Back to Your Heart
Chapter 6: a not so pleasant surprise
Sakura gazed at the star-filled sky in wonder. The sight was absolutely gorgeous. She peered down at the lake that lay in front of her and marveled at its calm peaceful water. The country club the party was being held on was beautiful. Syaoran cleared his throat and Sakura turned around to look at him.
"I'm sorry, I was taken back by the beauty of this place"
Syaoran chuckled and nodded,
"I understand. I love this place, that's the reason why I picked it for the location of the party"
Syaoran took Sakura's hand and led her to a small bench overlooking the lake and sat down.
"Sakura, there's something I need to tell you"
Sakura gave him her full attention,
"Yes what is it?"
"Sakura I...I..."
She smiled encouragingly and gave Syaoran's hand a small squeeze,
"You can tell me anything you know?"
Syaoran nodded and looked down at their intertwined hands.
"Ever since you came back, I've wanted to tell you that..."
He looked up at her and gazed into those mesmerizing green eyes.
"I love you. I never stopped Sakura and I know I will never love anyone as much as I love you. You're everything I've ever wanted, all that I've ever needed"
Sakura's breathing accelerated in nervousness. She stared at Syaoran, her eyes veiling her thoughts. She pulled her hand away as she broke their gaze. Her eyes rested on the peaceful lake and remained locked on it. Her chest heaved as if she was trying to hold back sobs.
"Sakura look at me"
Syaoran whispered as he cupped her chin and gently turned her head
towards him. Sakura shut her eyes tight, avoiding his questioning dark-chocolate
eyes.
"Look into my eyes, can you truthfully say you don't feel anything for me?"
Sakura opened her eyes and stared straight into his. She didn't dare open her mouth though. It felt as though her lips would betray her. Syaoran moved his hand and cupped her soft cheek.
"Sakura please listen to me. Marrying Larry is a mistake. How can you be sure he is the one you truly love? What about me Sakura? Don't you feel anything for me? When we were in there dancing, didn't it feel...right?"
Sakura moved away from Syaoran's hand and stood up angrily,
"I'm sick of people telling me I'm making a mistake! I've had enough
with everyone! If you loved me as much as you say you do then why aren't
you at least a bit more supportive?!"
"Because like everyone else, I don't think what you're doing is right!"
Syaoran answered in frustration as he too stood up. He glared at Sakura,
"You're throwing your life away can't you see that?! Larry doesn't love you nearly as much as I do! You're marrying a guy who doesn't even seem to know the first thing about you! Your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of your life and so far it seems to be turning into a disaster!"
Sakura was furious that without thinking twice she slapped Syaoran. Syaoran looked at her in complete shock. He hadn't seen that coming. Sakura just glared at him in anger.
"How dare you talk about Larry like that, you don't even know him!"
"I don't need to know him to know what a damn jerk he is. Stop covering up for him Sakura, I've heard you guys fight over the phone. He treats you as if you're his property! Why do you put up with him?!"
"Couples fight all the time, or are you going to deny we ever fought?"
"Oh I know we had our occasional fights. I was always willing to compromise for you though! I would do anything for you Sakura! What does he do for you?"
Syaoran let out a bitter laugh,
"You know what he does? He screws up the wedding of your dreams, that's what"
"Larry cares about me, when I needed him he was there! Syaoran you don't know anything!!"
Tears of anger mixed with resentment were running down her cheeks. Deep down she knew Syaoran was right. She just didn't want to admit it.
"Well there is one thing I know"
Syaoran said as he roughly grabbed her by her arms and pulled her closer to him. He looked down at her as he held her tightly,
"I know that I love you"
With that said he bent down and captured her lips in a forceful kiss.
Her eyes opened wide in shock as soon as she felt his lips on hers. Breaking away seemed nearly impossible since he was stronger than she was. His soft comforting scent filled her senses and all thoughts vanished from her head. The only thing on her mind was his warm inviting lips on hers. Unconsciously she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.
Syaoran tightened his arms around her waist and drew her closer. It had been too long since the last time he had held her this way. Her lips were as soft and warm as he last remembered them...
They remained in each other's arms for quite sometime. Both had completely forgotten, or chose not to remember, the situation in which they were under. That is until the scene from Sakura's dream found its way into her mind. Sakura's eyes flew open in horror, she couldn't believe she had gotten carried away.
"I-I-I'm sorry, that wasn't supposed to happen"
She stammered as she broke away from his embrace and took a few steps
back. Syaoran leaned forward to take a hold of her hand
"No Syaoran, don't!"
Sakura exclaimed as she took another step back.
"Sakura you can't get married, not after what happ--"
"What happened between us Syaoran was a mistake! It shouldn't have happened!"
Sakura harshly explained. She took a deep breath before continuing,
"We just got carried away."
"You can't say that Sakura! You love me, don't deny it!"
"Syaoran I don't love you!"
Sakura said in a loud clear voice. She could see the hurt in Syaoran's
eyes and tried to look indifferent.
"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. It's just that I got
carried away for a moment there and felt as if...as if I was with Larry.
I miss him so much that--well, when I realized I was with you and not him...I
broke away."
Syaoran shook his head, not wanting to buy her excuse but Sakura's
eyes didn't reveal whether she was lying or telling the truth.
"That was a mistake, it'll never happen again"
Sakura murmured as she avoided his eyes. She turned around and ran
away, holding back the tears that were threatening to spill out. Syaoran
didn't chase after her...he no longer knew what to believe in.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sakura what happened?"
Tomoyo asked for like the hundredth time. Ever since the Li Corporation
party Sakura insisted on avoiding Syaoran. Meiling had tried to ask Syaoran
what happened that night and Tomoyo had done the same thing with Sakura
but both hadn't said anything.
"Sakura you're not the type to hold grudges, what's going on?"
Tomoyo took a seat and stared at her, expecting an answer.
"I'm not holding a grudge against him...I just don't feel like seeing him"
"Why not? Last thing I knew both of you were on great terms"
"I just...feel uncomfortable planning a wedding around him"
Sakura said in attempt to get Tomoyo to stop bothering her. Afterall,
it was somewhat true. Tomoyo just nodded, looking not a bit convinced.
"Well you know, you shouldn't feel like that. Afterall you guys don't
feel anything towards each other...right?"
Tomoyo asked, trying to keep back the smirk that was fighting to appear
on her face.
"I mean...Meiling told me that Heather and Syaoran went out on a date the other night. They seem to be getting really close you know? It seems as Syaoran's moved on and you definitely have...so what's the problem?"
Sakura couldn't fight the curiosity that filled her,
"He...went out with Heather?"
She asked casually. Tomoyo smiled and nodded,
"Meiling was so happy he was going out again. She told me he came home late that night and seemed to be in a much better mood. He had been gloomy since...umm the party. She also tells me that Heather makes him lunch and brings it to his office, isn't that just cute!"
Sakura smiled and nodded,
"Yeah...cute" She mumbled.
"Meiling tells me those two are always talking on the phone and Syaoran even begged Heather to stay longer in Tokyo! They make a great couple don't they? I hope they get back together and--"
They heard Tomoyo's apartment door open and noise flooded inwards.
"Hi!"
Came a chorus of voices as Eriol, Meiling, Syaoran and Heather came
inside. Tomoyo let out a squeal (SN: *laughing* oink oink! The think pig
word! ^.~) as she quickly stood up from her seat and ran to hug Eriol.
Eriol let out a chuckle as he hugged his girlfriend tightly.
"Meiling, Syaoran and Heather were heading this way just as I was coming into the building"
"You guys sure know how to surprise people!"
Tomoyo said happily as she looked over Eriol's shoulder. Sakura stood
up and smiled at the group of visitors. She glanced at Syaoran but quickly
turned away.
"ooh! I'm glad I made a lot of food today! Meiling, Heather can you
guys come and help me bring the food out?"
Tomoyo asked as she walked towards the kitchen. The girls followed
without complaint.
"I have to use the bathroom, I'll be back in a few"
Eriol said at the remaining two in the livingroom as he walked away.
Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other and gave each other nervous smiles.
They felt awkward not knowing what to say.
Syaoran let out a deep breath and walked towards Sakura. Now was the
perfect time to apologize for what he had done the other day. He preferred
having Sakura as a friend then not having her in his life at all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meiling, Tomoyo and Heather were standing by the kitchen doorway silently,
trying to hear what was going on in the livingroom. They could hear Syaoran
apologizing about something.
"Think we can get closer without them noticing"
Meiling asked hopefully. Heather shook her head.
"Syaoran will see us. His senses are very sharp"
"shush!"
Tomoyo said in attempt to quiet the girls down...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sakura I'm really sorry about what happened...I shouldn't have done
that"
Sakura looked up at Syaoran and gave him a small smile,
"Can we just...put all of that behind us? Let's just pretend it never
happened. It'd be best for both of us"
Syaoran wanted to disagree. He'd never forget it, but just for the
hell of it he'd have to agree. He nodded, keeping his face emotionless.
"If that's what you want then okay. We'll forget that ever happened between us"
"Thank you for understanding Syaoran"
Syaoran nodded,
"Like you said, our love is dead"
He couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Sakura looked up at
him and shook her head,
"That's not what I said. I'll always love you Syaoran...just not the way I once did. I love--"
"You know what I mean"
Sakura lowered her head and nodded. She knew exactly what he meant.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Let's go, they're gonna get suspicious"
Tomoyo whispered as she grabbed two plates and headed into the livingroom.
Meiling and Heather followed her lead.
"Where's Eriol?"
Tomoyo asked as she placed the dishes she was carrying on the table.
"He went to the bathroom"
Sakura answered.
"Oh okay I'll--"
Tomoyo stopped in mid-sentence when she heard her doorbell ring. She exchanged glances with the people in the livingroom.
"I wonder who's that?"
"I'll get it!"
Eriol called out from the hallway. They heard him exchange greeting
and a few seconds later he appeared in the livingrom with a guy. The man
had brown hair and piercing hazel eyes. Tomoyo gasped in surprise and Sakura
was left speechless. Syaoran and Meiling expression immediately darkened.
Heather looked confused.
Larry's eyes wandered around the room,
'I knew something was going on'
He said to himself as he directed a small glare towards Syaoran's direction. He turned to look at Sakura and smiled at her sweetly.
"Honey, I'm glad you're here!"
He walked up to her and pulled her up from where she was sitting, embracing
her tightly.
"I missed you"
He murmured as he buried his face into her soft hair. Sakura felt a
bit uncomfortable and pulled away from him slightly.
"wow...you guys sure know how to make a guy feel welcome. Not even a
hello?"
Larry said jokingly as he looked at everyone else in the room. Sakura
finally spoke up and said what was in everyone's mind.
"Larry...why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
He let out a chuckle as he looked at her,
"I wanted to surprise you honey!"
Sakura let out a small laugh in an attempt to soothe the tension in
the room.
"You surprised us all. We were just about to have dinner, want to sit down with us an--"
"Actually I had other plans"
Larry interrupted.
"I made reservations for us at a restaurant. We have to be there in
an hour"
He turned to look at everyone else in the room,
"You guys don't mind right? Afterall, you've had her for the past few weeks. I haven't seen her in a while"
"Larry, you can't come in here and just...do that! You should've told
me before hand!"
Sakura said, somewhat angrily. She didn't want to ditch her friends
just because Larry suddenly appeared.
"Sakura, maybe you should go. The umm—I'm guessing that's your fiancee?—has
a point"
Heather said as she moved across the room and took a seat next to Syaoran.
Larry turned to look at Heather and smiled charmingly. He couldn't help
but think that the black-haired, blue eyed woman was gorgeous.
"And who might you be?"
He asked in what Sakura would consider his flirtatious voice. She frowned
and rolled her eyes. Great, just what she needed, her fiancee lusting over
Heather too!
"I'm Heather, a long-time friend of Syaoran"
Larry nodded and raised an eyebrow,
"You sure know how to pick 'em"
He mumbled softly while eyeing Syaoran. He had to admit, the guy was
a hot-girl magnet.
"What did you say?"
Sakura snapped as she turned to look at him. Her glare was threatening.
"Nothing honey"
Larry answered sweetly.
"You know, if you're going it'd be best if you leave soon"
Syaoran said in a cool tone. Sakura looked at him and frowned. She
knew he wanted Larry out of there as soon as possible. Plus she didn't
want to start an argument in front of her friends; it would give them all
another reason to object to her marriage.
"Let's go"
She murmured as she took hold of Larry's arm and headed towards the
doorway.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura pushed her food around her plate with her fork. She wasn't really
all that hungry. Larry watched her for a few minutes and then let out a
sigh,
"What's wrong? You know, I thought you would've been happier to see
me"
Sakura looked up and put down her fork,
"I am happy to see you, it's just that I feel bad for leaving my friends
out of the blue"
Larry shrugged nonchalantly,
"You've been with them for a while now. I don't know what you're making
such a big deal out of it"
Sakura let out a frustrated groan,
"You don't get it do you?!"
"No you don't get it! You're getting upset just because I wanted
to have dinner with you!"
"Why didn't you just stay and have dinner with the rest of us? It's
not like you couldn't cancel your reservation"
Sakura mumbled as she picked up her fork and took a small bite of her
meal. Larry let out a sarcastic laugh,
"Sakura, you know as well as I do that your friends don't like me. Plus
there's no way I'm going to sit in the same room with that...Syaoran guy"
Sakura looked up at Larry and glared at him,
"What's wrong with Syaoran?"
Larry looked at Sakura in disbelief,
"I see the way he looks at you Sakura! It's obvious he still hasn't gotten over you. I hate and can't stand the guy!"
"How can you hate him when you don't even know him?"
Sakura asked him, it was clear she was a bit upset.
"I hate him because of what he did to you!"
Sakura let out a sigh,
"Larry let it go. I've already moved on and so has he"
Larry shrugged as he lifted up his glass to take a drink
"I'm inviting him to the wedding so it'd be best if you get over the
whole thing"
Sakura casually added. Larry nearly choked on his drink when he heard
her words. He put his glass down and looked at her,
"You can't be serious. You can't invite him after--"
"I can and I will"
"What about the reservations and...and...there won't be any room! All
of our guests have already RSVP'd!!"
Sakura sipped her drink calmly,
"A cousin of mine won't be able to make it. She has a last minute emergency
to attend to. Syaoran's will fill in her spot"
"Sakura you can't do this without consulting me!"
Sakura glared at him and felt like killing him right there.
"You talk about consulting? What about all the stuff you've done without consulting me!"
"Y-Y-Yes I know but that's different!"
"Different in what way?!"
"Those are things I knew you wanted and wouldn't mind"
"You can't make decisions for me Larry! This wedding is turning out the way you want it! Can't you at least let me invite the people I want?!"
"I'm not saying you can't invite your friends! I'm just saying I don't
want Syaoran there!"
Sakura stood up from her seat and threw her napkin on top of the table,
"Well get used to the idea because he's coming whether you like it or not"
Larry glared at her as he put down his wineglass,
"I see your little friends have been messing around with your head...and you wonder why I don't like them"
He snarled angrily. That was it, Sakura had had enough,
"In that case, maybe my little friends are right! Maybe marrying
you is a mistake!"
With that said she stormed out of the restaurant. Larry looked at the
empty place in front of him and let out a sigh. This was not the way he
hoped dinner would turn out to be. He slammed his fist on top of the table
furiously,
"Damn you Syaoran! Why the hell do you always get in my way!"
He shouted bitterly.
~*To Be Continued*~
Starrie: Thank you to the following people for reviewing last chapter!
^-^
And they are:
Catherine
Sakura tenshi AnGeL oF lOvE: aww...i'm glad you thought so!
BriAnna: I know some people are put off by the length but i'm
glad that wasn't your case! ^.^
Blackstar03
Cherry blossom
Wondering author: well, I can't tell you that but by the end
you'll know. thanx for the tip, i'll try to be more careful. Sometimes
I get too lazy to revise my writing >.;
Syaorana: hehehe, you're funny! I was cracking up when i read
your review ^^;
Carmela-chan: brenda's thankful for thinking of her and i guess
your question got answered in this chappy!
MoshiMoshiQueen: my favorite line too!
Aoi Sakura Tenshi: aww thank you! i'm glad it is!
aSwtXiaoLang
Fiery Wolf
Aquatmarine
Kawaii syaoran lover
WanderingFace
Chibi Menchi
Red-Emerald: lol no month-long wait this time! ^^;;
*****
Silver Moon Dreamer
Emeraldz
Tk
Sabby
Ms. pac man: hope i haven't let you down!
Blissful trinity
Lil-Brat888: you caught onto something I've been trying to avoid
answering ^^; let's just say....that they're both shades of brown....but
vary ^^
Windome
Cherry100: yay! join the Larry-haters club!! *gives a sign that
says kill Larry* you're an official member now!
Cherry Jade
Sakume Nohara: it's work but i don't mind. I forgetful myself
and i know how frustrating it is to read a fic you're so into...and then
forget the name!!! It's horrible!!!!
Rosie: that's not a known fact yet. Maybe she did, maybe she
didn't.
Kaijuu
Maryberry
Runa: lol, no two month wait this time!! ^-^
Rumi ai no Pocky: if it makes you feel better *drags larry out*
be my guest, poke him
AnimeObsessionFantasy
SparklingAura: your request came true!
SweetBabyGurl: I'll see what I can do ^.~
LiLDraGoNGuRL28: thanx for the compliment! Take out those swords
girl!
Aznneptune
Cherrixwolf
Final Fantasy Princess: hahaha..my celly doesn't like you :p
anywho, you better tell me what's gonna happen in FFR when we go on the
Marist campus tour!!!
Light in the Darkness
Kikakai
TiarellaCordifolia: *depressed sigh* we all do *sob*
FlameSolo
Sui*Jing: you can stop pressing refresh now! ^.^;;
Onigiri Momoko: well, now you know where Larry is! And uh...i
can't answer your questions; they give the story away, sorry!
LiL DuDeTte: i've never seen so many freakin' gosh in one time!
o.O;; lol
Fire Temptress: hehehehehe..sorry, had to do that ^^;;;
Ccslover: thanx for the b-day shout out!!
Mei-Chan: mei-chan i haven't talked to you in forever!! been
so busy lately, it's horrible! We have a lot of catching up to do -.-;;
Littleblackrose
Anjuliet