For those of you who thought it was over...Guess again!!! I have one more "curve" to throw your way....hehehehehe

Chapter 11: Curves—Eriol

Tomoyo certainly could throw her own kind of curve ball. And spending yesterday with her had done wonders for my cold and quite a few other things as well. For some reason I couldn't wait to see Tomoyo in school and see her flash that radiant smile my way. Would she slap me if I kissed her in front of most of the student body? Worth finding out!

"Eriol!" Sakura called over the crowd around me. "Eriol!" I moved over by a locker and she came running up. "Oh, Eriol, Tomoyo said she didn't tell you yet, but my birthday party is tonight! Can you come?" She paused to catch her breath. "Please!"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for anything!" After all, what kind of loon would I have to be to pass up a free excuse to bother Tomoyo?

"Oh good! The party starts at eight at Tomoyo's house!" She skipped away in a way only Sakura could.

Could this day get any better?

Unfortunately I didn't have class with either Sakura or Tomoyo, not today, but Syaoran and I did. One pleasure for another. I grinned.

Walking to the classroom, my creepily happy attitude surrounded me and for once I could actually walk down a hall. But it all disappeared the moment I sensed her.

Standing outside the door, I could sense her. And then Syaoran ambushed me.

"If you hurt Tomoyo, I will kill. Do you understand me Hiiragizawa? If you hurt her, I will kill you!"

"I have no intention of hurting anyone." I told him as he gave me the evil eye.

"You'd better not!" Syaoran turned around and marched back into the room.

"Not intentionally anyway." I mumbled to his back before entering the room.

"Hello Eriol." Her soft voice greeted me, washing over my skin like cool rain on a hot day.

"Why hello Kaho." My stomach started its favorite gymnastics routine, flips. "What brings you here?"

She just smiled enigmatically with that glint in her eyes that drove me wild. "Please take your seats class and open your books to page 187 and we'll begin."

It was a most excellent thing that I had already mastered this course as I couldn't pay any attention. Kaho kept flashing little smiles my way and swishing her hips flirtatiously. Well, no one could blame me. What man doesn't want a nice older woman?

Lavender wafted across the room as Tomoyo passed the open door. Forget Syaoran, Tomoyo would kill me first.

All of a sudden class couldn't end soon enough, but when it did, I was loath to leave. A decision stared me down and not the one I expected. After all, no girl could compare to a real woman. But how could I let Tomoyo down without destroying everything. And after last night…I couldn't be anymore dead then if the coroner had already signed my death certificate.

"Oh Eriol-kun!" Kaho held me back as the rest of the class filed out. "Ummm, I just arrived this morning and it was sort of a last minute flight—"

I'd forgotten how forgetful she was. "You don't have a place to stay, do you? I asked, suddenly feeling short tempered. Why couldn't she ever plan ahead?

She smiled brightly, as oblivious as Sakura-chan to my displeasure. "No, I don't have one."

Seven years had taught me a few things, mostly tricks in how to handle her. None applied in this case. "I suppose you want to stay with me." Why didn't the idea sound appealing?

A suffocating embrace and a high pitched squeal answered my not given invitation. "Oh Eriol, you're such a sweetie! Thanks! You won't regret this! I'll meet you at the front doors after school!" And she skipped off.

And some how, she was right. I didn't regret it.

The rest of the day passed in a blissful blur of nothingness. My Kaho had returned and what mattered beyond that? Apparently I said all the right things because no one asked me any strange questions. And the day was littered with happy thoughts.

Well, until the end.

I waited for Kaho, just as she asked. But instead I found Tomoyo. A crush of people rushed out the door and it took a few moments for her to make her way over.

"Hey Eriol!" She exclaimed and then took a good look at my face. How is it that she always knows what's on my mind? "Whaa—oh."

Kaho snuck up behind us and slipped a hand around my waist. "Hello Tomoyo, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm doing just fine." She smiled a polite but detached smile. "Eriol, that project you need to choose who's Rosaline and who's Juliet." She turned away.

"T-Tomoyo! I'm sorry."

And there it was again, that deceptively happy smile, one that might even fool Sakura but not me. "That's alright. Some decisions are made easily and others require extensive thought." She shrugged. "I'll see you later."

"Yea, bye." Why didn't she yell?

"What was that about?" Kaho asked.

"We have an English project to do on Shakespeare and we choose Romeo and Juliet."

"Oh, that's sweet."

"Kaho, why have you come back?"

"To be honest, I made a grave error and should never have broken up with you. We really do end up together just like you said."

And I smiled at her.

Please don't kill me.