Standard Disclaimers Apply
A/N: Another author's note everyone! I hope you'll like this chapter; I worked extra hard on it. In MS Word, it's almost four pages long! Anyway, thank you again to everyone who have read & reviewed/flamed my fanfic. Enjoy, people!
Chapter Four: Untitled
Eriol pushed the glass door of the café open for Sakura and she stepped through, nodding her thanks as she led the way to a table for two by the corner.
She had changed so much. Granted, she was still the strong-willed, beautiful Sakura that he remembered from four years ago, but she had changed. He had seen just how, from the time their eyes had first met when he had chanced in on the scene between her and that Chen guy.
She was not the naïve and always cheerful girl he had known. She still smiled, yes, but now, even he had been a little uncomfortable and disconcerted at her cold eyes and careful scrutiny. Reminiscing, Eriol remembered how Sakura had always believed whatever he said, trusting him completely. Now, he was just as completely unsure if even a small fraction of that trust remained.
"So." Sakura said, once they were both seated. "What did you want to talk about?"
Eriol shook his head at her and looked up when a waitress approached him. She was a petite, curvy blonde, and she was taken aback for a minute when Eriol turned his deep blue eyes at him. Then, a blush colored her cheeks and she fluttered her eyelashes at him, asking in what she probably thought was a seductive voice, "Hi! I'm Jan, your waitress. So. what will you have?"
For all her efforts, Eriol didn't even glance at her again as he perused the menu intently. "Coffee, no sugar and lots of cream, and a slice of chocolate cake, please. What about you, Sakura?"
The waitress glared at Sakura, as if noticing her for the first time when she heard Eriol calling her by her first name. "And you?" she asked in an almost rude voice, addressing Sakura. The teen just raised one eyebrow at her hostile tone, before saying in a mild voice, "I'll have a blueberry cheesecake and an iced mocha, thanks."
Jan glared even more when her efforts failed to evoke a response from Sakura and she flounced off angrily, her small skirt deliberately lifting a little with every step she took. Though she failed to get even a small reaction from Eriol, other male patrons wearing the uniform of another school were clearly giving her the eye.
Sakura stared after Jan for a moment more, before she turned her attention back to Eriol. "She likes you."
Eriol gave her a slow, lazy smile. "Doesn't everybody?"
"I don't." Sakura told him flatly.
He lost the smile and playfully winced a little, but there was no mistaking the hurt that crossed his face briefly at her words. "Ouch."
Sakura sighed, lowering her eyes to where she was playing absently with her napkin on the table. "I'm sorry, that was way out of line."
"It was a hit well-deserved." Eriol accepted. "Are you really that angry at me still, Sakura?"
She just stared at him expressionlessly, her emerald eyes unreadable. "What do you think? I thought we were friends, Eriol. I really did." Sakura replied bitterly, her voice cold and unfeeling. "But you left me four years ago without so much as a note or a call or a message. I figured, if you didn't want to talk with me anymore, fine. It's your life, not mine."
Pain was evident in his unbelievably dark blue eyes as his hands clenched into fists unnoticed. "I didn't want to leave, Sakura. But everything happened so fast-there was nothing I could do about it. But I can explain everything, just hear me out, onegai?"
"So start explaining. I'm waiting, Eriol."
Eriol's eyes took on a far-away look as he gazed out the window. To Sakura, it looked as if it was taking him a lot of effort to speak, but his voice was expressionless and in a monotone when he began. "I left four years ago. we were both thirteen then, right? I was going to meet you at the park, I really was, but my mother called. She said-she said."
A hint of concern laced Sakura's voice as she reached out in an unknowingly tender gesture to touch Eriol's face. When he turned to look at her, his eyes were unseeing, but he turned his face to her touch in response. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "She said that my father had. died. You remember that I was just a transferee to Tomoeda Elementary? My parents sent me there for foreign schooling. I couldn't call you anymore because I had to catch a plane to England to get back to mother and take care of the family affairs. I didn't want to leave, Sakura. Believe me."
Sakura's eyes were sad as she regarded the broken look on Eriol's face. She had never seen him this sad and this vulnerable before. She remembered the sort of guy he had been: always cool, calm, and composed, as opposed to her naturally cheerful and hyper personality. She could only imagine how confused he was even as he had tried to pull himself together to go back to England to comfort his mother and sister and to set the family affairs in order. And all when he was still thirteen years old.
A not-too-discreet cough made Sakura lower her fingers from Eriol's cheek as they both turned to look slowly at the waitress holding a tray with their orders. She was still glaring reproachfully at Sakura. She was gentle and slow with placing Eriol's order in front of him. With Sakura, however, she all but smashed the iced mocha and blueberry cheesecake in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Eriol. I really am. I didn't-" Sakura said the moment Jan had moved out of hearing range. Eriol managed a small smile and he shook his head.
"No. You listened, and that's enough for me."
"But why didn't you answer any of my letters?" Sakura asked him with a small frown as she sipped her mocha.
"Letters? What letters?" Eriol asked, looking mildly confused.
"I sent you at least five letters back then." Sakura told him patiently, brow furrowing even more at his startled confusion.
"Well, I can honestly say that I didn't receive any. I don't know what happened." Then he wiped his mouth with a napkin and pushed back his glasses on his nose before looking at her intently. "How have you been, Sakura?"
Her whole expression dropped, and Eriol mentally kicked himself for asking the question, when he already knew the answer. But he still wanted to hear the answer from her.
Sakura managed a shaky smile. "I have a lot of good friends, my grades are okay and the company's doing fine. It's been great!" She said with false enthusiasm.
"You're still hurting, though." At her shocked expression, he explained quickly, "Touya-san told me. Are you really. okay?"
"I'll get over it." She said quickly. Too quickly, Eriol noted.
"Do you mean that?" Eriol asked quietly, studying her intently. 'Strange,' he mused, 'how everything seemed to depend on that one question.'
She was staring at the flower arrangement which decorated the small table, but her eyes had a faraway look in them that indicated she wasn't seeing what she was looking at. "I don't know. I just don't know, Eriol. It was all so sudden, and knowing that he died because he was trying to protect me." Then she looked directly into his eyes and Eriol was amazed by the determined fire burning in her emerald orbs. "But I know Syaoran, and he wouldn't have wanted me to go on living in the miserable state I've been for three months. He lived life in the moment, because he knew that it was precious." Her eyes became soft, and a small wistful smile crossed her lips. "You would have liked him, you know."
"I've no doubt of that."
She nodded at him, giving him a small smile. Her eyes were suspiciously moist and glittering brilliantly when she looked up. "I missed you, you know."
A genuine smile made its way across Eriol's face as his eyes softened, while Sakura blushed a little a dug in into her blueberry cheesecake. They ate after that in comfortable silence, at ease with each other. They caught snippets from the other patrons of the café, and sometimes, they caught each other's eyes and smiled.
Sakura couldn't believe it. She felt a dozen times lighter, so much in contrast with the depression she had been in lately. Maybe the gods were now really answering her prayers, giving her back a true friend when she most needed one.
Eriol gazed with gentle eyes at the young lady sitting in front of him. He couldn't help feeling how lucky he was at how great things had turned out. For four years, he had been living an empty life, and now that he was back with Sakura, he promised himself that they would never have to live that kind of live again. Ever.
I missed you too, Sakura.
A/N: Another author's note everyone! I hope you'll like this chapter; I worked extra hard on it. In MS Word, it's almost four pages long! Anyway, thank you again to everyone who have read & reviewed/flamed my fanfic. Enjoy, people!
Chapter Four: Untitled
Eriol pushed the glass door of the café open for Sakura and she stepped through, nodding her thanks as she led the way to a table for two by the corner.
She had changed so much. Granted, she was still the strong-willed, beautiful Sakura that he remembered from four years ago, but she had changed. He had seen just how, from the time their eyes had first met when he had chanced in on the scene between her and that Chen guy.
She was not the naïve and always cheerful girl he had known. She still smiled, yes, but now, even he had been a little uncomfortable and disconcerted at her cold eyes and careful scrutiny. Reminiscing, Eriol remembered how Sakura had always believed whatever he said, trusting him completely. Now, he was just as completely unsure if even a small fraction of that trust remained.
"So." Sakura said, once they were both seated. "What did you want to talk about?"
Eriol shook his head at her and looked up when a waitress approached him. She was a petite, curvy blonde, and she was taken aback for a minute when Eriol turned his deep blue eyes at him. Then, a blush colored her cheeks and she fluttered her eyelashes at him, asking in what she probably thought was a seductive voice, "Hi! I'm Jan, your waitress. So. what will you have?"
For all her efforts, Eriol didn't even glance at her again as he perused the menu intently. "Coffee, no sugar and lots of cream, and a slice of chocolate cake, please. What about you, Sakura?"
The waitress glared at Sakura, as if noticing her for the first time when she heard Eriol calling her by her first name. "And you?" she asked in an almost rude voice, addressing Sakura. The teen just raised one eyebrow at her hostile tone, before saying in a mild voice, "I'll have a blueberry cheesecake and an iced mocha, thanks."
Jan glared even more when her efforts failed to evoke a response from Sakura and she flounced off angrily, her small skirt deliberately lifting a little with every step she took. Though she failed to get even a small reaction from Eriol, other male patrons wearing the uniform of another school were clearly giving her the eye.
Sakura stared after Jan for a moment more, before she turned her attention back to Eriol. "She likes you."
Eriol gave her a slow, lazy smile. "Doesn't everybody?"
"I don't." Sakura told him flatly.
He lost the smile and playfully winced a little, but there was no mistaking the hurt that crossed his face briefly at her words. "Ouch."
Sakura sighed, lowering her eyes to where she was playing absently with her napkin on the table. "I'm sorry, that was way out of line."
"It was a hit well-deserved." Eriol accepted. "Are you really that angry at me still, Sakura?"
She just stared at him expressionlessly, her emerald eyes unreadable. "What do you think? I thought we were friends, Eriol. I really did." Sakura replied bitterly, her voice cold and unfeeling. "But you left me four years ago without so much as a note or a call or a message. I figured, if you didn't want to talk with me anymore, fine. It's your life, not mine."
Pain was evident in his unbelievably dark blue eyes as his hands clenched into fists unnoticed. "I didn't want to leave, Sakura. But everything happened so fast-there was nothing I could do about it. But I can explain everything, just hear me out, onegai?"
"So start explaining. I'm waiting, Eriol."
Eriol's eyes took on a far-away look as he gazed out the window. To Sakura, it looked as if it was taking him a lot of effort to speak, but his voice was expressionless and in a monotone when he began. "I left four years ago. we were both thirteen then, right? I was going to meet you at the park, I really was, but my mother called. She said-she said."
A hint of concern laced Sakura's voice as she reached out in an unknowingly tender gesture to touch Eriol's face. When he turned to look at her, his eyes were unseeing, but he turned his face to her touch in response. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "She said that my father had. died. You remember that I was just a transferee to Tomoeda Elementary? My parents sent me there for foreign schooling. I couldn't call you anymore because I had to catch a plane to England to get back to mother and take care of the family affairs. I didn't want to leave, Sakura. Believe me."
Sakura's eyes were sad as she regarded the broken look on Eriol's face. She had never seen him this sad and this vulnerable before. She remembered the sort of guy he had been: always cool, calm, and composed, as opposed to her naturally cheerful and hyper personality. She could only imagine how confused he was even as he had tried to pull himself together to go back to England to comfort his mother and sister and to set the family affairs in order. And all when he was still thirteen years old.
A not-too-discreet cough made Sakura lower her fingers from Eriol's cheek as they both turned to look slowly at the waitress holding a tray with their orders. She was still glaring reproachfully at Sakura. She was gentle and slow with placing Eriol's order in front of him. With Sakura, however, she all but smashed the iced mocha and blueberry cheesecake in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Eriol. I really am. I didn't-" Sakura said the moment Jan had moved out of hearing range. Eriol managed a small smile and he shook his head.
"No. You listened, and that's enough for me."
"But why didn't you answer any of my letters?" Sakura asked him with a small frown as she sipped her mocha.
"Letters? What letters?" Eriol asked, looking mildly confused.
"I sent you at least five letters back then." Sakura told him patiently, brow furrowing even more at his startled confusion.
"Well, I can honestly say that I didn't receive any. I don't know what happened." Then he wiped his mouth with a napkin and pushed back his glasses on his nose before looking at her intently. "How have you been, Sakura?"
Her whole expression dropped, and Eriol mentally kicked himself for asking the question, when he already knew the answer. But he still wanted to hear the answer from her.
Sakura managed a shaky smile. "I have a lot of good friends, my grades are okay and the company's doing fine. It's been great!" She said with false enthusiasm.
"You're still hurting, though." At her shocked expression, he explained quickly, "Touya-san told me. Are you really. okay?"
"I'll get over it." She said quickly. Too quickly, Eriol noted.
"Do you mean that?" Eriol asked quietly, studying her intently. 'Strange,' he mused, 'how everything seemed to depend on that one question.'
She was staring at the flower arrangement which decorated the small table, but her eyes had a faraway look in them that indicated she wasn't seeing what she was looking at. "I don't know. I just don't know, Eriol. It was all so sudden, and knowing that he died because he was trying to protect me." Then she looked directly into his eyes and Eriol was amazed by the determined fire burning in her emerald orbs. "But I know Syaoran, and he wouldn't have wanted me to go on living in the miserable state I've been for three months. He lived life in the moment, because he knew that it was precious." Her eyes became soft, and a small wistful smile crossed her lips. "You would have liked him, you know."
"I've no doubt of that."
She nodded at him, giving him a small smile. Her eyes were suspiciously moist and glittering brilliantly when she looked up. "I missed you, you know."
A genuine smile made its way across Eriol's face as his eyes softened, while Sakura blushed a little a dug in into her blueberry cheesecake. They ate after that in comfortable silence, at ease with each other. They caught snippets from the other patrons of the café, and sometimes, they caught each other's eyes and smiled.
Sakura couldn't believe it. She felt a dozen times lighter, so much in contrast with the depression she had been in lately. Maybe the gods were now really answering her prayers, giving her back a true friend when she most needed one.
Eriol gazed with gentle eyes at the young lady sitting in front of him. He couldn't help feeling how lucky he was at how great things had turned out. For four years, he had been living an empty life, and now that he was back with Sakura, he promised himself that they would never have to live that kind of live again. Ever.
I missed you too, Sakura.