Chapter 2: The deal
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Sakura woke up on the sofa of Syaoran's third-floor apartment. Brushing her auburn bangs out of her eyes, she slipped off the couch and walked into the kitchen area.
Syaoran's apartment was surprisingly clean. There were no wacky wallpaper colours, just plain white; there was one three-seater, black leather couch and a wide screen T.V. . Two shelves with some books that Sakura didn't recognize were on each side of the T.V. and the kitchen was right behind her, with its large wooden counter and steel cabinets. Sakura jumped as her bare feet came into contact with the cold laminate floor of the kitchen. Putting her socks on, she raided Syaoran's fridge for some breakfast.
When Syaoran plodded into the kitchen, rubbing his wet face, he was surprised to see Sakura looming over his cooker with an assortment of pans. Sensing his presence there, Sakura turned her head, not taking her hands off of the spoon she was stirring in one of the pots.
" 'Morning." She said nonchantly.
It had been so long since someone making breakfast in the morning had greeted Syaoran, with his brown eyes wide, he sat down behind Sakura on the small table that was there for him to eat his dull breakfast on.
"Good morning." He mumbled.
"Did you want something to eat?" Sakura asked, her back to him. "I only made some stuff for myself."
Even though Sakura couldn't see, Syaoran shook his head. "No thanks, just put some toast in the toaster.
A few minutes later, Sakura and Syaoran were sitting at the small kitchen table, Sakura with her assortment of miso soup, noodles and some cereal and Syaoran with his measly pieces of buttered toast. At around eight-thirty, Sakura had showered and was ready for a day of school. Just as she was about to leave, Syaoran put his hand on her shoulder.
"Wanna lift?" He asked, his keys already in his hands.
*^*^*^*^*
"So, what happened?" Chiharu had rushed over to Sakura the minute she saw her friend elegantly slide out from Syaoran's jet-black Mercedes.
"Nothing." And it was true.
*^*^*Flashback*^*^*^
Sakura stepped into Syaoran's empty apartment. He offered her a drink and they sat on his couch, one on each end.
"So," Syaoran had started off. "You go to the all-girl's school down the road from mine?"
Finishing her sip of orange-juice, Sakura nodded. "I was supposed to meet my friend, Chiharu under that tree, but she never came."
Syaoran nodded in agreement and sipped his drink also.
A few minutes of awkward silence went by.
Sakura, who wasn't used to silence, fidgeted on the couch. "Um.........so I hear you're kind of a model?" She asked shyly, not knowing whether Syaoran would like to talk about his career.
At this, Syaoran smirked and sunk into his chair, brushing his hair from his eyes. "Yeah, mostly for girly magazines and gay ones." He chuckled when he saw Sakura's green eyes widen. "Not really, I just stand still in some sexy pose and the photographer takes the pictures. I haven't seen what they get printed into."
More at ease, Sakura leaned her arm on the arm of the chair and moved her body to face Syaoran. "But don't you worry that they're putting them in some mad S&M-type magazine?"
Syaoran blinked at Sakura's bluntness then just smiled. "So long as I get the money, I don't care who jerks-off to it." "But," He added, seeing Sakura's shock. "I have kept the first magazine I was printed in." He got up and strolled over to his bookcase. After a few moments of taking books off from on top of each other, he came to a dusty magazine, sitting back down; he began to flick through it.
"Ah!" He exclaimed when he was halfway through the magazine. Leaning over, his index finger on the page, he showed Sakura.
Staring back at her, his young face dead serious and his bottom lip formed in a half-pout was a very young Syaoran Li. He was wearing a black shirt that was only buttoned up halfway down the middle and his right arm was pulling the top of it, revealing some of his tanned chest. His hair had been artistically messed up.
Sakura began to feel the blush rise up into her cheeks, handing back the magazine, an old copy of 'Sparkle', a popular girl's magazine, Sakura saw that Syaoran was watching to see her reaction to the picture, he smiled, not unkindly, when he saw her blushing.
"H.........how old were you there?" She stuttered, feeling like an idiot for her girlish reaction.
Syaoran closed the magazine and practically threw it back onto the bookcase. "Fifteen years old." He said, lighting a cigarette. "They were holding auditions in the mall, I was just lucky." Taking a drag, he offered it to Sakura, who politely declined.
"You sound like you don't like modelling." Sakura said.
"Not really," Syaoran said, shrugging. "I do it cos it pays good money. I'm not passionate about it or anything."
"It must pay good, what with this stylish apartment." Sakura complimented, looking around. She suddenly realised that Syaoran's parents didn't seem to be around. There was only one room in the apartment and he hadn't mentioned anything about his father or mother. A wave of curiosity swept over Sakura and she suddenly felt uncomfortable again.
As if reading Sakura's thoughts, Syaoran finished his cigarette and looked away from her.
"My mom died when I was fifteen, a few months after I started modelling. She was the one who persuaded me to audition. My dad is an army-freak. He doesn't like the idea of having a pretty-boy for a son. He pretty much lost it after mom died. When I had enough money, I left home and moved into this apartment." He looked at Sakura, his face unreadable. "So what's your life story?"
Sakura coughed nervously. "My mom died also, when I was three. My dad works at the university, he's still pretty obsessed about my mother. She was a model too, so everyday he puts up a new picture of her." She tried to laugh, attempting to add some humour into the conversation. "My brother, Touya, works in a restaurant right now, but he's in university too. I live with both of them in my house." She felt like she was on trial for something and wouldn't stop fidgeting. Syaoran listened patiently as Sakura talked. He had a strange way of looking like he was really interested in what she was saying, but sometimes she got the feeling he was only half-listening. Sakura looked at her watch, it said eleven-fifty p.m., and Syaoran got off the couch to stretch.
"I'm tired." He stated, walking to the door. Turning around, he looked at Sakura. "It was nice talking to you. If you want to, you can sleep on the couch, I'm too tired to drive so I can't drive you home." Sakura nodded, a little shocked at this proposal, but then again, she did follow him to his apartment, and he was a total stranger.
"Goodnight." He said, before leaving Sakura to lie down on the couch. He came in a few hours later and draped a thick blanket over her sleeping form. Watching her body move up and down as she breathed, he quietly went back into his room. Reviewing his day, Syaoran decided that sometimes, sitting down and talking was better than making out.
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Sakura was pretty much asleep in her lessons, which was lucky because most of it was study hall. She had to recall her night to quite a few giggling girls, though she made sure to keep it short and blunt and to not mention Syaoran's family. Tomoyo had said stubbornly that she didn't wish to know what some narcissistic model had to say. She sat frowning in her seat as Sakura retold her memorized story to yet another fan-girl, as well as being followed by Chiharu who apologized non-stop for not showing up. She had met Yamazaki and both of them had spent the night in the back seat of Yamazaki's car.
Syaoran had been equally as tired as Sakura. A hoard of hormonal boys asking him who the cute girl he took home was had followed him around. Of course, the only questions they could think up was, 'did you do her?' and 'does she have a friend?' Syaoran kept respectively quiet about it all and, walking past a frowning Takamura, managed to keep his face straight.
Half way through last period, Eriol turned around to Syaoran.
"You didn't do anything with her, did you." He stated. Syaoran wasn't so much shocked as impressed. Eriol had a way of seeing through Syaoran, which was why Syaoran chose to hang around with the blue-haired boy, he respected Eriol, almost like a big brother.
"No." He replied.
Eriol mockingly slapped his hand on his cheek and dropped his mouth open. "Shocking!" He gasped, a smile creeping onto his pale lips. "Syaoran Li, the boy who does pretty much any girl, did nothing!"
"Ha. Ha." Syaoran said, not too amused. "I don't do just 'anyone', there ARE certain standards to be maintained.
Eriol nodded dramatically, his blue hair flying around his face. "You're gonna pick her up after school aren't you." He said after some time. Now, Syaoran was genuinely shocked.
*^*^*^*^*
Syaoran often wondered whether Eriol really could read him or if he did the things Eriol said he would do because Eriol said he would do them. At any rate, he was waiting in his car, one arm leaning on the bottom of the open window, peering through his shades as girls in short, chequered skirts and long, baggy socks came strutting out of Eimi Matsumoto High School for Girls.
The girl's school was let out ten minutes after the boy's school. No one really knew why this was, some people put it down to sexism, some said it was just like that, but no one really cared after a while, after all, ten minutes was only ten minutes.
Sakura spotted Syaoran the minute she walked out the entrance. She had no idea why she looked in the direction of his car, but she did, and there he was. He hailed her and, trying to suppress a goofy smile from plastering itself on her face, she waved goodbye to her friends and half-walked, half- jogged, up to Syaoran's car. He opened the passenger door for her.
"I feel bad for making you sleep on my couch." Syaoran lied, making sure he made no eye contact. "So I decided to drive you home."
Smiling, Sakura strapped herself in. "Liar." She said as Syaoran started the car.
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After fifteen minutes of bad directions, courtesy of Sakura, they finally made it to her house. She thanked Syaoran and made to get out the car when he stopped her.
"I was thinking," He said, both hands on the wheel and his eyes looking down at his feet. "You're probably on the rebound from dating Takamura, and I need something to make my school days more.........enjoyable." He paused for a moment, trying to turn the thoughts in his head into a sentence. "So, do you mind if we go out?"
Sakura was silent for a moment. "You mean," She said slowly, "That you want us to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but not be?" Syaoran nodded. "Sort of like a long-term fling, until I'm able to model full time."
"Then you'd dump me and go out with some anorexic, blonde haired, blued eyed, model friend?" She asked, almost amused. "Yeah." Was Syaoran's blunt reply.
Sakura thought for a while. She'd do ANYTHING to get her mind off that jackass, Takamura, which was why she had left with Syaoran anyways, plus, it'd be a good way to test out her 'Bridget Jones' theory. She liked trying new experiences.
"Why not!" She exclaimed, slapping her knees before getting out the car. For the first time during their ride, Syaoran looked at her and smiled. "Cool." Was all he could say.
"Think of this as an experiment!" Sakura beamed. Syaoran gave her a quizzical look as she closed the door and walked up to her house.
Sitting in his car, Syaoran though about what he'd just done.
He'd asked a girl, who was clearly on the rebound, to have a fling with him. That would mean that she wouldn't like him because he was himself, she would like him because she wanted to be with someone else. It was like being used.
'Oh well,' he thought, starting the car up. 'Anything to get my mind off of school.'
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There we go! Chapter two! I did this two whole days early because it's Cherry Jade's birthday! Otanjoubi Omedetou! Hmm that better be right. So what do we think so far? Like I said in my bio, I'm trying to do a sort-of mature fic, a bit more adult, unlike my others. ^.^() I like trying out different styles.
I went to Madame Tussauds! It was so cool!
Read and review!
Sakura Clover
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Sakura woke up on the sofa of Syaoran's third-floor apartment. Brushing her auburn bangs out of her eyes, she slipped off the couch and walked into the kitchen area.
Syaoran's apartment was surprisingly clean. There were no wacky wallpaper colours, just plain white; there was one three-seater, black leather couch and a wide screen T.V. . Two shelves with some books that Sakura didn't recognize were on each side of the T.V. and the kitchen was right behind her, with its large wooden counter and steel cabinets. Sakura jumped as her bare feet came into contact with the cold laminate floor of the kitchen. Putting her socks on, she raided Syaoran's fridge for some breakfast.
When Syaoran plodded into the kitchen, rubbing his wet face, he was surprised to see Sakura looming over his cooker with an assortment of pans. Sensing his presence there, Sakura turned her head, not taking her hands off of the spoon she was stirring in one of the pots.
" 'Morning." She said nonchantly.
It had been so long since someone making breakfast in the morning had greeted Syaoran, with his brown eyes wide, he sat down behind Sakura on the small table that was there for him to eat his dull breakfast on.
"Good morning." He mumbled.
"Did you want something to eat?" Sakura asked, her back to him. "I only made some stuff for myself."
Even though Sakura couldn't see, Syaoran shook his head. "No thanks, just put some toast in the toaster.
A few minutes later, Sakura and Syaoran were sitting at the small kitchen table, Sakura with her assortment of miso soup, noodles and some cereal and Syaoran with his measly pieces of buttered toast. At around eight-thirty, Sakura had showered and was ready for a day of school. Just as she was about to leave, Syaoran put his hand on her shoulder.
"Wanna lift?" He asked, his keys already in his hands.
*^*^*^*^*
"So, what happened?" Chiharu had rushed over to Sakura the minute she saw her friend elegantly slide out from Syaoran's jet-black Mercedes.
"Nothing." And it was true.
*^*^*Flashback*^*^*^
Sakura stepped into Syaoran's empty apartment. He offered her a drink and they sat on his couch, one on each end.
"So," Syaoran had started off. "You go to the all-girl's school down the road from mine?"
Finishing her sip of orange-juice, Sakura nodded. "I was supposed to meet my friend, Chiharu under that tree, but she never came."
Syaoran nodded in agreement and sipped his drink also.
A few minutes of awkward silence went by.
Sakura, who wasn't used to silence, fidgeted on the couch. "Um.........so I hear you're kind of a model?" She asked shyly, not knowing whether Syaoran would like to talk about his career.
At this, Syaoran smirked and sunk into his chair, brushing his hair from his eyes. "Yeah, mostly for girly magazines and gay ones." He chuckled when he saw Sakura's green eyes widen. "Not really, I just stand still in some sexy pose and the photographer takes the pictures. I haven't seen what they get printed into."
More at ease, Sakura leaned her arm on the arm of the chair and moved her body to face Syaoran. "But don't you worry that they're putting them in some mad S&M-type magazine?"
Syaoran blinked at Sakura's bluntness then just smiled. "So long as I get the money, I don't care who jerks-off to it." "But," He added, seeing Sakura's shock. "I have kept the first magazine I was printed in." He got up and strolled over to his bookcase. After a few moments of taking books off from on top of each other, he came to a dusty magazine, sitting back down; he began to flick through it.
"Ah!" He exclaimed when he was halfway through the magazine. Leaning over, his index finger on the page, he showed Sakura.
Staring back at her, his young face dead serious and his bottom lip formed in a half-pout was a very young Syaoran Li. He was wearing a black shirt that was only buttoned up halfway down the middle and his right arm was pulling the top of it, revealing some of his tanned chest. His hair had been artistically messed up.
Sakura began to feel the blush rise up into her cheeks, handing back the magazine, an old copy of 'Sparkle', a popular girl's magazine, Sakura saw that Syaoran was watching to see her reaction to the picture, he smiled, not unkindly, when he saw her blushing.
"H.........how old were you there?" She stuttered, feeling like an idiot for her girlish reaction.
Syaoran closed the magazine and practically threw it back onto the bookcase. "Fifteen years old." He said, lighting a cigarette. "They were holding auditions in the mall, I was just lucky." Taking a drag, he offered it to Sakura, who politely declined.
"You sound like you don't like modelling." Sakura said.
"Not really," Syaoran said, shrugging. "I do it cos it pays good money. I'm not passionate about it or anything."
"It must pay good, what with this stylish apartment." Sakura complimented, looking around. She suddenly realised that Syaoran's parents didn't seem to be around. There was only one room in the apartment and he hadn't mentioned anything about his father or mother. A wave of curiosity swept over Sakura and she suddenly felt uncomfortable again.
As if reading Sakura's thoughts, Syaoran finished his cigarette and looked away from her.
"My mom died when I was fifteen, a few months after I started modelling. She was the one who persuaded me to audition. My dad is an army-freak. He doesn't like the idea of having a pretty-boy for a son. He pretty much lost it after mom died. When I had enough money, I left home and moved into this apartment." He looked at Sakura, his face unreadable. "So what's your life story?"
Sakura coughed nervously. "My mom died also, when I was three. My dad works at the university, he's still pretty obsessed about my mother. She was a model too, so everyday he puts up a new picture of her." She tried to laugh, attempting to add some humour into the conversation. "My brother, Touya, works in a restaurant right now, but he's in university too. I live with both of them in my house." She felt like she was on trial for something and wouldn't stop fidgeting. Syaoran listened patiently as Sakura talked. He had a strange way of looking like he was really interested in what she was saying, but sometimes she got the feeling he was only half-listening. Sakura looked at her watch, it said eleven-fifty p.m., and Syaoran got off the couch to stretch.
"I'm tired." He stated, walking to the door. Turning around, he looked at Sakura. "It was nice talking to you. If you want to, you can sleep on the couch, I'm too tired to drive so I can't drive you home." Sakura nodded, a little shocked at this proposal, but then again, she did follow him to his apartment, and he was a total stranger.
"Goodnight." He said, before leaving Sakura to lie down on the couch. He came in a few hours later and draped a thick blanket over her sleeping form. Watching her body move up and down as she breathed, he quietly went back into his room. Reviewing his day, Syaoran decided that sometimes, sitting down and talking was better than making out.
*^*^*^*^*
Sakura was pretty much asleep in her lessons, which was lucky because most of it was study hall. She had to recall her night to quite a few giggling girls, though she made sure to keep it short and blunt and to not mention Syaoran's family. Tomoyo had said stubbornly that she didn't wish to know what some narcissistic model had to say. She sat frowning in her seat as Sakura retold her memorized story to yet another fan-girl, as well as being followed by Chiharu who apologized non-stop for not showing up. She had met Yamazaki and both of them had spent the night in the back seat of Yamazaki's car.
Syaoran had been equally as tired as Sakura. A hoard of hormonal boys asking him who the cute girl he took home was had followed him around. Of course, the only questions they could think up was, 'did you do her?' and 'does she have a friend?' Syaoran kept respectively quiet about it all and, walking past a frowning Takamura, managed to keep his face straight.
Half way through last period, Eriol turned around to Syaoran.
"You didn't do anything with her, did you." He stated. Syaoran wasn't so much shocked as impressed. Eriol had a way of seeing through Syaoran, which was why Syaoran chose to hang around with the blue-haired boy, he respected Eriol, almost like a big brother.
"No." He replied.
Eriol mockingly slapped his hand on his cheek and dropped his mouth open. "Shocking!" He gasped, a smile creeping onto his pale lips. "Syaoran Li, the boy who does pretty much any girl, did nothing!"
"Ha. Ha." Syaoran said, not too amused. "I don't do just 'anyone', there ARE certain standards to be maintained.
Eriol nodded dramatically, his blue hair flying around his face. "You're gonna pick her up after school aren't you." He said after some time. Now, Syaoran was genuinely shocked.
*^*^*^*^*
Syaoran often wondered whether Eriol really could read him or if he did the things Eriol said he would do because Eriol said he would do them. At any rate, he was waiting in his car, one arm leaning on the bottom of the open window, peering through his shades as girls in short, chequered skirts and long, baggy socks came strutting out of Eimi Matsumoto High School for Girls.
The girl's school was let out ten minutes after the boy's school. No one really knew why this was, some people put it down to sexism, some said it was just like that, but no one really cared after a while, after all, ten minutes was only ten minutes.
Sakura spotted Syaoran the minute she walked out the entrance. She had no idea why she looked in the direction of his car, but she did, and there he was. He hailed her and, trying to suppress a goofy smile from plastering itself on her face, she waved goodbye to her friends and half-walked, half- jogged, up to Syaoran's car. He opened the passenger door for her.
"I feel bad for making you sleep on my couch." Syaoran lied, making sure he made no eye contact. "So I decided to drive you home."
Smiling, Sakura strapped herself in. "Liar." She said as Syaoran started the car.
^*^*^*^*^
After fifteen minutes of bad directions, courtesy of Sakura, they finally made it to her house. She thanked Syaoran and made to get out the car when he stopped her.
"I was thinking," He said, both hands on the wheel and his eyes looking down at his feet. "You're probably on the rebound from dating Takamura, and I need something to make my school days more.........enjoyable." He paused for a moment, trying to turn the thoughts in his head into a sentence. "So, do you mind if we go out?"
Sakura was silent for a moment. "You mean," She said slowly, "That you want us to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but not be?" Syaoran nodded. "Sort of like a long-term fling, until I'm able to model full time."
"Then you'd dump me and go out with some anorexic, blonde haired, blued eyed, model friend?" She asked, almost amused. "Yeah." Was Syaoran's blunt reply.
Sakura thought for a while. She'd do ANYTHING to get her mind off that jackass, Takamura, which was why she had left with Syaoran anyways, plus, it'd be a good way to test out her 'Bridget Jones' theory. She liked trying new experiences.
"Why not!" She exclaimed, slapping her knees before getting out the car. For the first time during their ride, Syaoran looked at her and smiled. "Cool." Was all he could say.
"Think of this as an experiment!" Sakura beamed. Syaoran gave her a quizzical look as she closed the door and walked up to her house.
Sitting in his car, Syaoran though about what he'd just done.
He'd asked a girl, who was clearly on the rebound, to have a fling with him. That would mean that she wouldn't like him because he was himself, she would like him because she wanted to be with someone else. It was like being used.
'Oh well,' he thought, starting the car up. 'Anything to get my mind off of school.'
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
There we go! Chapter two! I did this two whole days early because it's Cherry Jade's birthday! Otanjoubi Omedetou! Hmm that better be right. So what do we think so far? Like I said in my bio, I'm trying to do a sort-of mature fic, a bit more adult, unlike my others. ^.^() I like trying out different styles.
I went to Madame Tussauds! It was so cool!
Read and review!
Sakura Clover
