set completed that area of the park. Trees surrounded the borders of the play area, and behind, they saw a slowly inclining hill that faced towards some farmland and the slowly sinking sun.
"This is a very cute park," Tomoyo mentioned quietly looking around her some more as they walked in the direction of the hill. It was now a little after 5:30, and the clouds were already beginning to take on new shades as the sun began to set.
They walked up the hill silently. Eriol took off his thin jacket and laid it on the ground at the top of the hill and motioned for Tomoyo to sit on half of it while he sat beside her on the other half. Tomoyo blushed as her arm brushed against his as they sat there.
As the colors of the sky and the clouds kept changing with the fall of the sun, they talked quietly. The children and their mother left soon after they arrived, leaving them to enjoy the sunset at the park alone.
"It really is pretty here…the sunset," Tomoyo said.
Eriol nodded his head. "I definitely agree. I'm glad we decided to come here. I haven't seen a sunset this nice in a long time."
"Yeah me too."
They fell again into another silence, a comfortable silence, as the minutes passed and the sun dropped further and made contact with the horizon in the distance. It was bright and beautiful, the sun's rays still reaching to the clouds and causing such artful combinations of purple and blue and red that awed both Eriol and Tomoyo.
They remained sitting there for some time even after the sun disappeared from view, leaving only traces in the darkening sky of its having been there only a short time before. A random sprinkling of stars soon sparkled above them, looking slightly faded in the still growing night; the moon also appeared, slowly gaining in brightness as the last bits of the day continued to disappear.
Finally, they decided to leave and walked back down the hill and out of the quiet park, making their way back to the small train station to catch a train back into Tokyo. They rode quietly all the way back, content to be silent, only a few smiles passing between them. Eriol glanced often at the girl beside him. This day has been so great with her…I never imagined that I could be this happy just being with her. She was so pretty sitting there watching the sunset…so beautiful…
The ride back seemed shorter than their ride out of the city; once they were back in the city they stopped for a quick meal at a cheap but nice restaurant, Eriol paying again despite Tomoyo's urges for him to let her pay this time. She again paid only the tip.
They returned to the dorm after they ate, reaching it after 9, stars in the dark sky invisible from their location in the city. Eriol walked Tomoyo back to her room and waited as she unlocked the door and opened it. She turned back to him after she opened the door.
"I had a really fun time today," she said, smiling. He smiled a little back at her, his thoughts full. She looks so nice right now…
Tomoyo blushed a little as he just stood there staring at her. Her eyes widened a little as he took a step closer to her. I feel nervous with him looking at me like that…
Eriol's breaths quickened as he took another step closer to her. "I…" he began, hesitating. I can barely breathe…how can I tell her what I want to say?
She just continued to look at him and unconsciously took a step back when he moved toward her. Her back was now pressed against the wall beside her open room door.
"Tomoyo…I…" he stopped again. Her eyes widened even more, showing a mixture of surprise and curiosity as he spoke her name for the first time, without the 'san' ending.
They were now only inches apart. Tomoyo could feel Eriol's breath on her cheek. She just remained standing there motionless, unsure of what was happening. He's so close…
Eriol looked into her eyes as he stood before her, then down to her lips. He watched as they moved…slowly whispering his name, "Eriol-kun…what are you…"
But his own lips cut hers off before she could finish what she was trying to say. Tomoyo stood there, too surprised to move or respond…too surprised to do anything, as she felt his lips upon hers. After another moment, he broke the unexpected kiss, his face and hers both bright red.
He looked at her, at her confused expression, and turned away. "I…Tomoyo…" He stopped as she looked down and then beside her at her open door.
"I should be going," she mumbled quietly, turning her back to him quickly and hurriedly entering her room and shutting the door behind her.
He stood there silently for a few moments, then, after a quiet "I'm sorry" leaned against the wall and sighed.
***
End of Chapter 7
***
Hmm…I had no clue when the sun usually sets in late November, so the time might not be so realistic. Also, at the café, for the purposes of the story, I had it so they would get free refills and give tips. I think this is uncommon in Japan, not totally sure, but I think it is.
But anyway, I hope everyone liked this chapter. Please review! ^_^ Thanks!