T.Anjel: yay. chapter 17.
C-Mage: Homework. That explains everything. . '
Disclaimer: All belongs to Clamp. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Summary: Sakura and Syaoran go out and get caught in unusual circumstances.
Learn to Love me - Chapter 17 - Sakura's Snow Storm
I woke up late on Sunday, completely content with the long hours of sleep. I smiled drowsily and heaved myself out of bed. After 'Nii-chan and Otou-san returned to Japan a couple of weeks ago, the house felt more empty but serene. It was back to just Tomoyo-san and me.
"Sakura-chan! Is that you?" Tomoyo-san called from the first floor.
"Yeah, I'm awake," I yelled back, exiting my room and plodding down the stairs in my fuzzy house slippers.
"Li-san called about twenty minutes ago. I told him I would tell you to call him back when you woke up," Tomoyo-san informed me. She sat casually on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and reading some thick book I didn't recognize.
I nodded and went over to use the kitchen phone. I dialed his number, and within the second ring a low grunt answered.
"Moshi moshi, Li-san!" I greeted chirpily. "You called?" I settled in at the kitchen table, resting my right arm on it. Just the day before, I'd gone to the hospital to have the cast removed, but it was still weak.
It took a second before Li-san replied. "Yes, um, I was wondering if you were doing anything today."
I quickly racked my brain. "Nope."
"Do you think you can meet with me today?" His voice came out cool and casual.
"Uh...Li-san," I mumbled. I knew I told him that I just wanted to be friends, and he was already asking me out on a date. "I don't think that's a very good...."
"It's not a date, if that's what you're thinking," Li-san quickly cut in. I felt my face flush up in embarrassment. Thank goodness we didn't have videophones yet. "It's that we needed to talk about the winter dance and get preparations started soon...." He trailed off.
"Oh, right!" I exclaimed, snapping my fingers and quickly regretting so as it shot jolts of pain up my right arm. I grimaced. "The dance. I completely forgot. Right... where do you want to meet, exactly?"
"There's a small café near the school called Flamingo's. Do you know where it is?" Li-san asked.
"Uh, yes... I think I do...." I slapped myself on the forehead. My words were falling out of my mouth so clumsily. Li-san must think I'm some nervous freak. "When do you want...to...uh... to meet?" I lightly banged my head on the wall. What was wrong with me?
"Is twelve fine with you?"
"Yeah...yes. Yes! It's fine," I stuttered, ready to strangle myself.
"Okay, then. I'll see you then," he said and hung up.
I put the phone back on the receiver and moaned inwardly. What in the world was wrong with me? After a couple of exchanged words with the grumpy teacher I'd start falling apart! I trudged back upstairs to get ready.
Fifteen minutes to twelve, I was ready to go, dressed in a light turtleneck, jeans, and a down jacket. "I'm meeting up with Li-san, and I'm taking the car," I called to Tomoyo-san, who was still deep in her book. She gave a small flick of her hand, motioning for me to get out of here. "I'll bring you back a cake."
She gave a thumbs-up sign.
I smiled and left. I quickly bundled up my jacket closer to me. Wind was howling; snow was beginning to come down in thick sheets. A blizzard? I wondered. I'd never heard anything about it. With a cold shrug, I slipped into the car, warmed up the engine, and headed to the café. It was easier to drive with the smaller strap-on cast the hospital gave me to use for a couple of more weeks. It was for some support and strength while I got mine back.
With all the snow, I got there a little late and found Li-san already sitting there, sipping a mug of hot coffee.
"Sorry I'm late," I huffed, taking a seat next to him. He had a round table right by the window. I took off my jacket and rested it on the back of the chair.
"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked as a waitress approached us.
"I'll have a hot chocolate, please," I ordered.
"Whipped cream?" the young girl asked.
I shook my head, and the she left without another word.
"So about the dance," I started off, taking out a pad and pen from my bag. "Date?"
"I was thinking a Friday. The Friday before the holiday break," Li-san said.
I nodded and jotted it down. "That's about a month from now." I looked at Li-san, who stared into his cup of coffee. He looked so calm and at ease, and I had a sudden urge to just touch his face and whip the strands of hair away from his lowered eyes.
Hello, Sakura. Snap out of it. And I did once Li-san looked up from his coffee and into my eyes. My heart skipped a beat. Friends. We're just friends, I reminded myself before giving him a smile.
"It'll be in the gym, right?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Well," I thought aloud, gnawing at the tip of my pen. "The students wouldn't want to go to some school party in a gym...."
"We have no choice in that matter," Li-san argued.
"I know, but with the budget that the school's giving us on the dance, we're going to have to think of a way to sort of make the gym not look like the gym. Give it a different feel - do you know what I mean?" I asked.
He nodded. From there, I jumped in with ideas and decorations. Li-san pointed out a couple of things I would miss, and we spoke about the technicalities such as the cost, profit, and hiring a DJ. By the end of two hours, my yellow pad was full of my frantic notes, crumbled and failed ideas fell to the floor forgotten, and the snow outside fell down in thicker sheets obscuring any possibility of having a visibility of more than a foot.
"It's quite the storm," Li-san commented quietly, sipping his second cup of black coffee.
I agreed in the same relaxed tone, watching the snow cover the window of the café. I could barely make out the forms of the unlucky few who got stuck in the storm trying to make their way indoors or to their cars. Blinking myself out of my snowy daze, I turned back to Li-san. "So our plans for the winter dance are pretty much complete," I verified.
Li-san nodded in satisfaction. "And so they are."
I quietly and quickly packed my pad and pen back in my bag, wary of Li-san's gaze. I chewed my lower lip and looked back up at him, expecting him to say something.
Instead, a large man cleared his throat in front of the café, cutting off the serene music and getting the attention of the few customers who made it in through the snow that day. "I am very sorry for this inconvenience," he began, his voice loud and thunderous across the silent café, "but it seems as if we are all snowed in. We are already in fifteen inches of snow, and the storm won't cease for a couple of more hours. You are free to leave whenever you wish, but I wouldn't recommend going out in the storm. We have emergency blankets stored in the back, so please feel free to ask me or any of the other employees. Thank you for your cooperation," he concluded with a small bow of apology.
I glanced worriedly out the window and then back to Li-san. He gave a helpless shrug. What power did he have over Mother Nature?
"It looks like we're stuck here," I mumbled stupidly.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "Would you like a blanket?"
I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's warm in here, and I have my jacket, anyway."
A period of silence passed us slowly. Li-san sat as if thinking about something important and drinking his coffee. I sat there, fiddling with my fingers and wondering if I should try a conversation with the man of very few words.
"Ano...Li-san?" I squeaked. I blushed horribly and cleared my throat. "Li-san?" I repeated, my voice more clear.
He looked at me expectantly.
I was at a blank at what to say. "How is Meiling doing?" I blurted.
Li-san looked surprised, taken aback at my unexpected question. "She's doing well," he replied tersely.
"I see." I finished my cup of hot chocolate, which had turned cold, and braced myself for another long period of uncomfortable silence.
What's really wrong with me? I wondered. I never really have trouble with keeping a light conversation with people. It's just that I worry that whatever I say to Li-san will sound childish and dumb.
Ah, Sakura, what's wrong with you? I berated myself again. I watched Li-san from the corner of my eye and found comfort in his tranquil presence. Have I fallen for this man? I questioned myself. I already went over this a couple of times before, of course, when I was alone in my room. But while watching him and being with him, I felt different. Different in a good way.
I hated to admit it to myself, but I was in love with Li-san. Maybe not completely head over heels for him. Not just yet. But from that aching in my heart when I pushed him away and that unsettling feeling I get when I was around him, I knew I had fallen for him.
I blushed heavily at the thought. It was so wrong to like the man I was working with.
"Are you okay?" Li-san's voice broke through my thoughts. "You look a little...red."
"I'm fine," I quickly replied, turning an even brighter shade of red. I giggled foolishly, trying to laugh it off. "So would you like another coffee?" I asked, trying to cover up for my stupidity. "It's on me. Or would you like some tea? All that caffeine could make you really hyper," I blubbered on and laughed again, scratching the back of my head.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," I reassured. Calm down, I told myself. I was really feeling foolish. "How have you been?" I asked, settling for a simple conversation.
"I've been good," he replied. "And you?"
I smiled. "Couldn't be better." I held up my right arm with the small, hard cast. "I'm getting stronger by the day." Li-san gave a small smile in return, and I couldn't help feeling my heart flutter. I felt like such a bubbly high school girl talking to her major crush.
"That's good to hear," he said.
Before I could say anything else, the large manager spoke up front again. "I'm sorry again, but it seems that our heat system froze. It's going to get a lot colder in here in due time, so I would suggest that you take a blanket, bundle up in your jacket, and stay as warm as you can. Again, I'm sorry, but there is nothing that we can do." He walked away to the back of the café through the doors that said 'employees only.'
The café was still warm, and I didn't feel the need for jackets and blankets just yet, but Li-san got up and came back with a blanket.
"They only had one left," he said. "They only had fifteen all together." He looked around to the few people in the café. "The employees must have taken them all." He tossed the blanket to me, which I caught in surprise. "Use it," he commanded. "It's going to get cold."
I kept the blanket on my lap and looked out again to see the window was just a large square of blinding white.
"We're really lucky, Li-san," I murmured, staring at the snow.
"Why's that?"
"We got stuck in the storm while we're inside," I replied. "And we got stuck together." Li-san looked startled.
"Oh! I mean," I continued, flustering on at the way he must have interpreted my words. "We got stuck with each other and not alone. We're lucky that we got stuck with company," I said, correcting myself with a small smile. "Don't you think?"
"I wouldn't mind being alone," Li-san said, looking grimly at his empty cup of coffee.
"But you're alone so much," I said, sadly peering at his face. "Everyone needs company sometime or another. Even if the company is silent. To know someone is there beside you is reassuring and makes you feel secure. You can't say you don't want any company, Li-san."
He looked up at me. "Company isn't a very reliable source of output. You can't just express all your inner thoughts and conflicts to people who probably won't be at your side very long. I can't, at least.... Put on your jacket. It's starting to get cold."
I sighed and did as he told me. "I'll be at your side for as long as you need me to," I spoke quietly, pulling my arms through my down jacket sleeves. "What are friends for?" I managed to squeeze out through my teeth with a forced smile. I didn't know why I kept Li-san at arms' length from me, but I couldn't tell him how I felt. Not yet. Not just yet.
Li-san didn't seem to know what to say to me except give a small shrug. We continued to sit across from each other, breaking small conversation here and there.
"Can you believe second quarter is already gone?" I asked, thinking about the students who were all probably cuddled up in their beds at home, cursing the bad weather on a weekend and wondering why it couldn't hold until Monday.
"Years usually go by quickly," Li-san responded. "The children grow up just as fast."
I smiled and lightly punched Li-san on the shoulder. "You're getting all sentimental on me."
"Am not," he argued, turning to look at the raging storm outside. I saw his breath floating out from his nose.
"It's getting really cold in here, isn't it?" I said, seeing my own breath linger for a second in front of me. I took the rough blanket from my lap and shoved it across the table for Li-san. "Use it. My jacket's good enough for me."
He shook his head, refusing to take it from me. I hadn't really expected him to.
"Fine," I said and got up. I walked over to the opposite wall from the window and sat down on the carpeted lining on the floor. I patted the spot next to me. "It'll be easier to share," I said, motioning to the blanket. It took forever for him to get out of his seat and saunter up to where I was, and I had to pat the spot next to me again before he sat down. Clumsily wrapping the blanket around both our shoulders, I cuddled into it and my down jacket.
I closed my eyes in the warmth of the blanket and Li-san's body heat. A power nap, I told myself. Li-san must've said something cause I felt his voice vibrating me ever so slightly, but not enough to bring me out of my soft slumber. This was comfortable, I thought before drifting off into a light sleep, not noticing Li-san shift beside me and lightly wrap an arm around my shoulder.
I woke up when someone gently shook my shoulders. "Kinomoto-san," Li-san repeated, trying to get me up. I groggily lifted my head off his shoulder and opened my eyes, only to be blinded by the bright snow reflecting out of the window across from me. I moaned in displeasure.
"The snow's stopped," Li-san said, hefting me up to my feet. "We can go."
I was dazed and looked around me to find the café empty except for the plump manager who seemed to be ready to leave as well.
"You need a ride?" Li-san asked, folding the blanket sketchily and setting it on the counter.
I shook my head. "No, I have my car."
"That thing?" Li-san asked, pointing out the glass window of the café at my car, parked across the street and completely buried in snow. I moaned.
"Yeah...that thing," I repeated.
"You can pick it up after some of the snow is cleared up," Li-san said, opening the door open. I blocked my face in surprise as a stinging wind slapped my face.
We both walked to a basement parking lot, where Li-san smartly had his car parked. I sank into the passenger's seat and sighed comfortably. Just as Li-san turned on the engine to warm up, my cell phone rang.
"Tomoyo-san?" I answered, having looked at the caller ID.
"Sakura-chan!!! I'm so glad you're all right!" Tomoyo-san yelled uncharacteristically into the phone.
"Yes, Li-san and I are fine," I reassured. "How about you?"
"I was cozy all day," she answered. "So what did you two do, trapped in a small café in the middle of blizzard?" she asked, lowering her voice with a devious snicker.
"I'm going home now, I'll see you in a bit," I snapped, slapping the phone shut and blushing to the roots of my hair.
Li-san looked my way with a confused face. "Something wrong?"
"Nothing," I answered.
"Do you think we can stop by my place for minute?" Li-san asked. "I need to ask you a favor...."
"Sure" was my only reply. I only wondered why Li-san seemed so remorseful in asking a favor from me. We slowly drove to Li-san's apartment and went up to his place in silence. He seemed nervous the whole time, fidgeting with his hands and wiping invisible sweat from his face.
"Sit down," he told me, motioning to the couch in his living room. I did as he commanded.
"What's wrong, Li-san?" I asked. "You're so nervous!"
"I'm fine," he quickly said, sitting on the couch in front of me and staring straight into my eyes. He continued to fiddle with his fingers. "I have to tell you something...I don't know why, but I just feel like I should. And I need help...."
"What is it?" I asked, getting nervous as well.
"I've decided to ask Meiling to marry me," Li-san blurted out and buried his head in his hands. I felt like he had just slapped me in the face thirty million times.
"Marry...Meiling?" I repeated, in a dull trance. My heart was beating hard against my chest. Yeah. It hurt.
Li-san looked up determinedly and nodded. "I'm going to marry Meiling," he said with a smile of courage.
"So...what...what do you need...help from me for?" I slowly said, not trusting my own tongue to speak at my regular pace in case it decided to say something stupid.
"I plan on taking her to a restaurant," Li-san said, "and asking her there."
I nodded.
"I just need a little...uh...practice on how I'm going to ask her," Li-san said, flushing in embarrassment. "So I wanted to know if I could pretend you were Meiling and ask you.... You don't have to if you don't want to! It's just...."
I nodded again and smiled. It hurt to smile, but for Li-san it was all he needed to smile back. "It's fine," I said. "That's wonderful news, Li-san."
His amber eyes slid shut as he took a few breaths while approaching me. My heart beat frantically as he knelt down in front of me; I could feel the tears well up in my eyes, but I forced myself to blink them away. Not now, I told myself. Not here.
Li-san took more deep breaths, his shoulders going up and down in a steady rhythm. He tilted his head up at me, still with closed eyes. He took a small box out from his pocket and opened it up to me, revealing a beautiful silver ring, adorned with an intricate design in diamonds.
It seemed to take an eternity until Li-san opened his mouth. "Will you do me the honor of marrying me...Kinomoto Sakura...."
My eyes went wide - whether it was in horror or disbelief, I still don't know. Tears built up in my eyes once more. Was this some kind of a sick joke? Was I hearing things?
Li-san opened his eyes and smiled. "How was it?" he asked, lowering the ring.
I bit my lower lip and nodded. "It was perfect," I squeaked before abruptly standing up. I couldn't breath. Not in here. Not with him. I couldn't take it. He didn't know he said my name. My emotions were completely torn apart. "I'm going to call a cab," I wheezed, running out of his apartment. I ignored his calling out my name and trying to chase after me.
I ran out onto the street and down the block. Blinded by my tears, I found myself in front of a deli. I dialed the number to a cab service and told them my location. "I need to get away...." I crouched on the floor and cried into my knees until the cab came.
TBC.
T.Anjel: Stupid Sakura. Stupid Syaoran.
C-Mage: I'd like to respond to a review from PersonaJXT about the use of Japanese. .' Any bad, despicable, or rude grammar used in this story is a result of my lack of knowledge in Japanese. I've been studying it for roughly two years, and not in a formal classroom setting, so I don't know much. Thank you for the correction!
As for you other readers, thanks so much for not flaming! School's started again for me, at least, dumping amazing loads of homework on me. Thanks for being patient!
C-Mage: Homework. That explains everything. . '
Disclaimer: All belongs to Clamp. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Summary: Sakura and Syaoran go out and get caught in unusual circumstances.
Learn to Love me - Chapter 17 - Sakura's Snow Storm
I woke up late on Sunday, completely content with the long hours of sleep. I smiled drowsily and heaved myself out of bed. After 'Nii-chan and Otou-san returned to Japan a couple of weeks ago, the house felt more empty but serene. It was back to just Tomoyo-san and me.
"Sakura-chan! Is that you?" Tomoyo-san called from the first floor.
"Yeah, I'm awake," I yelled back, exiting my room and plodding down the stairs in my fuzzy house slippers.
"Li-san called about twenty minutes ago. I told him I would tell you to call him back when you woke up," Tomoyo-san informed me. She sat casually on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and reading some thick book I didn't recognize.
I nodded and went over to use the kitchen phone. I dialed his number, and within the second ring a low grunt answered.
"Moshi moshi, Li-san!" I greeted chirpily. "You called?" I settled in at the kitchen table, resting my right arm on it. Just the day before, I'd gone to the hospital to have the cast removed, but it was still weak.
It took a second before Li-san replied. "Yes, um, I was wondering if you were doing anything today."
I quickly racked my brain. "Nope."
"Do you think you can meet with me today?" His voice came out cool and casual.
"Uh...Li-san," I mumbled. I knew I told him that I just wanted to be friends, and he was already asking me out on a date. "I don't think that's a very good...."
"It's not a date, if that's what you're thinking," Li-san quickly cut in. I felt my face flush up in embarrassment. Thank goodness we didn't have videophones yet. "It's that we needed to talk about the winter dance and get preparations started soon...." He trailed off.
"Oh, right!" I exclaimed, snapping my fingers and quickly regretting so as it shot jolts of pain up my right arm. I grimaced. "The dance. I completely forgot. Right... where do you want to meet, exactly?"
"There's a small café near the school called Flamingo's. Do you know where it is?" Li-san asked.
"Uh, yes... I think I do...." I slapped myself on the forehead. My words were falling out of my mouth so clumsily. Li-san must think I'm some nervous freak. "When do you want...to...uh... to meet?" I lightly banged my head on the wall. What was wrong with me?
"Is twelve fine with you?"
"Yeah...yes. Yes! It's fine," I stuttered, ready to strangle myself.
"Okay, then. I'll see you then," he said and hung up.
I put the phone back on the receiver and moaned inwardly. What in the world was wrong with me? After a couple of exchanged words with the grumpy teacher I'd start falling apart! I trudged back upstairs to get ready.
Fifteen minutes to twelve, I was ready to go, dressed in a light turtleneck, jeans, and a down jacket. "I'm meeting up with Li-san, and I'm taking the car," I called to Tomoyo-san, who was still deep in her book. She gave a small flick of her hand, motioning for me to get out of here. "I'll bring you back a cake."
She gave a thumbs-up sign.
I smiled and left. I quickly bundled up my jacket closer to me. Wind was howling; snow was beginning to come down in thick sheets. A blizzard? I wondered. I'd never heard anything about it. With a cold shrug, I slipped into the car, warmed up the engine, and headed to the café. It was easier to drive with the smaller strap-on cast the hospital gave me to use for a couple of more weeks. It was for some support and strength while I got mine back.
With all the snow, I got there a little late and found Li-san already sitting there, sipping a mug of hot coffee.
"Sorry I'm late," I huffed, taking a seat next to him. He had a round table right by the window. I took off my jacket and rested it on the back of the chair.
"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked as a waitress approached us.
"I'll have a hot chocolate, please," I ordered.
"Whipped cream?" the young girl asked.
I shook my head, and the she left without another word.
"So about the dance," I started off, taking out a pad and pen from my bag. "Date?"
"I was thinking a Friday. The Friday before the holiday break," Li-san said.
I nodded and jotted it down. "That's about a month from now." I looked at Li-san, who stared into his cup of coffee. He looked so calm and at ease, and I had a sudden urge to just touch his face and whip the strands of hair away from his lowered eyes.
Hello, Sakura. Snap out of it. And I did once Li-san looked up from his coffee and into my eyes. My heart skipped a beat. Friends. We're just friends, I reminded myself before giving him a smile.
"It'll be in the gym, right?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Well," I thought aloud, gnawing at the tip of my pen. "The students wouldn't want to go to some school party in a gym...."
"We have no choice in that matter," Li-san argued.
"I know, but with the budget that the school's giving us on the dance, we're going to have to think of a way to sort of make the gym not look like the gym. Give it a different feel - do you know what I mean?" I asked.
He nodded. From there, I jumped in with ideas and decorations. Li-san pointed out a couple of things I would miss, and we spoke about the technicalities such as the cost, profit, and hiring a DJ. By the end of two hours, my yellow pad was full of my frantic notes, crumbled and failed ideas fell to the floor forgotten, and the snow outside fell down in thicker sheets obscuring any possibility of having a visibility of more than a foot.
"It's quite the storm," Li-san commented quietly, sipping his second cup of black coffee.
I agreed in the same relaxed tone, watching the snow cover the window of the café. I could barely make out the forms of the unlucky few who got stuck in the storm trying to make their way indoors or to their cars. Blinking myself out of my snowy daze, I turned back to Li-san. "So our plans for the winter dance are pretty much complete," I verified.
Li-san nodded in satisfaction. "And so they are."
I quietly and quickly packed my pad and pen back in my bag, wary of Li-san's gaze. I chewed my lower lip and looked back up at him, expecting him to say something.
Instead, a large man cleared his throat in front of the café, cutting off the serene music and getting the attention of the few customers who made it in through the snow that day. "I am very sorry for this inconvenience," he began, his voice loud and thunderous across the silent café, "but it seems as if we are all snowed in. We are already in fifteen inches of snow, and the storm won't cease for a couple of more hours. You are free to leave whenever you wish, but I wouldn't recommend going out in the storm. We have emergency blankets stored in the back, so please feel free to ask me or any of the other employees. Thank you for your cooperation," he concluded with a small bow of apology.
I glanced worriedly out the window and then back to Li-san. He gave a helpless shrug. What power did he have over Mother Nature?
"It looks like we're stuck here," I mumbled stupidly.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "Would you like a blanket?"
I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's warm in here, and I have my jacket, anyway."
A period of silence passed us slowly. Li-san sat as if thinking about something important and drinking his coffee. I sat there, fiddling with my fingers and wondering if I should try a conversation with the man of very few words.
"Ano...Li-san?" I squeaked. I blushed horribly and cleared my throat. "Li-san?" I repeated, my voice more clear.
He looked at me expectantly.
I was at a blank at what to say. "How is Meiling doing?" I blurted.
Li-san looked surprised, taken aback at my unexpected question. "She's doing well," he replied tersely.
"I see." I finished my cup of hot chocolate, which had turned cold, and braced myself for another long period of uncomfortable silence.
What's really wrong with me? I wondered. I never really have trouble with keeping a light conversation with people. It's just that I worry that whatever I say to Li-san will sound childish and dumb.
Ah, Sakura, what's wrong with you? I berated myself again. I watched Li-san from the corner of my eye and found comfort in his tranquil presence. Have I fallen for this man? I questioned myself. I already went over this a couple of times before, of course, when I was alone in my room. But while watching him and being with him, I felt different. Different in a good way.
I hated to admit it to myself, but I was in love with Li-san. Maybe not completely head over heels for him. Not just yet. But from that aching in my heart when I pushed him away and that unsettling feeling I get when I was around him, I knew I had fallen for him.
I blushed heavily at the thought. It was so wrong to like the man I was working with.
"Are you okay?" Li-san's voice broke through my thoughts. "You look a little...red."
"I'm fine," I quickly replied, turning an even brighter shade of red. I giggled foolishly, trying to laugh it off. "So would you like another coffee?" I asked, trying to cover up for my stupidity. "It's on me. Or would you like some tea? All that caffeine could make you really hyper," I blubbered on and laughed again, scratching the back of my head.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," I reassured. Calm down, I told myself. I was really feeling foolish. "How have you been?" I asked, settling for a simple conversation.
"I've been good," he replied. "And you?"
I smiled. "Couldn't be better." I held up my right arm with the small, hard cast. "I'm getting stronger by the day." Li-san gave a small smile in return, and I couldn't help feeling my heart flutter. I felt like such a bubbly high school girl talking to her major crush.
"That's good to hear," he said.
Before I could say anything else, the large manager spoke up front again. "I'm sorry again, but it seems that our heat system froze. It's going to get a lot colder in here in due time, so I would suggest that you take a blanket, bundle up in your jacket, and stay as warm as you can. Again, I'm sorry, but there is nothing that we can do." He walked away to the back of the café through the doors that said 'employees only.'
The café was still warm, and I didn't feel the need for jackets and blankets just yet, but Li-san got up and came back with a blanket.
"They only had one left," he said. "They only had fifteen all together." He looked around to the few people in the café. "The employees must have taken them all." He tossed the blanket to me, which I caught in surprise. "Use it," he commanded. "It's going to get cold."
I kept the blanket on my lap and looked out again to see the window was just a large square of blinding white.
"We're really lucky, Li-san," I murmured, staring at the snow.
"Why's that?"
"We got stuck in the storm while we're inside," I replied. "And we got stuck together." Li-san looked startled.
"Oh! I mean," I continued, flustering on at the way he must have interpreted my words. "We got stuck with each other and not alone. We're lucky that we got stuck with company," I said, correcting myself with a small smile. "Don't you think?"
"I wouldn't mind being alone," Li-san said, looking grimly at his empty cup of coffee.
"But you're alone so much," I said, sadly peering at his face. "Everyone needs company sometime or another. Even if the company is silent. To know someone is there beside you is reassuring and makes you feel secure. You can't say you don't want any company, Li-san."
He looked up at me. "Company isn't a very reliable source of output. You can't just express all your inner thoughts and conflicts to people who probably won't be at your side very long. I can't, at least.... Put on your jacket. It's starting to get cold."
I sighed and did as he told me. "I'll be at your side for as long as you need me to," I spoke quietly, pulling my arms through my down jacket sleeves. "What are friends for?" I managed to squeeze out through my teeth with a forced smile. I didn't know why I kept Li-san at arms' length from me, but I couldn't tell him how I felt. Not yet. Not just yet.
Li-san didn't seem to know what to say to me except give a small shrug. We continued to sit across from each other, breaking small conversation here and there.
"Can you believe second quarter is already gone?" I asked, thinking about the students who were all probably cuddled up in their beds at home, cursing the bad weather on a weekend and wondering why it couldn't hold until Monday.
"Years usually go by quickly," Li-san responded. "The children grow up just as fast."
I smiled and lightly punched Li-san on the shoulder. "You're getting all sentimental on me."
"Am not," he argued, turning to look at the raging storm outside. I saw his breath floating out from his nose.
"It's getting really cold in here, isn't it?" I said, seeing my own breath linger for a second in front of me. I took the rough blanket from my lap and shoved it across the table for Li-san. "Use it. My jacket's good enough for me."
He shook his head, refusing to take it from me. I hadn't really expected him to.
"Fine," I said and got up. I walked over to the opposite wall from the window and sat down on the carpeted lining on the floor. I patted the spot next to me. "It'll be easier to share," I said, motioning to the blanket. It took forever for him to get out of his seat and saunter up to where I was, and I had to pat the spot next to me again before he sat down. Clumsily wrapping the blanket around both our shoulders, I cuddled into it and my down jacket.
I closed my eyes in the warmth of the blanket and Li-san's body heat. A power nap, I told myself. Li-san must've said something cause I felt his voice vibrating me ever so slightly, but not enough to bring me out of my soft slumber. This was comfortable, I thought before drifting off into a light sleep, not noticing Li-san shift beside me and lightly wrap an arm around my shoulder.
I woke up when someone gently shook my shoulders. "Kinomoto-san," Li-san repeated, trying to get me up. I groggily lifted my head off his shoulder and opened my eyes, only to be blinded by the bright snow reflecting out of the window across from me. I moaned in displeasure.
"The snow's stopped," Li-san said, hefting me up to my feet. "We can go."
I was dazed and looked around me to find the café empty except for the plump manager who seemed to be ready to leave as well.
"You need a ride?" Li-san asked, folding the blanket sketchily and setting it on the counter.
I shook my head. "No, I have my car."
"That thing?" Li-san asked, pointing out the glass window of the café at my car, parked across the street and completely buried in snow. I moaned.
"Yeah...that thing," I repeated.
"You can pick it up after some of the snow is cleared up," Li-san said, opening the door open. I blocked my face in surprise as a stinging wind slapped my face.
We both walked to a basement parking lot, where Li-san smartly had his car parked. I sank into the passenger's seat and sighed comfortably. Just as Li-san turned on the engine to warm up, my cell phone rang.
"Tomoyo-san?" I answered, having looked at the caller ID.
"Sakura-chan!!! I'm so glad you're all right!" Tomoyo-san yelled uncharacteristically into the phone.
"Yes, Li-san and I are fine," I reassured. "How about you?"
"I was cozy all day," she answered. "So what did you two do, trapped in a small café in the middle of blizzard?" she asked, lowering her voice with a devious snicker.
"I'm going home now, I'll see you in a bit," I snapped, slapping the phone shut and blushing to the roots of my hair.
Li-san looked my way with a confused face. "Something wrong?"
"Nothing," I answered.
"Do you think we can stop by my place for minute?" Li-san asked. "I need to ask you a favor...."
"Sure" was my only reply. I only wondered why Li-san seemed so remorseful in asking a favor from me. We slowly drove to Li-san's apartment and went up to his place in silence. He seemed nervous the whole time, fidgeting with his hands and wiping invisible sweat from his face.
"Sit down," he told me, motioning to the couch in his living room. I did as he commanded.
"What's wrong, Li-san?" I asked. "You're so nervous!"
"I'm fine," he quickly said, sitting on the couch in front of me and staring straight into my eyes. He continued to fiddle with his fingers. "I have to tell you something...I don't know why, but I just feel like I should. And I need help...."
"What is it?" I asked, getting nervous as well.
"I've decided to ask Meiling to marry me," Li-san blurted out and buried his head in his hands. I felt like he had just slapped me in the face thirty million times.
"Marry...Meiling?" I repeated, in a dull trance. My heart was beating hard against my chest. Yeah. It hurt.
Li-san looked up determinedly and nodded. "I'm going to marry Meiling," he said with a smile of courage.
"So...what...what do you need...help from me for?" I slowly said, not trusting my own tongue to speak at my regular pace in case it decided to say something stupid.
"I plan on taking her to a restaurant," Li-san said, "and asking her there."
I nodded.
"I just need a little...uh...practice on how I'm going to ask her," Li-san said, flushing in embarrassment. "So I wanted to know if I could pretend you were Meiling and ask you.... You don't have to if you don't want to! It's just...."
I nodded again and smiled. It hurt to smile, but for Li-san it was all he needed to smile back. "It's fine," I said. "That's wonderful news, Li-san."
His amber eyes slid shut as he took a few breaths while approaching me. My heart beat frantically as he knelt down in front of me; I could feel the tears well up in my eyes, but I forced myself to blink them away. Not now, I told myself. Not here.
Li-san took more deep breaths, his shoulders going up and down in a steady rhythm. He tilted his head up at me, still with closed eyes. He took a small box out from his pocket and opened it up to me, revealing a beautiful silver ring, adorned with an intricate design in diamonds.
It seemed to take an eternity until Li-san opened his mouth. "Will you do me the honor of marrying me...Kinomoto Sakura...."
My eyes went wide - whether it was in horror or disbelief, I still don't know. Tears built up in my eyes once more. Was this some kind of a sick joke? Was I hearing things?
Li-san opened his eyes and smiled. "How was it?" he asked, lowering the ring.
I bit my lower lip and nodded. "It was perfect," I squeaked before abruptly standing up. I couldn't breath. Not in here. Not with him. I couldn't take it. He didn't know he said my name. My emotions were completely torn apart. "I'm going to call a cab," I wheezed, running out of his apartment. I ignored his calling out my name and trying to chase after me.
I ran out onto the street and down the block. Blinded by my tears, I found myself in front of a deli. I dialed the number to a cab service and told them my location. "I need to get away...." I crouched on the floor and cried into my knees until the cab came.
TBC.
T.Anjel: Stupid Sakura. Stupid Syaoran.
C-Mage: I'd like to respond to a review from PersonaJXT about the use of Japanese. .' Any bad, despicable, or rude grammar used in this story is a result of my lack of knowledge in Japanese. I've been studying it for roughly two years, and not in a formal classroom setting, so I don't know much. Thank you for the correction!
As for you other readers, thanks so much for not flaming! School's started again for me, at least, dumping amazing loads of homework on me. Thanks for being patient!