The insane musings of the authoress: Chapter seven of "Glass Roses"! I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: CCS is not mine. Now, if I had a penny for every time I said that, I could… Buy CCS!

Special thanks to: All reviewers. You guys taking the time out to type something for me really makes my day. Thank you all so much.

Glass Roses Seven What Happens When: ET Do Lunch

Nakuru and Isabelle's faces had been a picture when Eriol and Tomoyo arrived back that day holding hands. They had meant to let go before they entered the bakery, but had quite… Forgotten.

The two matchmakers in question looked like Christmas had arrived early, and their joy only intensified when the two teens looked puzzled as to why the two women were so delighted, then quickly figured out why Nakuru and Isabelle were throwing such meaningful glances at their clasped hands.

Then, of course, the two immediately dropped each other's hands so fast it was as if they had been burned and flushed spectacularly.

"Now, you two," Eriol began in warning tones, "don't go reading too much into this, we were just-"

"I was cold," Tomoyo interrupted, "and so Hiiragizawa-san offered to keep my hand warm for me."

Neither matchmaker looked even slightly convinced, and Tomoyo wasn't surprised- that really was an awful excuse, but the best she could think up under the circumstances.

"Tomoyo-chan, dear, that's complete and utter rubbish. The sun's shining like crazy out there," Nakuru said with the calm air of someone telling a four-year-old that two and two did not equal five, not matter how hard they tried.

"But I'm really sensitive to the cold…" Tomoyo protested in a mumble that suggested her terrible lying wasn't even convincing herself.

"Yes, dear, I'm sure you are, but it's rather hard to be sensitive to the cold when there isn't any," Isabelle said, trying hard not to laugh.

But that was an hour ago, and currently Tomoyo and Eriol were seated in a nice café down the street, peering at a menu and wondering what to have for lunch. Nakuru and Isabelle had, of course, practically wet themselves in excitement when Eriol and Tomoyo told them they would be going out together for lunch, and would Nakuru or Isabelle like to join them by any chance?

There was no point in even asking the question- the two matchmakers couldn't shove the 'couple' out the door fast enough as they squealed happily about 'Eriol and Tomoyo's first real 'date'!'

A waitress turned up suddenly and asked if they were ready to order. Eriol promptly ordered a glass of water and the soup of the day. Tomoyo laughed and pretended to sound outraged that he had ordered what she was just about to before requesting the same thing.

"You know," Eriol said thoughtfully as the brunette waitress walked away, "I think those two are in cahoots."

Tomoyo laughed.

"Definitely. But they're just so cute and funny!"

"You really are a kind, tolerant person, Daidouji-san," Eriol said without thinking.

"Oh, I don't have to be tolerant- I genuinely love them! And you too," Tomoyo replied quickly and cheerfully with a beaming smile before she realised the implication of what she had just said, and tried immediately to correct herself.

"I mean, you and Nakuru and Ms Chase were the first people to be kind to me when I moved here. I was so worried- I'd never been away from home for more than a few nights before I came here, if you can believe that. You guys took me in, I suppose, and I love you all for it," Tomoyo said as she took a sip of her water.

'She's just like Nakuru,' Eriol thought, 'She has a heart big enough for everyone.'

Tomoyo looked slightly worried when he didn't say anything to her hurried explanation, so even though he didn't know he was supposed to answer, he said,

"I love you too, you know. Really, I do. I'm glad I met you."

Tomoyo blushed in either pleasure or embarrassment, he wasn't quite sure which.

"I've never before told anyone outside my family that I love them," Eriol continued almost absent-mindedly as he looked around himself.

"Me neither. I have loved people outside my family- I could honestly say that I've loved a lot of people, but I've never fallen IN love with anyone. And some of the people I loved, I never… Told them I loved them. Maybe I should have. I don't think I have ever told the people I love that I love them often enough- that's why if I love someone now, I like to tell them. Because, maybe if I had before, then things would be different now…"

Tomoyo's words interested Eriol greatly- what had happened to her to make her want to tell everyone when she loved them? What would have been different? But Tomoyo looked so pained at that moment that he hadn't the heart to press the matter further, and it seemed that she had almost been talking to herself, so perhaps he could just pretend he hadn't heard.

"But that was a long time ago. Everything's okay now," she sent him a happy smile, and the sad look was wiped away so magnificently it was as if it had never graced her beautiful face.

"Someone hurt you in the past, didn't they?" Eriol asked carefully, gently, as if Tomoyo were a little, wild animal that might dart at any moment. Her amethyst eyes were wide, but she managed a small, humourless chuckle.

"No. It wasn't someone. It was EVERYONE. So many people hurt me… But I deserved it. I'm a coward - I ran away, didn't I?"

She was gazing almost desperately across the table at him, like she wanted him to tell her that it was alright, that she was wrong - it wasn't her fault, like she wanted to be reassured that she wasn't a coward…

"Oh, why am I even asking you? It's not like you know," Tomoyo said with a weary, ironic smile.

"Tell me," Eriol said suddenly, his azure eyes holding hers as he reached across the table to take her hand in his, "please. I want to know - I want to help you. I don't ever want to see you look sad like that again."

Tomoyo looked, shocked, at their hands before tentatively intertwining her fingers through his.

"I don't want to talk about it right now. We had such a wonderful morning, and I'm spoiling it… I'm so sorry," Tomoyo said, her voice a whisper, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Don't you dare apologise," Eriol said in a mock stern tone, and Tomoyo giggled as she wiped her eyes with her one free hand. Eriol got the feeling she had said sorry too many times in the past. And, probably, for things she hadn't even done.

"I promise I'll tell you sometime. Just not now," Tomoyo said quietly. Eriol smiled.

"There's no rush- tell me when you're ready. I'll be ready whenever."

Tomoyo smiled gratefully as their orders arrived, and they spent the rest of lunch eating and talking and laughing, like nothing had happened.

He was getting closer than anyone else had bothered to try to. Well, actually, that wasn't true, many people had tried and failed. He was getting closer and closer, so close that warning bells went off in her head, those warning bells that had been installed after…

She really didn't need to think about any of that- she didn't need to start crying right now. But those warning bells went off, getting louder and louder, trying to stop her from… What? Letting another person close to her? No. From making another mistake. People meant mistakes. People WERE mistakes.

They hurt, poked, prodded and criticised without any regard for anyone else's feelings, they bitched and backstabbed, used and discarded… But most of all, they didn't care. They could run away and not even feel guilty.

The scariest thing was that she couldn't control them. And she couldn't control herself around them.

She let him get really far in today. She was tired of running, of shielding herself, of guarding herself. Was it worth it anymore? At the last minute she pulled herself together and pushed him away. She gave in to the din of the warning bells. But she had managed to ignore them for a long time today. Maybe, someday, she'd beat them.

And now she was kidding herself. She NEEDED those warning bells- they kept her safe and sane…

And alone. Heartbreakingly, heartrendingly alone. Wouldn't it be easier to let him have her? To tell him everything, to watch him pretend to understand, then watch him run away. And he would run away, in the end. She was too much work to be worth it.

And she'd laugh when he did. Because she'd be proved right again. And she'd give herself up to the shadows. Because, try as she might, she couldn't hold up for much longer.

There was a knock at Tomoyo's door later that night, around eight P.M. Tomoyo was confused as to who it was, but she went and answered the door.

"Hiiragizawa-san, hello," she said, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Hi, Daidouji-san," he replied. Then they stood there, the black-haired man on her doorstep, the violet-haired girl still holding the door open with a look of surprise on her face.

"Oh," Eriol said with a blush, "I suppose I should tell you why I'm here!"

Tomoyo sweatdropped.

"That might be nice," she said, trying to keep a smile off her face and failing.

"I wondered if you would come for a drive with me," he replied. Tomoyo only looked even more confused.

"I didn't know you could drive," she said.

"Oh, I can, but I only passed my test recently and I don't have my own car yet. Of course, Nakuru was only too happy to lend me hers on the condition I 'took Tomoyo-chan with me wherever it was I was going'," Eriol said with a roll of his eyes.

"I can imagine," Tomoyo said, smiling.

"So, will you come?" Eriol asked, looking hopeful.

"Where exactly are you going?" she fired back, an eyebrow raised.

"It's a secret," he said with a wink.

"In that case," Tomoyo began, her smile widening, "I'll simply have to go, won't I?"

A few minutes later Tomoyo and Eriol were walking down the street to where the car was parked, after Tomoyo had locked up her house.

'I'm sorry,' Tomoyo thought, 'for ever thinking you would run out on me, Hiiragizawa-san.'

A.N. Sorry this took so long to update - I have exams until June 12th, so I'm horrendously busy right now, and most of the little free time I have is being devoted to my other fic, 'Butterflies'.

Anyway, Tomoyo finds it hard to trust people, you see, so it can be like 'one step forward, two steps back' when it comes to getting close to her. Sorry it got so dramatic in the middle- Tomoyo's frightened; untrusting nature will be explained soon.

Anyway, I don't have much to say… So I guess I'll just see you next update!

Shattered Midnight Dreams

Because life's like that sometimes…