Evil Starrie: *kisses floor* New York!!! I love New York!!!!
Starrie: *sweatdrop* err...yeah...we missed it here ^^;;; lol bren-bren (Final Fantasy Princess) and I both learned a valuable lesson this summer:
Evil Starrie: *in a very loud voice* THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE NY!!!
Starrie: lol she had to deal with stinky people in France (she told me they really do smell!) while I had to deal with a boring state (no offense) like Maryland!
Learning To Love
Chapter 12
Tiffany stood in front of her mirror combing her long red-auburn hair. She put the brush down and picked up her lip-gloss and applied it evenly across her lips. Her turquoise colored eyes sparkled as she smiled at her reflection.
"Perfect"
She praised herself with a giggle as she picked up her purse and car keys. Her cell phone rang just as she was leaving her apartment.
"Yes?"
She said slyly as she walked down the corridor and pressed the elevator
button.
"Are you going to go through with it?"
A man asked on the other end. Tiffany let out a laugh,
"Why Larry dear of course! You didn't think I'd back down now do you?"
She asked in a mock tone. There was a short pause on the other end.
"No...of course not"
"Well I'm heading to his office right now. Be ready to call her in a couple of hours or so"
"Sure sweetheart, whatever you say"
Larry said, his voice overflowing with sarcasm. Tiffany rolled her eyes and sighed.
"oh and one more thing Larry. I've been planning this for months. Screw up and you're dead okay?"
"ooh...aren't we feisty today! What's wrong honey? Not a morning person?"
"Go to hell"
Tiffany hung up and turned her phone off. She inhaled deeply as she stepped into the elevator and leaned against the wall. She tipped her head upwards and closed her eyes. Why the hell did she even decide to get Larry involved in this plan of hers?
'He knows her that's why...so what if he's a jackass he can come in handy'
Tiffany smiled as she remembered the day she first met Larry...
*Flashback*
Tiffany watched in utter surprise as Sakura walked into the cafe she happened to be in and sat two tables in front of her. She happened to be talking to a young gentleman. Not bad looking, Tiffany had to admit to herself. But of course he seemed so simple compared to sophisticated upper-class Syaoran.
'Give him some money and a make-over and he might not be that bad afterall'
Tiffany thought as she kept her gaze on the guy. She couldn't help but laugh at the way the guy seemed desperate for Sakura. She shook her head as she took a sip of her coffee. It was pathetic to see a grown man act that way. But then again, she herself had made many men grovel at her feet. She muttered a curse as she saw Syaoran enter the cafe, clearly trying to remain calm. It was obvious he didn't like the guy that Sakura was talking to. Her eyes wandered to an abandoned newspaper near her table and in a desperate attempt grabbed it and buried her face in it, pretending to be interested in a certain article. She almost laughed out loud, yeah right. Like she'd ever read the newspaper. She lowered the paper and peeked over it tentivly. She watched the scene with the three unfold underneath her gaze and stood up once the couple was gone. Abandoning the newspaper, she walked over to the guy's table and took a seat, a smug look on her face. The man looked at her in confusion but gave her a cold stare.
"What?"
He nearly barked. Tiffany's smile remained as she stretched out her hand.
"Hi, my name's Tiffany"
"is that name supposed to ring a bell?"
Larry snapped. Tiffany made a strong effort to not snap back and kept smiling.
"It's obvious you want her"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh you know perfectly well what I'm talking about. You want her
but you can't have her...because of him"
She tried to look indifferent as she took a sip of her coffee. She let out a laugh
"Of course it's obvious that she would choose him over you. I mean, look at him and then"
She motioned to a mirror across from him,
"Look at you. A girl likes a guy who can spoil her you know?"
"Is that all you came here for? To insult me?"
Larry muttered in a low voice. His anger was rising to an all time high.
Tiffany remained calm and put down her coffee.
"As surprising as it may seem...no. I came to ask for your assistance"
Larry let out a laugh as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"You expect me to help some bitch like you?"
Tiffany fought hard to remain calm,
"Why not? We both want the same thing. Sakura and Syaoran aren't meant for one another"
Larry stopped laughing and leaned forward in his seat. Tiffany smiled broadly. She knew that she finally had his undivided attention.
"So are you in?"
She asked nonchalantly. Larry nodded as he stared deeply into her eyes.
"I'm in"
*End of Flashback*
Ding!
Tiffany's eyes snapped open as the elevator signaled that she had reached the lobby. She smiled at the lady who was walking into the elevator with a bag of groceries. The 40 year-old women smiled back at her.
"Wonderful day isn't it Tiffany? It seems like spring is just around the corner"
Tiffany nodded as she stepped out of the elevator.
"Yes, absolutely wonderful"
She answered cheerfully as she walked towards the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"No Syaoran honey, you have to stop!"
Sakura said in-between giggles as she took hold of Syaoran's pen once
again and held it away from him.
"Sakura!"
Syaoran said in an exasperated voice as he made an attempt to grab back his pen.
"No! You've been working too much lately!"
Sakura scolded.
"No I haven't"
"Yes you have. We've canceled two dates in the past week so don't even try to lie to me"
"Sakura don't make me start tickling you"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Are you sure?"
"No...Syaoran please don—Syaoran!!!"
Sakura burst into a fit of giggles as Syaoran brought her down on his
lap and began to tickle her sides.
"Give me back the pen and I'll stop"
Syaoran said with a chuckle as he continued to tickle her. To his advantage,
he knew her weak spots.
"No!"
Sakura said as she squirmed. She flung the pen across the room and
shortly after heard an "ow!". Sakura and Syaoran froze and looked towards
the doorway. Gina, the new receptionist was standing there, rubbing the
side of her head. She bent down and picked up the pen. She turned to look
at the couple and frowned as she pointed at them with the pen.
"You two are becoming a handful you know?"
She said jokingly
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry Gina!"
Sakura apologized immediately as her cheeks flushed a deep scarlet color. She tried to entangle herself from Syaoran and nearly fell off his lap and onto the floor. She finally managed to get her feet on the ground and let out a nervous laugh. Gina giggled at the embarrassed couple.
"You two are so cute"
She said with a smile on her face.
"Oh Sakura, there is a women outside who wishes to see you. She doesn't have an appointment and since Lacy isn't here I told her to wait down in the lobby while I checked if you were busy"
"No I'm not busy. I'm just trying to get Mr. Li here to take
a break!"
Sakura said as she playfully glared at Syaoran who just smiled innocently
in return.
"We're not through Mr!"
Sakura said as she pointed at him. She turned to look at Gina and smiled,
"So who is she? Did she give you a name?"
"Oh yes! How stupid of me I forgot to mention it earlier"
Sakura laughed as she placed a hand on Gina's shoulder
"It's okay. Afterall it's only your first week here"
Gina smiled gratefully,
"Her name is Amy Hakiyu"
Sakura's looked surprised as soon as that name was mentioned.
"A-A-Amy? Did she have...reddish-colored hair?"
"Yes"
"Blue eyes?"
"I don't know....I think...or maybe they were green? I'm sorry Sakura
I'm not sure"
"Oh it's okay, don't worry"
"So...should I tell her to come up?"
"Yes, I'll wait for her in my office"
"Alright then, bye you two. Oh and please, no more flying objects, someone's
bound to get hurt"
Gina said with a laugh as she closed the door behind her.
Syaoran looked at Sakura and immediately noticed her troubled expression. He walked up behind her and placed his arms around her waist.
"What's wrong honey?"
He asked as he placed a trail of small kisses on her neck. Sakura closed her eyes and smiled,
"I guess I'm just surprised. I mean, Amy is the last person I thought I'd ever hear from"
"Who's Amy?"
"Remember the girl I told you Larry cheated on me with? Well that was Amy"
Syaoran stopped kissing Sakura and looked equally surprised.
"I wonder what she wants"
"That's the same question I'm asking myself"
Sakura answered. She spun around and placed her arms around Syaoran's
neck.
"Oh well, it's doesn't matter. Larry is out of the picture remember? Plus it might be a good thing that she came back. Maybe that way we can tie up some loose ends"
"Okay then. Well you better go to your office, she's probably already in there waiting for you"
Sakura pouted,
"That means I'll have to leave you and you'll probably go back to work"
Syaoran let out a laugh,
"I have to get back to work. The faster I do the faster I'll finish"
"That's what you always say"
"I promise honey, I'm almost done. By the time you finish talking to Amy I'll be done with everything"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. And tonight I promise I won't even look at a file. Tonight
we go wherever you want go and we'll do whatever you want to do"
Sakura smile broadened,
"yay!"
She squealed in delight as she hugged Syaoran tightly.
"You better get going now though. You're making the poor girl wait"
Syaoran said as he kissed Sakura on the lips and then ushered her towards the door.
"Alright I'm going!"
Sakura said with a laugh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura walked into her office and saw the back of a girl with long reddish-brown hair. She had a picture frame in her hand, it was a picture of Sakura and Syaoran the night of the New Year's Eve party in Hong Kong. The picture was taken shortly after Syaoran had told her he loved her.
"That's my boyfriend Syaoran"
Sakura said cheerfully as she closed the door of her office. The girl
did not respond.
"It's been a long time since I last saw you Amy"
Sakura said as she walked up to the girl. The girl let out a laugh,
"Yes, it has been a long time"
She dropped the picture frame on the floor. As soon the frame hit the floor it shattered into small pieces. Sakura stared in complete disbelief. The haunting laugh of the girl continued as she slowly turned around to reveal her face.
"But I'm not Amy"
Tiffany said as she purposely dug her heel into the picture of Sakura and Syaoran.
"What do you want!?"
Sakura demanded as her body shook with anger. How dare this woman play
such a trick on her!
"Nothing much Sakura Kinomoto. I just want to talk to you. From woman to woman you know?"
"H-H-How did you know about Amy?"
Tiffany shrugged nonchalantly.
"I have my sources. I knew if I revealed myself as Tiffany you wouldn't agree to meet with me."
"I'm calling security right now!"
Sakura threatened as she walked up to her desk and got ready to press a button on her phone.
"Before you do, aren't you going to hear me out? Give me two minutes, that's all I ask"
Sakura hesitated, not sure what to do. Sighing she put the phone down and glared at Tiffany.
"Talk"
She commanded. Tiffany smiled at her gratefully. She then put on a
serious face and tried to look somewhat concerned.
"Sakura, a couple of months ago I was up here and I couldn't help but overhear a terrible confession"
"Are you sure you couldn't help yourself?"
Sakura asked in a challenging tone. Tiffany ignored her comment and kept on going.
"For the last couple of months I've been contemplating on whether I should tell you or not. I mean I know you're in love with Syaoran and I knew if I told you this...secret...that your relationship with him might be in jeopardy. At the same time, it's not right to keep a secret this big from you. What he did was awful! I know as a woman, I felt horrible when I found out what Syaoran had done to me."
Tiffany paused for a minute and smiled to herself when she realized she had Sakrua's full attention.
"What is it?"
Sakura asked. By the way Tiffany described it; it all seemed very serious.
Tiffany stood up from her seat and began pacing. She let out a deep sigh as she played with the golden ring on her finger.
"I-I-I don't know if I should tell you. I know what I'm about to say will really hurt you and that's the last thing I want to do"
"Are you going to tell me or not!?"
Sakura snapped, getting aggravated. Tiffany bit her lip,
"You were a bet Sakura! That's all you were to Syaoran, a bet!"
She blurted out. She took a seat again and let a long stream of words flow out of her mouth uncontrollably.
"I was here one day and I happened to overhear Syaoran and Eriol talking. They started talking about a bet and how Syaoran was winning. Then I heard them mention your name and Syaoran said how it was almost too easy winning you over"
Sakura stood there frozen in complete shock. Tiffany took in a deep breath and continued,
"I don't know what Syaoran has told you about our break up but I can tell you this much, we didn't break up until January. Which means he was cheating on both of us since October or so. Oh and lets not forget Rachel! He was probably sleeping with that whore while he was with both of us! I didn't find out he was with you until I overheard about the whole bet. I was so devastated when I heard about it I immediately stormed in and broke up with him at that moment. I've been wanting to tell you all this months but I didn't know how"
Tears were now streaming down Tiffany's cheek. She wiped them away and looked at Sakura all teary-eyed.
"I loved him Sakura. But I was not going to sell myself short for some jackass like Syaoran. I deserve better, you deserve better"
A storm of confusion brewed in Sakura's head. She couldn't believe Syaoran was capable of such a thing. It didn't seem like the Syaoran she knew and loved. It couldn't possibly be true. No! Of course not! This was all a trick that Tiffany had concocted.
"Get out"
Sakura whispered as she felt tears flood her emerald green eyes.
"You don't believe me do you?"
Tiffany asked in a soft whisper.
"I-I-I don't know"
Sakura truthfully answered. Tiffany stood up and wiped away the remaining
tears, a look of determination on her face.
"Fine then, I will prove it to you once and for all"
Sakura looked at her questioningly,
"How are you going to--"
Tiffany took hold of Sakura's shoulder and led her towards the door that led into Syaoran's office. She brought her finger up to her lips, signaling her to be quiet.
"I'll go in and confront him about it all. You'll hear his confession come out of his own lips"
She whispered. Sakura nodded as she put her ear against the cool wood of the door.
"Stay there"
Tiffany whispered as she sprinted towards the door and headed towards the entrance of Syaoran's office. Sakura nodded and held her breath. She didn't know what to expect. She just prayed that this was all a scam that Tiffany had brewed up. It was too painful to think that she had been played...again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Syaoran let out a yawn as he stretched in his chair. He heard a pair of footsteps heading towards the door and smiled. He instantly knew who it was; afterall Sakura was the only one working at that moment since Lacy had gone on vacation. Sakura would be happy to hear that he had finally finished working. There was a knock and Syaoran laughed,
"You know you don't have to knock"
The door opened open and Syaoran nearly fell off his seat when he saw who it was. His eyes flared in anger as he glared at Tiffany.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
He growled in a low voice as he eyed the door that connected Sakura's office with his nervously.
"You don't have to worry about her coming in. I saw her going down to the lobby while I came up here"
Syaoran seemed to relax somewhat but the anger was still present in his eyes. Tiffany casually moved towards the door that Sakura was listening through and Syaoran, who fell right into her trap, followed her.
"What is it that you want?!"
"I want the truth Syaoran!"
Tiffany exclaimed in a loud clear voice.
"Before Rachel went away, did you cheat on me with her?"
Syaoran seemed to be taken by surprise by the question.
"Why do you want to know? It's not like it matters now"
"Just answer my question!"
Tiffany let out a sob,
"It's something that's been on my mind for a long time now and I need to know the truth"
She looked at Syaoran pleadingly,
"I don't care if you did or not, I just want to know"
Syaoran let out a sigh and turned his back to her.
"Yes, I did"
He answered simply. He turned back around to look at her,
"Satisfied?"
He asked in a somewhat annoyed tone. Tiffany nodded,
"I have another question"
"What the--"
"You cheated on me with Sakura also...didn't you?"
She let out a sob, making Syaoran feel bad for her
"I wouldn't be surprised if you cheated on me with Sakura and Rachel at the same time!"
Tiffany stopped sobbing and peeked at Syaoran. She had to restrain herself from laughing at his expression. By the look on his face, she could tell that her statement had in fact been true. She would have never expected that! The words just came out of no where.
"It's true isn't it?! You cheated on me while you were with both of them!"
She accused. Syaoran looked at her guiltily,
"I-I-I'm sorry Tiffany but yes, I did."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura let out a gasp as soon as she heard those words. The tears she had been holding back came flooding down at that moment. She couldn't believe it; all those months he had lied to her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I've changed though."
Syaoran said. He sighed and placed a hand on Tiffany's shoulder.
"Tiff, the reason I broke up with you is because we wouldn't have worked out. You liked the guy I used to be. I'm no longer that guy"
Tiffany nodded and looked at Syaoran through her red-puffy eyes,
"There's...one more thing I would like you to clear up"
"What is it?"
Syaoran asked sympathetically. Tiffany marveled on how Syaoran had
suddenly become putty in her hands. It was almost all too easy. Guys were
suckers when it came to crying women.
"A few months ago, I heard you and Eriol talk about a...bet. did that have anything to do with me?"
Syaoran shook his head,
"No, it had nothing to do with you"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes it had to do with Sa--"
Syaoran immediately stopped talking before he went too far.
"Had to do with...Sakura?"
Tiffany asked innocently.
"No! Of course not!"
"Liar, it did. Either that or it had to do with me and you're lying to me by telling me it had to do with Sakura"
Tiffany began to cry again,
"When will your lying ever stop!"
Syaoran felt awful for causing Tiffany to burst into tears and decided that telling her the truth wouldn't hurt. By the looks of it, it seemed as she was over her grudge with him.
"I'll admit the bet had to do with you somewhat. Eriol made a bet that I couldn't keep three girls at the same time. This was around the time Sakura started working for me. Sakura was chosen by Eriol to be the third girl and well, I took on the bet and that's why I was with the three of you at the same time. Since then though, things have chang--"
"Is that all I was to you Syaoran? Some damn bet?!"
Sakura yelled out in an infuriated voice as the connecting door swung
open to reveal a crying girl. Tiffany grinned and took a few steps away,
enjoying the site in front of her. Her plan had worked out perfectly. Better
then she expected as a matter of fact. Syaoran's confession had revealed
more than she even knew herself.
"S-S-Sakura?! where—when—how did you..."
"How could you Syaoran! you're here telling me how special I am to you meanwhile, you're cheating on me behind my back!? You even took me to meet your family!"
"Sakura I'm sorry about what I did, I swear I haven't cheated on you since we came back from Hong Kong! After our trip I realized--"
Sakura let out a laugh,
"You expect me to believe that after your little confession? You know Syaoran, one would think that you would've learned from your break up with Heather. Not become a cold hearted bastard!"
Syaoran reached out for Sakura's hand, a desperate look on his face. It was obvious he was on the verge of tears himself.
"Sakura I can't erase the past. I admit I did something stupid and heartless--"
"Don't touch me Syaoran!"
Sakura yelled out as she dodged his arm.
"That's exactly what you are, heartless!! I trusted you, I loved you!
I really thought you were the one for me"
Sakura whispered as her voice was taken over by her sobs. Syaoran made
another attempt to take hold of her arm and Sakura dodged it yet again.
"I don't ever want to see you again...Syaoran Li"
She whispered as she wiped away her tears. She sprinted to the door
and ran down the hallway at top speed. Syaoran looked at Tiffany who was
sitting down on his couch with a grin on her face. He had forgotten she
was still in the room. He glared at her, finally understanding what she
had truly came back for.
"I told you I'd get you back"
She said in a sing-song voice and then let out a childish laugh.
"You're such a bitch"
Syaoran muttered as he ran out of his office, leaving Tiffany in his office, not caring the least bit.
"Sakura wait!"
Syaoran called out when he saw her enter the elevator. He ran faster
but by the time he reached the elevator, the door had already closed. His
eyes searched around frantically until he caught sight of the emergency
exit stairs. He pushed the door open and descended the steps as fast as
his legs could carry him.
"Sakura...hear...me...out...please!"
Syaoran pleaded breathlessly as he emerged from the stairs in time to see Sakura walking towards the entrance of the building. She took one last glance towards him and for a second hesitated. Shaking her head, she turned back around and waved for a taxi.
"Sakura!"
Syaoran shouted as he saw her getting ready to get into a cab. With
the last bit of energy he had left, he ran towards the door but was too
late. The taxi had already pulled onto the street and was driving away...
"Mr. Li!! Mr. Li are you okay?"
Gina asked in alarm as she rushed to his side. Everyone inside the
building was staring at Syaoran with sympathetic eyes, but he didn't care.
He didn't want their sympathy. He wanted Sakura back.
"Mr. Li...what happened?"
Gina asked as she took hold of his arm and looked up at him worriedly.
Finally, not being able to deal with the pressure anymore Syaoran burst
into tears. His body shook with sobs as he cried on Gina's shoulder.
"I lost her...I lost her"
He mumbled over and over again...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Sakura's apartment)
"Oh my god Sakura!"
Larry said in alarm as soon as Sakura opened her door. He hugged her
tightly and rubbed her back gently.
"sshh...it's going to be okay"
He murmured soothingly into her ear. He had called her and couldn't help but sense something wrong in her voice. When he asked her if everything was alright, she had burst into tears and he had promised he would come over as soon as he could. Closing the door, he led her to the couch in the living room.
"tell me, what happened"
He asked as he wiped her tears away with a tissue. Sakura sniffled as she rested her head on Larry's shoulder.
"Syaoran...I-I-I was nothing but a bet to him. I also found out that...that....he had cheated on me with two other girls"
Her words then became incoherent as she began to cry again.
"Oh Sakura I'm so sorry you had to go through all that"
Larry said as he hugged her and pulled her up into his lap. He rocked her gently and kissed her cheek.
"it'll all be alright"
He whispered as he continued to keep a strong grip on her. Sakura let out a sigh as she relaxed in his arms. She let out a laugh and looked up at Larry.
"This is exactly how you used to hold me whenever I was troubled in
the past...remember?"
Larry nodded,
"Yes, of course. How could I forget?"
He brought one of his hands up to her cheek and gently caressed it. Suddenly, he brought his head down and kissed her. Sakura's eyes opened wide in surprise. She pushed Larry away and got up from his lap.
"What are you doing!?"
She demanded as she stood as far away as possible. Larry let out a
sinister laugh,
"What's wrong Sakura? You used to love it when I did that too...remember?"
He took a big step towards where she was and made a grab for her hand. Sakura let out a scream as she moved away barely in time. A lamp got knocked over but that was the last thing on her mind.
"What's wrong Sakura? Why are you running away from me?"
Larry asked in a hurt tone as he made his way towards her. He pushed away anything in his path while Sakura looked around for an exit in sheer panic. He made another attempt to grab her and this time; he succeeded. Sakura shrieked in pure terror as she tried to wriggle herself out of his grip.
"Let...go...of...me!!"
Sakura tugged with her whole body weight and managed to get lose. She stumbled back a few steps and tripped over the telephone cord. A sudden sharp pain hit her head...and then her world went black...
*To be continued*
Evil Starrie: okay, we got a little dilemma that you guys are gonna have to help out in.
Starrie: yup, you see, I'm having trouble in deciding on what to do so I want you guys to help me out. I'm going to give you two choices and with your review PLEASE tell me which choice you prefer. After I get the reviews in, the choice that gets the most vote wins. So please help me here!!!!
Choice 1: I'll end this fic "Learning To Love" in the next chapter AND there will be sequel. Catch is, the last chapter will end in a Cliffhanger ^^ you'll get the summary and title for the sequel in the next chapter.
Choice 2: I'll continue Learning to Love for 2 more chapters and when
I end it, I end it for good, no Cliffhanger...catch is, no SEQUEL.
***okay, this is important. This is my last fic that I'm going
to do. So If I do 2 more chapters, i'mma have to say good bye then.
If I do a sequel I guess I'll stick around a bit longer (lack of inspiration...dunno
what else to write about) that is if you guys aren't tired of me already
though! ^.~***
So those are your choices. Please tell me which one you'd prefer okay? I need to know this before I start writing the next chapter! thank you! ^^
Evil Starrie: and just for the record...Starrie passed her Chemistry
final by one point!! Whoo hoo!!!!
Starrie: *smiles proudly* I got a 66!!! Oh yeah...I'm good ^.~